Editorial: Transparent isle lawmaking a must
The 2025 Hawaii Legislature began its 60-day session on Wednesday, and the public must see good-government reforms that should have been enacted years ago. Read more
Opinion and analysis by the Honolulu Star-Advertiser Editorial Board. Get informed with columns and commentary, and submit a letter to the editor.
The 2025 Hawaii Legislature began its 60-day session on Wednesday, and the public must see good-government reforms that should have been enacted years ago. Read more
Hawaii’s U.S. Sen. Mazie Hirono made her presence known during the Senate Armed Services Committee confirmation hearing for former “Fox and Friends” co-host Pete Hegseth, nominated by President-elect Donald Trump to serve as secretary of defense. Read more
The 2020 U.S. Census showed that Hawaii is the most diverse state in the nation. Most foreign-born persons in Hawaii are from the Philippines and then China, Japan, Korea, Mexico and Pacific Island countries. Read more
I am confused about the vital need to become more food-efficient and the need to put our new landfill on agricultural land. Read more
Although increased enforcement of fireworks laws will encourage some to give them up, it is not enough. We must also respect the strong tradition of fireworks in Hawaii. Read more
Donald Trump’s hush money case reached sentencing on Jan. 10. The 34 guilty verdicts were decided by a jury based on evidence and testimony under oath. Read more
I see a lot of hatred for President-elect Donald Trump and MAGA from the Democrats, mass media and people, including those living in Hawaii. Read more
Israel has controlled Gaza as a virtual prison for 18 years. Gaza is a small area (141 square miles, same as Lanai) with an extremely dense population of 2.1 million. Read more
The pressure is on the Hawaii Tourism Authority (HTA) to scale back its spending aspirations, and that’s coming straight from the top — the governor’s office. Read more
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Earlier this year, Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Chicago made the difficult decision to transition away from 75 government contracts, beginning this past summer. Read more
It’s encouraging that the U.S. Supreme Court has decided to stay out of the lawsuit filed by the City and County of Honolulu against oil companies over their role in global warming. Read more
The Honolulu Department of Planning and Permitting (DPP) is upgrading ePlans, its electronic permit review system, moving operations to a cloud-based system and installing speedier, more responsive software that streamlines communication between permit applicants and city reviewers. Read more
Gov. Josh Green’s recent trip to Washington, D.C., where he advocated against Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s nomination as health secretary, was an inspiring example of leadership. Read more
Thank you, Star-Advertiser, for the comprehensive reports on attempts and failures to enforce Hawaii’s laws against illegal fireworks. Read more
I read a recent letter and one of my first thoughts was, how does New York City, which has trash pickup restrictions and a population eight- fold of Honolulu, do it (“Not much can be done about early trash pickups,” Star-Advertiser, Jan. 6)? Read more
As America mourns the death of its 39th president, James Earl Carter Jr., it is time to look back and appreciate his accomplishments. Read more
Let us be clear: There is no need for Hawaii’s legislators to reverse the historic state income tax cuts that were enacted during the 2024 legislative session. Read more
There is no such thing as “too much information” when it comes to guidance for programs to address Hawaii’s homelessness problems. Read more
Despite its prominent location on the main drag in Kaimuki, the Queen Theater has been vacant for decades, deteriorating in spite of many unsuccessful entreaties to the owner to either sell the building or have it renovated. Read more
It never fails. When a disaster on the scale of the L.A. wildfires strikes, there are those trying to take advantage of our better impulses. Read more
There are many innocent victims in the New Year’s Eve fireworks tragedy. People who lived across the street, next door and two and three houses away had windows blown out and shattered. Read more