NEW YORK >> Travel books can get you dreaming. They can provide practical information for your trips. And they can also just tell a good story.

Here are a few books out this season to consider buying for your own use and entertainment, or to give as a gift for Christmas, Hanukkah or whatever you might be celebrating in the coming months.

COFFEE-TABLE BOOKS

They’re way too big and heavy to tuck in your suitcase. But these beautifully illustrated volumes with big themes will get armchair travelers smiling and real-world travelers planning.

>> “The Cities Book: A Journey Through the Best Cities in the World” from Lonely Planet looks at 200 cities from Abu Dhabi through Zanzibar, offering everything from the best time to visit to ideas for a perfect day.

>> “Great Hiking Trails of the World” covers 80 trails in 38 countries on six continents, including Peru’s Inca Trail, Japan’s Shikoku Pilgrimage and the U.S. “triple crown” of hiking, the Appalachian, Pacific Crest and Continental Divide trails.

>> “Timeless Journeys: Travels to the World’s Legendary Places” from National Geographic explores 50 once-in-a-lifetime destinations, from places that offer a window on lost worlds, like Pompeii in Italy, to living wonders like a Tanzania game preserve.

PRACTICAL INFO

Moon Travel Guides has a new series, City Walks, exploring neighborhoods in seven cities: Berlin; Amsterdam; Barcelona, Spain; London; New York; Paris; and Rome. The walks include descriptions, maps, attractions, dining and shopping.

FOR FUN AND INSPIRATION

These books about places and travel offer laughs, eye candy, a good read or some combination thereof. And some of them just might make you jealous in that “why didn’t I think of doing this?” way.

>> For New Yorkers, former New Yorkers and wannabe New Yorkers: “Going Into Town: A Love Letter to New York” by cartoonist Roz Chast is absolutely laugh-out-loud hysterical.

It’s an illustrated memoir about city life told through the eyes of a native New Yorker who moved to the suburbs, billed as an “ode/guide/thank-you note to Manhattan.” Gems include this aside: “Sixth Avenue and Avenue of the Americas are the same thing. But no one calls it ‘Avenue of the Americas,’ because GIVE ME A BREAK.” Topics include “stores of mystery” and “the ancient landmarks.”

>> “Van Life: Your Home on the Road” by Foster Huntington grew out of the author’s three-year adventure traveling around North America in a Volkswagen van.

The photos showcase all kinds of funky vehicles parked in picturesque locations, along with peeks at a few interiors, crowd-sourced from the author’s Tumblr account, Van-life.net.

The book also offers interviews with travelers who have lived the van life.

>> “Ultimate Journeys for Two: Extraordinary Destinations on Every Continent” by Mike and Anne Howard grew out of the writers’ five-year adventure across seven continents as “the world’s longest honeymooners,” an experience they chronicled on their blog HoneyTrek.com.

The book includes 75 featured destinations; top 10 lists of day hikes, festivals, beaches and more; and travel advice.

>> “Holy Rover: Journeys in Search of Mystery, Miracles, and God,” by Lori Erickson is part memoir and part travel guide as the author reflects on her pilgrimages to 12 sites around the world, from Our Lady of Lourdes in France to Machu Picchu in Peru.

The book also recounts her meetings with spiritual leaders, including the chief priest of the Icelandic pagan religion Asatru and a Lakota Indian man who directs a retreat lodge at the holy site of Bear Butte in South Dakota.

BEST OF 2018

The folks at Lonely Planet don’t just publish a list for where to go in the new year, they’ve published an entire book: “Best in Travel 2018,” with the travel media brand’s picks for best countries, regions, cities and trends in travel for the new year, along with suggestions on what to see and do there.

During December, many Las Vegas shows go “dark” to allow cast members to take holiday vacations. If you’re visiting between now and New Year’s and have your heart set on seeing a particular show, make sure to check that there will be performances during your dates.

The dark days for the major productions are:

>> Bronx Wanderers (Bally’s): Dec. 24;

>> Tom Green (Bally’s): Dec. 14-31;

>> Wayne Newton (Bally’s): Dec. 14-31;

>> “O” (Bellagio): through Dec. 12;

>> Donny & Marie Osmond (Flamingo): through Dec. 31;

>> “Legends in Concert” (Flamingo): through Dec. 23, Dec. 25 and 31;

>> Righteous Brothers (Harrah’s): Dec. 12-14, 19-21, 26;

>> Mat Franco (The LINQ): through Dec. 12, Dec. 18, 31;

>> Carrot Top (Luxor): Dec. 10, 23-25, 31;

>> Criss Angel (Luxor): Dec. 13-17, 24, 31;

>> David Copperfield (MGM Grand): through Dec. 16;

>> “Love” (Mirage): through Dec. 12;

>> Anthony Cools (Paris): Dec. 10, 12, 14-17, 19, 31;

>> Penn & Teller (Rio): Dec. 11-21, 31;

>> “Wow” (Rio): Dec. 18-20;

>> David Goldrake, “Imaginarium” (Tropicana): through Dec. 18, 31;

>> “Purple Reign” (Tropicana): Dec. 13-16, 31;

>> “Human Nature Jukebox” (Venetian): Dec. 12-16, 26;

>> Dirk Arthur (Westgate): Dec. 10, 14-17, 31; and

>> Sexxy (Westgate): Dec. 13-16.

Mandarin robot

A 4-foot humanoid robot toting a tablet has taken residence in Mandarin Oriental’s 23rd floor Sky Lobby. The robot, Pepper, doesn’t move around or talk, but uses the tablet to answer questions from guests.

New nightclub

Troy Liquor Bar out of NYC has opened at the Golden Nugget, taking over the spot formerly occupied by Gold Diggers. Open Thursday-Sunday, it’s billed as the “only nightclub under the Fremont Street Canopy.”

Question: Is it still possible to get rooms for New Year’s Eve?

Answer: Yes. In a check of 91 hotel-casinos late last month, 74 had rooms available. For the second year in a row, the lowest-priced room for New Year’s Eve was at the Lucky Club ($130). Other good deals were found in two-night packages at Sam’s Town for $320, Downtown Grand for $368 and the Plaza for $420. The most expensive rooms were at the Mandarin Oriental for $799.

For more information about Las Vegas shows, buffets, coupons and good deals, go to LasVegasAdvisor.com.

Hawaii Reserves Inc. has scrapped its contentious plan to put up houses in rural Malaekahana and is instead proposing a scaled-down project allowing for 300 additional residential units within the Laie ahupuaa.

But the new plan is also meeting with skepticism and resistance from those in surrounding communities who worry the new development would destroy the area’s rural nature and overburden the roads, sewer capacity and other infrastructure.

HRI’s supporters say more housing, and affordable housing in particular, is badly needed for the families who live, work and play in Laie.

HRI manages Brigham Young University-Hawaii and the Polynesian Cultural Center — which form Laie’s geographical and cultural hub — for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-­day Saints.

Eric Beaver, HRI president and CEO, publicly unveiled the revised plan to the City Council Planning Committee at a standing-room-only meeting at Hauula Elementary School on Nov. 29.

As with its aborted project, HRI will need its revised proposal to be included under an expanded urban boundary in the Koolauloa Sustainable Communities Plan to proceed.

The current version of the Koolauloa SCP, contained in Bill 1, is opposed by HRI and its supporters because it does not include any new development for the region.

