STORYLINE

Trapped Children Credit Quick thinking and Doughnuts for Survival

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The saga of 4 Lahaina children trapped inside a barrier wall came to an end today, when rescuers were able to safely remove them from the cavity that they had been huddled in for almost a week. Officials say that the construction drones that were building the wall failed to recognize that the children were inside the foundation trench when they began to pour concrete. Miraculously, none of the children were seriously injured, and all are expected to make a full recovery. The kids credit their survival with the quick thinking of one and freshly made doughnuts every night for keeping their spirits up.

June 10th was like any other typical summer day in Lahaina. In every neighborhood kids were outside playing ball or trying to beat the heat by walking down to the beach or jumping through a sprinkler. Tanager Lane was no different. 4 long-time friends, 10-year-old Brandon Stonegate, 11-year-old Landon Morrow, 10-year-old Greg Pio, and 9-year-old Tammy Laiwi, were playing in Brandon’s backyard, when the ball they were kicking around found it’s way into the trench dug for the barrier wall. The kids knew that construction on the controversial wall was supposed to continue that day, but assumed it would be safe for them to quickly retrieve the ball. They were wrong.

The wall around Tanager Lane had been a hot button topic for months. Opponents argued that it sent the wrong message to tourists and would become an eyesore. However, Preservation Zone Compliance Liaison to the Mayor’s Office Elizabeth Stonegate had been pushing the project, claiming that it was needed to help protect both the neighborhood and the surrounding protected areas. Stonegate said that the wall would “enshrine” the neighborhood and highlight Tanager Lane as an example of an area that had “reached 100% compliance with all preservation zone regulations”.
Stonegate’s plan included using the neighborhood’s maintenance drones to construct the wall in order to save money and keep heavy construction equipment from driving through the area. Many had concerns about turning over such a large project to the automated building-bots including their creator, Ano Lee. “I told Elizabeth that they still had some trouble recognizing objects that should be avoided and people when engaged in large projects, but she wanted to push ahead with the wall anyway,” he says. It now appears that Lee’s concerns were right.

Tammy and Greg were the first to jump in the trench to navigate the maze of rebar to get their ball. According to the friends, the drones showed up almost immediately, and they knew that they were in trouble. “They started to install big panels of wood. I had watched my uncle pour concrete before and knew that they were molds. They didn’t stop when they got by Tammy so Landon and I jumped in to pull them out, but the drones were working so fast that it was too late,” said Brandon. According to the children it was Brandon’s quick thinking and another drone malfunction that saved their lives.
One of the wooden panels was installed at an angle and broken. This left just enough space between the mold and the earthen wall for the children to take shelter as the concrete began to fill the trench. Brandon sealed the space as well as he could with a piece of the broken mold. It would be almost a week before any of them would be reunited with their families.

At first, nobody knew where the children were. Officials had been searching the surrounding forests for over a day before someone finally heard the children’s shouts for help. Worried about the structural integrity of the wall, first responders called in engineers to assess the situation. The tiny air hole the children had relied on was widened and people from around the island gathered to provide what help they could, including Hula Noodle owner Ralph Umeke with his “Mobile Malasada” truck. Along with some bottles of Manimal, some of “Uncle” Ralph’s malasadas were the first food to be lowered down to the children and they credit the deep fried treats with keeping their spirits up. The children remained trapped for another 3 days before engineers could safely pull them free this morning.

Brandon’s mother Elizabeth says she’s thrilled and relieved that the children are safe and healthy and says she and her family just wants to move forward and “let things get back to normal.” She adds, “Having something happen like this makes you think about what’s really important. You are only given one chance and one body to get through life, so it’s important to treat yourself with respect. When I see what these kids eat every day…well it’s no wonder they couldn’t climb out of that trench in time and my son had to risk his life to save them. Hopefully, these families will start taking nutrition a little more seriously. They won’t always have a Stonegate around to help them.”

For his part, Brandon says that he has no regrets about risking his life to protect his friends and says they have never been closer. He says he learned a lot through the ordeal, and his love of Portuguese confections is at the top of the list.

“We’re not allowed to eat that kind of stuff at home. I had no idea that something could be so delicious. Towards the end we were all getting pretty scared and worried that they wouldn’t be able to get us out before something bad happened. Just making it to the evening when the malasada truck got there helped us all. No matter how bad it got down there we knew we’d get warm doughnuts in the evening. I had to get trapped for 5 days in a cramped, hot, dirty hole with my friends to discover those malasadas. I think it was worth it.”

