Police: Daniel K. Inouye Highway closed near Hilo due to accident
A vehicle crash near the 6-mile marker of Daniel K. Inouye Highway in Hilo has closed the highway and will require a detour of traffic for the next four hours, according to a 5:22 p.m. advisory from the Hawaii Police Department.
State mask mandate to end March 25
The state’s indoor mask mandate will end on March 25, Gov. David Ige announced today.
Roth issues statement following ban on oil from Russia
Mayor Mitch Roth issued a statement this morning urging Hawaii Island residents to be mindful of fuel and energy consumption following President Biden’s decision to ban oil imports from Russia due to the Ukrainian invasion.
Outdoor masks to be optional at state Department of Education schools
Masks will no longer be required outside at state Department of Education schools and offices.
BIIF baseball: In front of engaged eyes, Hilo scores 19 runs, no-hits young Keaau
KEAAU — Xaige Lancaster batted 4 for 4, including a three-run homer, to lift Hilo over Keaau 19-0 in a four-inning TKO blowout in a BIIF season-opener on Monday.
Russia dangles prospect of safe corridors; Ukraine skeptical
LVIV, Ukraine — Safe corridors intended to let Ukrainian civilians escape the Russian onslaught could open Tuesday, Kremlin officials said, though Ukrainian leaders greeted the plan with skepticism since prior efforts to establish evacuation routes crumbled amid renewed attacks.
Police: 3 missing teens found
Police report that three East Hawaii teens previously reported as runaways have been found in good health.
Airline CEO predicts uptick in international travel this summer
An airline CEO believes international travel to Hawaii should be “more normal” by this summer.
Reapportionment Commission preps to defend against lawsuit
The state Reapportionment Commission on Monday created a special committee to help the attorney general defend it from a lawsuit filed by a citizen coalition challenging maps featuring new political boundaries for the state Legislature and U.S. House.
Bill could pay $100,000 to some on DHHL wait list
Companion bills that would appropriate $600 million of general revenues to the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands to help Native Hawaiian beneficiaries acquire homes passed unanimously Thursday in the Legislature’s money committees.
Pentagon to shut down Red Hill
WASHINGTON — The Defense Department will permanently shut down the Navy’s massive fuel tank facility in Hawaii that leaked petroleum into Pearl Harbor’s tap water, and will remove all the fuel, the Pentagon said Monday.
Mask mandates go away in many schools, but parent worries persist
BOSTON — Major school districts around the country are allowing students into classrooms without masks for the first time in nearly two years, eliminating rules that stirred up intense fights among educators, school boards and parents throughout the pandemic.
Documents detail domestic assault in Hilo hotel
An argument early Friday evening at the bar of the Grand Naniloa Hotel escalated into a hotel room incident in which a man allegedly pistol-whipped a woman, forcefully shoved the gun’s barrel into her mouth and threatened to kill her, according to court documents filed by police.
Obituaries for March 8
Kyle Vernon Ancheta, 70, of Hilo died Feb. 10 at home. Born in Hilo, he was a retired cook and classroom cleaner at Waiakea Intermediate School, grocery clerk for the former Sure Save and Food Fair Supermarkets, retired U.S. Army and Hawaii Army National Guard sergeant, Iraq war veteran and member of Big Island National Guard Retirees Association, RSVP Senior Volunteer, Panaewa Rodeo Association and bowler for Teacher’s League, C. Brewer, HGEA, ILWU and Kona Senior Bowling Club. Visitation 10-11 a.m. Monday (March 14) at Dodo Mortuary Chapel. Private prayer service and burial to follow. Casual attire; face masks and social distancing required. Survived by siblings, Lerbert (Rachel) Ancheta of Hilo, Casey Ancheta of Honolulu and Georgeanna Macanas of Pepeekeo; brother-in-law, Rickey Bargayo of Los Angeles; sister-in-law, Lynn Ancheta of Keaau; nieces, nephews and cousins. Arrangements by Dodo Mortuary.
1 dead, 2 wounded in shooting outside Iowa high school
DES MOINES, Iowa — One person was killed and two others were critically wounded Monday after gunfire that appeared to come from a passing vehicle struck them outside an Iowa school, authorities said.
US gasoline prices rise again on talk of banning Russian oil
Gasoline prices are pushing even farther above $4 a gallon, the highest price that American motorists have faced since July 2008, as calls grow to ban imports of Russian oil.
In Ukraine under attack, American hopes for daughter’s visa
LOS ANGELES — When her daughter was diagnosed with cancer, Tetiana Shatokhina didn’t hesitate to make the trip back to Ukraine to help her recover from surgery and care for her 14-year-old grandson.
It’s Afghan money: Biden shouldn’t reserve $3.5B for subset of terrorism victims
In an executive order last month, President Joe Biden moved to divide and release $7 billion from Afghanistan’s central bank — funds frozen after the Taliban takeover of the country. Half would go to meet urgent Afghan humanitarian needs, and half would apparently be disbursed to a subset of U.S. terrorism victims’ families who’d recently won claims against the Taliban in Manhattan federal court. (We say apparently because the language of the order isn’t entirely clear.)
US must tread carefully as it increases sanctions on Russia for Ukraine invasion
A little more than a week into Vladimir Putin’s unprovoked and brutal invasion of Ukraine, Russia is isolated at the United Nations, hobbled by unprecedented economic sanctions and stalled in its conquest by the inspiring resistance of Ukrainians.
Why China can’t bail out Putin’s economy
In deciding to invade Ukraine, Vladimir Putin clearly misjudged everything. He had an exaggerated view of his own nation’s military might; my description last week of Russia as a Potemkin superpower, with far less strength than meets the eye, looks even truer now. He vastly underrated Ukrainian morale and military prowess, and failed to anticipate the resolve of democratic governments — especially, although not only, the Biden administration, which, in case you haven’t noticed, has done a remarkable job on everything from arming Ukraine to rallying the West around financial sanctions.
