Saturday, March 13, 2004
PopMatters Music Interview | The Slack Key Lady: An Interview with Cindy Combs
THE SLACK KEY LADY:
An Interview with Cindy Combs
[12 March 2004]
by Jamie O'Brien
Cindy Combs
Cindy Combs is known as the Slack Key Lady, and not without good reason. Of the 30-plus albums released by Dancing Cat Records, the leader in documenting ki ho'alu music today, only one has presented the solo playing of a woman. And that woman is Cindy Combs.
Yet, the Slack Key Lady is not even Hawaiian. Her parents come from Oklahoma and she was born in San Diego; it was not until she was 10 years old that the family moved to the Islands. "My dad was in the navy," she says of her family's earliest connection with Hawaii. "He was stationed at Pearl Harbor when it was attacked."
Soon after her sister was born on Oahu, the family moved to California and along came Cindy. When her father retired from the military, the family chose to live initially in the Canary Islands. "I remember one day particularly, hearing this Hawaiian music on the radio in the Canary Islands and my mom started singing along with the last verse. I was staring at her, going 'Mom, how do you know the words to this Hawaiian music?'" It was then that Combs learned about the family's experiences in Hawaii. The conversation might also have rekindled the call of the Islands, as the family soon after moved to Honolulu. That was 1963.
The first instrument Combs began to learn was accordion in San Diego. She still has two instruments (a diatonic button accordion and a piano accordion) and plays a little: "In fact, we had a jam just the other night -- we were playing Hawaiian music." On starting school as a fifth grader in Hawaii, "the first thing they did was pass out ukuleles and I was just in heaven... I loved ukulele and that Christmas, my folks got me a beautiful Martin. And that summer, I'd go to the Y and take ukulele lessons. That was my first stringed instrument."
Her next step on the road to becoming the Slack Key Lady came two years later. "When I was 12, my mother joined a record club and so she asked me if I wanted to get a record." Combs chose three: Bobby Rydell, Cher and Joan Baez. "Joan Baez just rocked my world. I got a guitar and her songbook and chord charts and started to play away."
The worlds of folk and Hawaiian music came together in 1971. "I'd just been playing out professionally; it was the summer after I graduated from high school. I saw the ad in the paper." Keola Beamer, already an established name in ki ho'alu, was starting a new class.
"I went along once a week for six weeks. There were about seven people in the class and I was the only girl. He would hand us the tablature, play the tune and then we would grope along with it. He'd send us home and say, 'come back next week and play it for me.' And I just loved it. I would get that piece memorized."
Although Beamer was a tremendous influence on her playing, Combs also had the good fortune of being able to see such seminal greats as Sonny Chillingworth and Gabby Pahinui perform. "And then of course, there was Jerry Santos and Robert Beaumont... They formed a group called Olomana and I played slack key on their first record. Jerry was a great influence in helping me learn songs. He knew a lot of Hawaiian songs and had a great record collection."
When asked to describe her particular style, she laughs: "Slack jazz!" This reflects her diverse tastes and her willingness to listen to a wide variety of musicians. "A lot of it comes from listening to the radio and some of the older groups which did... I don't know how to put it, it was jazzy, the arrangements and chords and harmonies."
Her approach attracted the attention of George Winston, who then recorded her 2001 release Slack Key Lady, the first by a woman in the Dancing Cat series. It also enabled her to join Cyril Pahinui and Dennis Kamakahi on the prestigious Slack Key Festival Tour in 2004, which traveled from Alaska to California, across the Midwest and then into the Mid-Atlantic region. These two landmarks show that Cindy Combs has joined an exclusive band of worthy performers and has now become a noted ambassador of Hawaiian music and culture.
Combs lives in Kauai. She had been going back and forth to the island since 1971. "Finally, in '85, I went over permanently, got married, started a family and have been there ever since." She presented a radio program for nine years. "But that station went the way of so many others. It got bought out by a conglomerate and became computerized. I was phased out."
Currently, Combs is program director for the Rainbow Academy. "[It's] under the wing of the Storybook Theater of Hawaii, which is a non-profit organization... I've just hired teachers for an after-school program in a newly renovated building. There's a TV and recording studio in there. We'll have after-school programs for kids, but also classes for adults, people of all ages, so they can learn hands-on TV, radio, all kinds of media, computer graphics and then theater arts, dance, circus juggling, magic, painting, drawing, set design, puppet making, puppetry, all these things."
But music is still the main pulse in her life. "Right now, I play three nights a week with my Hawaiian trio at the Plantation Gardens Restaurant and Bar in Poipu; that's with John Emery on ukulele and his son, Eli, who plays upright bass. We do all traditional Hawaiian music. On Friday nights, I play at the Hanapepe Café; that's solo, mostly slack key guitar, lots of instrumentals, but I do throw in some contemporary music and my own compositions. And then Saturday nights, I'm at Hanalei Bay Resort on the North Shore in the Happy Talk Lounge that overlooks Hanalei Bay. It's just a beautiful outdoor vista. We do Hawaiian music usually on the first set, some more in the second, and then mix it up with contemporary things."
Along with her music, Rainbow Academy work and family, Combs appears to be living life to the full and enjoying it. She currently has many projects bubbling on the back burner, ranging from a possible new album to prospective tours. In spite of a cold and in spite of coming face to face with falling snow for the first time in her life on the slack key tour, she laughs a lot: open minded, always looking on the bright side and responding effervescently to everything coming her way.
Once, when talking to her about how she was absorbing and interpreting Hawaiian slack key music, Keola Beamer said to her, "Cindy, you should have been a local girl." It would appear that a few years later that is exactly what Cindy Combs has become.
THE SLACK KEY LADY:
An Interview with Cindy Combs
[12 March 2004]
by Jamie O'Brien
Cindy Combs
Cindy Combs is known as the Slack Key Lady, and not without good reason. Of the 30-plus albums released by Dancing Cat Records, the leader in documenting ki ho'alu music today, only one has presented the solo playing of a woman. And that woman is Cindy Combs.
Yet, the Slack Key Lady is not even Hawaiian. Her parents come from Oklahoma and she was born in San Diego; it was not until she was 10 years old that the family moved to the Islands. "My dad was in the navy," she says of her family's earliest connection with Hawaii. "He was stationed at Pearl Harbor when it was attacked."
Soon after her sister was born on Oahu, the family moved to California and along came Cindy. When her father retired from the military, the family chose to live initially in the Canary Islands. "I remember one day particularly, hearing this Hawaiian music on the radio in the Canary Islands and my mom started singing along with the last verse. I was staring at her, going 'Mom, how do you know the words to this Hawaiian music?'" It was then that Combs learned about the family's experiences in Hawaii. The conversation might also have rekindled the call of the Islands, as the family soon after moved to Honolulu. That was 1963.
The first instrument Combs began to learn was accordion in San Diego. She still has two instruments (a diatonic button accordion and a piano accordion) and plays a little: "In fact, we had a jam just the other night -- we were playing Hawaiian music." On starting school as a fifth grader in Hawaii, "the first thing they did was pass out ukuleles and I was just in heaven... I loved ukulele and that Christmas, my folks got me a beautiful Martin. And that summer, I'd go to the Y and take ukulele lessons. That was my first stringed instrument."
Her next step on the road to becoming the Slack Key Lady came two years later. "When I was 12, my mother joined a record club and so she asked me if I wanted to get a record." Combs chose three: Bobby Rydell, Cher and Joan Baez. "Joan Baez just rocked my world. I got a guitar and her songbook and chord charts and started to play away."
The worlds of folk and Hawaiian music came together in 1971. "I'd just been playing out professionally; it was the summer after I graduated from high school. I saw the ad in the paper." Keola Beamer, already an established name in ki ho'alu, was starting a new class.
"I went along once a week for six weeks. There were about seven people in the class and I was the only girl. He would hand us the tablature, play the tune and then we would grope along with it. He'd send us home and say, 'come back next week and play it for me.' And I just loved it. I would get that piece memorized."
Although Beamer was a tremendous influence on her playing, Combs also had the good fortune of being able to see such seminal greats as Sonny Chillingworth and Gabby Pahinui perform. "And then of course, there was Jerry Santos and Robert Beaumont... They formed a group called Olomana and I played slack key on their first record. Jerry was a great influence in helping me learn songs. He knew a lot of Hawaiian songs and had a great record collection."
When asked to describe her particular style, she laughs: "Slack jazz!" This reflects her diverse tastes and her willingness to listen to a wide variety of musicians. "A lot of it comes from listening to the radio and some of the older groups which did... I don't know how to put it, it was jazzy, the arrangements and chords and harmonies."
Her approach attracted the attention of George Winston, who then recorded her 2001 release Slack Key Lady, the first by a woman in the Dancing Cat series. It also enabled her to join Cyril Pahinui and Dennis Kamakahi on the prestigious Slack Key Festival Tour in 2004, which traveled from Alaska to California, across the Midwest and then into the Mid-Atlantic region. These two landmarks show that Cindy Combs has joined an exclusive band of worthy performers and has now become a noted ambassador of Hawaiian music and culture.
Combs lives in Kauai. She had been going back and forth to the island since 1971. "Finally, in '85, I went over permanently, got married, started a family and have been there ever since." She presented a radio program for nine years. "But that station went the way of so many others. It got bought out by a conglomerate and became computerized. I was phased out."
Currently, Combs is program director for the Rainbow Academy. "[It's] under the wing of the Storybook Theater of Hawaii, which is a non-profit organization... I've just hired teachers for an after-school program in a newly renovated building. There's a TV and recording studio in there. We'll have after-school programs for kids, but also classes for adults, people of all ages, so they can learn hands-on TV, radio, all kinds of media, computer graphics and then theater arts, dance, circus juggling, magic, painting, drawing, set design, puppet making, puppetry, all these things."
But music is still the main pulse in her life. "Right now, I play three nights a week with my Hawaiian trio at the Plantation Gardens Restaurant and Bar in Poipu; that's with John Emery on ukulele and his son, Eli, who plays upright bass. We do all traditional Hawaiian music. On Friday nights, I play at the Hanapepe Café; that's solo, mostly slack key guitar, lots of instrumentals, but I do throw in some contemporary music and my own compositions. And then Saturday nights, I'm at Hanalei Bay Resort on the North Shore in the Happy Talk Lounge that overlooks Hanalei Bay. It's just a beautiful outdoor vista. We do Hawaiian music usually on the first set, some more in the second, and then mix it up with contemporary things."
Along with her music, Rainbow Academy work and family, Combs appears to be living life to the full and enjoying it. She currently has many projects bubbling on the back burner, ranging from a possible new album to prospective tours. In spite of a cold and in spite of coming face to face with falling snow for the first time in her life on the slack key tour, she laughs a lot: open minded, always looking on the bright side and responding effervescently to everything coming her way.
Once, when talking to her about how she was absorbing and interpreting Hawaiian slack key music, Keola Beamer said to her, "Cindy, you should have been a local girl." It would appear that a few years later that is exactly what Cindy Combs has become.
Friday, March 12, 2004
Alien insect attacking Guam's native flora - guampdn.com
The king sago is a dominant member of Guam's urban landscape and is currently under attack by a newly introduced insect pest.
Guam's king sago plants are under attack by a newly introduced scale insect that has been killing plants in Florida and Hawaii for years.
"We began noticing an outbreak of a very small white insect called 'scale' on these plants a few months ago," says Aubrey Moore, an entomologist studying invasive insects with the University of Guam. "Some plants were so heavily infested that it looked like they were covered with white spray paint."
At that time, the largest population of the pest was found in the Tumon area and in Barrigada Heights.
This new insect pest is a nightmare for landscape managers, and recent developments indicate it will likely become an ecological nightmare.
The first of these developments occurred two weeks ago when the university received positive identification of the insect pest.
"We learned that the scale outbreak on Guam is due to two species not previously detected on Guam -- the Asian cycad scale and the Magnolia white scale," Moore says.
The white scale becomes so dense on the lower side of king sago leaves that the leaves appear to be covered with a white crust.
Both of these scale insects have been serious pests on king sago in the Florida and Hawaii landscapes for years.
The Asian cycad scale can kill a mature plant within a year of the initial infestation in the Florida landscape. Without intervention, the lovely king sago that dominate the commercial and residential landscapes on Guam are at risk of death.
Residents and tourists already have seen hundreds of attractive king sago become unsightly. Some king sago look like dead stumps because landscape managers trying to cope with the alien pest have pruned away the entire leaf crown.
Observations from Florida and Hawaii indicate that Guam's own native fadang is known to be highly susceptible to this alien insect pest as well. Fadang is a cycad species that inhabits Guam and surrounding islands, and is closely related to the king sago.
"We have been growing plants of Guam's native cycad for many years," says Jody Haynes, cycad biologist for Montgomery Botanical Center in Miami, Fla. "Because the Asian cycad scale was accidentally introduced to the Miami area prior to 1996, we have been able to observe the interactions between this insect and Guam's cycad plants for many years."
These observations indicate that Guam's fadang is as susceptible as the king sago to being attacked by this scale.
"This may be the first time an alien pest has the potential to wipe out a native species of cycad," says Greg Holzman, former curator of cycads for the National Tropical Botanical Garden on the island of Kauai. "If a Guam cycad plant becomes infested with this scale and nothing is done, the plant will die quickly."
The Asian cycad scale migrated to Oahu about five years ago, undoubtedly on king sago nursery plants that were imported from Florida. Holzman observed the death of a 10-year-old fadang plant on Oahu shortly after the plant became infested with the new scale pest.
