Sparring gloves come out tonight

Get your TV remotes ready. Tonight is the first televised live debate between Honolulu mayoral hopefuls Kirk Caldwell, Peter Carlisle and Ben Cayetano. It’s the first chance for you, the voters, to see the candidates spar directly and in real time — 6:30-8 p.m. on KHNL, KGMB and KFVE, or streamed live on HawaiiNewsNow.com.

We’re talking about your next mayor here. Pay attention. And don’t dismiss the debate’s entertainment value: We’ll see who, and what, can top the "potted plants" remark from their previous meeting.

Next election gets the ‘all clear’

Like that old gambling song suggests, there’s wisdom in knowing when to fold ’em. Even those who found fault with the reapportionment plan drawn up for the coming election — as we on the Star-Advertiser editorial board did — should probably fold ’em now.

The U.S. District Court in Honolulu on Tuesday denied a preliminary injunction that would have thrown out the plan as unconstitutional. At issue was the exclusion of nonpermanent resident groups from the population base, such as military, that’s used to draw voting district boundaries.

Some people are surely cheering the decision, for purely practical reasons. Scott Nago, the state’s chief election officer, had already declared that further delay would make deadlines very hard to meet. The primary election is on Aug. 11.

There could be an appeal, of course. But we suspect that most people are hoping there won’t be. This is going to be one marathon election season, and it’s time to get on with the show.