STORYLINE

Veilad Wants to Help You Power Your Vehicle

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A popular program in Lahaina that offers charging credits for electric vehicles in exchange for advertising is set to expand to all of Hawaii. The expansion comes just one year before the state mandated goal of having all ground transportation use renewable energy sources. Started in early 2043, the plan is a joint venture between Veilcorp spinoff, Veilad, and Phxicom.

Veilad has helmed many successful campaigns over the years including branded Reality Machine merchandise, and ads while you travel through the veil, but it was their corporate sponsored animal campaign that served as inspiration for the charging program. “The safety of the Duracave elephant herd served as the impetus for our charging initiative. We thought that giving an owner the chance to brand their vehicle in exchange for Veilcorp charging credit was a win-win situation. However, it wasn’t until we learned about Phxicom’s amazing sprayable display technology that our plan really took off,” says Veilad’s president Brie Howard.

Phxicom spokesperson Scott Parata adds, “Veilcorp has more charging stations than any other company on the island, and with Hawaii’s push to expand the use of EVs, the program sounded like an amazing opportunity. We’re glad we get a chance to show off the capabilities of our sprayable display while doing something to help the environment.”

Owners simply bring their vehicles to a participating facility and have the sprayable display installed on part, or all of their vehicle, depending on which plan they choose. Veilad then runs various advertisements that change depending on location. At the end of the month enrollees get a charging credit usable at any Veilcorp charging station.

The basic program covers the doors and hood of a vehicle and displays a different ad a few times a day. Brie says that for the average driver, the basic program can cover about 25% of their monthly charging bill. The premium program covers the entire vehicle with the Phxicom technology, and offers a much bigger payout.

In addition to covering your whole vehicle, the premium program is much more advanced. Sensors in the display track where a driver is in real time, and displays ads for businesses nearby or of particular interests. For example, if you find yourself near Black Rock Beach, ads relating to swimming and snorkeling will display. Further, the technology will play an accompanying audio track to ads if it senses it is in a high traffic area, regardless of whether or not it is being driven. According to Howard, participants in the premium charging program can expect to never pay a charging bill again.

While the program is a popular one, it is not without its detractors. Many consider the branded vehicles an eyesore. Others complain that the audio ads amount to nothing more than noise pollution, and that they disturb the peace and tranquility of natural areas. Maui police say that complaints about loudly playing ads number in the thousands. There’s also the problem of inappropriate items slipping through. Veilad admits that “there were some kinks to work out at first” but emphasizes that complaints about questionable content have shrunk to almost zero.

However, local resident Elizabeth Stonegate says the problem has been an ongoing one for her.

“It’s to the point where I don’t dare drive the van anymore. The problem started when I took my son and some of his friends to soccer practice. I saw people staring as I drove in, and assumed that they were staring at me. As President of the Tanager Lane Home Owners Association I get recognized a lot, it’s actually a little tiring. Anyway, after we stopped and got out I saw what everyone was staring at. My entire van had been turned into a disgusting advertisement for a questionable dating site. Then the audio began and I was mortified. Since then many of my son’s friends have asked if they could start carpooling with us. Even worse, Shelby had the audacity to question my judgment and fitness as head of the HOA. Even though everyone knows she’s still upset about the whole cat carrier incident, she never dared test my authority before. I work hard on projecting a perfect image. I will not be brought down because some company thinks they can make a buck off of lonely soccer parents.”

Brie reiterates that such issues are the exception rather than the rule and says that Veilad continues to work hard to screen their ad inventory. “For most people it’s an easy way to drive without paying for fuel. It offers valuable information to potential consumers, and is the best way available for a business to communicate its message. If you can live with driving a theme car, we’ll pay for the fuel,” she says.

STORYLINE

Noodle shop teaches kids that recycling can be fun

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Over the past 18 years Hula Noodle has grown from a favorite eatery for the locals to a Lahaina tourist destination. Run by Ralph Umeke, (Uncle Ralph to Lahaina residents), the shop is well known as being one of the best places around to grab a delicious bowl of food and catch up on the local news. Now thanks to a donation from Reality Machine, the Maui landmark is becoming a place where kids can learn the importance of recycling, and have fun doing it.

Umeke never dreamed that his small noodle shop would become a place where kids and tourists alike could learn about the science of recycling, but then again he never thought he’d be famous. When he built the restaurant he had one thing in mind, “making a place where you could grab a warm bowl of food before work, or after a long day surfing, without a lot of fuss or people bothering you.” Everything changed when a brilliant young scientists named Eric Oeming moved to Lahaina and walked through Hula Noodles’ front door.

