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[ HAWAII INC. ]
NEW JOBS
>> The Mental Health Association in Hawaii's board of directors have named Paula Heim executive director. She joined the association as public education director in April 1998 and was promoted to program director in November 1999. Her previous duties have involved strengthening the association's community presence and working with projects such as Leadership Academy and Advance Directives for Psychiatric Treatment. The Mental Health Association in Hawaii is an Aloha United Way agency that works to promote mental health and improve mental health services for children and adults in Hawaii.>> Michael Nakagawa has been hired as director of human resources at Star Markets. Nakagawa has more than 17 years of grocery retail experience, most recently with Foodland Super Markets Ltd. Star Markets operates 10 stores on Oahu, Maui and Kauai.
>> Turtle Bay Resort has hired Andrew Manion-Copley as executive chef. He will oversee all the of resort's dining outlets and develop restaurant menus that reflect his experience in Australia, San Francisco and Hawaii. He was previously at the Ritz Carlton Maui and the Lodge at Koele on Lanai.
HAWAII
Japan arrivals slow to recover
Visitors arrivals were up nearly a quarter in November from last year, as a trying year for the tourism industry winds toward a close.Some 485,970 people poured into the islands last month, up 24.7 percent from 389,751 last year, but down 8.9 percent from 533,497 in 2000, according to the state Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism.
State economists predict that 6.4 million visitors will come to Hawaii this year, compared with 6.3 million last year and a record 6.95 million in 2000.
"Hawaii's visitor industry is still experiencing weakness in arrivals from the Japanese market. As compared to other U.S. visitor destinations, however, we have made great progress over the past year," said Pearl Imada Iboshi, state economist. "We are very encouraged by the continued strength in the domestic market and the resilience of the U.S. economy."
In November, 184,940 visitors came from the U.S. West, up 4.1 percent from 177,628 last year. From the U.S. East, visitors rose 10 percent to 110,428 from 100,353. Japanese arrivals jumped 110 percent to 119,513 from 56,985. The Japan market is still far from the 142,806 visitors who came here in November 2000.
Queen's and nurses back at table
Striking nurses from Queen's Medical Center will return to the bargaining table today.Queen's spokeswoman Lynn Kenton confirmed the hospital was contacted by the federal mediator on Tuesday to set a time.
"We're returning to the table at 2 p.m. today. Hopefully we can resolve our final issues, reach agreement on contract language and bring our nurses back to work," she said. The meeting will take place at the Hawaii Employers Council.
"We are asking the hospital to come back to the table and discuss individual points in the contract to better define the areas of agreement so that areas of disagreement can be clarified," said Bill Richter, Queen's nurse negotiator.
Richter said that while there is near agreement on wages, the nurses are standing firm on areas of patient safety, retention, recruitment and mandatory overtime.
The nurse's latest offer asks that nurses sick leave, one of the major sticking points between the two sides, be carefully examined for the first two years of the next contract. Queen's wants to implement paid time off plan that combines vacation and sick leave. If the data supports Queen's position, the paid time off plan could be implemented in the third year of the contract, according to the nurses' proposal.
Meanwhile no new talks have been scheduled at St. Francis or Kuakini medical centers. Nurses at all three hospitals have been on strike since early this month.
MAINLAND
Oil may continue its price runup
NEW YORK >> The rally that lifted crude oil to a 23-month high this week is continuing as the strike in Venezuela curtails shipments from the fifth-biggest oil exporter, according to a Bloomberg News report. Crude oil futures rose to $31.97 Tuesday on the New York Mercantile Exchange, the highest closing price for the near-month contract since Jan. 22, 2001. It jumped another 52 cents to close at $32.49 today.
Jobless claims see huge drop
WASHINGTON >> New claims for unemployment benefits plunged last week by the largest amount in more than a year.The Labor Department reported today that new claims for jobless benefits fell by a seasonally adjusted 60,000 to 378,000 for the work week ending Dec. 21. The drop -- the largest decline since Oct. 6, 2001 -- left claims at their lowest level since Nov. 30.
Still, a Labor Department analyst said that claims can swing widely during the holiday season. Private economists say difficulties adjusting for seasonal factors can distort the weekly claims figures this time of year.
The more-stable four-week moving average of new claims edged up last week, rising by 2,500 to 404,500, the highest level since the week ending Oct. 19. The 400,000 mark reflects a lackluster job market.
JAPAN
Japan to tighten rules on analysts
TOKYO >> Japanese regulators are to tighten guidelines for stock analysts, taking their cue from the U.S., which is making securities firms pay $1.4 billion to settle claims their research was tainted by investment-banking demands.Bloomberg News reported five new rules have been proposed to bring Japanese standards closer to those in the United States. These include a ban on underwriters issuing stock recommendations on a company until 10 days after a public share sale.
EUROPE
Euro near 3-year high against dollar
FRANKFURT, Germany >> The euro rose to its highest level against the dollar in nearly three years as jitters over North Korea's nuclear program helped push the dollar down.The 12-nation currency reached $1.0364 on European markets before slipping back to $1.0341. The peak was the highest since Jan. 12, 2000, when the euro hit $1.0370. Today's rise was the latest stage in a rally that has seen the shared currency rise 17 percent from around 86 cents in February.
