Hawaiian monk seal returns to Oahu following recovery
An endangered Hawaiian monk seal who had ingested fishing gear is back home on Oahu after receiving treatment at The Marine Mammal Center hospital Ke Kai Ola in Kailua-Kona.
UHH golf: Ng shoots 1 over 73 on first day of Amer Ari
Hawaii Tribune-Herald
A different COVID-19 vaccine debate: Do we need new ones?
COVID-19 vaccines are saving an untold number of lives, but they can’t stop the chaos when a hugely contagious new mutant bursts on the scene, leading people to wonder: Will we need boosters every few months? A new vaccine recipe? A new type of shot altogether?
Meta, formerly Facebook, faces historic drop as stock tanks
Meta is putting a lot of virtual eggs — and billions of dollars — into the metaverse basket, and Wall Street is pretty anxious about it.
Moving ‘away from eradication’: Bills urge DLNR to recognize importance of game animals
Game animals in Hawaii should be treated with more consideration, according to a series of bills introduced in the state Legislature.
Exoplanet transformations: Puffy planets lose atmospheres, become super-Earths
Astronomers have identified two different cases of “mini-Neptune” planets that are losing their puffy atmospheres and likely transforming into super-Earths.
As winter storm moves across US, ice becomes bigger concern
CHICAGO — About 350,000 homes and businesses lost power across the U.S. on Thursday as freezing rain and snow weighed down tree limbs and encrusted power lines, part of a winter storm that caused a deadly tornado in Alabama, dumped more than a foot of snow in parts of the Midwest and brought rare measurable snowfall and hundreds of power outages to parts of Texas.
Biden in NYC: Nation must come together to end gun violence
NEW YORK — Running through a grim tally of recent gun deaths, President Joe Biden pledged to New Yorkers and the nation on Thursday that the federal government would step up its fight against gun violence by working more closely with police and communities to stop the surging bloodshed.
US says new intel shows Russia plotting false flag attack
WASHINGTON — The U.S. accused the Kremlin on Thursday of an elaborate plot to fabricate an attack by Ukrainian forces that Russia could use as a pretext to take military action against its neighbor.
Your Views for February 4
‘Dream factory’
Obamacare has delivered, over GOP resistance. Voters should remember that
The Affordable Care Act, which not that long ago appeared doomed by Republican determination to kill it, has quietly become an integral and accepted part of America’s health care system. A record 14.5 million Americans this year have signed up to get their health insurance through the act’s insurance marketplaces, thanks in large part to the Biden administration’s efforts to reverse the sabotage of the Trump years and make the program work.
Whoopi Goldberg got it all wrong on the Holocaust. But if she can learn, we all can
Whoopi Goldberg blew it big time with her comment on “The View” on Monday that the Holocaust was not about race but “man’s inhumanity to man.” But even though she later doubled down on her misstatements during an interview with Stephen Colbert, it didn’t take her long to come out with a true apology: She had been wrong, downright inaccurate, but now she had learned.
Obituaries for February 4
Timothy Alan Begas, 65, of Ookala died Jan. 11. He worked for the Hamakua Sugar Plantation for 20 years and as a landscaper at the Four Seasons in Hualalai. Graveside services to be held 11 a.m. Feb. 8 at Our Lady of Lourdes Cemetery in Honokaa, with a celebration of life to follow at Laupahoehoe Point Park. Outdoor COVID precautions will be observed. Survived by wife Mareen Arcadia Begas, stepdaughter and family Carlyn Marie Sanchez, Isaiah Sanchez and Serafin Sanchez Garcia of Renton, Wash.; sisters Delma (William) Case of Waimea, Valerie (Roy) Begas of Kauai and Tammy (Calvin) Begas of Miss.; nieces Pua (Kalani) Case, Brenda (Saul) Case and Dina (Mike) Case, all of Waimea; nephew William (Susan) Case of Waimea; Trineen (Maka) Lopes of Kauai and numerous aunts, uncles and cousins. Arrangements by Ballard Family Mortuary.
‘Nani Moku’ glass exhibit on display at Volcano Art Center
Take in Hawaii Island’s magnificent colors through the glass works on display in the exhibition ‘Nani Moku’ at the Volcano Art Center gallery in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. The show continues 9 a.m.-5 p.m. daily through Feb. 20. While admission to the exhibit is free, park entrance fees apply.
Waiakea Hawaiian Volcanic Water holding food drive Saturday
Waiakea Hawaiian Volcanic Water will be helping to support Ma‘i Movement Hawaii this Saturday when it holds its monthly food drive at KTA Super Stores’ Puainako location in Hilo.
Free AARP tax preparation in Waimea
Waimea AARP Tax Aide, in conjunction with IRS, will provide free tax preparation services for 2021 tax returns on Fridays now through April 8 at the Waimea Community Center across Habitat for Humanity Restore.
‘The Unseen Hand’ opens Saturday at EHCC
Shape-shifters, Osiris, the Council of Nine, and other mythological beings will be on display in ‘The Unseen Hand’ exhibit at the East Hawaii Cultural Center during February. “I paint them to honor them, to ask if you’ve seen them,” said artist BT Bevell.
More than a dozen Big Island nonprofits to receive HTA funding
Continuing its reinvestment in Hawaii’s communities, the Hawaii Tourism Authority has announced it is awarding $2.9 million in funding statewide to support 86 community-based projects, festivals and events through its Community Enrichment program for 2022.
Two officers promoted to assistant chief
Police Chief Paul Ferreira has announced two promotions to the rank of assistant chief.
Faith in the metaverse: A VR quest for community, fellowship
Under quarantine for COVID-19 exposure, Garret Bernal and his family missed a recent Sunday church service. So he strapped on a virtual reality headset and explored what it would be like to worship in the metaverse.
