• Students shouldn’t have to pay extra bus fare • Exchanges are celebration of generosity, community • Heartbroken over friend’s murder, lack of justice • Fact checking the ‘facts’ about Lingle, Polihale Students shouldn’t have to pay extra bus fare
• Students shouldn’t have to pay extra bus fare • Exchanges are celebration of generosity, community • Heartbroken over friend’s murder, lack of justice • Fact checking the ‘facts’ about Lingle, Polihale
Students shouldn’t have to pay extra bus fare
With regard to the article, “Council approves KCC bulk rates for Kaua‘i Bus,” I am disheartened to see how this pay structure will work.
While I am sure it has the best of intentions behind it, making students pay for someone else’s bus fare is a bit much. Tuition is already increasing every semester and tacking on this fee is a hardship to students.
I personally already struggle enough with trying to pay for college. FAFSA denied me any benefits due to my previous year’s salary, although what I was making the previous year was considered poverty level in Hawai‘i.
I have applied for scholarships but with the exception of one, don’t have enough to pay even half of my tuition for next semester. And I try to find ways to earn money but there are only so many hours in the day. And I know I am not alone in this financial struggle.
I ride my old motorcycle to school to make gas more affordable. But this year, vehicle registration fees shot up and made it so I can barely afford to even ride that. Sure, I could ride the bus, but my classes don’t get out until after the buses quit running so that’s off the table.
In the end, I ask that you please reconsider making it mandatory for students to pay someone else’s bus fare; $80 per bus rider that some other student has to pay seems like an unnecessary burden.
Jeff Dorough
Kalaheo
Exchanges are celebration of generosity, community
We wish to respond to the letter to the editor from a concerned first-time attendee to a Regenerations Seed and Plant Exchange. Dave of Kalaheo was frustrated by the need to wait until after the blessing to receive the free plants at the exchange.
We always publish the structure of our events ahead of time and post schedules at the event. We value all who shared or received from over a hundred types of seeds, and thousands of cuttings and small plants that left the event without charge.
A heart-space of gratitude is central to the Regenerations approach to the stewarding and sharing of plants. Our Seed and Plant Exchanges are a celebration of generosity with an intention to build community.
At every exchange after the receiving of the plants, we have a spoken offering of gratitude to the land, the plants and the divine elements within nature that brings us life and nourishment through these plants.
With equal appreciation we feel the need to honor the efforts of the gardeners and farmers who have cultivated island-adapted plants to be shared, the volunteers who spend hours helping put on the event, the donors towards the direct costs, and the intentions of those who will be receiving the plants.
The metaphor of a circle of thanksgiving has sincere meaning to our organization and we welcome the interfaith blessing by those in attendance, this time through a Christian prayer and a Hindu blessing.
We welcome all to attend with the goal of helping Kaua‘i to be self-reliant with natural food and healthy medicine thriving in every yard.
Felicia Cowden
Regenerations Botanical
Gardens, Board of Directors
Kilauea
Heartbroken over friend’s murder, lack of justice
What would you do if your best friend was murdered?
How would you feel if it had been over 2 years and the local law enforcement was no closer to arresting the prime person of interest than the day she went missing?
The pain knowing the brutal way your friend ended her final moments on this earth does not go away and the search for justice does not subside.
Too heartbroken to return to Kaua‘i, once my favorite place to vacation.
Nancy Murphy
San Rafael, California
Fact checking the ‘facts’ about Lingle, Polihale
The Oct. 25 letter from Andy Johnston about Linda Lingle’s role in working with the community to repair the Polihale Bridge was so uninformed. Of course, then-Gov. Lingle had a lot to do with the process of getting the road and bridge up again in record time.
The community did ask the state if they could put together a volunteer group to take on the subject task.
Under past administrations, that kind of volunteer offer would have not gotten very far. The state back then was so loyal to the unions that such an idea was looked upon as volunteers robbing unions of a job.
Without Gov. Lingle administration’s approval, and her philosophy of working with communities, the volunteers would not have had the opportunity to do the wonderful work they have done on the Westside.
After Polihale, Lingle’s administration continued the approval of volunteer work on state facilities, by blessing the Kekaha Boat Club and other volunteer’s request to rebuild the Kekaha Boat Harbor’s loading dock.
On another note, Kaua‘i had been wanting an Olympic-sized swimming pool for over 25 years. We had gone through three Democrat governors and Kaua‘i was ignored. Within 3 years of Lingle being in office, she heard the community and when the time was fiscally right, she funded the construction of our most used Olympic-sized pool.
Yes, Gov. Lingle has changed the way government works with communities for the better, and we should look forward for her to continue her good work as our U.S. senator.
Ron Agor
Lihu‘e
