NEW YORK >> Starwood said hackers were able to see debit and credit card information of some people who dined or shopped at 54 of its hotels, including one Westin and two Sheraton properties in Hawaii. Other Westin and W locations were also affected.
The hotelier said today that malware was found in payment systems at restaurants and retail areas within hotels, but not at the front desk where guests pay for their stay.
Stamford, Conn.-based Starwood said the malware exposed names on the cards as well as card numbers, security codes and expiration dates. Contact information and PINs were not exposed, the company said, and its loyalty program wasn’t affected.
Hawaii hotels named in the breach include the Moana Surfrider, the Sheraton Maui Resort & Spa and the Sheraton Waikiki.
Other hotel companies have announced this year that they were hacked, including The Trump Hotel Collection and Mandarin Oriental.
Starwood said the malware, which has since been removed, infected payment systems since as early as November 2014.
Isle company receives drug patent
Honolulu-based Cardax Inc. said this week it was awarded a U.S. patent covering the use of CDX-085 and the company’s other patented compounds for reduction of tissue damage associated with inflammation. The patent also protects the use of these Cardax compounds in combination with well-known anti-inflammatory treatments such as prednisone and other steroids, as well as Celebrex, aspirin, naproxen, ibuprofen and other nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs.
"Given that inflammation plays a fundamental role in the cause of chronic disease, this patent provides yet another layer of important intellectual property protection for our platform," Cardax President and CEO David Watumull said.
Cardax is seeking to bring its first commercial product to market sometime next year.
VW software may be on more vehicles
WASHINGTON >> Volkswagen’s emissions cheating scandal widened Friday as the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said that clandestine software allowing six-cylinder Volkswagen diesel engines to cheat on pollution tests is on more models than originally thought.
The EPA and the California Air Resources Board said the German automaker acknowledged the software is on about 85,000 Volkswagen, Audi and Porsche vehicles with 3-liter engines going back to the 2009 model year. Earlier this month the agencies accused VW of installing the so-called "defeat device" software on about 10,000 cars from the 2014 through 2016 model years, in violation of the Clean Air Act.
The statement says the agencies will investigate and take appropriate action on the software, which the regulators claim allowed the six-cylinder diesels to emit fewer pollutants during tests than in real-world driving.
E. coli outbreak expands to 6 states
NEW YORK >> An outbreak of E. coli linked to Chipotle that originated in the Pacific Northwest has spread south and east and has now infected people in six states.
New cases have been reported in California, New York and Ohio, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Friday. The first cases were discovered late last month in Oregon and Washington, and more recently in Minnesota.
Investigators have yet to determine the specific ingredient linked to the illness.
Unemployment rates fall across U.S.
WASHINGTON >> Unemployment rates fell in 32 states last month as employers nationwide added the most jobs of any month this year.
Jobless rates rose in just three states in October and were unchanged in 15.
The unemployment rate has tumbled below 4.5 percent in 21 states, including Texas, Colorado and Virginia. That’s a historically low level that might help push up pay in the coming months.
Home rental prices rise at slower pace
WASHINGTON >> U.S. home rental prices rose at a slower pace in October, a possible sign that apartment costs are testing the upper reaches of renters’ incomes.
Real estate data firm Zillow said Friday that median rents increased a seasonally adjusted 4.5 percent from a year ago. This marks a steady deceleration from annual prices gains of 5.3 percent in September and 6.2 percent in August. Zillow recently updated its methodology for averaging rental prices, showing that past growth rates were higher than previously reported.
Housing costs have consistently exceeded income growth. Average hourly wages rose just 2.5 percent over the past year to $25.20, according to the Labor Department.
ON THE MOVE
>> Hawaii Pacific Health named Brandt Farias vice president of public relations and marketing. He will oversee communications and marketing operations for Hawaii Pacific Health as well as Kapiolani Medical Center for Women & Children, Pali Momi Medical Center, Wilcox Memorial Hospital and Straub Clinic & Hospital. Farias has more than 30 years of experience in various marketing and public relations disciplines, including serving as director of brand identity and marketing for ‘Ahahui Koa Anuenue.
>> Dr. David Della Lana has joined the staff of Kauai Medical Clinic as a family medicine physician, based out of Kauai Urgent Care Clinic on Pahee Street in Lihue. He will provide care for patients with medical problems such as minor injuries, sprains, common illnesses and moderate back problems. Lana completed his family medicine residency at the University of Washington in Seattle.
