No one should be surprised by the recent onrush of building permit requests for “monster houses.” Whatever their uses, and despite clashes with neighborhood character, many of these hulking structures taking shape in older Honolulu residential areas technically meet the city’s zoning and building codes.

The city began keeping track of monsters last January, when inspectors noticed more applications to build single-family homes with eight or more bedrooms. The City Council should quickly put in place Bill 110, an immediate two-year moratorium needed to fend off further uglification — along with concerns about potential troubles ranging from clogged traffic flow to stressed infrastructure — while the city drafts tougher regulations.

Another year of fireworks lighting up the sky

While loud-and-legal firecrackers get the party started, there’s no denying that high-flying illegal aerials are the stars of the annual New Year’s shows in residential neighborhoods dotting Oahu. Emphasis on illegal.

At the stroke of midnight, while public fireworks displays off Waikiki, Honolulu Harbor as well as at Leeward’s Ko Olina and the North Shore’s Turtle Bay resorts were lighting up the sky, so were elaborate launches in front yards from Kaneohe to Hawaii Kai.

Kudos to firefighters and other first responders who scrambled to handle more than 160 fireworks-related calls.