Tag Archives: Hawaii

DOJ Backs Challenge To Hawaii’s Quarantine On Visitors

The Associated Press reports: A quarantine imposed on travelers arriving to Hawaii discriminates against out-of-state residents, the U.S. Department of Justice said in support of a lawsuit challenging the mandate meant to protect the islands against the spread of the coronavirus. “This case raises issues of national public importance regarding the interplay between the government’s compelling interest in protecting the …

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HAWAII: Visitors To Be Quarantined Beyond June 30th

The Associated Press reports: Hawaii Gov. David Ige on Thursday said he would extend the state’s 14-day quarantine requirement for travelers arriving in the state beyond June 30. The state mandated the quarantine beginning on March 26 to control the spread of the coronavirus. The governor told a joint online press conference held with the state’s four county mayors that …

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Hawaii Gov Extends Statewide Lockdown To May 31st

Hawaii News Now reports: In a decision that was largely expected but nonetheless will be a major blow to thousands of shuttered Hawaii businesses struggling to stay afloat, the governor has extended the statewide stay-at-home order along with the mandatory quarantine for travelers through May 31. “We are not out of the woods yet,” said Gov. David Ige, in a …

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SCOTUS Boots Appeal From Anti-Gay B&B Owners

Chris Johnson reports at the Washington Blade: The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday announced it has refused to hear the case of a Hawaii bed and breakfast that sought to refuse service to same-sex couples out of religious objections. The high court indicated it had denied certiorari to Aloha Bed & Breakfast, or refused to take up its case, in …

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HAWAII: Bill Would Raise Smoking Age To 100 By 2024

The Hawaii Herald-Tribune reports: Rep. Richard Creagan wants Hawaii to be the first state to ban the sale of cigarettes. The Hawaii Island lawmaker said he doesn’t think taxes or regulations are doing enough to stem their use. He wants to see them off store shelves all together. His bill, HB 1509, seeks to halt the sale of cigarettes by …

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Man Sues Over Heart Attack After False Missile Alert

ABC News reports: A man who suffered a heart attack shortly after Hawaii mistakenly issued an alert about a ballistic missile has filed a lawsuit against the US state. The false missile alert and the state’s failure to cancel it in a timely manner was a substantial factor in causing James Sean Shields’s heart attack on January 13, the lawsuit …

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Hawaiian Singer Stuns With Unique Take On Anthem

The Huffington Post reports: Hawaiian singer and musician Willie K. stunned the crowd at Aloha Stadium in Honolulu on Saturday with a stirring new take on the national anthem. Accompanied by his ukulele, he dispensed with the traditional melody and went with his own for “The Star-Spangled Banner” prior to the game between the University of Hawaii and University of …

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Hurricane Pummels Hawaii With 30+ Inches Of Rain

ABC News reports: As Hurricane Lane lurches north, the Category 2 storm has already dumped more than 31 inches of rain on Hawaii’s Big Island, bringing catastrophic flooding. The dangerous storm could even lead to landslides or mudslides. Rainfall rates in the outer bands of the hurricane may reach 1 to 3 inches per hour, meaning flash flood watches will …

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Category 4 Hurricane Barrels Towards Hawaii [VIDEO]

The Associated Press reports: Hawaii residents rushed to stores to stock up on bottled water, ramen, toilet paper and other supplies as they faced the threat of heavy rain, flash flooding and high surf as a hurricane churned toward the state. The National Weather Service said Wednesday that Hurricane Lane had weakened to a Category 4 hurricane, but those hurricanes …

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HAWAII: State Supreme Court Rejects Hate Group’s Appeal On Behalf Of B&B That Turned Away Lesbians

Via press release from Lambda Legal: The Hawai`i Supreme Court today rejected a petition from a Hawai`i bed & breakfast seeking review of a lower court ruling that the business had violated Hawai’i’s anti-discrimination statute when it denied a room to a lesbian couple because of their sexual orientation. Aloha Bed & Breakfast, whose owner says same-sex relationships “defile our …

