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Governor: Money For Hawaii Projects Statewide Will Go To Maui Fire Response Instead Brittany Lyte/Civil Beat/2023

Governor: Money For Hawaii Projects Statewide Will Go To Maui Fire Response Instead

A state budget memo highlights trade-offs the public will make to support the state's response to the Aug. 8 fires.

Hawaii Budget Director’s Conflict Of Interest: He Owns HECO Stock Nathan Eagle/Civil Beat/2017

Hawaii Budget Director’s Conflict Of Interest: He Owns HECO Stock

Luis Salaveria is helping plan an innovative Maui fire victims fund that could also help reduce Hawaiian Electric's liability.

Hawaii Officials Learned Little From A 2018 Fire That Foreshadowed Lahaina Ku'u Kauanoe/Civil Beat/2023

Hawaii Officials Learned Little From A 2018 Fire That Foreshadowed Lahaina

The state says it has no "after action review" of the earlier blaze and if Maui County ever completed its version, it was never widely disseminated.

Vandals Are Stealing Parts Off Hawaii’s Emergency Sirens Anthony Quintano/Civil Beat

Vandals Are Stealing Parts Off Hawaii’s Emergency Sirens

Roughly three out of every four sirens works at any given time, officials said.

State Investigation Into Maui Fires Has Been Quietly Moving Along. Now It’s Going Public Nathan Eagle/Civil Beat/2023

State Investigation Into Maui Fires Has Been Quietly Moving Along. Now It’s Going Public

The large number of deaths makes understanding what happened in Lahaina a national concern, investigators say.

Lack Of Money And Staff Is Hindering Wildfire Code Enforcement In Hawaii Kevin Fujii/Civil Beat/2023

Lack Of Money And Staff Is Hindering Wildfire Code Enforcement In Hawaii

Regulation is heavily focused on buildings when counties must decide where to put dwindling resources.

Maui Activists Urge Return Of DLNR Water Official To Former Job Courtesy: DLNR/2023

Maui Activists Urge Return Of DLNR Water Official To Former Job

Residents testifying at a Commission on Water Resource Management meeting also said it's time for a new chapter in water management after the Maui fires.

Fast-Growing And Fire-Resistant Grasses Are Flourishing In Hawaii Thomas Heaton/Civil Beat/2023

Fast-Growing And Fire-Resistant Grasses Are Flourishing In Hawaii

Grass from East Indian sugarcane to African Guinea grass have been introduced to Hawaii for centuries, predating the state's increased risk of wildfire.

Honolulu Has A Hiring Problem. Here’s What That Means For Fire Mitigation Efforts Cory Lum/Civil Beat/2021

Honolulu Has A Hiring Problem. Here’s What That Means For Fire Mitigation Efforts

While city-owned land makes up a relatively small portion of Oahu, groundskeepers need to be strategically redeployed to stave off wildfires.

Hawaii Needs To Build Hundreds More Miles Of Firebreaks To Protect Against Wildfire Nathan Eagle/Civil Beat/2023

Hawaii Needs To Build Hundreds More Miles Of Firebreaks To Protect Against Wildfire

Fire officials and landowners have known for years about gaps in Hawaii's firebreaks and fuelbreaks. The problem boils down to money and cooperation.