Off the News: Hawaii elections not yet certified

Hawaii is not among the states that already certified elections, owing to three complaints before the Hawaii Supreme Court.

The one most likely to pose a delay is the complaint by Office of Hawaiian Affairs candidate Justin P. Keoni Souza, who lost by 0.27% of the total votes cast; he is seeking a hand recount.

All legal issues must be settled for the Electoral College to vote in the presidential race. The vote is scheduled for Dec. 14, but Hawaii, with only four electors, is not pegged to be a game-changer.

Hurricane season ends quietly

In early June, forecasters were expecting our hurricane season to include two to six tropical cyclones. With the six-month season now wrapped up, it’s safe to say the islands have yet again dodged potential trouble. The sole close-call threat came in with Hurricane Douglas, which entered the Central Pacific basin as a Category 4 — and appeared to have its sights set on Hawaii.

Fortunately, a last-minute deviation from its track toward Oahu sent it passing on July 26 as a Cat 1 about 30 miles north of Kahuku, making it the closest hurricane to the island in at least six decades. Let’s hope our luck holds for the 2021 season.