Use traffic light at Laniakea site

With all the talk and letters about solving the Laniakea traffic and safety issues, very little is said about using a traffic light.

People hate traffic lights, but they work.

A traffic light, on demand, is the cheapest, safest and simplest solution.It could be combined with a digital traffic alert for important road conditions.

Any intelligent traffic engineer can bring up actual studies that show traffic does flow smoother under heavy traffic conditions with a light (or more) at bad intersections or trouble areas.

Also, the road should be configured for safe U-turns.

Les Spielvogel
Hawaii Kai

9/11 observance still important

On Wednesday, I attended the 9/11 Remembrance Ceremony at Tamarind Park.

It was a very moving experience and I was happy to be there — not for the memory of what happened that fateful day, but to remember those brave people who lost their lives and those who tried to save those in peril.

I am proud to be an American and proud of our military and the police, fire and emergency services department personnel who put their lives on the line each and every day so that we can safely live our lives.

I was disappointed, though, that the public turn-out was poor compared to past years, when the park was filled with bystanders.I hope this is not indicative of how quickly tragic events can be forgotten.

Thank you to our military and all our first responders.They are angels watching over us and should be included in everyone’s daily prayers.

Linda Sebald
Kakaako

All cats welcome at SPCA Maui

While the Maui Humane Society, Humane Society of the United States and Feline Foundation of Maui talk, plan and meet and argue over just how many house cats call Maui’s beaches, parks and forests home, the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Maui is quietly helping fix the problem.

The less-than-3-year-old animal welfare, not-for-profit SPCA Maui offers almost weekly "pay what you can" cat sterilization clinics.

Sure, numbers are important and we support the efforts and money allocated to data and research, but all that takes time while cats keep having litters.We know our clinics are the best way to do something now.

Feral, pet or community cats are all welcome at SPCA Maui’s all-volunteer clinics. All cats receive a unique identifying tattoo for easy identification. Feral cats’ ears are also notched for easy identification in the field. Humane traps are available to lend from the organization for free.

Peter Tierney
Vice president, SPCA Maui
Makawao, Maui

Center also helps with Alzheimer’s

The article, "When Alzheimer’s strikes" (Star-Advertiser, Insight, Sept. 8) was a very informative and personal story on how Alzheimer’s disease affects family caregivers.

Unfortunately, as the number of elders in our local community grows even faster than the national average, we have many families who are coping with this illness spanning many years. I wish to suggest that in addition to the community resources that are noted in the article, readers can also benefit from the Kapiolani Community College Kupuna Education Center’s classes for family caregivers and home care workers on how to care for elders.

Many of the folks who have taken the classes are caring for an elder with Alzheimer’s disease and they have learned many helpful approaches to handling the problems and stress associated with the illness.

If all of us in Hawaii work together to support people coping with Alzheimer’s disease, our families will benefit and our elders can receive better care.

Toni Hathaway
Moiliili

Don’t be punitive toward homeless

Congratulations to Mayor Kirk Caldwell for his Housing First pilot project.

We need a humane program rather than a punitive one. All of us, including most of the homeless, would like to restore our streets and parks to their original use.

We hope that the City Council and all our communities support the mayor in this first step in bringing humanity back into an issue that has too often been mostly political.

Joan Schumacher
David Friedman
Kahala