Bipartisan congressional panel tours Maui, Hawaiian Electric stock rallies after lawsuit response, Friday siren test canceled statewide, more news from all the Hawaiian Islands

Hawaii Governor Enlists Help From Federal Lawmakers Visiting Maui. A bipartisan congressional delegation met Green on a tour of communities impacted by the fires in Lahaina and Upcountry. Civil Beat. Hawaii News Now.

Inmates are being asked to participate in the massive effort to ID those killed in Lahaina. In an effort to identify more of the Lahaina wildfire victims, the state is tapping into a set of the population that may be willing to provide DNA samples. Inmates at all Hawaii jails and prisons are being asked to participate in the effort. Hawaii News Now.

Hawaiian Electric Shares Soar After It Deflects Blame For Lahaina Fires. Shares in the utility’s parent, Hawaiian Electric Industries Inc., rallied 45% Monday to close at $13.97 after a Sunday evening announcement by the company claiming that all its electrical lines in West Maui had been powerless for more than six hours when flames reported around 3 p.m. Aug. 8 quickly spread and overwhelmed first responders to become the deadliest U.S. wildfire in over a century. Star-Advertiser. Civil Beat.

First Maui victims were loaded into ambulances at least 12 hours before state was notified of deaths. Paramedics started picking up patients in Lahaina with fire-related injuries a little after 3. p.m. on Aug. 8 — at least 12 hours before the county notified key state leaders people had died in the disaster. Hawaii News Now.

HI-EMA cancels September siren test to avoid conflict with Maui memorial. State officials are canceling the monthly all-hazard statewide outdoor warning siren system test scheduled for Friday. Star-Advertiser. Maui Now. KITV4.

AG will not reinstate water official anytime soon, despite calls from some in the Hawaiian community. Several dozen prominent Native Hawaiian leaders gathered at the Capitol last week to voice their concerns about the redeployment of Water Commission Deputy Kaleo Manuel. They are calling on an apology from the Green administration and Manuel's reinstatement. Hawaii Public Radio.

California’s catastrophic Camp Fire could suggest what’s ahead for Lahaina. Officials with the town of Paradise, Calif. — which before Lahaina suffered America’s previous deadliest wildfire in more than a century — have reached out to Gov. Josh Green and Maui County officials to share their experiences as a potential road map of what could lie ahead for Lahaina. Star-Advertiser.

Ex-Maui Rep Kaniela Ing Pleads No Contest To Campaign Spending Violation. Kaniela Ing, who represented South Maui from 2012 to 2018 and also ran for Congress, was charged in February after the Campaign Spending Commission took the rare step of referring the case to prosecutors. Civil Beat. Star-Advertiser.

Oahu

Covid Outbreak Prompts Restrictions At Hawaii’s Largest Prison.  Dozens of prisoners and at least one corrections officer at Halawa Correctional Facility have tested positive for Covid-19, leading to restrictions on activities at the state’s largest prison. Civil Beat.

Honolulu County to temporarily reopen Rent and Utility Relief Program for new applicants. Oahu residents seeking rental or utility relief can apply for the Honolulu County program, which is reopening to new applicants in September. KITV4.

Hawaii Island

Kīlauea volcano exhibiting signs of elevated unrest. Elevated seismic activity continues in an area south of Kīlauea’s summit caldera. Earthquakes occurred steadily through the day Sunday. Big Island Now.

Work progresses on CSO decommissioning: Telescope’s secondary mirror removed last week. The Caltech Submillimeter Observatory is the first of five summit telescopes slated for decommissioning in exchange for the eventual planned construction of the Thirty Meter Telescope. Tribune-Herald.

Connections to scale back plan for new campus. Plans had been in the works since 2006 for a campus on 70-plus acres of land near the corner of Kaumana Drive and Edita Street in Hilo.  Tribune-Herald.

24 Hawaiian Homes Units Awarded In Kona. The units are part of the Laʻi ʻŌpua Village 4 ʻĀkau development in Kealakehe, a rent-to-own Hawaiian Home Lands community. Big Island Video News.

Maui

Lahaina wildfire recovery Day 20: land search is complete, survivors are no longer expected. On day 20 since a deadly wildfire swept through Lahaina Town, Governor Josh Green said the search and rescue on land is complete, and the discovery of any survivors is no longer expected. Maui Now. Star-Advertiser. Hawaii News Now. KHON2.

Maui fire death toll unchanged, but new names released. The confirmed death toll from the Aug. 8 wildfire remained at 115 Monday, with two more Lahaina residents joining the list of those who died in the disaster. Star-Advertiser. Maui Now.

Maui’s Fire And Winds Also Took A Toll On Farmers And Ranchers. The state's ag industry mobilized to provide aid and the state bought feed, but ranchers need rain to grow grass soon. Civil Beat.

Kauai

Visitor mandate resolution falls apart. Kaua‘i County Council members on Wednesday proposed a resolution aiming to implement visitor requirements, including proof of a round-trip ticket or proof of employment in order for people to travel to Hawai‘i. Garden Island.

Ground broken for homes for Hawaiians in Hanapepe. Huli ka lepo (turning of dirt) by state Department of Hawaiian Homes Lands dignitaries, contractors and federal and state officials marked the start of construction on Aug. 23 of a future housing site adjacent to an existing DHHL development in Hanapepe Heights. Garden Island.