Hawaii Business Magazine Newsletters

Business owners and senior executives who want their company to be included in the BOSS Survey should email BOSSsurvey@anthologygroup.com this week. The published survey is a valuable source of information for the local business community. Answers from individual companies are not disclosed; only aggregated data from the 400 companies in the survey are published.

Fewer severe cases during this Covid-19 surge compared to delta, omicron. Hawaii Public Radio.

How a powerful lawmaker forced through a contentious energy bill
When Sen. Donovan Dela Cruz’s pet legislation faced opposition from Rep. Nicole Lowen, he suddenly intervened with the power to make or break her bills. Civil Beat.

U.S. visitors to Hawai‘i in April top 2019 levels for 12th consecutive month
Some 818,268 visitors came to Hawai‘i in April, representing a 96.3% recovery from April 2019, according to preliminary visitor data released Thursday by the state Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism. Star-Advertiser.

South African Covid-19 variants found in Hawai‘i
The omicron variants BA.4 and BA.5, currently the dominant lineages of the coronavirus circulating in South Africa, have recently been detected in Hawai‘i, according to the state Department of Health. Star-Advertiser.

Elemental Excelerator gets $32.5 million Navy grant
Elemental Excelerator, a Honolulu-based organization that funds innovative enterprises addressing climate change, has received a $32.5 million grant from the Office of Naval Research. The five-year grant marks the third installment of Navy research funding, and brings the total funding from the office to more than $90 million. Civil Beat.

Survey details ills from Navy’s fuel-tainted water
Approximately 2,000 people reported that they had experienced health effects ranging from skin rashes to vomiting following exposure to jet fuel in the Navy’s Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam drinking water system in November, according to results of a survey released Thursday by the state Department of Health and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry. Star-Advertiser.

Incoming police chief’s son allegedly terrorized Waikīkī homeowner
The incoming police chief’s son and the ex-girlfriend he was arrested with Tuesday allegedly brought violence and property damage to the Waikīkī home of a 70-year-old retiree and his wife, who rented a room to the woman for six years. Star-Advertiser. Hawaii Public Radio. Hawaii News Now.

Tour company ordered to pay nearly $35K in back wages after denying workers overtime
The Department of Labor said Ocean Journeys LLC — operating as And You Creations — denied 14 crew members overtime wages on its Wai‘anae tour boat. In addition to back wages and damages, the department said And You Creations was also fined nearly $2,600. Hawaii News Now.

Job openings are plentiful at O‘ahu summer programs for children
The city-run program Summer Fun, first offered in 1944, plans to return to full capacity of approximately 9,000 keiki after two summers of limited attendance due to Covid-19. The program employs roughly 500 workers and without adequate staffing it may have to reduce its offerings. Star-Advertiser.

Designer Jalene Kanani creates Hawaiʻi’s first cutting-edge textile microfactory with the capacity for mass customization with zero minimums. NOHO HOME’s microfactory has the capability to quickly design and produce contract quality decor like pillows, throws, upholstery, roll goods, wallcoverings and more to accommodate the needs of the local commercial and hospitality industries… read more.

Proposed 2022-23 CIP budget includes $64M for two West Hawai‘i roads
Mayor Mitch Roth’s CIP budget for fiscal year 2022-23 as currently amended would allocate for repaving and rehabilitation some $42 million for Waikoloa Road in South Kohala and $22 million for Hina Lani Street in Kailua-Kona. West Hawaii Today.

Kīlauea lava buyout program seeks to limit payouts: Maximum for undeveloped properties would be set at $22K
County Recovery Officer Douglas Le said more than $90 million of the program’s $107 million available funds have already been committed to applicants during the first two phases. Taking into account grant administration fees and other costs, the program has only about $5.8 million left to work with. Tribune-Herald.

Kahaluʻu Bay is Hawaiʻi’s second Mission Blue ‘Hope Spot,’ critical to ocean health
The Hawaiʻi Island bay and its surrounding waters are home to several endangered and threatened species, such as Hawaiian monk seals, humpback whales, and turtles. Hawaii Public Radio.

Bill would extend exemption for farmers during drought

Maui County visitor arrivals last month exceed pre-pandemic highs
There were 254,398 visitors to Maui last month — a nearly 3% increase from April 2019, when visitors numbered 247,984, according to preliminary visitor statistics released by the Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism released Thursday. Maui Now.

CDC moves Kaua‘i County back to yellow, medium-risk level for Covid-19 impacts
Two weeks ago, Kaua‘i County had been bumped up to a red, high-risk community based on a set of metrics that measures hospitalization rates and cases per 100,000 people. Star-Advertiser. Garden Island.

Expansion plan for Lihue airport is riling residents already tired of over-tourism
Kaua‘i’s principal airport is in dire need of a facelift, but a new modernization plan by state officials would add three gates and expand rental car capacity, drawing ire from residents of an island trying to rein in staggering tourism growth. Civil Beat.