Despite being known for his gruff exterior and his wariness of tourists, Umeke declared Oeming a “local who just happened to be born somewhere else.” The pair became, and still are, very close friends. Soon Uncle Ralph’s quite local noodle shop turned into a favorite for hundreds of Veilcorp employees and a stop for any company VIPs. Hula Noodle became a hotspot for tourists trying to get a glimpse of the rich and famous, or Oeming himself. The rest, as they say, is history.

The recycling program began like so many things do at Hula Noodle, with Uncle Ralph’s vocal consternation. The issue that was troubling him this time was the amount of wasted food he was throwing away on a daily basis, and he let everyone know it. Bill Stewart, lead designer at Reality Machine, happened to be in the shop at the time and went back to talk to his team. “It was a no brainer,” Bill says. “We all love Hula Noodle and agreed that donating a RMIII to the shop would be a great idea. Having a place where thousands could see one of our machines working up close would be great for business, and we could show Ralph how to break down whatever customers left behind, instead of just throwing it away. I’d be lying if I said that we didn’t also have a laugh about what he’d throw in the recycling drawer when he got upset. We joked that we’d probably have to go down there one day to clear out a rude tourist who was jammed in the machine.”

A week later a working RMIII was up and running inside the shop. “I let my nephew dump the first half-eaten bowl of pho in the machine. He told some of his friends, and by the weekend I had a dozen kids asking if they could help me clean up,” Umeke says. A month later, what started as a novel way for Ralph to get rid of unwanted food and a fun exercise for a few local kids, has expanded into an educational program teaching the importance of recycling.

Umeke and another local business owner, Ano Lee, have partnered to create a unique recycling program many want to expand to other areas. Kids can use Umeke’s machine to recycle trash they’ve found along the beach and in the preservation zone and can deposit the raw materials in a special “Builder Bank” at Lee’s maker commune. “We have a big list of recipes for various things we thought the kids would like,” says Lee. Ranging from backpacks, to various toys and sporting equipment, or even fluorescent shoes, once a child has all the ingredients they need, Lee will demonstrate how it’s made and hand it over as a reward.

“I donate the CHON we get from all the excess food to local farms to use as feed of fertilizer,” says Umeke. “I have to admit that I have almost as much fun as the kids watching something get broken down into it’s core components. The kid’s love it and I’m proud of what Ano and I have come up with. I understand that we’re not going to change the world, but we’re definitely making our little part of it better. I think that’s all you can hope for. With all the tragedy​ in Lahaina over the past few years and Stonegate’s trainwreck she called the visitor restriction program, we could all use a story that we could feel good about. That’s what this is. A chance for all of us to come together and feel some pride in this jewel we call Lahaina and keep it sparkling.”

However, not everyone is sold. Preservation Zone Compliance Officer Elizabeth Stonegate has been a vocal critic of the program. “I rarely have the pleasure of eating at Hula Noodle myself, as I prefer a more spacious dining area and try to avoid people attempting to fight off a weekday hangover with a bowl of noodles. Nonetheless, I am concerned about any establishment that serves food a few feet away from a glorified garbage machine. I’m not sure I understand how the authorities have allowed this to go on for so long. Throngs of kids are breaking the rules daily by going off clearly marked trails to grab bits of trash and plastic bottles. Instead of punishing them and teaching them how vital it is that we all follow the rules, we are rewarding them with cheap plastic toys. I would be mortified if my children were out in public carrying around bags of other people’s garbage. As a society we pay people who have no other options to do that kind of work. We shouldn’t be encouraging our kids to do it.”

STORYLINE

Lahaina Sanctuary Lets Over 700 Cats Live A Pampered Life

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Offering: clean water, good food, 6 miles of cat “highways”, automated toys, a drone cleaning system, and limitless petting, the Lahaina Cat Sanctuary has been called a feline paradise. Founded in March 2028 by owner and Executive Director Felix Popoki, and dubbed “Whisker Island” by its fans, the sanctuary is currently home to over 700 cats of all shapes, breeds, and sizes. One of the largest nonprofit sanctuaries in the world, Whisker Island has saved thousands of cats over the years through its adoption programs, and provides unadoptable animals a place to live out their remaining years. However, running such a large rescue takes a lot of time, hard work, and sacrifice. “My job is literally herding cats,” says Popoki. “It gets so busy around here that sometimes I wish I had nine lives to devote to the operation, but I’m proud of what we’ve done. I wouldn’t change a thing.”

