There’s nothing like a contraflow lane to tell a once-rural community that Big City Lifestyle — or at least its bad-traffic component — is creeping closer. Kauai already has its contraflow on Kuhio Highway. And now the state Department of Transportation is about to test one for Hawaii island. It will be implemented on a trial basis, 6-8 a.m. April 30 through May 11 on Keaau-Pahoa Road (Highway 130), between Kaioli Drive and Shower Drive.

DOT also is providing taxi service through the area for pedestrians and bicyclists. That can’t last, can it? Life’s tough in the Big City.

Rat lungworm is back; wash your greens

Hearing again about rat lungworm disease is an unwelcome blast from the not-too-distant past. It was about this time a year ago that rat lungworm cases here were already at six in the first quarter, fueling public concerns about the disease and how to prevent it. All told, 18 cases were confirmed in 2017.

On Wednesday, the state Health Department said that three rat lungworm cases have been confirmed since the start of this year. The two most recent patients were an adult Maui male resident, and a teen from New York who was on a family vacation on Hawaii island; that latter case made the New York Post.

Prevention, in the form of washing fresh produce before eating, can go a long way. For more, see 808ne.ws/2IO56Kw.