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Business/In Brief • Apr. 19, 2014

Maui Fair offers sponsorship packagesThe Maui Fair is soliciting sponsors for the annual event, which will be held Oct. 2-5 at the War Memorial Complex.New sponsorship packages have been developed, and there are programs for different budgets, an announcement said.For more information, contact Carolyn Nishimura, Gilbert & Associates, by email at publicity@mauifair.com or phone at 871-6230, ext.13, or Sherri Grimes, managing director, by email at sherri@mauifair.com or 280-6889.With an attendance approaching 100,000, the Maui Fair is the primary source of funding for many of Maui's ...

Bills draw clash on future developments

HONOLULU (AP)- A bill that affects development in Honolulu's urban core is touching off debate about the future of Hawaii and whether development will sprawl into rural areas or make the state's most populous city more dense.The House passed a bill Monday that seeks to reign in development in the industrial neighborhood Kakaako. It sets a height restriction for development, capping buildings at 418 feet, and proposes changes to the way projects are approved.Opponents say the bill (HB 1866) would make it harder to provide affordable housing for Hawaii residents, and would push development ...

City considers outlawing gambling machines

HONOLULU - The Honolulu City Council is considering making it illegal to own a gambling machine, tightening rules that have led to arrests but no prosecutions.Hawaii is one of two states in the country with no forms of legalized gambling, including casinos or lotteries.But recent raids of gambling parlors on Oahu have not resulted in any prosecutions, the Honolulu Star-Advertiser reported.Councilman Joey Manahan said he wants to give law enforcement more tools to crack down on gambling.More establishments with sweepstakes machines have been popping up and neighbors have complained, he ...

Business/In Brief • Apr. 15, 2014

Sleep Train to buy America's MattressSleep Train has agreed to acquire America's Mattress in Hawaii, which includes a store in Kahului.The deal for the nine stores statewide is expected to close April 23, a news release from Sleep Train said."Sleep Train's commitment to the community, distributing quality products made in Hawaii, and taking care of its employees, makes them a perfect fit for our company," said Chris Eldridge, chief executive officer and founder of America's Mattress, Hawaii.He indicated that the employees in the Hawaii stores would be retained.Sleep Train, parent company ...

Business/In Brief • Apr. 12, 2014

Hawaii herb and vegetable farm settles labor chargesHONOLULU - A Hawaii farm has agreed to settle a Department of Labor complaint that charged the farm underpaid its workers by hundreds of thousands of dollars.Fat Law's Farm, a Waipahu herb and vegetable farm, will pay workers more than $430,000 in back wages and penalties to settle the federal claim.The settlement states that Fat Law's violated the Fair Labor Standards Act by paying employees no more than $5 per hour, by withholding overtime pay and by neglecting to keep proper employment records.Kathryn Xian, the founder of the Pacific ...

Membership on the rise for Maui Chamber of Commerce

The Maui Chamber of Commerce welcomes these new members into the chamber's ohana:* Ceridian provided outsourced business services for nearly 80 years and today offers a wide range of human resources, payroll, tax filing, benefits and time and attendance solutions (www.ceridian.com).* Heartland Payment Systems is known for fair, fully disclosed pricing and empowering merchants to take control of their payment processing costs. They offer payment processing, payroll solutions and marketing solutions (www.heartlandpaymentsystems.com).* Integrated Business Solutions was established in 1997. ...