Vents at Kilauea Volcano’s summit aren’t the only things coming to a head today. Primo is back!!!

That is, bottles of Primo beer will again be on store shelves across Hawaii on Monday.

Primo was one of Hawaii’s first beers, brewed here starting in 1898 by long gone Honolulu Brewing & Malting Company. It stayed Hawaii’s beer, with a break for Prohibition, until 1979.

Detroit-based Stroh Brewery Co. acquired the Primo brand in 1982. Although Stroh’s version was never particularly palatable, the beer remained a local favorite until Stroh’s shut down production in 1998. Everybody in the Islands drank Primo, at least when they couldn’t afford anything better.

The new Primo on draft will be brewed in the Islands by Keoki Brewing of Kauai. But Primo in bottles is still an import, made by Pabst in Irwindale, Calif.

The folks at Primo say their new formula had “a distinct rich taste of craft-brewed beer with the smoothness and drinkability of lighter lager” and “a touch of Hawaiian cane sugar grown on Maui.”

We got a six-pack for the office.

Our verdict: It was like welcoming back a long-lost uncle. He may have his faults, but he’s always welcome.

For more Primo details (including its Hawaii retailers), click here.

(Source: Hawai’i Magazine)

The unidentified dude picked up the phone and told the operator, “I’m coming up to see a relative,” Wilcox Hospital spokeswoman Lani Yukimura said.

The “well-intended” individual and his steed then took an elevator up three levels to a nursing floor, she said, where security greeted them.

The patient was brought out to see the stallion, Yukimura said, but told his allegedly intoxicated relative, “That’s not my horse.”

Security then “calmly and peaceably” got the rider back on his bronco and out of the hospital, Yukimura said, with “just a few scuff marks.”

Read more …

(Source: Nathan Eagle, Kauai Garden Island News)

Kapa‘a shopping center features work of local photographer, honors local halau

Kauai Village shopping center in Kapa‘a has been transformed into the island’s largest outdoor art gallery. Dozens of images have been hung in store windows – many of which span multiple panes and stretch several feet in diameter – depicting hula halau from Kaua‘i and San Diego, as well as the Garden Island’s raw natural beauty.

Representatives of the shopping complex stated the project is about evoking a sense of place.

“This is about more than just beautifying the property,” said one Kauai Village management representative. “This is our way of honoring the host culture and highlighting the unique qualities that make Kaua‘i such an amazing place. And to be able to share this with both visitors and locals on this immense scale is special.”

The images are the work of Ken Posney, a Kaua‘i photographer who specializes in capturing hula dancing. Many of the photographs depict members of Kaua‘i’s Halau ‘O Hali‘ileo performing along Kaua‘i’s shoreline while others depict San Diego-based Halau ‘O Pualani, Halau ‘O Na Ali‘i and Ka Lei Aloha ‘O Hula.

While art of this magnitude would normally cost a commercial center thousands of dollars to obtain, Posney provided the imagery at no charge.

“I viewed this as an opportunity to pay my respect to the halau that have helped me to establish myself and my path,” said Posney. “The halau gave their time so I could create something they would be proud to share and the process brought halau and kumu together to share their knowledge.”

Posney said he hopes to host an art auction on the site in April to raise funds for the halau featured in the photographs.

“Hula halau typically rely on fundraisers to keep their studios open. Here on Kaua‘i, Halau ‘O Hali‘ileo had to close its studio for lack of funds. It’s a loss. This auction is a way for me to give back to the halau who have helped me to make my photographs.”

View more photos 

(Source: Todd A. Vines, Gilbert and Associates)

North Shore’s Alana Blanchard won a super heat at Bells Beach, Australia, to win a spot into this week’s Rip Curl Women’s Pro.

Blanchard has been placed in Heat 3 in Round 1 to surf against the reigning women’s world champion Stephanie Gilmore and 17-ranked Jacqueline Silva. The official waiting period for the Rip Curl Men’s and Women’s Pro started yesterday.

“At this point in the season, everyone should be considered a threat,” Gil-more told the media of the field. “Everyone is training really hard and the wildcards can be a real challenge as they’re really hungry and have nothing to lose.”

Other Kaua‘i surfers competing are Bruce and Andy Irons and Roy Powers. Other Hawai‘i surfers include Megan Abubo and Fred Patacchia.

The Rip Curl Pro is the second event in both the Association of Surfing Professionals World Tour and the women’s tour.

Competition was called off for the first two days, due to insufficient waves.

(Source: Lanaly Cabalo, Kauai Garden Island News)
(Photo Credit: Steven Robertson/ASP)

County Planning Commission Chair Steven Weinstein presided over the contested case, expected to resume April 1, acting as a judge while attorneys questioned witnesses ranging from building designers to archaeologists.