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HAWAII: Governor Signs Ex-Gay Torture Ban Into Law

Hawaii News Now reports: Hawaii is now the 12th state in the country with a law that prohibits therapists from offering so-called “conversion therapy” to minors. Conversion therapy, the practice of trying to change a person’s sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression, is universally rejected by national organizations that guide accepted practices for licensed psychological professionals and is considered …

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HAWAII: Crews Race To Protect Power Plant From Lava Flow, Deadly Gas Cloud Could Be Released [VIDEO]

CBS News reports: Emergency workers in Hawaii are racing to protect a geothermal power plant near the Kilauea Volcano. Slow-moving molten rock entered the site and is just a few hundred yards from the wells. There is concern lava could trigger the release of deadly hydrogen sulfate gas, reports CBS News’ Mark Strassmann. Lava continued its steady advance toward the …

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HAWAII: Residents Warned About Acid “Laze” [VIDEO]

Hawaii News Now reports: Two lava flows are now pouring into the Pacific Ocean from the Kilauea eruption. The flows are dripping into the water on the southeast side of the island, in the vicinity of the Mackenzie State Park. It’s a beautiful sight that could come with the hazardous effects of a new concern: Laze. Civil Defense officials say …

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Hawaii’s Kilauea Volcano Erupts, 30,000-Foot Ash Plume

NBC News reports: Hawaii’s Kilauea volcano erupted from its summit before dawn Thursday, shooting a dusty plume of ash about 30,000 feet into the sky. The explosion came at about 6 a.m. local time (12 p.m. ET) after two weeks of volcanic activity and the opening of more than a dozen fissures east of the crater that spewed lava into …

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Hawaii Becomes 12th State To Ban Ex-Gay Torture

Hawaii News Now reports: State lawmakers on Friday approved a ban on so-called ‘gay conversion therapy’ treatments conducted on minors. Gay rights advocates say the practice, which is largely discredited by healthcare professionals, does more harm than good to those who are subjected to it. “This has been a priority of the caucus for years,” said Michael Golojuch, chair of …

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HAWAII: Appeals Court Rules Against B&B That Turned Away Lesbian Couple Because They “Defile The Land”

Hawaii News Now reports: Attorneys for California couple Diane Cervelli and Taeko Bufford are calling it a “great day for justice.” On Friday, Hawaii’s Intermediate Court of Appeals upheld a previous ruling that found a Hawaii Kai bed and breakfast was discriminatory for refusing the lesbian couple a room because of their sexual orientation. The women were represented by Lambda …

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HAWAII: FCC Says False Nuclear Missile Alert Was Sent Deliberately By Worker Who Misheard Drill Message

The Washington Post reports: The emergency worker who sent a false public safety alert on Jan. 13 warning of an imminent ballistic missile attack on Hawaii believed that a ballistic missile was truly bound for the state after mishearing a recorded message as part of an unscheduled drill, according to a preliminary investigation by federal officials. A combination of human …

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NYT: Hawaii Demonstrates Nuclear Peril Under Trump

From the editorial board of the New York Times: It was the sort of nightmare that had only ever been real for most people’s parents or grandparents — the fear of an impending nuclear attack. “Ballistic missile threat inbound to Hawaii,” read the emergency alert that residents of the Aloha State received on Saturday morning. “Seek immediate shelter. This is …

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Jake Tapper: We’re Just Lucky Trump Wasn’t Watching Fox & Friends When Hawaii Got The False Nuke Alert

“I don’t want to be flip about this, but I think there are a lot of people out there who are happy that this at least didn’t happen while President Trump was watching Fox & Friends and instead it happened when he was out on the golf course and he was informed about this by layers of advisers. Because we …

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HAWAII: False Nuclear Attack Alert Spawns Panic

The New York Times reports: An early-morning emergency alert mistakenly warning of an incoming ballistic missile attack was dispatched to cellphones across Hawaii early Saturday morning, setting off widespread panic in a state that was already on high emotional alert because of escalating tensions between the United States and North Korea. Officials recalled the alert about 40 minutes after it …

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