This week we look at the state auditor’s recent follow-up report, Report No. 19-14, on the Motion Picture, Digital Media, and Film Production income tax credit. It notes that when the auditor’s office previously took up the issue, in Report No. 16-08, the auditor took the Department of ...
Q: What is heart failure and how can it be treated? Dr. Anil Punjabi, cardiologist, Ohana Heart: Heart failure, also known as cardiomyopathy, is a medical term used to describe differing pathologies of the heart that prevent the heart from adequately and efficiently pumping blood out to the ...
Cabo San Lucas is not your typical mother-daughter vacation destination, but – lucky for me – I don’t have a typical mother. “Let’s go on a cruise for your birthday,” she said. “I don’t care where we go as long as it’s on a ship!” The only itinerary that fit both my ...
In the news recently was a story about business and licensing fees actually going down. These fees were imposed by the Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs. The money from those fees was funneled to special funds that were supposed to assist with the costs of regulating the industries ...
Q: I love the work that you are leading to track down illegal short-term rentals. However, I have some issues regarding long-term tenants, including parking overflow in front of my house and houses rented to multiple groups rather than a single group. I hope I was able to explain both sides of ...
Debate has been heated over whether to withdraw the Lahaina injection well case pending before the U.S. Supreme Court, and there’s no disagreement that we all want what’s best for our environment and community — clean ocean water and reefs with healthy coral and marine life. While it ...
With former prosecutor Katherine Kealoha and her husband and former Honolulu police chief, Louis, in the news, you might surmise that they are the greatest frauds Hawaii has ever seen. I disagree. My money is on a hoax that happened over 50 years ago. A thunderstorm rocked the territory of ...
Q: How long do I have to rest a pulled muscle before I can start exercising again? Dr. Warren “Vic” Ayers, orthopedics urgeon & joint specialist, Pacific Permanente Group: Slipping, lifting something heavy, or just overdoing it during sports can cause you to strain, pull, or even tear ...
As Nick Gravenites wrote, and the Paul Butterfield Blues Band sang, I was “Born in Chicago” . . . but a good deal after “nineteen and forty-one.” It surprises people when I reveal my birthplace, until I explain that my father, born and raised on Maui, was attending the University of ...
I am writing in support of the idea of constructing a free-standing emergency department in West Maui. In the interest of full disclosure, I am employed by Pacific Permanente Group, a subsidiary of Kaiser Permanente, and work at Kula Hospital. I have no firsthand knowledge of Kaiser’s ...
Q: Mayor, could you please help me with my question. I’m interested in applying for one of Maui County’s boards and commissions, but I’m not sure which one, and I don’t know what the requirements are (if any). Also, when is the deadline and how do I apply? A: Mahalo for your question ...
The couple that works out together, stays together. Just ask Launiupoko residents Jessika Stauffer and Robbie Marino, who say hitting the gym together seven days a week is the secret to their healthy relationship. And it just might help them win a reality show competition, too. The ...
The Maui County Council is committed to addressing our crisis in attainable housing. When we met with voters last year during the campaign, attainable housing was a top priority for our community. The challenge in addressing our attainable housing needs is the “how.” Sometimes we fail ...
Over the next few weeks, millions of Americans will observe Breast Cancer Awareness Month through numerous fundraising activities and informational outreach. Many of them will participate in “Touchdowns for Tatas” events ranging from women’s flag football tournaments to pro football watch ...
Q: There are no water fountains at the Upcountry Skate Park in Pukalani. What steps can community members take to change this? A:It seems that someone already took steps to address this issue by bringing it up during my administration’s Upcountry community budget meeting last month. Our ...
Suicides tear the heart out of our community in Maui County, leaving surviving family and friends with unanswered questions: “What if . . . ?” “If only . . . ?” Bottomless grief cannot be expressed in words. Sympathy falls short of comforting inexplicable loss. Last month, to support ...
Less than a month after statehood, Pan American World Airways began its jetliner service from the Mainland to Honolulu. The regular route to the islands cut costs and travel time for Mainlanders. Visitors flooded the young state. The service coincided with the construction of hotels, resorts, ...
A few months ago, we tried to remind folks about “It’s the economy, stupid.” There we reported that we had been getting lots of news about our economy, and none of it was good. Last month, the University of Hawaii’s economics research organization, UHERO, released its third-quarter ...
Q: What does it mean to be prediabetic? Can I reverse it? Jolly Anne L. Uclaray, Master of Science nursing, registered nurse, certified diabetes educator, diabetes coordinator, Maui Memorial Medical Center: According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, around 84 million ...
Confucius said, “Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life.” Steve Jobs said, “The only way to do great work is to love what you do.” I’m not saying I do great work as an emcee, but I truly love doing it, and no, it doesn’t feel like work at all, ...