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No Confidence For Kauai Police Chief
(KGMB 9 News) (1.31.06)
Kauai's police chief has a tough fight on his hands trying to keep his job while the Garden Isle's mayor and the officers he's in charge of are giving him a vote of no confidence. When Kauai Police Chief K.C. Lum took the job 16 months ago, he inherited high crime rates and fighting within the department. 'We have, I believe, more divisiveness in the department today than the day the present chief took over,' said Kauai mayor Bryan Baptiste.
Is bird flu pandemic possible here?
(Garden Island News) (1.30.06)
Even to the point of refraining from hugging and kissing friends and loved ones, a Kaua'i tradition, people need to think about ways of preventing the spread of communicable diseases on the island, one specialist said. 'We're going to have to learn how to let people know, how to let others know, 'hey, I've got something,' and refrain from hugging, shaking hands,' said A.J. 'Gus' Lactaoen of Princeville.
Poi production rose in December
(Pacific Business News) (1.30.06)
Hawaii's taro for poi production rose to 1.1 million pounds for the fourth quarter due to production above 400,000 pounds in December. The National Agricultural Statistics Service Hawaii Field Office said that was up 1 percent from the third quarter even though the final quarter began with two consecutive months of declining taro for poi millings.
Waste technology options explored
(Garden Island News) (1.28.06)
The updated Kaua'i County's solid waste management plan should employ technology that will be financially feasible for the county to implement and should benefit residents and businesses until 2020, a county consultant told residents Thursday night. Karen Luken, a senior director for R.W. Beck, said she is not looking to validate any one technology over another as a way to manage the island's garbage stream in years to come, and welcomes input from residents to identify options.
Coco Palms being rebuilt to former splendor
(Honolulu Star-Bulletin) (1.28.06)
Coco Palms Resort, the last of Kauai's hotels still shuttered by Hurricane Iniki and arguably its most famous, is finally getting a face lift, company and Kauai officials announced yesterday. The resort, site of the famous wedding scene in Elvis Presley's film 'Blue Hawaii' and the home of the last reigning queen of Kauai, will be replicated, as the buildings are too damaged to restore, said Richard Weiser, partner of Coco Palms LLC.
Kauai police chief, union reach truce
(Honolulu Star-Bulletin) (1.28.06)
Kauai Police Chief K.C. Lum and members of the police union have agreed to put an end to 16 months of bitter infighting. State of Hawaii Organization of Police Officers Chapter Chairman Bryson Ponce told the Kauai Police Commission yesterday that he met with the embattled chief twice this week, and they have come to an agreement. 'We want to move forward and put things behind us,' Ponce said. 'We've got to be honest with each other.'
Rare Baby Spiders Ride Mom's Back
(National Geographic) (1.27.06)
It's not as though no one's seen baby Kauai cave wolf spiders before (the last sighting was a mere 30 years ago). But this photo, taken in November and released yesterday by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, marks the first time anyone has ever seen them piggybacking. It's long been suspected that the spiderlings travel this way-tiny spikes on their legs match up perfectly with forks in the branchlike hairs on their mothers' backs. But it took crawling, camera-wielding researchers in a Hawaii lava tube (a natural tunnel within a hardened lava flow) to deliver the proof.
Homeless shelter edges forward
(Garden Island News) (1.25.06)
A proposal put forth by leaders of Kauai Economic Opportunity, Inc. and supported by Mayor Bryan J. Baptiste and those in his administration, to build the island's first emergency shelter in Lihu'e for the homeless population, has been given the green light by members of the Kaua'i County Planning Commission. Tuesday morning's action by commission members, who met at the Lihu'e Civic Center Mo'ikeha Building first-floor conference room, also allows for construction of a transitional shelter for homeless folks who have gone through county programs to help them become more self-sufficient, according to Kaua'i architect Ron Agor, who is designing the project.
TnC Surf Womens Pipeline Pro entries now available
(Global Surf News) (1.25.06)
Entries are available for the 2nd Annual T&C Surf Women's Pipeline Pro at all seven TnC Surf locations, online at www.tcsurf.com and www.banzaibetty.com. This historic women's surfing event hosts the world's top female surfers, longboarders and bodyboards at North Shore's prestigious Pipeline. Approximately 110 of the best female surfers and bodyboarders will take on Pipeline. Due to the enormous support and interest from last year's inaugural contest, this year's T&C Surf Women's Pipeline Pro has been upgraded and officially recognized as a one-star ASP event. The contest will also showcase an official Women's Bodyboarding World Tour and Longboard events. This year's T&C Surf Women's Pipeline Pro will also have a two-week waiting period between March 1st - 14th, focusing up to three days of competition.