At the end of the Nov. 29 meeting, Council Planning Chairman Ikaika Anderson said he wants to give Council members, the city Department of Planning and Permitting, and the community time to study HRI’s proposal and then have Bill 1 taken up again in February.

HRI’s previous Envision Laie proposal called for development of 300 acres in Malaekahana primarily for housing, but also some commercial/business use. HRI opponents have successfully thwarted that plan, arguing that most of the Malaekahana ahupuaa is now in ranching or other agricultural use.

Beaver has said the company now wants a change to the Koolauloa SCP that would allow 300 units — 250 in North Laie and 50 on the existing BYUH campus. Plans for new retail designation have been nixed.

All of the area HRI proposes for housing is within the Laie ahupuaa, although part appears to abut the Malaekahana border. The area is also set back from Kamehameha Highway by about 330 yards, Beaver said, “leaving the flat pastureland along the highway undeveloped.”

Beaver said the existing urban growth boundary in the current Koolauloa SCP allows for 550 housing units behind BYUH, and HRI would have preferred the city simply shift that allowable maximum amount to Laie’s northern boundary.

Calling the need for new homes the biggest issue facing Laie, Beaver argues that the larger number of units would mean more affordable homes available for area residents. The 300-unit proposal is a compromise and an acknowledgement of the previous opposition, he said.

Beaver said in response to written questions from the Honolulu Star-Advertiser that HRI’s latest proposal would add about 55 acres into the urban growth boundary. The 550 units it now is allowed to build is designated for about 150 acres, he said.

The current alignment, while allowing a bigger area for housing, is on the BYUH campus and not envisioned for the general public, Beaver said. “Preliminary studies have indicated that these locations are (unfeasible) for affordable housing. In addition, building housing adjacent to the university would restrict its ability to grow in the future.”

How many of the new homes would be single-family houses and multifamily townhouses or apartments has not yet been determined, Beaver said. HRI expects to abide by the city’s affordable housing rules, which currently require no less than 30 percent be made available to those making up to 140 percent of median household income, although city leaders are contemplating upping the requirements.

Ben Shafer, a member of both the Kahana Planning Council and Defend Oahu Coalition, said Friday that he supports new housing — but only if the homes are aimed at and affordable for existing Laie residents.

“Because if you’re going to bring in outside people, that’s not going to help anything,” Shafer said.

Shafer also scoffed at the suggestion that the new plan does not encroach into Malaekahana. Even if it’s technically within the Laie ahupuaa, it abuts Malaeka­hana, he said. “On the one side of the street it’s Laie, on the other side it’s Malaeka­hana.”

Margaret Primacio, Defend Oahu Coalition president and a Kahuku resident, said even if the bulk of the homes are in Laie, HRI is seeking an expansion of the urban growth boundary for the plan that would result in less agricultural land.

If a majority of the new homes will be market-priced, that won’t make too big an impact for the many Laie residents in need of housing, Primacio said.

A majority of the more than 50 people who testified Nov. 29 said they support leaving the bill as is with no additional houses. But about one out of every four or five testifiers offered support to HRI, and most came from within Laie.

Laie resident Arapata Meha said with median home prices approaching $800,000, many younger people are being forced to live on the mainland. His own family is facing that reality, he said.

“My wife and I have two married sons who were educated here and live on the mainland,” Meha said. “They want to come home and raise their families in Koolauloa.”

Pani Meatoga Jr., president of the Laie Community Association, said he’s unhappy with HRI’s newest proposal because it would mean fewer homes than what’s now allowed. “That’s not going to meet the main need of the community, which is affordable housing,” Meatoga said.

Fred Hemmings has some stories to tell. He’s like that one relative you’re happy to see at holiday dinners because you know he’ll keep things interesting with his anecdotes.

Like the time he went rat hunting with Buffalo Keaulana.

Or the time one of the wealthiest women in the world invited him to her house for dinner.

Or when he was clearing brush at his house and a tree fell on him and he was rescued by a homeless man who lived in the bushes.

On his Facebook page, Hemmings often shares stunning vintage surf pictures of the legends of the sport with anecdotes about where they were when the photo was taken, what ocean conditions were like that day, and jokes about the clothes they’re wearing. Hemmings’ stories are always told first-person because he was there right in the middle of the action, traveling with Duke Kahanamoku, paddling the Molokai channel with a traditional koa paddle, surfing the “swell of the century.” But he tells these epic tales with a relaxed wit and a healthy dose of self-deprecation. He’s not always the hero, and when he is, he’s often surprised about it.

That style of storytelling led to the title of Hemmings’ new memoir, “Local Boy,” published by Legacy Isle Publishing, an imprint of Watermark Publishing. Hemmings gathered some of his favorite anecdotes and photos into an album of memories and observations that reads like you’re hearing him telling tales at a family party.

“Between the lines, it is about how fortunate I am to call Hawaii home,” Hemmings said. “The last 70 years have seen so much wondrous change. My roots are in an older, slow and modest Hawaii.”

Hemmings, 71, was a state legislator for 10 years and Republican candidate for lieutenant governor, and there are stories of his time in politics included in the memoir. But the stories that stand out are of his glory days of surfing and his friendship with the great Duke Kahana­moku. In one passage, Hemmings recalls watching a man excitedly approach Kahanamoku and ask, “Duke, do you remember me? I met you when I was 3 years old.”

“Duke looked at the man in the eyes and with a smile said, ‘Nice to see you again.’ That was Duke Kahanamoku. The old guy’s face lit up like he had just received a great gift, which he had. The man had wanted to be recognized and Duke had recognized him. Although I surmise that he did not remember a 3-year-old boy he’d met years before, Duke gave him the gift of recognition. That was the character of Duke Kahanamoku. That’s how he treated everybody.”

Hemmings is often called upon to give speeches about the history of surfing, and he says he’ll speak to any group that wants to hear stories from “Local Boy.” Like the time he cut off his toes while doing yardwork. Or the time he was mowing the lawn and fell off a retaining wall onto his newly healed hip replacement. He has many tales of yardwork calamities and big-wave adventures, the kinds of stories local boys love to tell.

The book will be in stores Dec. 17 or can be ordered online at fredhemmings.com.

Reach Lee Cataluna at 529-4315 or lcataluna@staradvertiser.com.

Sasha Pinheiro had to take on the role of a single parent after her separation from her children’s father, an Army veteran who has been struggling with post-traumatic stress disorder.

“I am raising both kids on my own because their father is dealing with these medical issues and living in a shelter,” she said. “I want him to be a parent in their lives, but things are not stable right now.”

She walks her children to and from school, and takes the bus to her job as a nurse’s aide at a senior care facility that offers in-home health care services.

“I’m trying to better my life and my kids’ future. One day, I want my own place and to own my own vehicle, but right now I’m happy with what I’ve got.”

Pinheiro receives support and guidance through Healthy Families Oahu, an agency that works with families on the Waianae coast, offering support in parenting and child development, as well as addressing other needs.

“My life right now is a struggle, but I live day to day to make the best of it,” she said. “I work hard every day and try to keep my mind busy. I surround myself with positive people. It helps me to go further. It’s hard doing it by myself, but I know that I can do it.”

CHALLENGES

Pinheiro would like to work more hours but child care is a concern. “I really love working with the seniors,” she said. “It’s the best job that I could ask for.”

