Flags will fly at half-staff for Tongan king
Gov. Neil Abercrombie ordered that the state flag be flown at half-staff from sunrise to sunset on Tuesday in memory of the late King George Tupou V of Tonga.
The South Pacific nation will be holding funeral and burial ceremonies Monday and Tuesday, according to the governor’s office.
Tupou died March 18 at a Hong Kong hospital at age 63. The king had a liver transplant last year and suffered other health problems, according to Tongan media reports.
Tupou had reigned over the island nation of 106,000 since September 2006, after the death of his father, King Taufa’ahau Tupou IV.
Abercrombie expressed his condolences to the people of Tonga.
"King George Tupou V, upon taking the throne in 2006, championed a more open system of government, advocating for technological improvements, introducing a more open economy, and pioneering a process of peaceful democratization," he said in a statement released Friday.
State to highlight Race to the Top progress
The state Department of Education will attempt to highlight various accomplishments when federal officials visit to examine the state’s Race to the Top progress.
The U.S. Department of Education review team will visit Hawaii from Tuesday to Friday next week to conduct a fiscal review and reassess the "high-risk" status of a $75 million grant the department warned could be taken away because of unsatisfactory progress on promised reforms.
Among the highlights state education officials plan to show off include last month’s teacher union agreement for schools in zones targeted by reforms. The teachers in those schools ratified an agreement for extended learning time and additional professional development days.
However, a lack of a formalized union agreement continues to present challenges for the state in delivering on reforms.
20 refuse trucks added to Honolulu fleet
Honolulu has 20 new refuse trucks in its fleet.
Late last year, mechanical problems in a number of older side-loading trucks interrupted recycling and green waste collection in Pearl City and Honolulu.
New trucks will make curbside pickup service more reliable, Mayor Peter Carlisle says.
He adds that the additional trucks will also help the city maintain initiatives that make the island more sustainable.
The new McNeilus side-loader trucks have been spread out across five refuse yards.
Another 11 trucks have been ordered and should be on Oahu streets soon.
Loan to help school grow
KAILUA-KONA » A Hawaii island school will get a $2.9 million federal loan to add more classroom space.
The Innovations Public Charter School in Kailua-Kona will use some of the money to build a soccer field and a covered basketball court, in addition to refinancing debt.
U.S. Sens. Daniel Inouye and Daniel Akaka and U.S. Rep. Mazie Hirono announced Wednesday the money will come from the U.S. Department of Agriculture under a program that provides loans and guarantees to develop essential community facilities in rural areas and in towns with populations of up to 20,000.
Firefighters get new Kauai HQ
LIHUE » The Kauai Fire Department’s new headquarters, at the Piikoi Building on Rice Street, will get a blessing Tuesday
The department expects to move from its current headquarters at the Hale Pumehana Building on Akahi Street by April 2.
Work program deadline nears
The application deadline is Saturday for college students interested in Kauai County’s Summer Employment Program.
Applications are being accepted online only on the county website, www.kauai. gov.
The program will run from June 18 to July 31.
Employment in the six-week program will be in areas including architecture, engineering, hotel operations, recreation division, human resources, medical records, property management and communication. Those selected will be required to pass a drug test.
