Too many cars stolen, chopped up in Honolulu

Honolulu is bucking the national trend with an increase in car thefts. The city ranked 69th out of 380 metropolitan areas with 2,698 thefts, or 274 cars stolen per 100,000 residents, last year. That’s up from the per-capita rate of 235 in 2012.

The statistics came from the National Insurance Crime Bureau, and the bureau’s director of public affairs wonders "what happens to the cars that are stolen? As an island, driving them elsewhere isn’t an option."

Good question. Perhaps tougher chop-shop enforcement is needed.

‘Turn left at the coral reef, you have arrived’

"Out of sight, out of mind," is true of all sorts of problems, including ecological ones. People generally care more about what they can see. By that measure, the Google technology being used to capture and share a 360-degree undersea view of U.S. waters for the first time is encouraging — sure to spur more interest in preserving countless marine species near and dear to us in the islands.

Underwater images from the Florida Keys will soon be available to anyone with access to Google Maps, a view that’s been likened to "scuba diving from your computer." The panorama need not be produced here for our marine life to benefit. Raising awareness about the fragility of ocean ecosystems anywhere is likely to have a positive ripple effect.