Hawaii

Nearly a year after Maui wildfire disaster, Haiku community celebrates its first fire station

Published

6 months ago

July 12, 2024

Nearly a year after Maui wildfire disaster, Haiku community celebrates its first fire station

HAIKU (HawaiiNewsNow) – As the one-year anniversary of the Maui wildfires approaches, the growing community of Haiku is closer to getting its first fire station.

Long-time Haiku resident and local reggae musician Marty Dread walked around the vacant lot on Maui’s North Shore on Thursday. He is excited knowing what it will become.

“My home is less than two miles from here, and knowing that a fire station would be closer to my neighborhood is really exciting for me because, you know, with the events of the last year, with fires and everything, I mean, I’m sure every one of my neighbors would be ecstatic to know that help is closer than Paia or Makawao, which is another add another 15-20 minutes,” he said.

Maui Wildfires Disaster

Currently, the closest fire station is in Paia, which about seven miles away.

“We’re happy to partner with the county and provide many millions of dollars to get this done,” said U.S. Sen. Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii.

“We’ve got a long way to go statewide, but particularly in Maui Nui to make sure we’re prepared for increasing wildfires.”

Schatz said he is close to securing about $16 million to build a nearly 8,000 square foot station on six-acres near Hana Highway and East Kuiaha Road.

The need for a station in the town of 9,000 people has been talked about for years.

Schatz said the growing population in Haiku, prevalence of wooden structures… and the high risk of wildfires underscore the urgent need for the new station.

“We think this can get done very quickly. Of course, the federal funding still has to be enacted. This is a subcommittee part of the process, but we’re reasonably confident that once we get the money into the county’s hands, that they’re going to move forward. It’s county property,” he said.

“They’ve been planning this for a number of years. Obviously, the urgency is way higher than it ever has been, given the wildfires that happened about a year ago in Maui.”

Total cost of the station is about $28 million. The county is covering the difference.

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Related Topics:county Featured fire fire station funding haiku Maui Maui's North Shore north shore station U.S. Senator Brian Schatz wildfires

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Hawaii

Hawaii Education Association Summit to focus on tapping high schools to address teacher shortage

Published

4 hours ago

January 4, 2025

Press Room

Hawaii Education Association Summit to focus on tapping high schools to address teacher shortage

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – The Hawaii Education Association is hosting its annual summit next week in an effort to address the teacher shortage in Hawaii.

The local nonprofit is working to tap high school students to address the state’s ongoing shortage of full-time licensed teachers.

HEA’s “Building the Future of Education in Hawaii: Cultivating Tomorrow’s Teachers and Empowering Today’s Educators” Summit takes place on Jan. 8 at the YWCA Downtown Honolulu from 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. and will focus on teacher recruitment and retention.

Hawaii ranks in the top 10 states with the lowest teacher-to-state population ratio.

Low pay compared to other professions, high workloads, and a lack of professional development and support have been cited as reasons for a nationwide shortage of teachers.

HEA Program Manager Dr. Lynn Hammonds and Dr. Carla Warren, Senior Partner of the National Center for Grow Your Own, said there aresolutions being used in other states that Hawaii can adopt, including building a pipeline for high school students and apprenticeships for young teachers to cultivate the next generation of educators.

Hammonds said HEA was the first organization for Hawaii teachers — the precursor of HSTA, HGEA, and UHPA — and now focuses on supporting teachers and aspiring teachers.

“Our summit will gather education leaders from across the state, including 11 high school teachers who work directly with students aspiring to become educators. Our event features two expert panels that will share insights and strategies to ensure these future educators receive the necessary guidance, successfully complete college preparation programs, and achieve licensure as teachers in Hawaii,” Hammonds said.

As the summit’s keynote speaker, Warren will share her experience developing West Virginia’s Teacher Leader Framework to assist county school systems and securing Department of Labor funds to develop a teacher pre-apprenticeship program, the first in the country.

Other Hawaii agencies, including the Department of Labor and Industrial Relations, Department of Education, and the Hawaii Teachers Standard Board, are establishing an apprenticeship program in Hawaii with a federal grant.

“The U.S. Department of Labor has developed a new apprenticeship program that opens the door to new opportunities for individuals to become K-12 teachers. Individuals can complete a bachelor’s degree and obtain teacher licensure at no cost while continuing to work in their jobs as paraprofessionals. This has been a great way to recruit new teachers,” Warren said.

