Researchers map coral microbes
MANOA — An invisible and multi-cultural web of bacteria, viruses and biochemicals work together to keep coral colonies healhty, according to a study published in the scientific journal “Frontiers of Marine Science.”
Kaua‘i County reentering state Safe Travels program
LIHU‘E — Kaua‘i is reentering the state’s Safe Travels program on Monday, April 5, and as the island prepares to welcome back more travelers, the County of Kaua‘i is also starting to reopen some doors and restructure some rules at the Lihu‘e Civic Center Kapule Building.
Monk seal RK58 is home again
Endangered Hawaiian Monk Seal, RK58 is back from his second visit to Ke Kai Ola, The Marine Mammal Center monk seal hospital on Hawai‘i Island.
Maui COVID-19 cluster rises to 50, officials advise caution
The Hawai‘i Department of Health (DOH) has issued guidance to a Maui church and its congregation because of the imminent health threat posed by a large cluster of COVID-19 cases associated with the church and identified on March 7.
Mammal necropsy reveals dietary first
Researchers found something unexpected inside a rare, false killer whale that stranded dead on Maui last month, and it could ultimately help the endangered species.
Ige calls off state furloughs, layoffs
HONOLULU — The County of Kaua’i is receiving about $13 million of the $1.9T American Rescue Plan, recently signed by President Joe Biden.
Kuhio Highway closed at Hanalei Hill
HANALEI — An irrigation tunnel played a big part in the Thursday-morning collapse of the slope on an area called Hanalei Hill, burying a portion of Kuhio Highway above the Hanalei Bridge.
Heavy rain over Kaua‘i
LIHU’E — Both lanes of Kuhio Highway were closed in places on Kauai’s north shore through Wednesday evening as the island is hunkered down under an onslaught of rain.
State bill takes aim at more sunscreen chemicals
HONOLULU— Sunscreens containing two harmful petrochemicals — avobenzone and octocrylene — would be banned from sale in Hawai‘i under a bill passed on March 9 by the Hawai‘i Senate.
EPA prompts cesspool closures, fines DLNR again
HONOLULU — The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has taken enforcement action on Kaua‘i to direct the closure of seven large-capacity cesspools and collect $221,670 in fines from the state Department of Land and Natural Resources.
Sea-level variability to increase with ocean warming
A recent study out of the University of Hawai‘i at Manoa School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology suggests future sea levels will be more variable this century as ocean warming increases.
Trans-Pacific quarantine likely extended
HONOLULU — The 14-day quarantine for trans-Pacific travel to Hawai‘i will likely continue through at least the beginning of October, according to a Tuesday announcement from Governor David Ige.
You’ve got ‘til 7 p.m. Saturday
We’re getting down to the wire in Hawai‘i’s first mail-in primary election, and if you’ve been following along with The Garden Island, you know that a team of volunteers in the county Office of the County Clerk Elections Division has already sorted more than 12,000 primary-election ballots.
Interisland quarantine coming back
Governor David Ige on Thursday announced the reinstatement of a partial interisland travel quarantine effective Tuesday, Aug. 11, prompted by a statewide surge of COVID-19 cases and discussions with county mayors.
Kaua‘i confirms two more COVID-19 cases
LIHU‘E —Kaua‘i now has a total of 4 active COVID-19 cases on the island, as two new virus cases were confirmed Tuesday evening, and officials are saying one of the new cases is directly linked to interisland travel.
Polihale closed indefinitely
POLIHALE — Polihale State Park has been closed to the public indefinitely, with the Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources stating the reason is reckless, illegal behavior and overuse.
Opening Kai Bar, pandemic or not
Raj Denisewicz wasn’t expecting to pick up a coffee from Java Kai on Saturday when he journeyed to Kilauea to check his post office box.
Together, we move forward
Most of us have spent the past 24 hours nailing down roofs and boarding up windows, cutting trees away from power lines — getting ready for impending Hurricane Douglas.
Mayor tightens COVID-19 rules
Mayor Derek Kawakami tightened pandemic emergency rules on Saturday, as the state reported a new single-day record of 73 new confirmed cases of COVID-19.
Bracing for Douglas amid pandemic
While there are currently zero active cases of COVID-19 on Kaua‘i as of Friday, Hawai‘i reported its second day of record virus cases Friday, with a single-day record of 60 new COVID-19 infections reported.