Lawmakers this week shelved the latest medical-aid-in-dying bill at the State Capitol, when Senate Bill 1129 was deferred in the House Health Committee on Thursday. But Hawaii is not the only place in where this difficult issue is playing out in 2017.

Last month advocates for the Death with Dignity Act celebrated that measure becoming law in the District of Columbia, now the seventh jurisdiction to authorize aid-in-dying provisions. In March, measures were introduced in Minnesota and Iowa.

This battle will be fought for years — one state at a time.

A patch of green at Ward Village

Marukai Market Place and Real a Gastropub will be closing by December to make way for a patch of green space amid condo towers rising at Ward Village in Kakaako. While both will be missed, the 3-acre site is slated for an appealing purpose: the first phase of a central public plaza envisioned as a gathering space for community events such as a farmers market, group yoga, outdoor movies, live entertainment and a holiday ice rink.

Future phases in the works, according to the developer, include: a major water body, landscaping and adjacent stores and restaurants.