Census: Oahu population declines 62K from 2010-18
HONOLULU — New census figures indicate the population on Oahu decreased by 62,000 from 2010-18.
Net migration loss on Oahu from 2016-17 was more than 14,000, while about 13,000 more residents departed than arrived between 2017 and 2018.
A county population previously headed for 1 million dropped from nearly 993,000 in 2016 to 980,000 by 2018, figures showed.
No other county experienced a population decline close to Honolulu County, which includes all of Oahu, with Maui County the only other showing a net migration loss.
Oahu’s high cost of living and employment in mainland states were likely factors, officials said.
Military deployment also contributed. Oahu’s military population decreased from nearly 50,000 in 2014 to about 43,000 in 2018, according to the state Department of Business, Economic Development &Tourism.
Honolulu County now makes up 69% of the state’s population, down from 72.3% in 2000. The Big Island makes up 14.1% of the state population, while Maui County has 11.8% and Kauai County has about 5%.
Monk seal undergoes CT scan
KAILUA-KONA — A critically ill Hawaiian monk seal underwent a CT scan in the hopes of determining the cause of its illness.
The 3-year-old female seal, identified as RH38, was in stable but critical condition at Ke Kai Ola Hawaiian Monk Seal Hospital, part of The Marine Mammal Center in Kailua-Kona.
The CT scan was conducted April 21 at North Hawaii Community Hospital in Waimea.
Officials at the mammal center say the seal is suffering from weakness, infection, broad-scale inflammation and malnutrition. She has received care at the center since March 12 after being transported from Kauai.
The juvenile monk seal is one of only 1,400 alive in the wild.
The seal facility turned to the hospital for help because the mammal center does not have CT scan equipment that could provide more definitive answers.
The seal was anesthetized from nose to tail during the scan.
Hawaii volleyball coach accused of sexual misconduct
ANAHEIM, Calif. — A nonprofit organization that investigates sexual misconduct for the U.S. Olympic Committee has been looking into allegations that University of Hawaii men’s volleyball coach Charlie Wade engaged in sexual misconduct with a former female player.
UH said Thursday it takes allegations of misconduct seriously and is reviewing the matter. A statement from the school said Wade strongly denies any misconduct.
The incident is alleged to have happened about 30 years ago in California when Wade was coaching a club volleyball team, the university said.
The nonprofit — the U.S. Center for SafeSport — suspended Wade in September pending the investigation’s outcome.
USA Volleyball became aware in Feburary 2018 of allegations regarding Wade.
Wade cooperated with the SafeSport investigation as soon as he was notified in September 2018, the university said.