Mindy Pennybacker
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Past articles by Mindy:
Mindy Pennybacker: Threats to public ocean access grow
Waimea, Big Island resident Roland Shackelford grew up surfing in majestic Waipio Valley, where as a boy he’d get dropped off with his surfboard at the top of the cliff and run down the steep, narrow nearly a mile-long public road to the black sand beach, “after which his legs would be so shaky he could barely surf,” says his wife, Heather Nahaku Kalei. → Read More
Public weighs in on Ala Wai flood-control proposals
The streams of the Ala Wai watershed drain from its 3,000-foot summit in the Koolaus down to sea level. Its lower sub-basin includes Waikiki, the Ala Wai Canal and several schools, and will bear the brunt of a catastrophic flood if upstream flood management measures fail, Eric Merriam, a planner with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, said Friday in a public meeting. → Read More
Surfer hit by canoe at Tonggs thanks team that saved his life
From time to time during the nine months since he and his coworker rescued young surfer Kai Keuning, Honolulu Ocean Safety lifeguard Kekoa Kekumano would think about the kid and wonder how he was doing. → Read More
Hawaii chef removes misleading spearfishing video from TikTok
A TikTok video showing Oahu chef and business owner Kale D. Shanks spearing a large uhu at a site alleged to be in Hanauma Bay, a Marine Life Conservation District where fishing is banned, was taken down today at the request of Friends of Hanauma Bay after receiving more than 20,000 views. → Read More
For surfing lawyer Bill Saunders, playing keeps aging at bay
When a couple of classmates visited from the mainland in February, Honolulu attorney Bill Saunders, 69, hosted a small reunion, playing and singing tunes from the 1960s and ’70s with old friends on guitars. → Read More
Laniakea parking reopens, but some residents say long-term solution needed
For decades, North Shore residents and visitors have complained about a traffic bottleneck at popular Laniakea Beach, where beachgoers darted haphazardly across two-lane Kamehameha Highway. → Read More
Parking lot across from Laniakea Beach has reopened
After being closed for months — initially, to add and tweak pedestrian and traffic safety improvements, and later to repair damage from a mudslide during December’s torrential rains — a parking area on city land across from the North Shore’s popular Laniakea Beach reopened Monday, the Honolulu Department of Parks and Recreation announced. → Read More
Outrigger’s newly acquired Maldives resort reflects ongoing expansion plans
The acquisition of a five-star, 81-room luxury beach resort in the Maldives by Hawaii-headquartered Outrigger Hospitality Group is part of an ongoing global expansion strategy that includes Hawaii, according to President and CEO Jeff Wagoner. → Read More
Kalaupapa memorial bill advances after heartfelt hearing
A bill appropriating funds for a memorial to the 8,000 Hawaii residents who were exiled to Kalaupapa on Molokai from 1866 to 1969 after being diagnosed with leprosy is advancing through the state Legislature. → Read More
Ala Wai flood meeting to focus on Makiki, Palolo valleys
Community members are invited to attend a virtual public workshop from noon to 1:10 p.m. today to discuss how to reduce risks of catastrophic flooding in Honolulu’s Ala Wai watershed. → Read More
Citizen whale counts wrap up for 2022 season
A one-day humpback whale count was conducted by volunteers Saturday on the shores of the main Hawaiian Islands, with 136 whales sighted between 10 and 10:15 a.m., the most of any 15-minute period throughout the day, according to a news release from the Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary and the Pacific Whale Foundation. → Read More
Resolution urges name change for Captain Cook
Kaawaloa is a storied place that includes Kealakekua Bay, where British explorer Capt. James Cook was killed in 1779 during a skirmish between his crew and the subjects of Kalaniopuu, alii nui of Hawaii island. → Read More
Biopic ‘Waterman’ celebrates the life of Duke Kahanamoku
From the proud statue of Duke Paoa Kahanamoku on the shores of his beloved Waikiki, to photographs of his winning smile, most portrayals of Hawaii’s greatest waterman have focused on the sunny side of his life. → Read More
Legislation on license plates for noted Hawaii surfers advances
A resolution encouraging all Hawaii counties to create a special motor vehicle license plate to commemorate surfing champion Carissa Kainani Moore, 29, was heard and passed Thursday by the Senate Committee on Government Operations. → Read More
Sea Life Park to host job fairs before full reopening
Sea Life Park in Waimanalo is now hiring as it seeks to staff up before June 1, when it will return to its full opening schedule of seven days a week for the first time since February 2020, the entertainment park said in a statement. → Read More
U.S. Rep. Kai Kahele calls for return of Makua Valley land
U.S. Rep. Kai Kahele has introduced legislation requiring the cleanup, restoration and return of 782 leased acres of Oahu’s Makua Military Reservation used for live-fire training from 1942 to 2004 to the state of Hawaii. → Read More
Rep. Kai Kahele introduces legislation to restore, return Makua Valley to Hawaii
U.S. Rep. Kai Kahele said today he has introduced federal legislation to remediate Makua Military Reservation in Makua Valley on the Waianae coast and have the military return the land to Hawaii. → Read More
Mindy Pennybacker: Women gaining ground in surfing
It’s a rare sight these days: a perfect, empty wave in all its wild, riderless glory. → Read More
Laniakea parking might reopen this week, officials say
The parking area across the highway from the North Shore’s popular “Turtle Beach” might finally reopen following work scheduled for today through Friday. → Read More
Public workshops scheduled for Ala Wai flood risk abatement
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the City and County of Honolulu are inviting the public to participate in the Ala Wai Canal Flood Risk Management General Reevaluation Study in a series of virtual “miniworkshops” next month. → Read More