Kokua Line: Real estate, fatherhood enough for Dan Cooke

QUESTION: What happened to Dan Cooke? He hasn’t been on Hawaii News Now lately. Is he coming back?

ANSWER: No. Cooke’s last day as weather anchor of the HNN morning show “Sunrise” was Aug. 28. The longtime Hawaii broadcaster is focused on real estate and parenthood, no longer juggling dual careers.

“Sunrise” gave him an on-air sendoff, but it came amid so much news about Hurricane Lane that you are not alone in having missed it. Numerous readers have inquired, so we reached out for an update. Here is Cooke’s emailed response:

“I’m touched that ‘Sunrise’ viewers are asking about me.

“I feel so fortunate to have been a part of the Sunrise team the past nine years. It has been by far the best, most satisfying job I’ve had since I began my Hawaii broadcasting career way back in 1976. Steve, Grace, Howard, Lacy, and the rest of the on- and off-camera team are so talented and my very good friends.

“While working the morning show, I also had a real estate career. Since 2009 after the show each day, I worked on the sales teams for projects like Pacifica Honolulu, One Ala Moana and others. For the last 18 months, I focused on general real estate with Coldwell Banker Pacific Properties. (My Hawaii real estate career actually goes back to 2005 when I worked for Centex Destination Properties selling communities at Ko Olina Resort.)

“This combination of careers was great fun, but also very challenging. Wake-up for TV was 2 a.m. each day and I would typically get home after real estate 16 or more hours later. I managed fine, but then in 2016 my wife and I had a baby we named Bodhi. That was really the tipping point.

“Wanting to reserve as much time and energy for him as I could, I had to make a difficult career choice. I chose real estate, which offered me a more ‘normal’ schedule. I am now a sales executive with Howard Hughes Corp. and sell real estate at Ward Village.

“Please extend my appreciation to all those ‘Sunrise’ viewers who have watched over the years. It was a lot of fun and a wonderful chapter of my life.”

Q: Auwe to drivers who even after all these years haven’t learned that you can make a right turn from the right lane of Keahole Street onto Kalanianaole Highway when the traffic light is red. Properly used, that lane is a godsend, especially during the morning rush. But all it takes to stall traffic is one driver who just sits there. Can they make the sign bigger?

A: You are not alone in your frustration. Lots of people complain about brief backups caused by drivers who fail to turn right on red from the right lane after stopping as is allowed there. Those drivers apparently don’t notice the sign allowing it or don’t realize that they would be turning into a dedicated lane, and don’t risk colliding with cars flowing Ewa-bound through the green light.

While you say the drivers haven’t learned, indicating that they are familiar with the neighborhood, others say the proliferation of vacation rentals in East Oahu brings an endless supply of motorists who don’t know how to get around here.

Whatever the reasons, folks are irritated. Like them, you might be interested in attending a town hall meeting on the matter, scheduled Thursday from 6:30-8 p.m. at the Hahaione Elementary School cafeteria.

Representatives from the Hawaii Kai Neighborhood Board, Honolulu City Council, state Legislature and the state Department of Transportation should be there to discuss the problem and seek solutions, according to the office of state Rep. Gene Ward (R, Hawaii Kai, Kalama Valley).

Write to Kokua Line at Honolulu Star-Advertiser, 7 Waterfront Plaza, Suite 210, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., Honolulu 96813; call 529-4773; fax 529-4750; or email kokualine@staradvertiser.com.