BIIF girls basketball: Keaau beats Kealakehe 37-25

KAILUA-KONA – It’s the time of year when every team on the island seems to be shorthanded, whether it be injury or holiday related. Wednesday’s game pitting Keaau against Kealakehe was no different, with both teams missing three players, including several starters.

Koreas break ground on railways but sanctions block project

SEOUL, South Korea — North and South Korea broke ground Wednesday on an ambitious project to modernize North Korean railways and roads and connect them with the South, but without progress in nuclear negotiations, regular trains won’t be crossing the border anytime soon.

Trump finally hews to ritual of meeting troops in harm’s way

AL-ASAD AIRBASE, Iraq — President Donald Trump once opined that it wasn’t “overly necessary” for him to visit troops in danger zones abroad. But with the lights of Air Force One out and window shutters drawn, the president did just that, slipping into Iraq at night to greet U.S. service members and show that his norm-busting presidency would hew at least to this tradition.

Why is FEMA is wasting our money?

Mention the Federal Emergency Management Agency in Florida, and you’re sure to get a variety of responses. For each person who cheers FEMA for having helped them rebuild after a hurricane, you’re likely to meet one or more who waited too long for help to arrive. According to government auditors, those complainers have a legitimate gripe.

Learn about constructive conflict during workshop

Kimberly Dark presents “Constructive Conflict: Make a Long-Term Difference vs. Feel Better Short-Term” on Jan. 18. Part of Ku‘ikahi Mediation Center’s “Communication & Collaboration” Training Series, the workshop is slated for 8:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. at the Hawaii Innovation Center located at 117 Keawe St. in Hilo.

Japan to resume commercial whaling, but not in Antarctic

TOKYO — Japan announced Wednesday that it is leaving the International Whaling Commission to resume commercial hunts for the animals for the first time in 30 years, but said it would no longer go to the Antarctic for its much-criticized annual killings.