A lot has transpired in the past month in local sports. Some of it has even had to do with fun and games. But most of it is about bad decisions and lawyers and money.

Some good — like the excitement of football in the air at the University of Hawaii and at local high schools.

And some bad — like the latest in a series of DUI arrests for current and former UH football players, and the ensuing fallout.

Football, the Olympics and some promising baseball stretch races are almost enough to take our minds off Hawaii’s biggest nonsports sports story of the summer, the worst of the distractions from our distractions.

Almost.

But it’s still out there, utterly unresolved.

It’s been nearly a month since UH put athletic director Jim Donovan and arena manager Rich Sheriff on paid administrative leave and began to investigate the loss of $200,000 of university money (which regardless of its source, translates to all of our money if we live in Hawaii).

The funds, transferred to a mysterious bank account from which they disappeared, were supposedly going toward a Stevie Wonder concert that would benefit the UH athletic department.

Definitely outside-the-box thinking in trying to address budgetary challenges. But also outside of good judgment.

Someone, and we don’t even know who yet, took the money and ran. When the FBI can’t find the loot … well, good luck.

So, UH hired a law firm to investigate how something like this could happen. Even if the university is getting a sweetheart deal, this is a huge expense — hundreds of dollars per hour, for who knows how many hours.

Add in that two highly compensated employees are being paid not to come to work, and it begs the question: When does the cost of cleaning up the mess match the original loss?

When $200,000 disappears, how much should you spend to learn how it happened and ensure it doesn’t happen again?

Of course it has to be done. And thoroughness is important, as the future of the athletic department and the careers of the two employees on leave as well as others are in the balance.

But the longer it takes, the more it costs and the harder it will be for the public to accept the price tag.

UH associate vice president and spokeswoman Lynne Waters provided an update by email Tuesday that amounts to a politely put "no comment at this time."

"We are proceeding as rapidly as we can given the need to do a thorough job. We anticipate contacting you and other media representatives who have inquired as to status as soon as we have information to share. Sorry I cannot offer any further comment beyond this, but we will stay in touch, certainly."

No news is not good news in this situation.

I’ve heard scuttlebutt that it will be wrapped up within another two weeks. Resolution is already overdue for a department and university that needs to move forward.

When it’s finally done, the entire thing should be made public. We’re paying for it.

In the back of my mind, I keep hearing a meter running.

A billable hours meter.

We’re being taken for a ride, but no one will tell us where we’re headed and how much it will cost.