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Coast Guard members, civilians honored for Lahaina heroism

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Coast Guard members, civilians honored for Lahaina heroism


Both national and international organizations are recognizing Coast Guard and civilian mariners who responded to the deadly 2023 Lahaina fire for heroism at sea.

The International Maritime Organization, the United Nations agency that regulates and oversees transportation on the sea, last month presented five Coast Guard responders and four good Samaritans with letters of commendation for bravery. One of them, Petty Officer 2nd Class Joshua Marzilli, also was selected by the USO as its Service Member of the Year.

The awards were presented at an Oct. 18 ceremony at the J. Walter Cameron Center in Wailuku. During the ceremony the Coast Guard also honored 26 local boat captains and crew members who responded aboard the vessels Trilogy II, Marjorie Ann, Reef Explorer and Ali‘i Nui and an Expeditions dinghy with letters of appreciation. Coast Guard Lt. Dylan McCall received a commendation medal for his service during the incident.

Marzilli earlier this year received the Coast Guard Medal, the service’s highest award for peacetime bravery, for his actions on Aug. 8, 2023.

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“For awhile it was kind of like a few people just getting the recognition,” Marzilli told the Honolulu Star-­Advertiser. “But I’m glad that they’re finally getting more people the recognition that they deserve for their actions as well, not just mine.”

Among the other recipients of recognition were Crissy Lovitt and her wife Emma Nelson, who along with fellow Maui resident Lashawna Garnier commandeered the Expeditions dinghy to join other civilian crews assisting personnel from Coast Guard Station Maui to save Lahaina residents who fled into the water to escape the flames that engulfed the town.

“It’s a small-town community, and the odds were that we knew people in there — and we did know people in there,” Lovitt said. “So it felt good to just know that we stepped forward to help the people in our community.”

Intense winds on Aug. 8, 2023, not only spread the flames more quickly than normal, they also made it too dangerous for helicopters to fly.

As the blaze consumed Lahaina, the Coast Guard received requests for help. But as Coast Guard Sector Honolulu’s commanding officer Capt. Aja Kirksey rallied her team, she soon realized she wasn’t able to dispatch air support and most of her cutters were more than eight hours away from the unfolding disaster. Instead, the Coast Guard would have to rely on small Maui-based crews and the handful of small boats they had.

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The service put out a call asking for any mariners who were able to assist. Those who answered the call joined Coast Guard personnel as they navigated heavy wind, thick smoke and floating debris in Lahaina Harbor, coordinated by radio to look for survivors and fish them out of the water, and rescued people who were stranded along the shore.

Marzilli and Travis DeWater, a rescue swimmer on board the Trilogy II, went into the water themselves with surfboards, paddling toward the harbor. In the announcement of the awards, the International Maritime Organization described how the pair, with the help of the Expeditions dinghy, “directly contributed to the safety and survival of more than 40 people trapped by the fire.”

Overall, the makeshift flotilla of rescuers saved 17 people in the harbor and rescued 40 survivors along the shore.

Kirksey wrote in her letter to Lovitt, “I cannot express the immense admiration and appreciation my team and I felt when you answered the call to help us save lives amidst treacherous conditions. You fearlessly navigated through dense smoke and intense flames to aid our response efforts … . The decision to put yourself in harm’s way, it was not just a contribution to our mission, it was a lifeline for those who had lost everything.”

Lovitt and Nelson, who were getting ready to start running whale-watching tours, were forced to commandeer the Expeditions vessel because their own boats had been destroyed.

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“We basically had just started our business and lost it all,” Lovitt said.

But with the help of friends, family and donations from those who heard their story, they’ve gradually managed to buy new boats and rebuild their business.

“We’ve been able to use what equipment that we have been able to purchase, and we picked up a job in Lahaina where we cleaned up the shoreline,” she explained. “That was a really big job. And, you know, it’s kind of just full circle that we had nothing, we lost everything, and then we were able to acquire more equipment, which was in turn used to help clean up Lahaina.”

When the rescuers reunited last month in Wailuku to receive their awards and recognition, Marzilli said it was a strange experience. They knew one another mostly as voices over the radio or shouted between boats through the smoke and darkness. They knew names and they knew boats, but few of them knew the faces of the others who were there that day.

“We kind of bonded. Immediate bonds were made between people, but when we were done with the events, none of us recognized one another,” Marzilli said.“We were all in the room there … and none of us were speaking to one another until we all got called up … it was such a surreal moment. If we had passed on the street, we wouldn’t have recognized one another, even though we contributed to such an amazing event in history with these people.”

