Four military houses built by a public-private partnership at Schofield Barracks are set to receive one of the highest certifications for green design.

The four energy- and water-efficient homes are to be certified LEED Gold under the U.S. Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design program, according to Army Hawaii Family Housing, a 50-year partnership between the Army and Actus Lend-Lease.

Some of the homes' features include dual pane windows to keep heat out, Energy Star appliances, dual flush toilets, recycled materials and efficient landscaping.

"With these homes, we wanted to show that building a house that met rigorous LEED gold certification standards could be done for an average family home," said Project Director Claire Ridding-Johnston, who noted that most homes that have met LEED gold standards have been high-end custom homes. "I think it's wonderful that a few private homeowners have taken the initiative, but we really want to show developers who are building thousands of homes that it is possible to implement sustainable design and technologies. Doing this on a large scale can have a significant impact on the environment and homeowners."

Army Hawaii Family Housing is building more than 5,000 new homes and renovating another 2,500 homes at Schofield and other Army bases on Oahu that are rated under the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Energy Star program.

Another 77 homes being built at Fort Shafter will be LEED certified under the LEED for Neighborhood Development program, an Army Hawaii Family Housing spokeswoman said.

Hawaii's foreclosure rate dropped to No. 45 in the nation in June, according to the latest report from RealtyTrac. Hawaii as No. 42 in May.

Hawaii had 134 foreclosure filings in June, down 17 percent from May and up 18 percent from June 2007. There were 162 foreclosure filings last month and 113 foreclosures in June 2007.

Hawaii had a foreclosure rate of one filing for every 3,732 households, said the latest survey by California-based real estate research firm RealtyTrac.

Nevada again had the highest foreclosure rate in the country with one filing for every 122 households.

California had the second highest foreclosure rate, with one for every 192 households receiving a filing in June. Arizona ranked third, with one filing for every 201 households.

California had the highest number of foreclosures at 68,666.

Nationwide there were 252,363 foreclosure filings for the month, down 3 percent from May, but up 53 percent from June 2007, according to the report.

Developer Brian Anderson says the investors who sued him over money they put into two of his hotel-condominium projects have unrealistic expectations about how much money they can make in today's real estate market.

Lawsuits filed against Anderson and affiliates of his development company, Anekona, allege he owes money to investors in the Ilikai hotel in Waikiki, which he bought in 2006, and the Kauai Beach Resort, which he purchased in 2005.

Each group of investors had put $5 million into the properties, with the expectation, at least on the part of the Kauai investors, that they would see a 100 percent return on their investment.

But Hawaii's real estate market has changed; sales have slowed to a trickle and prices are backing off of record highs. And Anderson said his company's investment of $30 million in the Ilikai alone dwarfs the risk to the investors.

Hawaii's retail-trade workers are earning 31 percent more than they did seven years ago. The average weekly earnings for Hawaii's employees in the retail sector have increased 31 percent from $335.42 in June 2001 to $441.48 in June 2008, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Employees worked an average of 31.2 hours a week in June, up from 31 hours in 2001.

The number of employees in the sector increased nearly 7 percent, from 66,700 in June 2001 to 71,100 in June 2008. The retail trade includes stores and nonstore retailers and excludes food services and drinking establishments.

Hawaii stocks battered earlier this week recovered some ground by the time the markets closed Friday.

In light trading, Central Pacific Financial Corp. (NYSE: CPF), which hit new 52-week lows earlier this week, ended the day down 4.8 percent to $10.06, but improved from Monday's close of $8.67.

Bank of Hawaii (NYSE: BOH) was up 4.4 percent to close at $48.23, up from $39.81 on Monday.

Hoku Scientific (Nasdaq: HOKU) finished Friday down 5.7 percent to $5.39 but up from Monday's $4.42.

Hawaiian Holdings (Nasdaq: HA), parent company of Hawaiian Airlines, finished both the day and the week up. For the day shares were up 1.2 percent to $8.65, up from $7.40 on Monday.

Alexander & Baldwin (Nasdaq: ALEX) finished down slightly to $44.95, up from Monday's close of $42.52.

Barnwell Industries (NYSE: BRN) closed down 1.4 percent to $10.60 up slightly from $10.06 earlier this week.

Maui Land & Pineapple (NYSE: MLP) closed down 5.4 percent to $30.95, up from $29.60 on Monday.

ML Macadamia Orchards (NYSE: NUT) was up nearly 2 percent to $3.75, up from $3.40 at the start of the week.

Hawaiian Electric Industries (NYSE: HE) was up 1.2 percent to $24.06, up 6 cents from Monday's close.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 49 points, the S&P 500 ended up less than one point and the Nasdaq Composite Index closed down 29 points.

