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Top Headlines

HECO joins with wildfire plaintiffs in asking Maui judge to help break settlement logjam

Parties are so close to a global settlement of Lahaina wildfire lawsuits that lawyers on opposing sides are asking a Maui judge to help remove a last apparent obstacle to a resolution.

Civil Beat.

Hawaiian Electric begins installation of weather station network in high-risk areas to strengthen wildfire response

The project includes the installation of 52 weather stations on four islands. The weather stations, mounted on Hawaiian Electric utility poles, will provide meteorological data that will help the company to decide whether to activate and deactivate a public safety power shutoff.

Maui Now.

A closer look at U.S. military emissions during RIMPAC and beyond

The Rim of the Pacific Exercise, or RIMPAC, ends next week. But how much do we know about the military’s greenhouse gas emissions during RIMPAC and as an industry?

Hawaiʻi Public Radio.

Young plaintiffs across the US draw inspiration from Hawaiʻi’s Navahine case

Hawaiʻi reached a landmark settlement agreement last month on climate change. The state Department of Transportation agreed to roll out a new plan to reduce carbon emissions after facing a lawsuit from a group of young plaintiffs.

Hawaiʻi Public Radio.

Court rules in favor of Native Hawaiian midwives

A Hawai‘i state court on Tuesday temporarily blocked part of the Midwifery Restriction Law, which prevents pregnant people in Hawai‘i from using traditional midwives for their pregnancies and births.

Maui Now.

O‘ahu Headlines

New bill would nix Honolulu building permit affidavits

Among the many requirements to obtain a city-issued building permit, applicants must submit a sworn statement declaring they have no outstanding fines or liens payable to the City and County of Honolulu.

Star-Advertiser.

Transportation officials outline hundreds of millions of dollars in West Oʻahu road projects

State and city transportation officials have been moving ahead with big projects in West Oʻahu and the leeward coast in particular.

Hawaii News Now.

Group announces tiny homes plan for homeless kupuna on Waiʻanae Coast

Waiʻanae Moku Kupuna Council announced initial plans Tuesday for a kauhale — a tiny homes project — with the help of Blanche McMillan of Hui Mahi’ai Aina, a kauhale village on state property in Waimānalo.

Hawaii News Now.

House candidates in McCully and Mōʻiliʻili offer sharply contrasting ideas on homelessness

One House candidate supports expanding the state’s largest jail so it can house homeless people. The other wants to bring health care to the homeless.

Civil Beat.

Hawai‘i Island Headlines

Time to end affordable housing credits? Report finds they don’t work as intended

The California-based real estate advisory firm Keyser Marston Associates prepared the report for the county.

Hawaiʻi Public Radio. Tribune-Herald.

Kīlauea volcano rattled by nearly 1,000 earthquakes in three days

The rapid onset and concentrated intensity of the July 22–24 earthquake swarm, coupled with abrupt changes in upper East Rift Zone ground deformation patterns, show that an intrusion of magma is occurring in the area of Pauahi Crater, the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory said.

Big Island Now.

Maui Headlines

This South Maui race is likely to determine the balance of power on the county council.

The Aug. 8 fires emboldened politicians to crack down on the proliferation of short-term rentals to deal with a growing housing crisis. Now it’s an election issue.

Civil Beat.

Maui County commission endorses draft bill to ban short-term rentals

The Maui County Planning Commission has thrown its support behind a proposal from Maui Mayor Richard Bissen to phase out legal use of roughly 7,000 short-term vacation rentals mostly on the Valley Isle.

Star-Advertiser. Maui News. Maui Now.

Realtor claims he was harassed out of plan to house Maui fire survivors, residents respond

A reported confrontation between several men at a beach in Kahana likely ended a plan to house Lahaina fire survivors, according to realtor Gary Mooers.

KITV4.

Kaua‘i Headlines

‘Huge’ gust of wind, ‘bang’ preceded fatal helicopter crash off Kaua‘i; underwater search discovers partial wreckage

Witnesses to the fatal July 11 helicopter crash off northern Kaua‘i experienced a “huge” gust of wind followed by a very loud “bang” noise, according to a preliminary report issued by the National Transportation Safety Board.

Kauai Now. KITV4.

Arson suspected in two fires on Kaua‘i

The Kaua‘i Fire Department said investigators found incendiary devices in the area of the Poki‘i Ridge Fire on Tuesday. The Poki‘i Ridge Fire was first reported on July 18.

Garden Island. Hawaii News Now.