CHILDREN

Shaizen, 5; A’ziah, 1

WISH LIST

>> For herself: Medical scrubs (size extra small), purses, shoes (size 6), gift cards for clothing

>> For Shaizen: Clothing (toddler size 5), shoes (children’s 12), toys, a bicycle

>> For A’ziah: Clothing (12-18 months), toys, walking push-and-pull toys

LOOKING FORWARD

Pinheiro is going back to school to earn her high school diploma.

Eventually, she said, she would like to study marine biology — “I’m in love with the ocean creatures,” she said — or veterinary medicine.

She is grateful that she was able to qualify to work as an aide, but says she is looking for more opportunities to secure a stable future for herself and her children.

Nothing ever seems to compute when the state upgrades its computers, and Gov. David Ige has made little headway in changing the calculus.

Two years ago, Ige scrapped a useless new financial software system in the Department of Transportation and sued the now-bankrupt contractor in a likely doomed attempt to recover nearly $14 million the state paid.

That fiasco was mostly on the previous administration, but Ige is presiding over an even more expensive tech horror show of his own in the turmoil surrounding a $60 million computer modernization in the Department of Taxation.

The $60 million price tag isn’t the half of it — literally. This project is to replace a previous $87.5 million tax department computer modernization that was declared outdated before it was finished.

The latest doubts about the tax computer upgrade started in the 2017 Legislature, which withheld $18 million Ige requested for the next phase after complaints from frustrated taxpayers using the new system to pay excise taxes.

House Finance Chairwoman Sylvia Luke, seething from computer glitches in paying her own excise taxes, predicted massive trouble when individual income taxes go on the new system next year.

In addition to withholding funds, legislators transferred key tax department staff involved in the project to the Office of Enterprise Technology Services, saying it’s not a tax issue but an information technology issue.

Ige seemed to agree; in July, he assigned chief state tech officer Todd Nacapuy to oversee the project.

This drew the ire of tax department employees, and in October, Randy Perreira of the Hawaii Government Employees Association declared a “complete lack of confidence” in Nacapuy and said employees don’t want to be held responsible “for the system’s inevitable failure.”

You never know if such union butt-covering is about substance or turf, but either way, disgruntled employees can cause “inevitable failure” to become a self-fulfilling prophecy.

Before this tussle fully played out, Tax Director Maria Zielinski abruptly resigned after it was reported her department had inappropriately interfered with an independent consultant hired to flag problems in the computer upgrade.

Ige called a news conference on Wednesday to introduce his new tax director, veteran public administrator Linda Chu Takayama, raising hopes that for once he’d do what a governor is supposed to do: explain Zielinski’s departure, give a forthright update on the tax computer troubles, credibly address the status with the union and give some sign he understands why big state tech projects keep going awry.

But Ige was Ige, and the best he could come up with was, “Change is hard.”

He’s got about nine months to show let-down voters he’s capable of better leadership and communication than this, or they might decide change is not so hard when they see his name on the ballot for reelection.

Reach David Shapiro at volcanicash@gmail.com.

Twice this fall the state’s largest union has issued dire warnings about efforts by Gov. David Ige’s administration to upgrade critically important state computer systems, and that pushback is taking on political implications as Ige prepares for a tough Democratic primary next year.

When Ige first came to office, he publicly pledged to implement “state-of-the-art technology” that would allow state agencies to do their jobs more efficiently and effectively. Administration officials specifically cited the obsolete state payroll and attendance record-keeping systems as components of Hawaii government that are long overdue for modernization.

But recent employee and union complaints about the administration’s computer projects raise questions about whether Ige can make good on those promises just as public attention is beginning to shift to next year’s election.

A contract worth more than $37 million was awarded last year to overhaul the state’s payroll and worker attendance systems, but the Hawaii Government Employees Association last week sent state Comptroller Rod Becker a letter warning the payroll project is being rushed and is understaffed.

HGEA Executive Director Randy Perreira also alleged that contractor CherryRoad Technologies Inc. is “delivering poor-quality work.”

When state workers point out problems with the project, “those who identify the challenges are harassed, scolded or even threatened” by the contractor, by Ige’s Chief Information Officer Todd Nacapuy, or by his staff, Perreira wrote.

Perreira’s letter to Becker echoes another warning he sent to Ige on Oct. 31 warning of “turmoil” in the $60 million overhaul of the computers in the state Department of Taxation. Known as the Tax System Modernization or TSM, that project is another effort to replace an obsolete computer system that state officials say is on the verge of failing.

Ige defends his administration’s efforts to complete both projects, but the union challenges could sting him politically. Ige has presented himself to the public as a technocrat and a competent manager, and virtually everyone involved agrees these are urgently needed projects.

Political fallout

Most voters probably can’t recall any flashy accomplishments by Ige at this stage of his administration, and most likely they perceive Ige as more of a manager than a politician, said Jerry Burris, an author and longtime Honolulu political columnist.

“People will generally give him marks for basic competence, and this goes directly to the heart of competence, especially for an engineer,” he said.

“Here is the biggest union saying things aren’t being managed properly, and someone’s going to jump on that,” Burris said. “It will be used against Ige — not so much that he presided over a scandal, but they’ll use it to attack his competency, which is something that supposedly he should get high marks on.”

Ige is being challenged by U.S. Rep. Colleen Hanabusa in the Democratic primary, and is also being opposed by Republican House Minority Leader Andria Tupola and retired Republican lawyer John Carroll.

HGEA has not yet made any public endorsement in the governor’s race, and Perreira rejected any suggestion that the union’s public criticisms of the tax and payroll projects are politically motivated.

“This is all about the employees being concerned about what the end product is going to be. They want it to work,” Perreira said. “If they make it work, then the governor looks better, so from their perspective, there’s nothing political about this. It’s all about making sure that, at the end of the day, we can collect taxes and that the payroll system is going to pay them.”

After the Honolulu Star-Advertiser published an account Nov. 19 of the union’s concerns about the tax system, Perreira said HGEA received “unsolicited input” from both union members and managers who aren’t union members expressing similar concerns about the payroll project.

“For us, this is all about the employees feeling that this is adversely affecting what they do. This is their profession. This is their passion, and they’ve been looking for a voice because internally, people who speak out are chastised,” Perreira said. “There have been people who have been called in at different levels and threatened; they have been removed from the project input process.”

He added: “As a result, there are grave concerns that at the end of the day, both systems could fail. For the employees, who the hell wants the payroll system to fail? Because then they don’t get paid.” The state payroll system generates paychecks for more than 75,000 full- and part-time employees statewide.

‘Change is hard’

When asked last week about the union criticisms of the effort to launch a new payroll system, Ige told reporters that the state is replacing antiquated systems that have been in place for many years and “change is hard.”

“We engage our employees; we do know that they’re on the front line. The payroll project touches every single department … so we are consulting and conferring with them. We’re including employees in the discussions as we move the project through,” Ige said last week. He added that “we want them to become experts on the new system because we do believe that it will allow them to become more efficient and effective.”

As for the new tax system, Ige points out the state has already successfully completed the first three phases of the tax modernization project.

“I just want to emphasize that the project has proceeded; we have a management team in place now,” Ige told reporters last week. Both the payroll and the tax projects are complex, and they change the way that almost every employee operates, he said.

“I think it really is about change and managing change,” he said. “We are committed to provide the training that all the employees will need so that they can be successful as we transition from the old system to the new system.”

State employees working on the payroll system, also known as the HawaiiPay Project, “are critical to its success,” state Comptroller Becker said in a written statement. “We will be meeting with HGEA and responding to the union’s concerns in writing.”

More criticism of TSM

The new payroll system will complete a major test in January that will provide a better sense of whether the project is functioning as it should. The first state departments are scheduled to shift from the old system to the new one in mid-2018.

As for the new tax system, HGEA has not been the only source of criticism of the project, which is being implemented by a contractor called Fast Enterprises.

Earlier this year, state lawmakers rejected a request from Ige for an additional $18 million in funding for the tax modernization project, citing complaints about the new system after the general public began using it to file and pay their general excise taxes.

Ige in July named Nacapuy as “executive sponsor” of the tax project, and lawmakers transferred a half-dozen of the key tax department staff involved in the TSM project to the Office of Enterprise Technology Services, where they work under Nacapuy.

Earlier this month, a report from a supposedly independent consultant hired by the state to oversee the tax project revealed the consultant was instructed by state tax officials on which subjects “should and should not” be addressed in its monitoring reports to lawmakers and the public. That report by consultant Advan­Tech LLC also stated the tax department had requested changes in its reports before they were made public, which the consultant said is “not the norm” in its experience.

State Tax Director Maria Zielinski abruptly submitted her resignation last week just a day before it became effective, and Ige announced Wednesday he was appointing Linda Chu Takayama as Zielinski’s replacement. Takayama had been serving as Ige’s director of the state Department of Labor and Industrial Relations.

Retired Air Force Sgt. “Skip” Wheeler stood among the chaos of angry and confused homeless people being swept by state sheriff’s deputies on Monday and offered a blunt assessment of himself and his situation as a homeless military veteran.

“Basically, I’m a lazy bum,” Wheeler, 70, told the Honolulu Star-Advertiser as 69 other homeless people poured out of a Mapunapuna bike path on Department of Transportation property. “I need adult supervision. I say that truthfully. I’m not motivated.”

Wheeler’s unvarnished assessment only fueled the frustration felt by Salt Lake resident Dennis Egge, also 70, whose own naval service in Vietnam as a chief petty officer between 1968 and 1975 overlapped with Wheeler’s service in Vietnam between 1964 and 1968.

“We have these people who will take anything they can take from the system,” Egge said. “Whatever we’re willing to give, they’ll take it — and they want more.”

Egge, a part-time condominium manager, tries to help Oahu’s homeless when he can. On Friday night, Egge helped drop off three large trays of rice, beef broccoli and chicken long rice to the Institute for Human Services that could serve dozens of people in the state’s largest homeless shelter.

At the same time, Egge represents untold others across Oahu who are “easily frustrated” — as he put it — that more homeless seem unwilling to change their lives for the better.

“It’s sad, actually,” Egge said. “Very sad.”

But Wheeler did take an important first step.

On Friday, for the first time, Wheeler woke up in the city’s Hale Mauliola homeless “navigation center” on Sand Island after moving in the day before. He had new, clean clothes and a safe place of his own where he could sleep behind a locked door.

After his first 24 hours at Hale Mauliola, however, it was too soon to know whether Wheeler will finally decide for good to move away from the same streets where he was being attacked and robbed.

In one moment outside his shipping container unit at Hale Mauliola, Wheeler told the Star-Advertiser that he’s motivated and wants to change his life. In the next, he said he might not even stay at Hale Mauliola long enough to celebrate his 71st birthday on Dec. 18 because “it feels like living with my parents,” adding: “I don’t want to be told what to do. I came here making my own decisions. I don’t hurt anybody with my decisions.”

Kimo Carvalho, spokesman for IHS, which runs Hale Mauliola for the city, said Wheeler’s attitude after eight years of chronic homelessness is not unusual — and only illustrates the hard work that begins once someone agrees to accept help.

“He’s only been here for two days,” Carvalho said on Saturday. “We’re not discouraged. This is normal for a chronically homeless person. This is just the start. He’s lived without rules for so long that it becomes hard for someone like him to adjust. Any time a chronically homeless person enters a homeless shelter, they’re going through a withdrawal process. There are still many more stages for him to experience. We need to keep him motivated and engaged in (positive) steps. Skip’s situation is very much reflective of the challenges facing homeless service providers.”

With 100 percent disability and Social Security payments, Wheeler has enough money to rent a place of his own on Oahu, but isn’t interested. (He asked that the exact amount of his payments not be disclosed.)

He also could be eligible for housing in 50 new studio apartments aimed at military veterans that opened Friday in Kapolei.

Art Minor, an outreach worker for the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, said older veterans such as Wheeler from the Vietnam era are particularly reluctant to seek out help, even if they’re being victimized by other homeless people.

“They have a lot of pride,” he said. “It often takes significant things to happen in their lives before they reach out — like a sweep.”

Outreach workers from the Kalihi-Palama Health Center first met Wheeler in May under the H-1 freeway viaduct but he “did not want any assistance,” wrote Darrin Sato, Kalihi- Palama Health Center’s CEO.

Minor had been looking for another veteran around the bike path last month when some homeless people pointed out Wheeler and “said they were worried about him getting taken advantage of,” Minor said. “I had offered emergency housing the first time I met him. He was not interested in that.”

Minor maintains the DOT’s Oct. 23 sweep of the H-1 freeway viaduct that cleared 120 people — and Monday’s follow-up sweep of the adjacent bike path — helped drive a change in Wheeler’s attitude.

“I think that played a role,” Minor said. “It does bring some people out of the woods.”

Then on Tuesday, IHS had a vacancy at Hale Mauliola.

So when Minor saw Wheeler outside the Keehi Lagoon Memorial on Thursday, Minor picked him up and took Wheeler directly to Hale Mauliola.

“I’m the dumbest (and oldest) of four children who are very smart,” Wheeler told the Star-Advertiser at Hale Mauliola. “One brother has two Ph.D.s, my sister’s a lawyer and another brother has two master’s (degrees) and is working in West Africa (to provide humanitarian relief). Me, I’m a papillon. I’m a butterfly.”

Wheeler was born Edward Slade Wheeler III in San Bernardino, Calif., but prefers to be called Skip — “if you want me to answer.”

After graduating from San Bernardino’s Pacific High School in 1964, Wheeler wanted to join the Marines to join the fight in Vietnam.

“Dad said, ‘No.’ He said I could join the Coast Guard or Navy, but I get seasick,” Wheeler said. “Two weeks later I was in the Air Force.”

While in Vietnam through 1968, Wheeler said he was exposed to Agent Orange and today suffers heart problems and skin problems. He also uses a cane.

Between 1968 and 1972, the Air Force sent him to McClellan Air Force Base in Sacramento, Calif. When he mustered out, Wheeler became a golf pro working courses in California and in the 1980s moved to Oahu to work at military and civilian courses.

He married and divorced two wives and raised four children on Oahu and later drove a taxi.

Then, eight years ago, Wheeler decided to live by himself, away from other people. He moved under a bridge near Keehi Lagoon Beach Park and outfitted his encampment with a generator that fed air conditioning, a flat-screen TV and a DVD player.

Wheeler said it wasn’t an option to move in with any of his children.

“I didn’t want to interrupt their lives, not when I can take care of myself,” he said. Later, Wheeler said: “None of them offered and I don’t know if I would take it.”

While living in and around the H-1 freeway viaduct, Wheeler got robbed numerous times, losing cash and IDs in the process.

Asked about being assaulted, Wheeler said, “I gave them a reason not to do it again. I’m not violent. I’m not aggressive, but I sure will protect myself. It was the cost of doing business.”

Wheeler remains unsure of what happens next. He characterized his life as “at a crossroads.”

Scott Morishige, the state’s homeless coordinator, said that even homeless people who have been preyed upon have trouble adjusting when they’re placed in a new situation, even when it’s safer.

“Even when they’re being assaulted on the street, it’s hard for many people to make a change,” Morishige said. “Even though you have the security of four walls and a door, you don’t have that same sense of community that you relied on. Even though it’s not a 100 percent feel-good story, it’s important for people to understand how difficult it is.”

As Wheeler contemplates which direction his life will take next, Minor, from the VA, is still looking for the original veteran he was tracking down when he first met Wheeler a month ago.

Asked if he’s concerned that other veterans like Wheeler are living off the grid in potentially dangerous situations, Minor said: “Absolutely. That’s definitely concerning. I’m sure there are others out there like him.”

A 20-year-old man has been charged with murder in connection with the death of an 18-year-old man in Maili.

Kamaua Van Gieson was charged Saturday with second-degree murder in Dustin Molina’s death. His bail was set at $1 million.

Police arrested Van Gieson in Aiea Thursday night after plainclothes officers of the Honolulu Police Department’s Kapolei-Waianae crime reduction unit obtained information on his whereabouts.

On Tuesday morning, Molina was found with suspicious injuries on a rocky shoreline near Maili Cove, a residential apartment building.

Police said an autopsy later showed Molina had a stab wound, among other injuries.

CrimeStoppers and police issued a bulletin Wednesday seeking the public’s help in locating Van Gieson, who had been wanted in a separate case after he allegedly kidnapped his ex-girlfriend.

At about 7:30 p.m. Sunday at Kapolei Commons, police said a 20-year-old woman met Van Gieson and entered his vehicle to collect her belongings. After she attempted to exit the vehicle, police said Van Gieson grabbed her and pulled her back inside.

He then started to drive away. At some point, police said, Van Gieson allegedly placed a knife against the victim’s body and threatened to kill her. The woman managed to escape and reported the incident to an officer in the area who was responding to a separate case.

Man dies from injuries following Salt Lake fight

A 36-year-old man who was injured in a fight in Salt Lake on Thursday has died.

The man was injured during a brawl with another male at about 4:10 p.m. Thursday, police said.

An Emergency Medical Services report said the victim was apparently assaulted near Ala Ilima Street and taken to a hospital in critical condition. Police said the victim later died, but they did not say when. Police reclassified the case as a second-degree murder investigation. The suspect remains at large.

San Francisco man dies in fall off mountain bike

A 53-year-old man who fell while mountain biking on Hawaii island has died from his injuries.

West Hawaii Today reports that the man and his wife were riding on an off-road trail on Thursday around Mauna Kea when he fell.

Hawaii Fire Department Battalion Chief John Whitman said an off-duty firefighter and bystanders who came across the scene performed lifesaving procedures until a rescue crew arrived by helicopter. The man was flown to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead. The Fire Department said the man was wearing a helmet when he fell.

The department said he is a resident of San Francisco.

Mililani attack leaves man critically injured

Police opened an attempted murder investigation Friday after a 52-year-old man was critically injured in an attack in Mililani.

Police said the victim was left unconscious after being struck by an unknown suspect at about 7:35 p.m. The suspect ran away and his whereabouts were unknown. Police said paramedics transported the victim to a hospital in critical condition.

Police did not say what preceded the attack.

A revocable water-diversion permit for Kauai Island Utility Cooperative’s hydroelectric plants that utilize water from Mount Waialeale was renewed Friday with a 4-3 vote by the state Board of Land and Natural Resources.

The diversion allows a portion of the water to flow from the North Fork of the Wailua River through a series of ditches to the Upper and Lower Waiahi hydroelectric plants, the Garden Island reports.

The hydros and ditch infrastructure were built in the 1920s by Lihue Plantation Co., and have allowed diversified agriculture to continue in Wailua and Kalepa.

“We are pleased that the holdover was granted and will continue to work with the state in pursuit of a long-term lease for the Blue Hole diversion,” David Bissell, KIUC’s president and chief executive officer, said in a statement.

The permit allows KIUC to operate two hydroelectric plants that generate 1.5 megawatts of energy.

The Kiai Wai O Waialeale coalition, along with community groups Friends of Mahaulepu, HAPA and the Sierra Club, said KIUC and Grove Farm are illegally using 30 million gallons or more of water per day for the hydros, and on days when there’s no rain, the streams are dry.

About 13 Kauai citizens testified against the permit renewal at the hearing in Honolulu, claiming the diversion of six streams by KIUC is illegal.

The groups said the diversion deprives state Department of Hawaiian Home Lands beneficiaries of their rights to live on their land, and many plants and animals of their necessary stream-­flow-dependent habitats, including the pupu wa lani or Newcomb snail, which exists only on Kauai and is on the endangered species list.

Bissell said the hydro facilities are KIUC’s lowest-cost source of generation and replace the use of 500,000 gallons of diesel every year. They assist in the delivery of reliable power to around 24,000 customers, virtually every household and business on Kauai.

“These hydroelectric plants are an important component in KIUC’s overall strategy to meet the state of Hawaii’s mandate of reaching 100 percent renewable energy by 2045,” Bissell said.

Lawmakers are grappling with how to prevent suicides, the leading cause of fatal injuries, which accounts for one person dying every two days in Hawaii.

On average there were 186 suicides a year from 2012 to 2016, compared with 120 in the early 2000s, state Department of Health statistics show. Hawaii County has the highest suicide rate at 117 deaths per 100,000 residents, followed by Kauai at 92 and Maui at 86. Oahu had the lowest rate at 66.

“We must fund suicide prevention in Hawaii and especially training for those on the ground,” said state Sen. Josh Green (D, Kona-Kau), chairman of the Senate Human Services Committee, who was part of a joint House and Senate briefing Friday on the state’s suicide prevention plan. “We can save dozens of lives this way. We underfund mental health care and drug treatment in Hawaii by tens of millions every year, and one direct result of this is far too many suicides. In some ways, drug and alcohol treatment and treatment for mental illness needs to become the new primary care. It’s that big a deal.”

The Prevent Suicide Hawaii Taskforce, comprising public, private and nonprofit groups, presented a plan to reduce suicides in Hawaii by at least 25 percent by 2025.

Strategies include raising awareness through the press about this preventable public health problem and tapping into social media where most teens and many adults spend their time.

“There’s a lack of awareness of the scale of the problem in the state,” said Dan Galanis, an epidemiologist at the Health Department, which receives $100,000 annually for suicide prevention programs. “Part of that plays into the stigma of losing someone to suicide and even some remaining stigma around mental illness.”

The task force is also recommending more training, particularly for first responders, educators, health care providers, corrections authorities, and support groups for survivors and others in need. The group says more research and evaluation of prevention programs, policies and systems need to be done, as well as ensuring adequate community resources.

“It’s important to raise awareness throughout the whole community in regards to the hope, help and healing that is available,” said Oahu task force Chairwoman Pua Kaninau-Santos, whose son, Kaniela, died in 2003. “If you’re that one family that just had that suicide, how desperate would that be? The faces of our loved ones, they’re just not statistics. They all had lives; they made a bad choice. We are the voices for those who have no voices.”

Maryknoll used a furious second-half run to rally past Oregon City (Ore.) 62-49 to capture third place in the ‘Iolani Classic girls basketball tournament on Saturday night.

Senior point guard Rhianne Omori scored six of her 23 points down the stretch to spark Maryknoll (13-1). Senior center Isabella Cravens had a double-double with 14 points and 13 rebounds, along with three blocks.

The win came one day after a 62-39 loss to Southridge (Ore.), a team that beat Oregon City in the 6-A state championship game in their home state last season.

It was quite a turnaround for Maryknoll, Hawaii’s No. 1 team, against an Oregon powerhouse.

“I like the fact that they came back. When you play mainland teams, you have to be mentally ready for the intensity, physicality and the way they can push the ball,” Spartans coach Chico Furtado said.

Kylie Guelsdorf scored 17 points on a variety of quick drives and crafty moves. Kaari Guelsdorf added 13 points, including three treys. Brooke Bullock managed 12 points.

The game was tight for three quarters. There were four lead changes in the second quarter, when Kaari Guelsdorf hit a 3 and a follow shot to give her team a 31-30 advantage going into the break.

The Spartans got a running bank shot by Ysabelle Halemano to start the second half, and they never trailed again. Maryknoll switched from man defense to a 2-3 zone and it turned out to be kryptonite to the Pioneers, who shot 2-for-14 from the field in the third. Kylie Guelsdorf was scoreless in the stanza, and Cravens had nine of her boards in the quarter.

“They’d rather attack the bucket with their cuts and back screens. We had to go zone,” Furtado said.

The Pioneers were still within range when Kaari Guelsdorf hit a wing 3 to cut the lead to 44-38 early in the fourth quarter. With the 30-second shot clock in play, Maryknoll continued to be aggressive, and a 3-pointer by Georjette Stietzel opened the lead to 49-38 with 6:10 left.

“She hit that big 3. That group that came off the bench actually extended the lead,” Furtado said.

Oregon City got the lead down to seven points, the last time on a wing 3 by Kaari Guelsdorf with less than four minutes to go. Omori then seized command with two drives to the rim, and reserve center Rhyenne Filisi added two free throws as the Spartans opened their biggest lead, 60-47, with 1:38 remaining.

Maryknoll will meet Kamehameha on Friday in ILH play before departing for the Tarkanian Invitational in Las Vegas.

Centennial 53, Southridge 43

Justice Ethridge pumped in 25 points and point guard Aja Phoumiphat shot 6-for-6 at the free-throw line down the stretch as Nevada powerhouse Centennial outlasted Oregon’s Southridge to capture the ‘Iolani Classic girls tournament championship on Saturday night.

Eboni Walker, the Bulldogs’ versatile junior, was named the tourney most valuable player. She finished with nine points and was a force on the glass despite standing just 5-foot-11.

“I just want to play as hard as I can and work with my teammates,” Walker said.

Cameron Brink, Southridge’s 6-4 sophomore, had a team-high 15 points and Maggie Freeman added 14.

‘IOLANI PREP GIRLS CLASSIC
At ‘Iolani

Seventh place
>> ‘Iolani 65, Kalani 35
Consolation
>> Naha Senior (Okinawa, Japan) 47, Miramonte (Orinda, Calif.) 41
Third place
>> Maryknoll 62, Oregon City 59
Championship
>> Centennial (Las Vegas) 53, Southridge (Beaverton, Ore.) 43

ILH

Girls Varsity I
>> Sacred Hearts 73, Mid-Pacific 70
Leading scorers—SHA: D. Martinez 23, T. Medeiros 18, S. Mizusawa 13. MPI: B. Kovaloff 25, P. Antonio 19, P. Farhni 13.
>> Kamehameha 52, Punahou 42
Leading scorers—KSK: Kalina Obrey 21. Pun: Kamakani DeBlake 17.

Girls Varsity II
>> Le Jardin 33, Hanalani 32
Leading scorers—LeJ: Julia Fisher 19. Han: Keila Tsutsui 16.
>> St. Francis 64, University 32
Leading scorers—StF: Kealani Neves 23, Nani Santos 12, Kaimi Kalei 11. UHS: Tyra Goo Sun 9.
>> Damien 40, La Pietra 9
Leading scorers—DMS: K. Navas 7, I. Sagapolutele 7. LP: N. Ullrich 7.

Girls Varsity I-AA
>> Kamehameha 41, Punahou 33

Girls Varsity III
>> Christian Academy 48, St. Andrew’s 34
Leading scorers—CA: Khrystyna Kanahele 27, Hooiliesu Baptiste 10. StA: Sage Hottendorf 13, Maya Reed 10.

Boys JV I
>> ‘Iolani 55, Kamehameha-White 52

Girls JV I
>> St. Francis 32, Kamehameha-White 31

OIA WEST

Girls Varsity
>> Radford 33, Leilehua 24
Leading scorers—Rad: Salaua Dill 11. Leil: Kimberly Owens 7

JV
>> Radford 31, Leilehua 15

HIGH SCHOOL PRESEASON

Boys Varsity
>> Radford 56, Hanalani 55
>> Kalaheo 60, Nanakuli 38

Oregon’s Edward Cheserek won Saturday’s Kalakaua Merrie Mile in 3 minutes, 58.1 seconds.

Cheserek won 17 NCAA titles in cross country, indoor track and outdoor track while running with the Ducks.

Kenya’s Merriam Cherop was the women’s winner in 4:24.7. The women’s race started before the men in Waikiki and Cheserek needed a final push to make up the gap and get by Cherop at the finish line.

Hawaii Pacific women topple Chaminade

Jessi Reeves scored 16 points and three teammates also reached double figures as the Hawaii Pacific women’s basketball team defeated Chaminade 88-62 on Saturday at McCabe Gym.

Samantha Lambrigtsen added 11 points, Janessa Manzano had 10 points and 11 rebounds and Anna Mumm contributed 10 points for the Sharks (5-2, 2-1 PacWest).

Destiny Castro scored 38 points for the Silverswords (0-4, 0-3).

MARRIAGE LICENSES AND BIRTH CERTIFICATES

Each week, the Honolulu Star- Advertiser publishes Oahu statistics for marriage licenses and birth certificates filed with the state Department of Health’s Vital Statistics System. The dates listed indicate when the information was filed.

