HECO scores points in PR battle

A lot of Hawaiian Electric Co. rate payers were pretty steamed when stormy weather disrupted power, and a strike by the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 1260 prolonged the outage.

The $50 gift cards sent out to the aggrieved customers probably helped smooth things over, or they certainly couldn’t hurt — assuming that they all work when presented at the cash register, and that nobody felt unjustly overlooked.

Sympathy for the union was already in short supply among the people left in the dark, and now HECO is probably well ahead in the public relations wars. It will be interesting to see what salve Local 1260 may have to offer.

Red tape also is easy to grow

State legislators are considering a proposal to allow public school students to grow food on campus and then eat it for lunch in the cafeteria.

The school system and the farm industry are in favor of students growing food for lunch, but the state Department of Agriculture is skeptical about its ability to inspect and certify school farms.

If not, one wonders what clever children might be expected to plant. Cacao trees for chocolate, perhaps?