Stories by Stephanie Shinno

Water outage at Kalepa Village Thursday

HANAMA‘ULU — Residents at Kalepa Village apartments in Hanama‘ulu woke up on Thursday morning to low water pressure. After an initial investigation, the county Department of Water notified property managers of a leak on Kalepa Village property.

Aloha Ginger Beer offered in Lihu‘e

LIHU‘E — Aloha Ginger Beer, a non-alcoholic beverage company on Hardy Street in Lihu‘e across from the Lihu‘e Civic Center, started from humble beginnings and a passion to help local farmers and businesses throughout the pandemic.

More PPP loan money available

LIHU‘E — The County of Kaua‘i in a video Friday said the U.S. Small Business Administration launched a new round of funding for the Paycheck Protection Program on Friday, Jan. 15, and the county encourages small-business owners to apply at local, participating lenders.

Hawaii Literacy offers free education program

LIHU‘E — Hawai‘i Literacy, a grant-funded nonprofit organization, is back on Kaua‘i with its free, adult-tutoring program that also helps adults get their GED (General Education Development) degree, driver’s license, learn about college, help with getting a new job and learning new computer skills while their keiki get tutored, too.

Rappellers descend 500-foot cliff, retrieve hunting dog

LIHU‘E — After two long days away from his family, Jane Porter Grace, a hunting dog, was rescued 500 feet below a cliff near Nualolo Trail in Koke‘e State Park last week by two highly trained Kaua‘i men known for rappelling off of waterfalls as a recreational activity.

VOICES: It’s OK to get more than one opinion

It’s been five years since I noticed my health taking a different turn. I went from a healthy lifestyle to one full of stress eating, event planning and no running while taking care of three growing kids.

Home-visiting program launches

Keiki O Ka ‘Aina, a Native Hawaiian, Christian nonprofit organization that has been serving Hawai‘i for 24 years with over 13 programs, opened their He Lei Piko Home Visiting Program on Kaua‘i last year.

Tutoring center opens in Wainiha

Homeschool Now, a 501(c)3 nonprofit for education, opened a tutoring center for students grades three to 12 last January to help Northshore children get the one-on-one attention they need.

Opakapaka Grill and Bar struggles through another downturn

WAINIHA — The last restaurant at the end of the road of Wainiha on the North Shore of Kaua‘i is holding on by a thread this week with the lowest sales since opening three years ago, while still recovering from the April floods of 2018 and from the government shut down in March of 2020.

Kagawa excited to tackle new role

LIHU‘E — The new semester started for schools island-wide on Kaua‘i, and Wilcox Elementary School has a new, temporarily-assigned vice principal who said he is ready to tackle the new quarter with courage.

State launches AlohaSafe Alert app

LIHU‘E — The Hawai‘i State Department of Health in partnership with aio Digital and the Hawai‘i Executive Collaborative have launched AlohaSafe Alert, an exposure notification app to help mitigate the spread of COVID-19.

New produce program launched

LAWA‘I — A Kaua‘i nonprofit, The MonkeyPod, launched their Kauai CSA (community-supported agriculture) Initiative box pick-up location in the middle of last month, at The Local Beet in Koloa.

Rise to Work provides nearly 300 jobs

LIHU‘E — In a Monday video, the County of Kaua‘i Kupa‘a Kaua‘i program announced 280 displayed workers on Kaua‘i were hired by 100 local employers into the Rise to Work program.

Pivot Grant program completes business awards

LIHU‘E — The Hawai‘i Business Pivot Grant program, a partnership between the state and the Chamber of Commerce Hawai‘i, has completed awarding its grants to nonprofit groups and small businesses for eligible operational changes or “pivots” made due to COVID-19.