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Yahoo
12-06-2025
- Yahoo
In photos, Waikīkī Beach in the 1940s and 1950s
HONOLULU (KHON2) — Waikīkī Beach in the 21st century is full of high-rise hotels, restaurants, surf lessons and packed beaches mostly filled with tourism visitors. But 70 to 80 years ago, the entire area of Waikīkī looked very different. Thanks to a project by the Hawaiʻi State Archives, we now have a closer look at what Waikīkī was like in the 1940s and early 1950s. And what we see is a place that began to grow very quickly. Locals played volleyball, made history: New historical marker honors Waikiki's history Thousands of historical photos are now online that show everything from beachgoers and buildings to boats and parades. These images help tell the story of a place that has changed over time but still holds the same name and ocean breeze. 10 things you shouldn't do while visiting Hawaiʻi While most of these photos are from the state's archives, we leaned on Getty Images to give us some of the 1950s photos as a means of showing the growth Waikīkī experienced in tourism after World War II. Top 10 places for camping adventures in Hawaiʻi The images show familiar places, but they look quieter and simpler than what many people expect. Some show wide stretches of beach with few people while others demonstrate the amount of beach erosion Waikīkī has experienced over the last century. Meanwhile, other photos show landmarks before major development began. This digitization project has one of several happening as the state's archives have been growing and stretching their reach under the direction of Dr. Adam Jansen. You can click to see more of the State Archives have to offer. Get news on the go with KHON 2GO, KHON's morning podcast, every morning at 8 The State Archives is also working on a large Hawaiian music collection with more than 20,000 pieces, including some of the rarest ukulele in the world. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
The Hindu
11-06-2025
- General
- The Hindu
After legal victory, renovated Chamundi Hills Interpretation Centre reopens to public
Minister in charge of Mysuru district, H.C. Mahadevappa, inaugurated the renovated Chamundi Vana and Interpretation Centre at Chamundi Hills on Wednesday. The interpretation centre is located close to the statue of Mahishasura and is being re-developed at a cost of nearly ₹1 crore. The project further included the development of a tree park, Rashi Vana, and a Nakshtra Vana, all of which are taking shape. Deputy Conservator of Forests (Territorial) K.N. Basavaraju said that the inauguration of the interpretation centre constituted the first phase of the project, and the Tree Park and the Rashi Vana will be developed in the coming days. The concept of Pavitra Vana entails the growth of trees that also have a religious and philosophical connection apart from medicinal importance, and they will be grown here. The trees that will be grown here will include Peepal, Banyan, Amla or Indian Gooseberry, Arjuna, Wood Apple, Neem, Indian Rosewood, Mango, Flame of the Forest, Jackfruit or Halasu, Banni or Rusti Acacia, and Sandalwood to name a few. Additionally, trees associated with different constellations will also be grown, including Fig, Bilva, Ashoka, Amla tree, Nerale or Jamun, Mahogany etc. The Nakshatra Vana will have trees associated with 27 constellations and include Arjuna, Halasu, Tulasi, Kadamba, Bevu, Palasha, Nagakesar etc. Mr. Mahadevappa said that though an interpretation centre existed at Chamundi Hills, it was closed following a legal dispute over the land in 2011. Subsequently, the Forest Department scoured for documents transferring the ownership and traced it at the State Archives in Mysuru and filed an appeal in the High Court of Karnataka, which upheld the claims of the Forest Department. Mr. Basavaraju said he searched for the documents and retrieved important ones apart from an order copy dated February 12, 1945, which indicated that the then Maharaja of Mysuru had acquired and transferred nearly 20 acres of land under private domain to the Forest Department. This was submitted to the High Court of Karnataka, which ruled that ''once a forest always a forest'' and ordered on July 30 last year that the land belonged to the Forest Department, said Mr. Basavaraju. The interpretation centre will not only provide information about environment in general but will also throw light on Chamundi Hills and its ecosystem. Apart from educating the general public on environmental issues, the interpretation centre will also publicize many of the forest department's projects like Krishi Aranya Prothsaha Yojane (KAPY), information pertaining to human-animal conflict, sandalwood farming, projects that reduce pressure on forests by providing LPG cylinder as fuel for local communities living along the forest boundary, about forest martyrs or those who died while protecting the forests and wildlife from poachers, timber smugglers etc, apart from providing information on imperatives of environment and wildlife conservation. Chamundeshwari MLA G.T. Deve Gowda, Deputy Commissioner G. Lakshmikanth Reddy, Chief Conservator of Forests of Mysuru Circle Ms. Malathi Priya, DCF Basavaraju and others were present.