Perhaps the most distressing observation about the identification of this new insect pest is that its introduction to Guam was completely avoidable.
I wrote an article about this scale insect in the Pacific Daily News on Feb. 13, 2000. In that article, I pointed out the threat to Guam's fadang population and suggested that local nurseries and landscape companies stop importing king sago nursery plants voluntarily as the only sure plan for keeping this cycad-killing insect out of Guam's environment. But the avoidable has become the inevitable, and the inevitable is now poised to threaten one of our own native plant species.
Thomas Marler is a professor with the College of Natural and Applied Sciences, University of Guam.
The king sago is a dominant member of Guam's urban landscape and is currently under attack by a newly introduced insect pest.
Guam's king sago plants are under attack by a newly introduced scale insect that has been killing plants in Florida and Hawaii for years.
"We began noticing an outbreak of a very small white insect called 'scale' on these plants a few months ago," says Aubrey Moore, an entomologist studying invasive insects with the University of Guam. "Some plants were so heavily infested that it looked like they were covered with white spray paint."
At that time, the largest population of the pest was found in the Tumon area and in Barrigada Heights.
This new insect pest is a nightmare for landscape managers, and recent developments indicate it will likely become an ecological nightmare.
The first of these developments occurred two weeks ago when the university received positive identification of the insect pest.
"We learned that the scale outbreak on Guam is due to two species not previously detected on Guam -- the Asian cycad scale and the Magnolia white scale," Moore says.
The white scale becomes so dense on the lower side of king sago leaves that the leaves appear to be covered with a white crust.
Both of these scale insects have been serious pests on king sago in the Florida and Hawaii landscapes for years.
The Asian cycad scale can kill a mature plant within a year of the initial infestation in the Florida landscape. Without intervention, the lovely king sago that dominate the commercial and residential landscapes on Guam are at risk of death.
Residents and tourists already have seen hundreds of attractive king sago become unsightly. Some king sago look like dead stumps because landscape managers trying to cope with the alien pest have pruned away the entire leaf crown.
Observations from Florida and Hawaii indicate that Guam's own native fadang is known to be highly susceptible to this alien insect pest as well. Fadang is a cycad species that inhabits Guam and surrounding islands, and is closely related to the king sago.
"We have been growing plants of Guam's native cycad for many years," says Jody Haynes, cycad biologist for Montgomery Botanical Center in Miami, Fla. "Because the Asian cycad scale was accidentally introduced to the Miami area prior to 1996, we have been able to observe the interactions between this insect and Guam's cycad plants for many years."
These observations indicate that Guam's fadang is as susceptible as the king sago to being attacked by this scale.
"This may be the first time an alien pest has the potential to wipe out a native species of cycad," says Greg Holzman, former curator of cycads for the National Tropical Botanical Garden on the island of Kauai. "If a Guam cycad plant becomes infested with this scale and nothing is done, the plant will die quickly."
The Asian cycad scale migrated to Oahu about five years ago, undoubtedly on king sago nursery plants that were imported from Florida. Holzman observed the death of a 10-year-old fadang plant on Oahu shortly after the plant became infested with the new scale pest.
Perhaps the most distressing observation about the identification of this new insect pest is that its introduction to Guam was completely avoidable.
I wrote an article about this scale insect in the Pacific Daily News on Feb. 13, 2000. In that article, I pointed out the threat to Guam's fadang population and suggested that local nurseries and landscape companies stop importing king sago nursery plants voluntarily as the only sure plan for keeping this cycad-killing insect out of Guam's environment. But the avoidable has become the inevitable, and the inevitable is now poised to threaten one of our own native plant species.
Thomas Marler is a professor with the College of Natural and Applied Sciences, University of Guam.
New York Daily News - Sports - Yates catching wave for Mets
By ADAM RUBIN
DAILY NEWS SPORTS WRITER
PORT ST. LUCIE - Tyler Yates was surfing off the island of Kauai after completing his season with Class-A Visalia five years ago, when he turned to his father, Gary, and said, "This is a pretty easy life for me right now.
"Work at night, surf during the day and then play ball for five or six months of the year and get paid for that," said Yates, whose winter routine included busing tables at the same five-star restaurant that employed his father. "I wasn't about to complain to anybody about it."
Yates, a native Hawaiian, still finds time to surf during the winter, driving his truck 45 minutes to a secluded beach on the west side of the island. And while his elbow threw him a curveball that made his ascension in the Mets' organization difficult, Yates is on the verge of establishing himself as a big-league starter ... or maybe reliever.
While Scott Erickson and Grant Roberts lead the race for the final spot in the rotation, Yates has impressed and should be part of the Mets' staff in some role this season, even if he begins at Triple-A Norfolk. His mid-90s fastball and hard slider make him an ideal candidate to close games, but to guarantee innings, the Mets have used him in a starting role since he returned from Tommy John surgery.
"I would probably say I'm better off starting, because I don't go out there for one inning and blow it all out and the next couple of innings I'm tired," Yates said. "I'm a guy who can go out there for six or seven innings and throw with the same velocity I did in the first inning."
Yates, 26, vividly recalled the June 2002 pitch that set back his career a year. Releasing a fastball, he felt a burn through his fingers, like "a big stinger in your shoulder that you get when you play football." Yates disregarded the sensation and threw another pitch. The radar gun in right-center field at Norfolk's Harbor Park registered 100 mph, and Yates walked off the mound, headed for surgery.
"This year it's night and day how amazing my arm feels," said Yates, who was scratched from his last appearance because of a hamstring strain but threw a bullpen session last night and may pitch tomorrow.
Before hurting his arm, Yates compiled a 2-2 record with a 1.32 ERA and six saves at Norfolk in 2002. He would have made an appearance in Flushing last September, but he broke a finger punching a water cooler while with the Tides last year.
"It was a stupid mistake and it cost me some money and it cost me some time that I can't ever get back," Yates said. "I'm a guy that doesn't show emotion on the mound. I try to keep everything in, never show anybody that I've been defeated or anything like that. ... I come in and I just saw the water cooler and I hit it and I was like, 'You're an idiot for doing that.' It was a lesson learned with a pinkie, but it was also a lesson learned just to like, 'Why show anybody that you've been defeated?'"
So much for all surfers being laid-back.
"You guys think a lot of surfers are mellow," Yates said. "A lot of them are pretty crazy. There are some guys out there that if you get in their way, they let you know about it."
By ADAM RUBIN
DAILY NEWS SPORTS WRITER
PORT ST. LUCIE - Tyler Yates was surfing off the island of Kauai after completing his season with Class-A Visalia five years ago, when he turned to his father, Gary, and said, "This is a pretty easy life for me right now.
"Work at night, surf during the day and then play ball for five or six months of the year and get paid for that," said Yates, whose winter routine included busing tables at the same five-star restaurant that employed his father. "I wasn't about to complain to anybody about it."
Yates, a native Hawaiian, still finds time to surf during the winter, driving his truck 45 minutes to a secluded beach on the west side of the island. And while his elbow threw him a curveball that made his ascension in the Mets' organization difficult, Yates is on the verge of establishing himself as a big-league starter ... or maybe reliever.
While Scott Erickson and Grant Roberts lead the race for the final spot in the rotation, Yates has impressed and should be part of the Mets' staff in some role this season, even if he begins at Triple-A Norfolk. His mid-90s fastball and hard slider make him an ideal candidate to close games, but to guarantee innings, the Mets have used him in a starting role since he returned from Tommy John surgery.
"I would probably say I'm better off starting, because I don't go out there for one inning and blow it all out and the next couple of innings I'm tired," Yates said. "I'm a guy who can go out there for six or seven innings and throw with the same velocity I did in the first inning."
Yates, 26, vividly recalled the June 2002 pitch that set back his career a year. Releasing a fastball, he felt a burn through his fingers, like "a big stinger in your shoulder that you get when you play football." Yates disregarded the sensation and threw another pitch. The radar gun in right-center field at Norfolk's Harbor Park registered 100 mph, and Yates walked off the mound, headed for surgery.
"This year it's night and day how amazing my arm feels," said Yates, who was scratched from his last appearance because of a hamstring strain but threw a bullpen session last night and may pitch tomorrow.
Before hurting his arm, Yates compiled a 2-2 record with a 1.32 ERA and six saves at Norfolk in 2002. He would have made an appearance in Flushing last September, but he broke a finger punching a water cooler while with the Tides last year.
"It was a stupid mistake and it cost me some money and it cost me some time that I can't ever get back," Yates said. "I'm a guy that doesn't show emotion on the mound. I try to keep everything in, never show anybody that I've been defeated or anything like that. ... I come in and I just saw the water cooler and I hit it and I was like, 'You're an idiot for doing that.' It was a lesson learned with a pinkie, but it was also a lesson learned just to like, 'Why show anybody that you've been defeated?'"
So much for all surfers being laid-back.
"You guys think a lot of surfers are mellow," Yates said. "A lot of them are pretty crazy. There are some guys out there that if you get in their way, they let you know about it."
Kauai Garden Island News
Kauai Food Bank paper bag drive starts
Kelsey O'Connor, a student at Wilcox Elementary School and niece of Dr. Bob Long, happily staples envelopes to bags for the Kauai Food Bank's 10th annual spring healthy food and fund drive.
By PAUL C. CURTIS - TGI Associate Editor
Posted: Thursday, Mar 11, 2004 - 04:02:19 am HST
NAWILIWILI — With costs of housing, rents, utilities, gas, medical care, insurance and food all soaring on the island, families with expenses rising faster than incomes can keep up find themselves in binds.
The Kauai Food Bank provides a critical safety net so that families don't have to choose between paying the electric bill or buying food for their children, said Judy Lenthall, executive director.
The food bank continues to feed roughly 6,000 Kauaians a month, half of them children and 25 percent of them elderly, she said.
And 2003 "was a big year for food distribution," with 9,000 people fed in November of last year, and 7,500 in December. In January of this year, 5,500 people enjoyed food from the food bank.
So is the backdrop for the 10th annual healthy food and fund drive of the food bank, again with a goal of gathering 20,000 pounds of food and $20,000 in donations.
For every $1 donated, food bank officials through connections with the Hawaii Food Bank and America's Second Harvest can purchase $16 worth of food.
Bags for placing non-perishable food items in, and envelopes for check donations, are including in today's issue of The Garden Island, and were distributed in yesterday's Island Shopper.
The drive runs through Friday, April 30, and food may be dropped off at any county fire station, or the Nawiliwili food bank warehouse. Checks may be placed in the postage-paid envelopes and dropped in the mail.
But the burden of raising $20,000 doesn't all fall onto the shoulders of Kauaians. Once again this year, multi-millionaire Alan Shawn Feinstein of Cranston, R.I. has pledged to match dollar for dollar a certain portion of cash donated to the food bank during the drive.
For the past six years, he has been giving away $1 million a year to agencies across the country helping to fight hunger.
Why?
"Because we were each put here on earth to do what we can to help those in need," he said.
"We do get money from him every year," Lenthall said.
This year, he is even donating money to schools which raise the most money and collect the most donated food for the food bank, based on school size (per-capita). Each Kaua‘i schools has the chance to win $1,000 in the drive.
Local businesses are getting involved, too. Operators of Curves for Women, a health facility, will waive the normal registration fee for women who bring in bags of food, Lenthall said.
Volunteers with the Rotary Club of Kauai, and family members and friends, stapled 10,000 envelopes to bags at the Lihue Neighborhood Center, in the record time of two hours.
It was so much fun that some of the young ones suggested an un-stapling party so that they could then re-staple the envelopes to bags, Lenthall said with a chuckle.
In the works, pending a successful grant-writing application, is a Kids Cafe, to be established at the Boys & Girls Club of Hawaii-Waimea.
It will offer healthy snacks to youngsters after school in the structured setting of the Waimea clubhouse near Waimea High School, where there is room in a fenced-in, grassed area for the children also to grow some of their own food, she said.
Officials at the Kauai Children's Discovery Museum will assist with establishment of educational programs including nutrition programs, mentoring, and instructing the young ones on how to build and use a solar-powered oven.
Hunger, or not eating right, Lenthall concluded, leads to health problems which lead to employment problems and other problems down the line.
For more information, please call 246-3809.
Associate Editor Paul C. Curtis may be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 224) or mailto:pcurtis@pulitzer.net.
Kauai Food Bank paper bag drive starts
Kelsey O'Connor, a student at Wilcox Elementary School and niece of Dr. Bob Long, happily staples envelopes to bags for the Kauai Food Bank's 10th annual spring healthy food and fund drive.
By PAUL C. CURTIS - TGI Associate Editor
Posted: Thursday, Mar 11, 2004 - 04:02:19 am HST
NAWILIWILI — With costs of housing, rents, utilities, gas, medical care, insurance and food all soaring on the island, families with expenses rising faster than incomes can keep up find themselves in binds.
The Kauai Food Bank provides a critical safety net so that families don't have to choose between paying the electric bill or buying food for their children, said Judy Lenthall, executive director.
The food bank continues to feed roughly 6,000 Kauaians a month, half of them children and 25 percent of them elderly, she said.
And 2003 "was a big year for food distribution," with 9,000 people fed in November of last year, and 7,500 in December. In January of this year, 5,500 people enjoyed food from the food bank.
So is the backdrop for the 10th annual healthy food and fund drive of the food bank, again with a goal of gathering 20,000 pounds of food and $20,000 in donations.
