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TheBuzz Erika Engle |
Lanai passes home
sales goal for yearIsland of Lanai Properties, a division of Castle & Cooke Resorts LLC, has met its $26 million sales goal for 2004. Yes, already.
The revenue was generated by sales of seven lots, six luxury condominiums, three speculative homes and a villa.
The buyers are both from Hawaii and the mainland.
"A lot of buyers recognize the value that Lanai offers. They're cashing in properties or leveraging equity in buying over here, because they understand the market," said Marc Duncan, vice president of real estate sales and marketing. Scarlet Duncan, his wife, serves as principal broker.
The team expects another $10 million in closings in August, which would make it the best month on record. Then again, one never knows who might be ready to write a $15 million check, for a 2 1/2-acre home site at Kaluakoi Point. Other Lanai properties can be viewed at www.lanailuxuryhomes.com
A gain and a loss
KITV is getting back together with Oceanic Time Warner Cable and will provide evening news updates on OC16.The "KITV4 News/OC16 Newsbreak" begins Aug. 2 and will air at 6:58, 7:58, 8:58, 9:58 and 10:58 p.m. Monday through Friday.
"We'll send them a mini-newscast and if news is changing during the night, we'll change it," said Mike Rosenberg, president and general manager of KITV. The station's anchors will handle the breaks.
KITV and Oceanic ended a similar agreement for updates on the CNN Headline News channel in late 2001. It was too expensive for KITV and did not provide enough return for Oceanic, officials said at the time.
Separately, KITV's newsroom is one reporter light, as Mary Zanakis quit at mid-month.
"I'm going to open a toy store specializing in educational toys in Kailua. It's time for a career change," she said.
"I look at toys as an investment. I want parents to be able to buy a toy from me and think of it that way." Her selection will include sturdy wooden toys and solar-powered cars children can assemble.
She hopes to open the Hekili Street shop in September and will call it Mary's Toy Store.
The name Mary Z's was already taken by a clothing store in Kailua Shopping Center, owned by her sister and named for their mother.
Roy's No. 34
Chef Roy Yamaguchi's newest restaurant is open for business in the old Niblick space at the 18th hole of the Ko Olina Golf Club.It is open for lunch and dinner and is overseen by Executive Chef Michael Leslie.
See the Columnists section for some past articles.
Erika Engle is a reporter with the Star-Bulletin. Call 529-4302, fax 529-4750 or write to Erika Engle, Honolulu Star-Bulletin, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., No. 7-210, Honolulu, HI 96813. She can also be reached at: eengle@starbulletin.com