Stadium looks to ease parking for Bruno Mars concert
HONOLULU — When Aloha Stadium hosted the Pro Bowl in January 2016, problems on the road and at the gates marred the event, with thousands of fans stuck outside at kickoff and some even turning around and going home, frustrated that it was taking hours just to get into the parking lot.
Bruno Mars’ concert Nov. 10 will be the biggest event at the venue since, with 36,000 fans expected, and one of the challenges will be making sure everything goes smoothly. Among the issues is the lack of parking at the facility — only about 7,000 stalls.
Ryan Andrews, deputy manager of the stadium, said Thursday that use of alternate sites is “already being discussed.” He also spoke about the possibility of a second show being added, saying a decision would not come until the end of the first day of ticket sales, June 9.
Tickets for the show go on sale at 10 a.m. June 9 for local residents only at the Aloha Stadium box office and Ticketmaster.com.
Kaena Point ridge could see new missile defense radar
HONOLULU — A sophisticated radar to track North Korean missiles and better protect Hawaii might join the Kaena Point satellite tracking facility atop Kuaokala Ridge on Oahu, whose antenna domes are a mountaintop landmark.
The U.S. Missile Defense Agency plans to prepare an environmental impact statement that looks at Kaena Point and Kahuku Training Area for the more than $750 million Homeland Defense Radar-Hawaii.
The 2017 National Defense Authorization Act required the agency to develop a plan to procure and field a “discrimination radar” to improve the defense of Hawaii from ballistic missile threats. “Discrimination” refers to the ability to distinguish actual warheads from rocket debris, countermeasures and decoys.
Public outreach meetings are expected late this month. The radar is planned to be operational in 2023 as part of beefed-up defenses in the face of long-range missile technology advances by North Korea, China and Russia.
The agency previously said it had examined 46 sites in Hawaii for the radar — one of two being added in the Pacific.
Hawaiian Airlines launches service to Long Beach
HONOLULU — Hawaiian Airlines became the state’s first carrier ever to offer nonstop service between Honolulu and Long Beach, Calif.
The state’s largest airline, which now flies to seven cities in California, initiated the route Thursday.
Other California cities served by Hawaiian are Los Angeles, Oakland, Sacramento, San Diego, San Francisco and San Jose.
Hawaiian is using its new 189-seat Airbus A321neo on the Long Beach route, which will allow passengers headed to or from that Southern California region the opportunity to bypass congested Los Angeles International Airport and its busy freeway network.