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This week, the composer and musical director behind the upcoming Cirque du Soleil show was in town. Evan Duffy is based in Los Angeles but was on the island to begin the process of hiring local musicians for the show.
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Honolulu officials have started the process of removing the Haʻikū Stairs from the Koʻolau Mountains. The popular illegal hike, also known as the "Stairway to Heaven," has about 4,000 stairs. Debate has surrounded the removal for decades, heightened by neighborhood complaints of trespassing and noise. HPR's Ashley Mizuo reports.
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Two measures that would allow counties to begin phasing out non-conforming use permits for transient vacation rental units passed out of both of their chambers. It would give counties more control over short-term rentals. HPR's Ashley Mizuo has more.
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The operator of a lūʻau in a residential area of Honolulu said he plans to continue his business despite city officials ordering him to stop. At the end of February, the Honolulu Department of Planning and Permitting gave Karl Veto Baker until March 30 to correct the violation. Baker said he created the lūʻau to bring back representation of Hawaiian culture. HPR's Cassie Ordonio has more.
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Bills at the Legislature and groups like Lahaina Strong are pressing for faster solutions and phasing out vacation rentals. The Conversation talked to Kelly Lee with the Hawaiʻi Mid and Short-term Rental Alliance about her group's stance.
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Instead of sharing various music and dances from around Polynesia, the resort’s focus is the paniolo, or the Hawaiian cowboy. The Conversation talked to Resort Manager Joey Woofter about "Paniolo, A Hawaiian Cowboy Lūʻau."
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A popular hiking trail in Upcountry Maui is set to reopen to residents and visitors next month. HPR’s Kuʻuwehi Hiraishi reports damage from wildfire and high winds have kept the Waihou Spring Forest Reserve and Trail in Makawao closed since last August.
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Every year, more than a million people enjoy the beach parks in the coastal community of Keaukaha on Hawaiʻi Island, according to a grassroots-led data collection effort over the last year known as Waiʻuli We Count. HPR’s Kuʻuwehi Hiraishi has more.
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Last week, a judge ordered a 10-day work stoppage for the Kauanoe O Kōloa project, a 279-unit development that has received backlash from members of the Native Hawaiian community.
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This year, the minimum wage in Hawaiʻi has gone up, and so have the salaries of some government employees. But in Japan, pay is moving up much faster — and that may eventually have an impact here on the islands. HPR's Bill Dorman has more in today's Asia Minute.