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ASD Staff

Hawai'i Skies

Today's Hawai'i Skies was captured by Ron Freed at Ala Moana Park. "The sunset before the storm. Looking out over Ala Moana Park."

To submit your Hawai'i Skies photo, visit us 

25 10 10 HAWAII SKIES RON FREED 16x9

<title>Hawai'i Skies: Before the storm</title>

Today's Hawai'i Skies was captured by Ron Freed at Ala Moana Park.

Hawai'i Skies: Before the storm

Today&#039;s Hawai&#039;i Skies was captured by Ron Freed at Ala Moana Park. &quot;The sunset before the storm. Looking out over Ala Moana Park.&quot; To submit your Hawai&#039;i Skies photo, visit us online or email: general@alohastatedaily.com

Kelli Shiroma Braiotta Headshot

Kelli Shiroma Braiotta

Food & Dining

Thanksgiving is coming up on Thursday, Nov. 26. Whether you’re dining out or looking for an at-home feast, check out the following options:

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"},{"type":"bold"}],"text":"100 Sails Restaurant & Bar"}]

: The Thanksgiving dinner buffet costs $109 per adult ($54.50 per child ages 6 to 10 years old). Highlights include kiawe-smoked prime rib that’s carved to order, kiawe smoked brisket, ‘ahi poke, assorted sashimi, snow crab legs, salt and pepper shrimp, caramelized mushroom linguini, roasted turkey leg and turkey breast, holiday stuffing, temaki sushi, Prince bread pudding, pumpkin crunch haupia crunch pie and more.

The brunch buffet costs $111 per adult ($55.50 per child ages 6 to 10 years old). It includes many of the featured dinner buffet offerings — including kiawe-smoked prime rib, kiawe smoked brisket, roasted turkey leg and turkey breast — but also includes breakfast offerings like Prince fried rice, a waffle station and an omelet station.

: Dinner buffet 5 to 9:30 p.m. Nov. 26-29; brunch buffet 9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Nov. 26

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"},{"type":"bold"}],"text":"53 By the Sea"}]

: 53 By the Sea’s Thanksgiving take home packages are available for pre-order online and via phone.

The standard Thanksgiving dinner set ($250) is designed to feed four people and includes:

The deluxe Thanksgiving dinner set ($750) is designed to feed eight people and includes:

: In-person pick-ups from 8 a.m. to noon on Nov. 26

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"},{"type":"bold"}],"text":"C4 Table by Colin Hazama"}]

: fishcake Honolulu, 307C Kamani St., Honolulu 

: C4 Table’s Thanksgiving holiday menu ($370) is designed to serve four to six people. It includes:

: Pick-up from 2:30 to 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 25 at fishcake Honolulu 

: Email pre-order with name (first and last), telephone contact number, number of meals/additional sides, and preferred pick-up time slot to 

: Chart House Waikīkī’s traditional turkey dinner ($65) includes butter and sage roasted turkey, savory cornbread stuffing, mashed or baked sweet potato with rum butter, pan gravy, creamed spinach and cranberry relish. 

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"},{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Hy’s Steak House"}]

: This Thanksgiving ‘ohana feast to-go ($585) is designed to serve eight to 10 people. It includes:

: This special Thanksgiving dinner ($40) includes butter herb roasted turkey, homemade stuffing, mashed potatoes, turkey gravy, green bean casserole, candied yams with toasted marshmallow, grilled corn on the cob and a dinner roll. 

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"},{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Merriman’s Honolulu"}]

: This Thanksgiving prix fixe menu costs $140 per person ($45 for children ages 12 years and younger). It includes:

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"},{"type":"bold"}],"text":"MW Restaurant"}]

: This Thanksgiving family feast ($725) is designed to feed six to eight people. It includes:

Pre-orders must be placed by Tuesday, Nov. 24.

: Pick-up from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Nov. 26

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"},{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Plumeria Beach House"}]

: The all-you-can-eat Thanksgiving buffets will include a carving station, chef specialties and a variety of desserts. They cost $145 per adult ($55 per child ages 6 to 12 years). 

: Nov. 26, brunch buffet 10 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.; dinner buffet 3 to 8 p.m. 

