Does justice beckon for missing child?

Finally!

No, not that the University of Hawaii football team finally won a road game, but after 17 years, there finally might be justice for "Peter Boy" Kema.

Can anyone really call this case a mystery? Anyone with an ounce of intelligence realizes that that little boy is dead, and that the two people who know what happened to him and where he is have lived free and clear for more than a decade.

By this time, most people who even recall the case know that somewhere on the Big Island, the remains of a little boy who knew only abuse and pain most of his life lie hidden, like he never even existed.

Perhaps finally, if there is such a thing as justice, those responsible for handing him such a short and unhappy life will face a day of reckoning and he will finally get what most people take for granted, a decent burial.

Deborah Pearson
Salt Lake

Kudos to all who helped save forest

What a relief that the Wailupe Community Forest at the top of Hao Street in Aina Haina is so close to becoming a reality, thanks to decades of effort by Aina Haina residents, the Aina Haina Community Association and, more recently, Laura Ka‘akua at The Trust For Public Land and the City and County of Honolulu.

The property will soon be safe from development and preserved as a habitat for several endangered Oahu species.

The trail head of the beautiful Wailupe Valley Trail will remain accessible to all.

The city expects the community to raise $50,000 toward the final purchase price by Dec. 30, and the deal cannot be sealed until this is done.

Mahalo to all who have and will donate time or money. Mahalo also to our newspaper, Hawaii Public Radio and television stations that have brought attention to this matter. See what people, united, can do?

Linda Carr
Aina Haina

Bicyclists must pay fair share of roads

As a concerned senior, I would like to ask some questions about projects to make our city more green and bicycle-friendly.

Who pays for all these improvements that make Honolulu more bicycle-friendly?We all pay for our cars’ licenses, which amount to hundreds of dollars per car, which I presume finances road repairs and such.

I recently bought our grandson a bicycle and helmet. Is there an annual license tax for bicycles?

A friend of mine in his late 80s rides his bike daily for exercise and enjoyment and said that he does not pay any annual bicycle license tax. Shouldn’t we all pay our fair share to have improvements such as bicycle lanes?

This bicycle rider also informed me that all bicycle riders should obey the laws of the road. We car drivers should be courteous to bicycle riders and also they to us.

Stan Fukumoto
Moanalua Valley

Follow sit-lie ban with enforcement

Much mahalos to the Honolulu City Council for approving the measure to expand the sit-lie ban to 13 areas on Oahu.

Pending Mayor Kirk Caldwell’s signature, and as long as it is constitutional, it will help maintain the high standards of which Honolulu is proud.

The return of shopping carts to the appropriate businesses and the enforcement of this widespread measure will be the next challenge for the city.

Michael Springhetti
Waikiki

New bike lane will make things worse

The bike lane being added to King Street is a good idea in the wrong place and wrong way.

On a high-traffic route with many cross streets, it is dangerous and will create traffic congestion that plagues almost all of our inner-city arteries, thanks to a failure to intelligently synchronize traffic lights.

I drove on King Street several days ago and spent 20 minutes inching my way from Punahou Street to University Avenue — and that’s without an additional lane being removed to allow for parking. I’m all for integrating bicycles into our transportation options, but adding thousands of hours in cumulative drive time with the added pollution of slow-moving and nearly gridlocked traffic is no way to focus on making Honolulu a greener city.

In fact, it creates a predictable and unnecessary problem with very minimal lifestyle or environmental benefits.

Allan Seiden
Wilhelmina Rise

Homeless camps truly embarrassing

I would like to voice my concerns, shame and disgust for the ongoing homeless population that I view every day driving to and from work on Ala Moana Boulevard.

There is a group of homeless people making camp in front of the pumping station right before the turn into Ala Moana Beach Park near the intersection of Atkinson Drive.

Daily I see the tourists having to walk in front and around the makeshift tents, bicycles and people lying on the ground.

If I was a tourist from another state and saw this, I would be appalled. I have lived here for 30-plus years and truly feel embarrassed that this kind of condition exists right across from the world-renowned Ala Moana Center and right outside Ala Moana Beach Park.

I thought we wanted to promote tourism, not discourage it.

Lori Medeiros
Kaimuki

Thanks for closing on Thanksgiving

I’d like to applaud those businesses that have chosen to close on Thanksgiving to give their employees the time to celebrate with their families.

It is refreshing and encouraging to see that not everyone worships the almighty dollar, and that there are still people who value family and gratitude above consumerism and materialism.

I’m giving thanks for them.

Catherine Agor
Kapolei