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Thurston Twigg-Smith left a definitive imprint on this city and state. The publisher of The Honolulu Advertiser, who died Saturday, will be remembered vividly by many, but especially by the journalists who worked there while he was at the helm — and for some years afterward.
It was five years after he left the boardroom, in fact, that he made a really big splash with his book, “Hawaiian Sovereignty: Do The Facts Matter?” The overthrow of the monarchy involved his own ancestor, Lorrin Thurston, and that family perspective was not a popular one in the still-current discussions of the event.
But ensuring that all voices were heard — whether or not their views were embraced — was one mission the publisher worked to fulfill. Adding that page to the chronicle of Hawaii history surely must count as part of the legacy “Twigg” left.
More evidence of Hawaii’s high housing costs
From the Tell Us Something We Don’t Already Know file, here’s this bit from the personal-finance website WalletHub: On a scale in which No. 1 is the best city for first-time home buyers, Honolulu ranks 276th.
Similarly bad measures in this category were logged on housing affordability, cost of living and home-energy costs, among others.
Surprisingly, Honolulu’s ranking is somewhat better on foreclosure rate, in which we’re only 50 places away from “best.” Could it be because, at Hawaii’s price point, fewer marginal buyers could hope to qualify?