Good evening, Hawaii. Here are the main stories we've been following today:
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Today's Big Stories
According to a County of Kauai news release Friday morning, multiple agencies are continuing search-and-recovery efforts after a helicopter crashed in waters about a quarter-mile offshore from Hanakoa Valley along the Napali Coast.
In its latest report, the county said that the U.S. Coast Guard Sector Honolulu command center watchstanders received a report of a helicopter crash from the Kauai Fire Department at 1:40 p.m. Thursday. Kauai Police was notified of the crash about 20 minutes prior.
According to a preliminary report, hikers along the Kalalau Trail witnessed the Ali‘i Kaua‘i Air Tours' Robinson R44 helicopter crash into the water. The helicopter had one pilot and two passengers aboard. One person was recovered at approximately 2:25 p.m. and confirmed dead. There are two others missing. The identities of the three people have not been released.
Neither the Coast Guard nor the tour company returned messages left before business hours on Friday morning. The National Transportation Safety Board will investigate the latest crash.
Anyone with information that may assist search efforts should contact Sector Honolulu at 808-842-2603.
2. Maui's Crater Road brush fire burns through 355 acres of land
The Crater Road Fire, which started Wednesday on Haleakala, has so far burned 355 acres of land. The acreage measurement decreased from previous reporting because of more accurate mapping assessments.
Maui Emergency Management Agency sent out a message at 7:30 p.m. Thursday that lifted the Crater Road Fire emergency advisory that had been sent earlier in the day.
The Maui Fire Department reported that the fire is 70% contained as of Friday at 9 a.m. MFD said the plume of smoke visible miles from the site is being caused by hot spots in a eucalyptus grove and it is not a cause for concern.
MFD ground and air crews have stopped the fire’s forward progress and dozers have cut control lines around most of the fire’s perimeter.
The Hawaii Department of Health is coordinating with state and county officials to collect real-time air monitoring data. Currently, air quality monitors in central Maui show the air quality continues to be good. However, DOH said changes may occur and residents and visitors are advised to be prepared.
No homes have been damaged at this time.
3. Hirono, Schatz call out Republicans on reproductive rights bill
As expected, the Reproductive Freedom for Women Act, a nonbinding messaging bill that expressed support for women’s reproductive freedom and the protection of access to reproductive health care, failed to pass the U.S. Senate on Wednesday, felled by a 49-44 vote that found near unanimity among Republican members.
The seat was officially vacated by former Sen. Maile Shimabukuro, who opted not to seek reelection after 22 years in the state Legislature.
Before and after the vote, Hawaii’s two senators expressed distress at the state of abortion rights in the wake of the Supreme Court’s 2022 Dobbs decision and frustration with their Republican colleagues.
The bill, among the most concise the chamber will consider this session, stated simply, “It is the sense of Congress that: (1) protections for access to abortion rights and other reproductive health care after the Dobbs v. Jackson, 597 U.S. 215 (2022) decision on June 24, 2022, should be supported; and (2) the protections enshrined in Roe v. Wade, 410 U.S. 113 (1973) should be restored and built upon, moving towards a future where there is reproductive freedom for all.”
The measure was introduced last month by 40 Democratic senators in response to an increase in de facto abortion bans or heightened restrictions by Republican-led states. In the end, Sens. Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska were the only Republicans to vote in favor of the bill.
Republicans dismissed the vote as an attempt by Senate majority leader Chuck Schumer to put them in the uncomfortable position of having to cast votes in opposition to prevailing public opinion on abortion-related topics, a tactic they say does not diminish their conviction. Sen. John Thune, R-S.D., has repeated referred to the string of recent, similarly predictable votes on abortion- and border-related topics as “Schumer’s summer of show votes.”
Hirono and her Democratic colleagues, however, said Republicans need to acknowledge the real-life consequences of legislative actions that restrict access to abortion.
4. Maui surfing community wins ESPY award for humanitarian relief in wildfire response
For its swift response to the wildfires that destroyed much of Lahaina nearly a year ago, the Maui surfing community was presented with the Muhammad Ali Sports Humanitarian Award on Thursday night at the ESPYs.
The group of big wave surfers, who banded together to transport badly needed supplies to the still-smoldering town via the ocean in the days following Aug. 8, was represented by Maui resident Kai Lenny and Waterman Hall of Famer Archie Kalepa as speakers at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles.
A video produced by ESPN showed the devastation, the surfers’ response bringing supplies, and a floating memorial offshore one month after the disaster. Actor Rob Lowe presented the award to the group, which also included Paige Alms, Molly Lenny, Andrea Moller and Zane Schweitzer on stage.
Kalepa was tearful as he addressed the crowd. But he then framed the moment as part of a greater lesson to be learned.
“I’m so grateful; we’re so grateful to receive this award. I feel like I’m about to take off on a massive wave,” Kalepa said.
“We as a people, all of us, know how to sail through a storm. But it’s just as important for us to know how to sail around one. Because climate change. Climate change is here. There are more storms on the horizon for all of us. We all have to face that reality and understand that this is the next voyage we have to take as human beings, and creators of this Earth, to fix what has been broken and find harmony again with Mother Nature. People, take this message with you tonight. Mahalo and thank you once again, and aloha, good night.”
5. Rep. Mark Nakashima dead at 61
A former high school teacher who represented the Hamakua, part of Hilo and Kaumana at the state Legislature for the last 16 years, Rep. Mark Nakashima distinguished himself as both a strong advocate for the state’s rural communities and a forward-thinking leader committed to a sustainable energy future.
Nakashima died Thursday in Honolulu following an extended series of health problems. He was 61.
