107.9 The River » Hawaii

Hawaii Takes Big Step By Becoming the First State to Ban Plastic Bags During Checkout

Kathy Landin — Thu, 17 May 2012 19:30:04 +0000

At the end of April, Honolulu County passed a ban that made Hawaii the first state in the nation to ban plastic bags at store checkouts statewide. Of the four counties in the state, three had previously passed bans and the Honolulu County decision officially made the ban statewide.

Hawaii Remains the Nation's Happiest State, But What's the Unhappiest One?

Jeremy Taylor — Thu, 25 Aug 2011 13:50:31 +0000

Just like it did last year, Hawaii snagged the top spot in Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index, which ranks the happiness level of each state.

The index bases happiness on a combination of six factors: emotional health, physical health, healthy lifestyle, job satisfaction, access to health care and safe places to exercise, and, finally, life evaluation — which includes a self-evaluation about your present life situation and your anticipated life situation in five years.

About 177,000 Americans 18 and older took the survey, which was administered between January and June of this year. North Dakota and Alaska took second and third, respectively, while West Virginia rated the unhappiest state. Check out where your state landed below.

Author Points Out 50 State Stereotypes in Two Minutes [VIDEO]

Jon Michaels — Wed, 01 Jun 2011 13:00:22 +0000

Every state has its good points and its bad ones, right? Well, author Paul Jury playfully points out the bad ones in a promo video he calls '50 State Stereotypes in Two Minutes.'

Jury, who just wrote a book called 'States of Confusion: My 19,000-Mile Detour to Find Direction,' squeezes out the hate from sea to shining sea in a mere 120 seconds.

Tsunami Touches Wyoming

Rick Darcy — Fri, 11 Mar 2011 16:19:23 +0000

The aftermath of the 8.9 earthquake that struck Japan yesterday has touched the lives of Bryce Reece of the Wyoming Wool Growers Association and his family. The Reece family is currently on vacation in Hawaii on the island of Oahu. CLICK HERE to listen to Bryce’s interview and the family’s first hand account of this [...]

Hawaii Named Happiest State in the US

Jon Michaels — Tue, 08 Mar 2011 19:14:11 +0000

Hawaii was the country's happiest state in 2010.

This according to the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index, which takes into account emotional health, physical health, healthy behaviors, and job satisfaction.

While one might guess that Hawaii's stellar climate has something to do with its residents' contentment, the rest of the top five happiest states were rounded out by Wyoming, North Dakota, Alaska and Colorado -- each far from being a tropical paradise.

On the other end of the spectrum, West Virginia was deemed the most miserable state, followed by Kentucky and Mississippi. Read on for the complete list.