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How this N.J. husband is keeping his wife’s legacy alive after tragedy struck in Hawaii

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How this N.J. husband is keeping his wife’s legacy alive after tragedy struck in Hawaii


When Andy Chiang lost his wife on a trip to Hawaii, he says it was a pain like no other.

But the thought of not continuing the legacy of her passion was one reality he would not be able to handle.

“The unspeakable thing happened to my wife when visiting our daughter,” said Chiang, who lives in Fort Lee. “Each day, I carry that. But also, the legacy of my wife’s dance production that is so beloved.”

Now, the dance company that has had over 20 years of success is continuing its tradition of bringing Chinese culture across the United States.

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The Fort Lee-based Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company will celebrate the Lunar New Year with its annual production, “Year of the Horse,” set for 2 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center in Newark.

Founded in the late 1980s by Taiwanese-born choreographer Nai-Ni Chen, the company grew out of Chen’s early success in New York’s downtown dance scene, where a critically acclaimed commission at La MaMa helped launch her career. At a time when opportunities for Asian American dancers on Broadway were limited, Chen established her own troupe, which has since become one of the few Asian American dance companies to tour extensively across the United States.

A longtime winter tradition at NJPAC that started in the late 1990s, the family-friendly matinees blend traditional Chinese dance with contemporary choreography, featuring colorful costumes, lion and dragon dances, ribbon work, acrobatics and live music, according to Chiang. The performances honor the spirit of renewal associated with the Lunar New Year while showcasing the company’s cross-cultural approach.

This year’s program includes three premieres. The first is a duet choreographed by residency artist Ying Shi that highlights the folk traditions of China’s Yunnan Province, known for fluid hip sways and soft shoulder movements.

The second, “Mongolian Harvest,” by Inner Mongolia native Lawrence Jin, draws on the region’s nomadic horse culture with bold, athletic choreography.

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The company will also debut “Vira of the Red Horse,” a collaboration with Newark’s Rancho Camponeses do Minho, blending Portuguese Minho folk dance with Chinese movement in a tribute to the city’s immigrant history and its Ironbound community.

In addition, the program will feature a work-in-progress, “Mythical Echos,” inspired by the art of the Dunhuang caves along the Silk Road.

Live music will be performed by LiangXing Tang, a National Heritage Fellow, on the pipa, or Chinese lute, and by Yi Yang, a 2026 New Jersey State Council on the Arts Heritage fellow, on the guzheng, a 21-to-27-stringed instrument akin to a zither.

Festivities begin at 12 p.m. on Saturday with a dragon parade from NJPAC to the Newark Museum of Art three blocks away, followed by a marketplace in the theater lobby before the 2 p.m. performance. Tickets are on sale now at NJPAC.org.



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‘Absolutely shocking’: Scituate community mourns couple killed in Hawaii helicopter crash – Boston News, Weather, Sports | WHDH 7News

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‘Absolutely shocking’: Scituate community mourns couple killed in Hawaii helicopter crash – Boston News, Weather, Sports | WHDH 7News


SCITUATE, MASS. (WHDH) – The Scitutate community is fondly remembering a couple killed in a helicopter crash in Hawaii Thursday during a post-retirement trip.

Patrick “P.J.” Haskell, 59, and his wife Margaret Rimmler, 65, lived in a Scituate neighborhood near the ocean. They took a trip to Hawaii last week after Haskell permanently retired from the insurance business he ran with his father for decades.

“We figured Massachusetts was close enough for us, and then when we hear it was our next door neighbor – it was shocking. Absolutely shocking,” said Steve Osborne, a neighbor.

Neighbors said Rimmler worked in the tech marketing field for years, and Haskell had big plans for retirement involving his garden and bee hives.

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“He loved his gardening, and he had an overabundance of vegetables in the summertime,” said Mary Talbot, a neighbor.

“I had just spoken to him last week, and he had checked the bees and they all made it through the winter,” Osborne said.

On Thursday afternoon, the sightseeing helicopter the couple was flying in crashed near a remote beach off the coast of Kauai, killing them and one other person. Experts say the area’s geography of tall seaside cliffs and sharp mountain ridges can make for turbulant air and hazardous flying conditions.

In a memorial posting, Haskell Insurance Agency wrote, “Patrick recently retired and along with Margaret, deserved many more years together…Patrick’s kindness and selfless nature impacted all who knew him. He extended respect and compassion to everyone he encountered.”

Neighbors said the couple will be sorely missed.

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“They were just the nicest people, the nicest people,” said Osborne. “Every time I look out over there it’s just so sad.”

Federal authorities are investigating the cause of the helicopter crash.

(Copyright (c) 2026 Sunbeam Television. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

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BIIF track: Stars reach personal-best marks, break venue records at Kamehameha – West Hawaii Today

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BIIF track: Stars reach personal-best marks, break venue records at Kamehameha – West Hawaii Today






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Free mobile clinic treating storm-related injuries to relocate

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Free mobile clinic treating storm-related injuries to relocate


WAIALUA (HawaiiNewsNow) – The free mobile medical clinic serving North Shore residents is relocating.

Starting Monday, March 30, the free mobile clinic, operated in partnership with the University of Hawaii’s John A. Burns School of Medicine and its Hawaii H.O.M.E. Project, will begin operating at Waialua District Park.

The clinic will continue offering free medical assessments and treatment Monday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Paramedics and Emergency Medical Technicians from Honolulu Emergency Medical Services, along with a nurse from the Crisis Outreach Response and Engagement program, will work alongside doctors and medical students from the H.O.M.E. Project.

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Officials said the clinic has treated nearly 100 individuals for illnesses and injuries related to the recent Kona low storms.



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