: This Thanksgiving package ($285.95) is designed to feed four to six people. It includes sliced roast turkey, turkey gravy, housemade stuffing, pineapple-glazed ham, garlic mashed potatoes, spicy ‘ahi on sushi rice, fresh cranberry sauce, and pumpkin crunch squares.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"},{"type":"bold"}],"text":"The Buffet at Hyatt"}]

: Hyatt Regency Waikīkī Beach Resort & Spa, 

: This Island-inspired Thanksgiving buffet costs $110 per person (50% off for children ages 6 to 12 years, $5.99 for children ages 5 years and under).

[{"type":"text","text":"Buffet highlights include:"}]

discount is not valid for holiday menus. 

The Royal Hawaiian, a Luxury Collection Resort, Waik

: This Thanksgiving takeout feast ($595) is designed to serve eight to 10 people.

: Pick-up from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Nov. 26.

Upon arrival, guests should pull into The Royal Hawaiian porte cochere (valet) and check in with the team; staff members will bring your Thanksgiving feast directly to you. 

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"},{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Umi by Vikram Garg"}]

: Halepuna Waikīkī by Halekūlani, 2233 Helumoa Road, Honolulu 

: This special Thanksgiving dinner features a three-course ($110 per person) or four-course ($150 per person) menu.

The three-course menu features a soup or pasta (premium upgrade optional), main course and dessert; an optional wine pairing ($50) is available. The four-course menu includes an appetizer (premium upgrade available), soup or pasta (premium upgrade available), main course and dessert; an optional wine pairing ($70) is available.

[{"type":"text","text":"Featured dishes include:"}]

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"},{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Zippy’s Restaurants"}]

: Zippy’s is offering a variety of Thanksgiving packages to choose from:

[{"type":"text","text":"Whole turkey package, $214.95; serves eight to 10 people"}]

[{"type":"text","text":"Half turkey package, $124.95; serves four people"}]

[{"type":"text","text":"Whole turkey only, $95.95; serves eight to 10 people"}]

: Pick-up Wednesday Nov. 25 or Thursday, Nov. 26

Thanskgiving 2026 Zippys 102826

<title>Where to go for Thanksgiving 2026 – part 1</title>

Where to go for Thanksgiving 2026 – part 1

Lopaka and Tanya Kapanui

Lopaka Kapanui and Tanya Kapanui

Hawai‘i History

Columnists

After collecting spooky stories for more than 25 years, it’s interesting to note that a ghost story from Japan is one of the most popular tales in Hawai‘i. But how did it get here, you ask?

In the late 1800s, the first contract laborers from Japan began arriving in Hawai‘i to work on the sugar and pineapple plantations. Later, the influx of immigrants from Japan, China, the Philippines, Korea, and Portugal, particularly during the Hawai‘i plantation era, resulted in a unique interethnic society. These immigrant settlers brought with them their families, food, culture, and sense of community. They also brought their religions, superstitions, and ghosts.

Yōkai are a class of supernatural beings deeply rooted in Japanese spiritual traditions. Although there are a number of different expressions for ghosts, spirits, and monsters in the Japanese language, the modern use of the term “yōkai” in Hawai‘i and the Western world has come to represent a broad category of various supernatural entities.

The legend of the faceless ghost, known as noppera-bō in Japan, is a yōkai that resembles a human with no face. The creature is often mistaken for mujina, the badger or tanuki (raccoon dog) ghosts, who are shapeshifters and often appear as noppera-bō. Mujina are tricksters said to enjoy tormenting wicked people.

The true noppera-bō is an entity that looks like a regular person but has no face. They are usually harmless and are primarily known for frightening people. In some legends, the noppera-bō appears as an ordinary human being before its eyes, nose, and mouth disappear, leaving a blank sheet of skin where its face should be. When this yōkai touches the face of an unsuspecting victim, the victim’s facial features disappear, causing them to become noppera-bō.

Over the years, Hawai‘i has had its own sightings of the faceless ghost in places like the Waiākea Villas in Hilo, an intermediate school in Kailua, and the Moanalua school campus.

In May 1959, several children at a middle school in Pālolo told their parents about a faceless woman roaming the halls. The rumors spread quickly to other students and faculty, and the police department received frantic calls from parents to investigate. The principal at the time stated that the stories must have been greatly exaggerated by the students and asked for the parents’ help dispelling the rumors.

Just four days later, a newspaper editorial described sightings of a faceless woman at the Wai‘alae Drive-In Theatre in Kaimukī.