Yahoo
08-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Children at play in Jeff City: Secretary of state and legislature upend 22 lives
Missouri's coffers are so flush with cash that the governor and legislature have committed $1.5 billion to keep the Chiefs and Royals from moving to Kansas. Meanwhile, nearly two dozen state employees have been needlessly fired, their lives upended because of a secretary of state who appears to have no human decency and a childish feud among Jefferson City politicians. I have seen the resulting carnage firsthand. As one of dozens of volunteers at the Missouri State Archives, I visit the wonderful research room in Jeff City once a week to help staffers dig into public requests for information. This past week, the research room was emptier and significantly less joyful. Secretary of State Denny Hoskins had mercilessly eliminated 17 of the 60 employees under his purview in the Records and Archives Division the previous Friday. For good measure, he canned five of 16 workers in the State Library upstairs from the Archives. Hoskins became Missouri's secretary of state, a job that includes running elections, handling business filings and protecting the state's public records, after winning the November election in a landslide. He ran on a pro-MAGA, anti-woke platform, so maybe it's no surprise he would pull such a stunt. You might remember Hoskins, a former state senator, as one of the three Freedom Caucus members who maliciously — and wrongly — identified an Olathe man in social media posts as the shooter at the Chiefs' deadly Super Bowl celebration in 2024. He never apologized, and the falsely accused man was found dead in April as he pursued lawsuits against the three public officials. Now Hoskins has turned his attention to other innocent victims, and the situation stinks to high heaven. It resulted, by all appearances, from a feud between him and his former Republican cohorts in the state Senate — primarily Mike Cierpiot of Lee's Summit. This much is certain: Hoskins is solely responsible for how he dismissed these 22 state employees under his leadership. With no notice or even a suggestion that anybody might be fired, his victims were ambushed at their desks one by one. They were walked into a meeting room, where a supervisor, a human relations person and a state legal counsel informed them they were unemployed as of the end of the fiscal year on June 30. Then, after getting a few minutes to clean out their desks, they were escorted out of the building. Hoskins was nowhere to be found, of course. He evidently didn't have time in his schedule, just as when he was asked for an interview on the matter. He did send an email statement in which he boasted about his agency's operation, then said, 'This is not a decision I wanted to make, nor one I would ever make lightly.' His spokeswoman, Rachael Dunn, followed with, 'Secretary Hoskins did not choose these cuts — the legislature did.' As that great Missourian, Col. Sherman T. Potter of 'M*A*S*H,' liked to say, 'Horse hockey!' Usually, a story about job cuts such as these transitions into something like, 'This is part of wider cuts caused by the budget crisis' or 'an economic emergency.' But, no, there is no budget crisis or economic emergency in Missouri. Just some grownups acting like children. It is no secret in Jefferson City that Hoskins and his Freedom Caucus cronies made a lot of enemies in the General Assembly over the past three years by holding the lawmaking process hostage as they promoted their far-right agenda. Things got personal between Hoskins and Cierpiot. The Lee's Summit Republican decided to lob a grenade at his foe by pushing through a budget amendment earlier this year to cut 25 of the secretary of state's roughly 60 unfilled full-time equivalent employees (of 267 total positions) and $680,000 from a fund that helps pay salaries. But Hoskins chose to trim real people instead of unfilled positions. Caught up in the fracas were 22 faithful employees, including at least two who were due pay raises of 10% in the next fiscal year under the new budget rewarding longtime employees. It's probably just a coincidence that Hoskins eliminated them just before their raises were to kick in and put a bigger dent in his budget. State Sen. Mike Bernskoetter, a Jefferson City Republican, issued a statement saying in part: 'The budget we passed did not require any layoffs or cuts to current staff. … The decision to cut current employees and use that money elsewhere ultimately lies with the secretary of state.' Although Cierpiot and other senators have confirmed that sentiment, Dunn insists her boss 'had no choice' and 'our hands were tied.' Even if that were true — and she and Hoskins might be the only people who think so — Hoskins could have distributed the cuts throughout his agency so that one department wasn't so thoroughly ravaged, especially when that department works so intimately with the public. He could have stepped up to publicly defend the reasons for his actions. He could have treated the victims of his purge with some semblance of humanity. Instead, he issued canned statements and played the blame game. Dunn used the word 'dignity' in describing the firing process. Sure, if you consider it dignified to treat your employees as if they were enemies of the state. 'There's no dignity here,' Bob Priddy said. Priddy knows dignity. The near-legendary Missouri broadcaster also knows the State Archives, which he called 'the most visible part of the secretary of state's office.' He's on the board of directors of the Friends of Missouri State Archives and is a former president of that group. The veteran of Missouri politics also writes a blog, and he was working on a new entry last week. 'It basically says that the state Senate and the secretary of state are engaging in a urinary contest, and the only people getting wet are the more than 20 people who don't deserve to get wet.' Still, Priddy maintains a somewhat optimistic outlook. 'I'm hopeful there can be some grownups in the room that can get together and work this thing out,' he said. 'But history is not in favor of grownups these days in the Capitol.'
