KHON reported on the temporary (?) closing of the Crouching Lion last night, but the story had at least one fact wrong. It said the restaurant first opened in 1957. Incorrect, and I know because my father opened the first restaurant at the Crouching Lion in 1952. Here’s a copy of the original business license for the restaurant, issued on April 1, 1952, along with my dad’s recollections of the restaurant’s origins, a story the appeared a couple of years ago on my Kaaawa News site.

I’m told there’s a YouTube video of last night’s Crouching Lion party coming soon courtesy of Kimonui’s channel. I’ll pass the link on when it’s available.

A reader submitted this comment:

The Gannett Advertiser’s scrutiny of possible influence peddling linked to grants awarded by the legislature is interesting, but here’s a bigger story that didn’t appear in their pages:

Dec. 20 (Bloomberg) — The chief executives of Gannett Co. and Media General Inc. personally lobbied top U.S. regulators before winning exceptions to rules that limit newspaper and broadcast ownership in the same markets. Waivers approved by the Federal Communications Commission on Dec. 18 let Media General continue to run both newspapers and television stations in four southeastern U.S. markets. Gannett, the largest U.S. newspaper publisher, can keep assets in Phoenix, according to three people familiar with the ruling. Without the waivers, the companies may have had to sell properties because their TV-newspaper combinations weren’t permitted, even after the FCC relaxed rules this week for some top markets….

What would news be like here if Gannett ever put the Star-Bulletin out of business and expanded into the broadcast market? Scary!

Meanwhile, another two newspaper city prepares for a Gannett monopoly, as the Cincinnati Post prepares to stop the presses at the end of the year.

On a similar theme, I flagged Mike Fancher’s final “Inside the Times” column that appeared in yesterday’s Seattle Times, in which says goodbye to the column and announces his upcoming retirement while passing on lessons he’s learned that might be applicable for living through this difficult period in the history of the news business.

Even rainy mornings make for good photos. The dark clouds, gray rain, and bits of sunlight made yesterday morning special. Just click for a larger version.
While we were walking home, a double rainbow made its appearance, giving another perspective on the morning.