Three projects designed to bring 6,500 homes and 7,420 jobs to West Kapolei breezed through a preliminary approval of the City Council Zoning Committee on Tuesday, but not before a lively discussion on whether the city's $3.7 billion rail project is critical for their viability.

Hawai'i new car and light-truck sales continued to plummet in the second quarter this year and the outlook for the rest of the year and beyond is bleak.

Declining tax revenues have led to an order from Mayor Mufi Hannemann to all city departments to cut 2 percent to 3 percent from their budgets.

CHICAGO — Sen. Barack Obama's presidential campaign said yesterday that a new rhyme by supporter and rapper Ludacris is "outrageously offensive" to Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, Sen. John McCain and President Bush.

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. — Democratic presidential contender Barack Obama said yesterday that his Republican rival, John McCain, "thinks we're on the right track," drawing a chorus of boos from a swing state audience vocal about the status quo.

AURORA, Colo. — John McCain's presidential campaign yesterday released a television ad comparing Barack Obama to Britney Spears and Paris Hilton, suggesting the Democratic contender is little more than a vapid but widely recognized media concoction.

WASHINGTON — A biopsy of a small patch of skin removed from Republican Sen. John McCain's right cheek showed no evidence of skin cancer, doctors said yesterday.

The immediate effects of vog are being felt mostly by Big Island farmers and the agricultural industry, but representatives of Hawai'i County and its tourism industry warned yesterday morning that the long-term affects could be devastating.

The City Council yesterday voted unanimously to advance a measure that would allow voters to decide whether the city should build a $3.7 billion commuter rail.

Another catastrophic failure in Hawai'i's funeral and mortuary industry was the subject of an $8 million court judgment yesterday.