For every $1 donated, food bank officials through connections with the Hawaii Food Bank and America's Second Harvest can purchase $16 worth of food.
Bags for placing non-perishable food items in, and envelopes for check donations, are including in today's issue of The Garden Island, and were distributed in yesterday's Island Shopper.
The drive runs through Friday, April 30, and food may be dropped off at any county fire station, or the Nawiliwili food bank warehouse. Checks may be placed in the postage-paid envelopes and dropped in the mail.
But the burden of raising $20,000 doesn't all fall onto the shoulders of Kauaians. Once again this year, multi-millionaire Alan Shawn Feinstein of Cranston, R.I. has pledged to match dollar for dollar a certain portion of cash donated to the food bank during the drive.
For the past six years, he has been giving away $1 million a year to agencies across the country helping to fight hunger.
Why?
"Because we were each put here on earth to do what we can to help those in need," he said.
"We do get money from him every year," Lenthall said.
This year, he is even donating money to schools which raise the most money and collect the most donated food for the food bank, based on school size (per-capita). Each Kaua‘i schools has the chance to win $1,000 in the drive.
Local businesses are getting involved, too. Operators of Curves for Women, a health facility, will waive the normal registration fee for women who bring in bags of food, Lenthall said.
Volunteers with the Rotary Club of Kauai, and family members and friends, stapled 10,000 envelopes to bags at the Lihue Neighborhood Center, in the record time of two hours.
It was so much fun that some of the young ones suggested an un-stapling party so that they could then re-staple the envelopes to bags, Lenthall said with a chuckle.
In the works, pending a successful grant-writing application, is a Kids Cafe, to be established at the Boys & Girls Club of Hawaii-Waimea.
It will offer healthy snacks to youngsters after school in the structured setting of the Waimea clubhouse near Waimea High School, where there is room in a fenced-in, grassed area for the children also to grow some of their own food, she said.
Officials at the Kauai Children's Discovery Museum will assist with establishment of educational programs including nutrition programs, mentoring, and instructing the young ones on how to build and use a solar-powered oven.
Hunger, or not eating right, Lenthall concluded, leads to health problems which lead to employment problems and other problems down the line.
For more information, please call 246-3809.
Associate Editor Paul C. Curtis may be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 224) or mailto:pcurtis@pulitzer.net.
Thursday, March 11, 2004
The Maui News: Finance panel cuts funding for state's hospital system - - Maui News
Finance panel cuts funding for state's hospital system
By VALERIE MONSON, Staff Writer
WAILUKU - In what seems to be an annual ritual, the state Legislature is once again trying to slash funding for the state hospital system, threatening essential services at Maui Memorial Medical Center and other facilities.
"We hate to talk in these terms of reducing services, but we're going to have to look at taking some drastic action if the funds are not approved," said John Schaumburg, chief executive officer at Maui Memorial, on Tuesday. "Health care is so important we don't like to be put in the position of thinking about cutting services, but if we can't afford to do something, we can't afford to do something."
As part of its version of the state's supplemental budget, the House Finance Committee has recommended chopping $11 million of the $31 million requested by Hawaii Health Systems Corp., the umbrella organization that oversees Maui Memorial and 11 other small hospitals and clinics around the state. Unless there's a last-minute amendment on the floor Thursday when the full House will vote on the budget, it's doubtful the original amount will be restored. After that, it will be up to the Senate to consider the entire request when the bill crosses over.
Schaumburg and other HHSC officials are understandably worried.
"It's even more critical than in previous years that we be fully funded," said Kelley Roberson, chief operating officer for HHSC. "This year, there's no fat, less give and no options."
Sen. Roz Baker, who is the Senate Health Committee chairwoman, was aghast at the House cuts, saying, "That's cutting into the bone . . . That's just not acceptable."
She said she is discussing the HHSC budget with the leaders of the Senate Ways and Means Committee and believes that the cuts can be restored "but maybe not all of the funds."
"I can't believe that there are Neighbor Island legislators who don't understand that they are cutting services," she said, pointing out that the hospitals and medical centers on the Big Island, Maui, Lanai and Kauai are all affected.
"We're going to see massive service cuts on the Neighbor Islands," she said, if the funding is not restored.
Communities that could be impacted by the cuts are being asked to contact their lawmakers in both the House and Senate. In Maui County, Maui Memorial, Lanai Community Hospital and Kula Hospital are included in the network.
Last year, the Legislature allocated nearly $32 million to HHSC, but that covered only the first year of the two-year budget, forcing officials to return this session for supplemental funds. Of the $31 million proposed this year, HHSC has been mandated by the state to pay $20 million for increases to the Employee Retirement System. Roberson said he didn't know if it was "coincidental or intentional" that the amount approved for HHSC is the exact amount that must go to the retirement fund.
Roberson said HHSC worked closely with the office of Gov. Linda Lingle and the administration's Department of Budget & Finance before submitting its request. Lingle included the full $31 million in her budget.
"We actually wanted more than that," said Roberson. "These figures are based on the best case scenario for everything: best case for revenues, best case for reducing expenses and best case for collections."
Roberson said the system had to make up for $45 million in losses last year because of low reimbursements from Medicare, Medicaid and Med-Quest that failed to cover the costs of the care provided.
Another $17 million was lost because of indigent patients who couldn't pay.
The $31.5 million request represents a subsidy of about 10 percent of HHSC's projected $300 million budget.
Many public hospitals on the Mainland receive state subsidies of 25 percent.
Schaumburg said it's important to remember that the hospitals serve not only residents, but visitors, as well. Communities across the state will be impacted if services must be cut, he said.
"It affects our family and friends on Kauai and the Big Island, too," he said. HHSC was created by the Legislature in 1996 to reduce the chronic losses suffered by the 12 hospitals and clinics when they were under the state Department of Health's tangle of red tape.
Many of the HHSC facilities are in rural areas far from urban centers, while Maui Memorial is the only acute-care hospital on the island.
Valerie Monson can be reached at vmonson@mauinews.com.
Finance panel cuts funding for state's hospital system
By VALERIE MONSON, Staff Writer
WAILUKU - In what seems to be an annual ritual, the state Legislature is once again trying to slash funding for the state hospital system, threatening essential services at Maui Memorial Medical Center and other facilities.
"We hate to talk in these terms of reducing services, but we're going to have to look at taking some drastic action if the funds are not approved," said John Schaumburg, chief executive officer at Maui Memorial, on Tuesday. "Health care is so important we don't like to be put in the position of thinking about cutting services, but if we can't afford to do something, we can't afford to do something."
As part of its version of the state's supplemental budget, the House Finance Committee has recommended chopping $11 million of the $31 million requested by Hawaii Health Systems Corp., the umbrella organization that oversees Maui Memorial and 11 other small hospitals and clinics around the state. Unless there's a last-minute amendment on the floor Thursday when the full House will vote on the budget, it's doubtful the original amount will be restored. After that, it will be up to the Senate to consider the entire request when the bill crosses over.
Schaumburg and other HHSC officials are understandably worried.
"It's even more critical than in previous years that we be fully funded," said Kelley Roberson, chief operating officer for HHSC. "This year, there's no fat, less give and no options."
Sen. Roz Baker, who is the Senate Health Committee chairwoman, was aghast at the House cuts, saying, "That's cutting into the bone . . . That's just not acceptable."
She said she is discussing the HHSC budget with the leaders of the Senate Ways and Means Committee and believes that the cuts can be restored "but maybe not all of the funds."
"I can't believe that there are Neighbor Island legislators who don't understand that they are cutting services," she said, pointing out that the hospitals and medical centers on the Big Island, Maui, Lanai and Kauai are all affected.
"We're going to see massive service cuts on the Neighbor Islands," she said, if the funding is not restored.
Communities that could be impacted by the cuts are being asked to contact their lawmakers in both the House and Senate. In Maui County, Maui Memorial, Lanai Community Hospital and Kula Hospital are included in the network.
Last year, the Legislature allocated nearly $32 million to HHSC, but that covered only the first year of the two-year budget, forcing officials to return this session for supplemental funds. Of the $31 million proposed this year, HHSC has been mandated by the state to pay $20 million for increases to the Employee Retirement System. Roberson said he didn't know if it was "coincidental or intentional" that the amount approved for HHSC is the exact amount that must go to the retirement fund.
Roberson said HHSC worked closely with the office of Gov. Linda Lingle and the administration's Department of Budget & Finance before submitting its request. Lingle included the full $31 million in her budget.
"We actually wanted more than that," said Roberson. "These figures are based on the best case scenario for everything: best case for revenues, best case for reducing expenses and best case for collections."
Roberson said the system had to make up for $45 million in losses last year because of low reimbursements from Medicare, Medicaid and Med-Quest that failed to cover the costs of the care provided.
Another $17 million was lost because of indigent patients who couldn't pay.
The $31.5 million request represents a subsidy of about 10 percent of HHSC's projected $300 million budget.
Many public hospitals on the Mainland receive state subsidies of 25 percent.
Schaumburg said it's important to remember that the hospitals serve not only residents, but visitors, as well. Communities across the state will be impacted if services must be cut, he said.
"It affects our family and friends on Kauai and the Big Island, too," he said. HHSC was created by the Legislature in 1996 to reduce the chronic losses suffered by the 12 hospitals and clinics when they were under the state Department of Health's tangle of red tape.
Many of the HHSC facilities are in rural areas far from urban centers, while Maui Memorial is the only acute-care hospital on the island.
Valerie Monson can be reached at vmonson@mauinews.com.
The Quiksilver/Roxy Pro
SURF: Chest high, bloated and sluggish with the occasional racetrack
EVENTS HELD: Women's to the Final, the rest of Men's Round Three
NATURE'S CALL: Give me a break: I'll still make your legs burn
PREDICTED: Another carnival in Brazil today; a 2004 Quik Pro champ tomorrow
"It's funny," says Richie Lovett, staring out at the fat, mushy rights formerly known as the Superbank. "It's as if the legendary sandbar was just a myth."
Could it really be? Are we really facing a mediocre end to the most anticipated 'CT season opener of all time?
Well, when there are dual Men's/Women's 'CTs going on, there's only one way to find out: send out the girls. The women always get the green light when the Men and the organizers are on the fence, something the girls have reluctantly grown to accept. "Heck, at least this spot's surfable," said Keala Kennelly earlier in the event. "At spots like Bells, they throw us out in stuff that isn't fit for human consumption. We surf in dog food conditions."
It might not have been prime-cut Superbank, but it was far from dog food today. Steady offshores, a light mist and the occasional lined-up right made the girls more than willing to chuck on a jersey and take on the Bank. After all, if the contest weren't on, they would have been "practicing" in the same lineup anyway. The only difference: it would have been filled with no less than 200 surfers, goat-boaters and the odd kneeboarder picking up the scraps.
With the coast cleared, Jacqueline Silva won this year's Roxy Pro, her first win since the 2002 Billabong Pro in Maui. The smooth, calculated regularfoot from Florianopolis, Brazil threw up two big hacks on her first wave against fellow finalist Rochelle Ballard, earning an 8.6. After her coach, Bira Schauffard, paced the shoreline, touched the water and made the sign of the cross, Silva followed up with two more scores in the 6-point range, sealing the year's first victory. "All our work. . .all our work has paid off!" said Schauffard, tilting back his head toward the sky.
Silva winning may be big news, but the ones who didn't win is even bigger news. Eight days ago, after current world champ Layne Beachley put a damper on Lisa Andersen's 35th birthday celebration by beating her in the round before the Quarters, Rochelle Ballard made a prediction about her next opponent: "I'm gonna take Layne," she announced.
"Especially if it's barreling," added her friend Kennelly with a wicked grin. "You just watch."
The veteran Kauai girl didn't forget her prophecy. And heck, it wasn't even barreling. Not only did she fend off Layne in the quarters, she beat Australia's next female world champ, Chelsea Georgeson, in the quarters. Georgeson has a mean backhand. She moved up to Tweed Head from Sydney a year ago, and has invested her skills in the Superbank. But somehow, on this inconsistent day, she failed to find just a 2.9 in the final nine minutes. "I guess I just fell asleep out there," she said.
Count on Beachley and Georgeson to make up for their missed opportunities at Snapper in the coming events. And unlike the past couple of years, they'll have plenty more chances to do it: the Women's 'CT is stacked with 10 proposed events this year. "Suddenly," said CT surfer Prue Jeffries, "we have a real tour with no time to think about anything else."
The men know all about those stacked schedules. Today, at the end of Round Three, 29 surfers are now sucking up a poor finish and thinking ahead to the even fatter rights of Bells Beach. A few observers were wondering if the Men's competitors complained about competing today at the Superbank. The answer? Not even. They're posting nines, they're surfing waves equivalent to a good day at Lower Trestles and it ain't getting any better. As Phil MacDonald says: "No complaints here -- we have to surf."
In retrospect, MacDonald is probably wishing he made more of a stink. Because as the last heats of Round Three unfolded this afternoon, it became clear that Silva's win was just the beginning for Brazil. First came Guilherme Herdy, stealing a lead back from Luke Egan in the final minutes to take the win. "You can never give up," said Herdy. "Just keep hitting it til the horn sounds."
Neco Padaratz followed up with one of his "emotional small rights" wins against MacDonald, and the streak continued. Victor Ribas shocked Richie Lovett with some of the best wave selection of the contest, prompting former pro Mitch Thorsen to cry out: "The Superbank's come back. . .but just for Victor!" And in the last heat, Paulo Moura convincingly outsurfed an out-of-rhythm Damien Hobgood.
