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Farming the future

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Hawaii ‘78 The 1978 Constitutional Convention was the most significant moment in Hawaii politics since statehood. Among other sweeping reforms–the creation of the Office of Hawaiian Affairs, the balanced-budget requirement, the establishment of term limits… [»Read]


Rear window

For our 19th anniversary issue, our publisher had the idea to share reporting from throughout our history. While it would be impossible to select a “best of Honolulu Weekly” (or at least we’re smart enough to save that for the next anniversary), we looked through… [»Read]


Ka halekui o Waikiki

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Perhaps you’ve seen those sleek and ubiquitous commericals airing during local TV newscasts lately? The ads trumpet Waikiki’s future while showing marvelous architectural drawings, then vaguely asking for your support. What those ads are about: plans are afoot to demolish… [»Read]


Dear Gov. Lingle,

Sometime between now and July 6, you will make your final decision on HB444, the civil-unions bill. This will be the last issue of the Weekly published before you decide, and we struggled with how to be of the best possible service to our readers and to Hawaii this week…. [»Read]


Suspending disbelief

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Aaron Collins barely flinches as the last deep-sea fishing hook is thrust through the skin of his back. It’s 4:30 on a recent Saturday afternoon and Collins, whose black faux-hawk is flecked with blue dye, is lying shirtless on his stomach half a mile down… [»Read]


Honolulu After ’Tiser

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Last week’s consolidation of Honolulu’s two morning dailies into a single organization was a loss on many levels, most of them already well-chronicled. But now what? Journalists are still charged with keeping an eye out for the developments, issues and stories that matter… [»Read]


An off-season

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Every winter, Honolulu Weekly anticipates the coming legislative session with the fervor of football fans. We discuss line-ups, make predictions and revisit the play-by-play of the previous session’s wildest victories and ugliest defeats. The session itself is a… [»Read]


Welcome to Food and Drink 2010

Thanks for reading our annual Food & Drink issue. This year, we let go of trying to divine the “best”–that’s a matter of taste and timing anyway. Instead, we took a look at what we think are some essential ingredients of the culinary and imbibable mix that makes Honolulu… [»Read]


grave matters

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Kawika McKeague, chairman of the Oahu Island Burial Council (OIBC), is not a psychic. But he and other preservationists say they can see the future of the city’s $5.3 billion elevated rail project, and to them, it looks something like this: The city will build the line… [»Read]


Budgeting billions

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For years now, the City’s operating costs have been climbing higher and higher into the billions of dollars–and with the addition of a $5.3 billion rail project, the capital budget has skyrocketed from the millions of dollars into the billions of dollars. Last Wednesday,… [»Read]


Summer Books 2010

Bookhead? If that’s the type of noggin you’re rockin’, we’ve got you covered. We’ve got naked hippies and tropical noir, philosophizing fighters and tag-team poets. We’ve got prisons scholars, Pidgin comics, Bruddah Iz, bus-stop bards and much, much more…. [»Read]


The front-runners

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In the second installment of our special-election preview, Honolulu Weekly talks with each of the three best-known candidates in the race for Congress. Each conversation lasted roughly an hour but for space reasons, both questions and responses have been condensed. The interviews,… [»Read]


The contender

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Despite the fact that Honolulu’s special congressional election has largely been reported as a race between three familiar, highly polarizing politicians, the ballots that will begin to appear in Honolulu voters’ mailboxes next week will feature the names of 14 candidates…. [»Read]


Toil and trouble

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With Second Mate Kim Krueger at the controls, the Kilo Moana slows to a crawl as a dot on a screen shows it inching toward the Holy Grail of ocean acidification. Known as Station ALOHA, it is here that the effects of the changing chemistry of the atmosphere have been… [»Read]


Sustainability Guide 2010

Sustainability? We trust you’ve heard of it. You’ve watched as the concept has grown into a catchphrase and finally into a cultural phenomenon. From neighborhood gatherings to city officials to corporate boardrooms, the notion that human communities must live in balance… [»Read]


Cut to the bones

Comes with video
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Standing atop seven ancient Hawaiian burials, on a lot with at least 24 more, the house that Joe Brescia is building at Naue, on Kauai’s North Shore, has been the focus of protests and prayers, emotional meetings, a stand-off with police, sacred rituals, a months-long… [»Read]


Rail uncovered

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Amid political name-calling, sensational headlines and evasive officials offering little beyond canned quotations, Honolulu residents have been left wondering exactly what is going on with the City’s multibillion-dollar rail proposal, which officials are telling the truth… [»Read]


Green travel

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In today’s world of carbon footprint consciousness, maybe traveling isn’t the most eco-friendly thing to do. Nor is it always budget-friendly, for that matter. But for many, it’s worth it. Sometimes, it’s travel that makes us realize this is a world worth preserving;… [»Read]


Body language

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Body language Halau Mohala ‘Ilima honors the inextricability of hula from ka ‘olelo Hawaii From the inimitable shared energy that can make 20 dancers’ voices ring out like one, down to the unseen knots that secure each hand-woven lei, hula is not only a form… [»Read]


Pulling together

Malama Maunalua
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Malama Maunalua / On a Thursday morning in late February, a group of roughly 50 people are gathered at Kawaikui Beach Park near ‘Aina Haina. Most of them are in their teens–students from Kaiser High School and Niu Valley Middle School–and they’re here for a community service project…. [»Read]


FREE!

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They may call you a penny pincher or even a tightwad but you know who you really are–a recessionista. You hone in on deals, maximize your purchases and cherish anything that doesn’t cost a dime. Fill your calendar with these events and activities that will make you feel… [»Read]


Truth or consequences

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Two decades ago off the Kona coast of the Big Island, Dan McSweeney spotted a pod of 15-foot-long false killer whales jumping high out of the water and doing belly flops, a favorite hunting technique apparently designed to scare or confuse their prey. He sped over in his… [»Read]


Heroes in everyday life

Local Hero awards
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Local Hero awards / Sometimes, there’s just not enough gratitude to go around. When publisher Laurie V. Carlson decided to sponsor our first-ever Local Hero awards, co-sponsored by Kilauea Lodge, she had no idea how hard the selection process would be. “Whittling it down to three winners… [»Read]


The Big Picture

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Hawaii’s sandalwood industry is long gone. Even sugar operations are a distant memory. For now, tourism is the industry in Hawaii. So often we hear about fluctuations in hotel occupancy, rising and falling visitor arrivals and rollercoaster rates of tourist spending,… [»Read]