Honolulu Mayor Rick Blangiardi has submitted the Fiscal Year 2022 operating budget and capital improvements program (CIP) budget to the Honolulu City Council today, exactly 2 months after taking office. The key priorities in the budget include funding core City and County of Honolulu services, without employee furloughs, and focuses on affordable housing and homelessness, rail, infrastructure and the distribution of funds. “We are entrusted with an incredible responsibility and the... Read More

The new public face of the city’s Department of Customer Services is making answering phones and improving access to appointments for driver’s licenses, state identification cards, and motor vehicle transactions among her immediate priorities. Nola Miyasaki, who was officially handed the reins of the 300-employee department on Feb. 17 following her confirmation as a member of Mayor Rick Blangiardi’s cabinet, has been accelerating the speed at which driver’s licensing centers and... Read More

The Hawaii State Department of Transportation (HDOT) Highways Division is pleased to announce a call for Transportation Alternatives (TA) projects. The TA program provides federal funds for community-based projects that expand travel choices and enhance the transportation experience in Hawaii. TA provides funding for programs and projects defined as transportation alternatives, including on- and off-road pedestrian and bicycle facilities, infrastructure projects for improving non-driver access to public transportation and enhanced mobility,... Read More

Hawaii Gov. David Y. Ige will declare March “Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month” in Hawai‘i during the 21st annual “Day at the Capitol” this week Thursday, March 4 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. This year’s Hawaii ZOOM Day event will be entirely virtual via ZOOM and the theme is “Treat All People with Equal Rights. Respect All.” Although the event cannot be live in this pandemic year, organizers anticipate about 300... Read More

The Hawaii Department of Transportation (HDOT) dedicated the Kapalama Container Terminal (KCT) Phase 1 and broke ground on Phase 2 of the project designed to improve Hawaii cargo handling capabilities at the hub of Hawaii’s commercial harbor system in a small ceremony Monday, March 1, 2021. KCT Phases 1 & 2 are the centerpiece of the Harbor Modernization Program, which developed capital improvement projects to meet the needs of the shipping... Read More

The Hawai‘i Department of Health (DOH) Food Safety Branch has issued a Notice of Violation and Order (NOVO) to Doner Shack located at 79 South Pauahi St. in Honolulu. The company is ordered to pay a fine of $4,000 for removing the red placard posted at their establishment by a health inspector and for operating without a permit on three occasions. In response to a public complaint received on Jan. 20,... Read More

Hawaii’s syringe exchange program (SEP), the nation’s first, was established more than 30 years ago by the Hawai‘i Department of Health to respond to the growing AIDS/HIV crisis in the state. It continues to demonstrate its effectiveness in preventing disease, based on the findings of the Hawai‘i Syringe Exchange Program 2019 Annual Report. The report was presented earlier this month to the state’s Syringe Exchange Oversight Committee.The report highlights the following... Read More

Vaccines to prevent and immunize against COVID-19 are becoming increasingly available in the United States and in Hawaii. We are optimistic about the opportunities that a vaccine can provide for our community, especially for our workers in the hospitality industry, as the state continues to re-open tourism.  UNITE HERE Local 5 would like to work with the state and the hotel industry in creating and implementing a safe and inclusive vaccination... Read More

Hawaii Daily COVID-19 update of coronavirus reports and statistics from government departments as of Monday, March 1, 2021 in the Aloha State. Department of Health: Vaccine Delivery Update: DOH is anticipating delivery of 67,280 doses of COVID-19 vaccines this week. This includes 28,080 doses of Pfizer vaccines, 27,300 doses of Moderna vaccines, and 11,900 doses of Johnson & Johnson vaccines. The first shipment Johnson & Johnson vaccines will not arrive today... Read More

Hawaii Love’s Bakery is blaming the closing of its operations on a drop in business due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In a statement it said the bakery was “seriously delinquent in rent and unable to qualify for the second round of PPP funding.” The kamaaina company has been in operations for 170 years, opening in 1851. Come March 31, all of its 231 employees will be laid off and the doors... Read More