DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

☆ Help is needed as wildfires ravage Hawaii. How to know your donation is going to a legitimate charity
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-10 | by ( Samantha Delouya | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —Residents of Maui have suffered widespread devastation as wildfires ravage the Hawaiian island, along with Hawaii’s Big Island. Several sites help people find and support legitimate charities, including Charity Navigator, BBB Wise Giving Alliance, and CharityWatch. Dig deeper into an organization’s reputation after finding a legitimate charity you’re considering supporting. Look up the organization in the IRS’s Tax Exempt Organization Search. For larger disasters, like the Maui wildfires, GoFundMe told CNN they usually create a centralized hub of verified fundraisers.

Persons: Hurricane Dora, Patrick T, Fallon, you’ve, ”, It’s, GoFundMe, Don’t, Scottie Andrew Organizations: CNN —, CNN, Getty, US Federal Trade Commission, FTC, telltale Locations: Maui, Hurricane, Lahaina, Hawaii, AFP

☆ Photos this week: August 4-10, 2023
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-10 | by ( ) edition.cnn.com time to read: 1 min

Wildfires on the Hawaiian island of Maui have caused widespread devastation this week, especially in the town of Lahaina where homes and businesses have been wiped out and hundreds of families have been displaced. Dozens of people have also been killed in the wildfires, which led President Joe Biden to approve a disaster declaration so the state could receive federal aid to assist in the recovery. Most of the fires, fueled partly by strong winds associated with Hurricane Dora hundreds of miles away, have not yet been contained, according to Maui County Mayor Richard Bissen Jr. Hawaii's Big Island has also been impacted by wildfires. Here are some of the stories that made headlines over the past week, as well as some photos that caught our eye.

Persons: Joe Biden, Hurricane Dora, Richard Bissen Jr Organizations: Hurricane Locations: Maui, Lahaina, Maui County

The losses in Lahaina from the fire now include the historic Baldwin Home, which houses the restoration foundation’s main office and was considered the oldest house still standing on the island of Maui. It was built between 1834-35 by the Rev. Ephraim Spaulding, a missionary from Massachusetts who prized its proximity to the waters where whaling ships once anchored. The home contained the wooden rocking chairs that the family of the Rev. Unlike others in Lahaina whose families in the area stretch back generations, Ms. Morrison, 75, from Berkeley, Calif., happened upon the town while sailing around the Hawaiian islands in 1975.

Persons: Baldwin, Ephraim Spaulding, Dwight Baldwin, Morrison, Mark Twain, ”, “, — Organizations: East Coast Locations: Lahaina, Maui, Massachusetts, East, Berkeley, Calif, ”

☆ Here’s How to Help Victims of the Hawaii Wildfires
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-10 | by ( Derrick Bryson Taylor | More About Derrick Bryson Taylor | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The devastating wildfires on the Hawaiian island of Maui this week have upended communities and forced thousands of residents to evacuate. Volunteers and aid groups have mobilized to help feed and shelter those who have been affected. Officials with the Federal Communications Commission have said that scammers may use phone calls, text messages, emails, post mail, and even go door to door. The Federal Trade Commission has tips on how to spot a fraudulent charity or fund-raiser. “In moments of crisis, we all must be extra vigilant against bad actors who try to take advantage of people’s good will.”

Persons: ”, Anne Lopez, “ Organizations: Volunteers, Federal Communications Commission, Federal Trade Commission Locations: Maui

☆ Lahaina’s Historic Banyan Tree Is Scarred, but Standing
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-10 | by ( Jacey Fortin | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Amid the charred ruins of Lahaina, one of the historic town’s cherished landmarks is still standing: a 150-year-old banyan tree. But it appears to have been badly singed by the fires that devastated Lahaina, on the west coast of Maui, and it is unclear whether the tree will survive. Lahaina was once Hawaii’s royal capital, and the tree on Front Street is one of the town’s many historical marvels. “It’s said that if the roots are healthy, it will likely grow back,” county officials said in an update about the tree late Wednesday. The banyan would have been protected, he said, by a layer of bark too thin to likely withstand these fires.

