East Hawai‘i News

The state Department of Public Safety reported Monday that one inmate and two staff members at Hawai’i Community Correctional Center in Hilo have tested positive for COVID-19.

A swimmer was rescued during the weekend from waters off the Puna coastline.

The county is reminding residents in the Pāpaʻikou area that temporary water shutoffs are planned in several locations this week.

The state Department of Public Safety on Thursday, Feb. 3, announced 13 positive COVID-19 cases among inmates at Hawai’i Community Correctional Center and one positive case among staff at Kulani Correctional Facility. Both correctional centers are in Hilo.

Part of the mission of the Maunakea Observatories is to share their discoveries with Big Island students and the public. And sometimes, getting that conversation started can be as simple as minting a coin.

Plans are still moving forward for the Merrie Monarch Festival to return to its regular schedule this year. And the county is working with organizers and leadership of the prestigious hula competition to make sure it does.

The state Department of Public Safety reported Wednesday, Feb. 2, that one staff member at Hawai’i Community Correctional Center in Hilo has tested positive for COVID-19. No new infections were reported among inmates at HCCC or Kulani Correctional Facility in Hilo.

Big Island police are renewing their request for information regarding 30-year-old Marina Cortez of Puna, who is wanted on an outstanding warrant and for questioning related to a custodial interference investigation.

The state Department of Public Safety on Tuesday, Feb. 1, reported 10 negative COVID-19 test results among inmates at Hawai’i Community Correctional Center in Hilo and no new infections among inmates or staff members.

Big Island police are asking for the public’s assistance with locating an woman who was reported missing.

The Office of Hawaiian Affairs is beefing up its emergency assistance program for Native Hawaiians.

The state Department of Public Safety on Monday reported that five inmates and one staff member at Hawai’i Community Correctional Center in Hilo and one staff member at Kulani Correctional Facility in Hilo have tested positive for COVID-19.

Office of Hawaiian Affairs Hawaiʻi Island trustee Keola Lindsey is stepping down from his position.

Astronomy in Hawaiʻi supports employment of 1,313 residents and had a total economic impact of $221 million on the state in 2019, according to a University of Hawaiʻi Economic Research Organization update released Sunday, Jan. 30.

Investigators with the Hawaiʻi Emergency Management Agency are continuing to look into the cause for a technical malfunction that set off a tsunami siren in error Saturday night in Hilo.

Eighty-seven trained site leaders gathered data from the shores of the Big Island, Kaua‘i and O‘ahu during the Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary Ocean Count and from Maui during the Great Whale Count by Pacific Whale Foundation, the first of three coordinated whale counts between the two organizations in 2022.

Sustainable Energy Hawai‘i, formerly Big Island Community Coalition, is offering a free webinar about geothermal power options in Hawai’i.

The state Department of Health reported 2,741 new COVID-19 cases Sunday, bringing the statewide total to 217,775. Seven new fatalities were reported.

The state Department of Public Safety reported Thursday, Jan. 27, that 76 inmates at Hawai’i Community Correctional Center have tested positive for COVID-19.

A fight at Pāhoa High School on Wednesday, that led to the arrests of several teens, was instigated by racially insensitive remarks, officials with the Hawaiʻi Department of Education confirmed Thursday, Jan. 26.