Legislature left programs hanging without money

Oh, the black hole that is the frenetic, final days of each legislative session — when funding for solid programs can inexplicably vanish.

This past session, that black hole sucked away $2.4 million in grants for land conservation projects that had cleared vetting. Paperwork snafus initially snagged four projects; the Legacy Land Conservation Program was able to fulfill those obligations, but only by withholding funding for two new just-awarded projects. The backlog now leaves just $500,000 available for Legacy Land applicants for the new fiscal year.

Another unfortunate victim of the 2017 black hole: a hard-won proposed deal to increase the rates paid to foster parents who help care for abused and neglected kids. Because the negotiated deal failed legislative approval, the dispute appears to be headed back to court.

‘Aloha’ doesn’t mean video chat device

Aloha from Facebook! It’s not what it sounds like. “Aloha” is the name used within the company for its video chat touchscreen device, still in development but scheduled for release next year. Whether it will still be called “Aloha” when it goes on sale remains to be seen. Let’s hope not.

When the movie “Aloha” came out, Native Hawaiians protested the use of the word as disrespectful and a misappropriation of culture. This also calls to mind the “Hula” mobile app, used to provide information about sexually transmitted diseases. That name was, thankfully, dropped.