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Let’s bask in this moment, shall we?
In swift action not normally seen in state government, the Department of Education went out for bids Thursday to start air-conditioning hot classrooms, on the very day that Gov. David Ige signed legislation for the $100 million initiative. And that bill was passed by the Legislature just a couple of days earlier in the week.
Of course, sweltering classrooms have been a longstanding problem, affecting students’ ability to concentrate and learn, so relief has been too long in coming.
Ige has pledged to cool 1,000 classrooms by year’s end, so the DOE must make good on the promise — if not for Ige’s sake, then for the sake of the kids.
Hug a nurse when you get a chance
National Nurses Week kicked off on Friday, and it would appear Hawaii nurses need all the praise and encouragement they can get.
The personal-finance site WalletHub lists this state as third-worst nationally for its attractiveness to nurses. What drove down its score the most was the average annual salary adjusted for the cost of living (always a killer factor in Hawaii’s business ratings). In that category, the 50th State ranked 51st, behind the District of Columbia.
So those who’d like to acknowledge their favorite nurse on their special week, sharing a nice lunch outing — and picking up the tab — would be a lovely gesture.