Good evening, Hawaii. Unionized nurses at Kapiolani Medical Center for Women and Children began a seven-day strike yesterday; Hawaiian Airlines is preparing for the summer travel season by adding flights to several destinations; and the Dow Jones and S&P record highs today. Read about the important stories you need to know.
Your Weather Planner
Light to moderate southerly winds will stick around through Tuesday with hybrid sea breezes along terrain sheltered north slopes. It’ll remain mostly dry, with just a few light isolated showers possible. High Surf Advisories are in effect through Wednesday morning for north and west-facing shores. A cold front moves into the smaller islands, bringing showers on Wednesday morning, making it to Maui County by Thursday. Drier and more stable weather returns Friday and Saturday.
Watch the latest news from across the country.
Today's Big Stories
1. Unionized nurses begin 7-day strike
As roughly 600 unionized nurses employed at the Kapiolani Medical Center for Women & Children went on strike on Sunday, a temporary workforce made up of some of the top children’s hospitals around the country stepped in to acclimatize themselves to the medical center’s procedures and patients, said Kapiolani Medical Center Chief Operating Officer Gidget Ruscetta at Sunday’s press conference.
As passing vehicles outside honked their horns in support of the nurses lining Punahou and Bingham streets, Ruscetta spoke to journalists, reassuring them and, in turn, the public that the medical center was fully staffed with no disruption in care.
She said 35 patients had already visited the emergency room, ambulances had arrived, and two emergency surgeries had been completed. “I want to reassure everyone that our critical care areas are open, and all clinical services are open and operational,” said Ruscetta.
Responding to questions, Ruscetta explained Kapiolani and the Hawaii Nurses Association have been bargaining since September. They’ve had 17 sessions to date. Kapiolani presented their “last, best and final offer” to HNA on Jan. 10 and 11. Wages are included in the offer, as well as a “staffing counsel” and scheduling technology.
“In our proposal to the union, we have put on the table what’s called ‘staffing guidelines.’ The union has put on the table a ‘hard ratio,’” explained Ruscetta during the press conference. “When you look at this, the majority of which we are in alignment with the nurses.
Rosalee Agas-Yuu works at Kapiolani as a critical care transport nurse or flight nurse and is also president of the Hawaii Nurses Association. She stood outside the medical center alongside over a hundred other nurses holding signs.
Agas-Yuu says what’s been happening is that there aren’t enough nurses caring for patients “and they (Kapiolani) want to continue, but nurses are saying, ‘Hey, we’re getting burnt out.’ So (this is why) we have to stand out here, stand strong and tell everybody, ‘We’re standing out here because one, we worry about our patients that aren’t getting enough nursing care, and two, we’re gonna keep losing nurses, retaining them. They (Kapiolani) don’t have a problem bringing them in. It’s retaining them.”
2. Hawaiian Airlines adds flights for summer 2024
Hawaiian Airlines announced Monday it will add more flights to popular routes this summer in anticipation of an increased ridership.
The airline will increase flights between Honolulu and Austin, Boston, Las Vegas, Los Angeles and Pago Pago, according to a news release.
Hawaiian will use an Airbus A330 for most of the additional flights, and a Boeing 787-9 for select flights between Los Angeles and Honolulu.
The additional flights include:
- Austin: Adding one weekly flight on Fridays (totaling four flights weekly) from May 24 to Aug. 2.
- Boston: Adding one weekly flight on Thursdays (totaling five flights weekly) from May 23 to Aug. 1.
- Las Vegas: Increasing daily service (totaling three daily flights) from May 24 to July 28.
- Los Angeles: Adding a fourth daily flight from May 24 to Sept. 2.
- Pago Pago: Adding one weekly flight on Wednesdays (totaling three flights weekly) from May 22 to Sept. 4.
3. UH study finds dementia risk factors vary across ethnicities
About 23% of Alzheimer’s and related dementia cases in people 65 and older are linked to controllable risk factors such as diabetes and physical inactivity, but new research by the University of Hawaii Cancer Center finds that the percentage varies among different ethnic groups, according to a University of Hawaii news release.
In the Jan. 17 issue of “Neurology,” the medical journal of the “American Academy of Neurology,” the study stressed the importance of addressing factors in each ethnic group to lower the risk of Alzheimer’s and related dementia.
“There is no cure for Alzheimer’s disease, so preventing or delaying this disease by reducing controllable risk factors is an urgent public health priority,” said study author and UH Cancer Center researcher Song-Yi Park, PhD, in the release.
The study showed what are the top risk factors across demographics:
- Diabetes for Latinos, as well as less education and low socioeconomic status
- Low socioeconomic status for Native Hawaiian people, as well as physical inactivity and less education
- Low socioeconomic status for Blacks, as well as low social contact and high blood pressure
- Low socioeconomic status for whites, in addition to smoking
- Physical inactivity for Japanese Americans, in addition to diabetes
4. Honolulu Civil Beat: Miske is set to stand trial alone when his brother takes a last-minute deal
John Stancil, the younger brother of accused racketeering boss Michael J. Miske Jr., pleaded guilty on Sunday to a single charge of racketeering conspiracy as part of a last-minute deal with prosecutors.
