Curtain closing on old DHT building

The walls of Fort Ruger Theatre reverberate with history, much of it from its years as a military entertainment center. Troops watched movies there until Honolulu Community Theatre (now called Diamond Head Theatre) moved in 62 years ago and the 1933-vintage structure was converted to a venue for stage productions.

Stars, some with ties to Hawaii such as Carol Burnett and Bette Midler, trod the boards of that little stage. Dressing room walls bear the graffiti left by performers in past shows. Lots of sentiment dwells within.

So plans for its demolition and replacement in are being greeted with mixed emotions in the theater community.

But there’s nothing like a centennial — the organization that became DHT was founded in 1915 — to clarify things. The start of Century Two is as good a time as any for a new beginning.

Proposed merger raises questions

It’s estimated that about 900,000 Hawaii residents are connected to the Internet.

So with the proposed merger of Time Warner Cable and Comcast — which would create a behemoth providing broadband Internet to one-third of U.S. households — we wonder what that might mean for us, since Oceanic Time Warner Cable is a primary Internet access provider in Hawaii.

One concern is "Net neutrality," the idea that the provider could not sell the fastest Internet access to the highest bidders. In response to unfavorable court rulings, the Federal Communications Commission is seeking rules to keep the Internet free and open. It’s an effort worth supporting.