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A quiet corner of Pearl City, once a scene of controversy, is settling into a peaceful future.
Hale Mohalu II, a brand-new complex of 84 low-income rentals, continues the reinvention of an 11-acre site that had been the scene of protest on behalf of the Hansen’s disease patients who lived there. When the state sought to close Hale Mohalu Hospital some three decades ago, its residents stood their ground, preferring that home to relocation at Leahi Hospital.
The number of patients at Hale Mohalu has dwindled to seven, but elsewhere on the property, the population is booming.
The nonprofit Coalition for Specialized Housing produced two midrise buildings for seniors, and two, including this one, for families.
It seems a fitting ending to this story, a testament to perseverance.
McDermott goes a little overboard
State Rep. Bob McDermott might need a lesson in etiquette after he spewed profanity on the House floor, upset that his fellow Republicans didn’t immediately surrender their allotted speaking time so that he could continue his remarks on a budget item. In a rare outburst on the floor, McDermott demanded that his Republican colleagues “do your (expletive) job.”
Still, it’s understandable that McDermott would advocate passionately that $35 million be restored in the budget to expand the overcrowded Campbell High School, which is in his district. The amount was slashed to $15 million while money was inserted into the budget for a new high school on Maui.
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