Captured Fallujah Terror leader:  Accused SEALs arraigned, vow to defend charges

The charges stem from an alleged assault after the SEALs captured Ahmed Hashim Abed in early September. Abed is believed to be connected to the killings of four Blackwater security guards who were protecting a convoy when they were attacked by Iraqi insurgents. Their burned corpses were dragged through the city, and two of them were hung from a bridge over the Euphrates River.

Donna Zovko of Cleveland, whose son Jerry Zovko was among the slain contractors, said the prosecution of the SEALs who captured Abed was "very heartbreaking."

"For these young Navy SEALs, I am very thankful and hopeful that they will be OK," Zovko said.

RELATED: Jihadi murderer of Big Island man captured in Iraq: Navy Seals face prosecution

read more

SB's choice for Pearl Harbor Day:  Exhibit shows the harsh life of Honouliuli internment camp

Today marks the 68th anniversary of the bombing of Pearl Harbor. Within 48 hours of that fateful morning attack on the American naval base, hundreds of influential Japanese community leaders were rounded up and arrested based on profiles gathered by Army and Navy Intelligence in conjunction with the FBI.

Wondering why the SB chose to run this TODAY?  Then you better read this: Antonio Gramsci Reading List

And here is the answer: Pearl Harbor, Civil Rights, and Hawaii Statehood

ADV Pearl Harbor Day: Heroes at Hawaii's Ewa Field defended against Japan attack

VIDEOS: "A day that shall live in infamy"

read more

Hotel take down more than falling occupancy

Maui island resorts were about as full - or empty - in October as they were in October 2008, but they were taking in a whole lot less money.

While Oahu enjoyed a modest bump from conventioneers, the Neighbor Islands continued to slog along with two out of five rooms unwanted on any given night. The figures are compiled by Smith Travel Research for Hospitality Advisors.

Hospitality's President Joseph Toy noted that even when 24,000 dentists and their families flooded Waikiki, the occupancy rate rose only to an unexciting 78.8 percent - not terrible for a shoulder month like October but nothing special, either.

The dentists got good room rates, too, down $10 a night from the year before to $149.

read more

SB: Enforcement key to B&B bill

The Council's Zoning Committee approved a bill in the past week that would limit B&Bs to no more than half of 1 percent of all residential properties, estimated at 1,275 on all of Oahu. The proposal by Councilman Ikaika Anderson, whose district includes Kailua, was opposed by the Kailua Neighborhood Board.

Anderson told Council members that he is "providing this tool so that our local families and our local people will be able to hold onto what is theirs." He said the bill would maintain the residential character of neighborhoods while allowing some residents to augment their income by renting out bedrooms for short periods.

The most vocal opponents, organized as Keep it Kailua, maintain that their neighborhood already has lost its residential character. They predict the bill could result in nearly 4,000 B&B operations on Oahu and 1,300 in Kailua.

read more

Hawaii County eyes worker furloughs

Suspending executives' raises, imposing a hiring freeze and furloughing workers are among the measures being considered by Hawaii County leaders facing a possible $45 million budget deficit.

read more

But...Now hiring - Kenoi admin keeps on keepin' on

HILO -- The economy may be in the doldrums, but that's not stopping Mayor Billy Kenoi's administration from hiring new employees.
Since mid-October, the administration has approved filling 21 of the 193 current vacancies in county government, according to the mayor's correspondence log. The administration has also created positions -- nine new positions have been added since Kenoi took office last December

read more