According to one version, a young woman entered the restroom around midnight to put on fresh lipstick. In the mirror, she saw a figure behind her with half a body, long hair, and no face. She turned around quickly, but no one was there. The restroom door slammed shut by itself and locked. The girl screamed and fainted, ending up in the hospital.

Another story states that a woman went to the restroom and noticed someone standing in front of the mirror, combing her long, black hair. The woman moved closer to the hair-brushing stranger and spoke to her. The person in front of the mirror turned slightly toward the woman. She had no face. The woman was so frightened, she ended up in the hospital with a nervous breakdown.

As most people know, the drive-in used to sit next to the Kāhala Cemetery, also known as Ocean View Cemetery. According to a map published in 1929, the cemetery stretched from where it is now, all the way to where 20th Avenue met Hoku Avenue before the Lunalilo Freeway was built. At some point, the burial grounds were cut in half, and the theater was built on the ‘Ewa side of the lot. Today, a storage facility sits atop the old drive-in site, and there are houses along the mauka and ‘Ewa borders, but the rest of the cemetery is still there.

As for the faceless ghost, she hasn’t disappeared with the theater. She’s reportedly been seen several times just across the street. People claim to have encountered her in the mall bathroom and the aisles of a nearby grocery store.

A person approached me about a crazy incident in the shoe section of a department store in that mall. It was the start of a sale, and the department was filled with shoppers looking for deals on the clearance rack that had been marked down again. But suddenly, people started dropping their shoes on the floor and leaving the area, as if they were avoiding something.

The store employee went to check it out and saw a strange woman in a red dress with long, black hair, grabbing shoes off the racks with one hand and piling them onto her arm. She was creating a mess as boxes and shoes fell to the floor. The woman’s body seemed to be shaking with tension.

The saleswoman approached the lady from behind and called out, “Excuse me?”

The stranger didn’t acknowledge the saleswoman, so she called out again, louder this time. Suddenly, the strange lady froze, holding an empty shoebox in her hand. She crumpled the box like it was a piece of paper, let out a horrible scream, and then threw the shoes she was holding to the ground.

The saleswoman said that when the lady in the red dress turned around, she had no face.

“I left,” she said, “I didn’t go upstairs to clock out. I didn’t even talk to my manager. I just left. There’s no way I’d ever go back in that store.”

[{"type":"text","text":"Have you seen the faceless woman?"}]

Waialae Public Storage

<title>The Faceless Woman of Wai‘alae</title>

The drive-in theatre on Wai‘alae Avenue may be gone, but the famous faceless ghost that haunted it is not — in fact, she's been spotted across the street at the mall.

The Faceless Woman of Wai‘alae

Stephanie Salmons Headshot

Stephanie Salmons

Government & Politics

Aloha Spirit

It’s 5 p.m. on a Wednesday in early July and the church bells are ringing out over Lahaina. The day may be ending, but it’s still hot and the sun is still shining brightly over the West Maui community.

It’s a different sight today than it was on Aug. 8, 2023, when wildfires driven by winds from a passing storm ravaged parts of the Valley Isle. While 

 through several other areas of Maui, Lahaina saw the worst as an inferno destroyed much of the historic town and killed more than 100 people. It was one of the deadliest U.S. wildfires in more than a century.

Lahaina’s famed Front Street is no longer bustling in the way it was before the wildfires, but on this July day, nearly three years later, there are signs of new life on the quiet streets.

When I was here two years ago, just before the first anniversary of the fire, heaps of debris and piles of twisted metal remained in many areas. It was quieter then, almost silent, as I spoke with business owners who had lost everything. They sifted through the rubble and ruins and paused poignantly as they took in what was, seemingly reflecting on what had been.

[{"type":"text","text":"On this day, though, it's different."}]

A small group has gathered in a parking lot off Front Street; signage there directs people to “Meet Here” for various tours leaving from the nearby 

. More signs direct pedestrians along a route to get there.

[{"type":"text","text":"Some hazards may persist, the signs warn. Access at your own risk."}]

There’s plenty that’s still off limits on this day — roads closed, fencing up, warnings posted — but this afternoon, a few people, including this reporter, are trekking down the roadway, a portion of which was still closed to vehicles, on foot.

