A luxury condominium-hotel in Waikiki will be opening soon. But first, the developer must obtain approvals from the city two years after construction started. HPR’s Wayne Yoshioka reports.
Wayne Yoshioka is an award-winning journalist who has worked in television, print and radio in Hawaiʻi. He also has been on both sides of politics as a state departmental appointee and political/government reporter. He covered Hurricane Iwa (1982) as a TV reporter; was the State Department of Defense/Civil Defense spokesperson for Hurricane Iniki (1992); and, commanded a public affairs detachment in Afghanistan (2006). He has a master's degree in Communication from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa and is a decorated combat veteran (Legion of Merit, Bronze Star and 22 other commendation/service medals). He resides in Honolulu.
It's been about a month since the city and the Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement announced a plan to bring back a free hula show at the Waikiki Shell Amphitheater. But the Kapiolani Park Preservation Society has raised concerns that the event is a prelude to a commercial lūʻau show.
The City and County of Honolulu has assumed ownership of a condemned apartment building in Waikīkī. The city says the three-story building at 1615 Ala Wai Blvd., across from the Hawaiʻi Convention Center, has been abandoned for two decades. It also reported that the dilapidated building has been subjected to squatting, graffiti, and other illegal activity.