September 2, 2023 News Read > Hawaii Free Press

Hawaii Daily News Read

Saturday, September 2, 2023

September 2, 2023 News Read
By Andrew Walden @ 4:17 PM :: 2726 Views

Speaker of House in Hawaii to witness damage caused by wildfires

New FBI-validated list includes names of 385 people unaccounted for after Lahaina wildfire--Governor had indicated it would be below 100

HNN: … The FBI’s validated list of people who remain unaccounted for following the Lahaina wildfire now includes 385 individuals, authorities announced Friday night.

That’s just three fewer people than where the list stood last week.

Officials said after releasing the full list of validated names, some 245 people were removed — either because they were reportedly found safe or confirmed to have perished.

Of that first FBI-generated list, 122 remain unaccounted for.

But authorities have also also added to the list with new reports, bringing the number back up.

The FBI-validated list is in addition to lists compiled by other organizations, which counted the missing at more than 1,000. The FBI list, however, only includes people for whom authorities have a first and last name and contact information for the person who reported the missing persons case….

LINK: List

SA: Questions linger over Lahaina fire ‘unaccounted for’ list

AP: Maui fire missing list falls slightly to 385. Governor had indicated it would be below 100 -- The updated total was a startling departure from what had been expected — a day earlier Gov. Josh Green said he believed the number would fall below 100.

SA: Number of Maui missing nearly unchanged at 385

KITV Number of unaccounted on Maui drops to 385; New list of names released

read … New FBI-validated list includes names of 385 people unaccounted for after Lahaina wildfire

Video shot by Lahaina residents appears to show roadblocks during fire evacuations

KITV: … County officials have not disclosed where road closures were put up on Aug. 8 -- the night of the fire in Lahaina town. But evacuees have shared with KITV4 time-stamped video showing how their paths were obstructed.

In meeting with evacuees and cataloging their video, a more robust timeline comes into focus and there are some surprises. Lahainaluna Road, where it meets the highway, was shut down at one point. Keawe Street and Honoapiilani Northbound was also shut down during the height of the evacuation for over two hours.

And that's only part of the story. This investigation will continue when we look at the lane closures for those heading south of town….

read … Video shot by Lahaina residents appears to show roadblocks during fire evacuations

BJ Penn: ‘Hawaii has always been a socialist, communist state, and it’s time to get out of it’

BPR: … Appearing on “Jesse Watters Primetime,” the civic-minded fighter, who came in second place during the 2022 Hawaii GOP gubernatorial primary to former Lt. Gov. Duke Aiona, summarized the nature of politics in his corner of the Pacific and what it meant for the poorer citizens.

“They say that the state is very left, and it’s that type of state, but I think everybody’s starting to pick up real quick about what’s going on — about the agenda, about, you know, the state wants to take over everything,” Penn told Watters.

“Hawaii has always been a socialist, communist state, and it’s time to get out of it,” he continued. “The people are in the position right now with this, with the … assessment property tax. It’s killing everybody. Everybody’s gonna have to leave.”

Penn had spoken of these concerns at a community meeting Tuesday and could be heard saying in clips played by Watters, “We come here to talk about something and then you guys start fighting back with us. You work for us. You don’t talk to your boss like that, right? Who talks to the boss like that?”

“Shame! Shame is when you steal. Shame is when you do something behind everybody’s back,” the fighter railed. “That’s not what Hawaii is about. ‘Aloha’ is the law.”…

WIKI: Histrionic personality disorder

SFG: MMA fighter accidentally raises millions for Hawaii wildfire relief

read … UFC champ goes off: ‘Hawaii has always been a socialist, communist state, and it’s time to get out of it’

Lahaina ‘not on the table’ as state tries to expedite housing projects

MN: … The state’s top housing official said this week that “Lahaina is not on the table” for now as the state considers housing projects it can expedite under the governor’s emergency proclamation.

