Explanation in order. Where have the Kaaawa sunrise photos gone for the past few days? Well, we’ve actually been to the east coast and back. We spent the long weekend in Burke, Virginia, with our former neighbors and their daughters, our favorite twins, as well as Sally & Sylvester, the feline litter mates who joined the household since we visited them last. Highlights included a group viewing of “Night at the Museum 2”, wine shopping at Trader Joe’s and at Wegman’s in Fairfax, and a surprise sighting of the shy fox that lives in the forested park behind their house. Low points included the ice maker that stopped working when we arrived. It’s awful when that happens and you’ve got company and you don’t want to obsess about the dead appliance and the people who sold it to you, while your guests worry that somehow they brought the bad karma that pushed the little gizmo over the edge. But we got a late email yesterday, after arriving home, that the ice maker healed itself! Yes!

We stopped off for one day in California on the way back, enjoying thrift stores and investigative runs through local supermarkets. Prices for diesel on both coasts are well over $1.25 per gallon LESS than we pay here.

I think the cats were happy to have us back. At least they stayed close to home all night, and the bed was littered with sleeping cats along with the two people. But we are back home, which is always nice.

What constitutes “breaking news”?

The Honolulu Advertiser’s web site yesterday afternoon featured a series of updates reporting “a possible helicopter crash” where “one person appeared to be dead”, noting that reporters were trying to reach officials to confirm the information. The initial descriptions might have been taken directly from police/fire scanner chatter.

Is this breaking news or premature news?

One experienced reporter (obviously not currently at the Advertiser), commented in an email:

Even in my radio news reporting days when I worked very hard to always break stuff on the air first — I would confirm something like a helicopter crash before putting the information on the air. Announcing on the air a “report” of a traffic accident on the H-one was done regularly, but for a helicopter crash?

So the question is whether readers are best served by seeing “news” immediately all its developing stages, or by getting information as soon as it has been confirmed? Perhaps making the “raw” status of the initial reports would help? I’m not sure.

You’re welcome to weigh in on this.

Another reader wonders:

Why is an HPD patrol car parked so often, so long at the Hilton Lagoon by the dragon boats? Motor running, uniformed officer inside. Can’t be lunch hour. It’s there when I arrive at 11 a.m. and still there when I leave at 2 or 2:30. Can’t be a stake-out. It’s a marked car. Maybe saving wear and tear on tires during the budget crunch?

I’ve got no clue about that one.

Charley Memminger suggested a plug for his blog, Charleyworld, including today’s entry complete with sunrise photo.

His comment:

I thought I’d hate blogging but I’m really enjoying it, espcially creating the funky art that I try to get into each blog. Now I know why you really get into it.

And from retired Star-Bulletin editor Chuck Frankel:

I’m puzzled by the strange Longs Drugs ad in Sunday’s paper for an “extra clean toothbrush” selling for 75 cents. Do you think I could buy a slightly soiled one for 72 cents?

Finally, another report from a reader who had trouble leaving a comment:I just had the strangest experience trying to post a comment to your Sunday blog entry. When I tried to login, I got a popup that said the action was not allowed, or some such thing, and, when I clicked to close that, the browser gave me the “cannot open that website” message. But, when I clicked on the button to show the last few pages I had entered so that I could skip back to the Sunday page in one jump, it showed that I was logged in! Almost as if someone is trying to make the reader think s/he has been blocked from signing in and commenting while not actually doing so.

This although many other comments have been left over the past several days. I just blame it on the mysterious world of WordPress. But it’s free, so I’m not complaining.

Okay, we’re off to see our first Kaaawa sunrise in a week.