By B.J. Reyes

If you’re going to next week’s inauguration, we wanted to give you a list of 10 tips to help you enjoy the experience.

Tips 1-9: DRESS WARM! It’s going to be cold out there! If you’ve never experienced sub-freezing temperatures before, there’s one simple rule of thumb: Dress in layers!

Tip 10: Have fun, you’re witnessing history!

And if you’re not heading to Washington, D.C., make sure to follow all of the events in the Star-Bulletin and online right here at Starbulletin.com.

When Barack Obama is sworn in as the nation’s 44th president, the Star-Bulletin will be there. Myself and staff writer Rosemarie Bernardo will be among 4 million of our closest friends in the nation’s capital bringing you complete coverage of everything from the temperatures outside to the tuxedos and gowns at the various inaugural balls.

Keep an eye on the Political Radar blog for reports from Washington starting tomorrow. Complete coverage in the newspaper starts Friday.

And don’t forget, if you are going, if you know someone who’s going or if you just want to share your thoughts, let us know! Send your messages, photos, cell phone vids, status updates, blog links or whatever else you can think of to obama@starbulletin.com.

We’ll be taking your ObamaGrams and sharing the best stuff with our readers!

By Richard Borreca

Gov. Linda Lingle is proposing a new state Communications Commission that will take telephone regulation out of the Public Utilities Commission’s purview. The new commission, Lingle told an audience at the annual Small Business Hawaii meeting today, would also handle cable and wireless products.

Lingle said she wants the new commission to run like the present insurance commission, with a commissioner and the power to encourage competition. The commission would also have the power to control rates charges by cable franchise holders.

“We really need to come into alignment with reality,” Lingle said.

The commission would regulate wireless, wire-line, broadband, satellite and cable, Lingle said.

“It is all about communications and our ability to communicate out and to receive communications into the state,”Lingle said.

The proposal will have to be approved by the state Legislature before it becomes law.

By B.J. Reyes

They can’t do anything about the temperatures, but organizers of the Aloha Inaugural Ball in Washington, D.C., are doing what they can to guarantee an authentic island atmosphere in the nation’s capital in the dead of winter.

“We’re going to have a real Hawaiian experience,” says Skip Kelly, a documentary filmmaker and one of the event’s organizers. “It’s going to be a nice mix to capture the aloha spirit.”

First, the menu.

Planners have secured a mix of Hawaiian food (kalua pig, lomi salmon, long rice, haupia and fresh pineapple) and local favorites from none other than Rainbow Drive-In (Hawaiian-style chili, Shoyu chicken and mac salad).

Next, the entertainment.

Organizers have put together an eclectic evening of entertainment featuring a “musical fusion” of Hawaiian music and jazz that features the Atomic Dog himself, George Clinton.

George Clinton (AP photo)

“As a teenager, Barack enjoyed the popular rhythm & blues bands from the 70s, and we will conclude the evening with chart topping party anthems by a musical legend,” the ball’s Web site states.

Hawaiian music will come from Brother Ah and the Aloha World Music Ensemble and Kumu Hula Manu Ikaika while Halau O ‘Aulani and Halau Ho’omau I ka Wai Ola O Hawaii, two East Coast-based halaus, will perform hula.

Clinton, who along with his band Parliament Funkadelic, was inducted into the Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame in 1997, was just added to the entertainment slate, and party goers can choose to attend only the concert if they choose.

The Aloha Inaugural Ball is being held at the Washington Marriott Wardman Park, a venue made famous by the Texas State Society’s Black Tie & Boots Inaugural Balls in 2001 and 2005, celebrating President Bush.

Tickets, which sell for $350 and $650, are still available.

By B.J. Reyes

Are you going to the inauguration? Do you know someone who is? Are you going to hold an early-morning party in Honolulu to watch the events live? Do you have any thoughts or wishes you’d like to share with the president-elect as he takes office? Have you written any poems about the historic nature of the event?

If you answered “yes” to any of these, please tell us about it.

We’re now accepting your ObamaGrams! Stories, photos, links to your blog — anything you’re doing that’s related to the Jan. 20 swearing-in of Barack Obama as the nation’s 44th president — we want to hear about it.

Send your stuff to obama@starbulletin.com.

We’ll share the best items with our readers.

Don’t be shy!

By B.J. Reyes

We already know that President-elect Barack Obama is a fan of local food, Spam musubi and shave ice, at least.

^^ Then-U.S. Sen. Barack Obama enjoys shave ice with daughters Sasha, left, and Malia during his Hawaii vacation in August. (AP photo)

But you’ll find no local favorites on the menu for the 2009 Inaugural Luncheon, the traditional event held after the swearing-in ceremony hosted by the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies.

The menu, created by Arlington, Va.-based catering company Design Cuisine, was announced today:

First Course: Seafood Stew, paired with Duckhorn Vineyards, 2007 Sauvignon Blanc, Napa Valley.

Second Course: A Brace of American Birds (pheasant and duck), served with Sour Cherry Chutney and Molasses Sweet Potatoes, paired with Goldeneye, 2005 Pinot Noir, Anderson Valley.

Third Course: Apple Cinnamon Sponge Cake and Sweet Cream Glacé, paired with Korbel Natural “Special Inaugural Cuvée,” California Champagne.

The details of the luncheon have been designed to reflect the theme of the 2009 Inaugural ceremonies, “A New Birth of Freedom,” which celebrates the bicentennial of the birth of President Abraham Lincoln.

For more information on the luncheon, including details on the gifts, floral arrangements and china, click here. You can even download the recipes for each course, should you plan to have your own inaugural luncheon.

