Spotlight Hawaii

Hawaiian Airlines President and CEO Peter Ingram joined us today for a livestream video at 10:30 a.m. to take your questions during Spotlight Hawaii, a series from the Honolulu Star-Advertiser that shines a spotlight on issues affecting our islands.

Gov. David Ige joined Spotlight Hawaii, a series from the Honolulu Star-Advertiser that shines a spotlight on issues affecting our islands, today for a livestream and took viewer questions.

Matthew Gonser of Honolulu Office of Climate Change, Sustainability and Resiliency, and Hawaii Energy Deputy Director Caroline Carl joined Spotlight Hawaii, a series from the Honolulu Star-Advertiser that shines a spotlight on issues affecting our islands, today for a livestream and took viewer questions.

Oahu weddings may see the number of guests allowed in the city’s Tier 3 reopening plan bumped up to 25 from the current 10.

Honolulu Mayor Rick Blangiardi plans to ask for a meeting early next week with Gov. David Ige and Hawaii Department of Health Director Libby Char to discuss the Tier 3 restrictions for weddings.

“I’m prepared to go back to the State Department of Health and say, ‘you know, can we just have 25 people as a structured event,’ and we know the protocols we’ll adhere to those,” Blangiardi said on the Star-Advertiser’s Spotlight Hawaii today.

In the initial modifications for Tier 3 that lifted capacity for funerals and allowed organized sports to resume, officials thought that due to the celebratory nature of weddings, it would not be prudent to increase capacity.

Although the wedding industry held a demonstration on Thursday outside Honolulu Hale, Blangiardi said that was not the only reason he is now considering taking this request to the governor.

“I was wanting to wait a little bit,” he said. “We want to see the impact of the modifications. Our sports haven’t started yet and just to be sure the numbers stay safe.”

Blangiardi also addressed the Honolulu rail program which was recently found to have some defects, requiring a portion of the tracks to likely be changed out, potentially delaying the opening of the project another year.

Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation Interim CEO Lori Kahikina notified the mayor that the rail project up to Aloha Stadium, would be turned over to the city by the of the year, leaving it up to Blangiardi to decide whether to start service up to that area.

However, with the recently found defects and the rail only being able to service up to Aloha Stadium, Blangiardi leaned against starting service as soon as it is available.

“I’m not going to just simply arbitrarily say, ‘as soon as it’s ready to operate, we’ll start operating it,’ that still up in the air, we’re going to make a lot of determinations based on things that we’re learning now,” he said.

“Right now, today, in all honesty, and as candid as I can be, I don’t know if that’s possible.”

The cost of rail has ballooned to $12.4 billion, and the completion date is now March 2031.

‘Finding Ohana’ actors Brad Kalilimoku, Lindsay Watson and Branscombe Richmond joined Spotlight Hawaii, a series from the Honolulu Star-Advertiser that shines a spotlight on issues affecting our islands, today for a livestream video and took viewer questions.

Department of Labor and Industrial Relations Director Anne Perreira-Eustaquio joined Spotlight Hawaii, a series from the Honolulu Star-Advertiser that shines a spotlight on issues affecting our islands, today for a livestream video and took viewer questions.

Kauai Mayor Derek Kawakami and two wedding industry executives — Nichole Shin and Sue Tabbal-Yamaguchi — joined Spotlight Hawaii, a series from the Honolulu Star-Advertiser that shines a spotlight on issues affecting our islands, today for a livestream video and took viewer questions.

Lori Kahikina, interim CEO of Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation joined Spotlight Hawaii, a series from the Honolulu Star-Advertiser that shines a spotlight on issues affecting our islands, today for a livestream video and took viewer questions.

Gov. David Ige announced this morning on Spotlight Hawaii that state health officials have detected the South African variant of the coronavirus in the islands.

He discussed contact tracing measures, and reemphasized the need for everyone in Hawaii to continue to wear masks and socially distance.

Ige also discussed the vaccine rollout, potential changes to the Safe Travels program and interisland travel restrictions, and expressed his confidence in DOE Superintendent Dr. Christina Kishimoto, who has been criticized by the Hawaii State Teachers Association.

Thursday marks one year since the World Health Organization declared the coronavirus a pandemic, and the governor also reflected on the moment last March, when he realized everything would change in Hawaii.

Peter Yee and Kanani Elaban of Hawaii Unemployment Updates and Support Group, and Angela Keen of Hawaii Quarantine Kapu Breakers joined Spotlight Hawaii, to talk about how their groups on Facebook are helping others navigate problems brought on by the pandemic.

The Hawaii Unemployment Updates and Support Group has more than 26,000 members, many of whom have been frustrated with the state’s unemployment benefits system, which has been plagued with delays ranging from weeks to months. Keen’s Hawaii Quarantine Kapu Breakers group has nearly 7,000 members, who work in conjunction with law enforcement to catch quarantine violators and enforce the state’s mask mandate.