First Circuit Court Judge Steven Alm is planning for his retirement from the bench at the end of August — but HOPE springs eternal.

His HOPE program — Hawaii’s Opportunity Probation with Enforcement — was piloted here but now has been adopted in 31 states.

It aims to deter excessive imprisonment by putting offenders on probation but slapping down any further violations — failed drug tests or missed probation meetings — with a prison sentence.

Alm said he plans to do consulting work in Washington, D.C., advocating for the HOPE approach. The widely recognized effects of high incarceration rates ought to reinforce Alm’s messaging efforts.

UH cancer expert bones up on biz

As the University of Hawaii — and taxpayers — know all too well, top-level hires in recent years haven’t been altogether successful. The revolving doors and high-priced payouts at UH have hurt public confidence.

And then there’s the UH Cancer Center.

Dr. Randall Holcombe last week accepted the job as new center director and will officially start Oct. 3. In an interview Saturday with the Star-Advertiser, the chief cancer medical officer for Mount Sinai Health System expressed eagerness at “tackling things” here. The colon cancer expert also seems to have energy aplenty: in addition to impressive medical creds, he also found time recently to earn a master’s degree in business administration via night classes.

Let’s hope he puts all that to good use here.