David Shapiro
David Shapiro is a Honolulu Star-Advertiser columnist whose "Volcanic Ash" column appears every Sunday. Shapiro has covered Hawaii and national news for five decades as a reporter, editor and columnist for Honolulu daily newspapers.
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Latest Stories by David Shapiro
David Shapiro: Green’s stamp on schools had better deliver for kids
For a state always proclaiming our keiki come first, we seldom show it when it comes to the quality of our public schools. Read more
David Shapiro: Waters pleases the pols; we’ll see about the voters
Elected leaders are best remembered by good works they leave behind. Read more
David Shapiro: What’s funny to the men maybe not so for women
I’ve been venting pointed opinions in this column for nearly 30 years, and somebody asked which I was most surprised I got away with. Read more
David Shapiro: Lawmakers’ rigged game keeps them cozy and paid
Hawaii’s state and city lawmakers may not be so sharp at taking care of public concerns such as affordable housing, gridlocked traffic and rundown infrastructure, but they’re wizards at taking care of themselves. Read more
David Shapiro: New House stadium plan deserves careful review
UH is no stranger to managing sports venues; it fought for the 10,300-seat SimpliFi Arena at Stan Sheriff Center and runs it capably, and also owns Hawaii’s premier baseball stadium Read more
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David Shapiro: UH pays a heavy price for ego-tripping senators
The state Senate missed a chance to reset its increasingly toxic culture when it voted down Gov. Josh Green’s nomination of Alapaki Nahale-a to the University of Hawaii Board of Regents, where he served as interim chair. Read more
David Shapiro: Legislature starts early on a taxing conundrum
But state and county politicians are already fighting over who will get the bounty from the surcharge when its dedication to rail and county roads ends in six years. Read more
David Shapiro: No time for pakalolo high on busy legislative agenda
All we really need to know about the latest move in the Legislature to legalize and regulate recreational cannabis is that the measure was crafted by an attorney general who doesn’t support it. Read more
David Shapiro: State needs a better plan for protecting abused kids
It’s hard to keep looking at the haunting news photo of Geanna Bradley, the 10-year-old Wahiawa girl found dead Jan. 18 from unspeakable abuse allegedly at the hands of her foster family. Read more
David Shapiro: Is there a football game buried in all of that glitz?
There are few better markers than the Super Bowl of how much bigger, louder, connected and exhibitionist the world has become during my lifetime. Read more
David Shapiro: Old state tax boondoggle gets new legislative life
You’d think the Legislature has enough new bad ideas that they don’t need to recycle oldies. Read more
David Shapiro: Big changes might loom for Honolulu rail agency
With half the city’s rail line running from Kapolei to Aloha Stadium and the final construction phase through Honolulu starting, directors of the Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation are plotting HART’s future. Read more
David Shapiro: Family ties pay off nicely in Green’s musical chairs
State Rep. John Mizuno’s appointment by Gov. Josh Green as state homelessness coordinator was applauded by many, including me, because of the experience and passion he brought to the job. Read more
David Shapiro: Don’t let Hawaii lawmakers off with intentional ignorance
Writing in December’s Hawaii Bar Journal about the massive local corruption exposed by federal law enforcers, University of Hawaii emeritus law professor Randall Roth derided the persistent inaction of state and county authorities as “willful blindness.” Read more
David Shapiro: Start the new year right with some pointed wisdom
Offending those in power is sometimes a necessary part of my work. Read more
David Shapiro: Good efforts in 2023 give hope for new year
Despite the official bumbling so prevalent here, there were players who stepped up with noble efforts in 2023 and are worth watching in the new year. Read more
David Shapiro: Good sentiment, laughs put ‘merry’ in Christmas
For Christmas Eve, we’ll leave the troubles of the world aside and share some of my favorite holiday quotations: Read more
David Shapiro: Pam Burns’ animal impact well told in elegant book
I got to know Pam Burns, longtime driving force of the Hawaiian Humane Society, when we were volunteer judges at Scrabble tournaments for the kids at Kuhio Park Terrace. Read more
David Shapiro: State senators and reps soak in their own futility
The only thing reflected by the reflecting pools around our state Capitol is the futlessness of our local government that keeps us from becoming a better Hawaii. Read more
David Shapiro: Taylor Swift hits a chord with sharp takes on life
I’m a cultural illiterate when it comes to Taylor Swift and the millions of screaming “Swifties” flocking to her “Eras Tour,” which celebrates the phases of her career. Read more
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