COVID-19

... it is premature to commit funding for major new rail transit projects before we have some idea of the extent of transit ridership in the first several years after nationwide vaccinations ....

... The state where people are most likely to face an expected loss of employment income is Hawaii, at 26.5% ....

... Today, the White House released state-by-state fact sheets (crony dreambooks) that highlight the (allegedly) urgent need in every state across the country for the investments (pork projects) proposed by President Biden in the American Jobs Plan ....

“...Requiring so-called COVID-19 vaccine passports for taking part in everyday life — such as attending a sporting event, patronizing a restaurant, or going to a movie theater— would create two cases of citizens based on vaccination....”

... States With the Most Pandemic-Proof Small Businesses -- Hawaii 50th ....

... the proclamation includes mention of an anticipated new exception for vaccinated travelers that will become effective only upon approval by the director of the Hawai‘i Emergency Management Agency ....

... The Criminal Justice Research institute reported that 58% of inmates had reoffended at least once since their release ....

... Hawaii lags the nation’s economic momentum by an astonishing 5.14% ....

... Honolulu will continue to operate in Tier 3 of the reopening strategy for the next four weeks, meaning O‘ahu businesses and activities will continue operations without reverting back to the Tier 2 framework ....

... Hawaii is now the 11th-most restrictive state ....

... the lower COVID-19 transmission and deaths are in a state, the more that state is able to eliminate restrictions on businesses ....

... Coronavirus isn’t just a danger to Americans’ health. It’s also a menace to our wallets .... 

"...Hawaii increased the cap on its film incentives and decoupled from federal restrictions on research and development tax credits...."

... Native Hawaiians own 3,147 firms in Hawaiʻi, constituting 11.1% of all businesses in the state ....

... DLIR hired a vendor to perform investigations focusing on overpayments. Solid State Operations, Inc. will begin with 25 investigators on April 6 ....

... People who attended events hosted by King’s Cathedral and Chapels in the past 14 days are encouraged to get tested for COVID-19 ....

"... The Aa2 rating on the State of Hawaii's general obligation bonds recognizes the significant fiscal challenges posed by the current health and economic crisis...."

... For our faculty and students, this upcoming fall 2021 semester will be a transition semester, as we reopen our campus and navigate from a primarily online environment towards a primarily in-person semester in/by spring 2022 ....

... Environmental stewardship has never been this popular ....

... Hanalei Aipoalani, 42, of Waianae, Hawaii, pled guilty in federal court today to embezzling more than $500,000 from AmeriCorps and to agreeing to accept a bribe for the administration of grants under the CARES Act ....

... the request to modify Honolulu’s COVID-19 recovery framework to include “weddings” as a category has been approved and is effective immediately ....

... BEA -- Gross Domestic Product by State, 4th Quarter 2020 and Annual 2020 ....

... to allow travelers to confirm compliance with the Safe Travels Program prior to departure and bypass mandatory airport screenings upon arrival ....

... the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for February was 9.2 percent compared to the revised rate of 10.3 percent in January ....

... beginning Monday, March 29 ....

... The Molokai Community Health Center is excited to sponsor 𝐅𝐑𝐄𝐄 𝐖𝐚𝐥𝐤-𝐢𝐧 𝐂𝐎𝐕𝐈𝐃-𝟏𝟗 𝐕𝐚𝐜𝐜𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐂𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐜𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐀𝐋𝐋 𝐌𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐤𝐚'𝐢 𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝟏𝟖 𝐲𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐨𝐥𝐝𝐞𝐫 (𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐭-𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞 & 𝐅𝐮𝐥𝐥-𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞 𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬) ....

... the average daily census showed that there were 90,776 visitors in Hawaii on any given day in February 2021, compared to 250,052 visitors per day in February 2020 ....

... Keli’i Akina says House members should have aimed to pay off more debt instead of go on a record-breaking spending spree ....

... One staffer in a ballroom that serves general inquiries tested positive yesterday, and in response the department has shut down operations in that ballroom ....

... One provision provides a 100 percent COBRA subsidy for up to six months. Another provision increases the Premium Tax Credit, which will extend Affordable Care Act (ACA) subsidies to higher-income individuals ....

... Hawai‘i’s statute contains a single major check on the executive’s delegated authority: the “automatic termination” provision ....

"...Native Hawaiians still lack parity with other Native Americans in many federal programs and policies....”

... to help those age 65 and above navigate the registration process, secure appointments and also help eligible individuals arrange for transportation ....

... Hawaii: 31.5% “expect someone in their household to have a loss in employment income in the next 4 weeks” ....

... targeted communications strategies may hold the key ....

... There are few things more nonsensical than encouraging doctors to leave a state during a pandemic, but that is exactly what the Hawaii State Legislature is doing .... 

... Mayor Rick Blangiardi listened to members of the wedding industry during a demonstration outside of Honolulu Hale ....

... Hawaii's Legislature is about halfway through its 2021 session, and if we're lucky, the good will outweigh the bad when it's over ....

... The $1.6 billion in federal funds allocated to the State in the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) provides a temporary reprieve for the State's financial crisis. ....

... “one of the most extreme anti-transparency measures executed in the U.S.” ....

... Federal assistance to states has come into the spotlight recently during the coronavirus pandemic ....

... Hawaii and California had the highest jobless rates in January, at 10.2% and 9.0%, respectively. At the far end of the spectrum, South Dakota and Utah had the lowest rates, each at 3.1% ....

... details the racial and ethnic disparities in COVID-19 infections and deaths in the state of Hawai‘i ....

... Statewide, 588,050 were employed and 67,000 unemployed in January for a total seasonally adjusted labor force of 655,050 ....

... Title IX of the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 extends key unemployment insurance and assistance provisions of both the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act) as well as the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) ....

... The “Peopleʻs Pulse Survey,” in partnership with OmniTrak and with the support of Central Pacific Bank Foundation, highlights the urgency of helping businesses through this extremely difficult time, Chamber President and CEO Sherry Menor-McNamara said....

... The grant is equal to the business’s pandemic-related revenue loss: 2019 gross receipts minus 2020 gross receipts ....

... ​increasing number of students projected to return to in-person learning during the fourth quarter ....

... Some states have experienced meaningful revenue declines. But many don’t have losses to offset, so they would have to identify other ways to spend a large infusion of one-time money ....

"...This includes people who work in hotels and hospitality, food service, banking and finance, transportation, construction, media, logistics, information technology and more...."