Inter-Island Ferry, Musician Benny Rietveld, Displaced Sugar Workers, Haleakala Service Trip
Superferry Appropriations Feasibility Study: Michael Hansen
‘Support the broad intent…’ it’s a phrase that crops up a lot during legislative testimony. It’s particularly present in testimony about whether a form of inter-island transportation should be resurrected. In March, 2009, the Hawaii Supreme Court put the final kibosh on the Superferry; it ruled the legislation that created it was unconstitutional. Now, the brief history of the relatively inexpensive way to move people and goods between islands has lawmakers considering if it’s time to make the Superferry the comeback kid. But this time, they say they want to study it right. The Hawaii Shippers Council is one of the groups supporting the broad intent of the bill to do that; Council president Mike Hansen joins us now.
Intro Music: Eye to Eye by Varisty
Outro Music: Backyard Quiz Theme
Musician Benny Rietveld and Alicyn Yaffee
Bassist Benny Rietveld has had enviable opportunities to expand his musical palette, in bands led by Sheila E. and Miles Davis, and for the last dozen years, as musical director for Santana. That’s an effort that never stops, and he’s performing in a more intimate setting this weekend with jazz guitarist Allison Yaffee. They’re in our studio this morning to offer a sample of their music.
Intro Music: Antony by Twin River
Outro Music: AyeJaye by Benny Rietveld
Future of Displaced Sugar Plantation Workers: Linda Chu-Takayama
For sugar plantation workers on Maui, 2016 did not start well. Alexander and Baldwin, the parent company of Hawaiian Commercial and Sugar Company, announced it would close operations. That ends big sugar farming in Hawaii as it ends the jobs for almost 700 workers. Where and how they next find jobs is the subject of a bill that has already crossed over from the state House to the Senate and referred to both the Judiciary and Labor and Ways and Means committees. Linda Chu-Takayama TITLE of the Dept of Labor and Industrial Relations joins us now to consider the future of the displaced workers.
Intro Music: Le Temps de l'Amour by Francoise Hardy
Outro Music: Piano Sonata in A Minor by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Haleakala National Park Service Trip: Matt Wordeman
Hawaii’s national parks offer the opportunity, all too rare, to imagine Hawaii the way it once was, but the effort to preserve them in anything like a natural state depends, to a great extent, on the efforts of volunteer groups like the Friends of Haleakala National Park, who sponsor monthly service trips into Haleakala Crater: weekend long guided hikes where volunteers battle back against invasive species and do whatever the park need. We talked with volunteer guide Matt Wordeman about the service trips.
Intro Music: Home in the Islands by the Brothers Cazimero
Outro Music: Jeff Peterson: Evening Ehukai