Moon Is Dragging Continents West, Scientist Says
(National Geographic) (1.24.06)
Someday not so soon Washington, D.C., may find itself about where San Francisco is now. According to a recent study, Earth's surface may be slipping slowly westward, dragged by the same lunar forces that produce tides. The Earth's crust is divided into vast plates that slowly shift, producing earthquakes, mountains, and rifts where they collide or separate. Most earth scientists believe that this movement is the result of rising and falling currents of magma deep below the surface. In addition to being jostled every which way from below, the planet's plates are sedately sliding toward the sunset, says Carlo Doglioni of the earth science department at Rome's La Sapienza university.
Judge declines to dismiss Grove Farm suit
(Honolulu Star-Bulletin) (1.24.06)
A lawsuit over the sale of Kauai's Grove Farm Co. in 2000 will likely go to trial, after motions for summary judgments were denied yesterday in Circuit Court. The lawsuit, pitting members of the Wilcox family against each other after selling their former sugar plantation to AOL founder Steven Case, is set for trial on Oct. 23.
Whose County is it Anyway?
(Hawaii Reporter) (1.23.06)
According to Kauai government officials, how much property tax homeowners pay is an issue too important to be trusted to the people who pay them. In recent years, the median value of Kauai homes has soared to nearly $700,000, a 48 percent increase this past year alone. The staggering prices are the product of a hyperactive market fueled by speculation, and investors flush with cash willing to pay top dollar for modest properties.
Kelly Hoen on the HVCB board
(Garden Island News) (1.22.06)
Kelly Hoen, manager of the Princeville Resort (hotel), is the lone Kaua'i member on the board of directors of the Hawai'i Visitors and Convention Bureau. Outgoing board members include Fred Atkins of Kauai Kilohana Partners and Mike Murakoshi of First Hawaiian Bank's Kaua'i region. Don Takaki was elected HVCB board chair, replacing Karen Hughes, who has left to assume a new position at Starwood's headquarters in New York.
Authorities studying whether Kauai pilot had proper license
(KPUA 670 AM Hilo) (1.22.06)
Air safety authorities are studying whether the 20-year-old helicopter pilot who died while helping put out a Kauai brushfire on Christmas Day had a proper license. Jonathan D'Attilio died two days after the MD 369 helicopter he was flying crashed into a Kauai reservoir. D'Attilio was attempting to collect water in a 140-gallon bucket to drop on a brushfire.
Akaka ready to battle Case
(Honolulu Star-Bulletin) (1.21.06)
Joking that friends call him the 'bionic man,' U.S. Sen. Daniel Akaka says he is energized and ready for a campaign challenge from U.S. Rep. Ed Case. Case shocked establishment Democrats Thursday by announcing he would run against Akaka, a 30-year veteran of Congress who has served in the Senate since 1990. Akaka is 81. Case is 53 and said one of the reasons he is running is to provide Hawaii with a new generation of leaders in Washington.
Kids suffered most fireworks injuries
(Honolulu Star-Bulletin) (1.20.06)
More than half of the 86 people treated this New Year's for fireworks-related injuries were under 15, according to the state Department of Health. Five were from 2 to 4 years old, while 44 were from 5 to 14. Only 13 victims were older than 30, the state said. The total for fireworks injuries is lower than for 2005, when the state had a record high of 115 injuries. This year's total is the second highest in the last six years.
Billabong Clipper Seaplane Arrives in Honolulu
(Surfing Magazine) (1.20.06)
In a spectacular sight not seen in decades, the Billabong Clipper seaplane took flight from the warm waters of Honolulu's Keehi Lagoon today and roared past Waikiki and Diamond Head, vividly recalling the golden era of 'Flying Boat' aviation and publicly announcing an ongoing adventure travel project partnership between Billabong and Hawaiian Airlines. (Billabong Clipper Website)
Prosecutors fined $2,000
(Honolulu Star-Bulletin) (1.20.06)
A $2,000 sanction against Kauai prosecutors was levied yesterday after they found a key piece of evidence just days prior to a murder trial was set to begin. The murder retrial of William McCrory was set to begin Jan. 9 but has since been postponed to March 20 after prosecutors uncovered a piece of evidence -- a police sketch, requested by the defense months ago.
