Off the News: Honors for Hawaii’s own Bette Midler

The Kennedy Center Honors were celebrated this weekend, with a nod going to one of our own, Bette Midler. Born in Honolulu and a graduate of Radford High School, the Divine Miss M launched that bright and bawdy stage presence in various local theater productions.

She’s earned Emmy, Grammy, Golden Globe and Tony awards — and now she has one of the nation’s highest honors in arts and entertainment. Although she left Hawaii long ago, we’re still proud.

The Kennedy Center awards show airs on CBS on Dec. 22.

Cruisers should get a booster

Norwegian Cruise Line is one of a number of cruise companies negotiating with the state on restarting Hawaii sailings next year, which last week was read as a good sign for the long-shuttered industry.

Of course, over the weekend many who eagerly await the return of cruising heard about the Norwegian ship docking at New Orleans with at least 17 passengers testing positive for COVID-19. That’s despite the requirement for a vaccine. Go get your booster shots now, cruisers of tomorrow.