Kona Coffee Festival kickoff, candidates pull out the stops as Election Day nears, sharks dwindling, but active, more news from all the Hawaiian Islands

Kona coffee queens Tatiana Boteilho & Lacy Deniz courtesy photo

The 42nd annual Kona Coffee Cultural Festival is offering numerous events now until Nov. 11 that preserve and promote Kona’s more than 180-year-old coffee heritage. West Hawaii Today.

Voters across the state will head to the polls on Tuesday to select their nominees for president, mayor, and several congressional races during Hawaii's general election. Hawaii News Now.

What's At Stake In The 2012 Election. Civil Beat.

Hawaii Republicans have three "victory centers" to help get out the vote Tuesday: party headquarters in Hono­lulu, Linda Lingle's U.S. Senate campaign headquarters and the living room in Paul and RosaMaria Hurst's two-story home in Laie. Star-Advertiser.

With just a few days left before the general election, it's down to the wire as candidates from both parties hit the road to get their messages to last-minute voters. Hawaii News Now.

With the general election just days away time's running out for politicians hoping to win your votes. Both U.S. Senate candidates tried to persuade voters face to face Saturday. KITV4.

Here in Hawaii several candidates were using this last weekend before the election to rally support. KHON2.

Two days before the general election, congressional candidate Tulsi Gabbard has garnered a high-level endorsement from President Barack Obama. Star-Advertiser.

Hawaii is recruiting more applicants for its program to groom people with business, military and other non-education backgrounds to become public school administrators. Associated Press.

As the number of applications for the Hawaii Supreme Court dwindles, almost all of the finalists for the last four openings on the high court have been state judges. Star-Advertiser.

A new study shows a continuing decline in the population of sharks in the Pacific Ocean. The latest research indicates a continuing demand for shark fin soup—especially in China. Hawaii Public Radio.

Baby boomers in Hawaii face an elevated risk of being infected with hepatitis C, and officials recommend they be screened for the virus, which can hide out for decades in their cells undetected and eventually cause serious liver damage and cancer. Star-Advertiser.

During last Saturday's Tsunami Warning, residents in several Hawaii counties complained they either did not hear warning sirens at all or they did not hear them until much later in the evening. Hawaii Reporter.

Oahu

Mayor Peter Carlisle will be leaving Honolulu Hale in January when a new mayor takes over. Civil Beat.

U.S. Sen. Daniel Akaka, former chairman of the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee, will be the keynote speaker at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific’s Veterans Day ceremony on Sunday. Star-Advertiser.

My Way Or The Highway: A Newcomer's View Of The Honolulu Rail Debate. Civil Beat.

The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission is suing the Senor Frog's bar and restaurant chain, saying its CEO, other high level executives and managers sexually harassed female employees at its now-closed Waikiki location. Associated Press.

Hawaii

Hawaii County Mayor Billy Kenoi has spent about $600,000 to ensure two-term Mayor Harry Kim doesn't get his old job back, outspending him 30-to-1. Star-Advertiser.

Defamation lawsuits against Hawaii County Council Chairman Dominic Yagong and County Clerk Jamae Kawauchi will begin playing out in a Kona courtroom later this month as 3rd Circuit Court Judge Elizabeth Strance considers a county motion to dismiss. West Hawaii Today.

Repairs on 13 Civil Defense warning sirens that malfunctioned during Thursday morning’s monthly test are under way, Police Chief Harry Kubojiri said early Friday evening. Tribune-Herald.

The rebound in Hilo’s cruise ship tourism industry continues, although it appears to be slowing. Tribune-Herald.

Maui

South Maui residents will be deciding Maui's most hotly contested race: the face-off between incumbent Republican state House Rep. George Fontaine and Democratic hopeful Kaniela Ing. Maui News.

Republican state Senate hopeful Bart Mulvihill contends that Democratic state Sen. Roz Baker's backing of mortgage reform has been a "total disaster," with lenders choosing to take delinquent homeowners straight to judicial foreclosures and leaving them with ruined credit. Maui News.

Dozens of Kihei residents, including parents and children, stood on the shoulder of Piilani Highway on Friday afternoon and Saturday morning to wave signs and draw attention to the need for a Kihei high school. Maui News.

A 30-year-old Kahului man was recovering Sunday after suffering severe cuts above his right ankle in a shark attack at the Central Maui area known as Sand Piles. Star-Advertiser.

A 30 year-old Kahului male reported being attacked by a shark in waters off of Waiehu Golf Course on Sunday morning while participating in a diving tournament. Maui News.

The 2012 Maui Roi Round-up reeled in a moment for the record books when tournament participant, Mark Riglos, was bit by what was described as a 15-foot tiger shark. Maui Now.

Home sales on Maui last month increased by double digits as prices of single-family home nudged upward and condominium prices gained 13 percent, according to statistics from the Realtors Association of Maui. Pacific Business News.

Kauai

The Office of Hawaiian Affairs candidates met with voters one final time last week before Election Day. Garden Island.

In what turned out to be a dangerous day in Hawaiian waters, Davidson's Surf Break on Kauai joined Maui's Waiehu Beach Park on the list of state beaches closed by shark-related incidents on Sunday after a surfer's board was bitten while he sat waiting for a wave. Hawaii News Now.

Three close calls on Westside and North Shore beaches Sunday were resolved without injury. Garden Island.