Hirono writing memoir, due in 2021
NEW YORK — U.S. Sen. Mazie Hirono, the Senate’s first Asian American woman and only current immigrant, is working on a memoir.
Viking announced Tuesday that the book, currently untitled, will be released in 2021.
Hirono, 72, a Hawaii Democrat, will write about emigrating at age 8 to the United States after her mother fled an abusive marriage in Japan. In a statement issued through Viking, Hirono said the book was a tribute to her mother’s spirit.
“My deep emotional connection to my mother, a remarkable woman who made a hard choice to save her children, and who valiantly struggled to care for us as a single parent, is the current that has driven my entire life,” Hirono said in the statement. “Now, because she can no longer bear witness for herself, I am choosing to bear witness on her behalf by telling the story of the daughter she inspired to live boldly and to fight for the promises of this country.”
Hirono is serving her second term in the Senate.
Hawaii begins using new asphalt that could extend road life
HONOLULU — The state Department of Transportation plans to use a new type of asphalt that could extend road life by years.
Stone matrix asphalt could reduce the need for filling potholes, fixing cracks and performing other types of regular road maintenance, according to officials. The stronger and more flexible compound could last up to 25 years.
A repaving project on Oahu’s Pali Highway added a layer of stone matrix asphalt on top of standard asphalt to make the road smoother and more durable, officials said.
Transportation officials plan to expand use of the asphalt hybrid to various major road arteries.
The department first experimented with the asphalt in 2004 on a 5-mile stretch of the Moanalua Freeway on Oahu.