Kauai man gets 6 years for assaults in the water
(Honolulu Star-Bulletin) (1.20.06)
A Circuit Court judge sentenced a surfer to six years in prison yesterday for surf rage assaults, including an attack on a bodyboarder last year that caused a wound over the man's eye that showed his orbital bone. Solomon Nakolomona Fernandez Jr., 25, apologized for his actions in two 'surf rage' attacks, but Judge Kathleen Watanabe, ignoring prosecutors' request for only a year in jail, sentenced him to the maximum term 'to protect people and the community at large.'
Hawaiian Airlines and Billabong launch seaplane service
(Global Surf News) (1.19.06)
The golden age of Hawaii 'flying boat' aviation, pioneered by Hawaiian Airlines, will be recalled with the water landing arrival of the Billabong Clipper Seaplane on Thursday 19 January 2006 at about 11h00 The World War II-era Grumman G-111 Albatross seaplane will land in Keehi Lagoon and signal the start of a two-year exploration by Hawaiian and Billabong to find legendary surfing spots, giant waves and perfect tubes throughout the Pacific - many of which are accessible only by seaplane.
Whale startles tour boat with a surprise tap
(Honolulu Star-Bulletin) (1.19.06)
A 60-foot whale-watch boat reported a 'glancing blow' from a breaching humpback Tuesday off Kauai, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said yesterday. The incident did not harm the boat, the 49 people on board or, apparently, the whale, said Mike Killary, a NOAA Office for Law Enforcement special agent.
Dramatic rescue highlights dangers of North Shore surf
(Garden Island News) (1.19.06)
Tamara Grout, 16, a member of the Bikini Room Surf Team and participant in the county's junior lifeguard program, made her first real save earlier this week. And somewhere, probably still on Kaua'i, there is a male visitor who is thankful that Grout attends the K-12 Aloha Virtual Academy, and was out surfing instead of attending online high-school classes.
After a sizzling summer, Hawaii's housing market gets frostbite
(Scripps Howard News Service) (1.18.06)
A cool front has wafted westward to Hawaii's housing market, where declining home sales and higher inventories are keeping a lid on prices in a rarefied part of the country where appreciation exceeded 30 percent last summer. Although home values on the island state remain relatively high by historical standards, the market appears to be swinging in buyers' favor after a half-decade run-up.
Pilot pleads not guilty in fatal Kauai crash
(Honolulu Star-Bulletin) (1.18.06)
Helicopter pilot Glen Lampton pleaded not guilty to manslaughter charges yesterday, his first court appearance since being charged with the deaths of three of his passengers in the September 2005 Heli USA crash. It's the first time in the state that a helicopter pilot has been charged with manslaughter after a plane crash. And Heli USA officials said it's the first time in the aviation industry that a pilot's been charged when weather was a contributor in the crash.
Lex Brodie: Entrepreneur, Small Business Hawaii Founder, Surfer, Community Leader
(Hawaii Reporter) (1.16.06)
'Are you still surfing,' I asked 89-year-old Lex Brodie two years ago? 'I just bought a new board,' he said, 'and use it a couple of times a week.' Extraordinary is a good word to describe Lex Brodie and his life. Lex was born Alexander Brodie in Kekaha, Kauai in 1914, and the third generation of five to be named Alexander Brodie, although none are juniors. Lex moved to Honolulu and was in the first graduating class at Roosevelt High School. He was a beach boy in Waikiki, selling canoe rides to such tourists as Bing Crosby and Jeanette McDonald. He learned to surf at age eleven in 1925.
Whale-awareness month filled with events
(Garden Island News) (1.16.06)
Jean Souza, Kaua'i program coordinator for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary, has been busy. With a training workshop scheduled to begin Saturday at 10 a.m. in preparation for the first Sanctuary Ocean Count, Souza said she can still use volunteers, but those volunteers need to be trained prior to visiting one of 15 sites established for the three counts scheduled this year.
