Marcel Honore primarily covers rail for Civil Beat — and he’s always on the lookout for ways to describe the local transit project other than “cash-strapped,” “beleaguered” and “financially challenged” in his reports.
A native of Los Angeles, Marcel moved to Oahu in January 2013 and spent nearly five years covering transportation for the Honolulu Star-Advertiser. He also served as the paper’s main correspondent covering the Hokule’a’s three-year worldwide voyage, sailing aboard the canoe on several of its international legs.
Prior to his Hawaii arrival, Marcel worked at the Palm Springs, California, Desert Sun, where he covered city government and immigration issues. His investigations into arsenic-tinged drinking water, foul odors emanating from a contaminated-soil facility and other environmental challenges affecting that region garnered several awards, including a 2011 California Newspaper Publishers Award.
Marcel started his journalism career as a graduate student at Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism, where he served as a Washington, D.C., correspondent for The Seattle Times and the Santa Barbara News-Press. While at Northwestern he also worked at the Associated Press’ Caracas, Venezuela, bureau covering policies under then-President Hugo Chavez.
Marcel should be a much better surfer than he currently is. He sincerely apologizes for dropping in on your wave.
Meanwhile, questions remain about the overpayments that were also made as part of the same widespread problems.
Nonetheless, emergency management officials encourage local residents to stay prepared in case a major storm hits the islands.
Federal officials have delayed critical scientific assessments of how commercial fishing affects oceanic whitetips, conservationists say.
Project officials stress that they’re still fully committed to getting rail to Ala Moana, but it’s still not clear financially how that would happen.
The city has spent several years and millions of dollars fighting the developer in court over land for rail. Now, the transit system might not reach the Hughes Kakaako properties.
Commercial property values have spiked along the rail line since the tax to build the project went into effect. But rail didn’t create that new value, local analysts say.
Landowners got lucrative zoning perks and fast-track approvals to build luxury towers in the busy neighborhood all based on rail. Did they give enough back in return?
“There is still much more work to be done before we can turn this project into a success story,” Lori Kahikina said in a letter announcing her decision.
The plan needs approval from the Federal Transit Administration, and it’s not clear yet whether that agency will get on board.