The Garden Island

Thursday, Feb. 6, 2025 | Today's Paper | overcast clouds 74.867°

EDITORIAL: Bill is affront to journalism, public

Senate Bill 1618 was introduced on Jan. 23, tucked neatly away among a raft of bills filed before this session’s deadline for new legislation. Perhaps this was by design; a bill so brazen, so ill-conceived and so odious in nature requires delicate handling.

EDITORIAL: MEMA must grow from past failure

A Maui County-commissioned report on improvements needed at the Maui Emergency Management Agency (MEMA), made public last week, creates a “road map” for a MEMA makeover.

EDITORIAL: Hawaii must hedge against federal chaos

A White House order caused a scattershot “freeze” in federal funding for programs and nonprofit organizations nationwide and set off chaos and confusion in Hawaii and other states this week, as officials scrambled to identify programs and services under threat.

EDITORIAL: Farm to School is worth cultivating

There is no argument that quality K-12 education is a public necessity — investing in informed future generations boosts local economies and is of great import to society as a whole.

EDITORIAL: Tougher laws for human trafficking

Human trafficking is underway in Hawaii on any given day. Police, prosecutors, social workers and health care providers know this, because cases come to the surface when a trafficking victim or concerned witness calls a hotline, when perpetrators are caught in a sting or when a victim is injured or killed by a trafficker.

EDITORIAL: Enforceability key for fireworks law

Gov. Josh Green, with state Attorney General Anne Lopez and other officials, has sketched out plans for proposed changes to Hawaii’s fireworks laws, modifications designed to streamline enforcement and goose penalties in a bid to better protect residents.

EDITORIAL: Do more to house Lahaina survivors

Stark figures from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) latest Point-in-Time (PIT) count reveal a whopping 87% increase in Hawaii homelessness between 2023 and 2024, with primary blame laid on the Aug. 8, 2023, Maui wildfires.

EDITORIAL: Time is now for climate action

The Legislature must act to establish a Hawaii Climate Resilience Fund; set aside disaster recovery funds; and expand the new state Fire Marshal Office and related programs, like Firewise.

EDITORIAL: Navy must ensure safe mine training

It’ll be one of the more consequential decisions in recent years regarding Hawaii’s contribution to U.S. military strategy: Whether to renew the Navy’s operating permit for training at sea around Hawaii and California, which aims to expand mine warfare training here.

EDITORIAL: Funds alone won’t thwart wildfires

The Lahaina wildfires loom large in Hawaii’s collective memory, as they must when survivors are still living through emotional, financial and, in some cases, physical strife nearly 17 months later.

EDITORIAL: Enough feuding, shut Red Hill down

The situation over how to close the Navy’s aging and problematic Red Hill fuel facility, remediate its nearby environs and keep the area’s water safe has devolved this year, sadly.