Reported by Star-Bulletin staff & wire
Tuesday, May 20, 1997
LIHUE -- The sale of the Wailua Bay Resort to a group of California investors means that 107 hotel employees will be laid off. Kauai hotel to lay off
107 employees in JulyEquinox Hotel Management says the employees will lose their jobs on July 1, a week before the hotel is due to close for renovations. Low occupancy also was cited for the layoffs.
The San Francisco-based firm recently purchased the hotel, formerly the Kauai Resort Hotel, for $3.6 million from Utah-based Alta Hawaiian L.P.
Equinox is the fourth owner of the resort since 1986.
Dixie Grill, a 120-seat restaurant at 404 Ward Ave., is scheduled to open on June 12. Southern-style eatery
to open in KakaakoMore than 500 people applied for 70 jobs at the restaurant during a recent three-day employment fair, said Bruce Faber, the operating partner.
The 3,000-square-foot Southern-style restaurant, which will feature barbecue cooking, ribs and crab, is owned by Hawaii-based Squid Inc., with principals Ed Wary and Barry Silverman. Victoria Ward Ltd. renovated the two-story building for Dixie Grill and the owners spent $750,000 on inside improvements, Faber said. Pieces of Southern memorabilia and old road signs will be included in the restaurant's decor.
Before opening, Dixie Grill plans to host a benefit for the Children's Advocacy Center in Kakaako on June 10.
TROY, Mich. -- Kmart Corp. is buying products made by a company owned by China's army, said a research group headed by human rights activist Harry Wu. Wu: Kmart selling goods
made by Chinese army
According to Bloomberg News, Wu presented evidence at Kmart's annual meeting today that he said proves the retailer purchased men's rainwear and ponchos last fall from a company called China Tiancheng, which he said is owned by China's People's Liberation Army. Kmart said it would drop the supplier if it has ties to the Chinese military.This is the first time Kmart has been told about the issue, said Shawn Kahle, a spokeswoman for the Troy, Mich.-based retailer.