In fact, the only male Brazilian who lost today was Raoni Monteiro, a solid regularfoot who had the misfortune of drawing a surfer who might as well be his own country: Taj Burrow. Taj's fizzle at the end of last year certainly hasn't affected his popularity or his drive. The man's a master of his own image, hiring his own production crews for exclusive photo shoots, going larger than life in the latest Globe movie and putting off a star quality like no other 'CT surfer.
Plus, his surfing backs it all up. Taj broke his hand while hitting a punching back about six weeks ago, but the month out of the water may have even helped. On one wave today, he pulled of a speed-float-to-foam-climb combo that went down as the most technical surfing of the day. And he did it on a 6'1" JS squashtail with the saying: "Loose Lips Sink Ships" across the bottom.
"What's with the phrase on the bottom of your board?" SURFING asked Taj.
"Oh, it's just something we've been working on," he replied in a vague, "secret project" kind of way.
"Some deeper meaning behind it?"
"Maybe," he smiled.
Here's the thing: Superbank or no Superbank, the contest will finish tomorrow. Taj has Kelly in his path; and on the other side of the draw, Parko, Dean Morrison, CJ Hobgood and Andy Irons will have to sort things out. And as soon as it unfolds, we assure you: there'll be plenty of loose lips from the SURFING camp. -- Evan Slater
Quiksilver Pro presented by Boost Mobile Round Three (1st>Rnd4; 2nd=17th receives US$4,225)
H10: Guilherme Herdy (Brz) 15.66 def. Luke Egan (Aus) 13.84
H11: Michael Lowe (Aus) 15.7 def. Darren O'Rafferty (Aus) 13.77
H12: Neco Padaratz (Brz) 17.0 def. Phillip MacDonald (Aus) 7.4
H13: Taj Burrow (Aus) 17.0 def. Raoni Monteiro (Brz) 14.7
H14: Victor Ribas (Brz) 17.4 def. Richard Lovett (Aus) 12.23
H15: Taylor Knox (USA) 15.4 def. Nathan Webster (Aus) 13.46
H16: Paulo Moura (Brz) 15.34 def. Damien Hobgood (USA) 13.43
Roxy Pro presented by Boost Mobile Final Results
1st - Jacqueline Silva (Brz) 14.94 - US$10,000
2nd- Rochelle Ballard (Haw) 11.9 - US$6,000
Semi-finals (1st>final; 2nd=US$4,000)
SF1: Rochelle Ballard (Haw) 8.5 def. Chelsea Georgeson (Aus) 8.4
SF2: Jacqueline Silva (Brz) 16.27 def. Melanie Redman-Carr (Aus) 8.6
Quarterfinals (1st>Semifinals; 2nd=5th receives US$3000)
QF1: Chelsea Georgeson (Aus) 14.0 def. Samantha Cornish (Aus) 10.5
QF2: Rochelle Ballard (Haw) 10.16 def. Layne Beachley (Aus) 9.46
QF3: Jacqueline Silva (Brz) 12.67 def. Laurina McGrath (Aus) 11.1
QF4: Melanie Redman-Carr (Aus) 14.83 def. Maria Tavares (Brz) 11.43
SURF: Chest high, bloated and sluggish with the occasional racetrack
EVENTS HELD: Women's to the Final, the rest of Men's Round Three
NATURE'S CALL: Give me a break: I'll still make your legs burn
PREDICTED: Another carnival in Brazil today; a 2004 Quik Pro champ tomorrow
"It's funny," says Richie Lovett, staring out at the fat, mushy rights formerly known as the Superbank. "It's as if the legendary sandbar was just a myth."
Could it really be? Are we really facing a mediocre end to the most anticipated 'CT season opener of all time?
Well, when there are dual Men's/Women's 'CTs going on, there's only one way to find out: send out the girls. The women always get the green light when the Men and the organizers are on the fence, something the girls have reluctantly grown to accept. "Heck, at least this spot's surfable," said Keala Kennelly earlier in the event. "At spots like Bells, they throw us out in stuff that isn't fit for human consumption. We surf in dog food conditions."
It might not have been prime-cut Superbank, but it was far from dog food today. Steady offshores, a light mist and the occasional lined-up right made the girls more than willing to chuck on a jersey and take on the Bank. After all, if the contest weren't on, they would have been "practicing" in the same lineup anyway. The only difference: it would have been filled with no less than 200 surfers, goat-boaters and the odd kneeboarder picking up the scraps.
With the coast cleared, Jacqueline Silva won this year's Roxy Pro, her first win since the 2002 Billabong Pro in Maui. The smooth, calculated regularfoot from Florianopolis, Brazil threw up two big hacks on her first wave against fellow finalist Rochelle Ballard, earning an 8.6. After her coach, Bira Schauffard, paced the shoreline, touched the water and made the sign of the cross, Silva followed up with two more scores in the 6-point range, sealing the year's first victory. "All our work. . .all our work has paid off!" said Schauffard, tilting back his head toward the sky.
Silva winning may be big news, but the ones who didn't win is even bigger news. Eight days ago, after current world champ Layne Beachley put a damper on Lisa Andersen's 35th birthday celebration by beating her in the round before the Quarters, Rochelle Ballard made a prediction about her next opponent: "I'm gonna take Layne," she announced.
"Especially if it's barreling," added her friend Kennelly with a wicked grin. "You just watch."
The veteran Kauai girl didn't forget her prophecy. And heck, it wasn't even barreling. Not only did she fend off Layne in the quarters, she beat Australia's next female world champ, Chelsea Georgeson, in the quarters. Georgeson has a mean backhand. She moved up to Tweed Head from Sydney a year ago, and has invested her skills in the Superbank. But somehow, on this inconsistent day, she failed to find just a 2.9 in the final nine minutes. "I guess I just fell asleep out there," she said.
Count on Beachley and Georgeson to make up for their missed opportunities at Snapper in the coming events. And unlike the past couple of years, they'll have plenty more chances to do it: the Women's 'CT is stacked with 10 proposed events this year. "Suddenly," said CT surfer Prue Jeffries, "we have a real tour with no time to think about anything else."
The men know all about those stacked schedules. Today, at the end of Round Three, 29 surfers are now sucking up a poor finish and thinking ahead to the even fatter rights of Bells Beach. A few observers were wondering if the Men's competitors complained about competing today at the Superbank. The answer? Not even. They're posting nines, they're surfing waves equivalent to a good day at Lower Trestles and it ain't getting any better. As Phil MacDonald says: "No complaints here -- we have to surf."
In retrospect, MacDonald is probably wishing he made more of a stink. Because as the last heats of Round Three unfolded this afternoon, it became clear that Silva's win was just the beginning for Brazil. First came Guilherme Herdy, stealing a lead back from Luke Egan in the final minutes to take the win. "You can never give up," said Herdy. "Just keep hitting it til the horn sounds."
Neco Padaratz followed up with one of his "emotional small rights" wins against MacDonald, and the streak continued. Victor Ribas shocked Richie Lovett with some of the best wave selection of the contest, prompting former pro Mitch Thorsen to cry out: "The Superbank's come back. . .but just for Victor!" And in the last heat, Paulo Moura convincingly outsurfed an out-of-rhythm Damien Hobgood.
In fact, the only male Brazilian who lost today was Raoni Monteiro, a solid regularfoot who had the misfortune of drawing a surfer who might as well be his own country: Taj Burrow. Taj's fizzle at the end of last year certainly hasn't affected his popularity or his drive. The man's a master of his own image, hiring his own production crews for exclusive photo shoots, going larger than life in the latest Globe movie and putting off a star quality like no other 'CT surfer.
Plus, his surfing backs it all up. Taj broke his hand while hitting a punching back about six weeks ago, but the month out of the water may have even helped. On one wave today, he pulled of a speed-float-to-foam-climb combo that went down as the most technical surfing of the day. And he did it on a 6'1" JS squashtail with the saying: "Loose Lips Sink Ships" across the bottom.
"What's with the phrase on the bottom of your board?" SURFING asked Taj.
"Oh, it's just something we've been working on," he replied in a vague, "secret project" kind of way.
"Some deeper meaning behind it?"
"Maybe," he smiled.
Here's the thing: Superbank or no Superbank, the contest will finish tomorrow. Taj has Kelly in his path; and on the other side of the draw, Parko, Dean Morrison, CJ Hobgood and Andy Irons will have to sort things out. And as soon as it unfolds, we assure you: there'll be plenty of loose lips from the SURFING camp. -- Evan Slater
Quiksilver Pro presented by Boost Mobile Round Three (1st>Rnd4; 2nd=17th receives US$4,225)
H10: Guilherme Herdy (Brz) 15.66 def. Luke Egan (Aus) 13.84
H11: Michael Lowe (Aus) 15.7 def. Darren O'Rafferty (Aus) 13.77
H12: Neco Padaratz (Brz) 17.0 def. Phillip MacDonald (Aus) 7.4
H13: Taj Burrow (Aus) 17.0 def. Raoni Monteiro (Brz) 14.7
H14: Victor Ribas (Brz) 17.4 def. Richard Lovett (Aus) 12.23
H15: Taylor Knox (USA) 15.4 def. Nathan Webster (Aus) 13.46
H16: Paulo Moura (Brz) 15.34 def. Damien Hobgood (USA) 13.43
Roxy Pro presented by Boost Mobile Final Results
1st - Jacqueline Silva (Brz) 14.94 - US$10,000
2nd- Rochelle Ballard (Haw) 11.9 - US$6,000
Semi-finals (1st>final; 2nd=US$4,000)
SF1: Rochelle Ballard (Haw) 8.5 def. Chelsea Georgeson (Aus) 8.4
SF2: Jacqueline Silva (Brz) 16.27 def. Melanie Redman-Carr (Aus) 8.6
Quarterfinals (1st>Semifinals; 2nd=5th receives US$3000)
QF1: Chelsea Georgeson (Aus) 14.0 def. Samantha Cornish (Aus) 10.5
QF2: Rochelle Ballard (Haw) 10.16 def. Layne Beachley (Aus) 9.46
QF3: Jacqueline Silva (Brz) 12.67 def. Laurina McGrath (Aus) 11.1
QF4: Melanie Redman-Carr (Aus) 14.83 def. Maria Tavares (Brz) 11.43
Wednesday, March 10, 2004
Kauai Garden Island News
Hanalei bed and breakfast conversion, YMCA plans and railroad on Tuesday agenda
By LESTER CHANG - TGI Staff Writer
Posted: Monday, Mar 08, 2004 - 05:21:21 am HST
Proposals to use a former Japanese Buddhist mission building in Hanalei as a bed-and-breakfast operation, to build YMCA buildings envisioned for 10 years and to operate the first commercial railroad on Kaua‘i since the mid-1950s top the Kaua‘i County Planning Commission meeting agenda for Tuesday, March 9.
Meetings on the proposals are scheduled to start at 9 a.m. and at 1:30 p.m. at the Lihu‘e Civic Center.
The biggest project involves the proposal by Kauai Kilohana Partners to operate a 2.5-mile "excursion railway system" on the grounds of the Kilohana Plantation and on former cane lands.
The railway project would unfold on 103 acres mauka of Kaumuali‘i Highway in Puhi.
The leaders of Kauai Kilohana are seeking commission approval for a special permit, a use permit and a Class VI zoning permit.
If the permits are approved, the project will provide residents and visitors a glimpse of Kaua‘i's past when the types of trains proposed for use in the railway system were used to haul cane from the fields to mills between the late-1800s to the mid-1950s.
The leaders of Kauai Kilohana have talked with business interests in the Philippine Islands to buy locomotives once used on O‘ahu.
The locomotives were sold and transported out of the state when sugar companies on O‘ahu shut down train systems in the 1940s and 1950s, and began using cane haul trucks because they were cheaper to operate, and allowed for flexibility in sugar cane operations.
Parts of the train proposal call for the creation of a train depot, an engine shop and a market for "historic crops" like sugar cane, bananas, papayas and guava and new crops that are in demand today as well. They include rambutan, cocoa and chermoya.
Historic buildings also would be used to house some of the planned improvements.
Across the street from the proposed train project, leaders with the YMCA of Kauai are seeking county permits to build a YMCA facility in phases on about 4 acres on mauka lands near the intersection of Kaumuali‘i Highway and Nuhou Road in Puhi.
YMCA leaders said the facility would allow the organization to enhance its services to the community.
In addition to the construction of recreational facilities, for which YMCA members would pay to use, a 50-meter, Olympic-size pool is planned.
The final proposal that could be up for action by the planning commission involves the formal use of what was the oldest Japanese Buddhist mission building on Kaua‘i as a bed-and-breakfast operation.
The building is located at the eastern edge of Hanalei town, and is owned by Yuichi and Kelley Sato.
Their request for permits marks the first tine in many years anyone has sought government approval for a bed-and-breakfast operation.
Six years ago, many people ran such operations without proper county permits.
Those people didn't want to go through pubic hearings, and risk having the proposals rejected by the planning commission due to public protests.
The bed-and-breakfast operations are not vacation rentals, but longtime residents have said both bring in visitors that dramatically alter the neighborhood feel of communities.
In written testimonies sent to the county, some residents said commercial use of the former temple is appropriate because the property is surrounded by business.
Others said the project is needed to provide an alternative to vacation rentals and hotel rooms.
