Papaya destructions sow seeds of anger, outrage

There’s more gold in papayas than just the color of the ripened fruit. For all the reasons familiar to Hawaii’s farmers, the islands’ excellent papayas can’t compete price-wise so it’s marketed as a superior product at a premium. This makes last week’s appalling destruction of 8,500 papaya trees in Kapoho especially disheartening. As if papaya farmers haven’t struggled enough to battle the insect variety of pests, they’re now contending with human vandals. And in an economy wracked with difficulties, this Big Island papaya farmer—as well as the one in Mililani who suffered a similar loss in May—shouldn’t have to endure this affront.

Anyone who loves local papayas at the breakfast table can probably expect even higher prices and a diminished supply at their grocers and farmers markets, too. The only hope is that informants step forward to help police. Even if the crop can’t reach fruition, at least then the prosecution would.

Battle-weary veterans deserve Molokai facility

We’ll keep our fingers crossed that a long-delayed $112,000 veterans center planned for Kaunanakai can finally begin to be built this summer.

The proposed facility that would house a meeting room and counseling space for Molokai veterans is on its way to securing its last needed permit—breaking free of bureaucratic red tape, and finally breaking ground.