Island Voices | Honolulu Star-Advertiser

Column: Invest in real reforms, not $1.2B new jail

None — Sun, 22 Dec 2024 10:05:00 +0000

The Star-Advertiser’s Nov. 3 editorial, “New Oahu jail an urgent necessity,” rightly emphasizes that rehabilitation is more cost-effective than incarceration. However, it uncritically accepts the state Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation’s (DCR) argument that a new $1.2 billion jail is essential for reform. This flawed reasoning ignores Hawaii’s failure to address the root causes of crime and recidivism. Building a new facility without fundamentally reforming the DCR is like painting a sinking ship.

Column: On right path with bikeways, walkways

None — Sun, 22 Dec 2024 10:05:00 +0000

When it comes to pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure in the City and County of Honolulu, a more balanced analysis of public policy is needed. Certainly, much more than was recently outlined in Richard Borreca’s “On Politics” column, which was short on facts and policy, even solutions (“$80M for 2 paths for walkers, bikers? Bridge too far,” Star-Advertiser, Dec. 8).

Column: Invest in Hawaii’s families with state budget surplus

None — Thu, 19 Dec 2024 10:05:00 +0000

The end of the year is a time for reflection and counting blessings. Feeling lucky to raise children in Hawaii is something we embrace. But it should not be left to luck that families are able to live here. Our state can make policy choices now to help all working families afford to stay in Hawaii and help keiki thrive.

Column: DA BUX nutritious for isle food network

None — Wed, 18 Dec 2024 10:05:00 +0000

By Daniel Cravalho

Column: Maui residents must lead rebuilding

None — Tue, 17 Dec 2024 10:05:00 +0000

On Aug. 8, 2023, our world stopped. One of the last remnants of the Hawaiian kingdom burned to the ground, stealing more than 100 precious lives, neighborhoods and centuries of cultural treasures.

Column: Landfill over Oahu aquifer is simply not acceptable

None — Sun, 15 Dec 2024 10:05:00 +0000

Tuesday’s announcement by the City and County (C&C) of Honolulu of a proposed landfill site over one of Oahu’s precious aquifers strains credibility.

Column: Hawaii, Pacific islands leading on human rights

None — Sun, 15 Dec 2024 10:05:00 +0000

Every December, the world honors the Universal Declaration of Human Rights commemorating the inherent dignity of all people and cultivating a culture of rule of law rooted in love and mutual respect. The emerging existential challenges impacting our island Earth and significant segments of global civil society require a human rights based approach to build a bold and beautiful world. Hawaii and the Pacific are shaping the global agenda as we experience the existential emergency of the climate crisis.

Column: Counting blessings for move to Hawaii as vicar

None — Sun, 15 Dec 2024 10:05:00 +0000

It may go without saying, but I’ll say it anyway: This past year has been a roller coaster. A divisive and volatile political season left half of us jubilant and the other half distraught. Financial fears about high prices thwart us even in an improving economy. And for many of us, personal losses and life challenges have seemed more than humanly endurable.

Column: Grateful for people, joys that buoy hope

None — Sun, 15 Dec 2024 10:05:00 +0000

As the year comes to a close, it’s easy to reflect on the challenges we’ve faced — political divides, economic uncertainty and personal struggles. Yet, amidst it all, there have been countless moments of light and love. This season reminds me to focus on what truly matters and express gratitude for the blessings that fill my life.

Column: Reading China’s reaction to Taiwanese leader’s stopover

None — Thu, 12 Dec 2024 10:05:00 +0000

The recent controversy over the leader of Taiwan region, Lai Ching-te’s stopover in Hawaii, as part of his broader tour of Pacific island nations, has once again brought the Taiwan question to the forefront of U.S.-China relations.

Column: Proposed act accelerates clean energy

None — Wed, 11 Dec 2024 10:05:00 +0000

Climate scientists say we must significantly reduce greenhouse gases if we are to leave a livable planet for future generations. Otherwise, it will become increasingly inhospitable to life.

Column: Schools need resources, not police

None — Tue, 10 Dec 2024 10:05:00 +0000

In recent years, the debate around policing in schools has intensified, revealing deep concerns about the impact of school resource officers (SROs) on marginalized students. While many proponents argue that these officers enhance safety and prevent violence on K-12 campuses, social scientists suggest a more troubling reality: the policing of school environments often reinforces social inequalities, especially for students from racially and economically marginalized backgrounds.

Column: Pearl Harbor, where WWII began and ended, is a moving experience

None — Mon, 09 Dec 2024 10:05:00 +0000

I have been blessed to stand on many historical sites and battlefields. Each experience moves the soul as your mind tries to picture what men went through on the piece of ground you are observing. Peering down through the timber on Little Round Top at Gettysburg, you feel the sense of urgency and courage that prompted a schoolteacher from Maine to order a bayonet charge after his men had run out of ammunition. Gen. Robert E. Lee’s stubbornness, combined with the heroics of men like Joshua Chamberlin, make this battlefield one of the best places to lose yourself in history.

