Fentanyl a ‘scourge’
Fentanyl is not a problem exclusive to Hawaii. It is a scourge on the entire country.
West Hawaii Today reports that in 2021, over 100,000 people died of an overdose, and 2022 is on track to be even worse.
I commend Mayor Mitch Roth, Janette Snelling, the West Hawaii Area Complex superintendent for the DOE, Judge Wendy DeWeese, who oversees the Big Island Drug Court, and all the others wringing their hands over the problem.
All are seemingly committed to more education, more services, testing and more ways to help people — all at no small cost to the taxpayers, but I wonder when they will quit mopping the floor and instead turn off the faucet. For the most part, these drugs are made in China and enter the country courtesy of the cartels over our southern border.
You can talk, talk, talk and spend boatloads of money “wiping the floor,” but until leaders in Hawaii and nationally succeed in getting the Biden administration to close and control our borders, turning off the faucet once and for all, they will never be successful.
Mikie Kerr
Waikoloa
Offended by headline
I was shocked and saddened to see the front-page headline in the sports section on Friday, Feb 19.
It called Keaau boys basketball team scrappy!
As if Keaau and the rest of the Puna schools do not get enough bad publicity! Wouldn’t it be nice if we could build up the self-esteem of our children rather than always showcasing the negative!
R. Arkin Joseph
Keaau
First to file
This is regarding “Campaign fundraising off to slow start (Tribune-Herald, Feb. 3).
Erroneous reporting by Nancy Cook Lauer stated that the first candidate to announce a run for County Council was Jennifer Kagiwada, but the truth is TK Wehrsig filed his paperwork with the Hawaii Campaign Spending Commission on Oct. 28, 2021, and it was tweeted by the commission on Oct. 29, 2021.
TK Wehrsig also made a public announcement on Nov. 17, 2021, on Facebook which was aired live on both the Big Island Thieves and Big Island Thieves Media Facebook pages.
Jennifer Kagiwada filed her paperwork with the Campaign Spending Commission on Nov. 23, 2021, which is almost a month after TK Wehrsig filed his on Oct. 28.
I appreciate reading the Tribune-Herald when it reports the proper facts and not try to mislead its readers from the truth. Please have your reporters check their information before publishing erroneous facts which mislead the public.
The truth is that TK Wehrsig was the first to announce and filed paperwork with the Campaign Spending Commission.
Jerald Satake
Hilo