The groundbreaking last week for a new VA clinic serving Leeward Oahu will stand as part of the legacy that outlived Daniel Akaka. Hawaii’s late U.S. senator, who died in 2018, championed the construction of the clinic in Kalaeloa, but the Department of Veterans Affairs was unable to secure the funds.

The $120 million now procured, the project is expected to open in late 2023.

It’s appropriate that the acronym for the Advanced Leeward Outpatient Healthcare Access is ALOHA — a favorite Akaka word.

Keep those DUI numbers down

It’s never good news to hear, as we approach New Year’s Eve, that Oahu already has surpassed last year’s total of arrests for driving under the influence.

As of last Monday, 2,505 people were arrested; in 2020, with COVID-19 lockdowns, the number was 2,072. It’s little comfort that this year’s number is still smaller than the nearest pre-COVID year, 2019, when 3,652 were arrested.

Let’s hope that the new year will be better than the last, and that we all will be around to enjoy it. Please drive sober.