Hawaii Gov. Josh Green has signed legislation that will allow more people to carry concealed firearms. At the same time, the measure prohibits people from taking guns to a wide range of places, including beaches, hospitals, stadiums, bars that serve alcohol and movie theaters. Private businesses allowing guns will have to post a sign to that effect. The legal overhaul comes in response to a U.S. Supreme Court ruling from last year that expanded gun rights by saying Americans have a right to carry firearms in public for self-defense. New York and New Jersey adopted similar laws last year that quickly met legal challenges that are making their way through federal courts.
HALF MOON BAY, Calif. (AP) Investigators are looking into the possibility that fuel issues may have caused a small plane to crash into the Pacific Ocean, killing two people on board. The Viking Air DHC-6-400 Twin Otter was equipped with an additional fuel system that would have allowed it to go further than it could with its original fuel tanks, said Sarah Sulick, a spokesperson for the National Transportation Safety Board.
HONOLULU (AP) Hawaii's largest electric utility aims to transform an 85-year-old oil-fired power plant into one that will run on renewable energy. Hawaiian Electric plans to replace six oil-fueled generators at its Waiau Power Plant in Pearl City outside Honolulu with smaller generation units powered by fuels like biodiesel and possibly hydrogen, the Honolulu Star-Advertiser reported Friday.
WASHINGTON (AP) Whistleblower or traitor, leaker or public hero? National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden blew the lid off U.S. government surveillance methods five years ago, but intelligence chiefs complain that revelations from the trove of classified documents he disclosed are still trickling out.
Hawaii officials say delta variant detected across state
June 25, 2021 GMT
HONOLULU (AP) Hawaii health officials said Friday that the more transmissible and potentially more harmful delta variant of COVID-19 has been detected in all four of the state’s major counties.
The state Department of Health has found 13 cases of the delta variant so far, including seven or eight that related to people who have traveled from out of state. There is also evidence of community spread of the variant.
The cases were from specimens collected between May 31 and June 10.
Preliminary research shows the delta variant results in a higher rate of severe illness than other strains of the disease, the department said.