Wednesday’s top stories

Gov. Neil Abercrombie will hold a bill signing ceremony for SB1 HD1 – Relating to Equal Rights. 10 a.m. today, Wednesday, Nov. 13, 2013. Liliu Theater (Room 310) Hawaii Convention Center. The bill signing ceremony is by invitation only. This event will be streamed live and accessible at the governor’s website.

Olelo Community Media will cablecast Gov. Neil Abercrombie signing the historic marriage equality bill into law. The event will air from 10 to 10:30 a.m. on Olelo Channel 55. The signing is expected to be at the Hawaii Convention Center.

Same-sex marriage in Hawaii will become law Wednesday morning during a signing ceremony at the Hawaii Convention Center. Hawaii News Now.

About a dozen opponents of same-sex marriages greeted Gov. Neil Abercrombie with protest signs in Aiea he appeared for talk story session on the eve of the historic signing of the controversial measure. Hawaii News Now.

Drawing the curtain on a historic special session, the state Senate on Tuesday gave final approval to a marriage equality bill. Gov. Neil Abercrombie, who had called the special session, will sign the bill into law this morning at a ceremony at the Hawai‘i Convention Center. Star-Advertiser.

Sometimes history is anti-climatic, yet no less historic. That was the case Tuesday when Hawaii’s Senate passed a highly controversial gay marriage bill, sending it on to Gov. Neil Abercrombie for his expected signature as soon as Wednesday. Civil Beat.

Governor Neil Abercrombie plans to sign a controversial same-sex marriage bill into law Wednesday morning, less than 24 hours after it was approved by the Senate.  The “Hawai’i Marriage Equality Act of 2013”, Senate Bill 1 House Draft 1, passed Tuesday 19 to 4 with 2 Senators excused. Hawaii News Now.

The Hawaii Senate passed a House-amended bill legalizing same-sex marriage on Tuesday. HuffPost Hawaii.

The state Senate passed a bill Tuesday legalizing gay marriage, putting Hawaii a signature away from becoming a same-sex wedding destination. Associated Press.

The Hawaii Senate passed a bill legalizing same-sex marriage on Tuesday before sending the special session to Gov. Neil Abercrombie. KITV.

Opponents feel wronged by Capitol. Islanders object to having their religious beliefs disregarded, and criticize lawmakers for ignoring testimony against the bill. Star-Advertiser.

Gays put hurt, dismay behind them. Young and old, the marriage equality vote heartens people who have had to hide thei
The Hawaii Independent and others have been live-tweeting from the Capitol. Here are some of the best from today’s Senate vote.

State roundup for November 13. Associated Press.
r sexual orientation from friends and family. Star-Advertiser.

With Tuesday’s final passage of Senate Bill 1, the bill providing for same sex marriages in Hawaii, all of the protests and religious zeal of recent weeks becomes nothing more than prologue to a new era of marriage equality. Governor Abercrombie is expected to sign the bill into law on Wednesday morning, and it will go into effect on Dec. 2. Civil Beat.

Gov. Neil Abercrombie is expected to sign the bill on Wednesday, making Hawaii the 15th state in the country to legalize same-sex marriage. But a challenge lies ahead at Circuit Court. KHON2.

Same-sex marriage in Hawaiʻi is one signature away from becoming law after passing in a final 19-4 vote by the Hawaiʻi Senate today. Maui Now.

Hawai`i continues on its track to be the 15th state in the nation to legalize gay marriages. Big Island Now.

Hawaii moved one step closer to becoming a same-sex wedding destination on Tuesday when the state Senate voted overwhelmingly to pass an amended bill to legalize same-sex marriage that grants broad exemptions to religious organizations and officiants. The final vote on the House-amended Senate Bill 1 was 19-4 with two excused. Pacific Business News.

Oahu

A new molasses spill prevention and response plan filed with the state Harbors Division by Kahului Trucking & Storage in Maui is heavily focused on early detection. Civil Beat.

A bill requiring the City and County of Hono­lulu to create a policy making publicly available government data easily accessible on the Internet whenever possible comes up for a final vote before the City Council today. Star-Advertiser.

The days of marine mammal shows, dolphin rides, and parties at Sea Life Park may be numbered. The popular East Oahu theme park is likely going to have to become more of a learning center now that its landlord, Oceanic Institute, is being subsumed into Hawaii Pacific University. Civil Beat.

Castle & Cooke Hawaii’s 3,500-house Koa Ridge project will either bring much-needed homes and jobs, or unmitigated traffic and the elimination of valuable agricultural land. The Honolulu City Council is scheduled to hold a final vote today on Bill 48, allowing the agriculturally zoned land to be developed into commercial, residential and industrial uses for Koa Ridge Makai, one of three original parts of the Castle & Cooke plan. Star-Advertiser.

Hawaii

The buyers of the Naniloa Volcanoes Resort plan to use a marine theme — with art provided by world-renowned artist, Robert Wyland — to transform the beleaguered hotel on Hilo’s Banyan Drive. Tribune-Herald.

Bidding for the Naniloa Volcanoes Resort ended Tuesday but not before allegations of bid rigging were cast upon two prospective buyers. Tribune-Herald.

A partnership between eRealty Fund founder Ed Bushor and the marine artist Wyland is buying the Naniloa Volcanoes Resort from its bankrupt owner for $5.2 million and plans to turn the Hilo hotel into an environmentally friendly, artistic boutique hotel. Pacific Business News.

The U.S. Coast Guard is establishing permanent safety zones at two Hawaii Island commercial harbors to expedite evacuation in the event a tsunami warning is issued. West Hawaii Today.

After learning they had no authority over money being set aside for maintenance of open space, members of the Public Access, Open Space and Natural Resources Preservation Commission agreed Tuesday to include their concerns in the commission’s annual report to the mayor and the public, rather than try to take official action. West Hawaii Today.

Maui

A search is under way for an entangled whale that was spotted around 1.5 miles from Lahaina Harbor on Monday, Nov. 11 at around 4 p.m. Maui Now.

Kauai

The journey for Ross Martineau, and his partner Jeff Demma, has been a long one — one that has crossed oceans, state lines and more than 15 years of courtship. Garden Island.