It was poignant to see young activists and Gov. Josh Green in the governor’s ceremonial room settling a lawsuit brought by the teens asserting the state failed to safeguard their constitutional right to a clean and healthy environment. Read more
Ghosts of O.J. Simpson are appearing following the failed federal bribery prosecution of former Honolulu Prosecutor Keith Kaneshiro, businessman Dennis Mitsunaga and others. Read more
Keeping politics out of rail was the rationale for the 2011 charter amendment taking direct control of Oahu rail from the mayor and City Council and giving it to the new Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation. Read more
A proposed City Charter amendment to remake the salary process for Council members and city executives is the cherry atop Council Chair Tommy Waters’ scheme to bestow gluttonous 64% pay raises on his members despite public outrage. Read more
Shimabukuro resigned at the end of the 2024 session, saying she wouldn’t finish her term that ended in November in order to spend more time with family and friends and do volunteer work. Read more
If you’re looking for a model of a public-minded citizen, you couldn’t find a better one than Randy Moore. Read more
The spotlight is bright on Hawaii’s corrupt pay-to-play politics, but major reform was blocked by the recent Legislature and there’s little chance of widespread change in the 2024 election. Read more
An old publisher of mine started an executive committee meeting with concerns about newspaper subscriber complaints of slow telephone response in the circulation department. Read more
The Legislature’s significant income tax cuts were a pleasant relief to Hawaii residents struggling with our state’s steep cost of living in inflationary times, even if the benefits skewed a bit too much to those already well-off and left possible holes in future budgets. Read more
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We had brief hope the bedeviled Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation might be on track to some measure of stability. Read more
For a state always proclaiming our keiki come first, we seldom show it when it comes to the quality of our public schools. Read more
Elected leaders are best remembered by good works they leave behind. Read more
I’ve been venting pointed opinions in this column for nearly 30 years, and somebody asked which I was most surprised I got away with. Read more
Hawaii’s state and city lawmakers may not be so sharp at taking care of public concerns such as affordable housing, gridlocked traffic and rundown infrastructure, but they’re wizards at taking care of themselves. Read more
UH is no stranger to managing sports venues; it fought for the 10,300-seat SimpliFi Arena at Stan Sheriff Center and runs it capably, and also owns Hawaii’s premier baseball stadium Read more
The state Senate missed a chance to reset its increasingly toxic culture when it voted down Gov. Josh Green’s nomination of Alapaki Nahale-a to the University of Hawaii Board of Regents, where he served as interim chair. Read more
But state and county politicians are already fighting over who will get the bounty from the surcharge when its dedication to rail and county roads ends in six years. Read more
All we really need to know about the latest move in the Legislature to legalize and regulate recreational cannabis is that the measure was crafted by an attorney general who doesn’t support it. Read more
It’s hard to keep looking at the haunting news photo of Geanna Bradley, the 10-year-old Wahiawa girl found dead Jan. 18 from unspeakable abuse allegedly at the hands of her foster family. Read more
There are few better markers than the Super Bowl of how much bigger, louder, connected and exhibitionist the world has become during my lifetime. Read more