Visitors pause and take in the sight of the 153-year-old banyan tree, still looming large. The tree was damaged by the heat of the blaze and is still recovering from the fire, but wasn’t destroyed. It’s been fenced off, with no trespassing signs posted. Following an assessment this spring, arborists have decided that the tree will remain fenced off for another two years, but you can still admire from the sidewalk. (Read more the tree 

A man walks one way down the road, his dog on a leash. Walking in the other direction is a man with a surfboard under his arm. A short time later, a young boy bikes down the empty street, with his family following close behind. He rings the bell on his bicycle.

[{"type":"text","text":"Some visitors on the sidewalk lament the loss."}]

[{"type":"text","text":"Look at those buildings, they say. It’s all gone, they say."}]

[{"type":"text","text":"And that’s true, but it isn’t."}]

So where’s Lahaina today, three years later? It’s still there. Recovery is still underway and what the community will ultimately look like is yet to be seen, but work is progressing, more slowly for some than others, but it is progressing.

Aloha State Daily sat down with county leaders last month to find out where things stand three years after the fires.

[{"type":"text","text":"Rebuilding residential"}]

When talking about the fires, Maui County Mayor Richard Bissen, who is seeking reelection this year, first offers up some context, and starts by recounting a community meeting in September 2023, the month following the fires.

“I recall this vividly. The question was put to us: When do you think we will be able to get a building permit?” he told ASD during a sit-down interview in July. “And this man, he was not angry. He was very matter of fact. He said, ‘We just need to know how to plan.’”

Bissen told the man that based on what was known from other communities like Paradise, California, which was devastated by 

, and others, it would take at least two to three years to get a building permit.

But in November 2024, a little more than a year after the fires, Bissen said the first two rebuilt homes were moved into — 

“So, not only did it not take two or three years to get a building permit, it didn’t take two or three years to move back into a rebuilt home,” Bissen says.

As of Aug. 5 of this year, 577 homes have been completed, including 264 single-family units and 313 multi-family units, according to data on the county's 

There are 667 homes with issued permits, including 583 single-family units and 84 multi-family units, which means permits have been issued allowing construction to begin. Another 597 homes — 176 single-family units and 421 multi-family units — have permits processing, which means applications for permits have been submitted.

A total of 400 homes, including single-family and multi-family units, are under construction.

"I just needed to put that in perspective because it’s hard to say if you’re ahead or you’re behind without comparing it to something,” Bissen explained. “There’s so many reasons why that happened in terms of debris clearing and in terms of building, but I think for us, a big reason it happened … is we told our community so they would know in advance that our focus was going to be returning people to their homes, especially owner-occupied homes, because there are people who own second and third homes out there too, of course, [but] that has been our focus and we’re well on our way.”

Housing in Lahaina was a challenge even before the fire, but according to the 

, 2,207 structures were damaged or destroyed in the Lahaina fire, of which 1,898, or 86%, were residential. The residential structures that were damaged or destroyed made up about 45% of Lahaina's residential housing.

"The challenge of finding replacement housing units for residents who lost their homes is exacerbated by the average household size in Lahaina (3.53 people) being significantly higher than than the average in the county (2.96 people), state (2.92 people) and the United States (2.57)," the report reads. "The scarcity of rental housing amidst competition with short-term rentals presents an affordability challenge for displaced residents, increasing the pressure on the housing supply availability and high cost of living, compounded by the fire, have resulted in 45% of fire-impacted respondents to say they are considering leaving the county and moving elsewhere."

Across the August 2023 wildfires in Lahaina and Upcountry Maui, 2,145 dwellings were destroyed, according to information provided by the county, citing county real property assessment data.

[{"type":"text","text":"Commercial activity and infrastructure"}]

The county also has been focusing on the commercial rebuilding concurrently, but the challenges are different, Bissen says.

“But now that infrastructure has been restored — we’re talking about water, wastewater, power, roads — that’s all infrastructure that commercial needs,” he told ASD. “You can put up a building, but you still need to bring water to the building, have wastewater go away from the building, get roads [so] people can get to the buildings, parking. There are things that are needed for our commercial business and I’m really proud of where we’re at on that, as well.”

 told ASD in a follow-up email that overall, infrastructure restoration was one of the "first and most critical phases of Lahaina's recovery."

