Let’s hope HART isn’t being railroaded

The trickle of new rail project expenses has become a river, with the amendment to the contract between the Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation and Paragon Partners Ltd. That’s the California real estate consultant hired to secure — at a newly accelerated pace — the 159 properties needed to keep construction on schedule.

Look at some of the line items from the amendment, approved Thursday by HART. Over $130,000 for multiple staff apartment leases, $50,000 for car leases, more than $94,000 for meals, $75,000 for travel to and from the mainland. HART leaders pledged to watch "every dollar" — we hope so. And Chairman Ivan Lui-Kwan mused that Paragon has "taken advantage of our compromised position." You think?

Girls can do robotics, and a lot more besides

Kudos to the teenage girls at Kalani High School who have stepped up to mentor younger girls in robotics. The older girls have persisted in an academic area dominated by boys and want younger girls to seize the opportunities that stem from an interest in technology and an aptitude for math, science and engineering.

The five-day program that Kalani’s robotics team helped organize for middle-school girls is sure to spur more interest in robotics teams and clubs throughout the island. As Kalani student Sara Nakagaki put it, "Girls can do robotics." And they should!