Maj. Gen. Kenneth Hara, adjutant general for the state of Hawaii, who serves as commander of the Hawaii National Guard and director of the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency, will resign from his post on Oct. 1 and retire from the military on Nov. 1, bringing to an end a distinguished 40-year career in the military.

“Throughout his entire career, Maj. Gen. Hara led by example, providing a steady hand through some of the most challenging times in the history of our state and nation,” Gov. Josh Green said in a statement released on Friday. “I can say with confidence that the state of Hawaii is better because of Maj. Gen. Hara’s dedicated service, commitment, and sacrifices. I wish him all the best in retirement.”

Green has selected Brig. Gen. Stephen Logan to replace Hara. Logan currently serves as deputy adjutant general for Hawaii and commander of the Hawaii Army National Guard. 

“He is a key component of the Hawaii National Guard’s success and his appointment as Adjutant General marks another historic milestone in a storied military career,” Green said of Logan. 

As adjutant general, Logan will serve as the commander of the Hawaii National Guard and director of the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency. He will be responsible for daily operations and oversee approximately 5,600 Army and Air National Guard service members which includes approximately 2,100 full-time federal and state employees. Brig. Gen. Logan’s appointment is pending state Senate confirmation.

The Hawaii Department of Defense will conduct an official change of responsibility ceremony on Oct. 1.

“I am grateful and proud to have served with the extraordinary members of the state of Hawaii, Department of Defense, who accomplished every assigned state and federal mission during extremely challenging times,” Hara said. “And I have full faith and confidence in Brig. Gen. Steve Logan and know that he will successfully lead the department into the future.”

Hara, served on combat deployments to Baghdad, Iraq; Camp Arifjan, Kuwait; and Kandahar, Afghanistan. He was appointed adjutant general in Dec. 2019.

Hara served as the state’s overall incident commander from 2020 to 2023 during the COVID-19 pandemic response. He again served as the state’s incident commander for the Maui wildfire response.

Logan, a combat veteran who served in Afghanistan, has been the deputy adjutant general since Dec. 2019 and commander of the Hawaii Army National Guard since Oct. 2021. He most recently served as the dual status commander of the Hawaii National Guard’s Joint Task Force 50, which was activated in response to the 2023 Maui wildfire disaster.

“I’m truly honored and humbled to be selected as the adjutant general for the state of Hawaii and extremely proud to be a member of Gov. Green’s Cabinet,” Logan said. “I also want to thank the dedicated efforts of the many great leaders who’ve held this post before me, most notably Maj. Gen. Hara for his decisive leadership through these challenging times.”

Logan grew up on Oahu and enlisted as an infantry soldier in the Hawaii Army National Guard during his senior year in high school. He commissioned through the Guard’s Officer Candidate School and later attended the U.S. Army’s Initial Entry Rotary Wing Training Course. He flew both rotary and fixed-wing aircraft for almost 30 years and has served in the military for more than 40 years.

Prior to being selected as the State Army Aviation Officer, Logan was a traditional National Guard soldier holding positions in the Honolulu Police Department. He retired as a metropolitan police lieutenant in 2004.

However, the stairs quickly gained popularity through social media and the series “Magnum PI”, which is why the Honolulu City Council finally decided to demolish the stairs in 2021. The cost of the demolition work is approximately $2.5 million and will take around 6 months because of the behavior of the tourists. Planning for the demolition of the stairs began on April 22, 2024.

Despite the work and the strict ban, many people still visit the Haiku Stairs, which has recently led to several reports and warnings . In addition to the fact that visiting is a criminal offense, it is also very dangerous, according to the Honolulu District Mayor, because “It is an active construction site” where there is heavy machinery.

The “Friend of Haiku Stairs” have filed a lawsuit against the City and County of Honolulu to prevent the demolition of the stairs. The hearing of the lawsuit was scheduled for March 10, 2024, during which time the demolition work was paused, but according to the city administration, planning continued.

According to the current status, the court has decided against stopping the demolition. The reason given is that the stairs have no historical significance. The demolition work and planning will now continue.

By Amy Lamare For Dailymail.Com

Published: 23:09 BST, 24 May 2024 | Updated: 23:19 BST, 24 May 2024

Demi Lovato posted some vacation snaps from the Hawaiian island of Kauai. 

The performer captioned the post: ‘Kauaiiiiii,’ and added a palm tree, wave and pink flower emoji. 

In the first photo, the Barney and Friends alum, 31, looked sensational posing on a boat in a strapless, black, one-piece swimsuit. 

The boat was anchored in a cove and Demi appeared peaceful and happy with her new shorter hair.

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In one snap, Demi, her fiancé Jordan ‘Jutes’ Lutes and another couple lounged languidly on the boat in their swimsuits.

Demi Lovato posted some vacation snaps from the Hawaiian island of Kauai. She captioned the post: ‘Kauaiiiiii,’ and added a palm tree, wave and pink flower emoji

The next image is a shot of the beach and the following is of the Can’t Back Down singer and Lutes rubbing noses ‘Eskimo kiss’ style

She also shared a short video clip of the ocean and a dolphin jumping out of it gracefully. 

The next image is a shot of the beach and the following is of the Can’t Back Down singer and Lutes rubbing noses ‘Eskimo kiss’ style.

They also snapped a mirror selfie twinning in blue tops with her future husband.

Photos of a Hawaiian ice, the scenic island and wildlife in the form of a lizard in their hotel room rounded out the vacation post.

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Demi and the Canadian rocker met in 2002 when they worked together on their Holy Fvck album.

One day after the album dropped in August 2022 they went Instagram official with their relationship.

Jutes popped the question with a pear-shape diamond solitaire engagement ring created by N.Y.C. luxury jewelry boutique Material Good.

‘I’m still speechless! Last night was the best night of my life and I can’t believe I get to marry the love of my life @jutesmusic,’ Demi wrote on Instagram the day after the proposal.

‘My love, I’m beyond excited to marry you. Every day I’ve spent with you has been a dream come true and I can’t wait to love and cherish you forever. Here’s to the rest of our lives. I love you baby!’

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In the third snap, Demi, her fiancé Jordan ‘Jutes’ Lutes and another couple lounge languidly on the boat in their swimsuits

They also snapped a mirror selfie twinning blue tops with her future husband

The next shot was a short video clip of the ocean and a dolphin jumping out of it gracefully

Photos of a Hawaiian ice, the scenic island and wildlife in the form of a lizard in their hotel room rounded out the vacation post

Demi and the Canadian rocker met in 2002 when they worked together on their Holy Fvck album

One day after the album dropped in August 2022 they went Instagram official with their relationship; here is a look at a little visitor

Jutes proposed to Demi in December 2023 with a massive pear-cut diamond ring

Jutes shared his own gushing post about their engagement. 

‘Yesterday I asked my best friend to marry me and she said yes. I can’t imagine my life without you and thank god now I’ll never have to. Feeling like the luckiest man alive right now. I’m so in love with you @ddlovato!’

After the big event the couple met up with their families at Craig’s in West Hollywood to celebrate their engagment with their families. 

Jutes marks Lovato’s second engagement after ending her first engagement to four-time Daytime Emmy nominee Max Ehrich in 2020 after six months of dating.