Latest news with #Kahala
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Creepy cries in Kahala aren't ghosts
KAHALA, Hawaii (KHON2) — You are not alone if you have been hearing eerie wailing sounds late at night on Oahu. 3D tech saves injured pueo in Hawaii; first for vets A strange noise recently startled a Kahala resident, but it turns out it is part of nature's annual ritual. The sound could be mistaken for a baby crying. Kahala resident Sherli Micik's son recently recorded it right outside their home just past midnight. 'It was kind of a moaning sound and it was very disturbing, but I'm sort of one of those people that says, 'You know, whatever it is, it's not hurting me,'' Micik said. 'And then my son comes in and says, 'We got to find out what this is!'' The haunting cry is not a baby in distress, it is the sound of the Wedge Tailed Shearwater, which means breeding season is here. These native seabirds spend most of their life flying over the ocean and come ashore around this time of year to nest in burrows — often in coastal neighborhoods like Kahala and Windward Oahu. 'The calls attract other ones into an area that they feel like it's a safe neighborhood for them to raise their baby,' said Hawaii Wildlife Center president Linda Elliott. 'And so you'll hear at night they won't be in trees, they'll be on the ground.' The birds return to the same areas each year, with their numbers increasing in recent times. Hawaiʻi's top 10 invasive species wreak havoc on ecosystem each year 'And those sounds go from sounding like babies in distress to moaning. And it is, you know, kind of gives you that chicken skin at night when you're walking out and you're hearing all of this,' Elliott said. It was a mystery that grew more unsettling by the night until Micik learned the sounds were just part of the Islands' natural charm. 'Only when it was dark, usually between midnight and sunrise and who knew what these creatures were,' she said. 'I love nature and the fact that I wish they'd just hurry up and breed! You don't have to keep making that noise.' Experts said the Shearwaters will quiet down by November, once their nesting season ends and the chicks fly out to sea for the first time. Until then, the night may sound a little wilder than usual. Check out more news from around Hawaii for more information. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Toronto Sun
01-05-2025
- Business
- Toronto Sun
Hawaii plans to increase hotel tax to help it cope with climate change
Published Apr 30, 2025 • 4 minute read People are seen on the beach and in the water in front of the Kahala Hotel & Resort in Honolulu, Nov. 15, 2020. Photo by Jennifer Sinco Kelleher / AP Reviews and recommendations are unbiased and products are independently selected. Postmedia may earn an affiliate commission from purchases made through links on this page. HONOLULU — In a first-of-its kind move, Hawaii lawmakers are ready to hike a tax imposed on travellers staying in hotels, vacation rentals and other short-term accommodations and earmark the new money for programs to cope with a warming planet. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account State leaders say they'll use the funds for projects like replenishing sand on eroding beaches, helping homeowners install hurricane clips on their roofs and removing invasive grasses like those that fueled the deadly wildfire that destroyed Lahaina two years ago. A bill scheduled for House and Senate votes this week _ initially scheduled for Wednesday but moved to Friday — would add an additional 0.75% to the daily room rate tax starting Jan. 1. It's all but certain to pass given Democrats hold supermajorities in both chambers and party leaders have agreed on the measure. Gov. Josh Green has said he would sign it into law. Officials estimate the increase would generate $100 million in new revenue annually. 'We had a $13 billion tragedy in Maui and we lost 102 people. These kind of dollars will help us prevent that next disaster,' Green said in an interview. Plan your next getaway with Travel Time, featuring travel deals, destinations and gear. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Green said Hawaii was the first state in the nation to do something along these lines. Andrey Yushkov, a senior policy analyst at the Tax Foundation, a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit organization, said he was unaware of any other state that has set aside lodging tax revenue for the purposes of environmental protection or climate change. Adding to an already hefty tax The increase will add to what is already a relatively large duty on short-term stays. The state's existing 10.25% tax on daily room rates would climb to 11%. In addition, Hawaii's counties each add their own 3% surcharge and the state and counties impose a combined 4.712% general excise tax on goods and services including hotel rooms. Together, that will make for a tax rate of nearly 19%. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. The only large U.S. cities that have higher cumulative state and local lodging tax rates are Omaha, Nebraska, at 20.5%, and Cincinnati, at 19.3%, according to a 2024 report by HVS, a global hospitality consulting firm. RECOMMENDED VIDEO The governor has long said the 10 million visitors who come to Hawaii each year should help the state's 1.4 million residents protect the environment. Green believes travellers will be willing to pay the increased tax because doing so will enable Hawaii to 'keep the beaches perfect' and preserve favourite spots like Maui's road to Hana and the coastline along Oahu's North Shore. After the Maui wildfire, Green said he heard from thousands of people across the country asking how they could help. This is a significant way they can, he said. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Hotel industry has mixed feelings Jerry Gibson, president of the Hawaii Hotel Alliance, which represents the state's hotel operators, said the industry was pleased lawmakers didn't adopt a higher increase that was initially proposed. 'I don't think that there's anybody in the tourism industry that says, 'Well, let's go out and tax more.' No one wants to see that,' Gibson said. 'But our state, at the same time, needs money.' The silver lining, Gibson said, is that the money is supposed to beautify Hawaii's environment. It will be worth it if that's the case, he said. Hawaii has long struggled to pay for the vast environmental and conservation needs of the islands, ranging from protecting coral reefs to weeding invasive plants to making sure tourists don't harass wildlife, such as Hawaiian monk seals. The state must also maintain a large network of trails, many of which have heavier foot traffic as more travellers choose to hike on vacation. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Two years ago, lawmakers considered requiring tourists to pay for a yearlong license or pass to visit state parks and trails. Green wanted to have all visitors pay a $50 fee to enter the state, an idea lawmakers said would violate U.S. constitutional protections for free travel. Boosting the lodging tax is their compromise solution, one made more urgent by the Maui wildfires. A large funding gap An advocacy group, Care for Aina Now, calculated a $561 million gap between Hawaii's conservation funding needs and money spent each year. Green acknowledged the revenue from the tax increase falls short of this, but said the state would issue bonds to leverage the money it raises. Most of the $100 million would go toward measures that can be handled in a one-to-two year time frame, while $10 to $15 million of it would pay for bonds supporting long-term infrastructure projects. Kāwika Riley, a member of the governor's Climate Advisory Team, pointed to the Hawaiian saying, 'A stranger only for a day,' to explain the new tax. The adage means that a visitor should help with the work after the first day of being a guest. 'Nobody is saying that literally our visitors have to come here and start working for us. But what we are saying is that it's important to be part of the solution,' Riley said. 'It's important to be part of caring for the things you love.'