Hammonds said HEA is supporting teachers from eight local high schools in Project Equal Access and piloting Educators Rising, a nationally recognized curriculum for high school students who are aspiring educators. The high schools include Farrington, James Campbell, Kauai, Maui, Mililani, Pearl City, Waiakea, and Waipahu.

For more information on the Hawaii Education Association, visit hawaiieducationassocation.org or call (808) 949-6657.

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Hawaii

These are the six golfers who have won the Hawaii Double (Sentry, Sony) on PGA Tour

Published

15 hours ago

January 4, 2025

Press Room

These are the six golfers who have won the Hawaii Double (Sentry, Sony) on PGA Tour

Three years ago, Hideki Matsuyama hit one of the more memorable shots of the 2022 season when he smoked a 3-wood on the 18th hole in a playoff to win the Sony Open in Hawaii.

After 36 holes at The Sentry in Maui, he’s in contention to become just the seventh golfer to complete the career Hawaii double.

Chris Kirk won the Sentry last year but came up short at Waialae. It’s been since 2022 since someone completed the second leg.

Here’s a closer look at the six golfers who have won both The Sentry and the Sony Open in Hawaii in their PGA Tour careers.

Justin Thomas

Justin Thomas won the two island stops back-to-back in 2017. He later won the Sentry again in 2020.

Cameron Smith

Cameron Smith won the 2022 Sentry Tournament of Champions and the Sony Open in 2020.

Zach Johnson

Zach Johnson won his second-to-last PGA Tour victory at the 2014 Hyundai Tournament of Champions. The 2023 Ryder Cup captain also claimed the Sony Open in 2009.

Vijay Singh

Vijay Singh won the Sony Open in 2005 during a torrid stretch where he won 17 times over a three-year period (2003 to 2005).

In 2007, he opened his year with a win in the Mercedes-Benz Championship at Kapalua.

Ernie Els

Ernie Els swept the Hawaii events in 2003, then a year later he repeated at the Sony.

It was in 2003 in Maui that Els seemed finally due to win after several close calls at Kapalua: T-14 in 1997, T-10 in 1998, solo second in 2000 (after an epic duel with Tiger Woods) and T-3 in 2001.

Jim Furyk

Jim Furyk won his Hawaii Double at the then-United Airlines Hawaiian Open (now Sony) in 1996 and the then-Mercedes Championships in 2001.

The Hawaiian Open win was the second of 17 career PGA Tour wins. He won the 2001 Mercedes by a shot over another former University of Arizona golfer, Rory Sabbatini.

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Hawaii

State fines Hawaii American Water for unpermitted discharges | Honolulu Star-Advertiser

Published

23 hours ago

January 4, 2025

Press Room

State fines Hawaii American Water for unpermitted discharges | Honolulu Star-Advertiser

COURTESY DOH
Hawaii Department of Health logo.

Hawaii health officials today said they have fined Hawaii American Water $47,750 for discharging effluent exceeding permitted limits of ammonia nitrogen into the ocean.

The state Department of Health has issued a notice of violation and order to the private water company for 14 such discharges from its East Honolulu Wastewater Treatment Plant between August 2022 and 2024.

“Ammonia is derived from the breakdown of proteins and amino acids in wastewater,” said Kathleen Ho, deputy director for the Environmental Health Administration, in a news release. “High concentrations of ammonia can have toxic effects on aquatic organisms and contributes to excess nutrients in the water. As such, the discharge of ammonia above allowable limits into state waters is unacceptable.”

In addition to exceeding limits allowed under its state-issued National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permit, the Health Department said the company also failed to submit required noncompliance reports on two occasions.

In addition to paying the penalty, the notice requires Hawaii American Water to take corrective actions.

Honolulu-based Hawaii American Water owns and operates the East Honolulu Wastewater Treatment Plant, which serves about 35,000 people, according to the notice. The treated wastewater is released into the ocean via an outfall at Sandy Beach.

DOH said based on state laws, all persons, including business owners, government agencies and visitors must comply with water pollution laws, and that failure to comply may result in penalties of up to $60,000 a day, per violation.

The department said it charged the company for 10 days of exceeding the limits rather than 12 because two were less than 1% over the permitted limit.

Hawaii American Water may request a hearing within 20 days of receiving the notice.

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