A tough year for the HART board, too

Robert Bunda, the former state senator who has been serving on the board of the Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation, is relinquishing his spot three years early, indicating family reasons. Fellow board member Carrie Okinaga also will step down if the University of Hawaii Board of Regents approves her hiring as general counsel for the UH system.

It’s been a tough year for HART, a very tough year. High construction bids, unexpected costs, fights for expanded tax financing, all that.

Drawing any link between the stress and the departures would be just conjecture, of course. But you’ve got to wonder if there’s some connection.

Tragic Osprey accident hits close to home

The military training flight that ended in disaster at Bellows Air Force Station on Sunday will understandably intensify concerns about conducting military training flights so close to residential neighborhoods.

The "hard-landing mishap" occurred in a landing zone close to a popular military recreation area and adjacent to a public beach park in Waimanalo.

One Marine was killed and 21 other people aboard were injured in the crash, which destroyed the MV-22 Osprey aircraft.