Persons: “ It’s, James B Organizations: Lahaina Restoration Foundation, University of Hawaii Locations: Lahaina, Maui, ”, ” County, Honolulu

☆ Wind-driven wildfires devastate Hawaiian island of Maui
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-09 | by ( Jeremy Schultz | ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

A charred boat lies in the scorched waterfront after wildfires fanned by the winds of a distant hurricane devastated Maui's city of Lahaina, Hawaii, U.S. August 9, 2023. Mason Jarvi/Handout via REUTERS NO RESALES. MANDATORY CREDIT....moreA charred boat lies in the scorched waterfront after wildfires fanned by the winds of a distant hurricane devastated Maui's city of Lahaina, Hawaii, U.S. August 9, 2023. Mason Jarvi/Handout via REUTERS NO RESALES. MANDATORY CREDIT.

Persons: Mason Jarvi Locations: Maui's, Lahaina , Hawaii, U.S, Handout

On the western side of Maui, some residents fled by swimming into the ocean, where they were rescued by the U.S. Coast Guard, Maui County officials said. Others escaped by car, driving past flames in the shadow of the West Maui Mountains. Two evacuation shelters closed because of the encroaching fire, and people inside were sent to new locations, Maui County officials said. The 911 emergency call service in West Maui was down early on Wednesday, and people were told to call the local police department directly instead, Maui County officials said. In Maui County, there were more 12,600 electricity customers without power on Wednesday, according to the tracking site poweroutage.us.

Persons: Hurricane Dora, Richard T, Bissen, Brian Schatz, Dora, —, Sylvia Luke, Hawaii’s Organizations: U.S . Coast Guard, Weather Service, Maui Counties, National Guard Locations: Maui, Maui County, West Maui, Hawaii, Lahaina, ”

☆ Maui wildfires: Hurricane Dora helps fuel wildfires in Hawaii
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-09 | by ( Amanda Jackson | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

In Maui County, 12 people were rescued near Lahaina after “entering the ocean due to smoke and fire conditions,” the Coast Guard and county officials said. “Individuals were transported by the Coast Guard to safe areas,” Maui County officials said in a news release. A wildfire burns in Lahaina, Maui County, on Tuesday. Plumes of smoke billow from a fire in Lahaina, Maui County, on Tuesday. Jayson Duque“We are closely following the wildfires caused by the strong winds of Hurricane Dora,” Luke said in a statement.

Persons: Jayson Duque “, Jeff Giesea, Alan Dickar, Dora, Gov, Sylvia Luke, Luke, Josh Green, Hurricane Dora, ” Luke, Green, ” Green, ” Organizations: CNN, Coast Guard, Jayson Duque “ Maui, Fire, Hawaii News, National Hurricane Center, National Guard, Hurricane Locations: Maui, Maui County, Lahaina, ”, Honolulu, Hawaii, North Kohala District, South Kohala District, Cedar Park , Texas, Austin

The American Red Cross opened an evacuation center in Maui High School, the county said. Six people had been confirmed killed by the fires, Maui County Mayor Richard Bissen said at a press conference. Despite the high winds, they went on a tour to a different part of the island. Hawaii County encompasses the Big Island, which lies south of Maui. Gale warnings remained in effect for all of the Hawaiian islands, with high winds of 45 mph with gusts of 60 mph possible.

Persons: Richard Bissen, Dustin Johnson, Jolie Campbell, Conner Campbell, Alan Dickar, what's, Sylvia Luke, Mahina Martin, Hurricane Dora, Gale, Ian Martin, Marco Garcia, Rich McKay, Brendan O'Brien, Julia Harte, Aurora Ellis Organizations: U.S . Coast Guard, Cross, Maui High School, Lahaina, Reuters, Kahului, Honolulu Star, Reuters Graphics Reuters, National Weather Service, University of Hawaii, National Hurricane Center, NWS, Thomson Locations: KAHULUI, Hawaii, Maui County, Maui, Greece, Spain, Portugal, Europe, San Diego, West, Lahaina, Cincinnati, Dickar, Maui Counties, Kula, Lahaina . West Maui, South Maui, Hurricane, Honolulu

☆ Lahaina, Devastated Town on Maui, Is a Trove of Hawaiian History
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-09 | by ( Shawn Hubler | More About Shawn Hubler | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

For many visitors, the town of Lahaina is a place to go for tropical beaches. Its heritage museum, in a landmark courthouse, houses artifacts from before the rest of the world knew Hawaii existed. Its oldest building, the Baldwin Home, was occupied by the 19th-century physician who saved Maui from an epidemic of smallpox. “We had no preparation, no warning, nothing,” said Theo Morrison, the executive director of the Lahaina Restoration Foundation, which manages more than a dozen historic sites in the town. She left Maui a day before the fires had broken out on Tuesday night, bound for Europe on family business, she said.

