Plans underway to fix wall protecting Waikiki Beach ADVERTISING Plans underway to fix wall protecting Waikiki Beach HONOLULU (AP) — Hawaii’s most visited beach will wash away if the 89-year-old wall holding it together crumbles down. The state Department of
Plans underway to fix wall protecting Waikiki Beach
HONOLULU (AP) — Hawaii’s most visited beach will wash away if the 89-year-old wall holding it together crumbles down.
The state Department of Land and Natural Resources is considering six repair options for Waikiki Beach’s erosion barrier, which officials fear could fail at any time.
University of Hawaii Sea Grant Program coastal hazards expert Dolan Eversole says the beach would disappear in months without the wall.
Cost estimates range from $880,000 to $1.7 million. The Waikiki Beach Special Improvement District Association on Monday endorsed the project and agreed to pay half of the project costs, with a cap at $750,000.
Officials will recommend a plan to the state Board of Land and Natural Resources after meeting with the public and obtaining input. The board will then decide next steps. With permit approvals, construction could start early in 2017 and is expected to take between 60 and 90 days.
Hawaiian Airlines sees strong demand; shares of parent rise
NEW YORK (AP) — Shares of Hawaiian Airlines’ parent rose sharply Wednesday after the carrier made bullish comments about travel demand.
The stock rallied a day after Hawaiian reported its fourth-quarter net income rose to $37.9 million from $11.1 million in the same quarter of 2014.
Excluding one-time items, the company said it would have earned 85 cents per share, a penny better than the forecast of eight analysts surveyed by FactSet. Revenue was roughly flat at $574.2 million, but spending on fuel tumbled 41 percent, a savings of $62.4 million from a year earlier.
Bill would put dancing fountains outside state Capitol
HONOLULU (AP) — A state lawmaker is pushing for an addition to the state Capitol building he says will help attract more tourists.
Rep. Romy Cachola introduced a bill that would put dancing fountains, bright lights and music outside the Capitol.
Cachola said the dancing fountains would be similar to those at the Bellagio hotel and casino in Las Vegas, but smaller. He got his ideas for the project after visiting another hotel in his hometown in the Philippines.
The proposal calls for the fountains to be installed in the pond that surrounds the Capitol building, which Cachola said will help keep the pond clean and save the state money.
Hawaii humpback whale sanctuary won’t be expanded
HONOLULU (AP) — The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration says it’s abandoning the idea of expanding a national marine sanctuary throughout Hawaii.
Office of National Marine Sanctuaries Acting Director John Armor said in a statement Tuesday the agency is withdrawing its proposal after listening to input from the community and the state of Hawaii.
Armor’s statement says the sanctuary will continue its work to protect humpback whales, support researchers and educate the public.