“Lahaina is not on the table. Not until the community is ready,” Nani Medeiros, the governor’s chief housing officer, said Wednesday. “If and when they are ready, if the working group can assist or support in any way, we will.”…

“And we’ve heard from people who want to stay in West Maui. And we heard from people who have said, ‘I don’t want to go back to West Maui.’ And we need to be able to respect everyone’s wishes that has been affected,” Medeiros said….

Before the fires, 11,000 units were preliminarily identified “in Maui County’s pipeline of housing projects anticipated over the next 10 years,” Medeiros said at Wednesday’s housing committee meeting.

Medeiros initially estimated that seven projects on Maui could be “helped and nudged and expedited,” in order to have one project produce units as early as January and the rest to produce units in the next 12 to 18 months or longer. Some of these projects are already under construction.

But after meeting with county officials, Medeiros said on Thursday that the number dropped to four to five housing projects that could be helped to produce units faster, as other projects have infrastructure issues that would prevent them from being built sooner.

Looking to the long term, Medeiros told the committee that three to four government-owned parcels in West Maui had been identified for possible housing and maybe two to three privately owned parcels could be used for housing in Central Maui. But she added that infrastructure “is the biggest challenge.”…

Medeiros said that the attorney general’s office is looking into a mortgage forbearance program for those who lost homes but still have mortgages. They are also looking for protection from eviction for renters; there is already a moratorium in place for rent increases under the emergency proclamation on the wildfires. The administration is also looking at using the thousands of short-term rentals on Maui for long-term rentals and is encouraging owners to allow residents to rent there.

No action was taken at Wednesday’s meeting, which was recessed until Sept. 13 by Chairwoman Tasha Kama, who said the committee will take more testimony at the next meeting….

read … Lahaina ‘not on the table’ as state tries to expedite housing projects

Hawaii investigates unsolicited land offers

MN: … Hawaii Gov. Josh Green said Thursday his administration has opened several investigations into people who have allegedly made unsolicited offers for property in the fire-stricken Maui town of Lahaina in violation of a new emergency order.

Green prohibited such offers by signing an emergency proclamation on Aug. 19 aimed at preventing land in the historic coastal community from flowing into the hands of outside buyers. The order aims to give residents some “breathing room” as they decide what to do next, Green said in an interview with The Associated Press….

Green said people have reported unwanted offers to his attorney general, although he did not reveal how many investigations have been opened. Those found guilty of a violation may be imprisoned for up to one year and fined up to $5,000…..“You know, it’s the only thing that we have left,” said Lukela-Singh, who is Native Hawaiian. She knows of three families, all Filipino, who are selling their homes and want to move away because they can’t handle the stress of seeing Lahaina burned to the ground….

read … Hawaii investigates unsolicited land offers as the state tries to keep Lahaina in local hands

Criminals who refuse to pay restitution are ‘Victims’

CB: … The clerk calls a name, and a person steps forward to ask for more time to pay off their debt. There is a depressing uniformity. Times are hard; money is short; and ~~rent~~ (weed) and ~~food~~ (meth) come first. The judge encourages them to keep paying in increments, and then orders them to come back months later to see if it’s paid off then.

there are fees that apply in every case — no matter what. For 25 years now, whether it’s on top of a fine for littering or in addition to life without parole for murder in the first degree, the judge must consider the crime victim compensation fee.

The amount depends on the severity of the crime. Felony offenses range anywhere from $105 to $505. Misdemeanors are $55 and petty misdemeanors are $30.

(NOTE: Rocks are $20 each Do the math.)

Where does that money go?

This fee funds the Crime Victim Compensation Commission. The commission was set up in the late ‘60s to give some financial relief to crime victims. They review their claims for compensation and determine an award or reimbursement.….

(Question: If tweekers can’t afford rocks, how will Michael Miske pay for his Portlock house?)

read … Mandatory Court Fees Are Meant To Help Victims, Not Create New Ones

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