SCHOFIELD BARRACKS, Hawaii — The U.S. Army’s top civilian leader said Tuesday that he wants to move more quickly on an agreement that will allow the military to continue using the only large-scale live-fire training range for ground forces in Hawaii.

Army Secretary Dan Driscoll said he discussed the issue during a meeting with Hawaii Gov. Josh Green on Monday. The Army leases a key part of Pohakuloa Training Area on the Big Island from the state and its contract to do so expires in 2029. It wants to be able to continue using the land so it can quickly send troops from Hawaii to Asia and the Pacific, something that is growing in importance as China becomes more assertive particularly regarding Taiwan.

A May public hearing on whether to extend the lease generated hours of testimony against allowing the Army to stay. Many Native Hawaiians and environmental activists upset with the U.S. military’s history of damaging Hawaiian lands with target practice and fuel leaks said they wanted the Army to return the land to the state.

Driscoll told reporters the Army needs the Pohakuloa land, which sits on a rocky plateau about 6,200 feet (1,890 meters) above sea level between the Big Island’s tallest volcanoes, Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa.

“The world is changing. We all know this. The threat in Indo-Pacom is more real than ever before,” Driscoll told reporters, referring to the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, which overseas military operations in Asia and the Pacific.

He said he wanted a more aggressive timeline “to bake out these negotiations in the coming months, rather than waiting until 2027, 2028 and 2029.”

“This land matters the United States Army. We have got to be able to train here.” Driscoll said.

Driscoll said he asked Green’s office to give the Army a list within the next few weeks of things the Army can do to help the community.

“What we are hoping to do is figure out ways where we, the Army, can continue to contribute to a community that has given so much to our Army and so much to our nation, while at the same time acknowledging the very real world threat that we are facing in the Indo-Pacific,” Driscoll said.

The Army says other live-fire training areas in Hawaii are too small to accommodate battalions and brigades. And commanders say they wouldn’t be able to deter potential adversaries in the Indo-Pacific if they have to spend extra time transporting troops to the region from U.S. mainland training ranges.

Green said he spent significant time on Monday speaking with Driscoll and his team.

“We will be exploring possibilities on the military leases together in the coming days and weeks, and he now better understands how important it is to us to work together for the good of Hawaii’s people and our land, while we all work together protect our country,” Green said in a statement.

The governor said he updated Hawaii’s congressional delegation on the meetings. Green said he would get the community’s input “as we move forward.”

U.S. Rep. Jill Tokuda, a Democrat whose district includes rural Oahu and the Big Island, has said she wants the military to help increase Hawaii’s housing supply and bolster Hawaii’s water and sewer infrastructure.

Driscoll visited Hawaii during a Pacific trip that will also include stops in Australia and the Philippines.

He spoke to journalists in front of two HIMARS rocket launchers, which are designed to deliver precision strikes to long-range targets. Hawaii-based soldiers with the 25th Infantry Division are due to receive 16 of the launchers, which the U.S. also supplied to Ukraine to help it defend against Russia’s invasion.

Disneyland’s opening day on July 17, 1955 was a nightmare that would become known in Disney lore as Black Sunday — all broadcast live in front of a national TV audience of 90 million, the largest in television history at the time.

Rides broke down. Restaurants ran out of food and drink. A plumbers’ strike meant drinking fountains were in short supply. Long lines formed at bathrooms. Bunting hid unfinished attractions. Women’s high-heeled shoes sank into the fresh asphalt.

Disneyland will celebrate the 70th anniversary of the original Disney theme park on July 17 with the debut of the new “Walt Disney – A Magical Life” audio-animatronic show.

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In 1954, Walt Disney had promised to open Disneyland within a year. It was a pledge most called impossible — if not downright crazy.

Groundbreaking took place in July 1954 on a 160-acre orange grove in Anaheim about 22 miles south of Los Angeles.

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The project was plagued with problems almost from the outset. Costs skyrocketed to $17 million. Hollywood dubbed Disneyland “Walt’s Folly.” Amusement park operators predicted a spectacular failure.

Walt walked the site daily to offer direction and encouragement, often spending the night in a furnished apartment above Disneyland’s fire station as opening day drew nearer.

By the final month, 1,200 workers were toiling at breakneck speed to complete the project on time — if not on budget.

Disneyland wasn’t ready on opening day, but Walt decided to open the gates anyway to the media, sponsors, studio employees and invited guests. Traffic was backed up for seven miles on the Santa Ana Freeway. The 15,000 expected guests mushroomed to 28,154 thanks to scores of counterfeit tickets.

The crowds weren’t supposed to enter the park until the afternoon. Color coded tickets were intended to stagger arrivals — silver at 2:30 p.m., green at 5:30 p.m., white at 6 p.m. Visitors ignored the colors and times and rushed to enter the park. One enterprising man leaned a ladder against a fence and charged $5 to climb inside the park.

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Carpenters, landscapers and painters worked right up until the beginning of the 90-minute live television broadcast on ABC. The chaos was captured by 24 cameras spread throughout the park.