MARRIAGES
Filed for Oahu, Dec. 1-7

>> Malia Colini Abbott and Aaron Kahauoliokuupuuwai Wills

>> Michael Rey Emaas Arcangel and Jhoanna Ashley Reynoso Catoc

>> Kenny Chong Ho Bae and Ezekiel Chihye Hwang

>> Carrie Lynn Battles and Carissa Hope Bartlett

>> Nathan Randall Carter and Christy Jewel Harris

>> Eric Nam Chang and Binh Ngoc Tu

>> Sharrise Marie Chiasson and Eric Wayne Hoffman

>> Shaun Thomas Conwell and Athena Marie Austin

>> Alonzo Darren Crump and Tara Yvonne Washington

>> Alexander Anthony Foster-Laifa and Cecilia Vina Louise Mailei

>> John Rollins Gannon and Thi Nga Phan

>> Michelle Marianne Teresa Graham and Adam Leigh Hope

>> Brandon Lee Tadao Hayata and Noalani Kolomomi Kahue

>> Victoria Ponialoha Hernandez and Jason Kekoa Quilit

>> Michael Gabriel Higa-Puaoi and Jennnifer Chieko Lim

>> Eugene Christopher Jasper and Yoriko Sakurai

>> Taylor Christine Mercedes Jones and Alexander Nicholas Fong

>> Alexandra Kagaya and David Paul Behling

>> Rocio Toscano Lopez and Norberto Hernandez Mata

>> Mya Marisa Mansoor and Shelby Payton Hands

>> Douglas Eugene Miller and Angela Christine Hosek-Wilson

>> Sharon Kay Mizzi and Dennis Lee Gallagher

>> Doris Syble Moore and Albert Lewis Young

>> Larry Dale Moore and Kimberly Anne Schultz

>> Nicole Kawehipiilani Navarro and Blaze Kekoa Kamakele

>> Elina Paul and Toshio Akinaga

>> Jed Gregory Perry and Sara Ann Connolly

>> Cheyne Kealii Pratt and Cassandra Levon Hokulani Kalilikane Placido

>> Mikael Carl Roland Randau and Joanna Young Shil Boström

>> Scott Bryan Stielow and Julie Kuulei Tsutsui

>> Andre Roman Tanner Tailele and Luseane Anaise Sisiuno Watkins

>> Kendra Kapamaikela Eleccion Uson and Shelton Mikio Fujii

>> Matthew Donald Yarboro and Natasha Abe

>> Bell Bik-Lei Yip and Jiaqi Jiang

BIRTHS
Filed for Oahu, Dec. 1-7

>> Kevin John Taga Abell II

>> Daniel Kahikina Akaka IV

>> Manaha Ellis Akiyoshi

>> Ronin Gadsden Alvarez

>> Saoirse Carol Atwell

>> Tobiah Sampson Baerwald

>> Reggie Knight Blakemore

>> Dean Andrew Bledsoe

>> Levi Nathaniel Ortega Brodie

>> Deison Jay Kuikawa Brown

>> Helena Tatiana Deanne Brown

>> Keison Michael Kawikani Brown

>> Brian Scott Carnahan

>> Estarlla Keana Nani Kilakila Pomaika‘i Mai Lani Carvelho

>> Leo Keola Caspino-Oroc

>> Jordan Amari Chang

>> Sage Kassius Chang

>> Killian Jameson Coleman-Greenlee

>> Sean Pai‘ea Converse

>> Audrey Vikara Ianeta D’Sito-Tialavea

>> Andreas Hall Dacanay

>> Hudson William Darrin

>> Emilyn Vy Durham

>> Troy Daniel Engeman

>> Emily-Anabelle Panrada Erese

>> Nancy Jane Flanary

>> Brooklyn Jane Kalei‘a‘ali‘i Flores

>> Samuel Marcellus Ongoivaha Kamakamaoliokeko‘olau Fotu

>> Blessing Kalenaku Hanohano-Duvauchelle

>> No‘eau Hopena O Ke Aloha Mai Ka Pu‘uwai Padilla-Santimer Hanohano-Inere

>> Maddox Elias Hayes-Reyes

>> Ku‘upuamakamae Kaleonaheakeoneula Hedlund

>> Reign Hart Macadaeg Hidalgo

>> Ruby James Hurst

>> Ava Amilale Heleihiwahiwaokeonaonamaikeaolani Isaacs-Naotala

>> Brian-Laourok ‘Uhanekana‘iu‘i Jima

>> Hunter James Johnson

>> Paige Kamele Johnson

>> Kahekili-Keona Kaleikaumaka Hawea Astin Jumawan-Vertido

>> Miles Makanalei Kamae

>> Ezekiel Kamakanamakamaemaikalani Kapuaala-Lee

>> Remy-True Kaimanaonalani Kawai

>> Braden Kai Keech

>> Kupa‘a Makana Kuaana Kelai

>> Riley James Kihano-Yoshimura

>> Nainoa Kaleikaumaka Akihiko Kuge-Kaina

>> Kapuaalohananiokekaiikamanaoonakupuna Zurbano Laglia

>> Oaklann Charles Kapuhealani Moeala Langaman

>> River Indigo Lastimosa

>> Sawyer James Lewis-Meneses

>> Emma Mae Linares

>> Hannah Chian Ying Lung

>> Maya Nicole Toshiko Lutao

>> Yava Keiko Maanao

>> Ko‘iaweikala‘iku Braxton Manabe

>> Jaelyn Momilani Marple

>> Maeric Bliss Panida Morales

>> Keelan-Kharter Kaleikaumaka‘o‘ikaika Pernell Morgan-Hoohuli

>> Lincoln Thomas Murphy

>> Aaliyah Destiny Namocot-Draper

>> Judah Royce Narruhn

>> Anikah-Jem Hokulani Nelson

>> Colton Michael Aquino Oasay

>> Austin Taiga Ono

>> Jennierose Galapon Ordillo

>> Chloe Kepalikuokalani Paling

>> Brixton Drake Kawailiula Paulo

>> Carlone Huerbana Peralta Jr.

>> Austin Kana‘i Perkins

>> Colin Elias Phan

>> Greyson Akira Po‘omaika‘i Poloa

>> Xylee-Skye Matalasi Felipe Retuta

>> Ellaia Monroe Anale‘a Roberts-Magpiong

>> Emory Knox Kahiau Roberts-Magpiong

>> Ruby Valentina Monet Rogers

>> Liam Janghoon Ryu

>> Bres Mathis Zane Salle

>> Leila Chailyn Samson

>> Caleb Satoshi Cederlund Samuel

>> Brylee-Avaya Pi‘ialohamakamaemaikalani Schutz

>> Cory Deshun Kekona Sears Jr.

>> Finn Ryu Shimahara

>> Rio Grèy Mahealani Silva

>> Addison Kauanoeikamaliemaikalani Simmons

>> Sebastian Kilani Solis

>> Jaelynn Kalea Stegman

>> Kaleni Roy-Shane Tavita

>> Charlie Kailihiamekeaoa‘i Wa‘ahiaokalani Thomas

>> Zymani-Rae Fa‘aafemaimalo Hau‘oli Togafau

>> Kaizstyn ‘O Ka Makahiapo ‘o Ka Mea‘oia‘i‘o Mai Ka Lani Mai Togashi

>> Shiloh Kai Van Beurden

>> Maddox Kalei Sullivan Wicks

>> Jameson Cole Wilson

>> Brecken Nohea Takehiko Wong

ON THE AIR

Listings are for Spectrum and Hawaiianˆˆ analog/digital. *—premium station. **—retelecast. ***—delayed. Check your TV guide for latest updates.

FOR THE WEEK OF OCT. 16–20

Derived from the state Bureau of Conveyances tax data. Information deemed reliable but not guaranteed.

Download our Star Channels guide, updated every Sunday. (Adobe Acrobat required)

Star Channels guide, Dec. 10-16

CALENDAR

TODAY

RUNNING
>> Honolulu Marathon: 5 a.m., at Ala Moana Boulevard.

MONDAY

BASKETBALL
>> ILH Division II girls: Damien at Le Jardin, 5 p.m.; ‘Iolani at La Pietra, 6 p.m.
>> ILH Division III girls: Lanakila Baptist vs. Hawaiian Mission, 6:30 p.m., at Hanalani.
>> OIA East girls: Kalani at McKinley. JV game at 5:30 p.m., varsity to follow.