In other written testimony to the county, one resident voiced concerns that businesses have opened up outside the commercially-zoned uses of Hanalei town and that commercial uses have sprung up on the east end of town and have spread and expanded over the years.
The resident said it is not known whether the commercial uses and activities have county permits, and that the situation concerns her.
The building that the Satos want to formally use as a bed-and-breakfast operation was constructed in 1901, and was part of the Lihu‘e Hongwanji Mission in Kapaia.
The building was placed on State and National Registers of Historic Places in 1977 and 1978, respectively.
Although the building was used for temple-related social and recreational events for many year, it was slated for demolition in the mid-1980s, according to county documents.
Church leaders had decided this course of action was needed to make way for a new educational building on the grounds of the Lihu‘e Hongwanji Mission site, located makai of Kuhio Highway in Kapaia.
The building was subsequently relocated to Hanalei town and has been used as a home in recent years.
Out of respect for the history of the building, the Satos, for their project, said they have decorated the house in Japanese style, including using bamboo beds, Asian-style prints and kimonos.
For their proposed project, the Satos said their bed-and-breakfast operation would accommodate six guests, two in each of the three bedrooms in the two-story, four-bedroom and two-bath home.
The couple plans to live in one of the rooms.
Hanalei bed and breakfast conversion, YMCA plans and railroad on Tuesday agenda
By LESTER CHANG - TGI Staff Writer
Posted: Monday, Mar 08, 2004 - 05:21:21 am HST
Proposals to use a former Japanese Buddhist mission building in Hanalei as a bed-and-breakfast operation, to build YMCA buildings envisioned for 10 years and to operate the first commercial railroad on Kaua‘i since the mid-1950s top the Kaua‘i County Planning Commission meeting agenda for Tuesday, March 9.
Meetings on the proposals are scheduled to start at 9 a.m. and at 1:30 p.m. at the Lihu‘e Civic Center.
The biggest project involves the proposal by Kauai Kilohana Partners to operate a 2.5-mile "excursion railway system" on the grounds of the Kilohana Plantation and on former cane lands.
The railway project would unfold on 103 acres mauka of Kaumuali‘i Highway in Puhi.
The leaders of Kauai Kilohana are seeking commission approval for a special permit, a use permit and a Class VI zoning permit.
If the permits are approved, the project will provide residents and visitors a glimpse of Kaua‘i's past when the types of trains proposed for use in the railway system were used to haul cane from the fields to mills between the late-1800s to the mid-1950s.
The leaders of Kauai Kilohana have talked with business interests in the Philippine Islands to buy locomotives once used on O‘ahu.
The locomotives were sold and transported out of the state when sugar companies on O‘ahu shut down train systems in the 1940s and 1950s, and began using cane haul trucks because they were cheaper to operate, and allowed for flexibility in sugar cane operations.
Parts of the train proposal call for the creation of a train depot, an engine shop and a market for "historic crops" like sugar cane, bananas, papayas and guava and new crops that are in demand today as well. They include rambutan, cocoa and chermoya.
Historic buildings also would be used to house some of the planned improvements.
Across the street from the proposed train project, leaders with the YMCA of Kauai are seeking county permits to build a YMCA facility in phases on about 4 acres on mauka lands near the intersection of Kaumuali‘i Highway and Nuhou Road in Puhi.
YMCA leaders said the facility would allow the organization to enhance its services to the community.
In addition to the construction of recreational facilities, for which YMCA members would pay to use, a 50-meter, Olympic-size pool is planned.
The final proposal that could be up for action by the planning commission involves the formal use of what was the oldest Japanese Buddhist mission building on Kaua‘i as a bed-and-breakfast operation.
The building is located at the eastern edge of Hanalei town, and is owned by Yuichi and Kelley Sato.
Their request for permits marks the first tine in many years anyone has sought government approval for a bed-and-breakfast operation.
Six years ago, many people ran such operations without proper county permits.
Those people didn't want to go through pubic hearings, and risk having the proposals rejected by the planning commission due to public protests.
The bed-and-breakfast operations are not vacation rentals, but longtime residents have said both bring in visitors that dramatically alter the neighborhood feel of communities.
In written testimonies sent to the county, some residents said commercial use of the former temple is appropriate because the property is surrounded by business.
Others said the project is needed to provide an alternative to vacation rentals and hotel rooms.
In other written testimony to the county, one resident voiced concerns that businesses have opened up outside the commercially-zoned uses of Hanalei town and that commercial uses have sprung up on the east end of town and have spread and expanded over the years.
The resident said it is not known whether the commercial uses and activities have county permits, and that the situation concerns her.
The building that the Satos want to formally use as a bed-and-breakfast operation was constructed in 1901, and was part of the Lihu‘e Hongwanji Mission in Kapaia.
The building was placed on State and National Registers of Historic Places in 1977 and 1978, respectively.
Although the building was used for temple-related social and recreational events for many year, it was slated for demolition in the mid-1980s, according to county documents.
Church leaders had decided this course of action was needed to make way for a new educational building on the grounds of the Lihu‘e Hongwanji Mission site, located makai of Kuhio Highway in Kapaia.
The building was subsequently relocated to Hanalei town and has been used as a home in recent years.
Out of respect for the history of the building, the Satos, for their project, said they have decorated the house in Japanese style, including using bamboo beds, Asian-style prints and kimonos.
For their proposed project, the Satos said their bed-and-breakfast operation would accommodate six guests, two in each of the three bedrooms in the two-story, four-bedroom and two-bath home.
The couple plans to live in one of the rooms.
24fps Productions and Air Sea Land Productions Complete Two 1-Hour Documentaries for VOOM's Rush HD Network: "24fps Productions and Air Sea Land Productions Complete Two 1-Hour Documentaries for VOOM's Rush HD Network
NEW YORK, NEW YORK (Mar. 10, 2004) -- 24fps Productions and Air Sea Land Productions, Inc. have wrapped final production on two breakthrough high definition documentaries, On a Single Breath - The Extreme Sport of Freediving, and FreeFlight.
The two one-hour programs, produced for VOOM's Rush HD Network, explore the outer limits of extreme sports, from the underwater world of freediving to the untested horizons of free flight in paragliders and ultralights.
Green-lighted in early November, the production of the documentaries were shot entirely in high definition, and encompassed locations in Kona and Kauai, Hawaii, Miami, Florida and Aspen, Colorado. The programs are currently in heavy-rotation on Rush HD. For program listings, please visit www.voom.tv
On a Single Breath followed the quest of 52-year old Annabel Briseno as she attempted four world records in one week. As the week unfolds it becomes clear that a world record in free diving is a precarious agreement of mind, body and sea that sometimes collapses violently.
In FreeFlight, the philosophy of maximizing the pilot's connection to the heavens by minimizing the aircraft fuels an incredible visual experience along the cliffs of Hawaii and the altitudes of Aspen. The host, a conventional pilot, was treated to the most thrilling flights of her life by stripping away the airplane and experiencing flight in a new and intense way.
'It was an incredible feat to pair these captivating stories with such stunning visuals,"
NEW YORK, NEW YORK (Mar. 10, 2004) -- 24fps Productions and Air Sea Land Productions, Inc. have wrapped final production on two breakthrough high definition documentaries, On a Single Breath - The Extreme Sport of Freediving, and FreeFlight.
The two one-hour programs, produced for VOOM's Rush HD Network, explore the outer limits of extreme sports, from the underwater world of freediving to the untested horizons of free flight in paragliders and ultralights.
Green-lighted in early November, the production of the documentaries were shot entirely in high definition, and encompassed locations in Kona and Kauai, Hawaii, Miami, Florida and Aspen, Colorado. The programs are currently in heavy-rotation on Rush HD. For program listings, please visit www.voom.tv
On a Single Breath followed the quest of 52-year old Annabel Briseno as she attempted four world records in one week. As the week unfolds it becomes clear that a world record in free diving is a precarious agreement of mind, body and sea that sometimes collapses violently.
In FreeFlight, the philosophy of maximizing the pilot's connection to the heavens by minimizing the aircraft fuels an incredible visual experience along the cliffs of Hawaii and the altitudes of Aspen. The host, a conventional pilot, was treated to the most thrilling flights of her life by stripping away the airplane and experiencing flight in a new and intense way.
'It was an incredible feat to pair these captivating stories with such stunning visuals,"
SunTrips Announces New Non-Stop Roundtrip Air Service from San Francisco and Seattle to Hawaii
SunTrips Announces New Non-Stop Roundtrip Air Service from San Francisco and Seattle to Hawaii
SAN JOSE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 10, 2004--SunTrips(TM), a wholly owned subsidiary of Flightserv, Inc. ("Flightserv"), announced today an agreement with American Trans Air to offer year-round daily, non-stop air service, effective March 8, 2004, from San Francisco, CA, and Seattle, WA, to Honolulu, HI.
Various vacation packages and fly-drive programs are available for Honolulu. Six-day packages, which include roundtrip air, airport transfers and accommodations, start at $620 from San Francisco and $645 from Seattle.*
In addition to the new American Trans Air service, SunTrips(TM) will continue to offer its public charter Hawaii service, operated by North American Airlines, from Oakland to Oahu, Maui, Kauai and the Big Island.
SunTrips(TM) is owned by Flightserv, a wholly owned subsidiary of RCG Companies Incorporated ("RCG")(AMEX: RCG). For more information and reservations, please call SunTrips(TM) at 1-800-SunTrips (786-8747) or visit www.suntrips.com.
* Package prices are per person based on double occupancy. All prices may vary according to date of departure, destination and availability and are capacity controlled. Prices exclude fees up to $27.60 per person and mandatory government taxes and fees up to $10.17 a day, depending on car rental agreement, payable directly to Alamo Rent-A-Car. Prices also exclude a September 11th Security Fee of up to $10.00 maximum roundtrip. Not responsible for errors or omissions. See Participant Agreement for details.
About SunTrips
SunTrips(TM) (www.suntrips.com), based in San Jose, CA, was founded in 1976 and serves more than 220,000 passengers per year. SunTrips(TM) is owned and operated by FS SunTours, a wholly owned subsidiary of Flightserv, one of the premier packaged leisure and vacation tour operators in the United States. Flightserv is a wholly owned subsidiary of RCG Companies Incorporated.
About RCG Companies Incorporated
RCG Companies Incorporated (www.rcgcompanies.com) is focused on delivering to its shareholders rapidly growing, relatively low-risk revenues, along with increasing earnings per share. The majority of RCG's revenues are currently derived from its wholly owned travel service segment, Flightserv, which delivers leisure and vacation travel packages under the SunTrips(TM) and Vacation Express(TM) brands, together making Flightserv one of the largest leisure travel tour operators in the United States. RCG is also involved in the technology services sector, through its wholly owned software and information technology services segment, Logisoft Corp.
SunTrips Announces New Non-Stop Roundtrip Air Service from San Francisco and Seattle to Hawaii
SAN JOSE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 10, 2004--SunTrips(TM), a wholly owned subsidiary of Flightserv, Inc. ("Flightserv"), announced today an agreement with American Trans Air to offer year-round daily, non-stop air service, effective March 8, 2004, from San Francisco, CA, and Seattle, WA, to Honolulu, HI.
Various vacation packages and fly-drive programs are available for Honolulu. Six-day packages, which include roundtrip air, airport transfers and accommodations, start at $620 from San Francisco and $645 from Seattle.*
In addition to the new American Trans Air service, SunTrips(TM) will continue to offer its public charter Hawaii service, operated by North American Airlines, from Oakland to Oahu, Maui, Kauai and the Big Island.
SunTrips(TM) is owned by Flightserv, a wholly owned subsidiary of RCG Companies Incorporated ("RCG")(AMEX: RCG). For more information and reservations, please call SunTrips(TM) at 1-800-SunTrips (786-8747) or visit www.suntrips.com.
* Package prices are per person based on double occupancy. All prices may vary according to date of departure, destination and availability and are capacity controlled. Prices exclude fees up to $27.60 per person and mandatory government taxes and fees up to $10.17 a day, depending on car rental agreement, payable directly to Alamo Rent-A-Car. Prices also exclude a September 11th Security Fee of up to $10.00 maximum roundtrip. Not responsible for errors or omissions. See Participant Agreement for details.
About SunTrips
SunTrips(TM) (www.suntrips.com), based in San Jose, CA, was founded in 1976 and serves more than 220,000 passengers per year. SunTrips(TM) is owned and operated by FS SunTours, a wholly owned subsidiary of Flightserv, one of the premier packaged leisure and vacation tour operators in the United States. Flightserv is a wholly owned subsidiary of RCG Companies Incorporated.
About RCG Companies Incorporated
RCG Companies Incorporated (www.rcgcompanies.com) is focused on delivering to its shareholders rapidly growing, relatively low-risk revenues, along with increasing earnings per share. The majority of RCG's revenues are currently derived from its wholly owned travel service segment, Flightserv, which delivers leisure and vacation travel packages under the SunTrips(TM) and Vacation Express(TM) brands, together making Flightserv one of the largest leisure travel tour operators in the United States. RCG is also involved in the technology services sector, through its wholly owned software and information technology services segment, Logisoft Corp.
Honolulu Star-Bulletin Business: Interisland time-share
air service seeks travelers
-----
By Lyn Danninger
ldanninger@starbulletin.com
Maui-based helicopter company Aris Inc. plans to launch an airplane time-share program it hopes will attract travelers who are looking for faster and more convenient interisland air service.
Aris Inc., which runs Air Maui Helicopters, formed a separate company called Air Partners Hawaii for the venture. It plans to charge $33,000 each to 10 buyers for an ownership share in its first Aero Commander 500 twin engine executive aircraft.
While similar services have been offered on the mainland for years, there are no others available in Hawaii, said Steve Egger, president of Aris.
"The concept of fractional ownerships or partnerships has been around for a long while," Egger said.
The aircraft was picked for its suitability to short interisland hops.
"We wanted a twin engine, fairly fast and we wanted it to be what we call cabin class. It can hold four people in club seating in the back in a separate compartment," he said.
While Greg Kahlstorf, president of Maui-based Pacific Wings, does not discount the idea of a plane time-share program, he wonders if there will be enough interest for such a service in Hawaii.
"It's definitely a niche product and you can buy a lot of round trips on Pacific Wings, Aloha and Hawaiian for $33,000. But having said that, there is a niche market for every product. It just a matter of how creatively you can market it.
"It also boils down to how those who are buying it plan to use it and how you balance demand during peak periods," Kahlstorf said.
Apart from the $33,000 initial ownership stake, there is a monthly management fee of $2,000, which covers crew and fixed costs. And $350 is charged per occupied flight hour, which covers aircraft expenses including fuel, maintenance, overhauls and cleaning.
Eggers said he has had some inquiries, mostly from those who do business on several islands. With cutbacks in neighbor island flights, he said, interisland travel can be especially difficult for people who need to visit multiple islands in a single day.
"Going from Maui to the Big Island and Kauai is an all-day affair now," he said.
If he gets enough interest, Eggers said he would like to have aircraft based on all islands. "Eventually we'd like to see at least five aircraft with a couple on Oahu at least," he said.
Air Partners Hawaii will begin sales Monday for the initial Maui-based aircraft.
air service seeks travelers
-----
By Lyn Danninger
ldanninger@starbulletin.com
Maui-based helicopter company Aris Inc. plans to launch an airplane time-share program it hopes will attract travelers who are looking for faster and more convenient interisland air service.
Aris Inc., which runs Air Maui Helicopters, formed a separate company called Air Partners Hawaii for the venture. It plans to charge $33,000 each to 10 buyers for an ownership share in its first Aero Commander 500 twin engine executive aircraft.
While similar services have been offered on the mainland for years, there are no others available in Hawaii, said Steve Egger, president of Aris.
"The concept of fractional ownerships or partnerships has been around for a long while," Egger said.
The aircraft was picked for its suitability to short interisland hops.
"We wanted a twin engine, fairly fast and we wanted it to be what we call cabin class. It can hold four people in club seating in the back in a separate compartment," he said.
While Greg Kahlstorf, president of Maui-based Pacific Wings, does not discount the idea of a plane time-share program, he wonders if there will be enough interest for such a service in Hawaii.
"It's definitely a niche product and you can buy a lot of round trips on Pacific Wings, Aloha and Hawaiian for $33,000. But having said that, there is a niche market for every product. It just a matter of how creatively you can market it.
"It also boils down to how those who are buying it plan to use it and how you balance demand during peak periods," Kahlstorf said.
Apart from the $33,000 initial ownership stake, there is a monthly management fee of $2,000, which covers crew and fixed costs. And $350 is charged per occupied flight hour, which covers aircraft expenses including fuel, maintenance, overhauls and cleaning.
Eggers said he has had some inquiries, mostly from those who do business on several islands. With cutbacks in neighbor island flights, he said, interisland travel can be especially difficult for people who need to visit multiple islands in a single day.
"Going from Maui to the Big Island and Kauai is an all-day affair now," he said.
If he gets enough interest, Eggers said he would like to have aircraft based on all islands. "Eventually we'd like to see at least five aircraft with a couple on Oahu at least," he said.
Air Partners Hawaii will begin sales Monday for the initial Maui-based aircraft.
Inventory stats measure changing Hawaii visitor accommodations
Howard Dicus
Oahu has 50.2 percent of all the hotel rooms in the state; Maui has 23.6 percent. The Big Island has twice as many B&Bs as any other island. Kauai has by far the most timeshares.
Those are some of the interesting details in the annual report on visitor accommodations, released by the state Department of Business, Economic Development & Tourism.
The term "hotel rooms" is actually not broad enough. The report counts regular hotel rooms, condo-hotel units, regular condos that are rented to visitors when not in use by their owners, B&Bs, timeshares, hostels, and even individual homes that are rented to visitors.
First news reports on the annual study contained the headline statistics: total visitor units rose 0.3 percent last year to 70,977, of which 68.7 percent were hotel rooms or suites, 23.6 percent were condo/hotel properties, and 2.8 percent were re individual vacation unit properties. B&Bs and hostels accounted for less than 1 percent of the statewide total.
But far more interesting than those bottom line figures were the deep details, the differences between the islands, and the historical perspective which the report also provided.
Maui County: up 3.3 percent to 18,578 units. The story here is expansion. Though Maui capacity peaked above 19,000 units in 1992 and 1993 before slipping slightly, it has now regained most of the slippage, and has about the same number of rooms that Oahu had in 1970. For comparison, in 1965 Maui had only 1,231, did not top 5,000 units until 1974, and hit 10,000 units in 1980. Maui now has only two fewer hotels than the Big Island almost 2,000 more hotel rooms. Maui visitor units are concentrated in on the West Maui coast from Lahaina north, with more than 9,600 units, and in the Kihei-Wailea area, with more than 7,300 units. In both cases those units are divided roughly equally between regular hotel rooms and condominium hotel units. Accommodations in other areas of Maui are measured in hundreds, not thousands, as is the case on both Lanai and Molokai, which have fewer than 700 units between them.
Kauai County: up 3.1 percent to 7,257 units. Kauai first topped 7,000 units in 1988 but fell back below 5,000 units in 1993 before rebuilding inventory after Hurricane Iniki. Kauai first topped 1,000 units in 1967. Kauai leads the state for timeshares; it has 35 percent of the 4,762 timeshare units statewide, and five times as many individual vacation units as Honolulu has. The Lihue, Kapaa and Princeville areas all have more than 1,000 visitor units of all types but the Poipu area has more than 2,300 units.
Big Island: up 1.9 percent to 9,478 units. The Big Island has three times the hotel capacity it had in 1970, but that's fewer rooms than Waikiki had in 1965. The Big Island fell into third place behind Maui in 1975. The Big Island leads the state for bed and breakfasts, with 61 individual B&Bs offering 265 rooms -- more than double 30 B&Bs with fewer than 100 rooms on Kauai, and even fewer on the other islands. The Big Island has 10 hotels apiece in the Kailua-Kona and Kohala-Waimea areas, and just under 4,000 units in both areas, compared to 7 hotels and fewer than 1,000 visitor units in Hilo. The Volcano area has 4 hotels, 14 B&Bs, several other kinds of visitor accommodations, and a total of 206 available units at 32 properties.
Honolulu: down 2.2 percent to 35,664 units. Oahu was the only island to see capacity diminish. It happened as hotels converted rooms to condominium units or apartments for residential use. Oahu has had more than 30,000 units since 1979 and peaked just above 39,000 units in 1986. Oahu capacity rose one third in the 1970s. In 1970, Oahu had only 18,000 units. Oahu has only 14 bed-and-breakfasts and 13 of them are on the Windward Side.
Howard Dicus
Oahu has 50.2 percent of all the hotel rooms in the state; Maui has 23.6 percent. The Big Island has twice as many B&Bs as any other island. Kauai has by far the most timeshares.
Those are some of the interesting details in the annual report on visitor accommodations, released by the state Department of Business, Economic Development & Tourism.
The term "hotel rooms" is actually not broad enough. The report counts regular hotel rooms, condo-hotel units, regular condos that are rented to visitors when not in use by their owners, B&Bs, timeshares, hostels, and even individual homes that are rented to visitors.
First news reports on the annual study contained the headline statistics: total visitor units rose 0.3 percent last year to 70,977, of which 68.7 percent were hotel rooms or suites, 23.6 percent were condo/hotel properties, and 2.8 percent were re individual vacation unit properties. B&Bs and hostels accounted for less than 1 percent of the statewide total.
But far more interesting than those bottom line figures were the deep details, the differences between the islands, and the historical perspective which the report also provided.
Maui County: up 3.3 percent to 18,578 units. The story here is expansion. Though Maui capacity peaked above 19,000 units in 1992 and 1993 before slipping slightly, it has now regained most of the slippage, and has about the same number of rooms that Oahu had in 1970. For comparison, in 1965 Maui had only 1,231, did not top 5,000 units until 1974, and hit 10,000 units in 1980. Maui now has only two fewer hotels than the Big Island almost 2,000 more hotel rooms. Maui visitor units are concentrated in on the West Maui coast from Lahaina north, with more than 9,600 units, and in the Kihei-Wailea area, with more than 7,300 units. In both cases those units are divided roughly equally between regular hotel rooms and condominium hotel units. Accommodations in other areas of Maui are measured in hundreds, not thousands, as is the case on both Lanai and Molokai, which have fewer than 700 units between them.
Kauai County: up 3.1 percent to 7,257 units. Kauai first topped 7,000 units in 1988 but fell back below 5,000 units in 1993 before rebuilding inventory after Hurricane Iniki. Kauai first topped 1,000 units in 1967. Kauai leads the state for timeshares; it has 35 percent of the 4,762 timeshare units statewide, and five times as many individual vacation units as Honolulu has. The Lihue, Kapaa and Princeville areas all have more than 1,000 visitor units of all types but the Poipu area has more than 2,300 units.
Big Island: up 1.9 percent to 9,478 units. The Big Island has three times the hotel capacity it had in 1970, but that's fewer rooms than Waikiki had in 1965. The Big Island fell into third place behind Maui in 1975. The Big Island leads the state for bed and breakfasts, with 61 individual B&Bs offering 265 rooms -- more than double 30 B&Bs with fewer than 100 rooms on Kauai, and even fewer on the other islands. The Big Island has 10 hotels apiece in the Kailua-Kona and Kohala-Waimea areas, and just under 4,000 units in both areas, compared to 7 hotels and fewer than 1,000 visitor units in Hilo. The Volcano area has 4 hotels, 14 B&Bs, several other kinds of visitor accommodations, and a total of 206 available units at 32 properties.
Honolulu: down 2.2 percent to 35,664 units. Oahu was the only island to see capacity diminish. It happened as hotels converted rooms to condominium units or apartments for residential use. Oahu has had more than 30,000 units since 1979 and peaked just above 39,000 units in 1986. Oahu capacity rose one third in the 1970s. In 1970, Oahu had only 18,000 units. Oahu has only 14 bed-and-breakfasts and 13 of them are on the Windward Side.
Tuesday, March 09, 2004
Honolulu Star-Bulletin Business
Hotel room gains
skip Oahu
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
By Dave Segal
dsegal@starbulletin.com
Hawaii's hotels and resort condominiums began the year fuller than they were a year ago, but a downturn in Japanese arrivals continues to hurt Oahu's occupancy levels.
Statewide occupancy rose 3.65 percent to 75.54 percent from 72.88 percent in January 2003, according to the latest monthly survey from PKF-Hawaii.
But a 9.4 percent decline in Japanese visitor arrivals in January took its toll on Oahu as occupancy levels on the island slipped to 76.20 percent from 77.07 percent. It was the only one of the five islands surveyed to report a decline.
In Waikiki, the occupancy level dropped to 76.46 percent from 77.43 percent although Waikiki properties off the beach and without restaurants posted the highest occupancy level of any statewide at 84.98 percent.
Economist Leroy Laney said he wasn't surprised by the numbers.
"It's kind of a continuation of what we've seen in the past," said Laney, chief economist at First Hawaiian Bank and a finance professor at Hawaii Pacific University. "Waikiki and Oahu, in general, tend to be affected more by the Japanese market, and the Japanese market continues to be weak. The mainland market has held up better and continues to be stronger."
U.S. West arrivals were up 0.8 percent in January from a year earlier while U.S. East arrivals rose 6.7 percent. Overall, total arrivals slipped 1 percent in January from January 2003.
All of the neighbor islands showed occupancy gains, with northern Kauai posting the biggest increase of any statewide region with a 34.33 percent rise to 70.28 percent from 52.32 percent a year earlier. For the entire Garden Island, occupancy increased to 73.68 percent from 63.92 percent.
An executive for Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide Inc., which manages the Princeville Resort in north Kauai, said the facility enjoyed one of its best Januarys in history.
"We were able to increase groups and also grow individual travelers," said Keith Vierra, senior vice president and director of operations for Starwood, which owns or manages 15 properties in Hawaii. "February looks equally as good."
Vierra said tourists have changed what they want in a vacation destination since 9/11 and Kauai has been a beneficiary.
"People are more interested in environmental and spiritual bonding and in being more romantic," Vierra said. "In past years, it was more sun-and-surf-type customers. But since 9/11, there has been a major shift. People believe rain brings beautiful waterfalls and waterfalls bring back memories and special feelings."
Vierra said that bonding experienced has broadened the reasons for traveling.
"It's greatly helped Kauai because Kauai is a green island and is known more for its hiking and natural beauty rather than getting a tan on the beach," he said.
Among other islands, Maui had the fullest occupancy at 78.48 percent compared with 73.82 percent a year earlier. Molokai increased to 73.26 percent from 65.74 percent and the Big Island increased to 71.46 percent from 64.17 percent.
Laney said the statewide increase in occupancy is another sign that Hawaii's economy is rebounding. "Tourism is coming back and joining some of the other robust sectors of the Hawaii economy," he said.
