Good evening, Hawaii. America added 315,000 jobs in August, down from July's count of 526,000. However, President Biden struck a positive tone after today's job report was released. Our partner, Honolulu Star-Advertiser, sheds light on ballots that missed the deadline for the state primary election and how you can ensure your ballot will make the count in the general. Plus, Hawaii DOE, the University of Hawaii and Amazon Web Services are combining forces to create a new training program to equip Hawaii students for jobs in cloud computing. Here are the most important stories you need to know.

Your Weather Planner 

The trade winds are going to pick up this weekend. They’ll be a little stronger Sunday and Labor Day. This will allow for localized land and sea breezes to develop in the more sheltered leeward areas. We can also see some showers pop off on the weekend, with another round of rain on Labor Day.

Get your 7-day forecast

Today's Big Stories

1. Biden, Walsh hail hiring gains as employers add 315,000 jobs in August

America's employers slowed their hiring in August in the face of rising interest rates, high inflation and sluggish consumer spending, all of which have weakened the outlook for the economy.

The government reported today that the economy added 315,000 jobs last month, down from 526,000 in July and below the average gain of the previous three months. The unemployment rate rose to 3.7%, from a half-century low of 3.5% in July, as more Americans came off the sidelines to look for jobs and didn't find work immediately.

President Joe Biden celebrated the jobs report at an event on Friday, declaring that "the great American jobs machine continues to come back."

2. Honolulu Star-Advertiser: Many mailed ballots in Hawaii’s primary election weren’t tallied due to missed deadline

More than 3,000 Hawaii voters suffered a pitfall — voting too late — in this year’s primary election.

County election officials report that 3,125 ballots cast by mail in the Aug. 13 contest didn’t count because they weren’t received in time.

Some Hawaii voters might still be getting used to the state’s 2-year-old voting system designed to have the vast majority of voting done by mail as a convenient way to boost participation in electing government representatives. But to a large degree this year, voters were left to gauge for themselves how much time they had to mail back ballots.

3. DOE, UH and Amazon team for cloud computing training

The Hawaii Department of Education, University of Hawaii System and Amazon Web Services are collaborating on a new project to provide training, skills development and certification in cloud computing to Hawaii students.

The new initiative will provide cloud computing education courses that align with certifications through high school and college to create pathways to technical jobs.

“The cloud has become the predominant method to rapidly deploy new information systems and services,” UH President David Lassner said. “We are delighted to enter into this new statewide commitment with AWS, one of the leading cloud service providers in the world, and the Hawaii Department of Education, to plan how we will work together to provide real-world AWS skills and certifications to Hawaii residents and students at all levels across the islands.”

Hawaii Superintendent of Education Keith Hayashi announced the collaboration on Wednesday. (Hawaii Department of Education)

4. Hawaii Labor Day schedule on services that will be closed

The state of Hawaii and its respective counties observe Labor Day on Sept. 5, and state, county and other government agencies have announced services and operations that are closed or modified.

Offices for the City and County of Honolulu, as well as the offices in Maui and Kauai counties will be closed on Sept. 5. Parking will be restricted from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. over the three-day weekend, and on-street parking will be free on Oahu, save for the meters along Queen Kapiolani Park on Kalakaua Avenue, metered parking lots and meters on certain streets in Waikiki. 

TheBus will be using a Sunday schedule. Find more details here.

The Kauai Bus will be operating on its regular schedule and residential refuse collection will remain unchanged. 

5. Empty folders with 'Classified' banners among items found in FBI search of Trump home

FBI agents who searched former President Donald Trump’s Florida home last month found top secret records in an office and storage room, along with folders with classified banners but nothing inside and more than 10,000 other government records with no classification markings, according to a more detailed inventory of the seized material made public by the Justice Department today.

All told, 43 empty folders were marked with "Classified" banners, while 28 were labeled "return to staff secretary/military aide." It is not clear from the inventory list why any of the folders were empty or what might have happened to any of the documents inside.

Your Notes for the Weekend

Saturday, September 3

• NASA Artemis moon mission launches after scrubbed attempt
• U.S. Open tennis continues
• President Biden and first lady spend the weekend at Camp David
• Donald Trump addresses rally in Pennsylvania
• Funeral of former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev in Moscow
• National Cinema Day — tickets $3 in select theaters

Sunday, September 4

• Labor Day Capitol Concert 2022, featuring the National Symphony Orchestra
• German President meets Ukrainian Prime Minister in Berlin
• Beatification mass for "The Smiling Pope" takes place in Vatican City

Here are events happening on the islands tomorrow:

Oahu

• What: 40th Okinawan Festival
• Where: Hawaii Convention Center | 1801 Kalakaua Ave., Honolulu | 808-943-3500
• Details: One of Hawaii’s largest cultural festivals returns this year with the theme, “Sharing Uchinanchu Aloha,” Sept 3-4. As always, there will be tons of fun and food for the family: Okinawan music and performances, cultural education, arts and crafts, historical exhibits, genealogy research, Okinawan-themed children’s games, and food booths featuring andagi, andadog, Okinawan soba and more. Times are 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Sept. 3 (the bon dance will only be on Saturday) and 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Sept. 4. $10/ages 13-64, $5/65 and older, free for 12 and under.

Maui

• What: Festivals of Aloha Banyan Tree Hoolaulea
• Where: Lahaina Banyan Court Park | Corner of Front St. and Canal St., Lahaina
• Details: Kick off Maui’s Festivals of Aloha with lots of fun for the family — free keiki activities, local eats, Maui artists, exhibits, plus Hawaiian music and hula, Sept. 3. Events continue into October on Lanai (Oct. 1), Molokai (Oct. 7-8), Hana (Oct. 15-22), and at the Four Seasons Resort Maui (Oct. 28-30).

Hawaii Island

• What: Parker Ranch Round-Up Club Rodeo & Horse Auction
• Where: 66-1304 Mamalahoa Hwy., Kamuela | 66-1304 Mamalahoa Hwy., Kamuela | 808-885-7311
• Details: The public is invited to Parker Ranch for a Lei Papale Contest, “Hanohano Na Lei Paniolo,” at 9 a.m., followed by a rodeo at noon Sept. 3. On Sept. 4, the horse auction takes place at 9 a.m. followed by a rodeo at noon. Tickets are available by emailing p.r.roundup@gmail.com or at Pukalani Stables and Earls in Waimea and Paaulio locations. Presale tickets are $10 or $15 at the gate. 

Kauai

• What: Kauai Autocross
• Where: Vidinha Stadium parking lot | Hoolako St., Lihue
• Details: Find out what your car is capable of in a controlled obstacle course, Sept. 4. Register.

For more on these and other events, see this week's HI Out & About.

Watch Live

• On Saturday, Punahou takes on Kahuku in an ILH-OIA football matchup and on Sunday, the University of Hawaii Rainbow Wahine close out the final day of the Outrigger Volleyball challenge with its match against UCLA. Watch both games on OC16 or streaming on the Spectrum News app.