Mandatory Evacuations in Lower Puna; State Cracks Down on Building Permits; HART Faces Audit; Tribute to Muddy Waters live at HPR
Evacuations, Shooting in Lower Puna
Mayor Kim yesterday ordered the mandatory evacuations of neighborhoods in lower Puna as fast advancing lava flows puts more families at risk. Residents have until noon today to get out of harm’s way or take the chance that they may not be able to be rescued - or face incurring the costs of a rescue. We talked with County Councilwoman Eileen O’Hara about growing tensions in the community.
State Cracks Down on Monster Home Builders
Scrutiny over monster home construction triggered a complaint about a contractor who lost his license, yet continued to build. The Hawaii Construction alliance flagged the problem to the City Department of Planning and Permitting and the State Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs. We talked to Tyler Dos Santos Tam who is with the Hawaii Construction Alliance about the problem.
Civil Beat Reality Check: HART Audit
Hawaii’s state auditor and his staff are looking into the operations of the Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation, and HART is looking right back at the auditor, by recording and transcribing auditor interviews with HART staff. It’s a move that State Auditor Les Kondo has never seen before; he doesn’t like having HART looking over his shoulder, and he’s hitting back, as Marcel Honore tells us in today’s Reality Check from Civil Beat.
The Trailer Park Romeos pay Tribute to Muddy Waters
When they carve the Mount Rushmore of the Blues, Muddy Waters will be right there. The late McKinley Morganfield is one of the founding fathers of electric blues, and one of the most powerful and influential musicians of the past century. Muddy delivered his music, and his emotions, undiluted -- and that’s the way Rick Smith and his band, the Trailer Park Romeos, like it. The band is playing a sold-out concert in our Atherton Studio tomorrow evening, and Rick and harmonica man Corey Funai are here in our studio.