2006 home sales already on record pace
Garden island News) (1.15.06)
Usually, it's the end of the year when buyers and sellers of real estate rush to close their deals, in order to secure tax benefits. This year, there has been a flurry of sales in the first two weeks, with agents at Century 21 All Islands (with offices at Princeville, Kapa'a and Koloa) closing 15 sales in the first week of this month alone, said Kenneth W. Kubiak, vice president in charge of Kaua'i operations.
Family preserves history through tours of rice mill
(Honolulu Star-Bulletin) (1.15.06)
Lyndsey Haraguchi-Nakayama remembers visiting the Haraguchi Rice Mill on school excursions as a child. Those trips to her family's historic mill recapped familiar stories she had heard about their experiences as farmers in Kauai's beautiful Hanalei Valley for more than 80 years. Today, Haraguchi-Nakayama leads tours as the volunteer interim education coordinator and docent for the Hoopulapula Haraguchi Rice Mill, a nonprofit organization formed by her parents, Rodney and Karol Haraguchi, in 1983 to preserve and perpetuate the mill's history (it's listed on the National Register of Historic Places) and rice farming in Hawaii.
Island safe
(Chicago Sun Times) (1.15.06)
There are several reasons for Hawaii's popularity with families. 'The islands are considered a safe and secure destination,' notes Jay Talwar, vice president of marketing for the Hawaii Visitors and Convention Bureau. 'Overall, crime is fairly low and legalized gambling is outlawed, further reinforcing our image as a wholesome family-friendly destination.' Also, the Aloha State's melting pot of ethnic groups and cultures provides opportunities for families to bond and to learn and experience new things together, from participating in a Japanese bon dance to sampling Portuguese malasadas (doughnuts) to making a fresh flower lei with the help of a Hawaiian kupuna (elder).
Search on for Wai'ale'ale hiker
(Garden Island News) (1.14.06)
A search was scheduled to resume this morning for a hiker seen waving his arms while on the summit of Mt. Wai'ale'ale around mid-day yesterday. The first report of the hiker came in to an air traffic controller at the Lihu'e Airport around 11 a.m. Friday, states a press release issued by the Kaua'i Fire Department. Alerted to the hiker by a tour helicopter company, the controller immediately contacted police dispatch,who then contacted the KFD. Over an hour later another tour helicopter company reported seeing the hiker on the north facing side of Mt. Wai'ale'ale.
Applications now available for Kaua'i Made program
(Garden Island News) (1.13.06)
County officials recently announced the launching of the county-sponsored, Kaua'i Made program, and are inviting representatives of local businesses and individuals to participate in the program, they said in a press release. Applications are available online at www.kauai.gov, or by calling Beth Tokioka, director of the Kaua'i County Office of Economic Development, at 241-6390. 'We're very excited about this program,' said Tokioka. 'It offers a great opportunity for vendors and retailers to showcase their products, and it'll also enrich the visitor experience.'
Plan could lead to Kilauea refuge's expansion
(KPUA 670 AM Hilo) (1.13.06)
A plan by the US Fish and Wildlife Service could more than double the size of the Kilauea Point National Wildlife Refuge on Kauai. At 203 acres, the refuge is home to rare wildlife and plant species. The protection plan could possibly expand the refuge to as many as 420 acres, adding land near the mouth of Kilauea River and valleys.
Activists oppose UH's patenting of taro plants
(Honolulu Star-Bulletin) (1.13.06)
Arguing that the patents were wrongly obtained, local and national activists opposing the patenting of taro plants are asking the University of Hawaii to relinquish the rights it owns for three varieties of the traditional Hawaiian food staple. Walter Ritte, a Molokai-based activist, plans to join Kauai taro farmer Chris Kobayashi and representatives of the Center for Food Safety in Washington, D.C., for a news conference at UH to air their grievances concerning the university's patenting of the three taro varieties, which are called Palehua, Paakala and Pauakea.
Hawaii Serves As World's Biotech Lab
(Yahoo! News) (1.13.06)
Genetic engineering saved Ken Kamiya's papaya farm on Oahu's north shore, and it may yet rescue the orchid from the grips of a nasty flower-killing virus. But in Kona, Una Greenaway lives in dread that biotechnology will ruin her organic coffee plantation. Pineapple industry officials have made it clear they want nothing to do with genetic engineering. So it goes in the Aloha State, where genetic engineering has riven a state just now awakening to the fact that balmy and remote Hawaii has - for better and worse - long served as the world's largest outdoor biotechnology lab.