"Before homes and businesses could be rebuilt, the community needed  safe drinking water, functioning sewer service, reliable roads, electrical service and other essential utilities," she said, noting that many of the projects required coordination among the county, state, utility providers, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

 program, which encompasses all the recovery programs funded by $1.6 billion in federal Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery funds appropriated for the 2023 wildfires, 

announced conditional funding allocations

 that will help restore 519 affordable housing units and fund 22 critical infrastructure and mitigation projects.

Some of those infrastructure projects include major corridor improvements, including phase 1C of the Honoapi‘ilani Highway realignment, or Lahaina Bypass extension; street extensions and connector roads; repairs to damaged roads and sidewalks; upgrades to recycled water systems; sewer system expansion and upsizing, replacement of critical wastewater pump stations, emergency power for essential water facilities, and reconstruction of public-serving facilities in West Maui, that announcement noted. 

This summer alone, though, there's been a flurry of movement recently in Lahaina’s commercial sector.

An interim marketplace and community gathering spot in development by Hawaiian Council — with support from its Kākoʻo Maui Fund and the Hawaiʻi Community Foundation — will be the first project to bring storefronts back to Front Street, Maui County said in a July 2 announcement of its launch.

Called ‘Ulu o Lele, the marketplace will be located at the former Outlets of Maui site and offer a temporary home for local businesses, nonprofits, cultural practitioners, farmers and community programming while permanent commercial redevelopment progresses, the announcement noted.

According to the county, Hawaiian Council, formerly known as the Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement, has secured a two-year lease for approximately three acres at the site and is leading the planning, development and implementation of the project, itself designed as an 18- to 24-month recovery initiative.

The project will use modular retail spaces and supporting infrastructure to "quickly activate the site and create new opportunities for local businesses and organizations," the announcement says. Meanwhile, the marketplace is expected to hold approximately 25 to 50 local vendors and help sustain about 90 jobs.

Meanwhile, Kimo’s Restaurant, a popular waterfront eatery lost in the fire, has also 

announced its intent to return to Front Street

Parent company T S Restaurants will partner with business leaders Kent Untermann and Mousa Hassan who are restoring the Chan Wa Building, which is where you’ll find the restaurant in the future.

Overall, five Front Street commercial permits were issued as of mid-July and two more commercial projects were nearing permits, according to information provided by Maui County. More than a dozen commercial properties were in planning consultation at that time.

"Permitting and approvals in the Lahaina Historic districts have been one of the most heavily regulated processes in the state, involving national, state and local rules. Besides being one of the most storied places in Hawaiʻi and the Islands’ first capital, it was the only historic district in the state with buildings constructed out over the water," the county noted in its July 2 announcement.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"}],"text":"Risks ahead"}]

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"}],"text":"But there are risks."}]

Some business owners may be hesitant to be the first business to return and reopen in Lahaina Town without other draws, but Abraham told ASD in July that’s why the upcoming ‘Ulu o Lele Marketplace is so critical, “because it paves the way and provides foot traffic and accountability, that there will be people down there when they do open their doors.”

 Bissen noted, too, the dynamics between landowners and tenants in Lahaina’s commercial areas.

“Some of the landlords are their own tenants — they work in the building that they own. Many of them are landlords who lease their space to other businesses, which means it takes two people to really make that work,” he explained. “If the tenant wants to come back, but nobody builds the place, then they’re waiting. If the landlord rebuilds and no tenant wants to rent their space, then why did they rebuild?

“But if you own your own building and restaurant or retail, then you know you’re coming back. It’s very different from residential. ... Not enough people are factoring that in because not only do they have to risk financially, but also the time and effort and energy it takes to rebuild. I think that was part of the hesitation, but now that groups are coming back, I think people will see that momentum and see that synergy that’s starting to happen.” 

But businesses could have moved forward with rebuilding at any time.

“I think it was a ‘Let’s wait and see’ in their mind how this is really going to go,” Maui County Office of Recovery Administrator John Smith told ASD during the same interview in July. “They knew that we were concurrently working to pave the way for them in terms of how permits go through, how infrastructure was going to be ready, because building a commercial building has a different standard than a residential [building] and we’re holding current building code standards ... . All of that stuff in a very old town has to be considered.

