Opinions, guest essays and editorials from the Honolulu Star-Advertiser. Featuring Kokua Line, Rearview Mirror, David Shapiro, Richard Borreca and others.
This year in Rearview Mirror, we learned about a pilot who flew his plane under a Kauai bridge, we looked into the writing of the song “Mr. Sun Cho Lee,” by Bob Magoon and the Beamer brothers, and we learned about a buoy off Waikiki that was painted pink in protest. Read more
Question: My son goes to USC, and he said foreign students who plan to go home for winter break are being told to be back on campus before President- elect Donald Trump takes office. Is UH telling its foreign students anything like this? Read more
Question: To get a driver learner’s permit, you can take the written test online. But you can’t do it on a cell phone. Why? We do everything on our phones. The IRS even lets you file your taxes on your phone. Read more
The holiday season is prime time for the purchase of new computers. Gifts, prepping students for the next semester, or setting up businesses to hit the ground running in the new year — are all high on the list for many folks. Read more
Question: Is the pavilion at Old Stadium Park made available on a first-come, first-served basis? Is that why homeless people and their unleashed, constantly barking dogs are able to stay there throughout the day and night, day to day? Read more
Question: What is the correct procedure to inform a restaurant about an apparent case of food poisoning? Should I call? Show up in person? I’d like to know whether anyone else had a problem. How do I report it? Read more
Times are hard on the boulevard, which means this year’s gifts will be unsolicited advice. Read more
The Honolulu Marathon means different things to different people. For some it’s the culmination of months of training, for others it’s a boost in income from the influx of tourists. To some it’s a traffic obstacle to plan around, and to others it’s an excuse to visit Hawaii once a year. Read more
Fewer and fewer banks cash out savings bonds, even for their own customers. Read more
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The usefulness and functionality of the Legislature’s website has earned national recognition and awards. Read more
Several new plans are being pushed forward that would add hundreds of millions of dollars in costs to encourage bike riding. Read more
The contamination of the land above the aquifer and of the aquifer itself from the Navy’s Red Hill fuel facility is an unprecedented threat. Read more
With new House leadership following the election defeat of Speaker Scott Saiki and a slew of new members, hopes are high among cannabis advocates. Read more
Every December, I review the previous 11 months and write a two-part series of things I learned during the year. Writing this column is a process of discovery for me that I thoroughly enjoy. Here are some highlights. Read more
Question: Did Harris Jewelry ever have stores in Hawaii? Read more
Imagine the entire Earth locked in a deep freeze, covered in ice from the poles to the equator. This is the essence of the Snowball Earth hypothesis, a theory that suggests our planet may have been entirely or nearly entirely frozen over multiple times in its ancient past. It’s an idea that sounds like science fiction, but there is strong evidence to back it up. Read more
Question: Will the HNL Tool Library ever reopen? It closed when Re-use Hawai‘i closed in August. Read more
Question: What is the schedule for Honolulu City Lights? We have guests coming in who might enjoy it. Also, where can we find information about other Christmas parades? Read more
Technology improves our lives in many ways, so it can be tempting to go overboard during the holidays. To ensure your holiday season is merry, here are 12 days of tech tips to keep you and your ohana safe and happy. Read more
Question: Are the Christmas ship-by dates in the Postal Service mailer correct? I thought Hawaii was earlier. Read more
Saturday was senior night for the University of Hawaii football team, nearing the end of the busiest sports week of the year at UH, if not in the state. Read more