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Marzilli is no longer assigned to Coast Guard Station Maui. He’s now assigned to the Harriet Lane, the Coast Guard’s new Honolulu-based “Indo-Pacific Support Cutter” devoted to operations in Oceania. This summer he deployed with the Lane on an extended patrol around the region, working with authorities in island nations to combat illegal fishing.

He said he loves getting to learn about cultures across the islands, but added that “Maui has a special place in my heart. I really came to love that island and it’s a place I see as a home.”

Meanwhile, Lovitt and Nelson are gearing up for whale-watching season with their company, Maui Ocean Adventures, which is run entirely by fire survivors.

Lovitt said that being back on the water has been “healing.”

“I didn’t want to at first after going through that,” she said, “and then someone kind of forced me back out on a boat.”

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For now, Lovitt said, “we’re just stoked to just get back to work and do what we love.”





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Hawaii

First Alert Forecast: Bring out the sunscreen! Blue Skies and light winds

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First Alert Forecast: Bring out the sunscreen! Blue Skies and light winds


HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – Today thru the weekend, it’ll be nice beach weather during the daytime with light winds and minimal rainfall. A few windward showers are possible over the eastern half of the state, but an overall drier trend is expected heading into the weekend.

Gradually diminishing trade winds will deliver just a few showers to windward areas of the smaller islands for the next day or so, while windward Big Island will continue to receive passing showers. Light and variable winds and mostly dry weather are expected statewide from Thursday night into Sunday. A weak front may move over the islands from the northwest late this weekend. This front is expected to bring little in the way of rainfall, however, and winds will remain fairly light.

Download HNN’s weather app for everything you need to plan your day.(Hawaii News Now)

A series of northwest and north-northeast swells are due later this week. Several small bumps along the way for north shores, but a medium north swell builds today and an overlapping swell arrives late Saturday, peaking Sunday into Monday. Surf should remain below high surf advisory criteria for the foreseeable future.

Get weather updates every ten minutes and your 7-Day First Alert Forecast on HNN Sunrise, weekdays with Guy Hagi and weekends with Billy V. Meteorologist Drew Davis has your forecasts on This is Now, First at Four and Hawaii News Now at 6:30. And join Chief Meteorologist Jennifer Robbins at 5, 5:30, 6, 9 and 10 and Ben Gutierrez on weekends.

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Top booster cuts university funding over shocking athletics ouster

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Top booster cuts university funding over shocking athletics ouster


HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – One day after the abrupt firing of University of Hawaii athletics director Craig Angelos, questions remain on exactly why he was suddenly let go.

The decision has upset many UH supporters and they’re making their feelings known.

Longtime UH supporter and businessman Mike Kawazoe founded the Rainbow Collective in April of last year as a way to raise funds for the department and Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) money for student-athletes.

In that time, the collective raised over $1 million, and Kawazoe applauds Angelos’ work in generating revenue and securing successful business ventures for the program.

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He says he was shocked at the firing and says no one from the university has reached out to him explaining the decision.

Related post: University of Hawaii abruptly fires athletics director Craig Angelos after 18 months

“I think that if there was an egregious reason for this to occur, I think that everyone would get on board and say we understand why this move was made. It’s been crickets,” he said.

“If you’re using performance as the excuse, that makes zero sense from anyone close to the program,” said Kawazoe.

Kawazoe said while the collective will still donate funds for individual student-athletes and NIL opportunities, he will personally no longer donate any money directly to the university.

“We’re at a critical juncture here as all of these moving parts are going on and transitioning with deals on the table,” he said. “The ink on the paper is not signed yet and details to be worked out. It’s a critical time. The timing could not be worse.”

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Learn more: Student-athletes, sports community incensed over ousting of UH athletics director

Attorney Jeff Portnoy is the former athletics committee chair for the university’s Board of Regents. He says this kind of sudden dismissal shows dysfunction, and can damage a program for years.

“It’s just another nail in what has been, unfortunately, the building of a coffin and under what circumstances, can Hawaii maintain a Division I football program when you have this kind of discord, which is being played out not only locally, but nationally? No one can say it’s a good thing,” he said.

The university has had five athletics directors since 2008. When the search for Angelos’ replacement begins early next year, Portnoy is worried that the current state of the department will ward off any serious candidates.

“How do you run a Division I football program with not having the NIL money? With not having the institutional money and playing on a football field where you’re lucky if you get 10,000 people? I don’t know who would take the job, but I’m sure there’s somebody out there that will think about it.”

