Caring for our keiki is pricey. A recent study says Hawai‘i families pay an average of $700 to nearly $2,000 per month for child care. And that’s if parents can find space at licensed childcare centers – where supply is far short of demand.

The ʻōhiʻa tree, with its companion lehua blossom, is found only in Hawaiʻi, and is the most common of our Islands’ native trees. It is the keystone of the Hawaiʻi forest, critical to the ecology of our watersheds and sacred in Hawaiian culture.

Ka ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi, the Hawaiian language, once forbidden in schools and nearly lost, is flourishing again in these Islands. In 1978, it became the official state language along with English. It lives in song, in books, in the daily lives of Hawai‘i residents and in schools dedicated to perpetuating native culture.

We know literacy as reading and writing, but it has become so much more. Literacy enables people, especially our keiki, to understand concepts and ideas and express opinions. Importantly, literacy allows them to grasp knowledge needed to meet the demands of today’s rapidly changing world.

Voters in East Honolulu from Hawai‘i Kai to Waikīkī will once again have an opportunity to cast ballots for either Trevor Ozawa or Tommy Waters in a special election on April 13 for Honolulu City Council District 4.

Hawaiʻi’s minimum wage is $10.10 per hour, which is more than the minimum pay in more than 30 other states. The cost of living in our island state is the highest in the country, with housing leading the way.

Retirement: Those golden years when you can enjoy leisure, spend time with family and perhaps travel. But is this dream truly within reach? With many private-sector workers at significant risk of not having enough retirement income to meet basic needs, State lawmakers see a crisis, and are considering a measure to address this problem.

At the estimated cost of $525 million, the Governor wants to build a new State jail in Hālawa to replace the outdated and overcrowded O‘ahu Community Correctional Center in Kalihi. A lawmaker has a different, lower-cost replacement idea for OCCC: Buy the underutilized federal detention center near the Daniel K.

We love the convenience of plastic, but our to-go containers and other common items may end up as unsightly litter along roadsides and find their way into streams, ending up in the ocean where the plastic injures or kills marine life.

Dogs in a yard. Dogs at the park. Dogs at the beach. Dogs in restaurants? It’s possible. State lawmakers are considering bills that would give restaurants the option of allowing dogs in dining areas, under certain conditions. It’s a move fully supported by the Hawaiian Humane Society. State health officials have concerns.