Mayor Kirk Caldwell should support a measure that imposes stricter guidelines for drivers of both ride-hailing and taxi companies — despite the emails and calls from Uber drivers and passengers urging him to kill Bill 36. The Honolulu City Council on Aug. 3 passed Bill 36 — which would require drivers to possess Hawaii driver’s licenses, place permanent decals or other identifying marks on vehicles and undergo extensive background checks, among other things.

In the end, it’s a matter of passenger and public safety.

From Rhode Island to the Hawaiian Islands?

There’s a new wind blowing — and it might bring a new era of energy for the nation, let alone Hawaii. Eyes are turning to Rhode Island, where the nation’s first offshore wind farm is set to open this fall. The $300 million, five-turbine wind farm off Block Island, R.I., aims to power about 17,000 homes — and its success or challenges are sure to be watched closely by states aggressively seeking clean-energy options.

Hawaii is among them, with a law that calls for 100 percent renewable power by 2045, plus at least two companies interested in bringing dozens of floating wind turbines 12 to 17 miles off Oahu’s shores.