Hawaii
Fires damage two homes in East Hawaii – West Hawaii Today
East Hawaii firefighters were busy with a pair of house fires over the New Year’s holiday.
Nine units answered a 1:47 p.m. alarm Wednesday of a fire at 18 Hokulani Street in Kaumana.
The first unit arrived three minutes later to find the home’s occupants — Owen Matsui and Anna Joaquin Matsui — outside but uninjured.
Heavy smoke and flames were coming from the rear of the structure, according to a Hawaii Fire Department statement. The fire was confined to the back lanai, kitchen and rear bedroom of the single-story, three-bedroom residence.
The fire was reported under control at 2 p.m. and extinguished at 2:20 p.m.
Damage was reported at $498,500, and the cause of the blaze is under investigation.
The alarm for the second fire sounded at 12:03 a.m. Thursday for a house on Mapuana Street in Kalapana Seaview Estates in lower Puna.
Six units responded, with the first arriving at 12:28 a.m. Firefighters found the 1,500-square-foot, single-story wooden-framed residential structure fully engulfed in flames.
Neighbors with garden hoses attempted to keep the fire from spreading to their homes.
Nobody was found at the actual scene of the fire, but according to an HFD statement, neighbors told firefighters that the structure was abandoned but had frequent squatters.
The fire was reported under control at 12:55 a.m. and extinguished at 3:40 a.m.
The loss was estimated at $150,000, and the cause of the fire hasn’t yet been determined.
Hawaii
2026 Sony Open field is announced. See who’s playing in Hawaii
The Sony Open in Hawaii has the honors of being the kickoff event to the 2026 PGA Tour season after the cancellation of The Sentry at Kapalua this season.
Instead of Maui, the Tour debuts in Honolulu on the island of Oahu, Jan. 15-18, at the Seth Raynor-designed Waialae Country Club, where Nick Taylor prevailed in a playoff over Nico Echavarria last year.
Among the changes this season is the field size, which was reduced from 144 to 120, and, there is no longer is a Monday qualifier offering four spots. Will that help with pace of play? Stay tuned.
The field includes the following notables in addition to Taylor and Echavarria: Daniel Berger, Keegan Bradley, Michael Brennan, Corey Conners, Tony Finau, Chris Gotterup, Brian Harman, Russell Henley, Billy Horschel, Robert MacIntyre, Collin Morikawa, Adam Scott, Jordan Spieth, Sahith Theegala, Gary Woodland and 62-year-old Vijay Singh.
Here’s the full field for the Sony Open, which will be live on Golf Channel all four days as well as NBC with early-round coverage on Saturday and Sunday.
This year’s Sony purse is $9.1 million and the winner also will receive 500 FedEx Cup points.
Hawaii
Hawaii Pacific basketball teams split with Menlo | Honolulu Star-Advertiser
Hawaii
Hawaii County accepting applications for Summer Fun employees
HAWAII ISLAND (HawaiiNewsNow) – The County of Hawaii Department of Parks and Recreation is now accepting applications for temporary positions in its 2026 Summer Fun program.
The two positions available are Activity Aide I ($17.50 per hour) and Activity Aide II ($19 per hour).
To be considered for employment, applicants must possess a valid first-aid certification, attend mandatory training June 2–5, and be available to work June 8–July 17.
Applications are available online on the Parks and Recreation website, and must be submitted to the Recreation Division Office at 799 Pi‘ilani St., Hilo, HI 96720, postmarked by Saturday, Feb. 28.
For more information, call the Recreation Division Office at (808) 961-8740.
Copyright 2026 Hawaii News Now. All rights reserved.
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