15-years-ago Felix saw a need to do something about the growing feral cat population in Western Maui. A danger to much of the island’s wildlife, in particular many endangered native bird species, most solutions involved trapping and euthanizing the wild cats. “That was just unacceptable to me,” says Felix. So he took out a loan, bought the plots of land on either side of his home, and began construction of what was to become Whisker Island.

“Things were much different then,” Felix says. “I did most everything myself. I relied on volunteers for construction and veterinary services. I spent most of my money on cat food and litter. I’d be lying if I said there weren’t nights that I doubted myself while repairing a scratching post for the 5th time, but slowly word spread about what I was trying to do. Donations started rolling in, and when Veilcorp got behind the project – well, it was the cat’s meow. I thought all of our problems were solved. We were riding high, and then Maui expanded the preservation zone, and I was worried we’d have to shutdown.”

Many Lahaina businesses and families found themselves living within the boundaries of protected lands after, the expansion of the West Maui Forest reserve in 2031. For most, the stricter regulations didn’t change their day to day lives much, but for the owner of a large cat sanctuary, it meant hundreds of hours of structural improvements, and tens of thousands of dollars in legal costs. “We had to install animal friendly netting to keep all the birds out, and the fur in. We had to store the cat food and medicines in securely sealed containers. We had to ship the used litter off-island to be incinerated, and we had to install environmental cleansers to ensure that any disease or parasite didn’t make it off the property. If it wasn’t for Veilcorp’s donation, and all the volunteers who came to help, we wouldn’t have made it.”

Despite meeting all the new requirements, Popoki says he still has a contentious relationship with preservation zone officials. Elizabeth Stonegate, Compliance Liaison to the Mayor’s Office, in particular remains an ardent opponent of the sanctuary. “Dander Island as I like to call it, is only open because of Veilcorp money,” she says. “They have been cited on numerous occasions for improperly stored food. Anytime there’s a strong wind the adjacent land is covered in rogue feathers, and bits of yarn. I know that they have some sort of hi-tech litter system, but let’s just say you don’t want stand downwind of 700 cats, no matter how expertly their litter boxes are changed. However, for me, the worst part is the volunteers. They’re just what you think of when you think of animal hoarders. Old, disheveled, covered in hair, and I hate to say it, but weird. If I see one of them in a store downtown, I leave. I don’t have time to wait behind them at the checkout while they mumble, shed hair, pick through their loose change and coupons. I’m not the only one who feels that way.”

Despite the criticisms, the ten acre refuge has become a popular tourist attraction on the island. Last year, over 20,000 visitors walked amongst the animals, and the sanctuary hosted 18 weddings for cat lovers who wanted share their special occasion with hundreds of feline witnesses. Not all visitors come to play with the cats however. Just as many come to marvel at the technology. “Ano Lee was one of our first and biggest supporters,” says Felix. A fixture in Lahaina, the well known inventor has transformed Whisker Island into the most advanced animal sanctuary around.

“Every litter box sits on a scale that determines when it needs to be emptied,” says Lee. “I’ve repurposed my maintenance drone design to handle emptying and filling the litter, and distributing food evenly throughout the facility. I’ve reinforced the 6 miles of cat walkways connecting the various buildings, and attached tracking that an automated toy pod travels along all day. Every 3 minutes a toy is deployed somewhere along the line for the cat’s amusement, and we also have a number of laser emitters that randomly shine a laser, following a preset pattern, to help stimulate the residents. We have automated cameras that can identify any fights, or potentially sick animals within seconds. If I wasn’t so busy, I’d move into Whisker Island myself. The place is a paradise.”

While he’s proud of his 15 years, Felix admits that there is sometimes trouble in cat paradise. “Feral Heights has never been one of the better neighborhoods in Whisker Island, and we warn visitors to not loiter too long when passing through. Nonetheless, this year scratching incidents have gone up over 60%.” Despite the occasional setbacks, and the never ending list of tasks to complete, Popoki says he loves his work and hopes to eventually house 2,000 cats in the sanctuary. “I feel like I’m sitting in the catbird seat every day, and I want to do all that I can for my tenants. I just wish I wasn’t so allergic to my angels.”

