Turtle Bay deal makes good turn

Prospects for preserving a lot of open space at Turtle Bay have brightened, with the governor announcing that a new deal was struck Thursday.

It’s a remarkable turnabout for the resort site and scenic locale, since the previous rescue plan hinged on draining money from the Legacy Land Conservation Trust, and even the supporters of the deal were leery of that.

Somewhat surprisingly, this accord seems better for the taxpayers. There’s a lower price tag of $45 million (down $3.5 million), and state ownership of a piece of land instead of just a conservation easement.

Details should be forthcoming soon — before it gets signed into law, with any luck.

Oh, to be a fly on the wall in conference committee rooms: That’s where the real lawmaking gets done.

Shouldn’t one sign job contract first?

No one can be blamed for thinking, "Oh no, not again!"

Lately, it seems the University of Hawaii keeps getting itself mired in contracts for its high-priced hires, shelling out more money than it’s worth to make folks go away.

Now, contract confusion is already brewing around a hire that UH actually wants — and recently announced — but has yet to ink terms with. New UH basketball coach Eran Ganot is about three weeks into his job, but still doesn’t have a signed contract. Oddly enough, that’s how things started with his predecessor, whose ill-fated stint is still being contractually argued.

Let’s just hope for a better outcome this time around.