Gas price formula faces tinkering in 2006 Legislature
(Honolulu Star-Bulletin) (1.12.06)
By Wednesday, when the 2006 legislative session begins, the state's price caps on wholesale gasoline will have gone up 25 cents in two weeks. Price caps on wholesale gasoline are going up 11 cents next week -- an increase that comes on top of a 14-cent rise in this week's caps and could push the statewide average for regular gasoline to $3 a gallon.
State fines company for open burning on Kauai
(KPUA AM 670 Hilo) (1.11.06)
The state is fining Goodfellow Brothers Incorporated more than four thousand dollars for burning tree branches cleared from a construction site on Kauai. An official with the state Department of Health Clean Air Branch saw large debris of some 28 trees on fire in a pit at the end of Poo Hiwi Road on July Sixth.
Kilauea expansion eyed
(Garden Island News) (1.10.06)
The Kilauea Point National Wildlife Refuge - a premier habitat for rare Hawaiian wildlife and plant species - could be expanded from 52 acres, to as much as 217 acres, under a land protection plan undertaken by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The expansion, which involves land near the mouth of the Kilauea River, and valuable mauka lands in the valleys of Kilauea, would enhance one of the state's largest, if not the largest, colony for rare Hawaiian birds and migratory birds.
Payday loans expensive but essential
(MSNBC) (1.8.06)
From behind the counter of Payday Loans, Ed Britton says he has bailed countless people out of emergencies. He's the guy they come to for instant cash. All his customers need to do is show their last pay stub, then write a post-dated check for the amount they want to borrow plus 15 percent. They get the cash to cover the rent or get the car fixed.
Body of Joseph Medeiros found
(Garden Island News) (1.8.06)
The body of Joseph Medeiros, 58, of Lihu'e, was found around 4 p.m. yesterday afternoon after the boat he was piloting was found overturned in the Wailua River Friday afternoon. He had left the Wailua Marina dock around 2:30 p.m. Friday to pick up coworkers with Kauai Builders, who were performing work at the Fern Grotto to make that popular visitor attraction compliant with the federal Americans with Disabilities Act.
Mongoose sighting could pay off
(Garden Island News) (1.8.06)
Sometimes, it's not nice to be wanted. Officials with the Kauai Invasive Species Committee (KISC) have placed the mongoose on the top-10, most-wanted list, and are asking help from members of the public to report suspected sightings of the rodent, states a press release. Although widely believed not to exist on Kaua'i, the only major populated Hawaiian Island where the mongoose has not become a major problem to ground-nesting birds and turtles who lay their eggs in sand, there have been recent credible evidence that at least a 'low-level population' of mongooses exists on Kaua'i, state KISC leaders in the press release.
Kauai median home: $605K
(Pacific Business News) (1.7.06)
The median price of a single family home on Kauai eased by $90,000 from November to December as condo sales spurted. The Hawaii Information Service calculates the following movement in the median home price on Kauai over recent months: October: $652,000. November: $695,000. December: $605,000. On Kauai, where 50 homes going to closing can be considered a fairly good month -- only 39 did in November, for example -- prices fluctuate according to which districts see the most activity in a particular month.
Man missing from boat in Wailua
(Garden Island News) (1.7.06)
A search was expected to resume along the Wailua River at daybreak this morning for a 58-year-old Kaua'i man, an employee of Kauai Builders, who went missing yesterday afternoon, apparently from a boat he was using to bring coworkers to and from a job site at the Fern Grotto, county officials said. A Boston Whaler boat was found overturned in the Wailua River at around 3:15 p.m. yesterday, according to a county press release.
House sales fall on Kauai, Big Island as prices rise
(Honolulu Star-Bulletin) (1.7.06)
House sales slowed on the Big Island and Kauai last month, but prices of both single-family homes and condominiums continued to rise, contributing to a strong year-over-year gain. On the Big Island, the number of single-family homes sold fell 7.4 percent to 187 in December, while condo sales rose 7.8 percent to 83, according to Hawaii Information Service data released yesterday.