“When you have all these really old buildings and you’re going to rebuild, one, you’re going to rebuild to meet what the community wants — and that’s where we developed design guidelines. Commercial wanted to see how that was going to turn out. That’s all done now, so there’s a very, very clear path to go fast with commercial guidelines — but you also have to build to current building code and sometimes that means you need to upgrade your own infrastructure on your property, depending on the age of the structure.”

All that’s being weighed concurrently with the residential rebuild, harbor opening and streets coming back online, Smith says.

“In a major disaster, where an entire town is lost, commercial is naturally the lagging factor until there’s people to be there for business,” he told ASD.

, commercial design guidelines approved by the Maui County Cultural Resource Commission in May “aim to support the Lahaina community’s rebuilding efforts and assist in meeting community needs, incorporating climate resilience and sustainability, and honoring the cultural and historical significance of Lahaina,” the 

 notes. “These guidelines build on existing regulatory and policy documents and are grounded in historic Lahaina building styles and community feedback.

The Rebuild Lahaina Plan itself covers about 120 acres and focuses on the core of Lahaina.

Smith said, too, that the county has engaged with all owners in the commercial area at this point.

“We’ve seen their plans. We’re working with them on their plans. We understand their timelines, when they’re coming back, how they’re coming back and in the interim things like the new marketplace that’s coming will be a significant help until reconstruction can occur,” he says.

Smith also told ASD in July that operations at Lahaina Small Boat Harbor are integral to Lahaina’s commercial activity. And while it’s actively operating now, the repair work isn’t finished.

The state Department of Land and Natural Resources Division of Boating and Ocean Recreation 

resumed limited commercial boat operations

 at the harbor in December 2025 — the first time since the wildfires. According to June 

, among the work already completed or underway, construction on a $5 million dredging project began June 1 and is anticipated to be finished by December.

Moving into a commercial area is different than moving into a home, Smith says.

“These commercial owners need to know that they’re going to have enough traffic down there.”

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"}],"text":"Timeline to rebuild"}]

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"}],"text":"How long will it take to rebuild Lahaina?"}]

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"}],"text":"That depends on who you ask."}]

“When you say that, if somebody’s home is already built and up in Lahaina, have we rebuilt Lahaina?” Bissen says. “Do we have to wait until we build the very last one to say we’ve rebuilt Lahaina? I think we’re in phases. We’re in stages. I think that’s how you rebuild any [community]. I don’t think we’re unique in that sense. I think that you can visibly see the tangible results that have happened if you saw the before and after — and I mean right after the fire to where it is now.”

Smith mentioned the 519 additional affordable housing units the county has helped fund, which are expected to be completed between 2029 and 2031.

“We can see over the next few years that every time one of those comes online, it’ll be another phase is done, another phase is done,” he told ASD. “I think it’s a very, very reductionist view … to just say ‘When’s it going to be done?’ For the 236 that have already moved into their homes, Lahaina’s back. The other [residents] that are in a temporary situation, they’re still there. … Lahaina’s still there, it’s just at what stage is it? And the answer to that is granular per neighborhood, per site, per unit.”

Smith says that more than 80% of all properties have a plan to “come back completely."

"I think we’ll get back to beyond 100% because we’re also talking about building new houses in new areas. Some of those multi-family [properties] are coming back more dense on purpose because they realized that they weren’t really utilizing the property efficiently.”

How would the county’s leaders rate the recovery efforts so far?

“I can only really answer it based on what other communities that have gone through similar things are telling us,” Smith says. “We know that we're doing, I would say, well. Easily, we’re doing well. I would say we are in some ways setting a new standard for recovery, and this is not just here. Maybe globally, we’re setting a new standard.”

For his part, Bissen says, “If you ask somebody who’s in their home right now … they’ll say ‘It’s great. We’re home quicker than we thought,' and if you have somebody waiting, you’ll always be able to find somebody who will say, ‘No, this is going way too long. It’s taking so long,’ and it’s true to them. It is absolutely true. I wouldn’t disagree with them.”

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"}],"text":"One ‘Ohana Fund"}]

Gov. Josh Green on Thursday announced that the One ‘Ohana Fund, formally known as the Maui Wildfires Compensation Program, has offered the full $175 million available through the program to families who lost loved ones and individuals who suffered serious physical injuries in the fires.

An Aug. 6 announcement from the governor's office noted that as of Aug. 4, the program has offered compensation for 162 eligible claims across two phases, including 102 death claims and 60 serious physical injury claims. More than $155.7 million has been delivered to date.

