Hawaii appoints first State Fire Marshal since 1979
Hawaiian Humane Society unveils Pets in Paradise calendar contest
Gov. Josh Green on Monday named Dori Booth to the role, reestablishing the position that was dissolved in 1979.
The move follows recommendations from independent investigations into the deadly 2023 Maui wildfires, which called for stronger statewide coordination on fire safety.
Booth is a U.S. Army veteran and seasoned fire safety leader and is tasked with building a modern fire protection system from the ground up.Her responsibilities include implementing top reforms highlighted in wildfire reports and bridging gaps between county and state emergency services.
'This is about saving lives and protecting communities,' Green said. 'Dori's leadership will be central to building a safer, more resilient Hawai'i.'
Booth brings more than 20 years of experience, including senior roles in Arizona's fire service. She has led fire prevention efforts in both rural and urban settings and has been active in national fire safety policy work.
The Legislature reinstated the fire marshal position in 2024, placing it under the Department of Law Enforcement. Officials said the role is key to improving disaster preparedness as climate-driven wildfire risks grow.
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'We can't prevent every disaster,' Booth said, 'but we can be far better prepared for the next one.'
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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Newsweek
2 hours ago
- Newsweek
US Army To Boost Patriot Air Defense Battalions
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. The U.S. Army will add three more battalions to its Patriot air defense force and beef up its air defense on the key U.S. territory of Guam. Why It Matters The Patriot ground-based air defense system is considered the gold standard of air defense, credited with knocking out even the most sophisticated of threats, like tough-to-intercept ballistic missiles. The Raytheon-built systems are in very high demand across the world, not least in Europe as Ukraine's allies struggle to meet Kyiv's requirements for defenses against next-generation aerial weapons frequently launched by Moscow. Patriot battalions are deployed in the Pacific. They also intercepted Iran's attack on the U.S.'s Al Udeid airbase in Qatar in June. What To Know The U.S. Army will increase the number of its operational Patriot battalions to 18, up from 15, an Army spokesperson told Defense News in a statement. German and Ukrainian soldiers stand in front of "Patriot" anti-aircraft missile systems during the visit of Ukrainian President Zelensky to a military training area on June 11, 2024. German and Ukrainian soldiers stand in front of "Patriot" anti-aircraft missile systems during the visit of Ukrainian President Zelensky to a military training area on June 11, 2024. Jens B'ttner/picture-alliance/dpa/AP Images A Patriot battalion is made up of several Patriot batteries, said William Freer, a research fellow in national security at the U.K.-based think tank, the Council on Geostrategy. Each Patriot battery has several components, including a radar, multiple launchers, and a command and control center. Also in the mix are different types of Patriot interceptor missiles. Another battalion based on the remote Western Pacific island of Guam will have extra Patriot capabilities, according to the report. The U.S. military has several key military bases on Guam, a U.S. owned territory east of The Philippines. The then-chief of the Space and Missile Defense Command, Lieutenant General Daniel Karbler, said in mid-2023 the U.S. would expand its Patriot capabilities to "recognize the demands on the Patriot force." Karbler did not specify at the time how many additional battalions would be added. General James Mingus, the U.S. Army's vice chief of staff, said in July the Army would add "up to four" new Patriot battalions, including one in Guam. The new battalions would use the most up-to-date radar for Patriots to "vastly extend" the range of the air defense systems, the senior official said. "Recent improvements to radar used in a Patriot battery, implementing lessons and data from engagements in recent years, and improved integration with other systems promise to make Patriot even more effective in the future," Freer told Newsweek. "In the future, the majority of threats Soldiers will face will be in the skies, making air defense more critical," the U.S. Army said in a press release. Patriots, while widely hailed as very effective, are very expensive systems. Where possible, cheaper air defense systems or drones will be used to intercept slower-moving and inexpensively-made threats, like other drones. "There are long waiting lists for new customers," Freer said. "A single battery and its missiles costs around $1.1 billion, meaning a Patriot battalion could cost between $4-5 billion." Patriots would be "a vital component" in U.S. defenses in any future fight with China, Freer added. The Netherlands said on Monday it would send Patriot parts and missiles to Ukraine as part of a package worth roughly $577 million. "The Netherlands is the first country to follow up on the NATO-US weapons deal," including buying American air defense systems for Kyiv, Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof said in a statement on social media. NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte and U.S. President Donald Trump announced in July that NATO's European members and Canada would pay for urgently needed equipment for Ukraine, buying supplies like air defense systems from the U.S. "I commend The Netherlands for taking the lead and turning this initiative into concrete support on the ground, building on the steps taken last week by Germany to deliver more Patriot systems to Ukraine," Rutte said in a statement on Monday. Berlin said on Friday it would send two more Patriot systems to Ukraine through an agreement with the U.S. to urgently replace the donated systems. What People Are Saying William Freer, a research fellow in national security at the Council on Geostrategy, told Newsweek that the Patriot is "one of the most capable" air defense systems. What Happens Next With the U.S. planning to expand its Patriot battalions, "it is vital that production numbers [of interceptor missiles] are increased to meet demand and build-up stockpiles," Freer said. "There is no point in a Patriot battery if it has no missiles to fire," Freer added.
