Spike in COVID cases on Hawaii Island and Lanai; Small businesses respond to state pivot grants; Police union stifling info to public; Future of sustainable transportation; Safety net for Oahu's homeless teens
Spike in COVID cases on Hawaii Island and Lanai
Hawaii County experienced a single-day spike in new COVID-19 cases over the weekend - 51 new cases on Sunday. This shot the county's positivity rate up to 3.8 percent. Over on Lanai, Maui Mayor Victorino says the number of COVID cases seems to have stabilitized. HPR Reporter Kuuwehi Hiraishi gives us an update on the Neighbor Islands.
Small businesses respond to state pivot grants
It's been a week since the state announced a new $25 million grant program to help small businesses deal with our ecommic crisis. More than a thousand companeis have applied so far. Many businesses are on the cusp of closing their doors due to reduced sales and new COVID related experiences. Hawaii Gov. David Ige announced the launch of the new Hawaii Business Pivot Grant program, in partnership with the Chamber of Commerce Hawaii. COC Hawaii President and CEO Sherry Menor-McNamara tells us more.
Police union stifling info to public
SHOPO, the statewide police union, doesn't want the public to have access to the arbitration decision that gave alleged abuser Darren Cachola his badge back. Civil Beat Reporter Nick Grube tells us how the police union is still keeping info away from the public despite a recently passed disclosure law. Click here to read the story at CivilBeat.org.
Future of sustainable transportation
In our continuing look at He Lono Moku, a report on the state of Hawaii's environment, we talk to Ulupono Initiative's Katie Rooney to talk about the future of sustainable transportation. He Lono Moku is a project funded by The Environmental Funders Group. Click here to read the report.
Safety net for Oahu's homeless teens
Earlier this week, law enforcement announced the rescue of five minors form the threats of sex trafficking. Details about the case have not been released, but it throws a light on the ongoing need to protect our youth from being preyed upon. Homeless teens often find themselves vulnerable to criminals, and during this pandemic our social service needs have mushroomed. That includes the demand for programs to help our homeless youth. We caught up with Carla Houser with the nonprofit RYSE: Residential Youth Services Empowered. Last time we spoke with Houser, she announced a new bed space for teens in Kailua, and it has expanded to Haleiwa and in Manoa this month.
