Business Briefs
Star-Bulletin staff
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FAST FACTS HAWAII
HAWAII
New townhomes planned for Wahiawa
The sales office of a new residential project in Wahiawa, the first newly constructed condominium in the town for several decades, opens tomorrow.
Real Estate Source LLC is offering 28 three-bedroom, two-bath townhomes at Parkside at Kilani, with design options that include loft spaces and expanded open lanais.
Prices for the units begin in the mid-$400,000s. The residences range from 1,232 to 2,400 square feet, and come with tandem parking stalls.
Developers have already broken ground on the project, which is across from the Wahiawa Recreation Center, and expect the first building to be completed by this summer. Metcalf Construction Co. is the project builder, and Architechnology the architect. The sales office will be at 1106 Kilani Ave. in Wahiawa.
Malpractice damage cap dies
House lawmakers have killed a bill that would have placed limits on damages under Hawaii's medical malpractice law, despite the pleas of dozens of doctors who rallied for the legislation.
The 1,300-member Hawaii Medical Association had lobbied for a bill that would cap the noneconomic damages in a malpractice suit at $500,000. Currently there is no cap on noneconomic damages.
Doctors say that lawsuits and higher insurance premiums are driving an increasing number of specialists out of the state. Opponents say that placing a cap on damages would strip patients' rights in the case of medical malpractice and do nothing to lower rates.
The House bill, which had passed the health and consumer protection committees, died in the House Judiciary Committee late Thursday.
NATION
Sahara Hotel & Casino sold
LAS VEGAS » The Sahara Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, a 1950s era Moroccan-themed property that has hosted acts from the Beatles to Dean Martin, will be acquired by
SBE Entertainment Group and
Stockbridge Real Estate Funds.
SBE didn't disclose the amount it will pay former owner Gordon Gaming Corp. for the property. SBE and Stockbridge plan to "reinvigorate" the Sahara by marketing it differently and making improvements, according to a statement outlining the agreement yesterday.
"We have not yet finalized our redevelopment plans," SBE spokesman Michael Doneff said in an e-mail message.
"Capital investment, timeline of improvements, what will be upgraded, theme changing -- none of these can be answered right now."
SBE plans to manage the hotel and its food and beverage operations, and Larry Woolf's Navegante Group will operate the casino under a lease arrangement, according to the statement.
Comair pilots OK concessions
ERLANGER, Ky. » Comair pilots agreed by more than a 2-to-1 margin yesterday to accept wage cuts and other concessions the
Delta Air Lines Inc. subsidiary said it needs to stay competitive and emerge from bankruptcy.
A recorded message by the Air Line Pilots Association said that of those voting, 770, or 69 percent, voted to accept the settlement, with 350, or 31 percent, against. The airline has nearly 1,500 pilots.
Comair said the agreement would reduce its costs by $40 million over the next four years. It earlier gained concessions from the unions representing mechanics and flight attendants as part of its restructuring.
The company said it now expects to come out of Chapter 11 bankruptcy in late April or May.
BUSINESS PULSE