Letter: With fortune, would quit and go fishing

May 12, 2026

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander makes $71 million a year playing in the National Basketball Association, not including endorsement. That is outrageous how someone playing professional sports can make so much money. It is not uncommon for many athletes to make $50 million a year in all professional sports. LeBron James made a estimated $113 million in the last 12 months, including endorsement. One of the greatest basketball players, Magic Johnson's original contract was $25 million for 25 years. Larry Bird's contract in 1979 was $3.5 million for five years. Roughly about $650,000 a ...

Letter: Election all about housing but infrastructure first

May 9, 2026

You knew it was an election year in the past as roads were resurfaced. Today, it’s all about housing. I agree, but can we put the horse before the cart?  The new housing complex adjacent to the Kihei Longs will create more traffic at the roundabout before and after school. The Lipoa intersection should have been upgraded upon completion of the Ohukai intersection. What happened? Then there's the Uwapo fix that never materialized. But we can have a new subdivision, for the elite, next to the Maui Nui golf course with road improvements onto Piilani Highway to service their ...

Letter: County doesn’t care about Upcountry?

May 7, 2026

A two-million-gallon water tank is planned for Kihei, at the cost of over $12 million. It’s becoming pretty clear that our county government doesn’t care about Kula or Upcountry at all. This water tank is like a slap in the face for Upcountry residents. We have been begging, going to all the meetings, for what? The county always says no money. There are many water tanks Upcountry that have been simply just taken off line. Try talking to the county water department workers that actually know what is going on. We need the Upcountry water system to be a priority, for our ...

Letter: Little goes long way for endangered species

May 6, 2026

I am a Junior at Lahainaluna High School. I am writing to you today because I believe we should be more involved in contributing towards the health of our native sea life. I’m specifically concerned about the Hawaiian monk seal. In 1976, they were classified as “endangered” under the Endangered Species Act, and ever since their population has remained well under 2,000 until today. More than half of the causes are derived from humans,whether it's being tangled up in nets, caught on hooks, and the leading cause, toxoplasmosis. Toxoplasmosis is a guaranteed death caused by ...

Letter: Vineyard improvement causing more problems

April 30, 2026

While the roads were empty in 2020, Vineyard Street in Wailuku got a revamp. A new parking garage was put up. Crosswalks were added for pedestrian safety. An automatic toll both is installed at the exit to the Maui Medical Group parking lot. All seemingly good things. However, I think the redesign has a few details that are compounding into a big problem. Within the last year, there have there been four accidents. Last July, an elderly man leaving Maui Medical parking lot speeds out, oversteers on the turn right onto vineyard and hits the sleep center. Later, a car leaving speeds ...

Letter: Trump will pay for secure ballroom

April 30, 2026

Hats off to the secret service agents working without pay. One agent took a bullet to the chest and stayed on the job. He was protecting all the people including Republicans, Democrats and Independents. He deserves a purple heart! Don’t you agree that law enforcement should be paid? They are protecting all of us. Law and order is the name of the game for all. Trump will pay for the secure ballroom. The Ballroom should be expedited to be finished asap. Enough already. David MummaKīhei