Hawaii hui to apply for pot dispensary

A group composed of Hawaii farmers, a naturopath and a University of Hawaii bioengineering researcher is preparing to apply for a medical marijuana dispensary license in January.

The group, led by Dr. Ryan Ferchoff, founder of Medical Medicinals LLC, and Maui business consultant Steven Bronstein, issued a news release Tuesday announcing its intentions to vie for one of eight dispensary licenses next year.

Bronstein has represented some of Hawaii’s largest medical groups, educators and local businesses for more than 15 years, and was the founder of Cushman & Wakefield’s retail division, previously owned by the Rockefellers.

Ferchoff is founder of the Natural Wellness Center in Manoa and has worked with medical doctors to sign up patients under the state’s current patient marijuana program for the past 10 years. Harry Ako is a University of Hawaii professor of molecular biosciences who is the lead researcher on the growing of industrial hemp in Hawaii.

The group also includes Simon Russell, owner of Hui ‘o Malama ‘Aina in Makawao, Maui, an agricultural consulting company; Shauna McHugh, a medical marijuana caregiver and grower in Oregon for 10 years; Alan Yashimoto, part of Ako’s UH hemp growing team; and Robyn Smith, a U.S. veteran injured in Afghanistan.

Applications for the dispensary licenses are due Jan. 29, and each licensee will be allowed to operate two dispensaries and two growing centers: Licenses will permit six dispensaries on Oahu, four on Maui, four on Hawaii island and two on Kauai.

Airline, labor union OK tentative pacts

Hawaiian Airlines said Tuesday it has reached two tentative agreements on five-year contracts with the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers.

The agreements will increase compensation for more than 1,500 workers in District 141 employed in the clerical, office, stores and fleet and passenger services; and more than 700 employees in District 142 who work as aircraft mechanics and inspectors, line servicemen, cleaners and contract services personnel.

“We are pleased to have reached tentative agreements with the IAM which improve the standard of living for our employees while also addressing the need to improve operational efficiency for the company,” said Mark Dunkerley, Hawaiian’s president and CEO.

The agreements are subject to ratification by union members, who are expected to vote on the proposal in the coming weeks.

Island Air on-time score 86.2% in October

Island Air said Tuesday that its flights arrived on schedule 86.2 percent of the time in October.

A flight is counted “on time” if it arrives within 14 minutes of its scheduled arrival time, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation.

The state’s third-largest airline also completed 99 percent of its scheduled flights during the month, with seven cancellations out of 717 trips.

“Since releasing our operational performance results last month, we’ve received positive feedback from customers who value the ability to see how we’re doing compared to other airlines here in Hawaii and on the mainland,” Island Air CEO Dave Pflieger said. “As our October numbers show, our team is continuing to make great progress in improving our overall performance and customer service.”

Island Air announced last month that it plans to release its flight performance data on monthly and quarterly bases.

Revised data show Japan avoided recession

TOKYO >> Japan dodged a recession last quarter.

Revised data released Tuesday showed its economy grew at an annual 1.0 percent pace instead of shrinking.

A previous estimate had shown the world’s third-largest economy contracted 0.8 percent in the July-September quarter, after shrinking 0.5 percent in the previous quarter. Two consecutive quarters of contraction are considered a recession.

The revised growth figure makes it less likely that Japan’s central bank will deploy further monetary stimulus anytime soon, despite slow progress toward its goal of 2 percent inflation.

The data show stronger corporate investment and a slightly higher pace of growth in exports than earlier reported. But the major change was an upward revision in inventories to ¥1.5 trillion ($12.2 billion) from a preliminary estimate that inventories fell ¥1.9 trillion ($15.4 billion). That might not auger well for future growth if manufacturers are overshooting demand from companies and consumers.

On a quarterly basis the economy expanded 0.3 percent from the previous quarter instead of contracting 0.2 percent as the earlier estimate showed. Economists are forecasting about 1.5 percent growth in the current quarter.

On The Move

>> PBS Hawaii has announced that Liberty Peralta is the station’s new vice president of communications. She returns to PBS Hawaii from car-sharing company car2go, which is a subsidiary of global automobile corporation Daimler AG. Pe­ralta was previously promoted to director of communications for PBS in 2014 from the station’s first multimedia writer.

>> The Island Insurance Foundation has donated $10,000 to the Purple Mai‘a Foundation, a technology education nonprofit which focuses on increasing access to “indigenized” technology education for high-opportunity youth in communities that are underserved. Purple Mai‘a was founded in 2013 by Kelsey Amos, Donavan Kealoha and Olin Lagon. The foundation has grown to a pilot after-school program at two middle schools in Papakolea and Waianae from just one school in Palolo, Jarret Middle School.

Ship Ahoy!

Today’s ship arrivals and departures: