Grand Slam event to stay in Hawaii

MIAMI, Feb 18 (Reuters) - The end-of-season PGA Grand Slam of Golf, which brings together the winners of the year's four major championships, will return to Kauai in Hawaii this year, the organisers have said.
The PGA of America had considered moving the elite event elsewhere, with Las Vegas and the Caribbean among the possible options.
"This year's purse will also increase to $1.25 million with the winner receiving $500,000, second place $300,000, third place $250,000 and fourth place $200,000," the PGA of America said in a statement.
The 36-hole stroke-play event, billed as "the most exclusive tournament in golf", will take place at the Poipu Bay Golf Course on Kauai's southern shore from Nov. 21-22.
Last November, U.S. Masters and British Open champion Tiger Woods romped to a seven-shot victory over U.S. PGA Championship winner Phil Mickelson.
World number one Woods has claimed the title six times in the last eight years.
(Writing by Mark Lamport-Stokes in Los Angeles)

Parade to Welcome Kauai Soldiers

Parade to welcome Kauai soldiers
LIHUE » A parade to welcome home Kauai's soldiers fighting overseas will be held March 4, Kauai Mayor Bryan Baptiste announced last week.
The approximately 125 troops from the Hawaii Army National Guard and the Hawaii Air National Guard who fought overseas are all invited, as well as various dignitaries and any other Kauai soldiers "who have been there and should be honored," Baptiste said.
The parade, which will include high school bands, veterans and military representatives, JROTC and others, will begin at around 10 a.m. on Rice Street fronting the Historic County Building, and end at Vidinha Stadium.
After the parade will be festivities including the blessing of Vidinha Stadium's rubberized track and a welcome home program with entertainment, the mayor said.
Gov. Linda Lingle, Baptiste and Maj. Gen. Robert Lee, head of the Hawaii National Guard, are scheduled to speak. All soldiers will receive certificates and leis.

Princeville or Poipu

Princeville or Poipu: "Princeville or Poipu?
Which Side of Kauai Should I Stay On?
Vacation Rentals on Kauai's North and South Shores
Although you can find vacation rentals all over Kauai, the island has two main tourist destinations. Most accommodations and vacation rentals are located on either Kauai's north shore from around Kilauea to Princeville and Hanalei or on Kauai's exact south shore at Poipu. These two areas seem to attract a vast majority of the visitors to Kauai and each for different reasons:"
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Princeville or Poipu

Mesa Airlines plans Hawaii takeoff

HONOLULU Mesa Airlines is moving ahead with plans to begin interisland flights in Hawaii's crowded skies.
The head of the Phoenix-based carrier says he thinks Mesa Airlines can offer cheaper flights and be competitive with Hawaiian Airlines, Aloha Airlines and Island Air.
Chairman Jonathan Ornstein says he doesn't know if the Hawaii market can sustain four interisland carriers. His implication is that one or more of them could eventually die out.
Ornstein says the airline has selected a name and logo, designed a Web site, spent money on automated-ticket kiosks and started training.
Mesa will start flying with two or three 50-passenger jets, and then expand to six planes after a few weeks.
Mesa claims it will offer fares as low as 43 dollars from Honolulu to Kauai and Maui, and 46 dollars and 50 cents to Hilo and Kona on the Big Island.

Kids Kauai Excites Young and Old

A raindrop's journey through the Water Wall, symbolized by the white balls being held by keiki, intrigued both keiki and adults with watershed concepts.
By Dennis Fujimoto - The Garden Island
Posted: Tuesday, Jan 31, 2006 - 04:17:46 am HST
WAIPOULI — The excitement can't help but be infectious when the primary designer and creator of a new children's science exhibit is so into it that she goes out and collects her own calcite to add to the realism of the exhibit.
"Jana Rothenberg actually went out and dug up the deposits of calcite," said Susan Little, executive director of the Kauai Children's Discovery Museum said.
The sounds of happy keiki told the story of the shared excitement on opening day of the Kids Kaua'i educational playhouse Rothenberg and others created at the museum at Kaua'i Village Shopping Center.
Rothenberg collected the calcite deposits on the island so keiki visiting the new display would be able to see first-hand those actual deposits.
The Kids Kauai portion of the KCDM opened Saturday to many residents and visitors who took advantage of a "free day" (admission waived) to check out not only the new display, but experience the hula display that Little said is on loan from leaders of the Bishop Museum.
"The Kids Kauai display ties together all the peripheral displays and is a permanent display," Little said. "The idea for Kids Kauai was conceived by former director Robin Mazor, with Rothenberg coming up with the academic concepts and design."
One of the facets of Kids Kauai utilizes watershed concepts, and drew the interest of keiki and adults alike as they watched a raindrop, symbolized by a white, plastic, practice golf ball, make its journey from the sky to the ocean.
The dynamic display utilizes a series of pipe flow ways as well as a rope lift to demonstrate how the water recycles to the atmosphere once it reaches the ocean.
A climbing wall in the volcano section leads keiki to the top of the mount where the calcite cave is located somewhere in the valleys of Waimea Canyon.
"Where in the world am I?" greets youngsters entering the Kids Kauai, a globe to help navigate greeting patrons at the stairways that lead to a maze of adventure and learning.
"It's a stunning beauty," Little said. "It's like a living painting."
Little said that there are plans to convert one of the rooms in the back of the museum to center around the Kids Commotion concept, with that phase scheduled to open later this year.
The Kauai Children's Discovery Museum is located in the whale tower at the Kaua'i Village shopping center off Kuhio Highway in Waipouli.