By B.J. Reyes

It may not be on the list of 10 officially sanctioned balls that the new president will visit the night of the inauguration, but the first Hawaii State Society Inaugural Ball still may be the hottest ticket in town.

At least as far as Hawaii party-goers are concerned.

Organizers say they remain hopeful that President-elect Barack Obama has time for an 11th dance at their ball, but if not, the event still is expected to feature some Hawaii A-listers.

They include:

U.S. Rep. Neil Abercrombie (D, Hawaii)
U.S. Rep. Mazie Hirono (D, Hawaii)
VA Secretary nominee Gen. Eric Shinseki
U.S. Rep. Eni Faleomavaega of American Samoa
Prime Minister Commodore Josaia Voreqe Bainimarama of Fiji
Honolulu Mayor Mufi Hannemann
Maui Mayor Charmaine Tavares
Kauai Mayor Bernard Carvalho
Actress Kelly Hu
Former UH quarterback Colt Brennan, now with the Washington Redskins

Of course, as most people know, the event has been sold out for weeks. The 1,000 tickets were snapped up within days of Obama’s Nov. 4 victory.

For those who were fast enough, the ducats have been sent out by certified mail. Hawaii State Society President Sarah Ulis said the tickets were mailed Sunday night from Washington, D.C., so they should be arriving any day now.

By Richard Borreca

Hawaii Supreme Court Chief Justice Ronald Moon is saving his usual address to the Legislature until next year.

Moon, who has been a state judge since 1982 and on the state’s highest court since 1990, had been scheduled to speak to a joint legislative session this month.

It is customary for the chief justice to address the Legislature during the start of the state’s budget cycle, which would mean Moon’s speech would be this year. But, Moon, 68, will be forced to retire in September of 2010 when he reaches 70, so he is asking the Legislature for time to speak next year.

“I appreciate the consideration afforded by thge legislative leadership in permitting me to deliver my final address in my final year as chief justice,” Moon said in a letter to the legislative leaders.

By Laurie Au

In a move that may have little effect outside of Honolulu Hale but significant impact on the politics inside, City Council Chairman Todd Apo announced changes in the leadership of City Council committees this week.

Apo reduced the number of City Council committees from eight to six, saying this will provide “greater efficiencies and productivity.” The move also strips former City Council Chairwoman Barbara Marshall, who is undergoing treatment for colon cancer, and Councilman Romy Cachola of a leadership spot.

“I think we have found that certain committees were being delayed because of the eight committee structure,” Apo said.

Apo’s allies on the City Council include Nestor Garcia, Gary Okino and Rod Tam, all of whom received leadership positions of the more powerful committees. The biggest change was moving Garcia to lead the powerful Budget Committee.

Other than that, the dissidents of the nine-member body, Charles Djou and Donovan Dela Cruz, remain in the same positions of presiding over weaker committees.

Councilman Duke Bainum becomes chairman of the newly-formed Public Infrastructure Committee. Other than the changes in leadership, the addition of Bainum will likely change the dynamics of this divided City Council.

The new council committees and its chairmen are:

Budget – Nestor Garcia
Transportation and Planning – Gary Okino
Zoning – Rod Tam
Public Infrastructure – Duke Bainum
Executive Matters and Legal Affairs – Charles Djou
Public Safety and Service – Donovan Dela Cruz

By B.J. Reyes

The Presidential Inaugural Committee has announced the final lineup of inaugural balls that the president and vice president plan to hit on the night of Jan. 20, after the swearing-in ceremony on the steps of the Capitol.

There are 10 events in all, including one for President-elect Barack Obama’s home states of Illinois and Hawaii.

The Home States Balls (Vice President-elect Joe Biden will hold one for Delaware and Pennsylvania) were among the eight inaugural events announced today by the PIC. Other events announced today include a Youth Inaugural Ball and five regional balls, to go along with the two previously announced events — a Neighborhood Inaugural Ball and the Commander-in-Chief’s Inaugural Ball.

Obama and Biden plan to stop by each of the 10 balls, organizers said.

A complete list of the balls:

Youth Inaugural Ball – Young Americans aged 18-35; Washington Hilton

Obama Home States Inaugural Ball – Illinois and Hawaii invited guests; Walter E. Washington Convention Center

Biden Home States Inaugural Ball -Delaware and Pennsylvania invited guests; Walter E. Washington Convention Center

Eastern Inaugural Ball – CT, ME, MA, NH, RI, VT, PR, and USVI invited guests; Union Station

Mid-Atlantic Inaugural Ball – MD, VA, DC, NY, NJ, and WV invited guests; Walter E. Washington Convention Center

Midwest Inaugural Ball – KS, IN, IA, MI, MN, ND, NE, OH, SD, WI, and MO invited guests; Walter E. Washington Convention Center

Southern Inaugural Ball – AL, AR, FL, GA, KY, LA, MS, NC, SC, TN, and TX invited guests; National Guard Armory

Western Inaugural Ball – AK, CA, ID, MT, OR, WA, WY, AZ, CO, NV, NM, UT, OK, GUAM/AS invited guests; Walter E. Washington Convention Center

Neighborhood Inaugural Ball – DC residents, additional guests; Walter E. Washington Convention Center

Commander-in-Chief’s Inaugural Ball – Enlisted active duty and reserve military; National Building Museum

For more information, visit the Presidential Inauguration Committee Web site.

By Laurie Au

The underlying grim theme of inaugural addresses by Honolulu Mayor Mufi Hannemann and City Council Chairman Todd Apo today was the nation’s economic crisis and the negative trickle down effect to Oahu.

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