State Water Commission Holds Marathon 12 Hour Meeting
Hawaiian Electric begins restoration work in Lahaina
DoE: Charter School Enrollment Up, Non-Charter Enrollment Down (again)
Applications now open for Kapolei City Lights parade
Biden Amends Hawaii Disaster Declaration
Move to Vegas: Mayor Tells Fire Survivors Wait 2 Years Before Rebuilding Lahaina Homes
MN: … The mayor said he anticipates a slow process to clear the land of hazards to make way for a reimagined Lahaina.
(TRANSLATION: ‘Reimagined’ means ‘without you’.)
He cautioned patience, judging that it could be a year and a half to two years before property owners can begin to rebuild their homes.
(CLUE: Why is it HIS choice? It’s YOUR property. Ash is NOT a toxin. It is an irritant. Look it up or lose your land. Link: Hawaii DoH. Don’t be fooled by scare talk about toxins like lead, arsenic or asbestos--these things are always present -- fire or not. ‘Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons?’ Sounds scary right? Guess what: It’s the smoky flavor and smell of smoked meat. Source: CDC. One more thing: ‘Air quality satisfactory says DoH’)
Robert Fenton, FEMA’s Region 9 administrator, said fire victims can remain in hotel rooms and condos for six months — through Feb. 10 — and that the agency is trying to move as many people as possible into homes and apartments well before that deadline.
The average qualified applicant on Maui is receiving $3,500 a month in FEMA rental assistance, which can be extended for a maximum of 18 months, Fenton said.
But that has not quelled concerns that disaster victims could end up without homes or be forced to leave the island, which had been in the throes of a severe affordable housing crisis long before the fires….
SA: 18 months to two years before those who lost homes in the deadly Aug. 8 wildfire could begin to rebuild -- But he also offered a sliver of hope for a shorter timetable, depending on “how many crews are working.” He noted that thanks to a big turnout of federal support, the search and recovery phase over the 5-square- mile disaster area that was expected to take eight to 12 weeks was completed in three, and that the Environmental Protection Agency’s current work to remove hazardous materials from properties was 50% complete as of Friday.
MN: Hundreds seek details on fire recovery
read … Maui Mayor: Fire Survivors May Have To Wait 2 Years Before Rebuilding Lahaina Homes
Eminent Domain Coming: Officials tell Lahaina property owners to ‘put personal gain aside’
SA: … The community meeting, which provided chili-and-rice plates to attendees, also served to introduce the five-member Lahaina Advisory Team formed by Bissen to represent the community in discussions and decisions about Lahaina’s future.
Bissen said the advisory team will sit “at head of the table to guide us going forward.”
The five team members are all longtime Lahaina residents, several of whom have generational ties to West Maui and suffered losses in the fire. One of its most prominent members is Archie Kalepa, a renowned waterman and crew member of the Hokule‘a and Hawai‘iloa voyaging canoes, who as the former head of the county’s ocean safety division was instrumental in standardizing the use of personal watercraft in ocean rescues.
(Translation: You are expected to worship Archie Kalepa as a god.)
“I will promise you this, while sitting on this committee and this board, I will do what is best for the people of Lahaina. You come first,” Kalepa declared. “But we all have to realize that we have to put others before us. So I want you to think long and hard about how we rebuild Lahaina, and put personal gain aside and think about how we will rebuild Lahaina for the next five generations and beyond.
(Translation: ‘Personal gain’ = ‘rebuilding what you lost.’ He just told you the plan is to use eminent domain to take your property. IQ Test: Did you notice?)
“It will be hard, but this is the easiest path to doing that right now because we have nothing. It’s all gone,” he said. “So we have one chance, one chance to get this right. I know we can do this.”
(Translation: We have ‘one chance’ to draw up a plan to remake Lahaina as Wailea v.2 surrounding the ‘Venice of the Pacific’ water feature. A luxury villa will be built where your house stood.)
read … Officials update Lahaina residents on housing, air and water quality
‘We’re gonna rebuild’: Residents brace for emotional return to Lahaina
HNN: … For Mika and his family, they’re not going back to say goodbye.
It’s a hui hou.
“We’re for sure gonna rebuild. We’re not leaving,” he said.
Vierra said there is a fundraising marathon in Utah this Saturday.
It was meant to benefit him and his family because of all that they lost. However, Vierra and his family have decided to donate 100% of the proceeds to other Lahaina families.
“There’s so much more people who are in worse situations than we are,” he said.
If you want to donate, click here.
AP: Lahaina residents brace for what they’ll find as they return to devastated properties
read … ‘We’re gonna rebuild’: Residents brace for emotional return to Lahaina (hawaiinewsnow.com)
Reentry Procedures Designed to Scare Property Owners into Giving up Land
SA: … Sheri Tihada, 48, was the first Kaniau Road resident to receive a pass to go back in Monday morning.
