The legislature is set to wrap up its 2014 session today. I’ll refrain from comments until the smoke clears.

Meanwhile, I just scanned what’s being written about the islands over on the mainland. Here’s a sampling.

“Sam Slom is a party of one in Hawaii’s Senate,” Los Angeles Times.

The room was filled with a dozen staffers as well as the minority leader, the GOP floor leader and the top-ranking Republican on each of 16 committees, yet in 21/2 hours there wasn’t a whisper of dissent as Slom firmly made up his mind.
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That’s because Slom holds every one of those leadership positions.

“See how Hawaii’s governor told Rep. Darrell Issa to stuff it,” Los Angeles Times.

Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Vista, the House GOP’s mangy attack dog, has squandered his chairmanship of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform trying to embarrass the Obama administration over a host of ginned-up purported scandals. The IRS, Benghazi–you know the list.
Democrats try to push back against Issa’s scandal-mongering, but it’s doubtful anyone has done so as directly and succinctly as Hawaii Gov. Neil Abercrombie, who fired back last month with a letter ridiculing Issa for his habit of conducting investigations as exercises in “ready, fire, aim.”

“Hawaii Just Took the Bold Step That Congress Doesn’t Have the Courage For,” PolicyMic.com.

Hawaii will be joining the ranks of Connecticut and Maryland, which have both passed $10.10 state minimum wage laws this year. But the Hawaii law goes even further by guaranteeing the same minimum wage to tipped workers who make less than $17.10 an hour; under the new laws, tipped workers only make $3.63 an hour in Maryland and $6.38 an hour in Connecticut. At the federal level, minimum wage for tipped workers is only at $2.13 an hour.

“What does Maine have in common with Hawaii and Montana? People don’t want to leave.” Bangor Daily News.

According to a recent Gallup poll, the three states where people are least likely to find the grass greener on the other side of the proverbial fence are Hawaii, Montana and… drumroll, please… Maine.

“Costco at The District in Tustin Selling Real Hawaiian Poke This Weekend!“, OC Weekly.

How does it taste? I took some home and discovered that it’s identical to the ones I’ve had in Hawaii’s Costcos (Hurray for Costco consistency!). There will be only four flavors on offer: shoyu, limu, wasabi, and a spicy mayo. And it must be said that Costco’s poke ain’t cheap. It starts at $15.99 per pound and tops out at $17.99 per pound, which is even more expensive than what Whole Foods sells their poke for ($14.99 per pound). But these are the same prices that the Costcos in Hawaii charge for poke (Hurray again for Costco consistency!) Besides, you don’t want what Whole Foods calls poke. Just for comparison, I bought some of theirs on the same car trip and it didn’t taste like candy; it tasted like bait.

“The Historic Hawaii Ranch of the Baldwin Family,” Wall Street Journal.

The land is Haleakala Ranch. It harks back to 1869, when H.P. Baldwin purchased an initial 16½-acre parcel for $500 with a partner, and it is named after the volcano on whose slopes most of its cattle roam. Early visitors included writer Jack London, Olympic swimmer and surfing pioneer Duke Kahanamoku and General George Patton. One of the largest working cattle ranches in the state, it is also enormously valuable: Appraisers say nearby Rice Ranch, with just 10,000 acres, is likely worth close to $50 million.

“Tribal Council Supports Hawaiian Cultural Exchange,” Two Rivers Tribune.

The Hoopa Valley Tribal Council voted on Thursday, April 3, to support a group of Trinity Valley Elementary School eighth-graders on their educational and cultural exchange at Kamehameha School in Hawaii.

Michaela White is one of the five students preparing for the trip; four of the five are Hoopa tribal members.

“We’re going to the island of Maui. We’re going to learn about their animals and plants, learn how to make canoes, and go to the volcanoes and caves there,” White said. “It’s a cultural exchange.”

“SEE IT: Mysterious snorkeler rescued by Hawaiian surfer in dramatic forgotten video,” New York Daily News.

Video in a camera found on Paniau Beach at first shows tranquil footage of clear water and fish, but shortly afterward, the unidentified snorkeler who shot the footage is struggling for air and bobbing up and down in the water.

The camera was attached to the snorkeler’s head and gives a foggy point of view. He surfaces for a desperate gasp of air, and then a nearby surfer swims out and rescues him from certain death.

The surfer was identified as Zach Sato. He believes the man could have died within thirty seconds if he hadn’t been there.