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HAWAII

Hawaii Biotech to take dengue vaccine to trial

Oahu firm Hawaii Biotech Inc. has selected Cincinnati-based Meridian Bioscience Inc. to manufacture and supply a bulk vaccine for the dengue fever virus, to be used in human clinical studies.

The Centers for Disease Control estimates that there are between 50 million and 100 million cases of dengue fever infection worldwide each year. Virus symptoms include a sudden high fever, sore muscles and joints, headache and a rash.

Meridian Bioscience will manufacture the vaccine in Memphis.

Hawaii had a dengue outbreak that started in May 2001 and ended a year later with a total of 119 confirmed cases, largely in East Maui, but no deaths.

JAL restores some Hawaii flights

Japan Airlines System Corp. announced yesterday it will restore some flights next month. The cuts were made due to a slowdown in traffic resulting from the U.S.-led war on Iraq and concerns about the deadly flu-like virus known as SARS.

As of July 15, the number of flights between Tokyo and Honolulu will be increased to 21 a week and between Osaka and Honolulu to 14 per week, JAL officials said.

JAL cut its Hawaii service in April, trimming the Honolulu-Tokyo route to 14 flights a week from the 21 originally planned. The Osaka-Honolulu service was cut in half from the 14 scheduled.

In May, JAL cut both its Tokyo-Honolulu and Osaka-Honolulu service to a single flight a day from the two that had been scheduled.

Second homeowners suit filed

Two Honolulu law firms have filed a second lawsuit against a local insurance company alleging it sold its customers more homeowners insurance than needed to cover the replacement cost of their homes.

Attorneys Thomas Grande and Jeff Crabtree filed the suit yesterday on behalf of a homeowner insured with Liberty Mutual Insurance Co. The suit alleges the company sold its customers two endorsements which placed an automatic inflation clause in its contracts. That meant the limits of insurance would increase every year. But the value of the home did not go up as fast as the premiums. The home was insured for $278,700 worth of coverage, but the actual cost of replacing the home was $162,000.

The firms filed a similar suit against State Farm Insurance Co. Friday on behalf of a condominium alleging it overinsured the building in Aiea by more than $10 million.

National media likes Lei Day

The Hawaii Visitors & Convention Bureau's third annual "May Day is Lei Day" promotion snagged the local tourism industry $3.8 million in media exposure during this year's push, the bureau said.

Interviews with HVCB head Tony Vericella and Gov. Linda Lingle resulted in 123 television news stories that aired nationally, regionally and on syndicated broadcasts about Lei Day and Hawaii.

The bureau also reached out to international markets in the Asia-Pacific region by distributing 2,003 flower lei in five major cities.

Finance Factors moves in Lihue

Finance Factors has relocated its Lihue branch office and added a mortgage center in its new offices at 4393 Kukui Grove St., across the road from the company's previous location.

The mortgage center will process all residential mortgage loans on Kauai.

ELSEWHERE

WorldCom counsel, treasurer resign

WorldCom Inc., which filed the largest bankruptcy in U.S. history last July, said its general counsel and treasurer resigned a day after the release of reports detailing the company's collapse.

General Counsel Michael H. Salsbury and Treasurer Susan Mayer resigned, WorldCom said in a press release. No successors were named.

A report published yesterday by court-appointed examiner Richard Thornburgh and another released by the company depicted former Chief Executive Bernard Ebbers as a domineering executive. Both officers were also mentioned.

WorldCom issued a separate statement yesterday saying "no one even arguably associated with the past wrongdoing continues to work at the company."

Safeway cuts 940 jobs amid sales slump

Supermarket giant Safeway Inc. yesterday said it is eliminating 940 administrative jobs to offset a persistent sales slump triggered by more frugal shoppers and tougher competition.

The cuts represent 13 percent of Safeway's administrative work force of 7,000 employees scattered in offices across the country. None of the roughly 165,000 workers in Safeway's 1,694 North American stores will lose their jobs.

Besides Safeway's Pleasanton headquarters, the layoffs will be spread through Los Angeles, Denver, Seattle, Phoenix, Dallas, Houston, Walnut Creek, Calif., Portland, Ore., and Lanham, Md.

United reorganization will likely void stock

UAL Corp., the parent of United Airlines, said its stock will likely be canceled in Chapter 11 reorganization, according to a regulatory filing yesterday. The airline concluded that it won't have enough assets to allow any meaningful distribution to shareholders.

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[ HAWAII INC. ]

New jobs

>> Tiki's Grill & Bar has appointed Troy Terorotua Chef de Cuisine. His responsibilities include management of the kitchen staff as well as food production. Terorotua has 18 years of culinary experience in Florida and Hawaii, most recently as corporate chef for Sam Choy's Restaurants/Let's Eat Hawaii.

>> Jay Z. Conley has been named director of marketing and development at Hospice Hawaii. He was most recently with Conley & Associates, a healthcare facilities and nonprofit agencies consulting firm.

>> Gov. Linda Lingle has named Marie Laderta deputy director of the Department of Taxation. She most recently served as the supervising deputy attorney general in the Tort Litigation Division for the State of Hawaii.

>> Coldwell Banker Commercial Pacific Properties has hired Bob Cowan in its brokerage and leasing department. He was most recently with the Coldwell Banker Pacific Properties residential office in Kahala.

Promotions

>> Holua Resort at the Mauna Loa Village on the Big Island has promoted Daren Navarro to housekeeping assistant manager. He has eight years of timeshare operations experience, including positions in human resources and housekeeping.

>> HomeStreet Bank has promoted Wendy Ledesma from senior customer service representative to customer service supervisor at its Honolulu office. She will assist branch managers with daily operations and oversee customer service. Ledesma has more than nine years of experience in the banking industry.