15 North Shore landowners cited for clearing native plants, Hawaii tourism could benefit from Mideast tensions, Maui fire fatality list grows to 99, more news from all the Hawaiian Islands

North Shore Landowners Cited For Clearing Native Plants Along Beach. State coastal land officials issued notices of alleged violation Thursday to 15 North Shore property owners on Oahu for cutting down native vegetation and trees, as well as moving dirt and spreading mulch in a designated conservation district along the shoreline. Civil Beat.

State unveils interactive map of warning sirens. The Hawaii Emergency Management Agency, or HI-EMA, on Wednesday unveiled an interactive map showing the location of 418 alert and warning sirens across the state, as well as their operational status as of the most recent monthly test. West Hawaii Today. Big Island Video News. Kauai Now. Hawaii News Now.

Expert: State’s delay in activating emergency hub for wildfire likely hindered response. For nearly two months, HNN Investigates has tried to nail down exactly who was in the emergency operations centers for Maui County and the state on the day of the Lahaina wildfire. Hawaii News Now.

Middle East tensions ramp up travel concerns that could benefit Hawaii, experts say. Events half a world away from Hawaii may have spurred a worldwide caution on travel. And while it may have a lot of Hawaii residents jittery about traveling abroad, experts say it could have a benefit in the islands. Hawaii News Now.

Oahu

Cops Want Guns Off The Streets. But Are Buyback Programs The Way? A gun buyback is coming to Honolulu for the first time in decades as hundreds of gun owners have new licenses to carry. Civil Beat.

Natural disaster shelter proposed for Koʻolauloa residents in Windward Oʻahu. A first-of-its-kind hurricane shelter could be coming to Windward Oʻahu. A 5-acre plot in Hauʻula is the site of the proposed Koʻolauloa Resilience Community Hub. Hawaii Public Radio.

North Shore Residents Concerned about the Development of McCully's Corner. The development of McCully's Corner, on Oahu's North Shore, just received its third extension to continue its project. However, not everyone is happy about it. KITV4.

Utah developer buys 1,000+ acres of North Shore Oahu land for $45M from Dole Food Co. Public documents show that Oahu Property Owner LLC, which includes a mix of Hawaii-based and Mainland-based investors including Salt Lake City-based Woodbury Corp., recently purchased the agriculturally-zoned land from Dole Food Company. KITV4.

Honolulu Awarded Up To $1 Million For Public Art. The City and County of Honolulu announced Thursday that it received an award through Bloomberg Philanthropies’ Public Art Challenge. Civil Beat.

Hawaii Island

TMT: First-time $6.5M funding from National Science Foundation isn’t construction commitment. There’s first-time funding for the embattled Thirty Meter Telescope from the National Science Foundation, but officials say the new infusion of cash doesn’t mean construction is imminent. Hawaii News Now.

Fate of West Hawaii commericIal aquarium fishing hangs on state High Court judgment. Oral arguments over the fate of commercial aquarium fishing in West Hawaii waters will be heard by the Hawaii Supreme Court on Dec. 5. The lawsuit was originally filed in 2021 by Earthjustice on behalf of a coalition of conservation groups, Native Hawaiian fishermen and cultural practitioners. West Hawaii Today.

Top-ranked E.B. de Silva school eyes expansion as it nears 500 students. Dennis O’Brien, principal of E.B. de Silva Elementary School in Hilo, noted in a recent letter to the school’s parents and guardians that the school has received $3 million in design and planning funds “for four or five additional classrooms.” Tribune-Herald.

Suspect in firearms arrest that caused school lockdown was free pending trial for auto theft. Kamehameha Schools-Hawaii went briefly into a “soft lockdown” Thursday morning as police officers arrested a 52-year-old man walking along Highway 11 near the school with a handgun. Tribune-Herald.   Big Island Now. Big Island Video News

Maui

Lahaina Fire Death Toll Rises To 99. The additional death is attributed to the discovery of human remains last Thursday in the Old Lahaina Courthouse, according to Mahina Martin, a spokesperson for Maui County.  Civil Beat.  KITV4.  KHON2.

Maui’s unemployment rate surges for second straight month. Unemployment on Maui jumped to 8.4% in September from 4.7% in August, according to a state Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism report issued Thursday. Star-Advertiser.

3 more burn zones opening in Lahaina. More than 10 weeks after the Aug. 8 fires, Lahaina residents and business owners will have access to three more areas in the burn zone starting Monday, including parts of historic Front Street. Star-Advertiser.

Hundreds Still Without Power As Hawaiian Electric Rebuilds Lahaina Infrastructure. Extended power outages are expected to continue in neighboring communities as the work continues. Civil Beat.

EPA’s removal of hazardous materials is 75% complete. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said Wednesday that it has removed hazardous materials from more than 75 percent of the burned properties in Lahaina, nearly completing the first phase of the federal cleanup efforts after the August wildfires on Maui.  Maui News. Maui Now.

‘Things have shifted’: Maui farmers applaud in-person visit from powerful land executive. In a move that’s being well-received by traditional Maui farmers who have long felt ignored by the state and big companies,  Department of Land and Natural Resources Chair Dawn Chang met with traditional taro farmers and the landowner who controls their stream on Wednesday. Hawaii News Now.

Lahaina Preservationists Move Fast To Shore Up Baldwin House And Other Historic Sites.  The Lahaina Restoration Foundation is forging ahead with plans to protect and rebuild historic structures in the fire-ravaged town, cheered by support from state archaeologists and historic preservation experts at the Federal Emergency Management Agency.  Civil Beat.

Maui Ecosystem To Get Help From Fire Victims. The Hawaii Land Trust has received $1.1 million from the Hawaii Community Foundation to create 48 temporary jobs for unemployed fire survivors that can bolster the organization’s land conservation projects.  Civil Beat.

3 Lahaina public schools to reopen are 500 students short. The number of public school students who showed up for their first day back at Lahaina’s three remaining public schools as they reopened this week was almost 500 short of the schools’ latest official enrollment, according to data presented Thursday to the state Board of Education. Star-Advertiser. Civil Beat.

Kauai

Kaua‘i hotels at 66.4% occupancy for September 2023. Kaua‘i hotels earned revenue per available room (RevPAR) of $322 (+15.4% vs. 2022, +94.2% vs. 2019), with average daily rate (ADR) at $398 (+9.7% vs. 2022, +67.0% vs. 2019) and occupancy of 80.9% (+4.0 percentage points vs. 2022, +11.3 percentage points vs. 2019). Kauai Now.

‘A‘o gets help reaching the sea. Waimea High School science teacher Charles Folks and Commander Kacee Jossis of the Pacific Missile Range Facility were among the guests invited to the blessing and release of a trio of endangered Newell’s Shearwater birds, or ‘a‘o, at Lydgate Park in Wailua on Wednesday. Garden Island.

Floating body found near Waika‘ea Canal. A badly decomposed body was found floating in the water off Waika‘ea Canal on Tuesday morning. Garden Island. Kauai Now.