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Editorial

Making Maui proud

The annual People Who Made a Difference tabloid presented in this edition of The Maui News continues a tradition of celebrating outstanding Maui citizens that dates back to 1994. Of all the features we work on through the year, this is one of our favorites. What’s not to like about giving credit where credit is due, about shining a light on folks who toil selflessly behind the scenes? Every so often, the duty of breaking the news to recipients falls to us. As phone calls go, this is about as good as it gets for a journalist. Awardees almost always say they are surprised and humbled ...

Trump’s tax records

In 2020, President Donald Trump and Melania Trump paid no federal income taxes by claiming millions in dubious deductions and carrying over losses from previous years. Somehow, that’s not the most scandalous detail to emerge following the House’s four-year legal brawl to obtain Mr. Trump’s tax returns. It turns out the Internal Revenue Service did not conduct — let alone complete — mandatory examinations of Mr. Trump’s returns while he was president, despite its own internal policy from 1977 requiring such reviews and the White House’s claims that they were happening. A ...

Federal funding for crisis line

For all the convulsive court decisions, congressional hearings, price increases, invasions, mass killings and social media takeovers, 2022 should also be remembered as the year of 988 — the nationwide crisis line that went live in July. If the states and the federal government do their work, the number could become far more than just an easier-to-remember suicide prevention resource. It could be the foundation of a vastly improved mental health and emergency response system and an essential tool to defuse needless police violence. Turnaround time was short, in government terms, ...

Mom and pops are fading

Word that landmark Fukushima Store in Haiku may be closing prompted a search for a yellowed clipping from the Sunday feature section of the Dec. 14, 1986 edition of The Maui News. Under the heading, "A look at Maui's unique Mom and Pop stores," the full-page photo essay features a picture of 70-year-old store matriarch, Yoshie Fukushima. She wears a big smile as she assembles a hot dog behind a bun steamer. In the story, Yoshie is asked what makes Fukushima's world-renowned hot dog sauce so special. "It's a secret sauce, I can't tell," she replied. With a laugh and slap on the arm, ...

WSJ on the Jan. 6 findings

The House Jan. 6 committee decided Monday that the best way to cap its 18 months of work would be a political gesture. It thus referred President Trump to the Justice Department for potential criminal prosecution for his efforts to reverse the 2020 election, which culminated in the Capitol riot. What is this supposed to accomplish? A Congressional referral to the Justice Department has all the legal force of an interoffice memo. Attorney General Merrick Garland has appointed special counsel Jack Smith to investigate Mr. Trump’s schemes to stay in office. The Jan. 6 committee’s loud ...

Holiday safety precautions

The holidays are a magical time of year for many as we decorate our homes and businesses with trees, lights and other signs of the season. But these decorations can also pose a safety risk. Insurance and Safety Fire Commissioner John F. King is reminding Georgians “to take certain precautions when decorating their homes this holiday season. When handled improperly, Christmas trees and other holiday decorations can pose fire safety risks.” As reported by the National Fire Protection Association, fire departments across the nation respond to approximately 160 home fires each year ...