Unemployment benefits extended
HONOLULU - An additional 14 weeks of federal benefits will be available to unemployed workers in Hawaii who previously exhausted their emergency unemployment compensation benefits.
The announcement came Friday from Darwin Ching, the director of the state Department of Labor and Industrial Relations.
Ching says the department will mail out notices to all claimants who have exhausted their 33 weeks of benefits and may be eligible for additional benefits under new federal legislation. The notices will advise claimants about how they can apply for the additional benefits.
The department has begun verifying claimants' eligibility and reprogramming computer systems to implement the additional benefits.
The additional weeks of benefits are entirely federally funded.
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Cleaner diesel vehicles receive aid
HONOLULU - A $1.7 million federal effort to fund cleaner diesel vehicles for schools and communities has been announced at the University of Hawaii.
State and federal officials said Thursday that the funding will replace five buses from the state Department of Education's fleet in Kona on the Big Island and five other DOE diesel trucks. In addition, two diesel refuse trucks and a diesel truck owned by the university will be replaced.
The officials say the diesel vehicle replacements will reduce nitrogen oxides and particular matter by over 2.3 tons per year.
The state Health Department says the use of other clean diesel funding will be used to retrofit 15 Honolulu Board of Water Supply vehicles.
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BOH seminar Part 10 Thursday
KIHEI - Part 10 of Bank of Hawaii's financial education seminars will be on long term care insurance.
The seminars are free and open to all, including people who are not Bankoh customers, and are led by financial experts from Bank of Hawaii. No products or services will be sold at the seminars, and no promotional materials will be distributed.
The insurance seminar will be from 5:30 to 7 p.m., Thursday at the Kihei branch, 1279 S. Kihei Rd.
For information about seminar schedules, go to www.boh.com/seminars or call the Bank of Hawaii 24-hourCall Center: (888) 643-3888, press zero, and ask about the Bank of Hawaii Smart Money Seminars.
