Local News

CHENGDU, China » It was, at first glance, a rather modest initial public offering by a small Chinese company seeking to expand production of the key ingredient used in traditional remedies said to shrink gallstones, reduce fevers and sooth the aftereffects of excessive drinking.

An automated external defibrillator — and school employees trained to use it — saved the life of veteran Kaimuki High School security guard Kawika Chung, whose heart stopped when he suffered a cardiac arrest while he was in Vice Principal Kevin Yuen's office on Feb. 21.

Convicted killer Toby Stangel dodged the prospect of spending the rest of his life behind bars for the second time in four days when the same state jury that found him guilty of killing one motorist and attempting to kill two others was not able to reach verdicts on the sentences for those charges Monday in the penalty phase of his trial.

Donna Fouts insists she’s the nicest person ever you’ll want to meet. Just not on the soccer field.

What’s the difference between “scattered showers” and “isolated showers?” I see both terms used on the National Weather Service website and repeated by local media, but it seems to be a distinction without a difference. As far as I can tell, both mean it may rain once in a while in some places.

Cockpit light prompts return to Honolulu • Ideas sought for preserving public spaces • Sugar company loses $25,000 in cane burning

Body found near Yokohama Bay • Big Isle police investigate fatal shooting • Man charged after Ewa Beach standoff

Two bills approved this year by the Legislature are Hawaii's first steps toward handling medical marijuana as a health issue rather than a law enforcement problem.

President Barack Obama's nominee for transportation secretary has pledged a "seamless transition" of continued federal support for the city's elevated rail project, U.S. Sen. Brian Schatz said.

People on Oahu and beyond have several ways to take part in the 15th annual Lantern Floating Hawaii ceremony on Memorial Day at Ala Moana Beach Park.

Construction on a long-awaited high school campus for Maui is expected to begin next year, after the state Legislature's approval last month of $130 million for the project.

The state Legislature's denial of $38 million for a College of Pharmacy building at the University of Hawaii at Hilo is expected to lead to the college being found "noncompliant" in one of 30 criteria for accreditation, a top school official said.

A city employee or official on a business trip who incurs expenses for personal activities must pay for those expenses, the city Ethics Commission said in an advisory opinion issued last week.

Mayor Kirk Caldwell has warned the City Council that it will need to cut spending or raise either property taxes or bus fares to balance the city's $2.09 billion operating budget.

Routine screening of checked baggage at Honolulu Airport this month turned up two 1-pound cans of rifle gunpowder, which were confiscated, the Transportation Security Administration said.

Lifeguards at Sandy Beach Park on Saturday evening watched in horror as a group of five men — who had been warned away repeatedly — gathered near the Halona Blowhole and narrowly escaped being swept to sea.

WASHINGTON » President Barack Obama embraced drone strikes in his first term, and the targeted killing of suspected terrorists has come to define his presidency.

MOORE, Okla. » Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin spoke directly to citizens in her devastated state Monday night, saying "we are looking under every single piece of debris" for the missing after a massive tornado tore across parts of Oklahoma City and its suburbs.

The Honolulu Star-Advertiser strives to make its news report fair and accurate. If you have a question or comment about news coverage, call Ed Lynch, managing editor/news, at 529-4758.

The wheels of justice move slowly sometimes, but not, apparently, as slowly as Webster's New World Dictionary. Slang has always been a challenge for the courts in cases that involve vulgar or insulting language. Conventional dictionaries lag the spoken word by design.