Island Voices | Honolulu Star-Advertiser

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.

Column: Helping domestic violence survivors heal

None — Wed, 06 Nov 2024 10:05:00 +0000

The 2023 Hawaii Domestic Violence Counts Report found that programs helped 847 adults and children survivors in a single day.

Column: Curable hepatitis C still killing Hawaii

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

I read the recent state Department of Health (DOH) report on premature deaths in Hawaii due to chronic hepatitis C, available online, with great concern and sadness.

Column: Democrats’ views on education, immigration resonate

None — Sun, 03 Nov 2024 10:05:00 +0000

In recent years, America has faced an intense power struggle between Democrats and Republicans over key issues such as education, immigration, foreign policy and women’s rights. During the first and only presidential debate between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump, the candidates presented their visions for addressing these challenges.

Column: Aligned with GOP policies on economy, immigration

None — Sun, 03 Nov 2024 10:05:00 +0000

With the presidential election fast approaching, I have taken time to consider broad perspectives about the key issues at stake this year and the solutions each party offers. After living in America during President Donald Trump and President Joe Biden’s terms in office, and witnessing the consequences of their policies, I believe this election will be extremely important. Both parties have drastically different views and ways in which they run the country. Not only will the upcoming election change the fate of the United States, but with foreign conflicts brewing, will also affect the fate of the entire world. Although the Democratic Party is popular among many of my peers, I find that my views more closely align with those of the Republican Party.

Column: Canvassing for Harris in Penn. brings hope

None — Sun, 03 Nov 2024 10:05:00 +0000

I recently returned to Honolulu from a week of canvassing for Vice President Kamala Harris in Allentown and Bethlehem, Penn. The experience reaffirmed my belief in the vitality of our American experiment in democracy.

Column: Journalists in position to alleviate pedestrian death crisis

None — Thu, 31 Oct 2024 10:05:00 +0000

Hawaii journalists are doing “pretty good” when reporting on pedestrian traffic deaths, according to national transportation expert and former reporter Angie Schmitt. She recently noted a University of Hawaii study, “Public health framing in local media coverage of crashes involving pedestrians or bicyclists in Hawai‘i, 2019: A content analysis,” which analyzed the framing and tone of news articles on pedestrian crashes in Hawaii to how these events were portrayed.

Column: Bill would lower credit card swipe fees, bolster local business

None — Thu, 31 Oct 2024 10:05:00 +0000

These days, consumers feel like everything comes with added fees. The cost of living in Hawaii is crippling, but when you are hit with fees for swiping a credit card, it feels excessive. This year, Congress can step in and ease that economic strain with the Credit Card Competition Act (CCCA). Doing so would inject some competition into the credit card industry and drive down excessive swipe fees hampering our local economy.

Column: Consider climate change reality at polls

None — Wed, 30 Oct 2024 10:05:00 +0000

The world’s population is starting to recognize that the declining health of our planet is a defining issue of our times. No one can survive and thrive without a livable planet. But we also know that the economy has a very strong influence on people’s election decisions. This is because the cost of living, including all expenses (e.g., food and fuel prices, medical costs), weigh on us daily.

Column: Therapy is fruitful resource for couples

None — Tue, 29 Oct 2024 10:05:00 +0000

During Domestic Violence Awareness Month, currently being observed, much of the conversation centers on the devastating impact of abuse and the critical need for individuals in dangerous situations to find safety. Protecting the immediate well-being of those facing life-threatening harm is of utmost importance and swift action is needed to shield those at risk.

Column: Sewer fee hike to fund vital projects

None — Sun, 27 Oct 2024 10:05:00 +0000

It’s an honor to serve our community by providing the basic sanitation services that keep our island healthy and thriving. Every day, our department’s nearly 800 wastewater employees work behind the scenes to collect, treat, and safely dispose of over 100 million gallons of sewage. We’ve worked hard to keep your sewer fees unchanged since 2016, but the truth is — with inflationary pressures and rising costs — we’ve reached a point where an increase is unavoidable.

Column: University of Hawaii faculty ready to help build economic resilience

None — Sun, 27 Oct 2024 10:05:00 +0000

University of Hawaii faculty devote their lives to studying different fields and willingly pass on their knowledge to the next generation.

Column: Japan’s snap election could strain ties

None — Fri, 25 Oct 2024 10:05:00 +0000

In recent years, the U.S.-Japan alliance has drawn dramatically closer. This is mainly driven by mutual fear of China’s rise and intentions especially in regard to Taiwan, shared concern about East Asian shipping routes, and the North Korean nuclear weapons program. Now, however, some defense experts fear the outcomes of current elections in either or both countries could make alliance cooperation more difficult and even change the trajectory.

Column: A cautionary stance on creating Ocean Safety Commission

None — Thu, 24 Oct 2024 10:05:00 +0000

As a dedicated Ocean Safety officer with decades of service, I feel compelled to express my concerns regarding the upcoming ballot question proposing the establishment of a commission to appoint a chief of ocean safety.

Column: Satellites pollute isles’ famed night sky

None — Wed, 23 Oct 2024 10:05:00 +0000

I looked up at the stars in the early morning, bracing against the cool autumn air that is coldest before dawn. I glanced up at the sparkling sky and looked for familiar constellations, and noticed Orion by his three-star belt. My mind wandered to past times when I stopped beneath the stars and gazed at Orion. The heavens were a constant in my ever-changing world. I can see why sailors felt confident being guided by the stars.

Column: Urging reality in Hawaii’s mix of renewables and oil

None — Tue, 22 Oct 2024 10:05:00 +0000

This paper published counterpoint articles last week, debating whether green energy is a “myth” or a “reality” (“GReen energy transition: myth or reality?” Ocr. 11). Both articles were written by mainland advocates, and both miss important issues.