STORYLINE

What the Veilcorp travel ban reminded me, and what we can all learn from it

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It’s been just over a month since my exclusive interview with Eric Oeming and a couple months since the company stopped enforcing its media “travel ban”. In my 20 years at the Seattle Times I’ve covered a number of high-profile stories: Government corruption, the dismantling of the largest human trafficking ring the country has ever seen, a hazardous waste facility leaking toxins into the groundwater, and of course the theft of the first object ever sent through the veil. None of these stories generated they kind of interest in my colleagues as the Oeming interview.

A few were angry that I broke some sort of unwritten code. A fellow journalist, who I won’t name, told me, “We should turn the tables and refuse to write or report anything about them.” Many still wrongly blame the company for the remaining travel restrictions (more on that later). Most however had one simple question, “How did you convince him to talk?” The answer to that question was something that my grandmother taught me a long time ago; something that may seem simple or obvious, but has been lost somehow over the years. The answer is, I asked politely and with respect.

As journalists, our job is to follow a story wherever it goes and report the facts. It is our job to arrange these facts in a coherent manner and provide an unbiased narrative for the public. We are the last line in truth, often butting heads with business and the government. It is a noble profession but it’s one that can leave you jaded. When you are lied to as often as we are, it’s easy to imagine everyone is lying. When you are constantly exposing the damage we do to one another, it’s easy to think the worst of people. When you are constantly dealing with distrust, it’s hard to have faith in others, but we need to.

When you add in the huge amount of money celebrity “journalism” produces, the waters get even muddier. For as long as people have been reading there has been salacious journalism; it’s nothing new. However, the last 40+ years has seen a huge rise in the industry. People have died while being chased by photographers trying to see what kind of clothes they were wearing. We know what everyone eats, and we speculate on what it means when our favorite actress doesn’t eat the bread that came with her dinner. Is she dieting? Is she sick? Does she have a personal vendetta against the baker? It’s gotten to be too much.

My grandmother was one of the first female prosecutors in the area I grew up. She put herself through law school working as a saleswoman . After 25 years of dealing with the worst of society she retired and became a victim advocate. She told me that the most important lesson she learned through all of her careers was to listen and have empathy. The first thing you do when you meet someone who wants to buy a dress, or steal one, is be polite. When someone has gone through a traumatic event it changes them, and it’s your job to make them feel safe and respected. With a few notable exceptions, this was the key to her success. I’m not sure how or when, but it’s a lesson I think many of us have forgotten.

Veilcorp is a corporation made of people. On May 4, 2041 those people experienced a horrible tragedy. They lost friends and co-workers. Some lost family. Many had survivor’s guilt or suffered from PTSD. Federal investigators were everywhere, security and worry was at an all time high, and the company founder was hanging on by a thread. Into that turmoil the media flooded the island, and it was like water being thrown into hot oil.

We know now that the group who forged documents and used fake identification to infiltrate the Veilcorp facility, were just photographers looking for a huge payday, but at the time there was concern that they were terrorists. I still see stories about how Veilcorp is blocking journalists from traveling to Lahaina, when in fact any current travel restrictions are due to low population zone (lpz) regulations. The compliance liaison to the mayor’s office, Elizabeth Stonegate, is actually in charge of keeping the number of reporters veiling in to a manageable number, but that’s a story I haven’t seen anyone interested in reporting. With this as a backdrop I don’t think it’s any wonder that the company felt it had to do something.

I explained all these things to Lisa Hunt. I told her that I wanted to tell their tale about human struggle, and the future of an improbable success story. I wanted people to understand that she and Dr. Oeming were people too and not just faces in the news. Despite the chaos of the previous months, I told her that most people were honestly concerned and curious. I told her I would be respectful of their delicate situation, but truthful in my reporting. I would treat her and the company the way I would want to be treated if I was going through a similar experience. That was my secret weapon, the thing that everyone else seemed to miss.

I’m a big believer that you don’t go out of your way to reward people for doing the right thing, but I think in this case we should commend Veilcorp for seeing the error in their ways, and ending their media blackout. But there’s a bigger lesson to learn here. I think we all learned just how fast things can escalate after a tragedy and how sometimes fighting fire with fire makes an inferno. I think we learned how everyone just wants to be treated politely and with respect, at least I hope we have.

