‘Rescind that order’
Mitch Roth’s order that cars cannot pull over to the side of the road to view the lava on Saddle Road has created a very unsafe situation in which a line of distracted drivers are viewing the lava as they travel along the highway. This is a recipe for car crashes.
Happily, there was mass civil disobedience at the prime viewing area (which is just a little past the Maunakea Access Road) on Tuesday night, because hundreds of cars decided to be safe and pulled completely off the roadway to see the stunning sight, which is possible in this area.
If safety is the concern, then rescind that order, and let people view the lava. You can create more safety by greatly lowering the speed limit in the viewing area at night.
If the lava crosses the highway, the county plans to block the road to eliminate all eruption-viewing. What is the matter with you all?
This would be a wonderful chance to let people view the once-in-a-lifetime sight — both residents and tourists. Instead, create a plan for viewing access, as was commonly and safely done in the past.
Robin McDuff
Hilo
Lychee trees felled
Our grandfather, Wong Hing, sailed from Canton, China, to Hawaii in the early 1900s to start a new life.
He married Ah Tai Chock, which was an arranged marriage, and they raised 15 children together. “Goong Goong” worked as a cook and houseboy for 1o years at the Hilo Boarding School for the Lyman family.
On his journey from China, he carried several lychee seeds with him, which produced four seedlings.
Wong Hing later purchased Planter’s Meat Market in Ola‘a (now called Keaau) from two Chinese men in 1917. The four lychee trees were planted on the property that year.
In 1932, our dad, Harry T.P. Wong, bought Planter’s Meat Market from Goong Goong. Our dad and mom (Lani P.H. Wong) expanded that business and had six children.
To this day, we can vividly remember seeing the lychee trees laden with red bunches. We would climb up to get our prize, then hide amongst the branches, savoring the sweetness and juiciness of the lychee fruits.
In the 1960s, everyone on the block — including the police substation, Taniguchi Theater, Morita Fountain, Isa Store, Suzuki Store, Planter’s Meat Market and all of the homeowners — were given eviction notices to make way for a new shopping center (now Keaau Shopping Center).
The cultural and historical significance of some of the oldest lychee trees on the island of Hawaii were recognized by Herbert Shipman and Roy Blackshear of W.H. Shipman Ltd. That is why these trees were showcased at the shopping center!
Our question is who recently decided to have the trees destroyed, and why?
Malama i ka ‘aina!
Joycelyn Wong Manalili and Clyde, Cyrus, Lester and Harrilyn Wong
Hilo
