Kapiolani Medical Center nurses vote to strike; Hawaii Proud Boy founder arrested after Capitol riot faces court; Reality Check with Civil Beat: Maui COVID cases surge; Helicopter business, down from pandemic, rises with lava flow; University of Hawaii research finds mislabeled seafood
Kapiolani Medical Center nurses vote to strike
Negotiators for both the Hawaii Nurses Association and Hawaii Pacific Health will try one more time to avert a walkout by about 700 nurses at Kapiolani Medical Center for Women and Children in Honolulu. the union says it saw a 96 percent turnout, with 93 percent of its members voting to strike. They have been working without a contract since November. We talked to Hawaii Nurses Association president Daniel Ross about the sticking points in the labor dispute, and we also hear th eresponse from Kapiolani Medical Center CEO Martha Smith.
Hawaii Proud Boy founder arrested after Capitol riot appears in court
Nich Ochs is the founder of the Oahu chapter of the Proud Boys, a far-right political organization that has been labeled an extremist hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center. Social media posts and a CNN interview placed Ochs at the U.S. Capitol during last week's armed riot, which NPR is describing as a pro-Trump insurrection. He was arrested last week and spent the weekend at the Federal Detention Center on Oahu. HPR Reporter Ryan Finnerty provides an update from Ochs's trial today, and we replay a 2018 profile of the controversial figure.
Reality Check with Civil Beat: Maui COVID cases surge
Many people let loose for the holiday season on Maui, and it's showing in the largest surge of new COVID-19 cases since the summer. State and county officials largely blame the COVID-19 spike on a series of gatherines, including an outbreak of more than 80 cases at the Harbor Lights condo complex that is believed to have started with a holiday choir practice. Civil Beat reporter Yoohyun Jung talks about the alarming trend on the Valley Isle. Click here to read the story at CivilBeat.org.
Helicopter business, down from pandemic, up with lava flow
Prior to the pandemic, Blue Hawaiian Helicopters flew tours on Maui, Kauai, Oahu and the Big Island. As with many tourism-dependent businesses, the company had to shut down due to COVID-19. But with Hawaii's pre-travel testing program in place and a new eruption at Kilauea Volcano, flights are on the rise. Blue Hawaiian Helicopters president Quentin Koch spoke with The Conversation's Jason Ubay about the helicopter tour business and a look ahead. Click here to visit the Blue Hawaiian Helicopters website.
University of Hawaii research finds mislabeled seafood
Did you include any seafood in your holiday feasts this past year? Well, if you did, you might want to take a closer look at the fish that made its way from the ocean to your table. Recent research conducted by The Marko Lab at the University of Hawaii at Manoa indicated that 21 percent of seafood in Honolulu is mislabeled. To break down the startline research, The Conversation's Harrison Patino spoke with associate professor Peter Marko of The Marko Lab about the findings.
