Only one way out -- state grapples with evacuation routes, 10k Maui fire claims reach $3.4B in losses, Hawaii Gas seeks 17.7% rate hike, more news from all the Hawaiian Islands

Is Hawaiʻi prepared for its next disaster? The state's race for emergency evacuation routes. HDOT director Ed Sniffen estimated that roughly 20% of Hawaiʻi's developed communities have only one point of ingress and egress — or only one-way in or out. About half of those communities are also in areas prone to wildfire. Hawaii Public Radio.

Over 10,000 claims due to Maui fires top $3.29B in losses and damage. Some $2.34 billion of the claims, or over 71%, were paid as of June 30, according to data released Monday by the state Insurance Division. As many as 3,782 of the claims were reported as total losses. Star-Advertiser. KHON2.

Hawaii Got a Grant To Speed Up Infrastructure For Affordable Housing But Needs Much More. A $6.6 million federal grant to help increase the supply of affordable housing in Hawaii will be primarily used to design infrastructure for high-density residential areas on the neighbor islands, including around public housing on Maui and the Big Island. Civil Beat.

Hawaiʻi Gas files utility rate adjustment with PUC for all islands. Hawaiʻi Gas files utility rate adjustment with PUC for all islands. Hawaiʻi Gas filed an application with the Hawaiʻi Public Utilities Commission on Friday requesting an average statewide increase of about 17.7% in utility rates. Maui Now. KHON2. 

Voter Service Centers open for in-person voting, same-day registration. The centers also offer same-day registration and ballot collection. Each county has at least one center open through primary election day on Saturday, Aug. 10. Hawaii Public Radio.
 

UH study finds Native Hawaiians face higher rates of accelerated biological aging. A new study by the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa discovered for the first time that Native Hawaiians experience higher accelerated biological aging in comparison to White and Japanese American residents. Hawaii News Now.   Big Island Now.

State Circuit Court rules in favor of Native Hawaiian midwives. A state Circuit Court has ruled in favor of plaintiffs challenging a Hawaii law that prevented traditional midwives from assisting in pregnancies and births without state-issued licenses. Star-Advertiser.

Oahu

Honolulu Officials In 2004 Had A Vision Of The City In 20 Years. The Reality Looks Much Different. As the city updates its development plan for urban Honolulu, officials hope to achieve more goals than they have since the last update. Civil Beat.

Honolulu residents invited to give feedback on urban development plan. The Honolulu City Council Committee on Planning and the Economy is working on the Primary Urban Center Development Plan to outline growth through 2040. Hawaii Public Radio.

Shidler gives $1 million to launch UH Cancer Center Director’s Innovation Fund. University of Hawaii alumnus and philanthropist Jay H. Shidler is donating $1 million to the University of Hawaii Cancer Center. Star-Advertiser.

Hawaii Island

Big Island Police Didn’t Have Probable Cause To Arrest Albert Lauro Jr. of Hawaiian Paradise Park For Dana Ireland’s Murder, Chief Says. Hawaii Police Department Chief Benjamin Moszkowicz said Monday that his department didn’t have probable cause to arrest the former “Unknown Male No. 1” for the Christmas Eve 1991 murder of Dana Ireland in lower Puna. Tribune-Herald. Civil Beat. Star-Advertiser. Hawaii Public Radio.  Big Island Now.  Hawaii News Now.  KHON2. KITV4.

County’s eminent domain plan heads to court. A plan by Hawaii County to take private land in Puna in order to restore Pohoiki Road has gone to court. Tribune-Herald.

Neighbors of Punalu‘u project seek contested case. In May, the Punalu‘u Village project — a 225-unit resort community to be built on a 147-acre parcel in Punalu‘u mauka of the black sand beach there — stalled after two different groups of Ka‘u residents successfully appealed for a contested case against the project during a meeting of the Windward Planning Commission. Tribune-Herald.

Maui

Researchers Face Funding Gap In Effort To Study Long-Term Health Of Maui Fire Survivors. The University of Hawaii team is having to recalibrate plans after the governor vetoed a wildfire omnibus bill, setting back efforts to follow a larger cohort of survivors. Civil Beat.

New ferry routes proposal gaining support in Maui County. Maui County residents are weighing in this week about a proposed county-run ferry service between Maui, Lanai, and Molokai. It comes after mounting complaints about a need for transportation between the county. Hawaii News Now.

Kauai

Voter Service Center opens in Lihu‘e. Harold and Rose Matsunaga whipped out their voting receipt on Monday as the couple strolled up the ramp leading to the Voter Service Center, which opened on Monday for the 2024 Primary Election. Garden Island.

Kapa‘a and Waimea swimming pools to resume regular hours July 30. The Kapa‘a and Waimea swimming pools will resume their regular hours starting July 30, according to the county of Kaua‘i Department of Parks and Recreation. Kauai Now.