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It’s the last Sunday in September and time to flASHback on the month’s news that amused and confused. Read more

It’s the last Sunday in September and time to flASHback on the month’s news that amused and confused:

>> A Honolulu Star-Advertiser poll found most Hawaii voters think our elected officials are moving in the wrong direction, don’t care what we say and lack ethics. We keep electing them anyway in case there’s a crisis that only can be solved by sign- waving.

>> Support for the Thirty Meter Telescope on Mauna Kea plunged after months of protests, along with Gov. David Ige’s personal favorability, but Ige said it’s “not a popularity contest.” If it’s a pie-throwing contest, he’s in even bigger trouble.

>> Ige castigated TMT protesters for speaking unkindly to state officials. He doesn’t like when they talk to him like he’s a slow learner.

>> Mayor Kirk Caldwell, whose poll numbers also sank, extolled Foster Botanical Garden’s “corpse flower” as “one of the largest, rancid-smelling and awe-inspiring flowers in the world.” He’s charming when he sticks to his area of expertise.

>> The City Council passed, and Caldwell signed, a bill allowing “courtesy” building inspections to speed construction projects. To apply, builders need answer only one question: “What’s in YOUR wallet?”

>> Council members deferred an audit of law enforcement agencies roiled by corruption concerns, including the Police Department, Prosecuting Attorney and Ethics Commission. They’re waiting until all the horses escape to close the barn door.

>> Comic Augie T. is running for City Council, with a fundraiser headlined by fellow funnymen Frank De Lima and Andy Bumatai. If we’re going to be governed by comedians, may as well go professional.

>> Federal transit authorities approved the recovery plan for Oahu rail but withheld $744 million in funding until the city’s numbers prove out. It’s the fiscal equivalent of safe sex.

>> U.S. District Judge J. Michael Seabright delayed sentencing of Katherine and Louis Kealoha for conspiracy and obstruction until Halloween. Honolulu’s top-selling costume this year is the orange jumpsuit.

>> Two Mauna Kea telescopes won a share of a $3 million prize for the world’s first image of a supermassive black hole. They pointed their instruments at government ethics in Hawaii.

>> The developer of the planned Mandarin Oriental Hotel and Residences tower near the Hawai‘i |Convention Center is offering a |$35 million penthouse billed as “rarefied air, for the most discerning few.” We get richer people looking further down on us every day.

>> Hawaii’s cost of dying leads the country, a new study says, with our average end-of-life expenses totaling $41,467. When you look at the news, it’s almost worth the price.

And the quote of the month … from Caldwell on his latest unpopular changes to rubbish pickup rules: “If we don’t adjust and make change, things are not going to improve.” Words to remember the next time his name appears on a ballot.

Reach David Shapiro at volcanicash@gmail.com.