Maui’s mayor prioritizes housing after wildfire
Maui’s mayor says he is prioritizing housing, evaluating evacuation routes and hiring more firefighters as his Hawaii community recovers from the deadliest U. S. wildfire in more than a century.
Mayor Richard Bissen outlined the steps in emotional remarks more than seven months after the Aug. 8 wildfire killed 101 people in the historic town of Lahaina.
He kicked off his address by saying “the state of the county is heartbroken” and then paused several times throughout his 45- minute speech to collect himself as he spoke of those who died and of the heroism and sacrifices of residents and county employees. He recounted stories of those who rescued people from the flames and opened evacuation centers and food distribution hubs for survivors.
“It will take strength, courage and faith to keep moving forward. But the foundations of that will be in how we care for one another, always leading with aloha,” Mr. Bissen said in his Friday night address, which was delivered in Wailuku and streamed online.
Maui had a housing shortage and some of the nation’s most expensive housing even before the fire. The island’s housing crisis only intensified after the blaze destroyed more than 2,000 buildings and displaced 4,500 residents. About 87% of those who lost their homes were renters.
Snowstorm strands 50 Colo. women on bus
A weekly ski trip for about 50 women from the Denver area turned into an overnight ordeal when their bus got stuck in a snowstorm behind jackknifed semi tractor- trailers on their way back from Vail.
One of the women, Brenda Djorup, called it a test of perseverance and patience. But she said they got to know one another better, helped a couple of women with medical issues and made it home safely Thursday after 22 hours on the bus.
“It was a testament to women who have dealt with other crises in our lives and knew how to handle a situation that was unexpected and uncomfortable and keeping things in its right perspective,” said Ms. Djorup, a retired teacher.
“We did run out of food and water and were limited on our use of the bathroom,” she said. “And people dug in their backpacks for tissues when we ran out of toilet paper. And we looked after each other.”
The women were on the final of the 10 weekly ski trips with the Thera- ski Bus, a volunteer- run women’s only ski group that has been operating for about 40 years.
Venezuela ruling party will support Maduro
Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro on Saturday became his party’s official nominee for July’s highly anticipated presidential election, which would allow him to stroll into a third consecutive term with no real competition on the horizon.
Not unusual to Venezuela, the election has been plagued with controversy since Mr. Maduro’s main opponent, María Corina Machado — who swept an opposition coalition’s primary election with more than 90% of votes — was disqualified by Venezuelan authorities to hold public office for 15 years.
Mr. Maduro accepted the nomination as the ruling United Socialist Party’s candidate for the July 28 presidential election during a party gathering in Caracas, saying he has “the support of the people.” According to the party, its decision was backed by over 4 million members who chose their candidate last week.