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Letters to the Editor

New Year’s Day story ends happily at hospital

As the clock ticked down to midnight for the New Year, the sounds of loud booms and crackling fireworks could be heard and seen from my lanai in Wailuku. My dog Lexi was in a frenzy state of mind the entire night. The display of fireworks was just amazing. New Year’s Day was a relaxing time at home binge-watching movies. The evening changed rapidly for me. I began having an increasing tingling sensation in my mouth. In the span of about 30 minutes, I decided to drive myself to Maui Memorial Medical Center emergency room. I was having an allergic reaction from some of my ...

Bring 3-D house printer here to provide homes

I lost my home in Lahaina and I want to see a 3-D house printer come to Maui . An estimated 2,000 homes need to be built on Maui. That would justify the cost of shipping the machine to Maui and the technicians, who could teach a whole new generation of builders how to do it. These 3-D printed homes can be framed in three days. Hempcrete should be used. It is both fire- and termite-resistant. We could even have a whole new agriculture industry by growing the hemp here on Maui. Jan Doehi Lahaina

Void of important updates filled with misinformation

Mayor Richard Bissen rarely, if ever, gives press conferences, unlike every other previous Maui mayor as well as every mayor on every island.   This creates a void of important updates for the community, which quickly get filled with rumors, misinformation, incorrect information and opinions filed with emotions not facts.  Mayor Bissen is accountable to the community. He needs to keep the community informed, especially during this catastrophic tragedy, so the community can make informed decisions.  Deborah Pozin Kihei

Doubtful permanent debris site can be built on Maui

Recently, Mayor Richard Bissen informed a Maui County Council committee that the site selected to hold debris from last year’s Lahaina fire will not store it permanently. Instead, the debris will be at the Olowalu site only until a permanent spot is identified and a landfill built there. As someone who was born and raised in Lahaina, (Lahainaluna, Class of 1958), I do not believe a permanent site to hold the toxic materials can be found and built on Maui. East Maui’s mountainous terrain and its lack of adequate infrastructure removes it from consideration as a permanent ...

Temporary dump likely to lead to tragedy

Although I’m happy to hear that the mayor has decided against Olowalu as a permanent dumpsite for the toxic debris from Lahaina, the decision to move forward with this location as a so-called “temporary” site is likely to lead to tragedy for our island home. It seems inevitable that the toxins will leak and leach carcinogens into our ocean and aquifers, and it is a desecration of the Hawaiians’ sacred land. Our mayor and our council know all this. They heard hundreds of Maui residents who showed up last week and voiced their strong opposition to this terrible idea. Since ...

Planning for more housing not enough to solve problem

I read where the governor and mayor are planning to build more permanent housing for the Lahaina fire victims. All well and good but not enough to solve the problem. I think all social media is nonsense so I’m not on it. But maybe someone who is or who knows someone can start a movement explaining the problem of our critical housing shortage here and the unwillingness of most short-term rental owners to convert their properties to long-term rentals. The over 27,000 short-term rentals exist because of the ludicrous prices tourists are willing to pay. Maybe some social media-savvy ...