State Business Tax Climate Index--Hawaii Ranks 37th
Ige Names Todd Eddins Supreme Court Justice
Chief Justice Appoints Stephanie Char Fifth Circuit District Family Court
Hawaii Hits 99.9% Complete in 2020 Census
Coast Guard to Deploy More Fast Response Cutters to West Pacific
Prison for Natural Supplement Makers Behind Wave of Liver Damage, Death in Hawaii
Hawaii Energy Consumption During Lockdown
Honolulu GOP Chair Violated Federal Hatch Act
To Reclaim Ancestral Land, All Native Hawaiians Need Is a $300,000 Mortgage and to Wait in Line for Decades
How We Found Low-Income Hawaiians Were Left Behind by the Homesteading Program
Hawaii Voter Turnout Already At 41%
CB: … With a little more than a week left until Election Day, 41% of registered voters have already cast their ballots, according to state Office of Elections.
As of Thursday, 344,000 ballots were received. Voter registration this year is up to over 830,000….
Officials ask that voters mail their ballots by Tuesday. Any later, and they should take those ballots to a drop box or voter service center.
Hawaii has a deadline of 7 p.m. on Election Day for ballots to be received by the elections office….
HTH: Ballots pouring in: 41% of Hawaii County voters have already voted
read … Hawaii Voter Turnout Already At 41%
Tier System from Department of Health guides Hawaii schools
SA : … the state, Oahu and Kauai use color-coded tiers based on positivity rates and moving averages of cases, posted on websites and even on electronic signs over the freeway.
This week, the state Department of Health announced the adoption of similar tiers to help public and private schools determine when they can start bringing their students back into the classroom.
For example: If over two weeks, the 7-day average daily case rate is 2 or less per 100,000 population, and the positivity rate is less than 1% of tests given, schools can consider returning fully to in-person learning. On the other end of the spectrum, if the case average is 15.5 or higher, and the positivity rate greater than 7.5%, students must learn from home.
Between the comforting green tier and the scary purple one are a range of options for blended learning, which involves some students rotating in and out of campus according to physical distancing requirements….
read … Editorial: Department of Health guides Hawaii schools
66,644 arrive in Hawaii -- 41,783 with pre-travel testing
AP: … State officials said in an email to The Associated Press on Friday that 66,644 people were screened between the Oct. 15 launch and Thursday. Of those visitors — including returning residents, tourists and others — 41,783 tested negative for the coronavirus and were allowed to skip the previously required two weeks of quarantine….
CB: Wrong Tests, Weird Exemptions – What The Data Tells Us About Hawaii’s Reopening
read … Tens of thousands arrive in Hawaii with pre-travel testing
After 55,000 Tickets and 500 Arrests -- HPD chief says most violators of COVID restrictions are residents, not tourists
KHON: … Even with thousands of tourists arriving on Oahu daily, Police Chief Susan Ballard said that the overwhelming majority of people who violate the COVID emergency orders are residents….
read … HPD chief says most violators of COVID restrictions are residents, not tourists
14 people arrested on Kaua'i for violating quarantine rules since reopening travel
KITV: … Among those who have been arrested for violating the COVID-19 quarantine orders are not only visitors from the mainland but also residents returning to the island either from the mainland or from another island. The majority of the individuals arrested were not at their listed quarantine addresses during routine checks and were subsequently arrested and booked.
For some of the individuals, this was not their first violation of the order.
All but one of these individuals have been released on bail and some of the mainland travelers have since returned to their state of origin.
All individuals who are arrested are subject to up to one year in jail and/or up to $5,000 in fines….
TGI: Kollar: All must obey virus rules
read … 14 people arrested on Kaua'i for violating quarantine rules since reopening travel
65 Cases on Lanai
HNN: …Lanai will be placed under a stay-at-home order on Tuesday amid a rapidly growing COVID-19 outbreak on the island, Maui County’s mayor said.
As of Friday afternoon, authorities put the number of confirmed cases on Lanai at 65.
And the state Education Department announced 15 cases among students at Lanai High & Elementary.
“There are more cases. We see them coming," said Maui County Mayor Mike Victorino. “To the people of Lanai: We are right now doing everything humanly possible to protect your health."
The stay-at-home order for Lanai still must be approved by the governor . If it is approved, the emergency order will go into effect at 12:01 a.m. Tuesday.
Victorino said the order, which will stay in effect for at least 14 days, means that all incoming travelers will need to quarantine for 14 days unless they are there for essential business. Residents will be allowed to leave their homes for essential activities only and gatherings will be banned….
The first four cases on the island were reported Tuesday and new infections have been identified daily. Before this week, Lanai (population: 3,000) had seen no COVID-19 cases….
read … Lanai to be placed under stay-at-home order as number of COVID-19 cases soars to 65
Life Care Center reports dramatic decrease in new virus cases
HTH: … According to Mann, only a few new resident cases have been reported over the last week.
As of Friday, 55 residents have been diagnosed with the coronavirus since late September. Of those, 26 are at the facility, one is receiving treatment at Hilo Medical Center, and two have been discharged.
Eighteen residents have so far recovered, and Mann said by the end of the month, that number is projected to more than double.
At that point, assuming there are no new case, Life Care Center would only have a few active cases remaining, he said….
read … Life Care Center reports dramatic decrease in new virus cases
Nadamoto Relative in Domestic Violence Case?
HNN: … A 68-year-old woman is in a coma with head trauma after a suspected assault in her home in Black Point.
EMS responded to a 911 call at the home on Oct. 19 and transported the woman to the hospital.
Multiple sources say her 69-year-old husband told doctors she fell.
Doctors notified Honolulu police that her injuries were not consistent with a fall and an assault investigation was started. No arrests have been made.
Crime scene officers were in the home Thursday night collecting evidence.
The woman’s husband is a relative of acting city Prosecutor Dwight Nadamoto….
read … Woman critically injured in suspected assault at her Black Point home
Maui Mayor seeks Guzman’s removal as prosecutor
MN: … Maui County Mayor Michael Victorino is seeking the removal of Don Guzman as prosecuting attorney in a resolution submitted to the Maui County Council.
The resolution will be heard at 9 a.m. Nov. 5 by the Governance, Ethics and Transparency Committee headed by Council Member Mike Molina. He said all nine members are expected to attend.
The resolution refers to a letter sent by Victorino to the council Monday but doesn’t give a reason for the mayor seeking Guzman’s removal.
Guzman, who is on administrative leave from his job, couldn’t be reached for comment Friday.
First Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Robert Rivera, who has been serving as acting prosecutor, said Friday he was instructed by the mayor not to comment….
read … Mayor seeks Guzman’s removal as prosecutor
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