Off the News: A bridge too far for Hana

All those bridges to Maui’s Hana Town — 54 of them, the old song says, but there are really more than that — just can’t carry everyone. Neither can Hana Highway in general, under repairs for landslides.

So only local traffic is free to use the highway, heading home or to work, until further notice. No checkpoints, but an electronic sign posted at each approach, north and south side, warns tourists away.

If the work is still going when visitors do start returning, perhaps they might prefer a boat tour there.

Seniors-only shopping draws crowds

It’s been a while since most of these people have been carded. But checking IDs for birthdates was enforced for the seniors-only shopping hours at various stores. This has become a venture not only for Hawaii supermarkets but in other states as well.

The intent is to give the senior population, more vulnerable to the coronavirus pandemic, less-crowded access to markets. But at least one store on Thursday morning attracted throngs, with long lines inside the store and out. Is this counterproductive?