Hold line on high price of education

It seems like such a rarity these days, so any news that holds the line on rising college tuition feels like a ray of hope for anyone who’s college-bound, or has a kid who is. Even if that news applies to Washington state’s public universities — not Hawaii’s — there’s still enough of a solid Pacific link, right?

For the first time in 27 years, tuition for next year will hold at current levels at places such as University of Washington ($12,397) and Washington State University (about $11,000). It has to be noted, though, that WSU tuition rose about 70 percent over the past four years. Whew.

"I have been a regent for 10 years, and this is the first year I have not had to vote to raise tuition, and it’s a real, real pleasure," said WSU’s Board of Regents head.

Let’s hope University of Hawaii regents will have the same pleasure when and if the topic re-emerges here.

Old News Building full of stories

The historic building where journalists dredged up stories for nearly a century is headed for purchase by Hawaiian Dredging Construction Co. The News Building on Kapiolani Boulevard and South Street, with a red-tile roof and Renaissance Revival architecture, was built in 1929 as headquarters of The Honolulu Advertiser and later was shared with the Star-Bulletin. It was vacated when the two papers merged in 2010 at Restaurant Row, then leased to the producer of "Hawaii Five-0."

Hawaiian Dredging has signed a letter of intent to buy the building — but it will always be home to the ghosts of reporters, photographers and editors.