Persons: Baldwin, ”, Theo Morrison, Morrison Organizations: Lahaina Restoration Foundation Locations: Lahaina, Hawaii, Maui, East Coast, Europe

☆ Wildfires burn historic Maui town of Lahaina, prompt evacuations across Hawaii
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-09 | by ( Ashley Capoot | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

A wildfire burns on the island of Maui near an intersection in Lahaina, Hawaii, August 9, 2023. Wildfires burned across Hawaii on Wednesday after strong winds from Hurricane Dora and dry conditions ignited blazes and prompted evacuations across the state. The Coast Guard rescued people from the ocean near Lahaina, Maui, as they went into the water to escape a fast-moving fire, NBC News reported, and the historic downtown area surrounding Front Street was partly destroyed, according to Hawaii News Now and other reports. Sylvia Luke issued an emergency proclamation Tuesday that said the fires had burned "hundreds" of acres and forced a number of schools and roads to close. The emergency proclamation said evacuations were underway in the Kohala Ranch, Kula, and Lahaina areas, as the fires threaten to affect the health and welfare of "a substantial number of persons."

Persons: Sylvia Luke, Luke, Josh Green, Green, Governor Luke, Hurricane Dora Organizations: Coast Guard, NBC News, Hawaii News, Hawaii National Guard, Gov, Hurricane Locations: Maui, Lahaina , Hawaii, Hawaii, Hurricane Dora, Lahaina, Kula

Large wildfires burning across the islands of Maui and Hawaii, fueled by intense winds, turned scenic beach destinations into smoky, catastrophic scenes on Wednesday. The fires are most intense along the western coast of Maui, according to local news reports, with the historic town center of Lahaina severely damaged. Here’s what travelers need to know. According to the local news outlet Hawaii News Now, at least three wildfires are burning on Maui, including one in Lahaina, a major tourist destination on Maui, and the upcountry section of the island. There are at least three blazes on the Big Island, in North Kohala and South Kohala, which includes the Mauna Kea beach area, according to Big Island Now.

Locations: Maui, Hawaii, Lahaina, West Maui, North Kohala, South Kohala, Kea

☆ Hurricane Dora’s High Winds Fuel Wildfires in Hawaii
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-09 | by ( Mike Ives | More About Mike Ives | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

Hurricane Dora, a Category 4 storm hundreds of miles south of Hawaii on Tuesday night, was generating high winds on the islands that fueled brush fires and prompted evacuations. Dora was not expected to make landfall in Hawaii, but the storm was causing high winds after dry conditions had created a particularly high risk of wildfires. On Hawaii’s Big Island, winds fueled by Dora prompted evacuations on Tuesday, and crews battled a wildfire along a highway. Those winds also contributed to several wildfires on the island of Maui, including one that was about 1,000 acres by Tuesday afternoon, the Maui County Emergency Management Agency said. Structures caught fire, and several evacuations were underway, it added.

Persons: Dora Organizations: Emergency Management Agency Locations: Hawaii, Maui

☆ Tropical Storm Calvin: Hawaii governor declares state of emergency as Tropical Storm Calvin threatens to deliver strong winds and torrential rain to the Big Island
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-19 | by ( Robert Shackelford Aya Elamroussi | Robert Shackelford | Aya Elamroussi | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —Tropical Storm Calvin strengthened Tuesday as it continued to approach Hawaii’s Big Island, where more than a million people are under a state of emergency and a tropical storm warning is in effect. Calvin is forecast to pass south of Hawaii County tonight, bringing a period of flash flooding, dangerous surf and damaging winds. Calvin is expected to weaken as it moves westward to the south of the other Hawaiian Islands Wednesday and Wednesday night. Calvin is expected to remain a tropical storm for a day and a half before weakening later this week. “Calvin is forecast to pass south of Hawaii County tonight, bringing a period of flash flooding, dangerous surf and damaging winds.

Persons: Calvin, StSnEHgzif, “ Calvin, Josh Green, “ Organizations: CNN, National Hurricane Center, Calvin, National Weather Service, Hawaii Gov Locations: Hilo, Hawaii County, Honolulu, Hawaii, Maui

☆ Tropical Storm Calvin threatens to bring heavy rainfall and dangerous coastal surf to the Hawaiian islands
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-18 | by ( Taylor Ward | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

CNN —Hawaii’s Big Island is under a tropical storm warning as Tropical Storm Calvin is forecast to pass over or just south of the island, threatening to bring dangerous coastal surf, heavy rain and gusty winds to the area, according to the National Hurricane Center. Calvin is expected to remain a weak tropical storm as it swiftly presses westward and passes by the state. The heavy rainfall poses the most significant threat, prompting flood watches for the islands of Maui, Molokai, Lanai, Kahoolawe and the Big Island from Tuesday evening through Wednesday afternoon. Heavy rain and isolated thunderstorms will reach the Big Island by Tuesday evening, and continue through the night. Flash flooding is the primary threat, especially for Big Island.

