Hanabusa messing with 3-day weekend

Originally known as Decoration Day on May 30 in honor of soldiers who were killed in the Civil War, Memorial Day was scheduled by Congress in 1968 to be on the last Monday in May.

But Hawaii’s U.S. Rep. Colleen Hanabusa is following the wishes of the late U.S. Sen. Daniel Inouye in proposing that it return to the old date.

The three-day weekend created by the Monday holiday is regarded as the beginning of the summer season but, said Inouye, a World War II veteran, Americans "have lost sight of the significance of this day to our nation."

His proposal never caught on, but Hanabusa’s endorsement of it is politically understandable: Inouye had urged Gov. Neil Abercrombie to appoint her to his Senate seat upon his death, but the governor instead chose his then-lieutenant governor, Brian Schatz, for the opening. Hanabusa says she will challenge Schatz in next year’s election.

Shave ice aficionados, listen up

Aoki’s Shave Ice in Haleiwa has gotten a two-month reprieve from vacating its present location, till July 31.

Originally, Aoki’s was to leave when its lease expired May 31, in order for landlord Kamehameha Schools to raze the building as part of its town redevelopment plans. But the popular shave ice spot has been extended for two more months — good timing heading into the hot and leisurely days of summer.

After July 31, it should be a short wait before Aoki’s re-emerges: It plans to reopen across the street at the North Shore Trading Co. later this year.