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An acute housing shortage hitting fire survivors on Maui is squeezing out residents even as they try to overcome the loss of loved ones, their homes and their community. The situation is prompting state lawmakers to consider giving counties the authority to phase out vacation rentals.
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Nearly two dozen students from Hawaiian immersion schools on Maui have traveled to the state Capitol multiple times this legislative session with a simple message. The high court’s unanimous decision found the state attorney general's office made false statements to try to exploit the Maui wildfires to advance its own interests.
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Long-term funding could finally be coming to the state’s DA BUX program. The initiative cuts the price in half for eligible produce grown by Hawaiʻi farmers, and this year’s state budget bill could allocate a recurring $1 million annually to DA BUX.
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A state legislative bill to create a pilot program for a state-initiated expungement process for Hawaiʻi County passed a final reading in the House and will be transmitted to Gov. Josh Green for approval.
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The 10 red-light cameras currently installed in urban Honolulu have issued over 900 citations. The chosen intersections, such as King Street and Ward Avenue, have a history of high crash rates.
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Hawaiʻi's two electric utilities briefed the Senate on Thursday about their wildfire mitigation efforts since the Aug. 8 fires. The vast majority of the 3.5-hour briefing was dedicated to Hawaiian Electric.
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Honolulu Mayor Rick Blangiardi is formally asking to create a standalone Department of Ocean Safety on Oʻahu. The council has been moving along its own measure that would ask voters this year if they wanted an ocean safety department with its own oversight commission.
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The owner of the property selected for Lahaina's fire debris disposal site has filed a lawsuit against Maui County and its eminent domain actions to acquire the 20 acres. As HPR's Catherine Cluett Pactol reports, the property owner tried to donate 5 acres, but the county said it needs all 20 acres.
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A new report released by Hawaiʻi Attorney General Anne Lopez includes a minute-by-minute analysis of the actions taken by emergency organizations and first responders, as well as an assessment of the environmental conditions that exacerbated the Lahaina fire in August 2023. It does not, however, determine the cause of the fire. HPR's Ashley Mizuo and Savannah Harriman-Pote have more.
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Herbal cigarettes don’t contain tobacco or nicotine but can still be harmful to users, so the Honolulu City Council wanted to limit their accessibility to Oʻahu’s youth via Bill 1.
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The Maui Fire Department released a separate report this week about its response to the deadly August wildfires. Chief Brad Ventura said staffing was not an issue as firefighters from across the state flew in to help — but the limited amount of vehicles and equipment available on Maui posed challenges. HPR's Catherine Cluett Pactol reports.
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The report indicates that environmental and geographic factors combined with preparedness and response conditions enabled the Lahaina fire to rapidly intensify in August 2023. In the coming days, the HPR news team will bring you stories about how the report impacts local government, Hawaiʻi's main electric utility, and the community.