"In 2002 and 2003, and going back prior to that, construction, lower interest rates, home sales and auto sales were the big underpinnings of the state economy. Tourism started to come back in '03 and we're starting to see that same kind of trend into '04."
The statewide average daily room rate increased in January to $159.39 from $158.23 a year ago with three of the islands, including Oahu, showing gains.
Oahu's average rate rose to $112.18 from $108.40, with the rate on Waikiki increasing to $113.96 from $110.72.
The Big Island's average rate increased to $204.91 from $203.69 and Molokai jumped to $97.78 from $86.77.
Maui, which has the highest average price, saw its daily rate fall to $218.14 from $225.21 and Kauai dropped to $156.66 from $166.31.
The statewide revenue per available room, a financial indicator for hotels, rose 4.4 percent to $120.40 in January from $115.32 a year earlier as all the islands showed increases. Maui rose to $171.20 from $166.20. The Big Island increased to $146.43 from $130.70. Kauai rose to $115.43 from $106.31.
Oahu grew to $85.48 from $83.55, with Waikiki increasing to $87.13 from $85.73. Molokai rose to $71.63 from $57.04
Hotel room gains
skip Oahu
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
By Dave Segal
dsegal@starbulletin.com
Hawaii's hotels and resort condominiums began the year fuller than they were a year ago, but a downturn in Japanese arrivals continues to hurt Oahu's occupancy levels.
Statewide occupancy rose 3.65 percent to 75.54 percent from 72.88 percent in January 2003, according to the latest monthly survey from PKF-Hawaii.
But a 9.4 percent decline in Japanese visitor arrivals in January took its toll on Oahu as occupancy levels on the island slipped to 76.20 percent from 77.07 percent. It was the only one of the five islands surveyed to report a decline.
In Waikiki, the occupancy level dropped to 76.46 percent from 77.43 percent although Waikiki properties off the beach and without restaurants posted the highest occupancy level of any statewide at 84.98 percent.
Economist Leroy Laney said he wasn't surprised by the numbers.
"It's kind of a continuation of what we've seen in the past," said Laney, chief economist at First Hawaiian Bank and a finance professor at Hawaii Pacific University. "Waikiki and Oahu, in general, tend to be affected more by the Japanese market, and the Japanese market continues to be weak. The mainland market has held up better and continues to be stronger."
U.S. West arrivals were up 0.8 percent in January from a year earlier while U.S. East arrivals rose 6.7 percent. Overall, total arrivals slipped 1 percent in January from January 2003.
All of the neighbor islands showed occupancy gains, with northern Kauai posting the biggest increase of any statewide region with a 34.33 percent rise to 70.28 percent from 52.32 percent a year earlier. For the entire Garden Island, occupancy increased to 73.68 percent from 63.92 percent.
An executive for Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide Inc., which manages the Princeville Resort in north Kauai, said the facility enjoyed one of its best Januarys in history.
"We were able to increase groups and also grow individual travelers," said Keith Vierra, senior vice president and director of operations for Starwood, which owns or manages 15 properties in Hawaii. "February looks equally as good."
Vierra said tourists have changed what they want in a vacation destination since 9/11 and Kauai has been a beneficiary.
"People are more interested in environmental and spiritual bonding and in being more romantic," Vierra said. "In past years, it was more sun-and-surf-type customers. But since 9/11, there has been a major shift. People believe rain brings beautiful waterfalls and waterfalls bring back memories and special feelings."
Vierra said that bonding experienced has broadened the reasons for traveling.
"It's greatly helped Kauai because Kauai is a green island and is known more for its hiking and natural beauty rather than getting a tan on the beach," he said.
Among other islands, Maui had the fullest occupancy at 78.48 percent compared with 73.82 percent a year earlier. Molokai increased to 73.26 percent from 65.74 percent and the Big Island increased to 71.46 percent from 64.17 percent.
Laney said the statewide increase in occupancy is another sign that Hawaii's economy is rebounding. "Tourism is coming back and joining some of the other robust sectors of the Hawaii economy," he said.
"In 2002 and 2003, and going back prior to that, construction, lower interest rates, home sales and auto sales were the big underpinnings of the state economy. Tourism started to come back in '03 and we're starting to see that same kind of trend into '04."
The statewide average daily room rate increased in January to $159.39 from $158.23 a year ago with three of the islands, including Oahu, showing gains.
Oahu's average rate rose to $112.18 from $108.40, with the rate on Waikiki increasing to $113.96 from $110.72.
The Big Island's average rate increased to $204.91 from $203.69 and Molokai jumped to $97.78 from $86.77.
Maui, which has the highest average price, saw its daily rate fall to $218.14 from $225.21 and Kauai dropped to $156.66 from $166.31.
The statewide revenue per available room, a financial indicator for hotels, rose 4.4 percent to $120.40 in January from $115.32 a year earlier as all the islands showed increases. Maui rose to $171.20 from $166.20. The Big Island increased to $146.43 from $130.70. Kauai rose to $115.43 from $106.31.
Oahu grew to $85.48 from $83.55, with Waikiki increasing to $87.13 from $85.73. Molokai rose to $71.63 from $57.04
This ferry is similar to the two 340-foot catamarans Hawaii Superferry plans to use for passenger, car and freight service between Oahu, Kauai, Maui and the Big Island starting in 2006.
The Maui News: Ships to ply channels swiftly, to carry people, cars, cargo - - Maui News
Ships to ply channels swiftly, to carry people, cars, cargo
By HARRY EAGAR, Staff Writer
KAHULUI - The differences that are supposed to make the Hawaii Superferry the next revolution in interisland transportation are out of sight of the passengers - an all-aluminum welded hull and high-endurance diesel engines.
Maui got its first look at what the passengers will see Monday when a slightly smaller version of the proposed ship docked at Pier 3 at Kahului Harbor.
They saw a slab-sided, twin-hull vessel that is designed to get vehicles aboard fast, get them to another port cheaply and entertain their owners while doing so.
The two ferries are expected to begin daily service between Honolulu and Kahului late in 2006. The company is billing itself as the "H-4," and Hawaii Superferry Chairman Tim Dick said Monday the ferry has the potential to drastically improve the overall economy of the islands.
Dick, an engineer and dot-com millionaire, says similar ferries have already done so in the Canary Islands, a place much like Hawaii in size, climate, population and tourism.
The Canaries had no fast ferries until a few years ago, says Dick. Three big Austal ferries went into service in 2000, another in 2001, another in 2003 and another is expected this year.
That's twice as many as the promoters had originally projected, but Dick says a repeat visitor to those Atlantic islands can see where the growth is coming from. "It's been incredibly helpful" to the local economy, he says. "There is more agriculture, you can see more fields getting planted, it's creating agricultural growth."
He expects something similar could happen here. For example, with daily high-speed ferry service, Big Island ranchers, who have most of the dairy cows, could get their milk to Oahu, which has the dairies, and then onto trucks and onto the ferries to distribute a perishable product quickly to the other islands.
It would require some rethinking by the dairies, he says. They would have to obtain refrigerated trucks - the Superferry can carry 24 semis at a time - but he thinks they would go for it.
He projects that eventually cargo will provide 60 percent of the Superferry's business, although initially the company is predicting 60 percent from passengers. With daily service and easy loading, he can see the Superferry turning into a "door-to-door courier service."
Instead of separate islands, "we would become one state," he said.
Passenger prices are projected to be about half interisland airfare, and customers will be able to drive on a car for about the same price as themselves.
In other words, a couple could travel from Maui to Oahu and take their car for about the same price as flying - but without the expense of renting a car or taking a taxi at the other end.
The passenger capacity will be 900; with two ferries operating round trip, the capacity would be about the same as that of 18 Hawaiian or Aloha jets.
The ferry's promoters claim overall travel time will not be greatly different, once airport security and hassle are taken into account.
Exactly how passengers will get aboard at Kahului is under study. Scott Cunningham, Maui County district manager of the state Harbors Division, says the state is "very supportive" of the ferry idea but does not yet know how the shore-side operations will be set up.
Cramped Kahului Harbor will present the greatest difficulties. Nawiliwili, Kauai; Kawaihae, Hawaii; and Honolulu are comparatively simple in comparison.
Once it is decided which pier - both Pier 2 and Pier 3 are under consideration - the ferry docks at, the cars will be marshaled somewhere, possibly outside the harbor area.
Then they will drive on across a stern ramp six lanes wide.
The drivers will head for the bow, then peel off left or right to park in the hangar deck, which is the size of a football field.
That will position them to drive right off at the other end.
"Really, what it's all about is organization," says Dick. A whole load of 280 cars (or 24 trucks and 200 cars) can be boarded in 30 minutes.
Once aboard, the customers will climb two flights of stairs (there's an elevator for disabled passengers) to a spacious, enclosed promenade deck.
This will include three restaurants (probably a coffee and juice bar, a plate lunch palace and a fancier "taste of the islands" eatery), a children's play area, business center, shops and plenty of observation areas.
Most seating will be similar to airlines' but with more legroom.
The vessel will be able to accommodate laptop computer users, although cell phones will lose their effectiveness about three miles from shore. Therefore, the ships will have phone booths, with satellite phones.
The outdoor sun (and smoking) deck will be a brisk environment. The ship will move through the water at 35 knots, or about 40 miles an hour.
Dick says there are almost 50 of these huge, fast, Australian-designed ferries in service worldwide, with a perfect safety record. The U.S. Marines use one on a 1,100-mile route between Okinawa and Yokohama.
Down below, in remarkably clean engine rooms, lie the engines - four 11,000-horsepower, 20-cylinder diesel engines that drive four 300-kilowatt generators.
The generators power pumps that push water through huge, steerable gates that serve the function that propellers and a rudder do in most ships. At flank speed, each gate passes an Olympic-size pool full of water each second.
The engines, from Detroit Diesel Off Highway Systems, can push the ship over the waves at a remarkable rate. The somewhat smaller Spirit of Ontario I that called at Kahului Monday is said to be the fastest big ferry in the world, capable of 48 miles an hour and designed to cruise at 44 mph.
The Hawaii Superferry, intended for the open ocean, will not go quite that fast, says Dick, although it has so much in reserve that it can keep up its design speed on just three engines.
Engine rooms of diesel-powered vessels are usually filmed in diesel oil. Not so with Spirit of Ontario, even after crossing the Pacific.
Don Thornburg, president of Ocean Frontier on Kauai, who represents Detroit Diesel, says the reason is double-walled, high-pressure injector lines.
The engines also have carbon-fiber drive shafts, instead of steel. Their behavior is monitored through more than 100 sensors, and the engines are designed to run an almost incredible 24,000 hours before major rebuilds.
The company expects to operate 16 hours a day, which would mean more than four years between engine tear-downs. Since the ships can maintain speed on three engines, it should be possible to operate day in and day out for years without stopping for engine maintenance.
That does not mean the ferry will sail every day, says Dick. There are occasions when waves breaking across harbor entrances will keep the ferry at home, but it is designed to operate in most weather.
The whole thing is so high-tech, according to Dick, that the Jones Act does not affect the cost: $75 million per ship.
They will be built in Alabama in a joint venture between Austal of Perth, Australia, and Bender Industries, an American shipyard.
For traditional steel ships, construction in U.S. yards, which is required by federal law for ships trading between domestic ports, is much more expensive than in foreign yards.
However, says Dick, not even the best foreign yards can manage the intricate welding and other advanced techniques required by the Austal design.
For all that, the designs are more than 10 years old and well-proven, Dick says. Leading edge, not bleeding edge, is the company's watchword.
The last attempt to introduce high-speed interisland ferries to Hawaii - SeaFlite - failed because the then-unproven technology could not stand up to Hawaiian conditions.
According to Dick, Austal ferries have coped with seas as bad as Hawaii's in the English Channel, the Baltic and other rough seaways.
At cruising speed, the four engines will consume about three tons of diesel per hour. "It sounds like a lot," says Dick, but it is much less fuel than jet planes would use to move the same traffic.
Other considerations for a ferry service include disposal of wastewater and avoiding humpback whales.
The company is hoping that the state will build pump-out stations and holding tanks at Pier 19 in Honolulu for wastewater.
If the state doesn't, the ferries will install onboard treatment plants, and the effluent will be discharged outside the 12-mile limit.
Avoiding whales will require new technology, now being developed.
According to Dick, professor Joe Mobley of the University of Hawaii-West Oahu has tested a radar that had zero failures in picking out whales. In a test off Oahu, with aerial surveillance to check the background, the system identified all the whales present and did not misidentify anything else in the ocean as a whale.
Dick says the ferry will be rerouted during whale season to avoid the shallow waters where the whales congregate. That will add about half an hour to the usual time between Honolulu and Kahului, planned for 2 1/2 hours.
Some other maritime ventures announced for Hawaii have never gotten their feet wet for lack of financing, but Hawaii Superferry says it has most of the $150 million it needs in place and expects the rest by the end of this year. The Federal Maritime Administration is backing the venture with loan guarantees on the ship construction.
Once in operation, each ferry will require a crew of 27, and the company as a whole expects to build up to a staff of 300.
Honolulu Star-Bulletin Business
Big Isle, Kauai home
prices keep soaring
The median sale price of Kauai
condominiums jumped nearly
85 percent last month
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
By Lyn Danninger
ldanninger@starbulletin.com
Homes sales on the Big Island and Kauai continued their New Year's upward trend with price increases in both single-family homes and condominiums.
