Hawaii possibly hosting another future saint

The Associated Press reports that there’s a good chance the remains of the Rev. Emil Kapaun, an Army chaplain, lie with more than 800 other unidentified Korean War soldiers at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific at Punchbowl. Kapaun was no ordinary chaplain. The Kansas native, who died in a North Korean prisoner of war camp in 1951, received a posthumous Medal of Honor in April for heroism in the Korean War.

But that’s not all. He is also a candidate for sainthood in the Roman Catholic Church. Should he be declared a saint, his remains could be treated as sacred relics, much like those of Saint Damien and Saint Marianne Cope of Molokai. But first, those remains would have to be identified. That could prove a tall order for the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (JPAC), which is already under fire for alleged mismanagement. Perhaps a miracle or two will be required.

Commercial real estate hot in Hawaii

It’s hard to know exactly why Hawaii commercial real estate has been booming lately, but continuing low interest rates and the state’s hot tourism market likely have something to do with it.

Sales of hotels, office buildings, retail centers and commercial land during the first half of this year totaled $2.2 billion, which was just about equal to the total for all of 2012, and on track to match or exceed the record that was reached in 2005 of $4.3 billion. Eight hotels represented almost 80 percent of this year’s sales through June 30.

But not everyone wants in. For each buyer, there is a seller, and down the road, if fortunes change, maybe the new owners might want to bail, too. Meanwhile, it’s a good time to be a commercial real estate agent.