Physical therapy

Maui-based Alpha Inc. has been selected as contractor for a major restoration of East Hawaii Veterans Cemetery No. 2 in Hilo. The project will raise and realign nearly 4,500 grave markers, add burial section markers and watering stations, and carry out grading and soil and turf rehabilitation across 5.5 acres on Laimana Street.

The work is funded by a federal grant of up to roughly $6.1 million awarded in late September by the Department of Veterans Affairs' National Cemetery Administration, with the state Department of Defense's Engineering Office overseeing construction. Work is slated to begin in early January and take about three and a half years to complete. The county Parks and Recreation Department, which handles day-to-day upkeep, welcomed the collaboration.

The restoration follows a 2021 VA Inspector General audit that found longstanding deficiencies at the cemetery, including improperly installed flat markers and grave sites left unmarked for years due to the county lacking funding and staffing to meet federal standards.

Sen. Mitch McConnell continued his return to the Senate this week, casting his first vote in more than three months on Monday after a five-week recess and appearing again Tuesday, when he voted to advance cryptocurrency legislation known as the Clarity Act. The Kentucky Republican, 84, had been out of public view since being hospitalized June 14 following a fall and a slight case of pneumonia, later moving to a rehabilitation center before being discharged August 6 to continue recovery and physical therapy at home. He has been seen being pushed onto the floor in a wheelchair.

Reaction has split along party lines. Kentucky Republicans, including Senate President Robert Stivers, praised McConnell's dedication and wished him well. Democrats, including Gov. Andy Beshear and Rep. Morgan McGarvey, welcomed his return but renewed calls for greater transparency about his health and absence.

McConnell has said his recovery has been "long and often frustrating," compounded by lingering effects of childhood polio, and that he is not yet back to full strength. He has assured Majority Leader John Thune he will keep up physical therapy and attend key votes, including a stalled farm bill in committee and looming government funding deadlines before the fiscal year ends September 30.