Agree or disagree with her politics, there’s much to admire about U.S. Sen. Mazie Hirono’s grit in her ongoing fight against cancer.

After being diagnosed with stage 4 kidney cancer and having a kidney removed in May, Hirono underwent another operation in June to remove part of her rib. Now, the senator said, she has “some small spots in my thyroid gland,” for which she will be undergoing immunotherapy.

This cutting-edge treatment was successful for former President Jimmy Carter in his fight against melanoma, so that’s certainly encouraging. Here’s hoping for a similar outcome for Hirono, who vows “to continue to do my job during the course of this treatment” and whose vocal activism has grown vigorous this year.

Make longline fishing more attractive to locals

In the interest of keeping its industry afloat, the Hawaii Longline Association (HLA) wants to intervene in a court battle in which a Native Hawaiian fisherman is asking Maui Environmental Court to stop Hawaii officials from issuing a commercial fishing license to foreign fishermen who aren’t legally admitted into the United States.

The HLA contends that without the license, the industry would be devastated because fishermen here don’t want the hard-knock jobs. Rather than preserving the shady licensing practice, which has resulted in poor working conditions and pay for foreigners, efforts should go into establishing a workplace capable of attracting a local crew.