VOICES: A loved one’s Christmas wish

As a child I never wrote or asked you for anything, we are in different times now. The real people in charge don’t respond. So I’ve resorted with a plea to a mythological icon.

VOICES: Giving and getting are connected

‘Tis the season of giving, first giving thanks (Thanksgiving) and now giving gifts to our precious keiki and to individuals and organizations who are serving our community on our behalf.

VOICES: Don’t forget the reason for the season

Christmas is in the air, and you can feel it all around you. People are celebrating by putting up and decorating the Christmas trees, exchanging presents and going around wishing everyone happy holidays, good tidings and good wishes.

PARACHINI: Life won’t be normal any time soon

After President Trump’s chief of staff told the head of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration he’d be fired Friday if the agency didn’t approve the first COVID-19 vaccine for distribution that very day, it appears that the distorted political process of developing immunizations for the virus is running its course.

VOICES: Beware of COVID-19 vaccine scams

Vaccines are set to be a key topic for most of 2021. As that conversation heats up, it’s important to be critical of any updates you may see or hear. The anticipation of an approved COVID-19 vaccine is already proving to be an opportunity for scammers.

VOICES: The dreaded Roto-Rooter, the coming of age…

They say better late than never. I had been procrastinating this day for many years. I finally had the dreaded Roto-Rooter procedure, commonly known as, ‘the coming of age for seniors’ or best known as the colonoscopy.

HOOSER: On winning a local election in 2022

Seems so obvious but to my friends who are thinking about running for election in 2022, please remember that elections are decided by the people who show up at the polls.

VOICES: Jobless workers need face-to-face assistance now

My wife and many of her friends and relatives work in the Hawai‘i hotel industry. They are the real backbone of Hawai‘i’s economy. My wife, an employee at one of Kaua‘i’s largest hotels, has worked there for over 20 years in housekeeping and laundry.

Stress solution: Cancel online schooling

Recently, in my AP English class that I am taking at Waimea High School, we were required to design a writing inspired by Jonathan Swift’s “Modest Proposal” of 1729.