Hawaii employers and state government are looking at four-day work weeks as a way to cut costs, save energy and get their workers off the roads one day a week.

Some are looking at the switch as a "green" initiative while others are seeing a way to boost employee productivity and morale. For workers, it's one fewer day on the road burning $4.50-a-gallon gas or jamming into a crowded bus.

A recent online survey by Pacific Business News found that 57 percent of the roughly 700 people who responded said their job or business could shift to a four-day work week. Thirty-four percent said they couldn't.

Last week, Gov. Linda Lingle said the state is "seriously considering" a switch to four-day work weeks for some employees. Lingle has said that there have been discussions with the state Department of Human Resources Development and the state Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism about whether a four-day work week model would be feasible and ensure the same level of service.

Tighter credit standards are steering Hawaii lenders and small businesses toward the federal Small Business Administration's loan programs.

Hawaii small businesses took out 32 percent more loans through the SBA's primary program between January and June, compared to the first half of 2007.

Meanwhile, loans through the agency's 504 loan program were up 59 percent, from 17 to 27, during the same six-month window.

With banks raising the bar even for established businesses, the SBA's programs look attractive because they enable financial institutions to make loans to newer businesses that typically don't qualify for conventional loans.

The state will start tapping into ticket sales for Hawaii mixed-martial arts events next summer in a move that promoters say could hurt their business.

While the state says the intention is to regulate the fast-growing sport and ensure safety, local event promoters contend that the state is trying to make money by replicating Mainland athletic commissions that are profiting from the sport's growing popularity.

Currently, event promoters of so-called professional MMA fight contests in Hawaii are not required to be licensed and therefore do not pay licensing fees. Instead, since 2005, the state Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs has collected a per-event promoters fee of $500 through its Regulated Industries Complaints Office. But come July 1, 2009, under a bill that Gov. Linda Lingle allowed to become law without her signature last week, MMA promoters will be subject to new license fees. Also, the state will take cuts from ticket sales and pay-per-view telecasts.

All participants will be licensed

By requiring all participants in an MMA event to be licensed -- including promoters, fighters, referees, physicians, judges and managers -- Hawaii will join 35 other states where mixed-martial arts is a regulated sport.

Honolulu has been named the second-most healthy city to live and retire in America.

AARP The Magazine ranked the cities based on opportunities for exercise, number of doctors in the area, availability of health care, diagnosis of health problems, healthy eating habits and others.

Honolulu was ranked No. 2 because 95 percent of its residents are covered by health insurance. Residents here also spend more time exercising than almost any other city surveyed and locals have one of the highest rates of life expectancy among the other cities surveyed, AARP said.

Ann Arbor, Mich., was named the healthiest city in America.

Madison, Wis., Santa Fe, N.M., and Fargo, N.D., took the third, fourth and fifth spots, respectively.

The Hilo Medical Center received a $100,000 grant from the Hawaii Medical Service Association Foundation to improve specialized care for newborns at the Big Island hospital.

The grant will be used to train staff, buy incubators and monitors and provide outpatient follow-up services to families.

The goal is to better equip Hilo Medical Center's facility to treat premature and critically ill infants. Parents now must fly to Oahu to get specialized neonatal care for their babies.

"The HMSA Foundation grant will provide that training and reduce the number of families who must endure the stress and strain of going to Oahu for the care of a sick child," said Boyd Murayama, Hilo Medical Center's medical group practice director, in a prepared statement Friday.

Hilo Medical Center is a member of the state's public hospital network, the Hawaii Health Systems Corp.

Consolidated Theatres says Hawaii moviegoers can now buy their tickets online through a new arrangement with the nation's top online movie ticket seller.

Consolidated Theatres announced its agreement with Fandango on Tuesday. Fandango's site also offers reviews, commentary, trailers and information on where and when to see films in a visitor's area.

Movie tickets can be bought in advance by visiting either the Consolidated Theatres Web site, www.consolidatedtheatres.com, or Fandango's site, Fandango.com, or by calling 1-800-Fandango.

Consolidated Theatres has nine locations in Hawaii, seven on Oahu and two on Maui.

Hawaii took an important step toward energy independence last week when Gov. Linda Lingle signed into law the measure that requires solar hot water heaters to be built into all new single-family homes starting in 2010.

Using the sun to heat water -- what a concept!

The first-in-the-nation requirement is more than symbolic. Solar energy is a proven winner in Hawaii, where tax credits and utility rebates have made residential solar systems affordable and desirable as the cost of energy has increased.

Since it began offering rebates in 1996, Hawaiian Electric Co. says more than 39,000 residential solar systems have been installed on Oahu, Maui, Molokai, Lanai and the Big Island.