Column: Navy must right Red Hill fuel-spill wrongs

None — Sun, 08 Dec 2024 10:05:00 +0000

How long does it take to learn a lesson? How is community trust rebuilt? And how much are the purity of our water and the health of Hawaii’s people worth?

Column: Public needs legislative transparency

None — Sun, 08 Dec 2024 10:05:00 +0000

I began going to the state Legislature in 1984 on behalf of the ACLU to support and oppose bills relating to civil rights. In those days everything was hard copy. To follow what was happening in the Legislature, one needed to go to the Legislature and go through stacks of paper every day to identify and track bills of interest. This was prohibitive to the average citizen.

Column: Honolulu not right venue for an effective empty-homes tax

None — Thu, 05 Dec 2024 10:05:00 +0000

Honolulu lawmakers are considering imposing a so-called empty homes tax as a way to make housing more available and generate taxes for affordable housing projects, and its proponents claim that a 2020 report by graduate students from the University of California-Los Angeles supports their proposal.

Column: Kill dangerous nonprofit-targeting bill

None — Wed, 04 Dec 2024 10:05:00 +0000

Who did Hawaii’s U.S. Rep. Ed Case represent when he voted — twice in two weeks — in favor of H.R. 9495, the Stop Terror-Financing and Tax Penalties on American Hostages Act? It is already against the law for nonprofit organizations to aid terrorism, so a new law wasn’t necessary.

Column: DHHL must use internet grant wisely

None — Tue, 03 Dec 2024 10:05:00 +0000

Good news recently about funds for extending high speed broadband internet access on Department of Hawaiian Home Lands sites (“DHHL getting over $72M to boost internet connectivity,” Star-Advertiser, Nov. 13). With about 10,000 DHHL households, the $72 million should be enough to get all DHHL residents online because some places on DHHL land do have good internet service already. Some funds will be used to upgrade the “middle mile” links so that high-speed internet can be extended to all locations. And, if required, some of the $149 million the University of Hawaii administers for about 13,000 statewide new broadband connections can be used to assist connecting everybody on DHHL land.

Column: Trump tariffs will hurt the U.S. economy

None — Sun, 01 Dec 2024 10:05:00 +0000

By Kala’e Kong

Column: Empty homes tax raises many issues

None — Sun, 01 Dec 2024 10:05:00 +0000

By Dina Brown

Column: Honolulu rail’s failures overburden residents

None — Sun, 01 Dec 2024 10:05:00 +0000

By Kaitlyn Duropan

Column: Visitors’ return key to furthering Japan-Hawaii ties

None — Thu, 28 Nov 2024 10:05:00 +0000

Historically Hawaii has been the most favored destination for Japanese visitors, and continues to be so even following the end of coronavirus travel restrictions, according to surveys conducted by Japanese tourist agencies (2023-24 Year end/New Year Travel Trend, JTB).

Column: Hawaii schools must grow good leaders

None — Wed, 27 Nov 2024 10:05:00 +0000

As we struggle through our national crisis of leadership, I’m thinking about how we grow good leaders in our schools.

Column: Develop geothermal, not fossil fuels

None — Tue, 26 Nov 2024 10:05:00 +0000

These are tough times. We must work harder than ever to prepare Hawaii to face the future with confidence and to thrive. We must stay true to our commitments to make life better for our communities across the islands.

Column: DOD moving change threatens local businesses

None — Sun, 24 Nov 2024 10:05:00 +0000

By Anthony Shipp

Column: Domestic violence services provide a lifeline

None — Sun, 24 Nov 2024 10:05:00 +0000

By Ryan Kusumoto

Column: Hawaii lawmakers must support ban of weapon sales to Israel

None — Thu, 21 Nov 2024 10:05:00 +0000

We are dismayed by the Biden administration’s recent refusal to honor its own 30-day deadline and continue to provide lethal military aid to Israel, in spite its failure to substantially improve the humanitarian situation in Gaza.

Column: Hospice care essential to quality of life

None — Wed, 20 Nov 2024 10:05:00 +0000

November marks National Care at Home Month, a time to reflect on the diverse range of in-home care services that support individuals in maintaining dignity and quality of life. These services, including home health care, private duty home care, hospice care and palliative care, ensure that individuals and families can navigate challenging health circumstances with greater comfort and support.

Column: Health care policy hurts Hawaii patients

None — Tue, 19 Nov 2024 10:05:00 +0000

The current health policy fad is “value-based payment” — blaming high health care cost on fee-for-service and overutilization of care and instead, offering upfront payment per member, or capitation, as an incentive to reduce utilization and control costs.

