Off the News: Return to the Arizona Memorial

The Pearl Harbor Visitor Center has been pretty quiet since it reopened on June 19, so it’s heartening to see that the National Park Service has resumed trips to one of its most significant and popular sites — the USS Arizona Memorial, above the sunken battleship and grave.

It’s a perfect time for local residents to revisit this place, before school starts, without the hustle and bustle of large crowds. It’s best suited to a quiet, introspective experience, and an unparalleled educational experience for the kids: the world-changing history that occurred in their own backyard.

More control for Ethics Commission

The Honolulu City Council took a step in the right direction by putting proposed City Charter amendments on the November ballot, aimed at giving the city Ethics Commission more independence.

That measure of autonomy would include flexibility in defining job descriptions as well as fiscal control, once the budget is approved by the City Council. This would be preferable to the current process of giving final say to the city Department of Corporation Counsel.

It should help ensure that the panel provides clearer oversight.