The commission must decide whether to approve the permits that California resident Charles Somers needs to build a proposed 8,700-square-foot single-story home, 2,600-square-foot barn and 1,400-square-foot caretaker’s cottage on a knoll overlooking Kilauea Stream. The project’s overall footprint, which includes a swimming pool and sprawling lanais, is roughly 35,000 square feet.

“I just cry for Kaua‘i and I cry for us,” Commissioner Sandi Kato-Klutke said after hearing testimony from the project’s building designer, Gary Tobey. “This is going to have a tremendous effect on that area for years to come.”

Elizabeth Freeman, a Kilauea resident with intervenor status in the case, said the narrow 162-acre strip of property should be preserved to protect endangered species, delicate ecosystems and cherished views.

Community members have been working for the past several years to secure funding to acquire the Somers parcel, also known as Kilauea Falls Ranch, for incorporation into a Congress-approved plan to expand Kilauea Point National Wildlife Refuge.

Attorney Peter Morimoto, representing Freeman, told the commission that the applicant has “a heavy burden to overcome.”

“This is not your everyday, run-of-the-mill project,” he said, noting the property is probably among the county’s most protected pieces of land under current zoning laws.

Somers, who was absent from the hearing, was represented by attorneys Bill Tam, Max Graham and an assistant.

Read more …

(Source: Nathan Eagle, Kauai Garden Island News)

The last time the Department of Land and Natural Resources inspected the dam was Oct. 10, 2006, when state engineers conducted phase I of its post-breach review, Deborah Ward, DLNR spokeswoman, said yesterday.

Board of Land and Natural Resources member Ron Agor said the safety of the Ka Loko Reservoir Dam is of top priority.

The state is charged with the task of inspecting the dam, which breached March 14, 2006. The breach took the lives of seven people and destroyed millions of dollars worth of property.

Bill McCorriston, an attorney for Ka Loko Reservoir owner Jimmy Pflueger, had asked the Board of Land and Natural Resources in February to hold off on using DLNR engineers to inspect the dam, stating his client is being criminally investigated by the Attorney General’s office.

The BLNR has since twice deferred its decision on whether it will allow Pflueger’s engineers to substitute as inspectors for the dam.

Read more …

(Source: Amanda C. Gregg, Kauai Garden Island News)

A “No Lifeguard” sign that triggered her into action was removed as the final step marking the blessing and dedication of a new lifeguard tower at the Anahola Beach Park, yesterday morning.

Kalani Vierra of the Ocean Safety Bureau said the tower is a refurbished one from Po‘ipu when the new fiberglass tower was installed.

“Eventually, we’ll have a fiberglass tower here in the same location,” Vierra said. “But we wanted to get the operation going as soon as possible so we put in the refurbished tower and coincided the blessing and dedication with the first day of spring break.”

Located in close proximity to the bathroom and storage facility at the Anahola Beach Park, Vierra said the tower will have an all-terrain vehicle and a truck as well as staff which will enable the tower to be operational seven days a week from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Read more …

(Source: Dennis Fujimoto, Kauai Garden Island News)

Researchers at the nonprofit Cetos Research Organization have shown for the first ever that humpback whale calves make sounds.

The organization studied the whales off the coasts of Maui and Kauai, and said the squealing noises made by the young whales are messages to their mothers.

However, the sounds are not as complex as the continuous, repetitive and highly structured sounds made by the older male whales.

Ann Zoidis, the project’s research director, said the sounds made by the whale calves could be either warnings of threats of danger, or may simply be expressions of curiosity.

According to the study, the calves produced a limited number of sounds that were short and simple in their structure and included repetitive grunts that increased in strength.

The sounds were sometimes accompanied by bubble streams and appeared to function as an alarm call to the mother.

They researchers said the sounds occurred more frequently when the mother was at rest, or during periods of slow travel.

Read more …

(Source: redOrbit)

Surf along east shores will be 6 feet to 10 feet today, while surf along west shores will be 6 feet to 10 feet early before dropping to 5 feet to 8 feet.

Surf will be much more tame along southern shores, about 1 foot to 3 feet.

A small south swell is expected late tonight but will diminish Thursday night.

(Source: Honolulu Advertiser)

During this closure, a shuttle van will provide transportation for residents, businesses and guests with lodging on the Haena-side of the bridge.

Secured parking areas on both sides of the bridges will be provided. Visitors are discouraged from accessing this area during the full closure.

Motorists are also advised to anticipate intermittent traffic delays of no more than fifteen minutes at this location on Monday through Thursday, from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Completion of this project is anticipated in April.

(Source: Honolulu Advertiser)