Column: Hawaii students leading way to plant-based diet

None — Mon, 18 Nov 2024 10:05:00 +0000

With the 2025 legislative session just around the corner, a vibrant proposed addition to school lunch trays is soon within reach. Plant-based meals are not only delicious, but also represent a revolution that speaks to the health of our keiki, the spirit of aloha aina and a deepening respect for all living beings.

Column: Red Hill medical data must see release

None — Sun, 17 Nov 2024 10:05:00 +0000

The Department of Defense’s inspector general (IG) report released last week provides another disheartening blow to families sickened during the 2021 fuel leak as we learned the Navy missed not one, but four opportunities to warn us. The report validates local leaders like Honolulu Board of Water Supply chief Ernie Lau and other Hawaii residents who publicly shared years-long concerns about the safety of the aging fuel storage facility located just 100 feet from Oahu’s sole-source aquifer.

Column: Mind local values amid Trump policies

None — Sun, 17 Nov 2024 10:05:00 +0000

Our recent presidential election made the majority of us in Hawaii realize the unthinkable can happen. With the reelection of President-elect Donald Trump, we can no longer scoff at his ideas or dismiss his rambling ruminations as outrageous. We must take every word seriously.

Column: Use rule of law to wrest health care power back from insurers

None — Thu, 14 Nov 2024 10:05:00 +0000

Being denied appropriate health care services can leave you feeling hopeless. If you are convinced your health plan is wrong and you think that delay could be harmful, get the care first and then hold the health plan accountable. Your odds are better when you are alive.

Column: An anti-Goldilocks zone for Hawaii homeless

None — Wed, 13 Nov 2024 10:05:00 +0000

In many ways, 83-year-old “David” is symbolic of the hundreds of mentally ill people living in our streets. He can be seen wandering around Waikiki, talking to himself, sometimes shouting at and threatening strangers. He refuses countless offers of shelter and help, gets arrested a lot and is tossed back to the streets to fend for himself.

Column: Rebuild elementary school in Lahaina

None — Tue, 12 Nov 2024 10:05:00 +0000

The Hawaii Department of Education is deciding whether to rebuild King Kamehameha III Elementary School in Lahaina or near Kapalua Airport, an 18-minute drive away. The school should be rebuilt in Lahaina because this location is best for families, and it respects the will of the people of Maui.

Column: Out-of-touch Dems have only themselves to blame for loss

None — Mon, 11 Nov 2024 10:05:00 +0000

Not everyone expecting a strong night for former President Donald Trump was a Republican. I’m the former vice chair of the Oahu County Democrats, and I did, too. Now an independent, it bemused me to see what’s become of a once great farmer’s-laborer’s party.

Column: Hawaii’s climate call: Lead on adaptation, mitigation

None — Sun, 10 Nov 2024 10:05:00 +0000

As we pass the halfway point of the 2020s, the climate crisis is escalating at a pace that defies our preparedness. Global greenhouse gas emissions remain dangerously high, and this year set records for both heat and atmospheric carbon dioxide levels, with CO2 concentration rising by an unprecedented 3.4 parts per million, an 86% increase over the previous year’s growth rate, marking the highest rise in recorded history.

Column: Let aloha transcend divisive politics

None — Sun, 10 Nov 2024 10:05:00 +0000

As a lifelong Democrat, I’ll be honest: I’m disappointed in the results of the 2024 elections. But my love for Hawaii, for our communities, and for the shared values that bind us together, transcends any party affiliation. Because the issues we face are not Democratic issues or Republican issues — they are people issues. Affordable housing, equitable healthcare, the high cost of living — these aren’t partisan talking points. They’re the daily struggles of our families, friends and neighbors. And as the challenges continue to grow, so must our determination to unite.

Column: Clear need for public access TV in HD

None — Sun, 10 Nov 2024 10:05:00 +0000

Today, I was thrilled to see Ho‘ike’s Public Access Channels broadcast in pristine high-definition (HD), thanks to Hawaiian Telcom. For years, we have only seen Ho‘ike’s channels in standard definition through Spectrum, the dominant cable provider on Kauai. And while we, along with our sister stations on Oahu, Maui and Hawaii island, have long advocated for Spectrum to broadcast in HD, it continues delivering our channels in fuzzy standard definition. There is no technical or financial reason for this, yet Spectrum has chosen not to support HD for public access, to the clear detriment of our viewers across the state.

Column: Dangerous aerials, not consumer fireworks, are the problem

None — Thu, 07 Nov 2024 10:05:00 +0000

Like a summer without enjoying time at the beach or time with our families, the Fourth of July and New Year’s Eve without fireworks just doesn’t feel right. TNT Fireworks agrees with a recent Honolulu Star-Advertiser editorial (“Sensible fireworks law is step forward,” Our View, Oct. 1), and is disappointed in the veto of Bill 22 by Mayor Rick Blangiardi.