Energy Efficiency Auction deadline extended

Hawaii Energy will extend its original deadline for the Hawaii Energy Efficiency Auction by one week to Oct. 6 at 4 p.m. The auction is an open call for those working on energy efficiency projects to compete for up to $2.1 million to offset project costs.

The projects must reduce energy consumption. Additionally, the projects must either improve cost-effectiveness compared to existing Hawaii Energy offerings, increase energy efficiency in high-energy-consumption or hard-to-reach geographic areas, or provide mass installations of specific energy efficiency technologies or offerings.

Proposed projects must serve electric utility ratepayers in Hawaii, Honolulu or Maui counties who pay the public benefit fee charge on their electric bills. Projects that are already in contract do not qualify for the auction.

Hawaii Public Radio pledge drive to begin

The semiannual Hawaii Public Radio pledge drive will begin at 6:19 a.m. Wednesday with — for the first time — a fundraising goal identical to the previous effort.

The "Celebration 2014" pledge drive goal is $1,032,000, same as in the spring, to be raised from among 11,000 individual members, corporate underwriters, and possibly new members who sign up during the effort that is scheduled to run through Oct. 10.

Also new for this drive will be specific goals, or hour-by-hour micro-goals, that listeners will be asked to help meet.

During part of the drive, Hawaiian Airlines will offer a premium of 10 HawaiianMiles for every dollar pledged. Miles can be transferred to Kapiolani Medical Center for neighbor island families whose children require treatment on Oahu.

HPR’s Honolulu stations, KHPR-FM 88.1 and KIPO-FM 89.3, as well as its neighbor island stations carrying both programming streams, did not have to increase the fundraising goal in part due to a growing number of sustaining members who contribute monthly amounts each month via automatic payments. The station also has received some $100,000 for this drive through early giving.

Kaiser awards 5 grants worth $220,000

Kaiser Permanente Hawaii has awarded five organizations a combined total of more than $220,000 in a second round of community benefit grants. The nonprofits serve Hawaii’s youth and vulnerable populations with programs focused on nutrition, wellness, safety and youth mentoring.

Hawaii Initiative for Childhood Obesity Research & Education received $92,000 for its work promoting a coordinated nutrition and fitness strategy in schools. Hawaii Primary Care Association won $33,500 for its Oral Health Initiative, which studies health care disparities among Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander children.

People’s Advocacy for Trails Hawaii, serving Hawaii island, will receive $48,000 to support bicycle education and safe biking conditions.

Grow Some Good, a school garden sustainability program in Maui, provides seed funding for schools to establish garden education programs. It will receive $9,900.

Adult Friends for Youth won $40,000 for the Youth for Youth Project, a peer-to-peer mentoring program empowering youth with the opportunity to develop leadership skills and model healthy behaviors.

‘Bond King’ Gross leaves Pimco, joins Janus

NEW YORK » The biggest star in the bond market shocked the financial world Friday by leaving the huge money management firm he has led for four decades and joining a much smaller rival.

Bill Gross, who co-founded the investment giant Pimco in 1971 and runs its $222 billion Total Return Fund, said he would join Janus Capital Group. The prospect that investors would follow the fund manager and pull their money out of Pimco sent the stocks of several rival investment companies soaring. Janus jumped 43 percent. Allianz, the German company that owns Pimco, dropped 6 percent.

Pimco moved quickly to appoint a successor. Daniel Ivascyn, who has been with Pimco since 1998, was named late Friday as group chief investment officer.

Gross has trounced rivals for years with deft moves in and out of bonds, earning the title "Bond King" and attracting hundreds of billions of dollars into Pacific Investment Management Co. But lately his performance has lagged many rivals and his management style has raised eyebrows.

Hawaii dominates in honeymooners’ picks

Five Hawaii destinations are among the top 10 favorites for couples choosing an American honeymoon so far in 2014, according to Facebook data released Friday.

Couples’ "check-ins," or online notations of their presence at a given spot, were analyzed by Facebook data analysts.

Among international and domestic honeymooners, the top destinations worldwide were No. 1 Las Vegas; No. 2 Lahaina, Maui; and No. 3 Honolulu. The top 10 U.S. destinations list also was topped by Las Vegas, with Hawaii locales making a strong showing. More than 100 couples traveled more than 12,000 miles to reach their honeymoon destination.

ON THE MOVE

Alston Hunt Floyd & Ing has announced two people have joined the firm:

» Bill Byrns is the company’s new director. He has 30 years experience in Hawaii in which he focused on real property, finance, business law and commercial law. Prior to joining AHFI, Byrns was a partner at MacDonald Rudy Byrns O’Neill and Yamauchi.

» Kristin L. Holland is the firm’s attorney of counsel. Holland’s practice focuses on real property litigation, intellectual property law and litigation, and commercial litigation. Prior to AHFI, Holland was a partner with Katten Muchin Rosenman in Los Angeles.

Turtle Bay Resort has announced Darci Lee Yamauchi as its new leisure sales coordinator. She has more than 10 years experience with Starwood Hotels and Resorts Hawaii. Yamauchi previously served as a sales coordinator for Starwood’s four Waikiki properties as well as worked in convention services for the Sheraton Waikiki and as a guest service agent at Sheraton Moana Surfrider.

SHIP AHOY!

Today’s ship arrivals and departures:

HONOLULU HARBOR