State shouldn’t appeal transparency ruling

Score one for open government with a state judge’s decision that the Hawaii Ethics Commission must release the financial disclosure statements of all members of the University of Hawaii Board of Regents, state Land Use Commission and Agribusiness Development Corp.’s board of directors.

We hope that the state does not appeal this ruling, which makes the interests of powerful board members more visible to taxpayers and the general public.

Spiny sea urchins now seem downright lovable

From foe to friend. That’s the new reality for wana, Hawaii’s native spiny sea urchins, varieties of which populate the many reefs around the islands and at one time posed a constant threat to surfers, in the days before surfboard leashes spared surfers from having to walk on the reefs, especially at low tide, to retrieve their surfboards after a wipeout.

Now these same sea creatures are helping save Oahu’s reefs — which often are critical to surfing, after all — and suddenly they’ve morphed into being a best friend.

In Kaneohe Bay, for example, the hawae maoli variety of wana has helped save three major reefs, after scientists learned they are impressive consumers of an invasive seaweed that has been wreaking havoc in the bay. The sea urchins now are being turned loose on a fourth reef there. But it’s still probably best not to step on them.