Off the News

Tadd's future so bright he'll have to wear shades

The future looks promising for Honolulu's 19-year-old Tadd Fujikawa. He was the youngest in 50 years to make the weekend cut in a PGA Tour event -- the 2007 Sony Open -- and now has won the championship of the eGolf Tour, formerly the Tar Heel Tour. In addition to the prize money, the minor league will pay his way on the Q-School, the path to the big stage. Fore!

Easier is better when it comes to recycling

Convenience matters.

That much seems clear in the analysis of recycling redemption data recently issued by the state's HI-5 program, which showed a 3 percent dip in the rate of redemption to claim the nickel deposit on each container.

But that may signal more a recycling fatigue on the neighbor islands. On Oahu the numbers of deposit containers coming back actually rose 1 percent, said Jennifer Tosaki of the state Office of Solid Waste Management.

That likely was the result of the expansion of curbside recycling on this island, she said: The total includes deposits for all the HI-5 containers in the blue bins, revenue the city collects to offset its curbside program costs.

It's hard to imagine how neighbor island curbside collection could pencil out, with population lighter and distances between neighborhoods generally greater. But maybe adding some redemption centers -- in convenient spots -- could boost the numbers a bit.