Governor to be honored for gay marriages
Outgoing Gov. Neil Abercrombie will be given an award for his work to legalize same-sex marriage in Hawaii.
The Equality Hawaii Foundation will present Abercrombie with the Steven H. Levinson Trailblazer Award at its annual gala Nov. 22.
Abercrombie called a special legislative session in 2013 to pass a bill that allowed same-sex couples to legally wed in Hawaii for the first time.
The group says since the law was enacted, about 2,400 same-sex marriages have been conducted in Hawaii.
Abercrombie withstood criticism from social conservatives while pushing the legislation, which passed after marathon public testimony.
The award is named for the former Hawaii Supreme Court justice who wrote the nation’s first appellate decision saying the state’s marriage laws were unconstitutional because they didn’t allow same-sex couples to marry.
Gabbard completes active-duty call-up
U.S. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard has completed her active-duty call-up with the Hawaii Army National Guard in response to the lava flow on the Big Island.
Her office said Sunday that Gabbard plans to return to Washington on Tuesday, with Congress set to return to session Wednesday.
Authorities say the leading edge of the lava flow, which has threatened the community of Pahoa, has not advanced beyond where it stalled Oct. 30.
Staffing shortages cancel visits at OCCC
Visits were canceled Sunday at the Oahu Community Correctional Center because of staffing shortages, the state Department of Public Safety said.
The department has been struggling with chronic absenteeism among guards on the weekends, the only time visitation is allowed.
The department posts visitation cancellation notices on its website, dps.hawaii.gov, from 6:30 to 7:30 a.m. the day of the intended visit.
Parade honors Kauai veterans
Kapaa, Kauai, hosted its annual Veterans Day military parade Saturday, featuring soldiers past and present, classic cars and band members waving and tossing candy to thousands of people lining the street.
About 50 entries paraded down Kuhio Highway in an early celebration of Tuesday’s holiday, the Garden Island newspaper reported.
This year’s event, sponsored by the Kauai Veterans Council, honored female veterans. Revelers and members of the military took a moment to reflect on how far women have come serving their country, considering that many were relegated to desk duty when branches began accepting them.
Maj. Gen. Mary Kay Hertog, parade grand marshal, honored Genevieve Andersen, 96, Kauai’s oldest female veteran, who served in the Coast Guard during World War II.
"I learned, like Genevieve did, to put your head down and work hard," said Hertog about working past stereotypes during her 34-year career with the Air Force.
Andersen, who sat in a trailer and waved a flag as part of the parade, said she was moved by the tribute.
"It was great," she said as people flocked to talk to her. "It really was."
Bicyclist, 12, hit by vehicle
A 12-year-old boy sustained minor injuries when he was struck by a car while riding a bicycle Saturday on Kuhio Highway in Lihue.
The boy was hit by a southbound Jeep station wagon at about 6:35 p.m. near Ahukini Road, Kauai County said by email. He was treated at Wilcox Hospital.
