The nonprofit River of Life, a fixture in Chinatown since starting meal service to the homeless in 1986, is moving soon to the homeless Resource Center under construction at 806 Iwilei Road. Read more
Inauguration season starts well ahead of the U.S. president’s parade down Pennsylvania Avenue. In Honolulu, it starts at noon Saturday with the swearing in of five new and four returning City Council members at Honolulu Hale. Read more
Ringing in the new year safely in the age of coronavirus means especially keeping celebrations at home, among those in the household. Read more
Without getting too bah-humbug about it, here’s the truth: Christmas 2020 is history. So, likely, is that live Christmas tree. Read more
Following years of effort and a lawsuit, the Education Institute of Hawaii has obtained voluminous financial data it sought from the state Department of Education. While the records — from the 2016 and 2017 fiscal years — are dated, the nonprofit hopes a granular review can better inform the public on how taxpayer money is distributed. Read more
The city’s H-POWER (Honolulu Program Of Waste Energy Recovery), takes most of our non-hazardous municipal solid waste collection — otherwise destined for landfill — and burns it to create steam for electricity generation. Read more
On the heels of a delay in delivery of $500 debit cards intended to help needy families hit hard by the pandemic purchase groceries and basic necessities, city officials have apologized for confusion related to activating the cards funded with CARES Act money. Read more
There’s no disputing that holidays are a catalyst for COVID-19 community spread. Earlier this year, in the weeks that followed the Fourth of July, Oahu’s infection case counts climbed. Since then, we have largely fended off out-of-control surges. However, the rest of this year could present our toughest challenge to date. Read more
While the sixth annual service at Central Union Church known as “Blue Christmas,” or, “The Longest Night,” held on the winter solstice, was canceled this year due to COVID-19 concerns, some 112 homeless individuals who died here this year were remembered with a blue illumination of Honolulu Hale on Monday. Read more
Monday night, the winter solstice, afforded the perfect pandemic attraction: staring up at the sky to see the closest alignment of Jupiter and Saturn in centuries. Read more
It’s encouraging that Congress has moved forward with a bipartisan $900 billion coronavirus relief bill — and that President-elect Joe Biden views it as a “down payment” on a subsequent relief funding effort that needs to take shape in late January. Read more
There hasn’t been much aloha between the Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation and Andrew Robbins toward the end of his role as CEO — unless you remember that the word means “goodbye,” too. That’s what the HART board bid Robbins last week, voting against renewing his contract. Read more
Kudos to Honolulu Hale for rolling forward with ambitious plans to reshape the city’s TheBus fleet to zero-emission vehicles by 2035. Read more
Silicon Valley or Hawaii? Austin, Texas, or Hawaii? For big thinker Larry Ellison, it’s a no-brainer: Hawaii, and specifically, Lanai. Read more
The rap against bars in the age of COVID-19 is plain: Where crowds are allowed to drop their masks and inhibitions, the infections can follow. Still, many complain that the regulations on which establishments may operate and which shut down are unclear enough that industry reps went to court. Read more
Diamond Head State Monument reopens today, after a nine-month closure. As was the case when Hanauma Bay Nature Preserve reopened, the experience will be quieter compared to pre-COVID visits, when visitor counts at both attractions hovered at about 3,000 on heavy foot-traffic days. Read more
Earlier in the pandemic restrictions, the big worry for preschools was basic survival — parents staying home with children meant fewer needed the child care. But now there’s realization that in-person school may be especially crucial in an early-learning environment. Read more
A long-sought solution to the Laniakea Beach highway-crossing problem might finally be emerging. That’s the hope, at least. Read more
Bars are closed on Oahu and there’s less traffic on the roads due to COVID-19 concerns. Even so, by late November, Oahu’s total of 48 traffic-related fatalities had surpassed the total during the same time period in 2019 by two. Read more
Public corruption is bad enough for the severe damage it does in eroding public trust in our government institutions, processes and officials. But add to that: the damage it does to the public purse. Read more
In one of her final attention-grabbing acts in Congress, Hawaii’s U.S. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard has introduced a bill that would bar transgender women from participating in Title IX sports. Read more
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