Single-family home sales and prices on the Big Island continued to move ahead in February with 163 homes sold during the month and a median price of $262,650, according to the Hawaii Information Service. That marks an 18.8 percent increase from a median price of $221,000 a year ago, when 145 homes were sold.
There were 71 condominium sales on the Big Island in February, four fewer than the previous year.
But condo sales prices showed no sign of a slowdown. The median price last month was $195,000, almost 38 percent higher than the previous February.
Big Island real estate agent Gary Davis, of Clark Realty in Waimea, said he believes more sales would occur if not for inventory shortages.
"Homes are coming on the market and being picked up real fast. The one thing putting a damper on even more sales are the people who would sell but have little inventory to choose (for a replacement property) from so we are seeing more remodeling," Davis said.
Kauai home prices and sales volume showed increases in both single-family homes and condominiums last month, although condominiums were clearly the hot ticket with prices pushing ahead of single-family homes.
There were 45 single-family homes sold on the Garden Isle in February, 32 percent more than the 34 sold in the previous year, according to the Hawaii Information Service. Sales prices for homes in the month rose just more than 29 percent to a median of $410,000 from $317,500 last year.
There were 47 condominium sales, up nearly 68 percent from 28 sales the previous year. Condo sales prices jumped ahead of single-family home prices, rising to a median of $420,000 -- almost 85 percent above the previous year's median of $227,253.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Big Isle, Kauai home
prices keep soaring
The median sale price of Kauai
condominiums jumped nearly
85 percent last month
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
By Lyn Danninger
ldanninger@starbulletin.com
Homes sales on the Big Island and Kauai continued their New Year's upward trend with price increases in both single-family homes and condominiums.
Single-family home sales and prices on the Big Island continued to move ahead in February with 163 homes sold during the month and a median price of $262,650, according to the Hawaii Information Service. That marks an 18.8 percent increase from a median price of $221,000 a year ago, when 145 homes were sold.
There were 71 condominium sales on the Big Island in February, four fewer than the previous year.
But condo sales prices showed no sign of a slowdown. The median price last month was $195,000, almost 38 percent higher than the previous February.
Big Island real estate agent Gary Davis, of Clark Realty in Waimea, said he believes more sales would occur if not for inventory shortages.
"Homes are coming on the market and being picked up real fast. The one thing putting a damper on even more sales are the people who would sell but have little inventory to choose (for a replacement property) from so we are seeing more remodeling," Davis said.
Kauai home prices and sales volume showed increases in both single-family homes and condominiums last month, although condominiums were clearly the hot ticket with prices pushing ahead of single-family homes.
There were 45 single-family homes sold on the Garden Isle in February, 32 percent more than the 34 sold in the previous year, according to the Hawaii Information Service. Sales prices for homes in the month rose just more than 29 percent to a median of $410,000 from $317,500 last year.
There were 47 condominium sales, up nearly 68 percent from 28 sales the previous year. Condo sales prices jumped ahead of single-family home prices, rising to a median of $420,000 -- almost 85 percent above the previous year's median of $227,253.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Monday, March 08, 2004
Kauai Garden Island News: "Visitor arrivals increase on Kaua�i
ALL ABOARD? � On Kaua�i, 13,361 cruise-ship visitors came to the island in January 2004, an 18.8 percent decrease from the same time last year. The Statendam could help boost visitor arrivals in the next few months.
By BARRY GRAHAM - TGI Business Editor
Posted: Sunday, Mar 07, 2004 - 04:14:43 am HST
Available data in the most recent state Department of Economic Development and Tourism (DBEDT) report indicated that visitor arrivals by air from the domestic market continued to increase in January 2004 compared to the same month last year.
'We are pleased to see steady growth in visitor arrivals from our primary U.S. market,' Marsha Wienert, state tourism liaison, said. 'Arrivals increased across all U.S. regions. It is also encouraging to see the improvement from our MCI visitor segment, which has continued to grow since July 2003.'
Additional preliminary January 2004 visitor statistics:
Total air visitors: A total of 512,186 visitors came to the islands during the month, slightly down by 1 percent from January 2003.
On Kaua�i, the number of total arrivals was 74,292, 11,100 of which were international visitors.
'I think that when comparing Kaua�i's numbers to the other Counties, we're holding up pretty well when looking at statewide trends,' said Margy Parker, executive director of the Poipu Beach Resort Association.
Total visitor days numbered 5.3 million, with an average length of stay of 10.39 days.
Domestic air visitors: Domestic arrivals rose 2.8 percent to 342,415 visitors throughout the state.
The average length of stay was 11.66 days. Arrivals from the U.S. market, which accounted for 90.1 percent of all domestic visitors, r"
ALL ABOARD? � On Kaua�i, 13,361 cruise-ship visitors came to the island in January 2004, an 18.8 percent decrease from the same time last year. The Statendam could help boost visitor arrivals in the next few months.
By BARRY GRAHAM - TGI Business Editor
Posted: Sunday, Mar 07, 2004 - 04:14:43 am HST
Available data in the most recent state Department of Economic Development and Tourism (DBEDT) report indicated that visitor arrivals by air from the domestic market continued to increase in January 2004 compared to the same month last year.
'We are pleased to see steady growth in visitor arrivals from our primary U.S. market,' Marsha Wienert, state tourism liaison, said. 'Arrivals increased across all U.S. regions. It is also encouraging to see the improvement from our MCI visitor segment, which has continued to grow since July 2003.'
Additional preliminary January 2004 visitor statistics:
Total air visitors: A total of 512,186 visitors came to the islands during the month, slightly down by 1 percent from January 2003.
On Kaua�i, the number of total arrivals was 74,292, 11,100 of which were international visitors.
'I think that when comparing Kaua�i's numbers to the other Counties, we're holding up pretty well when looking at statewide trends,' said Margy Parker, executive director of the Poipu Beach Resort Association.
Total visitor days numbered 5.3 million, with an average length of stay of 10.39 days.
Domestic air visitors: Domestic arrivals rose 2.8 percent to 342,415 visitors throughout the state.
The average length of stay was 11.66 days. Arrivals from the U.S. market, which accounted for 90.1 percent of all domestic visitors, r"
Kauai Garden Island News: "KAUAI Sports
Irons brothers win Expression Session Down Under
Special to TGI
SNAPPER ROCKS, Aus. -- Reigning two-time world champion Andy Irons of Hanalei landed a huge frontside �Alley-Oop' to take out the Best Aerial section, adding another $1,000 to his bank account in the Foster's men's Expression Session Saturday.
WCT newcomer and younger brother Bruce made up for his round two loss in the Quiksilver Pro presented by Boost Mobile main event, winning the Best Maneuver category for his aerial 360.
The event took place following the postponement of the World Championship Tour event, and allowed surfers an opportunity to make use of available swell that, despite onshore northerly winds and difficult four- to five- foot surf, attracted a large beach crowd who were witness to some incredible surfing.
'I just dropped into the wave and it wedged up really nicely for an air section,' said Andy. 'I went up for the alley-oop and spun out of it really quickly. I was pretty stoked to pull it off.
'Expression Sessions are awesome, especially with conditions like we had. Everyone was doing huge airs and big turns, so it's exciting to watch,' he added.
Andy, who will surf against Floridian C.J. Hobgood in the fourth round of the Quiksilver Pro, started things of with the huge air.
Bruce followed later, busting his 360 on a solid section.
'Extra money and Expression Sessions are fun,' said Bruce. 'You go out there and just do what you want. I definitely didn't want to let him (Andy) take it all. I knew he already had the best air, so I just went for a variation move and was stoked to win a spot.'
Australian Tom Whitaker also picked up $1,000 for the Best overall ride.
In the w"
Irons brothers win Expression Session Down Under
Special to TGI
SNAPPER ROCKS, Aus. -- Reigning two-time world champion Andy Irons of Hanalei landed a huge frontside �Alley-Oop' to take out the Best Aerial section, adding another $1,000 to his bank account in the Foster's men's Expression Session Saturday.
WCT newcomer and younger brother Bruce made up for his round two loss in the Quiksilver Pro presented by Boost Mobile main event, winning the Best Maneuver category for his aerial 360.
The event took place following the postponement of the World Championship Tour event, and allowed surfers an opportunity to make use of available swell that, despite onshore northerly winds and difficult four- to five- foot surf, attracted a large beach crowd who were witness to some incredible surfing.
'I just dropped into the wave and it wedged up really nicely for an air section,' said Andy. 'I went up for the alley-oop and spun out of it really quickly. I was pretty stoked to pull it off.
'Expression Sessions are awesome, especially with conditions like we had. Everyone was doing huge airs and big turns, so it's exciting to watch,' he added.
Andy, who will surf against Floridian C.J. Hobgood in the fourth round of the Quiksilver Pro, started things of with the huge air.
Bruce followed later, busting his 360 on a solid section.
'Extra money and Expression Sessions are fun,' said Bruce. 'You go out there and just do what you want. I definitely didn't want to let him (Andy) take it all. I knew he already had the best air, so I just went for a variation move and was stoked to win a spot.'
Australian Tom Whitaker also picked up $1,000 for the Best overall ride.
In the w"
TheHawaiiChannel - Travel Getaways - Kauai Hopes To Lure More Visitors In 2004: "Kauai Hopes To Lure More Visitors In 2004
Officials Hope To Top 2003 Record
POSTED: 12:43 pm HST March 4, 2004
HONOLULU -- Kauai tourism officials are looking to improve upon a strong 2003 record. Members of the Kauai Visitors Bureau talked about those plans in their annual meeting Thursday.
The bureau wants to keep advertising in major travel magazines this year.
Visitor numbers stayed up last year, helped in part by direct flights from the mainland, according to the bureau's executive director.
'We actually did a very, very good year. Our length of stay was up to 7.44, so that was good for Kauai, and visitor expenditures were up. So, we did well. We're very happy,' said Sue Kanoho of the Kauai Visitors Bureau.
The bureau's plans continue targeting families and golfers in this year's marketing. It's also developing a new, interactive CD to promote Kauai as a place for conventions and meetings."
Officials Hope To Top 2003 Record
POSTED: 12:43 pm HST March 4, 2004
HONOLULU -- Kauai tourism officials are looking to improve upon a strong 2003 record. Members of the Kauai Visitors Bureau talked about those plans in their annual meeting Thursday.
The bureau wants to keep advertising in major travel magazines this year.
Visitor numbers stayed up last year, helped in part by direct flights from the mainland, according to the bureau's executive director.
'We actually did a very, very good year. Our length of stay was up to 7.44, so that was good for Kauai, and visitor expenditures were up. So, we did well. We're very happy,' said Sue Kanoho of the Kauai Visitors Bureau.
The bureau's plans continue targeting families and golfers in this year's marketing. It's also developing a new, interactive CD to promote Kauai as a place for conventions and meetings."
American to fly SFO-Maui, add flights to Kauai - 2004-03-05 - Pacific Business News (Honolulu): "American to fly SFO-Maui, add flights to Kauai
American Airlines will begin seasonal nonstop service from San Francisco to Maui on June 10, its first ever nonstop link between the two points.
The largest airline also announced Thursday it will increases its service from Los Angeles to Lihue, a corridor served only by it and United.
'With our new nonstop to Maui, and more service to Lihue, American is making it easier and more convenient to see and experience all the wonderful things that Hawaii has to offer,' said Mike Nozaki, American's general manager in Hawaii. 'American knows that Hawaii is the ultimate dream destination for many people, and we stand ready to make those dreams come true.'
American will fly the San Francisco-Maui route with one daily round trip, using Boeing 757 with 22 first-class seats and 166 seats in the main cabin. The service, which will run through Sept. 7, will leave San Francisco at 5:50 p.m. and arrive Kahului at 10:02 p.m. The return is a red-eye.
Service from Los Angeles to Lihue will increase from the current one daily flight to one daily and four weekly flights on April 4. Then on June 10, an additional weekly flight will be added, bringing American to one daily and five weekly flights in this market. The regular flight leaves Los Angeles at 5:25 p.m. and gets to Kauai at 8:14 p.m. with a red-eye return. The extra flight will leave LAX at 10:40 a.m., arrive Lihue 1:30 p.m., and return in the late afternoon. "
American Airlines will begin seasonal nonstop service from San Francisco to Maui on June 10, its first ever nonstop link between the two points.
The largest airline also announced Thursday it will increases its service from Los Angeles to Lihue, a corridor served only by it and United.
'With our new nonstop to Maui, and more service to Lihue, American is making it easier and more convenient to see and experience all the wonderful things that Hawaii has to offer,' said Mike Nozaki, American's general manager in Hawaii. 'American knows that Hawaii is the ultimate dream destination for many people, and we stand ready to make those dreams come true.'
American will fly the San Francisco-Maui route with one daily round trip, using Boeing 757 with 22 first-class seats and 166 seats in the main cabin. The service, which will run through Sept. 7, will leave San Francisco at 5:50 p.m. and arrive Kahului at 10:02 p.m. The return is a red-eye.
Service from Los Angeles to Lihue will increase from the current one daily flight to one daily and four weekly flights on April 4. Then on June 10, an additional weekly flight will be added, bringing American to one daily and five weekly flights in this market. The regular flight leaves Los Angeles at 5:25 p.m. and gets to Kauai at 8:14 p.m. with a red-eye return. The extra flight will leave LAX at 10:40 a.m., arrive Lihue 1:30 p.m., and return in the late afternoon. "
