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Volunteer reporter Geoff Cygnus who has been reporting exclusively on the aftermath of Maui after deadly fires razed the island, has released a new video that shows a massive black curtain that has been resurrected around Maui’s ground zero. In a new video that was uploaded on both TikTok and Twitter, Cygnus recorded a video of a massive black curtain that stretches all along Lahaina in West Maui. Cygnus shared in the video that he stopped his vehicle near the curtain to film but was immediately approached by members of the National Guard and was told to “keep moving.” The...

The Hawaiian Stand Off: A Teachable Moment.By J. JohnsonWhile watching with earnest about the happenings on Maui since August 8, 2023, a ran across a YouTube video of a man I believe named Eric West, who has been documenting actions there ever since. This video in question was a live stream where he and his son (I believe) ended up in a law enforcement matter that thankfully ended peacefully. During this standoff, Eric tried to assert his rights to film on a public road at or near Lahaina against the wishes of law enforcement. This was a teachable moment, and...

More Than 2,000 Children From Lahaina Public Schools Still Missing After Maui Wildfires There are still 850 people missing from the Maui wildfires, but a new report from the Hawaii State Department of Education shows that there are more than 2,000 children who are unaccounted for in the public school system.

The state Department of Education estimates that out of the nearly 3,000 students who were enrolled at four Lahaina public schools prior to the Aug. 8 wildfire, 1,757 of them have not enrolled in another public school or opted for distance learning. Department officials tell Maui Now that of the more than 1,700 outstanding students, some may have moved out of state, enrolled in private schools, or have taken a pause while they await the reopening of their Lahaina campus. The number has shrunk from 2,000 last week, “and so it’s been shrinking because more kids keep enrolling in our...

LAHAINA, Maui, Hawaii––Eighteen days of animal rescuers battling bureaucracy to retrieve surviving animals from inside the Lahaina burn zone, leveled by wildfire on August 8, 2023, ended abruptly when Maui County announced that, “As of 3:30 pm on Saturday, August 26, 2023, Maui County officials have permitted the Maui Humane Society to access the Lahaina burn zone in a coordinated search and rescue effort to find lost animals.” "Enter Adam Karp The story behind the story of rescuers finally gaining access to the Lahaina burn zone appears to have begun with a posting to the Action for the Animals of...

Hawaiian Electric Company, Inc. (“Hawaiian Electric”), a subsidiary of Hawaiian Electric Industries, Inc. (NYSE: HE) (“HEI”), today issued the following update in response to the lawsuit filed on Thursday by the County of Maui.—— break ——- Several important facts are clear about the events on Aug. 8: • A fire at 6:30 a.m. (the “Morning Fire”) appears to have been caused by power lines that fell in high winds. • The Maui County Fire Department responded to this fire, reported it was “100% contained,” left the scene and later declared it had been “extinguished.” • At about 3 p.m., a...

I’m talking about the fire that has destroyed the historic town of Lahaina, on the island of Maui, Hawaii. One of the most beautiful places in the world. Lahaina was the capitol of the Kingdom of Hawaii until 1959 when the United States took possession of it. But on August 8, this beautiful little town of 13,000 people was completely destroyed by fire. Approximately 2,000 structures were incinerated; 87% of them, single-family homes.

HONOLULU - Three weeks after a wall of fire claimed at least 115 lives and turned historic Lahaina to ash, Maui County’s highest-ranking official said he didn’t know who was calling the shots at the county’s Emergency Management Center the day the town burned. “I’m not sure who was in charge. (Former Maui Emergency Management Administrator) Herman Andaya was still in charge. He just wasn’t present. He was in contact with his team. I guess by phone. I don’t know exactly how,” Bissen said, during a news conference Tuesday afternoon. When questioned about his whereabouts that day, Bissen said he...

Miles of fencing and curtains have been put up alongside Front Street, one of Lahaina’s main highways, obstructing the view of ongoing activities.“There seems to be a huge emphasis on ensuring that the media and anyone else can’t see what’s going on,” Cygnus reported in a recent video.“There are miles and miles of this black fence going up that was not here before that is obscuring ground zero and making sure no one can see what’s going on inside of there from the road, no one can get in there, no one can take any pictures.”Moreover, Cygnus said he was...

It's already being called "The Biden Curtain," as new videos from Lahaina, Maui, reveal miles of black curtains erected to prevent people from seeing what's happening at the origin site of this month's catastrophic wildfires in Hawaii. Geoff Cygnus, a citizen journalist on TikTok, posted the video, with a caption reading: "Miles and miles of black fencing being put up in Lahaina. Ground Zero is now behind the Biden curtain." "There seems to be a huge emphasis on ensuring that the media and anyone else can't see what's going on," Cygnus reported. "There are miles and miles of this black...

