Sweet success for a team of students from a small Kauai charter school: Their experiment on sugar cane growth is headed for the International Space Station. The six fourth-graders from Alaka‘i o Kaua‘i Charter School hypothesize the seeds will germinate faster in space than on Earth. They’ll get to go to Cape Canaveral in May to present their experiment and witness the takeoff of the rocket that will take their project aloft.

Surely this is only the beginning of their ambitions. In a decade or two, it could well be one or more of them headed for space.

New affordable rentals in Waikiki

A rare bit of good news for the lagging supply of affordable rentals — or rentals at any price point: Lilia Waikiki, the first rental project built in that district in 20 years, has 38 studios for those earning 80% of area median income, or below.

Its developer, Brookfield Properties, also has 363 luxury rentals in the mix. Given the condo-dominated luxury market, we don’t hear as much about rentals.

But Waikiki does allow vacation rentals. So, is there high-end demand in that market? Oh, for sure.