Boy Scouts take annual good turn to Punchbowl

The Aloha Council’s biggest annual service project, known as Memorial Day Good Turn, will get underway at midday Sunday, with hundreds of Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts cleaning and then decorating thousands of gravesites at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific with miniature flags and flower lei in preparation for Monday’s ceremonies.

The Scout project, which has been a tradition here for more than two decades, is much appreciated.

Look what tide brought in: top beach rankings

Well, Hawaii made the cut, naturally, for the annual “Dr. Beach” picks for America’s top beaches. Kapalua Bay Beach holds the No. 2 spot while Hapuna Beach State Park is No. 8 on the 2017 list compiled by coastal scientist Stephen Leatherman. The criteria stress water and sand quality as well as safety and management. Beaches that ban smoking get bonus points.

Since the first list in 1991, national winners — including more than one dozen Hawaii beaches — have been retired from the annual ratings.