The process took an hour to verify her residence, along with a demonstration on how to put on a temporary hazardous materials suit, booties, gloves and N95 mask.
People like Tihada who were granted entry were told to sit down after 30 minutes to catch their breaths and gather themselves and take advantage of portable shade, water and rinsing stations to wash off potentially toxic air particles and other materials.
Tihada and her husband, Joey — one of Lahainaluna High School’s football coaches — lived in the four-bedroom, 3-1/2-bath, split-level home that her father built in 1972 and that they shared with three others.
After the fire they went back to the property and saw that it was obliterated….
read … First reentry passes are issued to Lahaina evacuees
Native Hawaiian churches urge investigation into missionary role in federal boarding schools
HPR: … The history of Christianity in Hawaiʻi is a complicated one. And now parts of that history have led to an investigation by the United Church of Christ. The research was initiated by a couple dozen historically Native Hawaiian churches — some of which celebrated 200 years of service in the islands this year….
While there is much to celebrate with 200 years of Christianity in Hawaiʻi, retired ʻŌlaʻa kahu Ron Fujiyoshi said some history is yet to be uncovered. He recently learned that Hawaiʻi’s first Christian missionaries with the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions or ABCFM received money from the 1819 Indian Civilization Act.
“This act was to build boarding schools to assimilate Native Americans and make them like white people,” Fujiyoshi said. “So if the ABCFM was taking money from the Indian Boarding School Civilization Act of 1819, how did the federal policy of this money affect the mission of the church in Hawaiʻi?”
(CLUE: 2-dimensional ‘woke’ version of history.)
Fujiyoshi authored a resolution to have the United Church of Christ investigate this matter. The resolution passed by more than 700 votes at the General Synod in Indianapolis this summer.
“What it does is to say you know the missionaries came and brought the gospel, but were they also bringing other kinds of values that weren’t in tune with the gospel like a superiority of being white? And how did that affect their mission?” Fujiyoshi said. “I think those questions through this study will become clearer. And if there’s any amends to be done, then let the church do it.”
(Tougher IQ Test Than Usual: Can you see through this rhetoric?)
2022: Interior Department Lumps Kamehameha and Lahaianaluna in with 'Indian Boarding Schools'
read … Native Hawaiian churches urge investigation into missionary role in federal boarding schools
Kaimuki retail group supports city's homeless sweeps; critical of ACLU Hawaii lawsuit
KITV: … RMH president Tina Yamaki said she and the members she represents are concerned Kaimuki will end up looking like the streets of San Francisco if there are no homeless enforcement actions. She said as it is, there is an increasing number of houseless living on and around the main strip, Waialae Avenue.
Yamaki described aggressive incidents in which houseless people panhandle in front of a store, but when the staff asks the person to move away, the store faces retribution in the form of "fecal matter thrown at the door, security cameras broken, items stolen." She said most of the stores are too afraid to speak publicly….
RMH said there are people who prefer to live on the streets, and sometimes, those people make a living by going into stores and stealing merchandise.
Island News talked to a retailer who was too afraid to go on record, but was willing to say their store has experienced what Yamaki described. This vendor said several times, homeless have gone inside, made the kitchen staff feel uncomfortable, and once, smeared feces on the bathroom walls….
Waikiki already has a homeless problem, which is where Deolindo first encountered a harassment that had her so shaken she called for police.
"After that, we put SOS protocol in place for our staff, if they ever feel in danger," Deolindo said. They have mostly young women working for them….
read … Kaimuki retail group supports city's homeless sweeps; critical of ACLU Hawaii lawsuit
State Capitol library covered in tarps to protect against leaking pools
KHON: … “There have been attempts in the past to repair the ponds, we have not been successful,” Saiki explained. “So this appropriation, that $33 million that we set aside is one of the larger amounts because we need to we just need to resolve this once and for all.”
According to Saiki, work started a few months ago. The ponds were drained and the flooring was already torn-up and resurfaced, but the problem hasn’t been resolved yet.
A posting on the LRB website informs the public of reduced hours “Due to the State Capitol Pool Renovation Project, the LRB Library is experiencing multiple ceiling water leaks. Remedial efforts to mitigate damage to our collection and ensure the safety of staff and patrons…”
The renovations to the Capitol have received sharp criticism from the public. Many calling the millions earmarked to fix the pools a waste of money.
“I wanted the public to see what the extent of the damages at the Capitol and the reason why we need to fund the renovation project is a serious serious matter.”…
read … State Capitol library covered in tarps to protect against leaking pools
Lahaina Fire News:
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