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Letters to the Editor

Illegal fireworks happening any time, even at 3:30 a.m.

Extremely loud, wall shaking, pet-terrifying, illegal firework explosions are now happening here on Maui on any given day at any given time, including at 3:30 a.m. recently near my home. Hey, I’m as ready to happily celebrate holidays as the next guy, but scaring dogs, cats, children and folks living within a house-rattling vicinity is not my idea of aloha spirit for your fellow islanders. Of course, I understand why the police don’t have the manpower to stop it, but those of you who are doing it, try to remember explosions like that don’t represent a good time for many of ...

Time to overhaul use of land, money on Maui

Sustainable relief for rental housing on Maui lies in the construction of accessory dwelling units (ADU) similar to those on Oahu. These 525-square-foot backyard homes are built by competent builders in 45 to 60 days. Given the opportunity, forward-thinking Maui folks will invest in an ADU. It’s time to overhaul the use of land and money on Maui. Martin DuPont Makawao

Neglect perpetuates government corruption

Maui County Council is ignoring credible allegations of corruption, abuse and misuse of power by county officials, and it’s indefensible. Especially, when the system is citizen complaint-driven already. Some of us are exploring whether council members can be held responsible for inaction, given they rely on citizen residents to bring notice of violations to their attention. Every county in America makes inquiries and does investigations of county agencies. That is what checks and balances are all about. But Maui County Council rarely ever provides checks and balances. They ...

Recall petitions should be prepared

How could people be so imbecilic, short-sighted and unworthy of public trust? We now have on Maui an exposed conspiracy. Originally the project to bury hundreds of thousands of tons of toxic material was begun without proper notification given to the people — no doubt purposely. The burial site is approximately 2,000 yards from Olowalu recreational areas, beaches and reefs, dug into the side of the West Maui Mountains. The chosen site is as preposterously foolish as when the city fathers dumped the waste from the Great Chicago fire on the lakefront. To be dealt with ...

Fire debris dump site entirely inadequate

I am deeply concerned about the landfill planned for toxic fire debris in Olowalu. I toured the site this week, and the excavation that has already been done, desecrating the Hawaiians’ sacred land, is horrifying. But this is minor compared to what is likely to occur when the dumping of toxic materials begins. The “temporary site” has entirely inadequate safeguards to prevent runoff into the ocean, and once the liner is punctured, the toxins will also penetrate the aquifer. The two-layer liner being laid down cannot and will not prevent this disaster. The materials are simply ...

Life on Maui has become a hardship

Maui will always be our home, even after hearing so many negative comments about living in Hawaii and especially on Maui.   It is all true. Life on Maui has become a hardship, not only for visitors but especially for us local residents.  Costs of property taxes, garbage fees, car registrations, homeowner’s insurance, medication, water meters, utilities and even education have discouraged us from calling Maui our home. No, Maui is not the “best” at present. We can serve ourselves better by voting with more wisdom at the next election.  We need a local government ...