Opinion and analysis by the Honolulu Star-Advertiser Editorial Board. Get informed with columns and commentary, and submit a letter to the editor.
The search for a new Oahu landfill site, an issue that has roiled city leadership for years, is still unsettled, and lawmaking underway at the Legislature should be aimed at finding a path to a solution. Read more
Semifinalists for the prestigious, annual James Beard Awards include a whopping nine Hawaii nominees, with four up for national awards: Keoni Regidor (Lehua Restaurant, Hilo), Best Emerging Chef; The Local General Store (Kaimuki), Outstanding Bakery; Hana Quon (The Curb, Kaimuki), Outstanding Pastry Chef or Baker; and Dave Newman (Pint + Jigger, Ala Moana Hotel) in a new category, Outstanding Professional in Cocktail Service. Read more
Oahu residents now have a new social activity, thanks to the avian flu outbreaks on the mainland: Egg shopping, given the shortages on store shelves, has become a carnival. Read more
Two weeks ago, Hawaii’s two U.S. House members issued a sobering statement on an oft-ignored component of the state’s chronic housing crisis: the military. Read more
In the U.S. military’s environmental impact statement for the expansion of the RIMPAC training area, it says it don’t anticipate causing too much harm. Read more
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. may be just the person needed to lead the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Read more
About 60% of agriculture, 40% of transportation, 30% of meat production and 20% of construction and health care are dependent on immigrants. Read more
When I was in my 20s I was literally swept out to sea. While my brothers were surfing on the North Shore, my cousin and I decided to just jump in the shallows. Read more
In writing about the Laken Riley Act, a letter writer omits an important point when he states that “any individual living in the country illegally who has committed a crime, no matter how petty,” can be detained or deported (“Critical issue at heart of Laken Riley Act,” Star-Advertiser, Jan. 26). Read more
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Now that Donald Trump is once again the president, I would like to turn my attention to the Democratic Party of Hawaii who have ignored the working class people but catered to the wealthy elites from around the world. Read more
Albert “Ian” Schweitzer and Shawn Schweitzer, brothers wrongly accused and convicted of crimes related to the rape and murder of Dana Ireland in 1991, have filed a federal suit alleging that Hawaii County and its police department violated their civil rights with a conspiracy to “frame” them, and by refusing to acknowledge their innocence after the true killer was identified. Read more
The recurring debate over whether trespassing hikers must cover the cost of their rescue if they get into trouble has resurfaced in the state Legislature. Read more
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. Read more
The impacts of climate change are no longer a distant threat — they are here and we’re losing lives and the places we love. We’re not acting boldly enough as a state. Read more
I am so glad to see that Gov. Josh Green emphasized the same old talking points in his State of the State address. Read more
I wrote a letter to the editor a few years ago that interdiction will not work if the demand is there. It didn’t work during the Prohibition era and it’s not working for stemming the use of drugs. Read more
The 14th amendment of the U.S. Constitution specifies that “All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside.” Read more
On Friday, every U.S. Senate Democrat voted against the Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act, a bill meant to ensure that babies born alive during attempted abortions receive life-saving treatment. Read more
The U.S. Indo-Pacific Command is aware of the challenges and no doubt has plans to deal with any resulting contingency that may arise from them. Read more
More bad news: not only is Hawaii the most expensive, the accounting shows that Hawaii’s cost of living is rising slightly. Read more
In Hawaii, the cost of paying for basic needs rose even faster than the national rate of inflation, according to ALICE studies — and that hurts families that are struggling financially the most. Read more
