East Hawai‘i News

On Wednesday, Jan. 26, a yearling humpback whale entangled in at least 140 feet of line, with a buoy trailing about 60 feet behind, was freed in waters off Ukumehame, Maui, by a team led by responders trained by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

The county Department of Water Supply announced Thursday plans to shut off water in the Pāpa‘ikou area two times in February because of work connected with the department’s Pāpaʻikou Transite and G.I. Pipeline Replacement Project.

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

A head-on traffic collision in Kea‘au involving a motorcycle and sedan resulted in the motorcyclist being critically injured.

Gov. David Ige on Wednesday signed the latest COVID-19 emergency proclamation, keeping in place current restrictions and officially adding cruise ship passengers to the list of travelers who must abide by Safe Travels Hawaiʻi requirements.

Big Island police report that all lanes are now open on Highway 11 between Meaulu Street and ❛Ōla❛a Road.

Big Island police are asking for the public’s assistance in identifying a person responsible for using a counterfeit bill to complete a transaction Tuesday, Jan. 25, at a store in Kea‘au.

The state House of Representatives’ Maunakea Working Group has submitted its final report to Hose Speaker Scott K. Saiki and is recommending the formation of a new board to oversee state-managed lands on the mountain.

Hilo Medical Center continues to be full with COVID and non-COVID patients, officials reported Tuesday, Jan. 25.

A research team led by a University of Hawai‘i Cancer Center researcher received a $2 million grant from the National Institute on Drug Abuse to conduct public research examining how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected mental health and tobacco and other substance use among Hawai‘i’s young adults.

The state Department of Public Safety on Monday reported that 10 inmates at Hawai’i Community Correctional Center in Hilo have tested positive for COVID-19. Two of the jail’s staff members also tested positive.

Are you looking for something to do this summer? Want to spend time working with keiki? Then Hawai‘i County has an opportunity for you.

HOPE Services Hawai‘i is one of three organizations awarded grant funding from Kaiser Permanente Hawai‘i in an effort to reach underserved communities in the state with a comprehensive array of clinical and social services.

Hawai‘i Island police are requesting the public’s assistance in locating a piece of men‘s jewelry stolen from a Hilo department store during the weekend.

Jason Oharra was located in good health Sunday.

The Hawaiʻi Medical Service Association has donated $1 million to establish the HMSA Distinguished Endowed Professorship in Health Economics at the University of Hawaiʻi Economic Research Organization in UH-Mānoa’s College of Social Sciences.

A University of Hawaiʻi Cancer Center researcher was awarded $3.1 million from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development to further his efforts to provide new technologies to detect the risks of metabolic consequences of obesity among young children.

The University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa’s School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology is getting a financial boost to help restore Hawaiʻi’s ocean health.

An upcoming phase of the Kalanianā’ole Avenue Reconstruction in Hilo is being delayed.

The state Department of Health reported 3,167 new COVID-19 cases Sunday, bringing the statewide total to 202,273. Four new fatalities were reported.