As U.S. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard struggles to right her faltering campaign for president, deafening in their silence are fellow Hawaii Democratic politicians who have been slow to back the hometown candidate. Read more
If adversity reveals character, what it’s showing us about former City Councilman Trevor Ozawa isn’t pretty. Read more
If top state legislators are good to their word, 2019 could be a year of badly needed election reform in Hawaii. Read more
Gabbard built her prominence on a twist to the old political adage that you pick your fights carefully: She carefully picks fights with her own Democratic Party. Read more
In that spirit, I start the new year with inspirational quotations from great minds to carry our leaders into 2019. Read more
It’s the last Sunday of 2018 and time to “flASHback” on the year’s news that amused and confused. Read more
It’s too close to Christmas to be serious, so I’ll wish you a merry one and start the party with some of my favorite holiday quotations. Read more
It’s a sign of our cruel times that some 4,500 Oahuans will spend the holidays out in the cold, but heartening to see so many meaningful and caring efforts to bring them in. Read more
One constant in our city is that money always seems to excuse absurdity. Read more
When I moved from Hilo to Washington, D.C., in 1978 to cover the Hawaii congressional delegation for the Honolulu Star- Bulletin, I called the Gannett News Service office I’d be working from to tell them I’d landed safely. Read more
Hawaii LGs have struggled to find meaningful roles since statehood. They come into office with grand plans, only to find themselves toiling at the governor’s whim with assignments that are often menial. Read more
Mayor Kirk Caldwell stood before microphones last week to announce he’ll float a $44 million short-term loan to meet federal demands to get that much more to the $9 billion rail project by Nov. 20. Read more
I mailed in my ballot out of hope it still matters, but find it more difficult to fault the majority who don’t consider voting worth their time. Read more
The first rule of a functioning democracy is that nobody gets to have everything their own way. Unable to square this with our self-righteousness, we’ve broken down into angry and entitled tribes. Read more
If the teachers’ union wants to amend the state Constitution to facilitate pay raises, it could support a constitutional convention and let its proposal be properly considered alongside all the other priority needs of public education. Read more
For those having trouble understanding the city’s scheme to finish the grossly over-budget rail project with a public-private partnership, perhaps it would help to think of it by another name: Kick the Can Down the Road. Read more
The only way America returns to achieving great things is if principled people across the divide shelve the antagonism and find a way to work together again. Maybe we all need to shut up once in awhile and just listen. Read more
It’s hard to decide what’s worse, the persistent bad news about Oahu’s $9 billion rail project or the city’s unrelenting efforts to put a happy face on the problems. Read more
Twice in six years, state Rep. Romy Cachola has been accused of effectively stealing elections by intimidating elderly immigrants in his Kalihi district to vote for him via mail-in ballots. Read more
The four counties make a fair point in their lawsuit trying to stop a poorly written constitutional amendment that would allow the state to raid real property taxes purportedly to finance public education. Read more
The primary election is finally over, and it’s time to “flASHback” on August’s news that amused and confused. Read more
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