Born and raised in Honolulu, Pennybacker graduated from Stanford University, University of Iowa Writers Workshop and UC Davis School of Law.
In New York City, she worked for the Trust for Public Land, Natural Resources Defense Council, Glamour and This Old House magazines, and as editor for The Green Guide, an award-winning national, green-lifestyle print and online publication. In Honolulu, served as editor for Honolulu Weekly before joining the Honolulu Star-Advertiser in 2015.
She is the author of "Do One Green Thing," (Harper, 2010).
The streams of the Ala Wai watershed drain from its 3,000-foot summit in the Koolaus down to sea level. Its lower sub-basin includes Waikiki, the Ala Wai Canal and several schools, and will bear the brunt of a catastrophic flood if upstream flood management measures fail, Eric Merriam, a planner with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, said Friday in a public meeting. Read more
From time to time during the nine months since he and his coworker rescued young surfer Kai Keuning, Honolulu Ocean Safety lifeguard Kekoa Kekumano would think about the kid and wonder how he was doing. Read more
Hawaiian spring surf has arrived with brisk easterly trades scouring the seas, and after a long, above- average North Shore big-wave season, fresh wave energy is pulsing into Oahu’s South Shore and surfers are sifting through town breaks for nuggets — those shiny little, pop-up rides — while hoping for big, outside bombs. Read more
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A TikTok video showing Oahu chef and business owner Kale D. Shanks spearing a large uhu at a site alleged to be in Hanauma Bay, a Marine Life Conservation District where fishing is banned, was taken down today at the request of Friends of Hanauma Bay. Read more
When a couple of classmates visited from the mainland in February, Honolulu attorney Bill Saunders, 69, hosted a small reunion, playing and singing tunes from the 1960s and ’70s with old friends on guitars. Read more
Virtual and in-person events will be offered starting today, with one of many community cleanups organized by the stormwater division, this one to be hosted by the Ala Wai watershed science education group Na Wai ‘Ekolu at Ala Wai Elementary School. Read more
For decades, North Shore residents and visitors have complained about a traffic bottleneck at popular Laniakea Beach, where beachgoers darted haphazardly across two-lane Kamehameha Highway. Read more
For decades, North Shore residents have complained about traffic bottlenecks as cars stopped for beachgoers randomly darting across the highway along the 200-foot-long stretch fronting Laniakea Beach. Read more
The acquisition of a five-star, 81-room luxury beach resort in the Maldives by Hawaii-headquartered Outrigger Hospitality Group is part of an ongoing global expansion strategy that includes Hawaii, according to President and CEO Jeff Wagoner. Read more
A bill appropriating funds for a memorial to the 8,000 Hawaii residents who were exiled to Kalaupapa on Molokai from 1866 to 1969 after being diagnosed with leprosy is advancing through the state Legislature. Read more
From the viewpoint of Linda Santos, the zoo’s director, the venerable institution is reemerging after struggling through pandemic closures and drop-offs in visitor numbers, a temporary loss of accreditation, a grueling city audit and forging ahead with major capital improvements. Read more
Community members are invited to attend a virtual public workshop from noon to 1:10 p.m. today to discuss how to reduce risks of catastrophic flooding in Honolulu’s Ala Wai watershed. Read more
A one-day humpback whale count was conducted by volunteers Saturday on the shores of the main Hawaiian Islands, with 136 whales sighted between 10 and 10:15 a.m., the most of any 15-minute period throughout the day, according to a news release from the Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary and the Pacific Whale Foundation. Read more
Kaawaloa is a storied place that includes Kealakekua Bay, where British explorer Capt. James Cook was killed in 1779 during a skirmish between his crew and the subjects of Kalaniopuu, alii nui of Hawaii island. Read more
From the proud statue of Duke Paoa Kahanamoku on the shores of his beloved Waikiki, to photographs of his winning smile, most portrayals of Hawaii’s greatest waterman have focused on the sunny side of his life. Read more
A resolution encouraging all Hawaii counties to create a special motor vehicle license plate to commemorate surfing champion Carissa Kainani Moore, 29, was heard and passed Thursday by the Senate Committee on Government Operations. Read more
Corky, a 35-year-old male black rhinoceros with a big personality who was a favorite of Honolulu Zoo staff and visitors, was euthanized Tuesday due to complications of chronic kidney failure. Read more
Sea Life Park in Waimanalo is now hiring as it seeks to staff up before June 1, when it will return to its full opening schedule of seven days a week for the first time since February 2020, the entertainment park said in a statement. Read more
U.S. Rep. Kai Kahele has introduced legislation requiring the cleanup, restoration and return of 782 leased acres of Oahu’s Makua Military Reservation used for live-fire training from 1942 to 2004 to the state of Hawaii. Read more
Although live-fire training ceased at Makua Valley in 2004, unexploded ordnance and other contaminants remain there. Read more
It’s a rare sight these days: a perfect, empty wave in all its wild, riderless glory. Read more
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