Yahoo
15-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Mineral bill heads toward a ‘chrometastic' finish
Lobbyist Ashlie Bagwell (left) speaks to her client, David Shore, before a hearing Thursday in the House Health and Government Operations Committee. (Photo by Bryan P. Sears/Maryland Matters) David Shore is a little obsessed with chromite. It's infectious. Spend any amount of time with him and you will likely come away with an appreciation of a mineral you probably did not know existed. He's happy to correct that oversight. 'Chromite is in everything,' Shore says with a smile. He makes note of a reporter's phone. 'It's everywhere. In everything that's cool, there's a little bit of chromite, I would say,' Shore explains. 'If you look at your phone, the computer chip, your car, your plane, you will see that there is stainless steel in all of them. Chromium … is in all of those. And chromite was first discovered in America.' Thousands of pounds of it are recycled each year. The U.S. government keeps a stockpile because of its strategic value, he explains. Shore has been on a seven-year journey to move the unremarkable looking mineral onto a list of official state symbols. He even signs his emails 'chrometastically yours' or in other variations that play off the name of the mineral. On Friday, a series of committee and preliminary legislative votes moved chromite closer to official recognition. State symbol bills are not easy to pass. They are also not always popular. They are frequently seen as silly or derided as wastes of time. If the chromite bill is approved and signed into law, Maryland would join more than two dozen states that have designated an official state mineral. None has adopted chromite, which was first discovered in Baltimore County. Maryland has 24 official state symbols. The list includes a state sport and team sport, dinosaur, dog and cat, and crustacean. The last state symbol added was rye whiskey in 2023. It was the first time in 15 years that a new state symbol made the list. In 2008, the legislature approved an official state exercise (walking) and official dessert (Smith Island cake). The bills come almost every year. They almost always die in committee. In addition to chromite, lawmakers this year will consider other candidates for state symbols, including a state carnivorous plant, a state fruit and an official state cocktail. The State Archives created a set of standards to guide the adoption of new symbols. Included on that list is a proposed symbol's historical significance, uniqueness, relevance to state history and universal acceptance. 'Maryland's varying geology yields many minerals within the state,' said Stephen Van Ryswick, director of the Maryland Geological Survey. 'However, no other mineral has such a unique instrumental history post-colonial Maryland, industrialization.' Van Ryswick testified Thursday on a panel in favor of official recognition for the mineral. The mineral was first discovered in the Bare Hills area of Baltimore County in 1808 by Isaac Tyson Jr. Deposits were also found in Baltimore City and in Carroll, Cecil, Harford, Howard and Montgomery counties. Tyson founded Baltimore Chrome Works. The plant was the first in the nation to manufacture chromium chemicals. The products were used in paints and in metal alloys including stainless steel. The mineral was exported out of Fells Point. Deposits in the region produced most of the world supply of the mineral until the 1850s. Chromite continues to be mined, though no longer in Maryland. But evidence of its importance to the region remains. Many thoroughfares in Maryland carry names like Chrome Road in Cecil County and Chrome Mine Road in Montgomery County. Abandoned mines can be found in some state parks. Shore is no stranger to the halls of Annapolis. When he was 7, Shore appeared before the House Judiciary Committee, testifying in opposition to a bill prohibiting the sale of tusks and rhinoceros horns. 'There was a bill to abolish the sale of any kind of animal, bone or ivory product in Maryland,' Shore said during an interview. 'I wanted to get the bill amended due to a portion of it that would have accidentally, I assume, included the sale of rocks and fossils for animals that have been dead for millions of years.' The bill died in committee. It was while waiting to testify that Shore met then Del. William C. 'Bill' Frick (D-Montgomery). The two bonded over Girl Scout Cookies. Shore used that connection — politics is all about relationships, after all — a year later when he asked Frick in an email to sponsor a state symbol bill for chromite. Frick, who is now a lobbyist, said Shore's enthusiasm for the mineral resulted in the delegate's first-ever state symbol bill. It also led to an unlikely meeting with a well-known lobbyist from a well-known firm. Ashlie Bagwell, a lobbyist with Harris Jones & Malone, said her initial meeting with Shore in a Montgomery County library was meant to be informational. She agreed, at Frick's request, to pass on some tips for presenting the bill to lawmakers. She left with a new client whom she represented pro bono. 