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Risk is too high for council to gamble with Launiupoko land

The Dec. 6 County Council meeting where the proposed purchase of 186 acres in Launiupoko was addressed has many people upset and angry with process.Council members knew this meeting was likely the council's last opportunity to vote on this issue in time to meet the sales deadline of Dec. 31, which the seller repeatedly stated would not be extended.It was an important time for the council to act on the purchase for all who want the county to acquire this public asset that would greatly contribute to our open space along the shoreline and ensure it remains available for residents and ...

Business/In Brief • Dec. 12, 2013

HONOLULU - The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission says a company that operates stores at Hawaii resort areas will pay $60,000 to settle a pregnancy discrimination lawsuit.The EEOC announced Wednesday that Step Three, Ltd. is settling the lawsuit involving a buyer who underwent infertility treatments. The EEOC says a company official allegedly made offensive comments about her intentions and eventual pregnancy.The agency claims the buyer lost her job when she said she wouldn't be able to travel because of her pregnancy.According to the EEOC, the company agrees to pay the woman ...

Business/In Brief • Dec. 11, 2013

HONOLULU - A 50-year-old Ewa Beach woman convicted of operating an $800,000 Ponzi scheme has been sentenced in federal court to nearly four years in prison.The Honolulu Star-Advertiser reported that Suzette M. Anguay in August pleaded guilty to mail fraud.She was sentenced Monday to three years and 10 months in prison.U.S. District Judge Leslie E. Kobayashi also ordered Anguay to pay back $510,178 to 11 couples or individuals.Federal prosecutors say from 2007 to 2010 she collected more than $800,000 from victims who delivered or mailed her money.

Business/In Brief • Dec. 10, 2013

HONOLULU - PBS Hawaii is selling a plot of land in Waikiki for $3.5 million.The public television station says proceeds from the sale will go toward building it a new home off Nimitz Highway.The 28,000 square-foot Kalakaua Avenue property is being sold to developer MW Group. The company plans to use it to build an assisted living facility for seniors.PBS Hawaii had planned to build a new home on the property when it bought the land for $2.4 million 10 years ago. But technology issues prevented that from happening.

Business/In Brief • Dec. 7, 2013

Airline to add 4th Brisbane flightHONOLULU - Hawaiian Airlines is expanding service to Australia.The airline announced Wednesday that beginning March 31, Hawaiian will add a fourth flight to its weekly nonstop service between Honolulu and Brisbane.Hawaiian became the only U.S. carrier to offer nonstop service to Brisbane when it launched the new route last year.Brisbane is the gateway to the Great Barrier Reef, a marine park of shallow reefs supporting sharks, coral, fish and many other species. It's also the gateway to rainforests, Outback territory and the Gold Coast.The airline says ...

Obamacare is another blow to many small businesses

New ideas to solve grand challenges require significant change. However, we must come up with winning solutions with broad consensus on the approach and where our entire society helps pay for the chosen solution. Too often government looks to fund new initiatives on the backs of business owners who are struggling to survive.Small businesses are often hardest hit, and all businesses in Hawaii are highly overburdened compared with the rest of the nation in terms of our business climate. Now Obamacare is hurting many businesses even more, creating significant challenges for small businesses ...