National Geographic
5 hours ago
- National Geographic
80 years later, you can still see the shadow of a Hiroshima bomb victim
In the wake of the blast, these eerie shadows were left etched into surfaces across the city—almost like a photo negative of those who were lost. When the atomic bomb detonated over Hiroshima, it left behind haunting reminders of people who died in the August 1945 blast. Whoever stood on the steps of Sumitomo Bank at the time of the blast created a shield of sorts against the radiant light and heat that bleached everything in its path. Photograph by Universal History Archive, UniversalIt was business as usual in the morning of August 6, 1945, in Hiroshima, Japan. In the city's financial district, bankers prepared for the day and customers queued up to deposit money or apply for a loan. At 8:15 a.m., someone was either standing or sitting on the steps of Sumitomo Bank when the Enola Gay, a U.S. Army Air Force plane, flew overhead and dropped an atomic bomb that detonated 1,900 feet above the city. Aerial view of the first atomic bombing of Hiroshima, Japan, on August 6, 1945. The Enola Gay dropped the bomb 1,900 feet over the city—unleashing an explosion of intense heat, light, and radiation that washed over the city in a fraction of a second. Photograph Courtesy U.S. Army, A.A.F. photo, Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division This official U.S. Army photo shows the devastation in Hiroshima after the bomb. The explosion killed upwards of 80,000 people in a flash and thousands more would die in the subsequent days and months. Photograph Courtesy U.S. Army, Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division That person likely died immediately, as the intense heat at the center of the blast would have been in excess of 7,000 degrees Fahrenheit, hot enough to swiftly kill anyone. But a shadowy imprint of their body was left scorched onto the stone steps. And this mark wasn't alone: The intensity of the bomb created so-called nuclear shadows throughout the area on the ground beneath the explosion, as if freezing the city in time. Now, 80 years after the bomb, Hiroshima's nuclear shadows remain a chilling, poignant testament to one of the most consequential days in human history. The 10,000-pound atomic bomb that detonated over Hiroshima unleashed a massive amount of energy—the equivalent of around 15,000 tons of TNT—in a fraction of a second. That energy took the form of several things: light, heat, radiation, and pressure. The explosion's intense heat washed over Hiroshima at a pace of 186,000 miles per second and was over as quickly as it had begun, according to the United States Strategic Bombing Survey, an official report on the effects of the bombings in Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The explosion had flash-burned everything within 9,500 feet, charring trees and casting UV light so powerful that it bleached non-combustible surfaces like stone and concrete. This process is what created the nuclear shadows—they aren't the remains of people and things that were destroyed in the blast but rather they were etched like a photo negative in places that had been protected from the destructive path of radiant heat and light. Sumitomo Bank, only 260 meters from the bomb's hypocenter, was one of about 70,000 buildings in Hiroshima that the bomb damaged or obliterated. '[The bank's] reinforced concrete outer walls remained, but most of the interior was completely burned out,' says Ariyuki Fukushima, curator at the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum. And while the bank's granite steps retained their shape, Fukushima points out that 'the intense heat rays from the atomic bomb caused them to become pale and discolored.' The person who had been on the steps during the explosion shielded a section of them from the heat rays, thus creating the shadow. The same process created shadows of nails, ladders, and other objects on streets and buildings across the city. What Hiroshima's nuclear shadows reveal While most of the nuclear shadows depict inanimate objects, a few of them are believed to represent people who were killed. For example, the Yorozuyo Bridge, 910 meters from the hypocenter, appeared to bear shadows of people who may have been on their way to work or school when they were killed. (The shadows are no longer visible on the bridge, which was later rebuilt.) 'Almost everyone who was within a kilometer was killed,' says Robert Jacobs, emeritus professor of history at the Hiroshima Peace Institute and Hiroshima City University. The shadow of a handle on a gasometer located two kilometers away from the hypocenter of the explosion left an imprint behind. The angle of the nuclear shadows left behind allow scientists who arrived in Hiroshima after Japan's surrender to locate the hypocenter of the explosion. Photograph by AFP, Getty Images The explosion killed upwards of 80,000 people in a flash, and thousands more would die in the subsequent days and months. Among the victims were workers inside Sumitomo Bank. Fukushima notes that only 'three individuals are known to have escaped,' though 'one of them died a few days later.' These shadows also helped scientists solve one major question when they descended on Hiroshima in early September 1945, shortly after Japan's surrender, to study the weapon's effects. The angle of the shadows 'enabled observers to determine the direction toward the center of explosion,' allowing them to locate the bomb's hypocenter 'with considerable accuracy.' The legacy of Hiroshima's nuclear shadows Although we'll never know the stories of those who were killed in the bomb's hypocenter, their shadow endures. In 1971, Sumitomo Bank donated its steps to the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum, where the silhouette remains a haunting symbol of what happened 80 years ago. 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Photograph by Keystone-France, Gamma-Keystone/ Getty Images While walking through the ruined city minutes after the bombing, photographer Yoshito Matsushige encountered children who had evacuated their school just before the explosion. 'Having been directly exposed to the heat rays, they were covered with blisters, the size of balls, on their backs, their faces, their shoulders and their arms,' he later recalled. 'The blisters were starting to burst open and their skin hung down like rugs.' These scenes were so horrific that Matsushige couldn't bear to take any photographs. When he 'finally summoned up the courage to take one picture' and then another, he realized 'the view finder was clouded over with my tears.'
