Latest news with #HawaiiNewsNow
Yahoo
6 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Australian woman says she was deported after visiting her U.S. Army officer husband at Hawaii base
An Australian woman who was deported from the U.S. after visiting her American husband stationed in Hawaii says she was detained in prison overnight alongside murderers before getting sent home. Nicolle Saroukos, 25, of Sydney, says she was held in federal prison overnight after trying to enter the country with her mother so the two could visit her husband, Matt, a U.S. Army lieutenant stationed on Oahu, Hawaii News Now reported. Saroukos, who has visited three times since getting married last December, said things quickly turned chaotic after border officials at Daniel K. Inouye International Airport flagged her for extra screening. The officer checking passports 'went from completely composed to just yelling at the top of his lungs, telling my mother to go stand at the back of the line and to excuse my language, 'shut up,'' Saroukos recalled. 'So I automatically started crying because that was my first response,' she said. After Saroukos and her mother were taken to a holding room where their bags and phones were searched, she was bombarded with questions, including about her former work as a police officer and whether her tattoos were gang-related to her marriage to an American. 'When I did say that I was married to somebody in the U.S. Army, the officers laughed at me. They thought it was quite comical. I don't know whether they thought I was telling the truth or not,' she said. Officers also allegedly told Saroukos, who was only planning on staying for a three-week visit, that she had too many clothes in her suitcase. 'So because of that, they assumed I was going to overstay my visa,' she said. Saroukos was held for more screening, including fingerprints and a DNA swab, while her mother was allowed to go. She was then denied entry to the U.S. and told she would be deported back to Australia after spending the night in prison, she said. '[The officer] said 'so basically what is going to happen is we're going to send you to a prison overnight where you will stay,'' she said. 'Not detention center, he said prison, and I automatically just, I started crying again.' 'Because when you think prison, you think, big time criminals. I don't know who I'm being housed with,' she said. According to Saroukos, border officials told her they would let her husband know she was being deported – but they never did. She was then put through a body cavity search before being paraded through the airport in handcuffs and taken to the Federal Detection Center. 'They stated, 'No, you're not under arrest. You haven't done anything wrong, and you'll be facing no criminal charges.' So I was very confused as to why this was all happening,' she said. After arriving at the prison, Saroukos was strip-searched and detained with women who had been convicted of murder and drug offenses, according to the report. She shared a cell with a woman from Fiji who was also denied entry and awaiting deportation. She was also not allowed to make a phone call to her husband or mother to let them know what happened. Saroukos said that the following morning, she was brought back to the airport and received a call from the Australian Consulate General in Hawaii, who had been contacted by her mother when they were separated and helped get the two on the same returning flight home. Eventually, she was able to connect with her husband over the phone. 'I think we were both just very emotional. We hadn't spoken to each other in 24 hours. He didn't know where I was or whether I was safe,' she said. 'It's not only myself, it's my mother and my husband that also had to endure that pain, my husband being a current serving member, to serve his country and to be treated in that way I find very disgusting,' she said. Saroukos' husband is now on leave with her in Sydney after waiting hours for her at the airport and receiving no answers. She said the horrifying experience 'made it physically impossible for me to even ever enter the United States ever again.' 'I felt like my world came crashing down. I felt like my marriage was over when they told me that,' she added. 'That's something that they've taken away from me as well.' A U.S. Customs and Border Protection spokesperson told Hawaii News Now that entry decisions are complex and taken very seriously, with many factors considered in each decision.
Fox News
26-05-2025
- Science
- Fox News
Hawaii's Kilauea Volcano erupts with 1,000-foot 'lava fountaining'
Kīlauea Volcano – located along the southeastern shore of Hawaii Island – experienced "lava fountaining" that reached at least 1,000 feet high over the weekend. The United States Geological Survey (USGS) describes Kīlauea as one of the world's most active volcanoes. It has been erupting intermittently since Dec. 23, 2024, within the summit caldera in Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park. The 23rd episode of precursory activity began late last week with "low-level spattering and flames." According to Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park, small lava fountains and lava overflows from the north vent started around 11:30 a.m. Saturday. "Sustained fountaining expected any time through the weekend," Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park Service wrote. The USGS reports that Kīlauea "is in a unique phase of activity in Halemaʻumaʻu, with numerous episodes of dual lava fountains since the eruption began." "Two eruptive vents are located in the southwest part of the caldera, referred to as the north and south vent, and they have been intermittently active, producing new lava flows over parts of Halemaʻumaʻu crater surface," according to the USGS. As of 5:20 p.m. local time on Sunday, the south vent had lava fountains 230 feet high, while the north vent had lava fountains 1,000 feet high, according to Hawaii News Now. USGS livestreams of the eruption site showed the lava fountains dropping in height and later stopping. The vents were still glowing and lava was still visibile on the crater floor. The volcano's last "fountaining phase" extended for about 10 hours on May 16, according to the USGS. Kīlauea experienced other recent fountaining phases this month on May 11, May 6 and May 2, lasting eight hours, 4.5 hours and eight hours, respectively. During the ongoing eruption, the USGS reported that pressure building beneath the surface caused an inflationary tilt prior to a lava fountaining episode. As pressure within the magma is released when lava fountaining begins, a switch to a deflationary tilt occurs. That pattern of inflation and deflation with every recent lava fountain episode "creates a saw-tooth pattern in ground tilt records over the past several months," according to the USGS, though the government agency reports that the summit has shown little net change in pressurization since the eruption began on Dec. 23, 2024.
