Letters to the editor: 06-25-18

Connect the climate dots this summer

Summer is just starting, and already we are smashing heat records.

In May 2018, every state in the U.S. experienced above-average temperatures, and eight set records.

Last year was the third-hottest year on record, with many parts of the country experiencing oppressively hot days. And 2018 is likely to bring more of the same.

The frequency and severity of summer heat across the United States is being fueled by climate change.

This summer, I urge our trusted news sources like you to provide information about the relationship between extreme heat and climate change when reporting on heat waves and record-breaking heat.

Connecting the dots for readers between the extreme heat and our warming climate provides readers with important facts and context about what we are experiencing, and why we so urgently need to act to address it.

Moreover, the magnitude of the climate crisis, coupled with the availability of solutions, merits constant, high-quality media coverage to educate the public and spur robust discussion.

This summer, please cover climate. Thank you for your consideration.

Don Diedrick

Kailua-Kona

Pondering over clean air room specifics

Just read about building clean air room for my house. It sounds like a good idea with all the vog. A few questions, though.

Do I need a building permit and must I hire an architect to design and stamp my blueprints? Will the county fast track this so I can finish before the volcano quits? Must I first convert my cesspool to a septic tank costing me many thousands of dollars like you must do when you want to add a room? How far away from the bomb shelter I built when Little Kim was threatening to nuke the Hawaiian Islands must it be?

And lastly, can I turn it into a vacation rental when the volcano stops?

James Duke

Honaunau

Kanuha not a good West Hawaii advocate

I read your story today about the county council members who are on a three-day golfing junket to Waikiki, spending over $600 per person per day while our county is literally burning. This comes right after the council members approved huge raises for themselves and now there is a $5 million hole in the budget.

The fact that one of these feckless politicians, Dru Kanuha, wants to become our next senator is particularly troubling. Dru Kanuha has done little in his six years on the council other than collect a paycheck, and now he wants to fill the shoes of Sen. Josh Green? I don’t think so!

Kanuha’s first vote when he got on the council was to support Hilo Councilman J. Yoshimoto for council chair, totally against the interests of West Hawaii. As council chair himself, he refused to even hold a hearing about mayor Kenoi’s pCard misuse, much less reprimand the mayor.

Kanuha plays fast and loose with campaign contributions as well. He didn’t disclose (until after he was caught) getting two free flights from a group whose bill he was sponsoring. And one of his biggest campaign contributors over the years is Jimmy Arakaki, the Godfather of the Hilo Old-Boy machine.

If his record is any guide, Kanuha is not someone who will do a good job representing West Hawaii in the state Senate.

Matt Binder

Kamuela