Hawaii wedding spots dominate rankings
The inaugural Wedding Spot Awards cite 15 Hawaii locations as the most popular among its site-users.
Locations were chosen based on data gathered from the Wedding Spot Inc. website, and Hawaii spots already had a bit of a lock, as the general locations chosen by WeddingSpot.com editors were New York, Northern and Southern California, and Hawaii. The 15 Hawaii winners were cited in various categories of wedding venues including rustic or vintage locations, garden weddings, beach weddings, private estates and hotel or resort weddings.
The 15 winners were St. Regis, Princeville on Kauai; Puakea Ranch in Kona; Haiku Mill in Paia, Maui; the Moana Surfrider Westin in Waikiki; Turtle Bay Resort on Oahu’s North Shore; the Royal Hawaiian hotel in Waikiki; Kukahiko Estate on Maui; Sunset Ranch in Haleiwa; Gannon’s in Wailea, Maui; Andaz Maui at Wailea; Ocean Gardens at Ko Olina; Dillingham Ranch in Waialua; and the Sheraton Kona, Anna Ranch Heritage Center, and Royal Kona Resort, on Hawaii island.
American Savings opens new Ewa branch
American Savings Bank opened its new 4,200-square-foot Ewa branch Tuesday at Laulani Village Shopping Center, which is at 91-1087 Keaunui Drive. A public blessing will be held at 8:45 a.m. Friday. The new facility, which includes a drive-thru teller, keeps the number of American Savings branches at 56 because it replaces Ewa Town Center branch.
World Video Game Hall of Fame planned
BUFFALO, N.Y. » The museum that houses the National Toy Hall of Fame announced Tuesday the creation of the World Video Game Hall of Fame to recognize the impact games like "Pong" and "Grand Theft Auto" have on culture and society.
"Electronic games have changed how people play, learn and connect with each other, including across boundaries of culture and geography," said G. Rollie Adams, president and chief executive of The Strong museum in Rochester, N.Y., where the new hall is located. The Toy Hall of Fame will provide the model for the video version, which is dedicated to arcade, console, computer, hand-held and mobile games.
Anyone will be able to nominate a game, and an internal advisory committee will choose finalists. An annual class of inductees will be chosen by an international selection committee of journalists, scholars and other video game experts based on four criteria: icon-status, longevity, geographical reach and the influence it has had on the design of other games, entertainment, popular culture and society in general. Nominations are being accepted through March.
Labor chief joins West Coast port talks
LOS ANGELES » U.S. Labor Secretary Thomas Perez entered the West Coast seaports labor-management standoff Tuesday in San Francisco, where he settled into his new mission of forging a new contract. Perez does not have legal authority to force an agreement, but outsiders hope he can coax one that would end the protracted troubles.
In a written statement, Perez’s office characterized Tuesday’s meetings with both sides as "positive and productive" and said he stressed the urgency to reach a deal "to prevent further damage to our economy and further pain for American workers and their employers."
ON THE MOVE
Norman H.Y. Cheng has been appointed managing director at Starn O’Toole Marcus & Fisher law firm. He joined the firm in 2002 and focuses his practice in business structure, real estate, operations and commercial transactions as well as hotels and resorts.
Kiewit Building Group has hired Jordan Takahashi as an engineer, joining the firm’s job-site management team. Before joining Kiewit, he served as an engineering intern for the Department of Transportation, Highways Division H-3 Tunnels Project, for two years.
