Showing posts with label Hurricane Henriette. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Hurricane Henriette. Show all posts

Monday, August 11, 2025

Hurricane Henriette intensifies north of Hawaii, federal court halts commercial fishing in Pacific protected zone, campaign contributions plummet during legislative session, Rapozo runs for Kauai mayor, more news from all the Hawaiian Islands

Henriette becomes a hurricane in the Pacific Ocean but is not forecast to threaten land. Tropical Storm Henriette rapidly strengthened into a hurricane Sunday in the central Pacific Ocean with further strengthening expected, but it poses no threat to land, the National Hurricane Center said. The storm was located about 445 miles (720 kilometers) north-northeast of Hilo, Hawaii, with maximum sustained winds of 80 mph (130 kph).  Associated Press.

Court halts commercial fishing in Pacific sanctuary. Commercial fishing that recently resumed in a vast protected area of the Pacific Ocean must halt once again, after a judge in Hawaii sided this week with environmentalists challenging a Trump administration rollback of federal ocean protections.  Associated Press. Star-Advertiser. Big Island Now. Hawaii News Now.

Campaign Donations Plummeted During Legislative Session. This year, members of the House and Senate reported raising just over $45,000 during the session that ran from mid-January to early May. That’s 10 times less than in previous years and the lowest in at least a decade. Much of that dropoff could be attributed to a ban on in-session donations from lobbyists, which went into effect last year. Civil Beat.

Hawaii hospitals brace for cuts to Medicaid.  Because of changes written into H.R. 1 H.R.1 — signed by President Donald Trump on the Fourth of July, hospitals across the U.S., including Hawaii, are expecting a significant reduction in reimbursements after patients lose their health insurance. Star-Advertiser.

Oahu

Honolulu City Council OKs new Ocean Safety Commission. The Honolulu City Council voted unanimously Wednesday to confirm five people to serve as inaugural members of the city’s Ocean Safety Commission. Star-Advertiser.

Ala Wai encampments face new city crackdown.
The city Department of Enterprise Services is cracking down on homeless encampments at the Ala Wai Golf Course with new signage marking the grassy perimeter — where homeless encampments have existed for years — as private property. Star-Advertiser.

Latest bargaining cycle covers thousands of Hawaii workers.  UNITE HERE Local 5 members, whose contract at the Ilikai Hotel &Luxury Suites expired in June 2024, rallied outside the hotel waving red flags and wearing placards that read “Respect Our Guests, Respect Our Work.” Star-Advertiser.

Friends help Hawaii Theatre after insurance premiums rose 4,500%. Rising insurance premiums have left the Hawaii Theatre in a tough spot on top of rising maintenance costs, smaller audiences since the pandemic, and diminishing grants for the arts. Star-Advertiser.

Jail Security Chief Says He Wanted Top Gang Members Moved Before Killing. Some current and former OCCC inmates are proving to be reluctant witnesses at the manslaughter trial. Civil Beat.

Boat aground in Kewalo Basin awaits salvage. A boat that ran aground Saturday now awaits commercial salvage.  On Sunday, the U.S. Coast Guard said the 75-foot vessel is secured to the seawall at Kewalo Basin. Hawaii News Now. KHON2.  Star-Advertiser.

Hawaii Island

Inaba: Council won’t override mayor’s veto of Bill 59. The bill, approved 7-2 by the council on July 9, would have prohibited pedestrians from soliciting rides, jobs, business, or other services within 15 feet of a roadway unless vehicles were legally parked. Tribune-Herald.

Community invited to share input at Mauna Kea stewardship Talk Story in Nāʻālehu. The Mauna Kea Stewardship and Oversight Authority is holding a Talk Story on Wednesday in Nāʻālehu to foster continued engagement with community members and residents across the Big island. Big Island Now.

$30.9M wastewater project kicks off in Pahala to shut down aging cesspools by 2027. Construction of a new wastewater collection system is underway in Pahala, marking a key milestone in Hawaii County’s effort to shut down large capacity cesspools, or LCCs, in the Ka‘u District as required under federal law. Tribune-Herald.

Drought grips Big Island. Conditions on the island range from abnormally dry to extreme drought, and the absence of rain has left many areas quite dry and prone to wildfires. Tribune-Herald.

Maui


Maui County Reaches Grim Milestone In Fire Victim Identification. The police forensic team has determined that nothing more can be done to separate and identify the last partial remains. Civil Beat.

Mixed messaging, other challenges stymie Maui’s tourism industry. Lahaina continues to rebuild, but employers and employees have had to adjust to a diminished economy, and the Lahaina Small Boat Harbor — once the hub of Maui’s ocean tourism industry — remains months, if not years, away from reopening. Star-Advertiser.

Piece by piece, the people of Lahaina rebuild their homes and truck away the ashes. In Lahaina, home construction is picking up and fire debris is being transferred to its final resting place. But for survivors, recovery is a very uneven journey. Hawaii Public Radio.

Returning to Lahaina: Neighbors reunite as destroyed communities build back.
On a recent day in Lahaina’s Wahikuli subdivision, about a mile from Komo Mai Street, staccato blasts from nail guns and hammering rang out over a landscape that includes over a half-dozen homes rising on one street, surrounded by many more under construction on neighboring blocks. Star-Advertiser.

Hundreds honor victims during paddle-out on anniversary of 2023 Maui wildfires. Scores of people paddled through the waves on their surfboards to create the paddle-out ceremony with some paddlers and boaters honoring individuals who perished. Maui News.

Tribute on two year wildfire anniversary brings Maui community together in healing. During the third and final 2025 Kuhinia Maui gathering marking the second anniversary of the Maui wildfires, hundreds of community members came together at Lahaina Civic Center to pay tribute to lives lost through songs, speeches and multicultural and multigenerational presentations. Maui Now.

Kauai

Mel Rapozo jumps into Mayor’s race. In an Aug. 7 formal press release from Mel for Mayor 2026, the current Council Chair, Mel Rapozo, announced his candidacy for Mayor of the County of Kauai in the 2026 election. Garden Island.

Kaua‘i County Mayor Kawakami completes successful Sister City, cultural exchange visit to Japan.
Kaua‘i County Mayor Derek Kawakami and a delegation from the Garden Isle recently returned from a successful diplomatic and cultural exchange visit to Japan, reaffirming Sister City relationships that span generations and opening new doors for educational, cultural and economic collaboration between Kaua‘i and its Japanese counterparts. Kauai Now.

New Kauai charter school welcomes its first students
. On the first day of the Department of Education school year calendar, Namahana Public Charter School opened its doors Monday to its first cohort of students in the seventh and eighth grades. Star-Advertiser.

Hale Kipa’s container farm program turns youth shelter residents into farmers. Vulnerable youth and Hale Kipa’s emergency youth shelter residents grow fresh produce, learn about farming, earn a stipend and invest in the community at a recently installed agricultural facility built entirely inside of a shipping container. Garden Island.