Kahapea needs to pay what he owes

Unbelievable. That’s what comes to mind upon hearing that former city housing official Michael Kahapea has paid just $50 of a court-ordered $365,000 fine for stealing millions from the Ewa Villages project. Not only did that scam divert $5.8 million from a housing relocation fund intended to help families, it fueled public mistrust that led to the dismantling of the city Housing Department.

Now the state is going after the remaining $364,950 that Kahapea owes, plus 10 percent annual interest since his 2000 sentencing. The money might be drawn, ironically, from Kahapea’s government pension, accrued from his years working for the city.

Randal Lee, who prosecuted Kahapea back in the day, said it best: “There is something fundamentally wrong with someone being allowed to collect retirement benefits from the very people he stole from, especially considering the egregious way in which he committed the crimes.”

‘Eddie’ fans eagerly await the big swells

Stoked surfing fans will soon be watching swell charts in hopes that this winter’s North Shore waves will bring the 10th “Eddie” to Waimea Bay.

On Thursday — about one month after obstacles threatened to cancel the 2016-17 Quiksilver in Memory of Eddie Aikau Big Wave Invitational — some of the world’s top surfers will line up on the beach for opening ceremonies. Among them will be defending champ John John Florence. The competition gets underway only when waves reach epic heights.