Populations boom … and bust. There have been years since statehood when Hawaii has experienced its growth spurt.

No longer. A Census Bureau report lists the 50th State among the nine with waning populations.

There are worries that every job-seeker or whole family that packs up for the mainland’s greener pastures leaves the aging baby-boom retirees here with less tax support. They’re well-founded worries.

But the isles haven’t yet reached the fiscal crisis Japan is now confronting. And Oahu is getting crowded, anyway.

Besides, when people yearn to jet away, it’s hard to stop them.

What shutdown? Here comes Santa anyway

Regardless of whether government operations are open or shut down today, the North American Aerospace Defense Command has said it intends to continue its long-standing tradition of tracking Santa’s Christmas Eve path across the skies. Military personnel who conduct “NORAD Tracks Santa” are supported by some 1,500 volunteers.

The online tracker pinpoints Santa’s location across a map of the world, including his next stop and expected arrival time at various locations. Follow along at www.noradsanta.org.