Zip lines need more scrutiny

The sad news of Patricia "Trish" Rabellizsa’s death in a Thursday fall from the Maui zip line where she worked raises the question of whether Hawaii residents might want to demand stricter scrutiny of these attractions.

With the adjournment of the Legislature the same day as the tragic accident, one route toward crafting tighter regulations on the industry has been shut down. It’s been a recurring proposal at the state Capitol, though, including at least one measure seeking additional oversight that legislators shelved this year.

It probably falls to state leaders to regulate this, since the same rules should apply on every island. But while waiting for the next lawmaking session, county officials still can look extra closely before approving the next zip line application that lands on their desks.

Kindergarten requirements refined  

What do you call a new law that nearly everyone thought was already the law? 

Why, mandatory kindergarten, of course.

Amid fanfare Thursday, a bill was signed into law requiring all Hawaii keiki who turn 5 on or before July 31 to start school in fall of that year (the July 31 cutoff doesn’t apply to private schools, which have their own rules).

The need for this law might be a head-scratcher, since more than 97 percent of Hawaii’s 5-year-olds already attend kindergarten. But in the context of increasing calls for early childhood education, it makes sense: It would’ve been odd to push hard for universal preschool at age 4 if kindergarten at age 5 remained voluntary.