Walt arrived at the opening ceremonies at the throttle of the E.P. Ripley locomotive. Art Linkletter, one of the broadcast hosts, stood on the train station platform and proclaimed Disneyland the “8th Wonder of the World.” Crowds thronged Main Street U.S.A. for a welcome parade with a marching band led by a trio of Autopia cars and Walt riding an antique vehicle.

Temperatures reached 87 degrees — one of the hottest July days on record in Anaheim at the time. The Firehouse Five Plus Two jazz band made up of Disney animators sunk in the asphalt that had been laid that morning.

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Tempers flared as TV crews cordoned off areas for remote broadcasts. Fantasyland, Adventureland, Frontierland and Tomorrowland closed and reopened as Walt dedicated each land for the television audience.

Rides and exhibits were incomplete. Bathrooms were unavailable due to construction. Areas were roped off with signs that read “To Be Open Soon.”

Flames licked at Sleeping Beauty Castle because of a gas leak. Water washed across the overloaded deck of the Mark Twain Riverboat. Anaheim Police were called in to assist 15 lost children.

Ronald Reagan, one of the television broadcast hosts, was forced to scale the wall of Frontierland to make one of his scheduled appearances.

At one point, Walt got locked in his apartment above the fire station and couldn’t get out.

Walt never intended for Disneyland’s official opening day to be on July 17, 1955 — which had been dubbed as an invitation-only International Press Preview.

Disneyland’s opening day was advertised in newspapers as July 18, 1955 when the park would officially open to the general public.

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There were no admission tickets sold on July 17 when rides were free to invited guests.

Newspaper accounts all recorded July 18, 1955 as the official opening day when more than 50,000 paying customers pressed into Disneyland at 10 a.m. when the park opened to the public for the first time.

Walt’s brother Roy bought the first ticket. General admission tickets cost $1 for adults and 50 cents for children under 12. Each ride or attraction cost 10 to 50 cents.

Walt posed for a publicity photo on July 18, 1955 with Christine Vess, 5, of North Hollywood, and her cousin Michael Schwartner, 7, of Bakersfield, as the first official visitors of Disneyland.

For decades, Disneyland marked July 18, 1955 as the official opening day for the park. While they were alive, Walt and Roy always insisted July 18 was the official opening day of the park. It wasn’t until the 25th anniversary of the park in 1980 that Disneyland began marking July 17 as the “official” opening date, bending to the legend and making it fact.

As a result of the confusion, retrospective press accounts have blended events from July 17 and 18 into a single narrative that may never be sorted out.

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After the madness of the twin opening days, Disney and his new park were roundly criticized in the press. Newspaper headlines declared: “Walt’s Nightmare.” The media predicted a quick and early demise.

The public didn’t listen.

Visitors arrived in droves and within weeks Disneyland was a success. A slew of rides that weren’t ready for opening day — like Rocket to the Moon and Dumbo the Flying Elephant — debuted over the next few months.

Within two months, the park had welcomed its 1 millionth visitor. By its first anniversary, attendance stood at 3,642,597.

Seventy years later, Disneyland’s popularity continues to grow, with total overall attendance for the Anaheim theme park resort nearing 1 billion and showing no signs of slowing down.

The information in this retrospective account has been drawn from “The Disneyland Story” by Sam Gennawey, Disney D23 Fan Club, Yesterland, MousePlanet, Orange County Register archives and other published reports.

HOUSTON — Rarely does the Third Time Through Order bite a pitcher so quickly or dramatically.

Angels right-hander Jack Kochanowicz had little trouble with the Houston Astros the first two times through the order, but then he couldn’t get anyone out immediately after the lineup flipped.

Kochanowicz was ultimately charged with six runs in the Angels’ 14-3 loss to the Houston Astros on Friday night.

The last three runs tacked to his record came when left-hander Garrett McDaniels gave up a grand slam to the first batter he faced in relief of Kochanowicz.

The game ended up being Exhibit A for the way many teams now manage their pitchers. Analytics have shown that pitchers generally struggle once hitters see them for the third time in a game, which is why teams now pull their starters quicker than ever before.

Usually, though, the decline in effectiveness doesn’t hit so abruptly.

Kochanowicz was cruising the first two times through the Astros’ lineup. He gave up three singles and a walk, leading to one run, against the first 18 Houston hitters. That included two quick outs to start the fifth inning.

Leadoff hitter José Altuve then hit a line drive at third baseman Luis Rengifo, who couldn’t make the backhand play. It was ruled a hit. Kochanowicz then walked Isaac Paredes.

Yordan Alvarez, one of the most dangerous hitters in the majors, then hit a ground ball just past diving shortstop Tim Anderson, as the tying run scored.

Kochanowicz then gave up a clean single to Christian Walker, driving in the go-ahead run, and he walked Jeremy Peña to load the bases.

Manager Ron Washington then summoned McDaniels to face Yainer Diaz. Although McDaniels had done well to escape a jam in his previous outing in Tampa, this time he gave up a grand slam, putting the Angels in a 7-2 hole.

Right-hander Michael Darrell-Hicks entered in the sixth for his major-league debut, and he gave up four more runs.

The Astros tacked on three more runs with a pair of homers in the eighth.

Prior to all that, the only real highlight for the Angels was Mike Trout blasting a solo homer, his team-leading sixth of the year.

More to come on this story.