Year 4706

Chinese New Year 4706, which begins Thursday, is the Year of the Rat, which holds a place of honor as the first creature in the 12-year cycle of the Chinese lunar calendar.

The Chinese Zodiac is amusing, but not regarded seriously by the Chinese people.  However, the animal signs serve social functions...

For the last seven years the historic downtown Hilo district has hosted what is now called “Hilo’s biggest strolling party,” Black & White Night. This year will be no exception with over 70 businesses and organizations involved throughout town and thousands of people expected to attend. Produced by Alice Moon & Company and sponsored by POSH (People Out Supporting Hilo) the event is scheduled for Friday November 2 from 5 p.m. until 9 p.m. 

Pele, Flossie and Peru. Three ladies caught our attention during The Week That Wasn’t. As you know, Hilo residents are resilient people with a history of enduring more than our share of natural disasters. “Can handle” is our usual reply to Mother Nature’s challenges. The bar was raised during the third week of August. Rattling earthquakes. An approaching killer hurricane. A tsunami alert jarring our collective memories. All of that compressed into four anxious days! That was not a week for the faint of heart.

Pele whispered in our collective ears on August 13, Monday night. Her flowing magma caused a 5.4 magnitude quake centered at Kalapana that rocked the Big Island at 7:38 pm, resulting in frightened residents but negligible damage. Nonetheless, it rattled homes throughout Hilo. Then on Wednesday morning at 2:23 am, a 4.3 earthquake beneath Kilauea volcano’s south flank woke some residents with no injuries or property damage reported. On Thursday two small-to-moderate earthquakes occurred at a 3.0 magnitude and were too small to generate tsunamis.