On the Other Hand
Over the past year, flipping open a newspaper has become a coffee-in-hand morning excursion to Depressionville. A soaring unemployment rate. A record low (if steadying) GDP. Swine flu. Jon & Kate’s rocky relationship. Misery may love company, but it’s important to remember the silver lining. Here are six uplifting stories that have been buried under all the negativity.
5 to 10 Percent |
by which Oahu’s steep rents have dropped, according to realtor Sylvianne K. L. Young, of Young Properties.
55
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Number of babies safely delivered at the Perinatal Addiction Treatment of Hawaii (PATH) clinic since it opened in 2007, says Bernadette Scanlan-Hodges. The clinic has provided health care and drug treatment to more than 100 substance-abusing women, and will continue its efforts thanks to a $35,000 grant from the OHA and the Hawaii March of Dimes.
25
|
Percentage by which Honolulu Cookie Co. sales have increased over the past year, says marketing director Ginger Waters. Chocolate and candy confectioners are booming, with reported 3.7 percent and 2.5 percent increases, respectively, in chocolate and non-chocolate candy sales around the nation.
2
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New bills that will make Hawaii safer for pets. One expands the protection offered by temporary restraining orders onto animals, a measure that will save the pets of the approximately 71 percent of battered women who have reported attacks against their animals. The other clarifies the misdemeanor offense of depriving an animal of sustenance, prohibits the use of certain collars and lowers the definition of animal hoarder from
20 to 15 animals.
$110
|
Average amount saved by kamaaina on hotel fares, based on a survey of five Waikīkī resorts. Some hotels even offer supplements, like the Hilton Hawaiian Village Resorts’ 15 percent discount on hotel restaurants and reduced parking fees.
1
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Elderly couple reunited after a two-year separation. Terry Kaide, 87, and her husband of 63 years, Sidney Kaide, 89, were forced to live in separate community-care foster homes due to their private-pay health insurances. A law signed by Gov. Linda Lingle now allows spouses, siblings and even best friends to live in the same care home regardless of their status in health insurance.
