Check their plans before you vote

Less than two weeks before the Aug. 9 primary election — and with many folks already voting via absentee ballot — the two main Democratic gubernatorial candidates have finally released their respective strategic plans.

Incumbent Neil Abercrombie’s is called "Charting Tomorrow: A Plan for a Brighter Future in Hawaii," no doubt riffing off his oft-used "canoe" campaign theme from four years ago.

Challenger David Ige, meanwhile, calls his action plan "Engineering Hawaii’s Future," playing off his non-politics profession as an engineer.

See what might be in store for Hawaii should one of these men win: Abercrombie’s plan is at http://bit.ly/1m3jP1T and Ige’s is at http://bit.ly/1qOtjFY. But remember, there’s still the general election.

School finally gets with the program

With the new academic year two weeks away, parents of Halau Lokahi Public Charter School are undoubtedly relieved that the approval of the school’s financial plan has brought back a little predictability to their lives.

The Public Charter School Commission voted Wednesday to accept the financially troubled campus plan for setting things right, a final condition in issuing it a new contract.

One of the other conditions was to change leadership, and a new board is in place. But there are ties that bind. One of the board members is the daughter of the ousted school director, making for a challenging family dynamic, at the very least.

The commission’s primary mission in this case — maintaining oversight — is far from over. But it’s a new year, so why not take a positive stance?

Here’s hoping for better times at Halau Lokahi.