On Sept. 8, the Hawaii Supreme Court ruled that a previously “overlooked” law requires serious felonies be taken to a grand jury before a suspect can go to trial. That put a full stop to prosecutors’ alternative of taking serious felonies to a judge for a preliminary hearing, and launched immediate calls for a special legislative session to resolve the legal conflict.

Last week, Gov. David Ige and House Speaker Scott Saiki questioned the need for immediate legislative action, but Saiki now reports that more than two-thirds of the House will vote to reconvene. On Monday, Senate President Ron Kouchi stated that the Senate would “reengage” on the issue.

“Finding consensus with our House colleagues and the four county prosecutors on language for a proposed bill” is the next step, Kouchi stated.

Lions, tigers and accreditation, oh my

The Association of Zoos and Aquariums has renewed the Honolulu Zoo’s accreditation through March 2025. That quiet little story, announced Friday, marks a real turnaround: In 2016 the zoo lost national AZA accreditation, largely due to funding instability.

This limited the zoo’s animal programs. But when a City Charter amendment in 2020 gave it a dedicated funding source from tax revenues, things settled — and with steady leadership, the credential was restored.

The fact that this was a quiet little story, perhaps, is the best news of all.