‘Paradise’ means different things

What puts the paradise in Paradise Park?

For local developer James W.Y. Wong, paradise means botanical gardens and hula — features he and his son want to include in resurrecting a version of Manoa’s defunct visitor attraction of the same name.

For Las Vegas developer Steve Wynn, it’s, um, something different — water-skiing and fireworks, and a 38-acre artificial lake in a drought- stricken desert. Those are some of the features for Wynn’s proposed Sin City attraction, also called Paradise Park.

Both Wong and Wynn need approvals from their respective regulatory agencies to develop their visions of paradise for tourists.

We like Wong’s vision better.

What’s next if NextEra bails?

NextEra Energy Inc. is just not that into you, Hawaii.

That’s the reading that industry analysts holding a finger in the wind are getting. The Florida-based company that has been seeking state approval for its merger with Hawaiian Electric Industries now might be wavering in that resolve, analysts said.

After 18 months of negotiations, filings and hearings before the Public Utilities Commission, NextEra suddenly saw that Oncor Electric, the large Texas power distributor, is back on the market. That is a more substantial entity to gobble up, according to experts. Don’t forget, NextEra’s $4.3 billion acquisition of HEI was characterized by one HEI exec as “a snack.”

Perhaps the company is trying to cut down on snacking. Aren’t we all?