According to the governor's office, the fund was made possible through $175 million in contributions from Hawaiian Electric Co., the state, Kamehameha Schools, Maui County, Charter/Spectrum, Hawaiian Telcom and West Maui Land Co. This funding is separate from the $4 billion-plus global wildfire settlement still in litigation proceedings, the announcement noted.

The program was announced on Nov. 8, 2023, two months after the fires, "

to provide a prompt, accessible and Hawaiʻi-centered alternative for compensating eligible death and serious physical injury claims," the announcement says.

Eligible death claims receive $1.5 million, while serious physical injury awards are determined by the severity of the injury and may total up to $1.5 million, the state says.

To prevent future tragedies, Maui has been expanding the Maui Emergency Management Agency under new leadership; ASD reports on the details of that 

Lahaina Front Street rainbow 070826

<title>Lahaina, three years after the fires</title>

It's been three years since wildfires destroyed much of Lahaina Town. Recovery is still underway but work to rebuild is progressing.

Lahaina, three years after the fires

Hūnānāniho Beach Park sits along the Waimānalo shore, but many people know the place by its nickname, “Sherwood Forest” or simply “Sherwoods.” At the end of a narrow lane just across from the Polo Club, this pocket of land is covered with tall ironwood trees that are not native to Hawai‘i. While the ironwoods provide welcome shade for beachgoers and campers, they’re a relatively recent addition.

Long before the towering trees were planted, this stretch of the Waimānalo shoreline was already home to generations of Native Hawaiians. Historic photographs from the early 1900s show an open beach with very few large trees. Very different from the dense forest that later became famous.

Perhaps the most sobering reminder of Hūnānāniho’s past lies beneath the sand. Archaeological evidence shows Waimānalo to be one of the earliest permanent settlements on O‘ahu. Radiocarbon dating from nearby excavations places occupation between A.D. 1040-1219, with documented home sites, imu, stone tools, midden deposits, shell fishhooks, and burial grounds containing iwi kūpuna, the ancestral remains of Native Hawaiians.

Hūnānāniho was known to Hawaiians as a pu‘uhonua, a place of refuge or sanctuary. Anyone who violated a kapu or fled a losing battle and could successfully reach the grounds of a pu‘uhonua was granted protection from harm or execution. A pu‘uhonua is recognized as a sacred place where kāhuna would perform cleansing rituals and offer prayers for affected individuals. Through these solemn practices, they were absolved of their transgressions and were allowed to return to society.

In 1917, the Waimānalo Sugar Company sold around 1,500 acres of beachfront property to the U.S. Government, after which Pres. Woodrow Wilson’s Executive Order established the Waimānalo Military Reservation. What followed were sweeping changes to the landscape, including the destruction of archaeological sites, the grading of natural dunes, and the construction of an airfield.

In 1933, the reservation was renamed Bellows Field, honoring 2nd Lieutenant F.B. Bellows, who was killed in an airplane accident. The military expanded the facility during World War II to train Air Force personnel for combat. In the 1950s, the military discontinued recreational use of the area, and by the 1960s, it became known as Sherwood Forest, likely named after the famous den of thieves due to high crime rates.

When the military no longer required portions of the property, the land was returned to the state and, eventually, to the city and county. The park was officially named Waimānalo Bay Beach Park until 2021. After a years-long battle to prevent the city from building athletic fields at the park, the Honolulu City and County voted to restore the park’s original name, Hūnānāniho. 

Hawaiian place names have mana, and they often convey the cultural significance of a place. The literal translation of Hūnānāniho is “hidden teeth,” but Hawaiian names often have a deeper meaning. Waimānalo cultural practitioner Kalani Kalima shared an explanation given by Kumu Hula Frank Kawai Hewett that Hūnānāniho means to keep something so sacred and personal that it is hidden, as one’s teeth. 

Waimānalo is one of the earliest human settlements on O‘ahu, dating back as much as a thousand years. For Native Hawaiians, it was a pu‘uhonua, a place of refuge. Later the area hosted a sugar plantation then a military airfield. In 2021, the City and County of Honolulu restored Waimānalo Bay Beach Park's traditional name, Hūnānāniho. Some say that's not the only presence from the past that walks the beach when the moon is just right.

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Authors

ASD Staff

Reporter

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