https://www.theguardian.com/environment/...a-bacteria

Interesting lawsuit filed against HECO senior officers and directors possibly making them personally financially liable for the Maui fire damages.

While it will be a decade plus before this is all settled, I wonder how much longer before, if not already in the works, these types of lawsuits hit Boeing as well as certain major airlines.

There are a lot of details to the settlement so the full article is well worth a read.  As highway infrastructure expansion is one of the problems that will be addressed, perhaps the state could look to Puna District as a model in delaying and reducing future construction.  They already have decades of on-the-ground experience right here on Highway 130, and our non-existent alternate second highway.

June 20 (Reuters) - Hawaii on Thursday agreed to take action to decarbonize its transportation system by 2045 to settle a lawsuit by 13 young people alleging the U.S. state was violating their rights under its constitution with infrastructure that contributes to greenhouse gas emissions and climate change.

They argued that the state had prioritized infrastructure projects such as highway construction and expansion that lock in the use of fossil fuels rather than focusing on projects that cut carbon emissions.

The agreement, which can be enforced in court, calls for the creation of a volunteer youth council to advise the state's Department of Transportation, which committed to reworking its planning to prioritize reducing greenhouse gasses and creating a new unit dedicated to decarbonization.

The department also plans to dedicate at least $40 million to expanding the public electric vehicle charging network by 2030 and accelerate improvements to the state's pedestrian, bicycle and public transit networks.

https://www.reuters.com/legal/hawaii-agr...024-06-21/

Where is a good electric lawn mower repair/service?  Thank you for advice.

Hawaii telcom is reportedly having an island wide outage.  Apparently affecting some Spectrum users as well.  Users are reporting that there is internet, but so painfully slow it's unusable.  I'm experiencing that in Orchidland and using cellular internet.

https://www.hawaiianairlines.com/deals-a...62&mi_sc=t

Flash sale starting at $39 one way.

I haven't checked but I imagine Southwest is meeting or beating the price on similar routes, because Hawaiian doesn't get the pound of flesh they used to.

A Southwest 737Max 8 came within 400 feet of crashing into the ocean on a flight from Honolulu to Kauai back in April. 

Apparently this was caused by a junior pilot and the seasoned Captain was able to regain control. 

However, for several seconds it was total horror for those aboard who suddenly were put into a loss of altitude that was as close to a “nose dive” as can be to be followed by a climb back up once the Captain regained control that was as near to a “vertical climb” as can be. 

Further, this was never officially reported to the FAA and was only disclosed after inquiries from Bloomberg, in which the FAA officially opened an investigation. 

What happens when all the seasoned Captains are gone?

https://bigislandnow.com/2024/06/15/sout...off-kauai/

Kalianna wrote:  "Why donʻt you go bicker on another thread?"
While I agree with the sentiment, I could not think of a singe thread where the bickering would be welcome.
So here it is.  Any and all bickering is welcome here for your entertainment, amusement, and general posting pleasure.
Enjoy!

Saw this the other day on KHON. Truly an amazing piece. And an amazing man to the rescue!

Hats off “Kawika Singson!” You are a true hero!

https://youtu.be/MyLiOrKsVeQ?si=7CwUyUYG-9o9uVMT

And this morning, his heroic effort has gone nationwide with this clip making it to CNN!

https://www.cnn.com/shorts/cnn-shorts?ii...ideo_entry

Thanks for making the Big Island proud Kawika!

So, I have a place with a unpermitted structure I built. Initial plan was to make it livable but not fancy, and spend a few weeks a year there.

After it got put up, but not even close to finished (think no door or windows), I get a call from one of my neighbors. He had a "friend" who was living on a nearby lot, and it had been bought, and the new owner wanted him gone. Big mistake, I agreed he could crash at my place IF he kept a eye on things and acted as a caretaker, namely, keeping the weeds at bay.

Years on, I'm sure most of you can guess how well this went. He got lazy, quit working, doesn't do a damn thing (the weeds are 6ft tall 10ft away from the structure). I tolerated this for awhile. I called him "the devil I know," comforting myself that at least I didn't have a aggressive squatter. Couple of trips I even helped him load up a bunch of crap and took it to the dump.

Well, not one to know how good he had it, the "caretaker" just keeps testing my tolerance and patience. He bought a cheap car, that broke down, then another, that broke down, now I have a few of them on my property. He has his friends over, and my neighbors like to share the stories of them making noise all hours. He bothers my neighbors by asking for rides to town constantly, and has offered drugs as payment. One of the friends is a known (by locals and cops) as a thief, stealing various items from people in the neighborhood. Finally, I got a story that one of the broke down cars was on fire recently, and my "caretaker" was seen drunk in the yard, clutching a bottle of booze, watching the blaze while the neighbors called the fire department.

Essentially, I have had it with this guy. I now have good neighbors on both sides that have agreed to keep a eye on my place and call the cops if someone attempts to squat.

My plan at the moment is to write up a termination letter, telling him to vacate, delivered in person, and give him 30 days. I'm tempted to offer $500 contingent on no theft or vandalism to my property, obviously paid out after he's gone.

Any thoughts, advise, or stories are welcome.