Few things about the pandemic can be classed as an improvement, but here’s one: Legislative hearings became accessible to members of the public who can only attend online. Both House and Senate are now conducting virtual and in-person sessions.

On Thursday, the state Senate committed to continuing virtual participation, and recordings, “beyond periods of catastrophic events.” There’s surely some benefit to attending personally, but for many folks, it’s not worth the hassle of parking.

UH weather research grant is welcome

The University of Hawaii’s inclusion in a consortium of institutions, which will research and model weather and flooding patterns across the U.S. and Canada, is good news for the islands. With $360 million in shared funding from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, UH researchers will improve modeling for flood patterns in Hawaii.

Project lead Thomas Giambelluca said current national models aren’t very accurate when it comes to the islands. This research will help Hawaii be “water and weather ready” as climate change looms — and we need that.