Business Insider
16-05-2025
- Business
- Business Insider
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg recently gave rare hints about his Hawaii bunker. Here's everything we know about it.
Billionaires are no strangers to extensive real estate portfolios, and many of them are building their own Doomsday bunkers. Shall we count Mark Zuckerberg among them? If you ask him, no. The Meta CEO said on a recent episode of the podcast "This Past Weekend w/ Theo Von" that he does "have an underground tunnel" at his ranch on the Hawaiian island of Kauai, though he resisted characterizing it as a bunker. "There's this whole meme about how people are saying I built this, like, bunker underground. It's like more ofunderground storage type of situation," Zuckerberg said. "It's sort of a tunnel that just goes to another building." Zuckerberg's real estate portfolio includes expansive holdings in Hawaii. He began snapping up land there more than a decade ago. He reportedly paid $100 million for roughly 750 acres in 2014 and $53 million for another 600 acres on Kauai's North Shore in 2021. In December 2023, Wired reported that Zuckerberg was building a 5,000-square-foot underground shelter, complete with its own supplies of energy and food, at his Ko'olau Ranch property. The final bill after tallying up building permits and land will be about $270 million, the magazine reported. Wired reported the Kauai compound would feature two mansions linked by a tunnel that also connects to the shelter, which would have "living space, a mechanical room, and an escape hatch that can be accessed via a ladder," as well as a sturdy metal door filled with concrete. Brandi Hoffine Barr, a spokesperson for Zuckerberg and his wife Priscilla Chan, declined to comment to Wired at the time regarding the size or features of the underground structure. Local news outlet Hawaii News Now reported in December that it had obtained county planning documents showing an underground "storm shelter" measuring nearly 4,500 square feet on his property, roughly the size of an NBA basketball court. In a December Bloomberg interview, Zuckerberg equated the bunker to "a basement" or "a little shelter." "There's just a bunch of storage space and like, I don't know, whatever you want to call it, a hurricane shelter or whatever," he said. "I think it got blown out of proportion as if the whole ranch was some kind of Doomsday bunker, which is just not true." Zuckerberg posted a video on Instagram in January 2024 poking fun at the discourse surrounding his property, saying, "When your wife catches you in the 'bunker' playing video games." The clip shows Chan walking into a keypad-operated room resembling a home movie theater where Zuckerberg is seen gaming with friends on a massive screen. Zuckerberg has also posted on Instagram about starting cattle ranching on the property. "Started raising cattle at Ko'olau Ranch on Kauai, and my goal is to create some of the highest quality beef in the world," he wrote in January 2024. "The cattle are wagyu and angus, and they'll grow up eating macadamia meal and drinking beer that we grow and produce here on the ranch." The following month, he said that he was "not trying to do this commercially" and was "just trying to create the highest-quality stuff we can." He also explained the reasoning behind the cows' diet of macadamia nuts and beer. "As a human, what do you think is the thing that basically you just sit and eat a lot? It's like beer and nuts, basically. Nuts, super dense. Beer induces appetite, which I think people are familiar with." He added that he wanted to feed the cows the "densest, most nutritious" food so they would gain weight and "be the most delicious cows." In addition to cattle ranching, the land would include "organic ginger and turmeric farms, a nursery dedicated to native plant restoration, and partnering with Kauai's foremost wildlife conservation experts to protect native birds and other endangered or threatened wildlife populations," a spokesperson for Zuckerberg and Chan told Business Insider. "Mark and Priscilla value the time their family spends at Ko'olau Ranch and in the local community and are committed to preserving the ranch's natural beauty," the spokesperson said. "When they acquired the property, they rescinded an existing agreement that would have allowed for portions of the property to be divided into 80 luxury homes. Under their care, less than 1% of the overall land is developed with the vast majority dedicated to farming, ranching, conservation, open spaces, and wildlife preservation."
