More HCCC inmates test positive
Nearly 200 inmates at Hawaii Community Correctional Center have so far tested positive for COVID-19 in an ongoing outbreak that began last month.
In US, Pride Month festivities muted by political setbacks
It’s Pride Month, and gay Americans should have a lot to celebrate: A new president who has pledged to advocate for LGBTQ people, an easing of a pandemic that has disrupted their communal activism, and increasing public acceptance of their basic rights, including record-high support for same-sex marriage.
Justice Department will review restrictive GOP voting laws
WASHINGTON — The Justice Department will scrutinize a wave of new laws in Republican-controlled states that tighten voting rules, Attorney General Merrick Garland said Friday, vowing to take action on any violations of federal law.
Seized House records show just how far Trump admin would go
WASHINGTON — Former President Donald Trump has made no secret of his long list of political enemies. It just wasn’t clear until now how far he would go to try to punish them.
US vaccine surplus grows by the day as expiration dates loom
In Tennessee and North Carolina, demand for the COVID-19 vaccine has slowed down so much that they have given millions of doses back to the federal government, even though less than half of their total populations are vaccinated.
State briefs for June 12
Honolulu loosens virus restrictions as vaccinations rise
Ice shelf protecting Antarctic glacier is breaking up faster
A critical Antarctic glacier is looking more vulnerable as satellite images show the ice shelf that blocks it from collapsing into the sea is breaking up much faster than before and spawning huge icebergs, a new study says.
Pulitzers honor coronavirus pandemic, US protest coverage
The Associated Press won two Pulitzer Prizes in photography Friday for its coverage of the racial injustice protests and the coronavirus’s terrible toll on the elderly, while The New York Times received the public service award for its detailed, data-filled reporting on the pandemic.
The world’s food supply has never been more vulnerable
After a cyberattack crippled the world’s largest meat producer last week, JBS SA meat plants have begun to reopen across the globe. But the meat industry shouldn’t be returning to business as usual — and for the security of our food supply, the Biden administration needs to make sure that it doesn’t.
Opioid peddlers don’t deserve a free pass
Those responsible for the scourge of opioid addiction that has torn through communities in Washington and across the nation must be held accountable.
NOT REAL NEWS: A look at what didn’t happen this week
A roundup of some of the most popular but completely untrue stories and visuals of the week. None of these are legit, even though they were shared widely on social media. The Associated Press checked them out. Here are the facts:
Tropical Gardening: What would Hawaii be without coconut palms?
When the first Polynesians arrived in these Islands, there were very few plants available as a food supply. Fortunately, they brought a great variety with them that we refer to as canoe plants. These included, banana, sugar cane, breadfruit, mountain apple taro, coconut and scores of others. They also brought pigs, jungle fowl and rats that changed our forests forever. At first, Hawaiians had to survive on food from the sea, seabirds, flightless birds like the Nene and others that soon became extinct. Once they established their gardens, life likely became much easier.