The guilty plea is unusual because it appears to have involved a court appearance on Sunday, when the courts are generally closed.
Court records show prosecutors filed the new charge just after noon on Sunday via an “information,” a procedure that doesn’t require grand jury action and is typically a prelude to a negotiated plea.
By 2:03 p.m., Stancil had appeared before a judge, waived his right to be charged by a grand jury indictment and pleaded guilty, according to the court docket.
With jury selection wrapped up last week and opening statements scheduled to kick off on Monday morning, it remains to be seen whether Miske will follow with a deal of his own, or stay the course and face the jury alone.
Although the trial had been expected to last at least six months, it could be significantly shorter, with Miske as the sole remaining defendant.
With Stancil’s plea, prosecutors have now obtained guilty pleas to felony charges from all 12 of Miske’s original co-defendants, including Jason Yokoyama, his former business partner, and Delia Fabro-Miske, his daughter-in-law. All but two have agreed to testify against Miske.
5. Dow closes above 38,000 for first time, S&P also hits all-time high
Most stocks rose on Wall Street Monday to build on its all-time high reached last week.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed above 38,000 for the first time ever, and the S&P closed out north of 4,850, setting another high after hitting a record last week.
The Nasdaq composite gained 49.32, or 0.3%, to 15,360.29.
Macy’s climbed 3.6% after the retailer said it rejected a buyout offer from two investment companies, in part because it didn’t offer “compelling value.” SolarEdge Technologies rose 4% after it said it would cut 16% of its workforce, and NuStar Energy jumped 18.2% after Sunoco said it would buy the pipeline and storage company in a deal valued at $7.3 billion, including debt.
They helped offset a 24.2% drop for Archer Daniels Midland, which put its chief financial officer on leave. After getting a document request from U.S. regulators, it said it’s investigating some of its accounting practices. ADM also said it expects to a report profit for the full year of 2023, that’s below what analysts were forecasting.
This upcoming week will have a rush of companies reporting their results for the last three months of 2023, with roughly 70 companies from the S&P 500 on the calendar. They include American Airlines, Intel, Procter & Gamble and Tesla.
Analysts are expecting companies in the S&P 500 to report an overall dip in earnings for the fourth quarter, down nearly 2% from a year earlier, according to FactSet. If they’re right, it would be the fourth quarter in the last five where profits have fallen.
Your Notes for Tomorrow
Tuesday, Jan. 23
- New Hampshire presidential primary election
- Oscar nominations announced
- Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists announces latest decision on "Doomsday Clock" minute hand
- U.N. Security Council open debate on Palestine and the Middle East
- Results of the 2024 National Baseball Hall of Fame election announced live on MLB Network
- What: Candlelight Performance: A Tribute to Queen
- Where: Blue Note Hawaii | Outrigger Waikiki Beach Resort, 2335 Kalakaua Ave., Honolulu | 808-777-4890
- Details: Experience the music of Queen in the gentle glow of candlelight, 6:30 and 9 p.m. Jan. 23. Tickets.
- What: 2024 Annual Juried Exhibition
- Where: Hui Noeau Visual Arts Center | 2841 Baldwin Ave., Makawao | 808-572-6560
- Details: This highly selective exhibition features new works in all media celebrating the strength and resilience of the visual arts on Maui. Gallery hours: 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday. Visit the Hui Noeau website for ongoing adult and youth art classes and workshops.
- What: After Dark in the Park
- Where: Kilauea Visitor Center auditorium | Hawaii Volcanoes National Park
- Details: Join USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory geologist Drew Downs as he shares a brief history of Kilauea Volcano’s Southwest Rift Zone and its numerous eruptions through the years, 7 p.m. Jan. 23. Event is free though park admission fees apply.
- What: Farmers' Market
- Where: Coconut Marketplace | 4-484 Kuhio Hwy., Kapaa
- Details: Fresh produce, snacks, pastries, tropical flowers and handmade gifts from local farmers and artisans at the bi-weekly farmers market, from 9 a.m.-1 p.m.
For more on these and other events, see this week's HI Out & About.
In Case You Missed It
Auli‘i Cravalho plays Janis ‘Imi‘ike in "Mean Girls" from Paramount Pictures. (Photo courtesy Jojo Whilden/Paramount © 2023 Paramount Pictures)
Auli'i Cravalho comes into her own in 'Mean Girls'
It’s been nine years since Kohala-born phenom Auli‘i Cravalho burst onto the scene and became the forever voice of Disney’s 2016 hit, “Moana.” Now, she’s segued to the live-action big screen, having been cast in Tina Fey’s reimagined “Mean Girls” as the outcast Janis ‘Imi’ike (originally played as Janis Ian in 2004 by Lizzy Caplan).
Now a Los Angeles resident, the 23-year-old Cravalho spoke with Spectrum News Hawaii as she receives rave reviews for her charismatic performance in the film, which topped the box office for a second week in a row.