STORYLINE

Automated Maintenance Drones Keep Neighborhood In Good Repair

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Home repairs and maintenance just got a whole lot easier in one Lahaina neighborhood with the unveiling of a group of automated maintenance drones. Created and conceived by local inventor Ano Lee, the drones can take care of most external home repairs as well as handle basic construction. Under the watchful eye of Tanager Lane Homeowners’ Association President and Preservation Zone Compliance Liaison to the Mayor’s Office Elizabeth Stonegate, the drones will work as part of a Maui funded pilot program for the next 90 days. If successful, they could be deployed to handle maintenance of government buildings all over the island.

Unlike most of his creations, Lee says that the inspiration for the automated drone system came from necessity. He was facing multiple fines for preservation zone infractions and was offered a chance to do community service in lieu of paying the accumulated fines.

“The pineapple bots I designed a couple years back have been a great success and have really changed the business of pineapple farming, however the strobe lights are a problem. It turns out that they are illegal to use within 100 yards of the preservation zone because they attract insects and endanger the native hoary bat. The fine was up to $500 per incident, and they had been documenting the lights for over a year. The final tally was insane, but Elizabeth said that she might be able to work out a deal. I had been toying with the idea of repurposing the drones for other tasks, and we worked out this maintenance agreement. I just wish they had informed me of the infractions earlier so I wouldn’t have to spend the next year building maintenance drones for the County.”

“Maintenance is one of the hardest parts of being a responsible home owner,” says Stonegate. “In my experience, it’s one that many people aren’t ready to take on. In my reign as Tanager Lane President, I can’t begin to tell you how many times I’ve had to point out chipped paint, crooked fencing, or a loose shingle. Unfortunately, most people don’t have the initiative to keep their things nice or are just too neglectful to do proper maintenance. Making sure residents live up to basic standards and prodding the lazy, so we can all enjoy a beautiful neighborhood, has taken up countless hours over the past 12 years. Finally, I’ll have a little help and I couldn’t be more excited. I just hope that the drones can keep up with me, and adhere to my standards better than some of our residents.”

3 drones started patrolling Tanager Lane this week. They do preventative maintenance according to a pre-programmed schedule, fix any problems they come across, and help enforce preservation zone rules. The drones keep track of a materials inventory necessary to complete most repairs and are capable of ordering supplies when they run low or need to take on a special task. Lee says that he hopes to include 3D printing technology in future models.

Technology and convenience does not come cheap however. Those living inside Tanager Lane will see a substantial increase in their HOA dues this year. However, Stonegate says, “When you consider how many fines the average Tanager Lane resident pays for infractions every year and the cost of multiple repairs, the price is actually a bargain.”

The drone roll-out has been well received for the most part. Many residents welcome the system and see the automated repair drones as a convenience, but there have been a few incidents that have raised concerns.

Shelby Pio says the drones ruined her son’s 10th birthday party.

“Eric missed out on a good portion of his summer vacation with a broken leg. He’s a very active boy and it was really hard for him to stay cooped up while watching his friends play. We decided to get him a bounce house for his birthday so he could jump around all day with his friends and maybe work out some of his frustration from the past month. The kids loved it and everyone was having a good time when I went inside to make some lemonade. A minute later I heard shouting and ran out to see what the trouble was. It was the drones. They were trying to drag the bounce house away and had pierced it in the process. I had a dozen crying kids in my front yard watching their afternoon of fun fly away. I called Elizabeth and she said that structures, even non-permanent ones, weren’t allowed without a permit. I felt more deflated than the bounce house.”

Stonegate says none of the children were hurt in the bounce house incident and adds that residents better get used to having the drones enforce the rules. In fact, she says she would like to expand their duties to yard care and driveway repair as well. Ano Lee says that early tests with lawn care have not been particularly successful. “In the few tests I’ve done so far the drones haven’t been able avoid large objects. The last thing I want is for a kid to get hurt while a drone is mowing the yard.” Stonegate counters, “I’m sure most children are smart enough to move when the flying lawnmowers show up, but I understand Mr. Lee’s concern. I look forward to seeing what progress he makes in the hot asphalt and concrete department in the upcoming weeks.”

STORYLINE

New app allows public to report violations in the preservation zone

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People witnessing a violation of preservations zone rules just got an easy way to report the infractions using their smart device or their ceremplant. The Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR), in association with the county of Maui, created an app called PZTip. It allows you to report a violation by providing details, photos, and video of illegal or suspected illegal activity in real time.
PZTip lets people connect directly with a special group of rapid response DLNR officers who can catch violators in the act. The app allows reporters to provide information that can lead to the arrest of anyone who hunts or harasses protected wildlife species, pollutes, litters, or violates any other preservation zone rules.

