GOVERNOR’S RACE
David Ige, a longtime state senator, started the year as somewhat of an unknown quantity trailing unpopular Gov. Neil Abercrombie by single digits. But before votes were cast in August’s primary election, he had used a grass-roots, personal campaign style that served as the perfect contrast to the bombastic governor. Ige won with a massive 35-point victory. And Abercrombie became the first governor since William Quinn, a Republican, to lose re-election in Hawaii since 1962 and the only governor to fall in a primary. With the party united behind a single Democrat heading into the general election, Ige and Lt. Gov. Shan Tsutsui overpowered the Republican tandem of James "Duke" Aiona and Elwin Ahu to take the governor’s office.
LAVA FLOW
Molten rock from Kilauea Volcano started its course toward the ocean on June 27, threatening for half the year to cut off and/or overtake the Hawaii island community of Pahoa, with about 900 residents. In October, it burned a house and covered part of a cemetery. The lava has traveled more than 13 miles from the volcano’s Puu Oo vent, and is situated a bit more than 6 miles from the ocean. The sluggish leading edge on Tuesday was about a half-mile from a popular Pahoa shopping area and nearby Highway 130.
SIT-LIE LAW
An plan to deal with problems surrounding Oahu’s homeless population remained in the headlines throughout the year. By September, the city had adopted an ordinance that bans people from sitting or lying down on city sidewalks in Waikiki. The law is part of Mayor Kirk Caldwell’s controversial "compassionate disruption" plan to move the homeless off sidewalks and eventually into permanent dwellings. It touched off a separate measure initiated by the Honolulu City Council and signed on Dec. 2 by Caldwell that applies the same "sit-lie ban" in Chinatown, downtown and a dozen other business districts islandwide, 5 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily. Supporters say camping on sidewalks had hindered pedestrians and storefront foot traffic. Opponents maintain that the law makes homelessness a crime.
STORMS
A projected busy hurricane season played itself out with two powerful storms that kept the Hawaiian Islands on high alert. Tropical Storm Iselle slammed into Hawaii island on Aug. 8, causing millions of dollars in damage, ripping off roofs, knocking down hundreds of trees and causing flooding and coastal evacuations as well as prolonged disruptions in power. On Oct. 18, Hurricane Ana blustered by the Hawaiian Islands, delivering strong winds, high surf and patches of heavy rain. Following the hit that Iselle delivered to the Puna district, Ana had every island on alert as it brushed past — more than 100 miles south of the main islands — as a Category 1 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 80 mph.
DEATH PENALTY CASE
Naeem J. Williams became the first person to stand trial in Hawaii for a death penalty offense since the territorial legislature abolished capital punishment in 1957. He was prosecuted under federal law because the killing occurred on a U.S. military installation. In late June, a federal court jury in Honolulu rejected the death penalty for the former Schofield Barracks soldier, who instead will spend the rest of his life in prison for killing his 5-year-old daughter, Talia, at their military family quarters at Wheeler Army Airfield in 2005. The jury told U.S. District Judge J. Michael Seabright that it was unable to reach a unanimous decision on the death penalty, leaving life in prison without parole as the only sentencing option.