Hawaiian Electric Company, Inc. (“Hawaiian Electric”), a subsidiary of Hawaiian Electric Industries, Inc., issued an update in response to the lawsuit filed by the County of Maui on Thursday. “Our hearts and hands are with the people of Lahaina and Maui,” said Shelee Kimura, president and CEO of Hawaiian Electric. “Hawaiʻi has thrived on the collective strength and unity of our community, and we need to embrace that spirit now more than ever. There are important lessons to be learned from this tragedy by all of us collectively, and we are resolved to figure out what we need to do...

As flames tore through a West Maui neighborhood, car after car of fleeing residents headed for the only paved road out of town in a desperate race for safety. And car after car was turned back toward the rapidly spreading wildfire by a barricade blocking access to Highway 30. One family swerved around the barricade and was safe in a nearby town 48 minutes later, another drove their four-wheel-drive car down a dirt road to escape. One man took a dirt road uphill, climbing above the fire and watching as Lahaina burned. He later picked his way through the flames,...

Just when you think that this story can’t get any worse, somehow it does. It is being reported that the wildfires that we just witnessed in Maui were the deadliest wildfires in the entire history of the United States, and according to Moody’s Analytics they caused somewhere between four and six billion dollars in economic damage. But if authorities had responded more competently, the outcome could have been much different. In fact, the fire that ultimately completely destroyed Lahaina could have been controlled if fire crews had not “left the scene even though the fire was still burning”… Maui locals...

"I know at this point that the government has not been truthful about the death toll," he said during an interview. An independent journalist in Maui, Hawaii, who flew there to cover the devastating wildfires, claims that he was put in a "headlock" by Maui police for pressing the mayor on the unknown number of missing children and claims the government is hiding the severity of human loss. "I know at this point that the government has not been truthful about the death toll," Nick Sortor, who traveled to Maui last week, told BlazeTV host Sara Gonzalez. "They’re not talking...

A Hawaii company gave President Joe Biden (D) a harsh reality check after he compared a small fire at his home to the devastating fires in Maui. In a social media post Wednesday, Hawaiian Rent-All shared an image of its sign, which reads, “Sorry you almost lost your ’67 Corvette in a fire, Mr. President. Maui Strong!” “Genuine sympathy is better than contrived empathy. It’s not always about you Mr. President,” the rental company said in the caption. During a recent visit to the Lahaina Civic Center, Biden compared a small kitchen fire at his home in Delaware that occurred...

Maui County filed suit Thursday against Hawaiian Electric, alleging the utility caused the Lahaina wildfire and failed to take appropriate actions to maintain the grid. It’s the latest suit against Hawaiian Electric connected to the blaze — now the deadliest U.S. wildfire in more than a century — but a new wrinkle in the story given that previously the utility had only faced litigation from residents for its operations before, during and after the blaze. John Fiske, one of several attorneys representing the county in the civil suit, says investigators have already documented evidence that “the ultimate cause and origin...

Maui County officials say they have validated 388 individuals who have been reported missing from the Aug. 8 Lahaina wildfire disaster. The Federal Bureau of Investigation validated the names by assessing the first and last name of the person who is unaccounted for, and by a verified contact number for the person who reported the missing person. “We’re releasing this list of names today because we know that it will help with the investigation,” said Police Chief John Pelletier. “We also know that once those names come out, it can and will cause pain for folks whose loved ones are...

An unsubstantiated online conspiracy theory is blaming Oprah Winfrey for the devastating wildfires in Maui, where the TV host owns a property. Wildfires began sweeping through the Hawaiian island last week, fueled by Hurricane Dora. The number of fatalities stands at 111 so far, with over 1,000 people still missing. West Maui in particular was ravaged by blazes, including the seaside town of Lahaina, an hour away from where the 69-year-old Winfrey owns a ranch. The media mogul was spotted supporting survivors at an emergency shelter at Wailuku's War Memorial Complex, where a CBS News crew filmed her handing out...

The Associated Press reported Wednesday that residents of Lahaina in Maui were prevented from escaped the horrific wildfire by barricades that were put up after electric polls were downed. The report contains shocking details revealing that people were turned back by a crew as they attempted to flee, with several being burned alive in their cars or in the middle of the street as a result. The report notes that some disobeyed the order and drove around the barricades, enabling them to escape and survive: One family swerved around the barricade and was safe in a nearby town 48 minutes...

Trust the experts they say.The government has your best interests at heart.Don’t think for yourself, we keep being told.Yeah, well, the AP says what those of us who have been following the Lahaina wildfire already knew: the people who obeyed the authorities died, and those who said “Screw that!” survived.https://t.co/ydyZUqV9gl— Dr. Benjamin Braddock (@GraduatedBen) August 23, 2023This story confirms what I have been writing for a few days. Not because I am a particularly astute journalist–everything I have reported has been publicly available, either through various news stories, blog posts, or videos on Twitter.I just have no faith left in...