Hawaii
DOWN to Cases: Steve Case, Punahou's present pride, got tons of publicity Monday when his America Online bought out the already gigantic Time Warner company for a record $184 billion. I'm sure Steve's mom and dad, who still live in Honolulu, were thrilled. It was here, after all, that the AOL chairman and CEO got his entrepreneurial start as a paper boy for the Star-Bulletin. But Steve's A Case of sibling rivalry?
brother, Dan Case, has to wonder about the timing of the announcement. Dan heads up Chase H&Q and was about to host thousands of biotech execs, venture capitalists and money managers at the Chase H&Q Life Sciences conference in San Francisco. After the AOL story broke, little notice was taken of what was to have been Dan Case's shining hour ... It reminds me of when Steve's cousin, Ed Case, was waging what proved to be a successful race for the State House against Toni Worst, which I dubbed the Worst-Case scenario. Dan can identify with that ...
SOME staffers at KHNL are wondering whether they're really a part of the communications industry. After a lengthy staff meeting where questions about the impending departure of anchorman Dan Cooke were left unanswered and treated coyly, they read in the paper the next day that his first day at KITV is Feb. 1. And as to his replacement? No word there, either ...
Cash clash
FLORIDA State quarterback Chris Weinke, who led his football team to an undefeated season and still has another year's eligibility, has elected to play one more year and not turn pro. They take their football seriously down in Florida, and some would suggest he'd probably have had to take a pay cut ... Matt Apana, the local pitcher who survived the giant earthquake in Taiwan while pitching for a pro team there, was in Havana Cabana watching Weinke engineer the defeat of No. 2 Virginia Tech. He played pro baseball with Weinke, a first baseman in the Toronto Bluejays organization for several years before going back to school. Apana signed with Taiwan, but after the quake there, says he has no intention of returning ...HE'S pretty much retired from entertaining as a profession, but Danny Kaleikini is still an entertaining gent. Take last Saturday. He golfed with Hidero Fujimoto, president of Uniden Corp., the telephone manufacturing giant, got off the course, showered and shared aloha at the Hawaiian Building Maintenance Co.'s annual party at Waialae Country Club hosted by Jimmy Walters. His day was far from over, however. Danny then escorted five diehard fans of Elton John to his concert: June Jones' wife and daughter (Diane and Kelli Jones), Tom Rohr's wife and daughter (Robin and Nina Rohr) plus longtime pal and business associate Linda Wong. After the concert they all headed for Aaron's where Tom Rohr hosted a late snack. Only Coach Jones missed the entire evening due to recruiting duties ...
That's Chai Biz
CHEF Chai Chaowasaree and his staffers were thrilled to win three Hale Aina Awards from the readers of Honolulu magazine. Both Chai's Island Bistro and Singha Thai Cuisine were among the Top 10 restaurants in the state and the Bistro was named best new restaurant. Finding out for herself was very hapai actress Kelly Preston. The wife of John Travolta, home visiting family, dined and listened to music by Hapa at Chai's Island Bistro the other night ...
Dave Donnelly has been writing on happenings
in Hawaii for the Star-Bulletin since 1968.
His columns run Monday through Friday.Contact Dave by e-mail: ddonnelly@starbulletin.com