SOCCER
>> ILH boys: Punahou at Mid-Pacific, 4 p.m.; ‘Iolani at Saint Louis, 4 p.m.; Pac-Five at Kamehameha, 6:15 p.m.

TENNIS: OIA

>> Boys JV: Kalani 5, Farrington 0
>> Girls JV: Kalani 5, Farrington 0

BASEBALL: OIA

>> JV: Leilehua 7, Waipahu 5 (9 inn.)

BUSHWACKERS ARCHERY CLUB

State Un-Marked 3D Animal Tournament
At Kapolei Archery Range

National Field Archery Association Championship
Barebow/Adult: 1. Russell Pelekai 135.
Barebow/Pee Wee/Female: 1. Piper Bullard 171.
Bowhunter Freestyle/Silver Senior: 1. Robin Collado 257. 2. Glenn
Ishihara 252.
Bowhunter Freestyle/Senior: 1. Paul Trpkovski 314. 2. James Mah 301. 3. Chris Stanley 265.
Bowhunter Freestyle/Adult: 1. Kevin Yasumura 318. 2. Andrew Bullard 309. 3. Jaren Luke 281.
Bowhunter Freestyle/Adult/Female: 1. Gail Paracuelles 169.
Bowhunter Freestyle/Youth: 1. Haven Manuel 255.
Freestyle/Master Senior: 1. Roy Tanimoto 275. 2. George Kong Jr. 233.
Freestyle/Silver Senior: 1. Noel Aoki 290. 2. Craig Stenstrom 235.
Freestyle/Senior: 1. Clinton Chai 295. 2. Jonathan Mah 280. 3. Jason Fevella 274.
Freestyle/Senior/Female: 1. Dianne Mah 263.
Freestyle/Adult: 1. Bel Manuel 307. 2. Roi Tanimoto 302. 3. Ben Sele 299.
Freestyle/Adult/Female: 1. Yvette Manuel 260.
Freestyle/Cub/Female: 1. Liko Arreola 320.
Freestyle Ltd./Adult: 1. Sonny Aragosa 266.
Traditional/Master Senior: 1. Richard Midel 134.
Traditional/Silver Senior: 1. Ronald DePonte 201.
Traditional/Senior: 1. Tim Barrett 184. 2. Dave Dawson 141.
Traditional/Adult: 1. Chris Baker 247. 2. Bryan Lum 225. 3. Dennis Villanueva 206.
Traditional/Adult/Female: 1. Michelle Robbins 141.
Traditional/Cub/Female: 1. Ileana Manuel 155.

LOS ANGELES >> There were cheers, gasps, droid photo opportunities, casino games and more than a few standing ovations at the jam-packed world premiere of “Star Wars: The Last Jedi” Saturday night in Los Angeles, which many are already praising online.

Rian Johnson, the writer and director of the eighth installment of the franchise, dedicated the night to the late Carrie Fisher, who died after filming had completed.

“She’s up there flipping the bird and saying, ‘Don’t bring this night down with solemn tributes,’” Johnson said on stage at the Shrine Auditorium.

It was in that spirit that Johnson excitedly introduced his cast, including Mark Hamill, Adam Driver, Daisy Ridley and Oscar Isaac. Hamill and composer John Williams, who Johnson called one of the “greatest living film composers” were among the few who got standing ovations.

“Let’s watch a Star Wars movie!” Johnson exclaimed as the cast took their seats, the lights dimmed and the yellow Star Wars logo and iconic scrawl appeared on screen to signal the start of the film. The enthusiastic audience laughed and cheered throughout much of the two-and-a-half-hour film. One audience member even shrieked “What?!” at a key scene deep in the film.

The elaborate premiere featured a massive assault vehicle and a procession of Stormtroopers and droids that preceded the first showing of the film in advance of its Dec. 15 release. The mood was joyous and pregnant with anticipation for the highly anticipated and guarded film, which sees the return of Hamill’s Luke Skywalker as well as Fisher’s final performance.

Formal reviews won’t be out for a few days, but journalists and others at the screening who shared their initial reactions online said “The Last Jedi” packed the adventure expected in a Star Wars film, but took it into new territory.

J.J. Abrams, who directed 2015’s “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” and will return to direct Episode IX told The Associated Press that the film was “great” and that “Rian killed it.”

“Logan” director James Mangold also praised the film’s director, calling the movie “a great chapter of a blockbuster franchise,” that also had Johnson’s “voice shining through.”

Producer Adam F. Goldberg wrote that the film made him feel like a kid again.

Entertainment Weekly’s Anthony Breznican said the film “will shatter you and then make you feel whole again.”

Many who posted online about the premiere said they were still processing the film.

Attendees at Saturday’s premiere were the first people outside the cast, filmmakers and top executives at Walt Disney Co. and Lucasfilm who had seen “The Last Jedi.” Director Edgar Wright, Patton Oswalt, Greta Gerwig, “Stranger Things” actor Gaten Matarazzo, and Constance Zimmer were among the attendees Saturday.

Wright, who makes a cameo appearance in the film as a rebel, added on Twitter that the film was, “Really great.”

At the after-party, which was modeled after Canto Bight, a casino-based city in the Star Wars galaxy seen in “The Last Jedi,” attendees could play blackjack, roulette and craps to win commemorative Star Wars pins.

Fans at the premiere were also treated to up-close looks at new characters, including an elite squad of guards clad in red armor as well as a collection of droids, including the droids C-3PO, R2-D2, and BB-8, who walked and rolled down the red carpet before the film’s stars arrived.

“It’s a Star Wars movie, and the energy tonight is pretty amazing,” said a beaming Andy Serkis, who plays the villain Supreme Leader Snoke.

Ridley, who plays Rey, arrived wearing a shimmering dress adorned with stars. Ridley was in good spirits, saying about her dress, “I mean, it’s just fun. It’s fun. And I feel fun. And it’s got stars on it.”

Newcomer Kelly Marie Tran wore a bright red dress with a lengthy train behind it. John Boyega, who earlier in the day tweeted that he might miss the premiere because a snowstorm had snarled travel out of Atlanta, arrived sporting a dark blue tuxedo and turtleneck.

Secrecy about the film remained in place on the red carpet. Anthony Daniels, who plays C-3PO, told a reporter looking for details on the film, “I’m going to let you work out everything for yourself.”

“The Last Jedi,” which arrives in theaters on Dec. 15, is one of the year’s biggest releases. Early box office projections are for the film to debut in the $200 million range for its first weekend.

SPARTANBURG, S.C. >> A South Carolina man convicted of killing seven people says he has more victims who have not been discovered.

The Herald-Journal of Spartanburg reports that, in an eight-page letter, Todd Kohlhepp wrote that he tried to tell investigators and informed the FBI, but he said “it was blown off.” He also wrote, “At this point, I really don’t see reason to give numbers or locations.”

Don Wood, chief division counsel with the FBI’s Columbia office, said the agency has a pending investigation, but wouldn’t comment specifically on what the FBI is doing.

The 46-year-old Kohlhepp pleaded guilty in May to seven counts of murder for killings that took place over more than a decade, all as he ran a real estate business. He was sentenced to life in prison.

His string of crimes was uncovered in 2016 after police rescued a woman chained at the neck in a storage container and investigators found a body buried in a shallow grave. The woman told investigators she saw Kohlhepp shoot and kill her boyfriend, who went with her for a cleaning job on the suspect’s property.