U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders did great in the Hawaii Democratic caucus. The hosting branch of the party? Not so much, it seems.

The voting — which, unlike a primary, was more of a partisan event, with folks displaying their preference openly — took place within set hours. Unfortunately, some said they didn’t know when it was ending, and arrived too late. Others said it lacked conventional elements, such as voting booths: Ballots were collected in bags.

Perhaps its somewhat chaotic nature added to the excitement. But what’s less clear is the party’s rather haphazard way of alerting people. That’s not how you retain new party members, which is always part of the aim.

Pro Bowl is wonderful investment … or is it?

Apparently the NFL Pro Bowl may not be such a great investment for Hawaii taxpayers after all — at least not when compared to other sporting events that the Hawaii Tourism Authority plunks down our hard-earned cash to help sponsor.

According to HTA figures, Hawaii taxpayers spent $5.25 million in 2015 to entice the NFL to hold its annual all-stars game at Aloha Stadium, which generated a “return on investment” (ROI) to the state of $6.30 per $1 spent. Not bad, so far as it goes.

Other sporting events, however, generated far more per dollar spent, ranging from the PGA tour, at $32.42, to the virtually golden Kauai Marathon, at $116, according to the HTA.

Of course, none of the other events involved nearly as much HTA spending, or as many people, or as much media coverage as the Pro Bowl; but then none of them led to the maddening traffic jams like the Pro Bowl, either. It’s a trade-off.