How to think, not what to think

Catherine Caine says teaching kids how to think, not what to think, has sustained her love of teaching throughout a 34-year profession.

Caine, a second-grade teacher at Waikiki Elementary School, is Hawaii’s first finalist for national teacher of the year in more than a decade. Hawaii’s Department of Education named her Hawaii’s 2015 teacher of the year, and now she’s one of four finalists up for the national award; the others are from Alabama, Indiana and Texas.

Some define wisdom as a combination of knowledge, experience and insight. Congratulations to Caine for persevering in a challenging, vital profession long enough to reach that pinnacle.

Can union stop city’s trash plan?

We share the mayor’s disappointment that a lawsuit has been filed over the city’s decision to eliminate free garbage curbside pickup for some 181 condos, apartments and other multifamily properties and nonprofit groups.

The move to end this service on Jan. 31 made sense, as the vast majority of Oahu’s condo associations already must contract with private disposal firms. But the United Public Workers’ suit argues, in part, that the move is unconstitutional because it basically privatizes a service that is "customarily and historically performed by civil servants." It cites a 1997 Hawaii Supreme Court decision as precedence. We’ll see.

Speaking of precedents: If the city does prevail, can elimination of free garbage pickup for single-family homes be far behind? Again, we’ll see.