Teacher Vaccinations, New CDC Guidance Boost Hopes For Reopening Schools - Honolulu Civil Beat
Teacher Vaccinations, New CDC Guidance Boost Hopes For Reopening Schools
The CDC said it was “critical for schools to open as safely and as soon as possible” with the proper safety protocols in place. Reading time: 5 minutes.
About 43% of Hawaii’s teachers have received at least one dose of vaccine against COVID-19 as of this week, the head of the state teachers’ union said Friday, adding that leads to “larger possibilities of more students returning” to the classroom.
The optimistic assessment came after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued its most forceful guidance about the reopening of schools for in-person learning, saying it can be done safely as long as proper safety measures are in place.
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Na Poâe Kokua, a Maui-based Native Hawaiian housing advocacy group, filed a whistleblower complaint Thursday against Bank of America, calling it a âlast warningâ for the bank to uphold its commitment to make $150 million in home loans available on Hawaiian Home Lands. Na Poâe Kokua said the next step would be a federal lawsuit. AP file photo
A Maui-based Native Hawaiian housing advocacy organization on Thursday filed a whistleblower complaint that it called the “last warning” for Bank of America to uphold a long-standing commitment to make $150 million in home loans available on Hawaiian Home Lands.
State Lottery To Fund Public Education Moves Forward - Honolulu Civil Beat
State Lottery To Fund Public Education Moves Forward
The bill would create a commission to plan for a lottery to help pay for the university and public schools. Reading time: 4 minutes.
Winning final passage may be a long shot, but the Senate Education Committee tentatively approved a plan Wednesday to create a commission to stand up a state lottery to help fund public education in Hawaii.
The lottery could be operating as early as Jan. 1, 2023, but Senate Bill 816 leaves it up to the five-member commission to make rules and determine exactly how the game would be run.
Hawaii Lawmakers Advance New Tax On Alcoholic Drinks - Honolulu Civil Beat
Hawaii Lawmakers Advance New Tax On Alcoholic Drinks
The new state tax of 10 cents a drink would be in effect for the next three years, and raise about $62 million a year. Reading time: 4 minutes.
A key Senate committee gave preliminary approval Thursday to a new 10-cents-per-drink tax on all alcoholic beverages, a step that would raise an estimated $62 million per year for the state.
The Senate Commerce and Consumer Protection Committee unanimously approved Senate Bill 1232, which would impose the new tax starting on July 1, and end the tax on June 30, 2024.
Experts warn Hawaii on the brink of major COVID-19 outbreak and hospital overcrowding catastrophe
Despite its relatively low case numbers, the state of Hawaii is on the verge of a major COVID-19 outbreak which is just weeks away. The Healthcare Association of Hawaii warned
Hawaii Public Radio on January 8 that by February 19 hospitals would reach full capacity, noting that hospitalizations were up by 77 percent in the previous two weeks. The warnings about a coming wave of cases has faced a near media blackout as the state pushes to reopen schools.
Front view of The Queen s Medical Center (Wikimedia Commons)
The site Covidactnow.org, which tracks statistics, has labeled Maui as being on the verge of an outbreak with zero ICU capacity available. The Hawaii State Department of Health (DOH) reported 92 new COVID-19 cases on Thursday, bringing the statewide total to 26,187.