Persons: CNN —, Storm Calvin, Calvin Organizations: CNN, National Hurricane Center, National Weather Service, Big Locations: Hilo, Maui, Molokai, Lanai, Honolulu

☆ Solar telescope’s images reveal the sun’s surface like never before
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-25 | by ( Ashley Strickland | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —New images of the sun’s surface captured by a powerful ground-based solar telescope have revealed sunspots and other features in unprecedented detail. The eight images, released on May 19, were taken using the National Science Foundation’s Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope, a 4-meter (13.1-foot) telescope located on the island of Maui in Hawaii. Although the sun is becoming increasingly active as the July 2025 solar maximum — the peak of the sun’s 11-year cycle — draws closer, the photos showcase the quieter aspects of the solar surface. Bright hot plasma flows upward on the sun’s surface, while darker, cooler plasma flows down. NSF/AURA/NSOThe Inouye Solar Telescope also glimpsed “light bridges,” bright solar features that span the darkest region of a sunspot.

☆ Creepy close-up images of the sun reveal yarn-like strands, dark pores, and a 'light bridge' crossing a decaying sunspot
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-24 | by ( Morgan Mcfall-Johnsen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

The sun looks spooky and mysterious in new images from the world's most powerful solar telescope. The Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope has been observing the sun from the Hawaiian island of Maui since it first opened in 2020. Its first video, below, showed roiling solar plasma, each cell the size of Texas. Dark "pores" on the solar surface indicate powerful magnetic fields, which are likely driving the dark threads visible in the atmosphere above. The bright yellow surface plasma cools until its density is so low that it drops below the surface, through the dark lanes between cells.

☆ Tim Scott's biggest financial backer is Larry Ellison, a tech billionaire who owns the sixth-largest island in Hawaii and has poured $35 million into the senator's super PAC
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-22 | by ( Bryan Metzger | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Ellison has pumped $35 million into Scott's super PAC, and could legally give him millions more. On Monday, Ellison attended Scott's campaign launch in North Charleston, where Scott described him as one of his mentors. Trump's political operation includes the "MAGA, Inc" super PAC, while Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has enjoyed the support of the "Never Back Down" super PAC. Scott's campaign isn't the first time a Republican presidential candidate has heavily relied on a single megadonor.

☆ Google reportedly eliminated some office snacks, including dried mangoes and M&Ms, in an effort to cut costs
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-26 | by ( Aaron Mok | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A Google employee said certain snacks are no longer available at its San Francisco office, per The Atlantic. Hungry Google employees may be disappointed to learn that their employer has cut some of its office snacks. "They took away the dried mango," a project manager at Google who works from the search giant's San Francisco office told The Atlantic. The project manager — who spoke to The Atlantic anonymously — said the San Francisco office also got rid of Maui-onion chips and small bags of M&Ms. The elimination of snacks is just one of many perks Google has slashed in its effort to cut costs.

☆ The Most Soothing ‘Vacation’ You’ll Take in 2023 Is Only 20 Minutes Long
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-05 | by ( Donna Bulseco | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

The poet’s palm garden is one of the finest in the world, with over 2,740 palm varieties, representing 400 taxonomic species. Merwin—a future U.S. poet laureate—bought a parcel of land in Ha’iku, on the northeast coast of Maui, Hawaii. Stripped of nutrients by farmers trying (and failing) to grow pineapples, the volcanic-clay topsoil was gone. But the poet and his wife as of 1983, Paula, built a house and went about nurturing the nearly 19 acres back to life. Today, the fruits of their labors—a rustling, sprawling garden of uncommon palms—offer succor to travelers who can wend its paths in real life or via their laptop screens.

☆ In One of Maui’s Biggest Deals, Waterfront Home Sells for $32.67 Million
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-06 | by ( Sarah Paynter | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Be the first to know about the biggest and best luxury home sales and listings by signing up for our Mansion Deals email alert. A waterfront home on the Hawaii island of Maui has sold for $32.67 million in one of the island’s priciest-ever deals, according to listing agent Chelsea Dimin of Compass.

Search resuls for: "of Maui"

21 mentions found