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The Conversation: Wednesday, May 30th, 2018

USGS

Kilauea Activity Claims Geothermal Wells; Tourism Misconceptions in Wake of Volcanic Eruptions; Freezing Credit to Stop Identity Theft; Racial Equality Through Fair Housing

Puna Geothermal Venture Declared Safe by HI-EMA

Credit USGS

Emergency management officials are planning to fly over Puna Geothermal Venture’s power plant to see if any more wells have been overrun by the lava in the last 24 hours. Two wells were claimed over the weekend. Emergency management officials say the situation at the facility is stable, but are keeping a close eye on the facility. We just talked with HiEMAAdministatorTom Travis this morning about where things stand.

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Tom Travis

HTA Clears Up Volcano Misconceptions

Credit Flickr

Much of the mainland news coverage of the Kilauea eruption has reminded us of how little volcanoes are understood by the general public.   Along with the very real Civil Defense warnings that have accompanied the crisis has come a flood of inaccurate and misleading reports, with accompanying cancellations of cruise ship stopovers and hotel reservations.   The challenge of sifting fact from fiction has fallen to Hawaii Tourism Authority President and Chief Executive Officer George Szigeti, who’s with us in our studio.

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George Szigeti

Civil Beat Reality Check: Future Completion of Rail

Credit Cory Lum/Civil Beat

Work on the final leg of the rail system into town is underway but how does its completion fare under whomever wins the race for governor this fall? That’s the focus of the Reality Check with Honolulu Civil Beat’s Marcel Honore who’s on the line with us this morning.

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Marcel Honore

Freezing Credit to Be Free Under New Law

Credit Wallethub

It will soon be a little easier for consumers to protect themselves against credit fraud and identity theft. Last week President Trump signed into law the Economic Growth, Regulatory Relief, and Consumer Protection Act. One provision of the law will allow consumers to put a freeze on their credit – free of charge. Consumer finance website Wallethub has been following the new law. Wallethub analyst Jill Gonzalez spoke with The Conversation’s Ryan Finnerty about what the new law means for consumers.

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Jill Gonzalez

Moving Towards Racial Integration Through Fair Housing

Credit Harvard University Press

As cities grow, their problems expand, and cities throughout the country continue to struggle with fair housing issues. Richard H. Sander is a UCLA law professor who describes the old model -- the construction of large-scale housing “projects -- as “coercive social engineering.”  He’s the co-author of “Moving Toward Integration: The Past and Future of Fair Housing,” a study of the ways fair housing policies have affected African American communities in particular. When we spoke earlier today, he began by looking at the ways government policies have changed down through the years.

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Richard Sander

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Catherine Cruz is the host of The Conversation. Originally from Guam, she spent more than 30 years at KITV, covering beats from government to education. Contact her at ccruz@hawaiipublicradio.org.
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