Ahukini blaze caps week of Kaua'i brush fires (Watch Video)
(Garden Island News) (1.6.06)
Several hundred rental cars that filled an inventory-overflow lot posed a potentially explosive situation off Ahukini Road near Lihu'e Airport Thursday afternoon. 'We've got about 300 cars in there,' said Tim Foskett, operations manager for National/Alamo Rent A Car, as he watched the brush fire rapidly approaching the lot from his vantage point across from the Lihu'e Refuse Transfer Station. 'But, at least I got the gate open so they (the firefighters) can fight the fire from inside,' Foskett said. 'There's another company that has about a hundred cars on the back end, but they haven't opened the gate yet.'
Auditor slams state conservation efforts
(Honolulu Star-Bulletin) (1.6.06)
State conservation enforcement officers are spread thin, undertrained, underequipped and mismanaged, leaving Hawaii's natural resources susceptible to blatant 'overuse and abuse,' said state Auditor Marion Higa in a report released yesterday. 'If resources continue to be depleted at their current rate and conservation enforcement remains ineffective and inefficient, Hawaii's future generations will lose the enrichment of abundant wildlife, a fertile environment and a rich cultural heritage,' said the audit, which reviewed the state Department of Land and Natural Resources' Division of Conservation and Resources Enforcement. 'The absence of enforcement coverage contributes, in part, to overuse and abuse of Hawaii's resources.'
New Stats Report Hawaii Is Safer In Many Areas
(KITV 4 News) (1.5.06)
According to the most comprehensive statistics released to the public to date, Hawaii is a safer place to live. The Department of the Attorney General just released its statewide crime statistics and statewide crime in 2004 was down to record lows, with the exception of one county. 'And in fact, our crime rates today are about one-third below what they were even 10 years ago,' explained Paul Perrone, with Hawaii's Research and Statistics Department. Overall, the crime rate is down, along with property crime. Furthermore, violent crime has decreased, according to the report. When the statistics are broke down by counties, it's a slightly different picture.
Kauai's condo craze, memories of mochi
(San Francisco Chronicle) (1.5.06)
I am almost surprised that Santa came to my house this year, because the week before Christmas, on Kauai, I became very greedy. I was on the hunt for mochi, the Japanese-inspired pounded-rice treats that are traditionally made for New Year's but are thankfully available year-round - if you know where to look (more on that later). I bought and ate whatever I could find.
As a photographer, Graham Nash still hears the music
(San Diego Union-Tribune) (1.5.06)
Graham Nash took up photography when he was 11, formed his first band at 13, and was barely 21 when he achieved success in pop music as a member of the English band the Hollies in 1963. But it wasn't until the end of the 1960s that the worlds of music and photography came together, in a sort of cosmic convergence, for the English-born troubadour. Shortly before becoming a superstar in 1969 as a member of Crosby, Stills and Nash - a group that quickly morphed into Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young - his passion for photography was reborn.
FBI Investigates Kauai Police Department
(KITV 4 News) (1.4.06)
The FBI is investigating the Kauai Police Department, KITV has learned. Local politicians said they welcome the investigation because the department has faced numerous allegations of corruption, cover-ups and favoritism. Despite having many hardworking and honest officers, Kauai politicians and even the police union agree that confidence in the Kauai Police Department has never been lower. Many residents believe certain drug dealers operate without fear of arrest.
Fire sparks massive response
(Garden Island News) (1.4.06)
Dry conditions contributed to a 200-acre fire northeast of Lihu'e Tuesday that required the response of members of emergency crews from across the island, as well as aircraft support. Not long after noon on Tuesday, flames started to crawl across an over-grown canefield from Hanama'ulu Bay northwest towards Kapule Highway. It didn't take long for the blaze to engulf the entire field bordered by the bay to the south, Kapule Highway to the west, and the Kaua'i Channel to the east, before its northward progress was stopped near the Kapule and Kuhio highways intersection.
County evicts recycler
(Garden Island News) (1.4.06)
Officials with the County of Kaua'i are evicting those with Island Recycling from the Kauai Resource Center in Lihu'e after nearly four years of operations there by the Honolulu-based company. That means that, on Sunday, Jan. 15, there will no longer be a redemption center at the resource center, until county officials find a new contractor to take over recycling efforts at the location.
