Theft hurts students
Theft hurts students
I am a Hawaii Community College diesel mechanics student working on a Hawaiian Homes lot down in Keaukaha on Pakele Street.
One of the dozers used to clear the area got ripped off! The Hawaii Community College diesel program was borrowing a D8H bulldozer. On Tuesday morning (February 12), I noticed the exhaust stack laying on the track of the dozer. Usually it should be sticking straight up out of the hood. I thought it broke off, but as I got closer to check it out, I saw that the turbocharger was missing. Someone had stolen it right off the machine!
Turbochargers are very important to any heavy equipment because they supply a large amount of power. Not only that, they are very costly.
So, to everyone who owns heavy equipment machines, keep everything locked up and enclosed, and always check to see if all components are there before running your machine. It is shameful that Hilo is turning into a city full of thievery and violent crimes.
The students are tying hard to learn a trade a help out the community. What lesson did we learn? Lock up and protect your equipment!
Makani Bosque
Hilo
It’s censorship
Open letter to Hilo High School Principal Robert Dircks and the state Department of Education: I think this retraction of an invitation to Jim Albertini to speak on the military in Hawaii and other related issues is reprehensible and a return to the darkest days of the Vietnam War-era censorship. It is a bucking in to fear of contrary ideas, patriotic extremism and denial of free speech.
What happened to “thought provoking” dialogue and presentations in an educational environment? Does the principal and DOE buckle under one person’s reactionary views? Is the principal and DOE so fearful of ideas that they must be arbitrarily and capriciously censored from the students? Where is Hilo High’s and the DOE’s written policy on denial of speakers like Mr. Albertini?
This arbitrary edict of banishment is shameful on the part of the Hilo High School administration and reflects poorly on the state DOE system.
Please have someone with better training in civics and administration review this decision. Or do we have to resort to pickets and teach-ins again?
Nelson Ho
Hilo
Librarian’s activism
I am absolutely astounded that a librarian, whose mission is to provide information, would allow personal agendas to interfere with the education of our students (Tribune-Herald, Feb. 22).
It is the responsibility of our schools to teach students how to analyze and filter all sorts of information. Does Ms. Amy Okuyama expect that students are going to always be given zero negative information? And, really, who determines the criteria? Ms. Okuyama?
Mr. Jim Albertini’s presentation offers an excellent learning opportunity about the spirit of free speech, separating opinions from fact, and the impacts of both.
While it is commendable that Ms. Okuyama spoke out, her activism belongs in a private citizen venue, not as a paid staff member in the public schools.
Jan Dean
Honokaa
Working for gas
I am curious to know if anyone agrees with me that we are working just to put fuel in our vehicles? It seems that we go through a long day of work, wait to get paid, then fuel up and repeat the cycle. It makes no sense.
Being born and raised on this island, I ask: Is this the rat race in paradise? I have been watching the gas prices go up and down, but mainly up. It fluctuates up and up, then down, then up.
Wages are so low. I am tired to pay to work. Where are the jobs that will allow me to support my family?
What are the future jobs on this island? There seems to be no pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.
Cedric Lodivero
Laupahoehoe
Bleak future for youth
Hilo town is changing. Every day it seems as if there are more and more serious crimes — violent crimes being committed, especially by young adults.
There needs to be more activities for youth, especially people who are in college or attending the university. If Hilo wants to market to the mainland and the world that we are a college town, then we need to have activities and establishments that cater to this population.
Too many shootings, thefts and robberies are being committed by our young people who don’t have hope or promise in the future, so they turn to drugs.
Hilo needs more job opportunities for the youth. If we don’t have employment for them, at least plan a few entertainment centers.
Jonah Kalalau
Keaau