Pro Bowl return a boon for local fans, NFL stars

The votes are in and we know now which NFL players were selected to participate in this season’s Pro Bowl, which returns to Aloha Stadium on Jan. 30 after a one-year hiatus. But the players selected and those who show up likely will be two different things, especially now that the all-star game takes place a week before the NFL’s season finale Super Bowl. The contenders in that match, whomever they turn out to be, will not be letting any of their players participate.

On the other hand, Hawaii has always been a favorite after-season destination for NFL players and their families — unlike, say, Miami, where the game was held last year.

The upshot? First-string all-stars or not, the game likely will be, as usual, a sell-out, and a lot of fun, too.

A sobering breath

State Rep. Sharon Har soon will feel safer behind the wheel. Three years ago, Har was injured in her Kapolei district when a vehicle driven by a multiple-conviction drunk driver smashed into her car.

Har responded by introduced a bill that will require drivers arrested on suspicion of drunken driving to install a breathalyzer in their vehicles. The vehicle is disabled unless the driver’s breath passes the test of being less than .02 percent alcohol. The new law takes effect with the new year.