Aloha to gourmet dining at Heeia Pier

Those who have sampled the culinary arts in the unlikely venue of a boat pier soon will be mourning the departure of a favorite chef.

That’s Mark Noguchi, whose gourmet plate lunches packaged as much locally produced ingredients that he could find and dish up to his appreciative customers.

Those who haven’t sampled them? Better get to the Heeia Kea General Store & Deli at Heeia Pier before he closes up shop on Sunday.

Noguchi’s fans are hoping that his sojourn back to his home on Hawaii island will be relatively brief. And they’re anticipating he’ll be back to launch his new venture, called Pili ("intertwine"), meant to draw farmers closer to the community they feed.

On the Windward Coast, folks are hoping he’ll be intertwining somewhere nearby, once more.

Note to lawyers: A handshake is best

Many courtroom decisions end in hugs between client and attorney, but one lawyer on Kauai seems to have abused that privilege, big time. A Kauai judge has ordered lawyer Lawrence McCreery to pay a $250 fine for licking his client’s ear without her permission. Yuck.

"Quite frankly," said per-diem District Judge Frank Rothschild, "these are the actions of a dirty old man." McCreery, 64, maintained that the 21-year-old client initiated a hug last year but denied licking the back of her right ear, which she maintained. An appeal is expected. Perhaps a remedial course is in order: A cordial handshake is the appropriate gesture.