East Rift Zone Insurance; Lifeguard Shortage; Maui College Solar; Last Taxi Dance
Insuring Homes in High-Risk Volcanic Zones
Now that Kilauea Volcano has destroyed hundreds of homes in Puna, some are asking how people were able to purchase and insure, homes in such a known high-risk area. Keli’i Akina is the President and CEO of the Grassroots Institute of Hawaii, and earlier this morning we spoke about the government-backed insurance program, the Hawaii Property Insurance Association, that made many of those home purchases possible. We began by looking at the background to the 1991 measure that created the HPIA.
Intro Music: I Will by Guitarra
Outro Music: Here Too Far by Beta Radio
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Lifeguard Shortage Shutters City Pools
Now that summer is here, a trip to your neighborhood pool might be in order. But we discovered recently that the Palolo Pool is now closed on weekends. Summer is normally a time when hours are extended. A quick check online found that Honolulu isn’t the only place cutting services because lifeguards just aren’t available. Pools across the country are wrestling with reduced hours and are stepping up efforts to recruit to fill the slots.
Intro Music: Instrumental I by Noah and The WhaleImpala
Outro Music: Walk in the Park by Damu the Fudgemunk
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Civil Beat Reality Check
The hotel workers union is making a big push toward helping its members reach that dream of home ownership. Honolulu Civil Beat Reporter Anita Hofschneider has that story in today’s Reality Check
Outro Music: Matahari by L'Imeratrice
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Maui College Aims for 100% Solar Power
The first container-load of solar panels are set to arrive at the Maui College campus in Kahului later this summer. It’s part of a net-zero plan dubbed a “Star Trek” deal that could put the college on the map. During a recent trip to Maui, we thought we would take a closer look at the $6.3 million-dollar solar project. It will be the very first college campus in the country to meet ALL its energy needs through photovoltaic systems and battery storage.
Outro Music: Firecracker by Charlie Fink
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Remembering Honolulu's Taxi Dance Halls
The taxi dance hall is a relic of an earlier time. It was a place where lonely men could enjoy a woman’s company for a few moments - for a small price. In wartime, it filled that function for thousands of American GI’s who were just passing through at ports of call around the world. The short film the Last Taxi Dance is a period piece, set in Second World War era Honolulu, in which a brief and casual encounter at a taxi dance hall becomes something much more. Brayden Yoder is its director and joined us in the HPR studio.
Intro Music: Ticket to ride by Alexandre Pier Federici
Outro Music: Last Taxi Dance, music from the teaser sung by Danielle Zalopany
