State prepares for lackluster primary election, paddle-out ceremonies commemorate Maui fire anniversary, Waikiki hotel workers vote to strike, more news from all the Hawaiian Islands

Paddle Out ceremony honors the 102 victims killed in Lahaina. Some 4,000 people attended a Paddle Out on Thursday morning in the waters off Hanaka‘o‘o Beach Park, including Maui’s three Lahaina canoe clubs and the Hokule‘a, the double-hulled voyaging canoe known for bringing people together and persevering Hawaii’s treasured values. Star-Advertiser. Maui Now.  Hawaii News Now.  Associated Press. KITV4.

Early votes suggest apathetic turnout for Hawaii primary. In a sign of a likely dismal turnout when all of the ballots are counted, only about 198,000 people across Hawaii have voted ahead of Saturday’s primary election — a considerably lower proportion of total votes when compared with the 2022 and 2020 primaries. Star-Advertiser.

What to expect in Hawaii’s state primaries. Voting concludes Saturday in Hawaii’s state primaries, where candidates for Congress and the Legislature will compete for their parties’ nominations. Associated Press.

As ballots come in, here's how the Office of Elections processes the votes. With just two days until primary election day, volunteers and observers were busy Thursday processing ballots as they come in through the mail and drop boxes. Hawaii Public Radio.

DOE restores some suspended school bus routes. The state Department of Education said 34 of 147 previously suspended school bus routes on Oahu, Hawaii island and Maui will be restored starting Monday. Star-Advertiser. Big Island Now.  Hawaii News Now.  KITV4.

State’s Legal Expenses For Maui Wildfires Topped $6 Million. Hawaii may have avoided costly litigation when it reached a $4 billion settlement with Maui wildfire survivors this week, but the state has already spent millions of dollars on legal advisors since fires engulfed Lahaina last August. Civil Beat.

Oahu

Waikiki hotel workers authorize strike. About 5,000 Unite Here Local 5 hotel workers took a crucial step Thursday toward labor strikes at seven Waikiki hotels. Star-Advertiser. Hawaii News Now.  KITV4.

City to begin road rehabilitation project in Kakaako. The city’s Department of Design and Construction is set to kickstart a road rehabilitation project in the Kakaako area starting Aug. 19. Hawaii News Now.

Hawaii Island

Hawaiʻi Island lawmakers consider bill to encourage beekeeping. The Hawaiʻi County Council is moving along Bill 144, which allows beekeeping in every zoning district on the island, including those meant for residential, commercial or industrial purposes. Hawaii Public Radio.

Publisher, bookseller David Reed dies at 74. David Reed, publisher and co-owner of Petroglyph Press and Basically Books, died Aug. 2 at his home in Hilo after a brief illness. He was 74. Tribune-Herald.

Maui

Survivors experience first anniversary of tragic Maui wildfires. There are as many memories of the Aug. 8, 2023, Maui wildfires as there are people who experienced the horrors of that day. Star-Advertiser. Civil Beat. Maui Now.  Hawaii News Now.

The Lahaina Burn Zone Is Coming Back To Life. How To Keep It Safe Is A Work In Progress. The Maui Police Department is combining new technology, better equipment and more responsive policies in the aftermath of last year’s fire. Civil Beat. Hawaii Public Radio. Maui Now.

Maui wildfires one year later: Governor signs off on transition of Mokuʻula from the state to Maui County for its cultural restoration. As state, county and federal leaders gathered to reflect on the one year mark since the devastating Maui wildfires, Gov. Josh Green announced he signed papers to “purposefully transition” Mokuʻula from the state to Maui County for its cultural and ecological restoration. Maui Now.

Historic Lahaina documents to be available on Office of Hawaiian Affairs’ Papakilo database. Release of the Historic Lahaina Photography Collection goes live on the one-year anniversary of the Maui wildfires. Maui News.

Iconic Lahaina Banyan Tree being cloned. Among the many living things affected by the Lahaina fire — Front Street’s long-standing banyan tree is making its recovery. KHON2.

FBI and Maui police investigating IEDs found in Kahului and Pukalani. The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Maui Police Department are investigating Improvised Explosive Devices left in the Kahului and Pukalani areas of Maui, according to a joint statement from the FBI’s Honolulu Division and MPD. Star-Advertiser. Maui News. Maui Now.

Kauai

Road closure scheduled in Līhu‘e for private waterline installation. Eha Street will be closed to both eastbound and westbound traffic from Aug. 15 to Oct. 15, weekdays, from 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., weather permitting. Kauai Now.

East Kaua‘i path joins Rails-to-Trails Hall of Fame. Rails to Trails Conservancy, the nation’s largest trails advocacy organization, announced that Ke Ala Hele Makālae on the Hawaiian island of Kaua‘i is the newest member of the organization’s Hall of Fame. Kauai Now.