Honolulu’s COVID-19 emergency order groups community gardens with city parks, beaches and other recreational facilities being locked down through Sept. 4. But that inclusion rightly is being met with a sense of deja vu consternation among those who rent the open-air plots within grids that seem well-suited for physical distancing.

In March, when Mayor Kirk Caldwell initially shut down rec sites, he later made an exception for the gardens, which are known for up-close gardener contact with plants rather than with other people. While having city workers pitch in with maintenance has been proposed, the far better fix is to simply reopen the 10 gardens to gardeners, masked and physically distanced.

Kahuku wind project ready to spin

People Power does exist. Regardless, it looks as if it’s electrical power that will prevail by summer’s end when Na Pua Makani switches on.

There is still a legal challenge of the state’s permits that has moved to the Hawaii Supreme Court, but the developers of the controversial wind power project in Kahuku are banking on getting the final, judicial OK.

Critics have pointed to potential health risks to nearby communities; scientists should undertake research to measure what really happens.