Nanakuli Beach Park was formally renamed Kalanianaole Beach Park on Saturday.

Restoration of the park’s original name was done on behalf of Nanakuli residents who wanted to honor Prince Jonah Kuhio Kalanianaole Piikoi, the city said in a release.

Participating in the ceremonies were Mayor Kirk Caldwell, Councilwoman Kymberly Pine, Department of Parks and Recreation Director Michele Nekota, Executive Director of Culture and the Arts Misty Kelai, the Royal Hawaiian Band, members of the Nanakuli/Maili and Waianae Coast neighborhood boards, and members of the Leeward Association of Hawaiian Civic Clubs.

Saturday marked the 145th anniversary of Kuhio’s birthday.

Finalists to lead HCC to speak

The four finalists for the job of chancellor of Hawaii Community College will meet the public this week.

Each candidate will get one hour to speak during two open forums, West Hawaii Today reported. The first is set for 11 a.m.-3:45 p.m. Tuesday in Building 379, HCC, Hilo. The second is 9 a.m.-1:45 p.m. Wednesday at the Palamanui campus in Kona, Room B-125.

The candidates are Larry Buckley, president of Canada College in California; Micheal Glisson, an administrator at South Louisiana Community College; Anthony Munroe, president and CEO of Munroe Management Group LLC in Illinois; and Rachel Solemsaas, vice president for finance and administrative services at Truckee Meadows Community College in Nevada. The person selected will replace Interim Chancellor Joni Onishi starting July 1.

Swells returning sand to beach

Large swells over the last three years have returned much of the sand to once-rocky Kekaha Beach on Kauai, the Garden Island reports.

Chuck Blay, a Kauai geoscientist, said much of the sand’s activity on that side of the island can also be attributed to the Pacific Decadal Oscillation, a recurring pattern of warming and cooling of the ocean. Warm temperatures in the center of the ocean, versus the coastal areas, mean more energy and bigger swells.

That’s important because the sand at Kekaha Beach has to arrive via alongshore currents from the reefs near Haena, around the Na Pali Coast and through Polihale.