It is disturbing to hear the statistic from the March of Dimes: Native Hawaiian and Filipino mothers’ risk of delivering a premature baby is above average; they comprise half of Hawaii’s preemies, who can have lifelong health complications.

March of Dimes, the organization whose national convention ended here Wednesday, plans to counter this problem nationally by improving health care for mothers and babies. Consider how much worse Hawaii’s rate would be without its vaunted prepaid health coverage law.

More EV chargers needed, study says

A just-released Hawaiian Electric Companies study forecasts that by 2030 some 3,600 public chargers will be needed to accommodate a growing inventory of electric vehicles in the islands. That’s more than 10 times the current count. In addition, the utilities foresee an estimated need for 47,000 private chargers in homes and workplaces.

Electric vehicles are an increasingly common mode of transportation on Hawaii’s streets, where the typical commute is less than 30 miles — typically well within battery capacity. Even so, “range anxiety” persists. Ramping up the inventory of public chargers would likely encourage many more motorists to switch to cleaner-emissions technology.