The $600 weekly unemployment benefit the federal government funded this year was a remarkably effective expansion of the safety net. It helped pay many workers more than their lost wages. It enabled families to spend more than during normal times. It even allowed households to put away savings as the economy was teetering. Read more
The flu vaccine protects you from seasonal influenza, not the coronavirus — but avoiding the flu is especially important this year. Read more
Gov. David Ige today unveiled a new $25 million program designed to help small- and mid-size businesses and nonprofits adapt to the realities of the coronavirus pandemic. Read more
Based on the most recent data, Oahu and Hawaii island could be in “blended learning” — a combination of in-person and online instruction. Read more
The bill would require the hotels to recall a set amount of employees, calculated by the occupancy that the hotel will accommodate, with priority given to those with the most seniority in their respective job positions. Read more
The approach, called a challenge study, is risky but proponents say it may produce results faster than standard research, which waits to see if volunteers who have been given an experimental treatment get sick. Read more
Efforts to correct drainage problems have been made, but without maintenance, water keeps coming as the tide changes. Will a candidate for mayor please respond? Read more
The state should heed the review’s recommendations, starting with its call for Ige to appoint one person to oversee and have responsibility for “all aspects of the state’s policies and programs relating to trans-Pacific and interisland travel. Read more
Creating an online memorial is a great idea and one that’s become increasingly popular in the age of COVID-19. Read more
The facilities are meant to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 on Oahu. Read more
Scott Atlas, who joined the White House in August as a science adviser, had tweeted “Masks work? NO,” and said widespread use of masks is not supported. Read more
Some travelers who arrived in Hawaii during the first four days of the reopening of tourism were allowed to skip the 14-day mandatory quarantine even though they did not have COVID-19 tests from the state’s “trusted testing partners.” Read more
The actual worldwide tally of COVID-19 cases is likely to be far higher, as testing has been uneven or limited. Read more
The result: Poor people around the world who were among the hardest hit by the virus pandemic are also likely to be the last to recover from it. Read more
Retail spending rebounded to above pre-virus levels for the first time and factory output rose, boosted by demand for exports of masks and other medical supplies. Read more
The number of confirmed positive cases of coronavirus in Italy continued to rise to new records on Sunday, hitting 11,705 in the last 24 hours. Read more
The global hunt for a COVID-19 vaccine for kids is only just beginning — a lagging start that has some U.S. pediatricians worried they may not know if any shots work for young children in time for the next school year. Read more
More Oahu motorists will be able to renew their driver licenses by mail under policy changes announced by the city today. Read more
“His philosophy was, the more kids that are at practice with us, the less kids that are out on the streets of Kalihi.” Read more
The decision by two Kauai restaurants to deny dine-in service to newly arrived travelers is stirring the pot, so to speak. And it’s making the rounds on social media, local news and now, even Fox News online. Read more
The agency said it was offering the new recommendations to support state and local health officials and transportation operators who have imposed their own mask rules. Read more
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