Please report park vandalism
On behalf of the Waimea Outdoor Circle, I am again saddened to report yet another robbery at Ulu Laau, the Waimea Nature Park. Early Friday morning, a volunteer discovered a container vandalized and a C344 Shindaiwa Brushcutter removed.
Stealing from the park is a crime against our community and everyone who enjoys the park. The Waimea Nature Park is maintained entirely by volunteers and donations. Please report suspicious behavior immediately by calling 911.
If you have any information, or would like to know how you can help, go to our website @waimeaoutdoorcircle.org or call 443-4482.
Cheryl Langton
Branch president, Waimea
Tweak bill to punish fewer vacation hosts
I am a frequent visitor to your beautiful island. I travel there several times a year, whenever I can get time off work, because I love the place so much. I love the aina itself, and the aloha of the place and its people.
I’m a middle-aged lady, I am not a thrill-seeker. I prefer your island to the others because of the quiet beauty and the friendly people.
Lately, I hear about Bill 108, which will do away with many of the little places that people like me like to stay. We don’t want to stay at the big hotels. The little places run by local people are what we like. Now I hear that this bill will shut them down.
I understand the problem: you don’t want party houses in your quiet neighborhoods, and you don’t want outside owners running tiny hotels with no one to complain to when things get noisy. I don’t want those either.
If the language of the bill could change the definition of a hosted rental to any rental owned and operated by a resident of the community in which it is located then you get rid of the problem of the absentee landlords with party houses run amok.
If you grandfather in all currently tax compliant vacation rentals, all the places where there is no history of problems, then local folks making a little money spreading aloha can keep doing it.
I hope that the lawmakers of Hawaii will think hard about this. Don’t throw away something wonderful because of some bad actors. Please keep the island friendly and personal.
Ruth Adar
San Leandro, Calif.
Writer still upset with president …
With all the constant, violent overtures that spew from Donald Trump, the only comfort gained is that his red ball-capped zealots aren’t sending out more bombs to fuel his hate diatribe.
Those of us who watch his hollow rhetoric with truth find his nonsensical “blame the media” excuse for these mail bombs in the need-to-flush file, along with the rest of his bombastic remarks.
I didn’t realize just how civilized all our presidents have been until I have had to endure old Donald’s nonsense. Each new day we travel down the rabbit hole with Alice and Donald leading the alternate world parade. I guess those who follow him find his lies much more entertaining than the truth.
Steve Snyder
Kalaoa