COVID-19

... 2020 STARTED OUT like any other year, but ....

... that $2 billion in “savings” is going to end up costing the taxpayers almost four times as much in the long term ....

... VIDEO: The Knights of Aloha protesting at the Hawaii State Capitol Friday January 15, 2021 ....

... sign up here ....

... Queen’s North Hawai’i Community Hospital, Kona Community Hospital, and Hilo Medical Center now scheduling vaccinations for those 75 years of age and older, as well as essential workers ....

... Efforts to save money now will cost taxpayers more later while putting government employees and retirees at risk, says Grassroot Institute of Hawaii ....

... I was fortunate to get an appointment the very next day I called at my local Kaiser Clinic ....

... The U.S. Supreme Court granted 14 cases Friday night, adding an additional 12 hours of argument to its calendar ....

... Vaccine doses received 91,700 - Vaccinations administered 35,000 = 56,700 ....

... Maui Memorial and Adventist Health are not waiting for the DoH any more ....

...other school employees will begin to get access to vaccines on a regular basis toward the end of January and early February....

... Hawaii's economy was in trouble before the coronavirus lockdowns ....

... Free app augments contact tracing, (claims to) keep data private, sends notice of potential exposure ...

... Legislative Advocacy During COVID - A Virtual Seminar - How the Hawaii Legislative 2021 Session will be Conducted ....

...drum circles, nudity, illegal alcohol and other illicit substances, coupled with hundreds of mask-less people in close contact with one another....

... The American Samoa Department of Health is currently accepting applications from qualifying residents who wish to be repatriated ....

... being at a facility with a positive worker sparked change for me ....

... I don’t know about you, but I’m ready for a fresh start ....

"... A 25-year lack of progress is unacceptable .... "

...Ige sat on Kauai's Resort Buddle request for 10 days until Kauai agreed to allow tested sister isle travellers in without quarantine....

...Updated Resource Guide Includes Information On New Relief Funding, New Program To Support Live Venue Operators, Museums, Independent Movie Theaters....

... The Governor also approved the City and County of Honolulu’s request to test incoming “CISA essential workers” ....

...On Dec. 27, 2020, a federal COVID-19 relief package that extends and provides additional federal unemployment benefits was signed into law....

... In November 2020, visitor arrivals decreased 77.3 percent compared to a year ago ....

... Magic Money from the Sky: Hawaii Getting $1.7B from New COVID 'Stimulus' ....

... Governor being coy in new budget about tax increases totaling $1 billion ....

... steps state officials could take to turn things around ....

... There is a consensus among restaurateurs that a lack of communication, transparency, and planning by the government is to blame for the economic hardships they now face. ...

...a new policy went into effect on November 24 requiring all trans-Pacific travelers participating in the pre-travel testing program to have a negative test result before their departure to Hawai‘i....

... Developments during this COVID crisis have brought out tax scofflaws in some of the most unexpected ways ....

... Some people are born rebels, and like everything else these days, there’s data to prove it. ...

...more free money from the sky....

...American Samoa, Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, and the U.S. Virgin Islands, as well as the freely associated states of the Federated States of Micronesia, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, and the Republic of Palau are included in the United States’ schedule of COVID-19 vaccine distribution....

... Will furloughs affect my “high three” .... 

...45,000 additional doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine are expected this month.  36,000 doses of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine are expected by the end of the year....

... DHHL has extended the postponement of mortgage loan payments for all DHHL direct loans and loans assigned to the Department for an additional three-month period, through March 31, 2021 ....

... Hawaii’s unemployment insurance system has become a ticking time bomb that threatens Hawaii’s fiscal future. ... 

... Annual Hawaii Forecast With Global Outlook: Mainland COVID-19 surge means a bleak winter, but vaccines promise 2021 growth ....

...The data comes from the firm Safegraph, which collects cellular location data from the apps that run in the background of many people’s smartphones....

...Remember: Public Employee Union agreements are the Highest Law of the Land....

"...I am confident in the Department of Health’s ability to distribute vaccines across Hawai‘i....” -- Gov David Ige 

... Since July, 26.8 percent of users searching in Honolulu from somewhere else in the country were looking for a short-term lease, up significantly from 14.9 percent at this time last year....

"...Many public workers have already lost their second jobs in the tourism industry...."

…roughly 1 in 10 secondary students received a failing grade in English or math during the first quarter. But about 25% of high school students and 6% of middle school students had no grades recorded at all in English and math….

... for up to five health plans to ensure access and continuity of care for Medicaid beneficiaries ....

"...The failed COVID 19 Operational Plan directly promoted abuse by officers...."

... That’s down 7 percentage points from a similar survey conducted in August ....

...Thursday, December 10, from noon to 1:30 p.m. (HST) via Zoom....

...“There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, and statistics.”....

... There are currently 14 States and the District of Columbia that are participating in the Google Apple Exposure Notification (“GAEN”) system ....