Local News

As the economy hit bottom last year, Kamehameha Schools' top executive, Dee Jay Mailer, took an 11.7 percent, or $72,808, cut in pay.

Hawaii's economic recovery is well under way, and revenues for this fiscal year are expected to be 0.5 percent more than last year, said the state Council on Revenues.

The Oahu beach named after Olympic swimming legend Duke Kahanamoku has been listed among the top 10 beaches in the nation in an annual survey for 2010.

WASHINGTON » The House delivered a victory to President Barack Obama and gay rights groups yesterday by approving a proposal to repeal the law that allows gays to serve in the military only if they do not disclose their sexual orientation.

Federal officials have cleared the way for Hawaii's garbage to be shipped to the mainland, a process that has been mired in regulatory red tape for months, but it is unclear when the shipments might begin.

SAN DIEGO » Retired Navy Lt. John Finn—the first American to receive the nation's highest military award for defending sailors under a torrent of gunfire during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor—died yesterday. He was 100.

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease continues to increase in Hawaii—163 percent since 1965—while other life-threatening diseases have decreased about 65 percent, the state Health Department reports.

Black Diamond Nightclub must close two hours earlier to reduce early-morning trouble at the Waikiki Trade Center, the Honolulu Liquor Commission ruled yesterday.

The man accused of slaying a visiting professor from Pittsburgh in 1996 confessed to the crime to police in 2008 when he was in a hospital psychiatric ward and again when he got out of the hospital because police did not believe him the first time, said his lawyer, Michael Green.

Col. Richard C. Kim returned home after 22 years to assume command of the 3,500-member 3rd Brigade Combat Team at Schofield Barracks as it prepares for its fourth wartime deployment, to Afghanistan next spring.

Memorial Day will be observed in Honolulu with formal ceremonies beginning Sunday and culminating Monday with services at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific at Punchbowl and the Hawaii State Veterans Cemetery in Kaneohe.

The Honolulu Star-Bulletin strives to make its news report fair and accurate. If you have a question or comment about news coverage, call Editor Frank Bridgewater at 529-4791.

The Johnson & Johnson unit that recalled millions of bottles of liquid children's Tylenol and other pediatric medicines last month may face criminal penalties, product seizures or other sanctions, an official from the Food and Drug Administration said Thursday.

JERUSALEM » Israel was preparing Thursday for a showdown with a flotilla of up to nine vessels carrying hundreds of pro-Palestinian activists and thousands of tons of supplies headed for Gaza, the Hamas-run coastal enclave. It was the most ambitious attempt so far to break Israel's maritime blockade of Gaza.

Every Memorial Day weekend, Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts place fresh lei on the graves of veterans at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific and the Hawaii State Veterans Cemetery. But this year, there might not be enough lei to go around.

One would think that rats in the market would be enough to kill just about anybody's entrepreneurial drive. But for Chinatown merchants and grocers, a videotape of rats cavorting around a vegetable stand was merely the latest in a series of misfortunes to wreak havoc on local business.

The executive director of the state Ethics Commission is "not appropriately engaged" as an administrator, while his management style might be contributing to low morale among some staff members, according to an investigation.

The Honolulu Liquor Commission has opened another investigation into whether three watering holes at the Waikiki Trade Center should close earlier to reduce late-night problems.