It’s heartening to learn that the Honolulu Police Department will clear its backlog of nearly 1,400 sexual assault evidence kits, having them all sent out for testing by the end of this month. Furthermore, about 200 more recent kits will be sent out by the end of this year, HPD says.

The push represents a change in thinking about the kits and the DNA evidence they contain. Previously, if the DNA evidence was not needed for a particular case, the kit might not be tested. Now, the DNA evidence, uploaded in the FBI’s national offender database, can reveal possible links to cases that otherwise might not be discovered or considered.

The result could be more effective prosecution of serial sexual offenders, and exoneration of those wrongly accused.

For better or worse, Allegiant leaves Hawaii

Allegiant Air has ended its Hawaii service for economic reasons. As much as we hate to lose “lift” of Hawaii-bound visitors, the carrier had its share of detractors who won’t be missing it.

The headlines over the years haven’t been too cheery. Labor disputes, an emergency landing due to smoke in the cabin, a computer outage causing delays, and on it goes. The fares were low but the add-on fees sometimes surprised passengers.

If Southwest Airlines service pans out as hoped, island travelers will have more options next year. And Allegiant will still serve Hawaii’s “ninth island” — Las Vegas.