As of 5 am, August 24,Tropical Storm Hilda was located about 740 miles east-southeast of Hilo. Hilda is moving west at near 13 mph with maximum sustained winds of 65 mph. Hilda is forecast to become a hurricane by Tuesday. The storm is on a track that will take it far south of Hawaii Island. A weather graphic is available on our station website by clicking on the hurricane tracking icon.
(AP). The Native Hawaiian Legal Corporation will honor pastoral Hawaiian homesteader James P. Akiona with the 2009 Native Hawaiian Advocate Award Tuesday in Honolulu. The honor recognizes Akiona, who was born and raised in Hilo, as an outstanding advocate of Hawaiian rights.
(AP). The number of Hawaii residents receiving food stamps has jumped by 25 percent, as more people seek help amid a deep recession. New state figures show more than 23,000 additional residents enrolled in the state’s food stamp program over the nine-month period ending in June. This is by far the largest increase the state has seen in five years.
Community members will get a glimpse of the possible future of the Old Kona Airport Park on Tuesday when planners unveil a master plan for the 117-acre recreation and beach area. The meeting will start at 6:30 pm in King Kamehameha’s Kona Beach Hotel’s Ekahi Ballroom. The project will cost around $46.2 million.
(AP)> The Air Force says it has successfully launched an unarmed Minuteman 3 intercontinental ballistic missile from a California base, firing it to targets in the Pacific Ocean. St. Benjamin Rojek said the ICBM was launched from Vandenberg Air Force Base at 9:01 am Sunday. He said it carried one unarmed re-entry vehicle that hit its target near the Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands, some 4,200 miles away. The Air Force said the launch was an operational test to check the weapon system’s reliability and accuracy. Test data will be used by United States Strategic Command planners and Department of Energy laboratories.
The Friends of Pohoiki have received a “Healing Our Island” Grant to help fund the first annual “Ahahui ‘O Pohoiki” at the new Isaac Hale Park in Puna. This annual alcohol and drug-free event will feature Hawaiian style fun, games, crafts, music, plants, and food. The event is set for Saturday, September 12th, from 10 am to 4 pm. For details, call Luana Jones at 938-0021.
Several times a month, our news department will run a series of public opinion polls to guage public reaction to a variety of local issues. These polls will appear at the top of the news summary and will by anonymous. After voting, you will be able to see the poll results.