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Yahoo
Gov. Josh Green raises possiblity of 2028 run for president
Gov. Josh Green told NBC News he is considering a 2028 campaign for president of the United States with a possible platform of healing the nation after the bitterly divisive era of American politics that has consumed the country. 'Among governors, I think there are probably eight to 10 of us who are elevating in the public dialogue, ' Green while attending the National Governors Association summer meeting in Colorado. 'I haven't made up my mind about what the future holds. I would be honored to help whomever. I might even become a potential candidate, but only if I've actually done a good job.' 'I believe we're going to have to heal this country in 2028—and maybe beyond, because there's a lot of conflict that's been going on, and not just during the Trump era, ' NBC quoted Green as saying. 'So someone may want a healer.' Green told the Honolulu Star-Advertiser in a written statement Thursday that he is focused 'on serving as Hawaii's Governor, running for re-election next year, and being an effective advocate to help heal our country.' 'As the only physician Governor, it has become my responsibility to work on national health issues for our state and the 49 others. Many of the nation's Governors, Democratic and Republican, and sometimes even the administration are asking me to help in the national health policy space as we navigate this uncertain time, ' Green said. 'I suspect several of these Governor colleagues and good friends will run for President in 2028. I hope to be here at home for a long time.' Green has developed a national profile and has lobbied Congress and President Donald Trump's administration on an array of national issues relevant to Hawaii, including how to handle the $50 billion rural health fund. 'When I think about who our next President should be, I do feel very strongly it should be someone who can unite us and heal the wounds that have resulted from a very traumatic era for so many, ' Green said Thursday. At the same meeting where he told NBC News about his possible presidential aspirations, Green was elected to the National Governors Association's Executive Committee. Green is serving as the Western Governors' Association vice chair, and on July 1, he is scheduled to become the fourth Hawaii governor to serve as WGA chair. Gov. George Ariyoshi was WGA's first chair in 1985 ; Gov. Ben Cayetano served as chair in 2000, and Gov. David Ige was chair in 2019. In a Monday news release, Green said national leadership roles allow him to advocate for the people of Hawaii 'on a broader stage.' 'Whether it's securing support for climate resilience, elevating access to healthcare, or strengthening our economy, I'm committed to working across the aisle with my fellow governors to deliver real results, ' Green said Monday. 'Bipartisan collaboration isn't just possible—it's necessary. Hawaii has unique challenges and opportunities and our voice will help shape the national approach to some of the most urgent issues we all face.' He testified against Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s nomination to serve as Health and Human Services secretary and has met with Trump to advocate for Hawaii funding and initiatives. Key administration officials tasked Green to find positive, bipartisan ways to navigate current health care challenges. In January, he started the Heal America PAC, headquartered at 600 Pennsylvania Ave. SE in Washington, D.C. Between January and June 30, the PAC raised $192, 818, according to the Federal Election Commission. The PAC website's landing page features a picture of Green in blue scrubs, crouching before a shirtless child in diapers in what appears to be a homeless encampment, a stethoscope pressed to the child's chest. Green's PAC 'supports leaders and ideas that make our country healthier and safer—including transformative approaches to housing, healthcare, homelessness, gun violence, and climate.' 'We are working to find new solutions to ensure that every American can afford housing and healthcare, and live in a safe and healthy community, ' reads the PAC's mission statement. Green, who started practicing medicine in Hawaii in rural communities on Hawaii island, among Hawaii's registered Democratic, Republican and independent voters, placing him in a tie for the fifth-most-popular governor in the nation, according to the results of a voter survey released by Morning Consult Pro on July 16. The Morning Consult Pro survey, conducted from April through June, found Green's disapproval rating has fallen to 27 % from 37 % in the fourth quarter of 2024. Among Hawaii Democrats, Green had a 77 % approval rating, followed by 57 % from independents, according to the latest survey. Among Hawaii Republicans, Green had a disapproval rating of 51 % and a 46 % approval rating. Green is expected to make a formal announcement about his gubernatorial reelection campaign in the spring. He served in the state House of Representatives and the state Senate from 2004 to 2018 before winning election as lieutenant governor. In 2022, Green was elected Hawaii's ninth governor. Raised in Pittsburgh, Green attended Swarthmore College before earning degrees in biology and anthropology. He received his medical degree from Penn State. Green and his wife, Jaime, were married in 2006 and have two children. The next Hawaii gubernatorial election is scheduled for Nov. 3, 2026.
