East Hawaii News

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.

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.