So scenic it's almost unreal
(Golf Digest) (Posted Online 1.4.06)
KAUA'I (OK, that's the last apostrophized vowel you will see in this article) is alternately referred to as the Garden Island and the Healing Island. Not really having done my homework on it before rushing there just ahead of Thanksgiving, I was expecting a sleepy retreat possessed with the same Hawaiian beauty as the three sister islands I'd been lucky enough to visit. Mostly I was looking forward to playing in the pro-am at the PGA Grand Slam of Golf. But almost immediately after driving out of the low-key Lihue Airport, I realized Kauai would be different. To reference a fantasy of my youth, it was like knocking on a blind date's door and having it opened by Jacqueline Bisset.
Journalist witnessed key historical events
(Honolulu Star-Bulletin) (1.4.06)
Former Star-Bulletin reporter Larry Nakatsuka (born in Hanalei) often described his assignment on Dec. 7, 1941, the day Japan attacked Pearl Harbor. At first his editor 'thought it might not be safe for a reporter with a Japanese face to go outside the city room searching for news,' Nakatsuka recalled in a December 1999 newspaper column.
Market vendors 'produce' despite holiday
(Garden Island News) (1.3.06)
'Maybe they all went to the beach,' Glenna Ueunten mused while waiting on the starting whistle. Ueunten was one of over two dozen vendors who gathered at the Kukui Grove Center parking lot for the mall's weekly farmers' market yesterday afternoon. 'They probably bought too much over the weekend, and now they gotta worry about the leftovers,' laughed Dean Nakayama of Kauai Bakery & Cinnamon.
Kauai hosts 700 thinkers
(Pacific Business News) (1.2.06)
More than 700 innovators of 30 countries converge on Kauai this week for the 39th Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences. The conference, to be held Wednesday-Saturday at the Grand Hyatt Kauai Resort and Spa, is sponsored by the University of Hawaii at Manoa College of Business. Dr. Irving Wladawsky-Berger, vice president for technical strategy and innovation at IBM, will give the conference's key lecture Friday, on 'Innovation in the 21st Century.' Wladawsky-Berger, a native of Cuba who came to America at the age of 15, has led IBM's efforts in Linux and grid computing. 'The ability to innovate,' he said, 'is at the core of every successful and enduring business.' Official Event Website
Food bank drives break all records
(Garden Island News) (1.2.06)
The goals of the Kauai Food Bank annual holiday food and fund drive that ended late last month were 20,000 pounds of food and $20,000. Both of those goals were surpassed by heretofore unseen distances, said Judith 'Judy' Lenthall, Kauai Food Bank executive director. 'It's record-breaking,' she said of the 29,178 pounds of food and $29,748.30 collected.
Monumental Pflueger fine top story of 2005
(Garden Island News) (1.1.06)
Retired Honolulu car dealer James Pflueger was ordered in July to pay a $4 million fine to state officials for his part in causing damage to a reef in Pila'a Bay on the North Shore. The damage was done in November of 2001, when improvements to his land caused heavy rains to flow to the ocean, damaging a home and dumping silty runoff into the bay. This was the pick for story of the year before it was discovered yesterday, Saturday, Dec. 31, that Pflueger had yet to pay a penny of the fine, is considering an appeal of said fine, and is also considering legal action against members of the state Board of Land and Natural Resources and other state officials for levying the fine, according to Ron Agor, the Kaua'i member of the BLNR.
New projects have Kauaians concerned about traffic, quality of life
(Garden Island News) (1.1.06)
The fast pace of development on the island, resort development in particular, and the infrastructure concerns that the rapid development has created and will continue to create, is the 2005 business story of the year. There seems to have been a sea change in the feelings of many Kauaians, especially those who have become Kauaians in recent years, that development isn't necessarily a bad thing for the island. Not so long ago, Kauaians looked at Maui and Waikiki as places they didn't want Kaua'i to become.
Kayakers worked hard to take in stunning views along Na Pali Coast
(St. Paul Pioneer Press) (1.1.06)
The second time we capsized, my canteen went east and our kayak headed west. 'Better grab it,' said my boat mate, Carlos Holguin, as the Nalgene bottle bobbed in 4-foot swells. Our guides had said we would need two quarts of water for the 17-mile paddle along Kauai's dramatic Na Pali Coast. Now half my supply was at sea. Of course, they also had told us to get back on the two-person kayak immediately if we capsized. After snagging the canteen, I could see why. The wind-driven swells that helped propel us were now taking our ride west without us.
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