HAWAII

Hyatt Regency signs on to Local 5 contract

The Hyatt Regency Waikiki has tentatively agreed to adopt a contract with its 560 workers represented by the Hotel Employees & Restaurant Employees Local 5, the union said.

The contract has the same terms as those ratified last week by 4,000 workers at Hilton Hawaiian Village and the four Sheraton hotels in Waikiki. The agreement must be approved by the union's negotiating committee, and must be signed by hotel and union officials and ratified by union members. Local 5 is still seeking contract settlements with the Renaissance Ilikai and the Ala Moana Hotel, covering 750 workers.

The union plans to hold a rally today at the Ilikai.

Negotiations with Ala Moana are on hold, pending settlements with the Hyatt and Ilikai.

UH launches research partnership grant

The University of Hawaii will launch a new a new accelerated research commercialization grant initially worth $150,000 to support collaborative research projects between UH faculty and local technology companies.

The grant provides matching funds for selected projects to help increase and improve technology transfer in Hawaii. Up to $75,000 in funding is available for each project. Companies must match that amount although up to half of their match can be through in-kind contributions. The deadline for proposals is Nov. 15.

More information about the grants can be found online at www.connections.hawaii.edu.

Farmers report macadamia losses

Reports of damage to macadamia nut crops by the southern green stink bug have more than tripled this season, researchers and agriculture officials say.

According to anecdotal evidence, farmers in Hawi and Pahala reported losing up to 60 percent of their crops to the pest, said Mike Wright, an entomologist at the University of Hawaii-Manoa who has been researching the problem.

The Hawaii Agricultural Statistics Service hasn't yet released findings for this seasons crops.

According to the Hawaii Agricultural Statistics Service, 1.4 million pounds of macadamia nuts worth $800,000 were lost due to stink bugs last season. The season before that, stink bugs ruined 1.7 million pounds of nuts worth about $1 million.

Stink bugs attack the mac nut kernel by sticking a needle-like mouth through the nut's shell. Fungal spores from the bugs mouth are transferred onto the kernel, ruining the nut, said Mike Nagao, a horticulturist with the University of Hawaii-Manoa.

UH recently received $50,000 in federal funds to monitor the bug population and determine the best way to use natural predators to control the numbers, Wright said.

Hawaii retail awards presented Oct. 10

Hawaii's outstanding retailers will be recognized at the annual conference of Retail Merchants of Hawaii 7:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Oct. 10 in the Coral Ballroom of the Hilton Hawaiian Village. The awards will include Retailer of the Year for each county and the Governor's Award for Exemplary Service to the retail Industry.

The luncheon keynote speaker will be Mary Corbett, chief executive officer of Cresner Inc., an international media and marketing company based in Tokyo. For 20 years she has been studying and forecasting trends, mostly for clients wanting to do business with the Japanese. Speakers earlier in the day will include Sarah Kalicki-Nakamura, who runs team-building seminars through her SKN & Associates, and Michael Fitzgerald, president and chief executive of Enterprise Honolulu

The cost for RMH members is $75 for the conference and lunch or $50 for just the lunch and keynote speaker. To reserve, call 592-4200 or e-mail to info@RMHHawaii.org.