“Protecting our beautiful wild places and cultural resources will be a lot easier, with the help of the thousands of eyes and ears of concerned citizens. Despite our best efforts, we haven’t figured out a way to be everywhere yet. We believe that PZTip will be a game changer for our department and our people in the field. When a citizen calls in a tip, our coordination center dispatches the closest member of our rapid-response team to investigate. In the past, catching violators in the act and tracking down offenders was exceedingly difficult. The PZTip system helps expedite tips of wrongdoing and our responses,” said DLNR senior investigator Greg Iona.

Not everyone shares the DLNR’s enthusiasm however. Ronnie Kalipalani owner of Ronnie Kalipalani Construction has been a vocal critic of the program and says it is ruining the aloha spirit of the island.

“Creating a culture of distrust and an atmosphere of fear is not what we should be about. This campaign has already interfered with my business. While we were working on building an addition to a home near the preservations zone, we found a nice little area on a nearby bluff. It was great for lunch breaks or if my crew just needed some time. I know that when I make a mistake measuring or something, it helps to take an hour or so to get my mind straight. The bluff was perfect for that. We hauled in some nice chairs, a table, and a little solar powered fridge. It was paradise, but someone must have seen us and called in a tip. Next thing you know they’ve impounded the fridge and gave me a ticket for every item in our little break room. All together it’s going to cost me almost $10,000. It’s not like we were going to leave everything up there forever. I don’t know how they expect us to keep our beer cold now. More importantly, our morale has taken a big hit. I understand that people are concerned about protecting the environment but I don’t think setting up a group of secret informants is the right way to do it.”

The PZTip app is completely anonymous, as the technology removes all identifying information before officers see tips. This anonymous feature has led to a number of complaints about false accusations and Iona admits that his office has had to deal with a number of reports that have turned out to be unwarranted. However, it is not the prank reports that has many concerned. It is the marketing campaign around the app that has some raising their eyebrows.

In conjunction with the app’s release, the county has rolled out an advertising campaign that many are calling Orwellian in nature. Signs promoting the program direct the public to report any suspected violation even if the tipster in unsure if a law has been broken. Numerous posters urge residents and tourists alike to use live recording apps such as Manimal’s X-eyez, so they can keep a complete video log of suspected violations with lines like, “Better safe than sorry!” Others seem to encourage residents to follow tourists around to ensure that they don’t break the rules saying, “They don’t live here, you do. Make sure they’re not leaving a mess!” But it is the ads targeting children that has seen the most pushback. A commercial showing a fawn tangled in plastic and urging children to report littering parents before they “kill all the little animals,” has already been pulled but others of a similar tone are still being run.

Compliance Liaison to the Mayor’s Office Elizabeth Stonegate, says that the pushback to the program is nonsense and naive. She says that having a little fear of being reported to the DLNR is healthy, and that only people breaking the law need to be afraid. “If you didn’t do the crime you won’t have to pay the fine. It’s as simple as that,” she says.

“Everyone who has a sibling, cousin, or close family member knows the power of the statement, ‘If you don’t stop doing that, I’m going to tell.’ Fear of being told on when you’re doing something wrong is the cornerstone of every successful family and functional government. Without the possibility of repercussions nobody would follow the rules or pull their weight. Most people don’t do what they’re supposed to because of some sort of intrinsic goodness or sense of duty. They do it because they’re scared of being told on. I’m sorry if the people living in Lollipop Land don’t understand that. The PZTip app is the most powerful tool we have to force people to follow the rules. If parents did a better job of teaching their children by example, we wouldn’t have to instill proper values in them through our school outreach programs. I’m sorry if it upsets the haters, but the app is here to stay.”

STORYLINE

The Lahaina Power Plant Has Got To Go!

The Power Plant Problem

Hello fellow homeowners. As my first action as your continued HOA president, (thank you to everyone who voted to re-elect me), I’d like to address the elephant in the room. We need to do something about the power plant.

I know that it has been here for a few years now, but as my mother always said, “don’t be afraid of pointing out other people’s mistakes.” I don’t know about you, but that constant hum has made it almost impossible to lay out by my pool and has caused my pets no small amount of stress. The color is awful too. I know that you can’t really see it from here, but you have to drive past it and I’d prefer my drive home to be ugly, hulking-object free. There is no reason why they couldn’t have added design elements to better match the outdoors or built shelving along the walls for potted plants.

