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A Lottery Would Be A Winning Ticket For Education In Hawaii
Consider the following argument: “In a time in which increased taxes and other new revenue sources are unlikely to be made available for a state with a growing to-do list, a properly framed lottery,...
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Gov And LG Need To Get On The Same Page On Major Public Statements
Clear, consistent communication from government officials during a health crisis is essential to the public’s safety and well-being. It’s also important right now to keep up public confidence as the...
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Lift Interisland Travel Restrictions Now
As COVID-19 vaccinations continue to ramp up and the local economy shows more signs of improvement, it’s time for the state of Hawaii to lift its restrictions on interisland travel. The health of the...
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A Community Garden Is A Must-Have For West Oahu
Seven of the City and County of Honolulu’s 10 community gardens are within just a few miles of each other, all within a crowded urban triangle that runs from Foster Community Garden downtown to gardens...
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Ige, Lawmakers Need To Quit Stalling When It Comes To Police And Prison Reforms
It’s not easy to get a bill passed at the Hawaii Legislature. On average only around 300 bills make it out of a session where typically 10 times that many are introduced. If they don’t pass, the...
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Get Rid Of Cash Bail In Hawaii
Study after study shows that when a person is put in jail, it triggers a cascade of catastrophes: The person may lose a job, a home, custody of children, a vehicle. People who were already struggling —...
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The Legislature Should Not Create Barriers To The Public’s Access To Virtual...
It can be difficult to find much good that has come out of the pandemic. But in terms of public access to and participation in government deliberations, one of the unexpected benefits has been the...
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Hawaii Lawmakers Should Fund This Green Jobs Program
How does Hawaii sufficiently respond to transitioning in just one year’s time from the state with the lowest unemployment to the state with the highest? One solution: think big, like FDR and his...
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Hawaii’s Agriculture Development Agency Needs To Be A Priority For Lawmakers
At the start of this year’s legislative session, the Agribusiness Development Corp. was very much on people’s minds. Two damning reports, one by the state auditor and one by the University of Hawaii...
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We Need A Better Explanation Of Why That Body Cam Video Has Not Been Released
Passersby on one of Honolulu’s busiest thoroughfares can’t miss the growing makeshift memorial decorated with photos, bandanas, candles, teddy bears and balloons. Unless they look closely or talk with...
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Make Hawaii’s Law Enforcement Review Board Permanent
This week makes nearly four years since the Hawaii Legislature decided that it was important to have independent investigations of officer-involved deaths. Act 161, as it is now known, passed...
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Bill Requiring State Agencies To Buy Local Is A Big Step Forward
Many positive measures were kicked to the curb in this year’s legislative session. But one genuinely positive bill that did make it out of the Legislature alive is House Bill 817, requiring state...
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Hawaii Gov Should Veto New Red-Light Camera Program
Among the many bills awaiting action from Gov. David Ige is a $2 million appropriation to fund a photo red-light imaging-detector system. If House Bill 766 is signed or allowed to become law without...
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Gov. Ige, It’s Time To Let Vaxed People Fly
A national survey this week ranked Honolulu as the No. 3 destination for summer travel this year, just behind popular perennials like Orlando and New Orleans. Our weather and safety — the latter based...
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Honolulu Police Need A Bodycam Policy That Instills Trust
Consider this: In documenting police interactions with the public, “Transparency is critical in establishing public trust.” Recordings from body cameras “enhance the department’s ability to provide...
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Rebuild Aloha Stadium? That’s Not A Good Idea
The first sporting event held at Aloha Stadium — on Sept. 13, 1975 — was a football game between the University of Hawaii and what was then called Texas A&I. More than 32,000 fans watched as the...
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Honolulu Mayor Must Select Police Commissioner With Broad Support
Rick Blangiardi ran for Honolulu mayor because, he said, the City and County needed “a strong, decisive and experienced executive leader” who can bring “the best and brightest local minds to our team”...
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Don’t Repeal Hawaii’s Tobacco Prevention Trust Fund
Gov. David Ige is scheduled to announce no later than Monday the bills he is thinking of vetoing this year. That list must include House Bill 1296, which calls for repealing the Hawaii Tobacco...
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The Legislature Is Right To Mandate Public Disclosure Of COVID-19 In Schools
Of the 28 bills Gov. David Ige identified this week as potential veto targets, Senate Bill 811 is the shortest in length — barely 100 words —and the easiest to understand. If approved, it would require...
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Get The Community More Involved In Hiring The Next Honolulu Police Chief
Honolulu has its unfortunate share of government agencies in need of restoration of trust and confidence. At the top of that list is the Honolulu Police Department, which is looking for yet another top...
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