American Military News
13-05-2025
- Politics
- American Military News
Feds may ‘seize land' in Hawaii for Army training, governor warns
Gov. Josh Green (D-Hawaii) recently warned that the federal government could 'use nuclear options' and 'seize land' after the Hawaii Board of Land and Natural Resources rejected the U.S. Army's final environmental impact statement for its lease at Pohakuloa, which the Army uses for live-fire training. According to Hawaii New Now, the state's rejection of the Army's environmental impact statement does not mean that the Army's attempt to secure a new lease is officially ended. The outlet noted that the Army's 23,000-acre lease in Hawaii currently has four years until it expires. Hawaii News Now reported that Col. Rachel Sullivan, U.S. Army Garrison Hawaii commander, explained on Friday that the Army will take 30 days to consider the next steps, including an appeal of the state land board's decision. 'We are aware of that option,' Sullivan said. 'We're aware of other options as well, continuing to work as we go forward with the state, with the board, and with the population.' While Green told Hawaii News Now on Monday that the Army appears willing to continue negotiations regarding a new lease for military training, the Democrat governor warned that the federal government could attempt to 'seize land.' READ MORE: WWII ship sinks ahead of US, Philippine military exercise 'Now we have to be aware that the federal government could use nuclear options on us and actually seize land,' Green told Hawaii News Now. 'And so, we're going to always try to avoid that. I don't think anybody wants that.' Following Friday's decision by the state board, Hawaii's congressional delegation released a statement, saying, 'From the beginning of this important process, we have encouraged the collaboration and dialogue that is required between our state, military, and community. While we acknowledge the Board of Land and Natural Resources' decision on this aspect of the issue, we believe there can be a path forward that accounts for the critical importance of Hawaii's role in our country's national security strategy and fundamentally respects and responds to the needs of the people of Hawaii.' Rep. Jill Tokuda (D-Hawaii), who represents the district that encompasses the U.S. military's active training locations in Hawaii, told Hawaii News Now that the state will need to accept a deal that includes live-fire training. Regarding the potential for the federal government to seize land in Hawaii, Tokuda said, 'Everyone that I've talked to in the military, we've been having a lot of conversations about these negotiations. No one has ever brought up just seizing the property, any kind of eminent domain conversation. Everyone right now is 110% committed to negotiating and finding a path forward.'
Yahoo
12-05-2025
- Yahoo
Babysitter Who Gave 7-Month-Old Baby Lethal Dose of Benadryl Sentenced to 20 Years in Prison: Reports
A babysitter in Hawaii has been sentenced to 20 years behind bars following the death of a 7-month-old baby girl, who was given a lethal dose of Benadryl, according to local media reports Dixie Villa received the maximum sentencing for manslaughter on Wednesday, May 7 The sentencing came after Abigail Lobisch was found dead at Villa's home on Feb. 24, 2019; an autopsy showed she died of diphenhydramine (an antihistamine found in Benadryl) toxicityA babysitter in Hawaii has been sentenced to 20 years in prison after being found guilty of manslaughter following the 2019 death of a 7-month-old baby girl, according to reports. On Wednesday, May 7, Dixie Villa received the maximum sentence for manslaughter, per local outlets the Honolulu Star-Advertiser, KHON2 and Hawaii News Now. Villa was charged with manslaughter in July 2019 after an autopsy report showed that 7-month-old Abigail Lobisch — who was found dead at Villa's home on Feb. 24, 2019 — died of diphenhydramine (an antihistamine found in Benadryl) toxicity, PEOPLE previously reported. The infant's mother Anna Lobisch broke down in tears while addressing the Oahu Circuit courtroom on Wednesday, per KHON2. 'My life has been defined by grief, loss and the pain of living without Abby is a heavy weight I will carry every single day for the rest of my life,' Anna said, according to the outlet. 'My heart has never stopped hurting,' she added, via Hawaii News Now. Deputy prosecuting attorney Tiffany Kaeo told the court of Villa's sentencing, 'This drug should never be given to any child under the age of 6 without doctor's orders,' per the outlet. While on trial, defense lawyer Megan Kau argued that others, including Anna or Abigail's father, could have given diphenhydramine to the infant. She also said Anna could have had the drug in her system from taking Tylenol and passed it on to her daughter while breastfeeding, the Star-Advertiser stated in November while reporting on the guilty verdict. But Kaeo said Villa was the only person capable of administering the drug and that she was overwhelmed at having to look after three other children at the same time — Abigail's 2-year-old brother and two of her own children, who were also under the age of 5 — and had pacified the older kids with iPads and Abigail with the drug, the Star-Advertiser previously noted. Villa had been free on bail since 2019, but was taken into custody following her guilty verdict in November after her bail was raised to $500,000, the outlet reported at the time. On Wednesday, Kaeo urged the judge to impose the full sentence, saying, 'The defendant could have easily called Anna that night to take back her children, and she didn't. She made a choice, and now she should have to deal with the consequences of her choice,' KHON2 reported. Villa's attorney, Kau, asked for 10 years probation so that her client could continue caring for her two young children, the outlet stated. 'Ms. Villa has remained arrest and conviction free, she's been a contributing member of our community and she was the mother of a special needs child and another child that she cared for on a full-time basis,' Kau said, according to KHON2. 'Six years is a long time to wait for justice and while justice has been delayed, we hope this is not justice denied,' Kaeo said, per the outlet, which stated that prosecutors noted they're expecting an appeal. Circuit Court Judge Faaunga Toʻotoʻo said, 'This was a difficult trial. The facts and the law here is clear. This should not have happened," according to Hawaii News Now. Toʻotoʻo continued, 'These are the factors that the court has to consider, as well as what is appropriate, and the only sentence that stands out for this case is that the defendant must be sentenced to 20 years of imprisonment,' per the outlet. Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up for for breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases. Regarding the sentencing, Anna said, 'I'm so relieved that it's over. I'm happy with what happened in there,' KHON2 reported. The Hawaii State Judiciary and Villa's attorney during the trial didn't immediately respond when contacted by PEOPLE for additional information. Read the original article on People
