Opinion and analysis by the Honolulu Star-Advertiser Editorial Board. Get informed with columns and commentary, and submit a letter to the editor.
Oahu households with automated trash pickup and Christmas trees to dispose of: “Tree-cycle” at the curb by removing all decorations, including tinsel, and cutting trees into pieces that fit entirely inside the green carts. Read more
As someone closely involved for decades in the formulation of U.S. policy toward the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and Taiwan and who lived and worked for five years each in Beijing and Taipei, I found Yawen Xu’s Dec. 12 commentary, “Reading China’s reaction to Taiwanese leader’s stopover,” worrisome on several fronts. Read more
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. Read more
It’s time for a last holiday hurrah at Honolulu Hale, before the festive display starts going dark. Read more
My wife and I were stunned by a recent letter critical of the Honolulu Zoo (“More funds for zoo, less for useless boondoggles,” Star-Advertiser, Dec. 25). Read more
At the beginning of each new year, we think of ways to change our actions to benefit ourselves and those around us. I understand that on Oahu thousands of trees are chopped down every year to build more buildings. What if we all resolved to plant one tree this coming year? Read more
A recent writer’s hilarious suggestion to create a Las Vegas type strip on Oahu’s West Side because Waikiki is falling into the ocean belongs in the funny papers (“West Oahu casino haven could solve isle problems,” Star-Advertiser, Dec. 28). Read more
A letter writer damned “colonial Zionist Israel” and its “obedient servant” the U.S. (“Situation in Gaza all the worse for women, girls,” Star-Advertiser, Dec. 25). Read more
You could always make the argument that Jimmy Carter was not manipulative or selfish enough to be president. He had a commitment to faith, honesty and humanity that may never be fashionable again. Read more
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Kauai awaits, with more than a bit of anxiety, for news of 159 nurses’ votes, concluding at 8 tonight, on whether to authorize a possible strike at Wilcox Medical Center. That Read more
The lava flow at Halemaumau Crater has been intermittent, but this advisory is eternal: Safety comes first, where volcano-watching is concerned. Read more
I was lucky enough to participate in the city’s Fall Tour de Trash earlier this year. What an important and eye-opening experience! Every Oahu citizen would be enlightened by it. Read more
The new year stretches out ahead, filled with promise. That’s taking the traditional, optimistic view on prospects for 2025. Read more
I write in support of Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation Director Tommy Johnson’s pleas to provide humane housing for the incarcerated men of Hawaii (“New correctional facility long overdue,” Star-Advertiser, Island Voices, Dec. 29). The time for a new facility is way past due, indeed. Read more
We live in a world of the good, the bad and the ugly. We tend to focus on the bad and the ugly because they are amplified in the newspapers and on TV and social media. Read more
Thanks to a recent writer for their letter in support of doing everything we can to eradicate invasive species while there’s still time to do so effectively (“Make real effort to rid isles of invasive species,” Star-Advertiser, Dec. 26). Read more
I can personally relate to the words of a person on Oahu, saying, “Nobody should have to live like this” (“Trash collection bane must end in 2025,” Star-Advertiser, Letters, Dec. 29). Read more
I think how people respond to climate change is a kind of Rorschach test in that it seems to invoke a pretty deep response in some people. Read more
So many of the big stories brought to Hawaii throughout 2024 were well known to residents, like the next chapter of a book they’re already reading. Read more
Hawaii was more than the 50th State to the 39th commander-in-chief. It was home to the late President Jimmy Carter. Read more
Airplane stowaways have put Hawaii in the news this past holiday week, and that’s not a good thing. Read more