We have yet to hear from UH President David Lassner on the decision, but he will be speaking with the Board of Regents Thursday at 9 a.m. at UH Manoa.

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The public is also welcome to submit testimony.



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Kamala Harris flees on vacation to Hawaii with Doug after devastating loss and with Europe bracing for WWIII

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Kamala Harris flees on vacation to Hawaii with Doug after devastating loss and with Europe bracing for WWIII


Kamala Harris and Doug Emhoff have fled to Hawaii after her election loss and as Europe faces the possibility of war. 

The couple is on Kalaoa, which is on the west side of the big island of Hawaii. They are hunkered down in the sun after Donald Trump’s landslide victory in the 2024 presidential election.

The couple will be able to enjoy long walks on its scenic beaches as the shadow war looms over Europe.

Russia has signaled it will retaliate with full-scale nuclear war after Ukraine launched US-made missiles over the border on Tuesday. The United States Embassy in Kyiv issued an urgent warning on Wednesday morning that Russia might launch ‘a significant air attack,’ closing the embassy and telling Americans to shelter in place.

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It’s unclear how long Harris and Emhoff will be on the island, which is the southernmost point of the United States.

The couple usually spends the Thanksgiving holiday on Hawaii. It’s unclear if Emhoff’s children or any of the Harris family members will join them.

Harris’ office did not respond to DailyMail.com’s inquiry. Local papers report she’s staying about a week.

Kamala Harris and Doug Emhoff arrived on the big island of Hawaii on Tuesday evening

President Joe Biden has not publicly stated his plans for Thanksgiving. In the past, the Biden clan has decamped to Nantucket for the holiday.

The local papers say preparations are being made on the island for the presidential arrival and that the Secret Service has ordered 200-plus turkey dinners from a local restaurant.

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Harris, meanwhile, has retreated from the public eye since her devastating loss.

She appeared with Biden on Veteran’s Day at Arlington National Cemetery and then had lunch with him at the White House the next day. 

But she has been behind closed doors for a week 

Harris, however, is prepared to fly back from Hawaii to break any tie votes in the Senate if needed.

She delayed her trip in the event that she would be needed for votes in the Senate to confirm judges, one of her aides told NBC News. She is not expected to be needed as no major battle is expected over judicial nominees until December.

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President Biden is working to fill all the empty judicial openings in his final few months in office as he seeks to top the 234 judges Trump secured during his first term.

Harris, as vice president, is the president of the Senate and breaks any 50-50 votes.

Schumer has made it clear he’s determined to get the confirmations done before Biden leaves office and that he would use the lame-duck session – the period between the election and when the new president is inaugurated – to confirm more judges.

Republicans did the same in late 2020 as Trump was finishing his first term.

‘We are going to use the lame duck to confirm judges. And we’re going to do everything we can to get as many judges done as possible, trying to overcome the Republican obstruction,’ Schumer told NBC. 

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Harris and Emhoff are regular vacationers to Hawaii.  

She won Hawaii’s four electoral votes in the Nov. 5 election and received 60.6% of the overall count in the state versus 37.5% for Trump. 

The war between Russia and Ukraine is heating up

The war between Russia and Ukraine is heating up

Meanwhile, the war between Russia and Ukraine is heating up.  

Vladimir Putin’s foreign minister Sergei Lavrov warned that Moscow would ‘react accordingly’ after Ukraine launched its latest strike.

In a dramatic escalation on the 1,000th day of the conflict, Kyiv launched six ‘ATACM’ missiles from an undisclosed location over the border into Russian territory. 

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Such attacks are expected to increase in frequency after Biden approved the use of ATACMS earlier this week. 

The strikes triggered a fiery explosion at a depot in Karachev, believed to be storing ammunition supplied by North Korea, around 75 miles from the Ukrainian border. 

At the same time, Vladimir Putin provocatively signed off changes to Russia’s laws on nuclear weapons to make it easier for them to be deployed against Ukraine in retaliation.

The amendments allow Russia to launch a nuclear attack in response to a conventional weapons strike – such as one by long-range missiles.

As the situation grows, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer offered his biggest hint yet that No.10 would authorize Ukraine to fire UK Storm Shadow missiles into Russia.

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Both Moscow and Kyiv appear to be stepping up their attacks ahead of President-elect Trump’s inauguration in January. 

Trump has said he wants to bring a swift end to the war in Ukraine but has not said how leading to uncertainty about what his solution will be and what level of support he will give Ukraine. 



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