Wasting not, wanting not, in gratitude

While practicing an American medley of tunes by a male composer named Clare for the Kauai Community College Orchestra winter concert — with Thanksgiving Day upcoming — it struck me that “Turkey in the Straw” wasn’t included.

Fee needed to fund public transit

We do live on an island and bringing too many cars, plastic bottles or Styrofoam coolers just makes no sense as the more stuff we bring over, the more crowding of roads and landfills. We only have a finite amount of space.

Choosing the chair – Whose bias do you prefer?

Today being the first post-election meeting of the Kauai County Council is sure to be non-eventful on its surface. But the sub-currents are no doubt running strong, even as the winners are gracious and the losers act like all is OK.

For every car that arrives, one should leave

I find myself thinking about: “What time should I leave my house to be on time? Will traffic congestion only get worst, like it has over the last few years? When will things get any better?” It seems that we are leaving home and work earlier and earlier (or later and later) to “beat the traffic” here on Kauai.

Housing: Long-term affordability needed

Council Chair Mel Rapozo and I have co-introduced ​Bill 2725​ that would establish a policy of long-term affordability for housing that is provided with taxpayer monies and/or required as a condition of zoning. Bill 2725 would prevent such housing from being sold into the market after a number of years.

Judicial conservatives or Republican Party hacks?

Recent Supreme Court appointees Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh each declared he would be politically impartial while on our highest court. Each stated he is a judicial conservative: a jurist who professes to interpret the Constitution according to its plain language and original intent.

An open letter to the newly elected

First of all a congratulations is in order for the winners. Whether or not I personally voted or supported, or perhaps even opposed your election, you won fair and square and I congratulate you for that achievement. And now you represent, all of us.

Expecting – and handling – the unexpected

The known but often-forgotten fact of our lives — to expect the unexpected — has been underlined today once again as I turned on my computer to write this column. There had been a number of automatic Microsoft downloads that needed to be configured, and configured, and configured …

Hawaiian language was never suppressed, banned

Anrticle published in TGI Sunday (Oct 28) says “[Hawaiian] language had been suppressed for decades, with an 1896 law that banned education through Hawaiian widely seen as a pivotal part of the language’sdecline.”

We need a strong mayor

Pre-election time. It is really interesting to watch the debates of the candidates in the current phase of campaigning, but it is also interesting to read the reports about such debates like the one published in The Garden Island (Sept. 21) and in later issues as well.

Election reflection: Our homeless neighbors

There is no silver bullet to end homelessness on Kauai. And there are a million reasons people end up without a safe, dry place to sleep! Thank God we’re in warm, sunny Hawaii, where it never rains.

Native Hawaiian culture is worth learning about

In Dean Sabado’s letter of Oct. 25 (“Why we should study Hawaiian history”), the description of the Native Hawaiian population 125 years ago needs correction. Hawaiians were not “hunter-gatherers,” which refers to subsistence lifestyles of people many thousands of years earlier (who did not live in Hawaii) who survived by finding edible plants and some hunting.

Schleck was a treasure in many ways

As soon as Bob Schleck arrived on Kauai in 1969, he embraced the island, its history and culture, and he made preservation of these elements his lifelong passion and profession. Over his lifetime, Bob has been instrumental in preserving buildings, landscapes and significant tangible aspects of the multifaceted, multigenerational culture of Kauai.

Deadline to vote is TODAY!

Today and every day (except Sunday) between now and Nov. 3, from 8 a.m. until 4 p.m., Kauai residents can walk in and vote in Lihue at the Historic County Annex Building, 4386 Rice Street, directly next to where the County Council meets weekly.