“Rep. Nakashima’s legacy of service, dedication to education and commitment to sustainable energy will continue to inspire us all,” said Gov. Josh Green in a statement released Thursday afternoon. “He was a gentle yet fierce advocate for the residents of Hawaii, and we honor his memory and his contributions to our community and state.”
Acting Gov. Sylvia Luke, a close friend of Nakashima’s since their time at UH, said she was heartbroken by news of his passing.
“Mark was not only a strong advocate for his constituents but also a champion for medical access and equality in our rural communities,” she said. “I will miss him dearly and send my prayers and aloha to his loved ones during this time.”
Green, who is in Utah for the National Governors Association 2024 Summer Meeting, ordered that the United States flag and Hawaii state flag be flown at half-staff in honor of Nakashima at the state Capitol, all state offices and agencies, and the Hawaii National Guard from sunrise on July 12 to sunset on July 15.
6. North Shore landowner will donate property in exchange for immunity for environmental violations
The state’s Board of Land and Natural Resources decided Friday to approve a settlement deal with Yue-Sai Kan, which allows her to have immunity for environmental violations in exchange for donating her multimillion-dollar property at Marconi Point to conservation.
Under the deal, Kan’s 4.7-acre property, which is located near Turtle Bay, will be transferred to the North Shore Community Land Trust, a nonprofit conservation group. She has already removed a wrought-iron fence that is dangerous to native species, according to a news release from the state's Department of Land and Natural Resources.
“We will make the highest use of this opportunity to advance our efforts to fully restore this amazing coastal dune environment for the benefit and enjoyment of native species and all those who respectfully visit this culturally and environmentally significant place,” Land trust Executive Director Adam Borrello said in a statement.
Before the settlement was reached, the Department of Land and Natural Resources had recommended that the board fine Kan $1,547,500.
Even though the settlement deal was approved, the DLNR will still seek about $3 million in fines and potential criminal actions against eight nearby landowners, who were also implicated in the bee habitat destruction, according to HCB.
After weeks of intra-party turmoil and challenges to his leadership, President Joe Biden started his rally in Detroit by turning to the supporters behind him and offering an apology: "Excuse my back!" he said.
The crowd in the battleground state of Michigan sent him back laughter and love: "We got your back! We got your back! We got your back!"
Biden beamed. "I’ve got your back!" he said.
At his latest stop on a campaign that has become about rebuilding his image among voters and concerned Democratic allies, Biden sought to sound the alarm on Donald Trump’s expected policies — and set himself up as the person best able to shut them down.
He laid out plans for his first 100 days of a second term in the White House, laid bare an overview of a far-right agenda to restructure government in case of a Trump presidency, and laid low his political opponent with a series of insults.
"I know how to tell the truth. I know right from wrong. I know how, and I’ve demonstrated how, to do this job. And I know Americans want a president, not a dictator," Biden said.
Biden turned serious as he tied Trump to Project 2025, a Heritage Foundation-backed ultra-conservative plan to reshape the federal government should Trump win the presidency. Trump has disavowed the project, saying he knows nothing about it.
He also pledged to restore and make permanent the childcare tax credit, to lower the cost of prescription drugs, to cap rent increases and end tax cuts for the wealthy and for corporations.
"I’m the nominee of the Democratic Party, the only Democrat or Republican that has beaten Donald Trump, ever, and I’m gonna beat him again. I know him," Biden said, before delivering one of his opponent's favorite epithets.
"Donald Trump is a loser," Biden proclaimed, and the crowd erupted.
Your Notes for the Weekend
Saturday, July 13
- MLB All-Star Celebrity Softball Game
- Donald Trump holds rally in Pennsylvania
- Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards 2024
- Wimbledon Women's Singles Final
- 70th Anniversary of death of Mexican painter Frida Kahlo
- Peach Music Festival curated by the Allman Brothers Band
- U.S. plays Mexico to celebrate the 25th anniversary of World Cup winning team
Sunday, July 14
- 2024 MLB Draft
- 9th anniversary of Iran nuclear deal reached
- Bastille Day Celebrations in France
- Wimbledon Men's Singles Final
- COPA America Soccer Final
- 25th Anniversary of "The Blair Witch Project"
- Gordon Parks' "Portraits of African American Life Explored" in exhibition at National Gallery of Art
Monday, July 15
- President Biden interview with Lester Holt airs on NBC
- President Biden Commemorates 60th anniversary of Civil Rights Act
- 2024 GOP National Convention begins
- U.N. meeting to mark Nelson Mandela Day
- U.S. and Isareli security advisors hold in-person meeting
- WHO and UNICEF publish immunization data
- Harry Potter, DC Comics and Marvel exhibition at Comic-Con Museum ahead of inaugural auction
- China releases quarterly GDP data
- MLB Home Run Derby
In Case You Missed It
(Courtesy of Iolani Palace)
Exhibit at Iolani Palace offers an Indigenous-centered perspective
“ʻĀinamoana: The Lands of the Sea” is the newest exhibit at Iolani Palace, centering around a unique map of the same name, “Ainamoana,” that reflects a Kānaka ʻŌiwi (Native Hawaiian) perspective.
First produced in ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi (Hawaiian language), the map comes from the atlas, “He Mau Palapala Aina a me na Niele e Pili Ana” that was printed at Lahainaluna Seminary.
Translated as “The Lands of the Sea,” ʻĀinamoana reflects an Indigenous perspective of place and belonging in Oceania by positioning Hawaii within a wider network of islands and peoples all connected by the ocean, genealogy and a legacy of voyaging, according to a release.
“ʻĀinamoana: The Lands of the Sea” is in the Bartels Gallery and is open to the public 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday.