Isle flags lowered to honor Soares
Flags are flying at half-staff today in remembrance of the late Wilfred Clinton "Buddy" Soares, a former state lawmaker.
Gov. Neil Abercrombie has ordered that all national and Hawaii flags at state offices and agencies and the Hawaii National Guard be flown at half-staff from sunrise to sunset today, the day of funeral services for Soares.
Soares was elected to the state House of Representatives in 1966 and served a decade, six as minority leader. In 1975, he was appointed to the state Senate by Gov. George Ariyoshi and went on to be elected, serving from 1976 to 1986. He died Nov. 25 in Hollister, Calif., at age 83.
"Buddy Soares was what every legislator should aspire to be - knowledgeable, open to all, a friend to everyone, a master of relationships and able to close on any contentious issue leaving everyone content they were treated fairly," Abercrombie said. "It was a genuine pleasure to serve with Buddy. Just seeing him put a smile on your face. If aloha can be said to describe anyone, that person was Buddy Soares."
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Average gas price rises by a penny
The price of a gallon of unleaded gasoline in Wailuku rose a penny from last week to $4.08, according to the AAA Hawaii Weekend Gas Watch.
That was 6 cents more than last month but 31 cents lower than a year ago.
Statewide, the average price for regular unleaded was the same as Wailuku's at $4.08 a gallon, the same price as last week, 11 cents more than last month and the same price as last year.
Honolulu's average price had a 1-cent bump up from last week to $4.03 a gallon for regular unleaded, up 14 cents from last month and up 10 cents from a year ago.
Hilo gas prices were higher than Wailuku's again this week at $4.09 per gallon, which was the same price as last week, 9 cents more than last month and 17 cents less than this time a year ago.
The AAA Hawaii Weekend Gas Watch is a weekly snapshot of gas prices. Prices are derived from fleet vehicle credit card transactions at more than 100,000 stations around the country. Prices are the combined averages of last card swipe of previous day.
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Pacific Princess to make Lahaina call
The cruise ship Pacific Princess will make a port call in Lahaina in April, part of its 12-day Hawaii and Tahiti cruise, Princess Cruises announced last week.
The cruise departs April 11 from Papeete and ends in Honolulu. Along the way, passengers will stop at Moorea, Bora Bora, Hilo, Kona, Lahaina and Nawiliwili.
Pacific Princess' 2014 World Cruise will be canceled to allow for the new sailings.
The original Pacific Princess, made famous by ABC-TV's hourlong romantic sitcom "The Love Boat," was sold by the cruise company in 2002, when the present-day ship assumed its name.
