Pali work gets bigger, so best be patient

Amid debris-clearing from a slope above the stretch of Pali Highway now undergoing repairs and safety-focused upgrades, officials spotted a “stress crack” that could potentially touch off another landslide. That underscores the need for more patience (and less whining) among motorists itching for a return to routine traffic flow. In the aftermath of last month’s slide, crews are working seven days a week, 12 hours a day on site fixes. The state Department of Transportation estimates that the entire highway, which sees some 50,000 vehicle trips on an average fully operational day, could reopen in August.

State Hospital to see new beginnings

Hawaii State Hospital administrator William May will be leaving his post in May, and controversies during his relatively short tenure — just shy of five years — have ranged from employees’ safety, to the escape of Randall Saito. Still, May will be leaving a potentially long-lasting mark on the aging site’s makeover: he is credited with helping to nudge forward a plan for a new $160 million, 144-bed facility to replace a 70-year-old building. It’s modeled after the Colorado Mental Health Institute at Pueblo, which May once headed. Construction is expected to start this summer.