Local News

Our state leaders were busy angling for power and giving away money as we plant tongue in cheek and "flASHback" on the week's news that amused and confused:

On May 9, Hawaii will be the only state to see the first solar eclipse of 2013. At the peak of the eclipse, at 3:48 p.m., a viewer using a safe filter will see 44 percent of the sun blocked by the moon.

Each Sunday, the Star-Advertiser publishes Oahu vital statistics for marriage licenses, civil unions and birth certificates filed with the state Department of Health's Vital Statistics System.

Neighborhood Board e-voting to begin • Study shows importance of seafloor algae • Woman's death might be result of foul play; and more

6 kayakers safe after Coast Guard rescue • 19-year-old charged with robbing teens

Property owners who persistently leave trash or excessive overgrowth on their land, beware!

A suspicious item left in front of a Waikiki jewelry store prompted police to close Kalakaua Avenue for two hours Friday afternoon and evacuate part of Royal Hawaiian Shopping Center, the second bomb scare in Hono­lulu in as many days.

WASHINGTON » Andy Welsh of Portland, Ore., was so enthusiastic about President Barack Obama's first run for the White House that he voted absentee while spending a semester abroad in Spain. But Welsh, now 26 and an aspiring diplomat, said the gridlock in Washington has been "a real bummer ever since."

SAN MARINO, Calif. » Beneath the palm trees that line Huntington Drive, named for the railroad magnate who founded this Southern California city, hang signs to honor families who have helped sponsor the centennial celebration here this year.

The forecast called for record snowstorms, and Luis Octavio Lopez Vega had no heat in his small hide-out.

Lawmakers on Thursday signed off on $116 million to pay for raises and health benefits built into the first two years of the contract that teachers overwhelmingly approved last week.

Hawaii is poised to become the second state, after New York, to grant basic employee rights to in-home domestic workers by ensuring they be eligible for minimum wage, maximum hours and other protections.

An expert witness will not be allowed to testify for Toby Stangel’s insanity defense in his upcoming murder and attempted-murder trial stemming from a 2011 freeway shooting spree, a state judge ruled Friday.

Uncomfortable with Gov. Neil Abercrombie's early-education initiative, state lawmakers Friday decided to expand an existing state child care program rather than embark on state-funded preschool.

Foster youth in Hawaii may soon have a chance to receive care until age 21 under a bill that cleared conference committee with unanimous support and is headed to the floor for final approval.

The lowest-paid workers in Hawaii will not see an increase in pay in the coming year at a time when most unionized public workers and civil servants, including state lawmakers, are getting pay raises.

With just minutes to spare before an internal deadline, state House and Senate negotiators Friday reluctantly agreed to allow private redevelopment projects on up to three public-school sites over the next five years.

A new University of Hawaii program is receiving a grant worth nearly half a million dollars to help Native Hawaiians participate in decision-making about environmental and social issues.

Sketch of sex assault suspect is released • Motorcycle accident sends man to hospital • Second person is charged in burglary • Fire destroys Big Isle home

Cancer foundation warns of phone scam • Overnight work to shut airport • Gun registration hours extended