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The 27th Hawaii Legislature opened Wednesday. But the speeches and ukulele music had not even had time to fade when the story of former Punahou football player Manti Te’o began sweeping the country.

Civil Beat chronicled the opening session of the Legislature with stories and even a video. New House leadership was elected and the ceremonies wrapped up early afternoon.

But our reporters hadn’t even gotten back to the office before the news cycle was taken over by the revelations about Manti Te’o. The Notre Dame lineman is at the center of a still over his much-written-about tragedies last year, in which his grandmother and his girlfriend died within hours of each other. As it turns out, the girlfriend never existed and Te’o now says he’d actually never met the young woman with whom he’d had an intense relationship for a year. He claims to be the victim of an elaborate hoax.

We began the week with new Civil Beat poll results that showed where voters stand on key issues the Legislature will be debating as well as people’s reaction to Gov. Neil Abercrombie‘s choice of Brian Schatz as U.S. senator.

Just a housekeeping note: Monday is Martin Luther King Jr. Day and Civil Beat is taking the day off, too.

Well, sort of. We’ll be watching President Barack Obama’s inaugural festivities on Monday.

So if you’re as busy as we are and need the long weekend to catch up, here’s a list of 10 stories you won’t want to have missed:

• Lawsuit: Where Does Calvin Say Really Live?

• Hawaii Monitor: Paying The Price For Being A Gun-Crazy Country

• Teachers Union Wants What UPW Got — Bigger Raises, Better Benefits

• Hawaii Teacher: The Four-Letter Word I Think Of All Day Long

• Sen. Brian Schatz Talks Washington Politics

• A Hawaii House Still Divided?

• Caldwell to Hawaii Legislature: Where’s My Money? I Want it Now

• Waikele Blast: ‘They Should Be Alive Today,’ Chemical Board Says

• Sinners, Saints and Hawaii Government

• Hawaii Governor Seeks A Legislative Fix For Public Land Development Corp