Also, can we please talk about the word “Thorium”? As a progressive community I feel like this word brings out the worst thoughts in people. I don’t want potential home buyers to hear that word and be assaulted with images of vikings with dirty beards dripping with the blood of oppressed people. Inclusion, tranquility, and good schools within walking distance should be on the mind of every potential new home owner when they arrive, not hammers and radiation.

I know some of you may think that I’m taking on too much with the power plant, especially if I’m going to fulfill my campaign promise of having us officially moved into the preservation zone. I see the two issues as intertwined. I refuse to believe that the power plant is any less dangerous to endangered wildlife than my cats. They are animals too, and it is unreasonable that I can be punished if they happen to catch a bird or two. That is nature. It makes no sense to control nature in a nature preserve.

On a slightly unrelated note, I’d like to thank Shelby for loaning me her extra cat carrier. Because this was Elvira’s first trip to the vet, she was very nervous and had an accident inside. I did my best to clean it out, but the smell was pretty bad, and the kids were starting to complain so I had to put it outside. It’s at the end of the driveway, feel free to pick it up as soon as you can. We don’t want to leave items like that in the driveway too long. It looks trashy.

We don’t want our whole neighborhood looking trashy either and that’s what the power plant does. It’s loud, ugly, and poorly named. It is a huge danger to our home values and the Tanager
way of life. With your help and support this lioness is going to let Veilcorp hear her roar, and threaten with legal action if they don’t give in to at least some of her demands.

STORYLINE

My Tenure as HOA President will Continue Despite My New Appointment

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I have some great news Tanager Lane residents! The mayor’s office has officially recognized my strong leadership and people skills. I’m proud to announce that I have been appointed as his Compliance Liaison. It is my job to ensure that everyone in Lahaina is following the new preservation zone rules. As I’m sure you’ll agree, they couldn’t have made a better choice.

Don’t worry, I have no plans to abandon my duties as your HOA President. In fact, I’ve found the best way to lead is by example and together we will turn Tanager Lane into a shining example of compliance. Under my direction, we are going to follow the new regulations so hard and completely, that you’ll forget they’re new. I think we can all agree that some of you have a hard time remembering rules; I’m looking at you Shelby. Don’t worry! As usual, I have come up with a simple solution.

Tomorrow morning you will all find a laminated “cheat sheet” in your mailbox. It is double sided and covers everything we need to work on. (I will include the cost of the sheets and my time in the next round of HOA fees.) I suggest that you all study them carefully. I plan on conducting numerous pop quizzes so please be prepared. I recommend that you display the cards in a prominent place so nobody has an excuse for not learning the material.

Please make sure that you go over the regulations with your children. We can’t reach our goal of 100% compliance unless everyone, even your little ones, follow the rules. I know some of them have had issues in the past; again, I’m looking at you Shelby. In some ways these new rules will be a test of your parenting skills, so you can understand my concern. While I’ve tried to make the cards idiot proof, there are a couple rules that I want to hammer home so there is no confusion.

First, all debris and non-permanent items must be removed from your property. It turns out those little fire ants can set up house in almost anything that keeps them out of the sun. I am considering any item I see unattended outside as debris, and will dispose of it as such. Bikes, skateboards, and scooters are fair game. Grills, and unattended lawn furniture are on the list too. If you’re practicing your golf putting I suggest you leave the other clubs inside or carry the bag. All vehicles must be kept in your garage. No more driveway parking. I’m throwing shade on anything that could potentially provide shade.

The other issue I want to touch on is some of the new pet regulations. I know that I have been overly forgiving about pets in the past but the days of a kinder, gentler Elizabeth are gone. Your pet negligence is a direct reflection on me now. Your animals are not allowed outside off a leash ever, end of story. In fact, it would probably be best if you just didn’t take them out at all; better safe than sorry. I know that this might be an extra burden to those of you with dogs, but it was your choice to get a pet that traditionally uses the outside as a bathroom. Unfortunately, nature and the new regulations don’t have a 5-second-rule when it comes to pet waste. I’ll be more than happy to help anyone rehome their dog if they think they can’t live up to the new expectations.

I know this is a lot to take in but I’ll be right there alongside you to make sure you’re working towards our common goal. Under my leadership we can be safety conscious as well as upholding the Tanager Lane way of life. I agree that some of these new rules seem a bit extreme but protecting our beautiful natural areas is important if we want to keep our property values up. If you have any questions please refer to your cards before contacting me. Let’s show Lahaina what 100% compliance looks like!