No. 19 Tennessee hands No. 6 Arizona first loss, 77-73
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — No. 19 Tennessee used its experience to get the upper hand on No. 6 Arizona on Wednesday night.
Police investigating stabbing at Kona beach park
Big Island police are investigating a stabbing that occurred Friday afternoon at Honl’s Beach Park in Kailua-Kona.
Hiker rescued amid white-out conditions on Maunakea
The University of Hawaii Maunakea Rangers rescued a lost hiker in thick white-out conditions Tuesday evening on the Humuula Trail at the 13,000-foot elevation of the mountain.
Secret Service: Nearly $100B stolen in pandemic relief funds
Nearly $100 billion at minimum has been stolen from COVID-19 relief programs set up to help businesses and people who lost their jobs due to the pandemic, the U.S. Secret Service said Tuesday.
Omicron casts a new shadow over economy’s pandemic recovery
Just as Americans and Europeans were eagerly awaiting their most normal holiday season in a couple of years, the omicron variant has unleashed a fresh round of fear and uncertainty — for travelers, shoppers, party-goers and their economies as a whole.
DOJ says inmates on home confinement can stay out of prison
WASHINGTON — The Justice Department on Tuesday reversed its own legal opinion and said it would allow federal inmates released on home confinement because of the coronavirus pandemic to stay out of prison.
Island life: Walking in the sand
Several sets of footprints appear in the sand at Mahaiula Beach.
Former outfielder Mark Kotsay named new manager of Athletics
OAKLAND, Calif. — The Oakland Athletics named former outfielder Mark Kotsay their manager Tuesday to replace Bob Melvin, who departed earlier this offseason to manage the San Diego Padres.
NBA has ‘no plans’ to pause season, Silver tells ESPN
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said Tuesday that there are “no plans” to pause the season, even as numbers of players entering the league’s health and safety protocols related to the coronavirus continues to rise.
Hometown Heroes: Rain or shine, Trash Free Hawaii volunteers keep roadsides clean
Editor’s note: Each Wednesday, West Hawaii Today is publishing a story about individuals, groups or organizations that have helped make life better for others in our community during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Editorial: Three Medal of Honor recipients represent the best of America
America’s wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are over, but the actions of many of the troops who served can continue to uplift a fractious nation. President Biden Thursday paid tribute to three such soldiers with the Medal of Honor.
Commentary: End profit-driven detention in the immigration system as well as federal prisons
Joe Biden was on the right path as a presidential candidate when he said that “the federal government should not use private facilities for any detention, including detention of undocumented immigrants.” Corporate profit motive has no place in decisions about locking people up.
Ramesh Ponnuru: The Democrats should blame themselves, not Joe Manchin
The Democrats should have listened to Joe Manchin. As their “Build Back Better” agenda assumed legislative shape, the Democratic senator from West Virginia kept telling them what he didn’t like about it.
‘All I heard was a crack’: Witnesses recount deadly Dec. 3 assault
A 28-year old Kailua-Kona man will stand trial on a manslaughter charge stemming from an assault Dec. 3 that left a 64-year-old Holualoa man dead.
Forecasters: Expect a wet Christmas
East Hawaii residents should expect the wet weather that’s drenched the windward side of the island for much of the month to continue through Christmas weekend.
Trial set in Aloha Estates murder
A 60-year-old Mountain View man has pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder for the December 2020 shooting death of a neighbor.
State sees surge in coronavirus cases ahead of holidays
HONOLULU — Hawaii health officials reported another 707 new confirmed and probable coronavirus cases Tuesday, the fifth straight day of elevated infection numbers.
Obituaries: December 22, 2021
Editor’s note: Obituaries are published free of charge as a public service. Content is subject to editing for parity treatment and style continuity. Date of publication cannot be guaranteed. Any questions regarding obituaries should be directed to the mortuary or via email to obituaries@westhawaiitoday.com. Memorial advertisements may be purchased through the newspaper advertising department.
Hearing over tainted Navy water ends without a ruling
HONOLULU — A hearings officer expects to issue a recommendation early next week on whether the Navy has to comply with Hawaii’s order to empty fuel from a massive storage tank facility blamed for contaminating Pearl Harbor drinking water.
Water Board frustrated by slow PVC project: Solar plans stuck in building permit backlog
First the pandemic lockdown orders and then delays getting permits from a backlogged Department of Public Works have led to a 382-day delay in the county Department of Water Supply being able to transition some of its electrical use to solar power.
Biden pivots to home tests to confront omicron surge
WASHINGTON — Fighting the omicron variant surging through the country, President Joe Biden announced the government will provide 500 million free rapid home-testing kits, increase support for hospitals under strain and redouble vaccination and boosting efforts.
National and world news at a glance
Biden Urges Calm as He Steps Up Omicron Fight
US population growth at lowest rate in pandemic’s 1st year
U.S. population growth dipped to its lowest rate since the nation’s founding during the first year of the pandemic as the coronavirus curtailed immigration, delayed pregnancies and killed hundreds of thousands of U.S. residents, according to figures released Tuesday.
Putin blames West for tensions, demands security guarantees
MOSCOW — The Russian president on Tuesday reiterated his demand for guarantees from the U.S. and its allies that NATO will not expand eastwards, blaming the West for “tensions that are building up in Europe.”
Biden administration moves to expand solar power on US land
BILLINGS, Mont. — U.S. officials announced approval Tuesday of two large-scale solar projects in California and moved to open up public lands in other Western states to potential solar power development, as part of the Biden administration’s effort to counter climate change by shifting from fossil fuels.