'He's just so enthusiastic,' Bagwell said. Shore testified passionately about the chromite bill that year. Included in his comments was a story about one of its earliest known uses: The mineral was used in yellow paint on the carriage used by the daughter of a British monarch. Shore declared it one of his favorite facts, adding he could go on for hours about the mineral. But the bill failed that year. Shore was not disheartened. 'I would say that I because I came with the bill from a place of just loving the history of chromite and the history of Maryland … it was still, overall, a very positive experience,' Shore said. Shore's unsuccessful 2017 attempt is included in an activity book provided to children touring the State House. The bill sat dormant until last year with Sen. Craig Zucker, who sponsored the effort in the Senate when Shore was 10, wanted to give it another shot. 'I was pretty new to the Senate,' said Zucker, speaking of the 2017 effort. 'David was just something special, so energetic, and so I put in the bill on chromite.' Zucker, who has only sponsored the one state symbol bill, said the issue faded away until last year. 'This past … year, I'm going to a school and handing out the packet, which is basically a coloring book of all the state symbols and everything that represents the state of Maryland to children,' Zucker said. 'On one of the pages, it talks about pieces of legislation that have been thought of by children, and they had a section on those that were introduced by children that didn't pass, and it had chromite. And I thought: we have to figure this out.' That's when Zucker said he thought about a do-over with Shore. 'I said it's already in the book. It's you. It was first found in Maryland, let's see about giving it another shot,' he said. This time around Shore has even more support. Zucker is the chair of the Senate Budget and Taxation Committee Capital Budget Subcommittee. The House sponsor is Del. Marc Korman, chair of the House Environment and Transportation Committee. 'We have actual history with chromite in Maryland,' said Korman, who represents the district where Shore lives. 'It was discovered here and it's a really useful metal. We had mines here. So there's a real state connection, unlike some of the other things we sometimes have bills about.' SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE Korman said he understands many will pooh-pooh the idea of a state mineral. He said there can be a value to state symbols. 'If you look through the little book that they give kids when they come to this building for tours, it has a bunch of the state symbols in it,' he said. 'That's a chance for those kids to learn about the history and heritage of their state. Having a state mineral, a state bird, a state flower, a state sport like jousting, or team sport like lacrosse — those things resonate with people and let them learn more about the state where they call home.' Bagwell is back helping lobby the bill. She brought with her Caitlin McDonough, another lobbyist with Harris Jones & Malone, who also happens to be the wife of House Appropriations Chair Del. Ben Barnes (D-Prince George's and Anne Arundel). The couple's son, Jack, a fourth grade student, testified on behalf of the bill Thursday, ending his comments with a reminder that passing the bill would come at no cost to the state – an important fact in a tight budget year. Similarly, in the Senate, Zucker's son Sam, 11, testified on behalf of his dad's bill. On Friday, the Senate became the first chamber to move the bill. Passage next week would send it to the House where that chamber's version has already moved out of committee. 'This legislation is a great example of Marylanders bringing ideas for legislation,' Zucker said after the vote. 'In this case, it happened to be an idea from a 10-year-old. It's on its way to a 'chrometastic' finish.'
Yahoo
10-03-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Checking out Pennsylvania's charter on ‘Charter Day'
(WHTM) — Sunday was Charter Day, and people lined up at the State Archives in Harrisburg to see what is essentially Pennsylvania's birth certificate. The charter, granted to William Penn by King Charles II in 1681, is written on four pieces of parchment. The delicate document is preserved by the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission and is kept in a special vault at the State Archives. But, once a year, they bring it out so the public can see the document that laid the foundation for our Commonwealth. We have high resolution scans of it. We even have something of a three dimensional scan of the document itself,' Aaron McWilliams, of the Pennsylvania State Archives, said. 'So, there isn't a reason to pull it out simply to get the information and see what it looks like. We have the digital copies, however it is to the benefit, it is to the public's record, and the public should have a right to see this document, the original to, again, not only see physically, but also see its condition, and to see that it is being preserved and kept for them.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
