Real Estate
Hawaii evacuees leave newly lava-threatened homes on Big Island
PAHOA, Hawaii (Reuters) – National Guard troops, police and firefighters ushered the last group of evacuees from homes on the eastern tip of Hawaii’s Big Island early on Saturday, hours before creeping lava from the Kilauea volcano severed all road access to the area, officials said. Lava emerges from the ground after Kilauea Volcano erupted, […]
Real Estate
Hawaii Eruptions Have Disrupted Tourism, but Fears May Be Exaggerated
The eruption of Mount Kilauea has caused fears of a tourism shutdown for the Big Island. Over the past few weeks, Hawaii residents have witnessed one of their state’s top attractions turn into a serious concern for the tourism industry. The eruption of Mount Kilauea, a volcano located in the lower Puna area on the […]
Real Estate
Volcano’s toll on tourism prompts Hawaii governor to speak up
Lava flow from Kilauea. Photo Credit: U.S. Geologocal Survey Eye-popping images of the Kilauea volcano’s destruction on the Big Island have been shown across the world for weeks, and that has had a negative effect on tourism throughout Hawaii, even though the damage is confined to a small portion of the Big Island. Therefore, Hawaii […]
Real Estate
Nonprofit to offer rent subsidies to Big Island lava evacuees
The recent volcanic activity on the Big Island has forced many residents out of their homes, creating a need for housing help. (Image: Hawaii News Now) BIG ISLAND (HawaiiNewsNow) – Eruptions in lower Puna have displaced more than 1,700 residents on the Big Island for more than two weeks. And there’s no telling when it […]
Real Estate
County shuts down vacation rentals as residents are left to deal with more lava outbreaks
Lava overtook vegetation at fissure 16, which erupted Saturday morning between Highway 132 (Kapoho Road) and Pohoiki Road outside of Pahoa. Donna Walker, right, wept as she embraced Verna Schutz-Kahele at the Pu‘uhonua o Puna community support center in Pahoa on Saturday. The two women worked together as teachers at Pahoa Elementary School and have […]
Real Estate
Is Hawaii safe for travelers now?
Is it safe to travel to Hawaii? Despite the recent dramatic images of spouting lava and burning homes on the east side of the Big Island and floods on Kauai’s north shore, the answer is generally yes. That’s because these incidents are isolated in relatively remote regions of the state, which is comprised of eight […]
Real Estate
Kohala councilman discloses vacation rental income
Kohala Councilman Tim Richards said he will recuse himself from voting on a bill regulating vacation rentals until the Board of Ethics clears him of a potential conflict of interest. Richards said Tuesday he’s filed an amended financial disclosure report to reflect the income from the vacation rental, which is on the family’s Kahua Ranch […]
Real Estate
Vacation rental bill on hold until May 8
Council chambers in Hilo was packed with testifiers as almost people sign up to testify islandwide on a bill that would limit vacation rentals. (Nancy Cook Lauer/West Hawaii Today) A standing room only crowd, waiting to testify on Bill 108 relating to vacation rentals, fills council chambers Tuesday at the West Hawaii Civic Center. (Laura […]
Real Estate
Council committee to hear vacation rental bill
A cyclist rides past a vacation rental on Alii Drive in January. (Laura Shimabuku/West Hawaii Today) It’s now the public’s turn to weigh in on the vacation rental issue. A measure first broached publicly in November, which then made its way through the Board of Ethics to clear a conflict of interest concern, will be […]
Real Estate
Choice Hotels Expands Vacation Rental Offering
In addition to increasing its existing presence in key vacation markets, such as Orlando, Fla., Myrtle Beach, S.C and the Florida Gulf Coast, the brand added accommodations in several new destinations, including Lake Tahoe, Calif., Outer Banks, N.C., Gatlinburg, Tenn., Maui, Hawaii, and multiple destinations in the Colorado Rockies. "Choice Hotels understands the importance of […]