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Hawaii Lawmakers Take Aim At Vacation Rentals After Lahaina Wildfire Amplifies Maui Housing Crisis
HONOLULU — Amy Chadwick, a single mother of two, worked hard and saved for years before purchasing a home in the town of Lahaina on the Hawaiian island of Maui. However, after a horrific fire destroyed Lahaina in August, Chadwick’s home was reduced to white dust, and the cheapest rental she could find for her family and dogs was $10,000 per month.
Chadwick, a fine-dining server, relocated to Florida to stretch her homeowner’s insurance costs. She’s concerned that Maui’s expensive rental prices, fueled in part by holiday rentals that dominate a limited housing supply, may hollow out her close-knit community.
AP – VOR News Image
Hawaii Lawmakers Take Aim At Vacation Rentals After Lahaina Wildfire Amplifies Maui Housing Crisis
Most individuals in Lahaina work for hotels, restaurants, and tour businesses and cannot afford to pay rent of $5,000 to $10,000 per month, she added.
“You’re displacing an entire community of service industry workers. So no one will be able to sustain the tourist that you’re prioritizing over your town,” Chadwick said over the phone from her new home in Satellite Beach on Florida’s Space Coast. “Nothing positive will come of it until they take a firm stance, putting their foot down and effectively regulating these short-term rentals.
The August 8 wildfire killed 101 people and destroyed houses for 6,200 families, exacerbating Maui’s already severe housing scarcity and exposing the massive number of holiday rentals in Lahaina. It reminded lawmakers that short-term rentals are a problem throughout Hawaii, prompting them to pursue legislation that would give counties the ability to phase them out.
During a recent press conference, Gov. Josh Green became so frustrated that he shouted out an expletive.
“This fire uncovered a clear truth, which is we have too many short-term rentals owned by too many individuals on the mainland and it is b———t,” Green said in a statement. “And our people deserve housing, here.”
Vacation rentals are a popular alternative to hotels for individuals looking for kitchens, lower pricing, and the chance to experience ordinary island life. Supporters claim they enhance tourism, the state’s largest industry. Critics accuse them of raising housing costs, upsetting neighborhoods, and contributing to the dynamics that drive locals and Native Hawaiians to flee Hawaii for less expensive places.
This migration has become a big issue in Lahaina. According to the Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement, a charity, at least 1,500 households have departed since the August wildfire, accounting for a quarter of those who lost their houses.
The fire destroyed single-family homes and apartments in and around downtown, which is the heart of Lahaina’s residential community. According to a study conducted by the University of Hawaii Economic Research Organization, holiday rentals accounted for only 7.5% of all units in February 2023.
Lahaina communities that were spared from the fire have a considerably larger ratio of vacation rentals. Short-term rentals account for roughly half of all housing in Napili, located around 7 miles (11 kilometers) north of the burn zone.
When Chadwick began house hunting in 2016, she thought she had discovered a place to buy in Napili. However, a Canadian woman secured it with a monetary offer and converted it into a vacation rental.
Outside the burn zone, there are scores of short-term rental condominium structures built decades ago on apartment-zoned land.
AP – VOR News Image
Hawaii Lawmakers Take Aim At Vacation Rentals After Lahaina Wildfire Amplifies Maui Housing Crisis
In 1992, Maui County explicitly permitted owners of these buildings to rent units for less than 180 days at a period, even without short-term rental permits. Since November, demonstrators have seized the beach in front of Lahaina’s largest hotels, urging the mayor or governor to exercise their emergency powers and rescind this exemption.
Money is a major incentive for owners to rent to travelers: according to 2016 state data, a Honolulu vacation rental earns 3.5 times the revenue of a long-term rental.
The Housing Committee chair, State Rep. Luke Evslin, stated both Maui and Kauai counties have experienced net losses in residential housing in recent years due to a lack of new building and the conversion of so many properties to short-term rentals.
“Every alarm bell we have should be ringing when we’re literally going backwards in our goal to provide more housing in Hawaii,” he told the crowd.
In his own Kauai district, Evslin sees people fleeing, becoming homeless, or working three jobs to get by.
The Democrat was one of 47 House members who cosponsored a bill that would phase out short-term rentals. One goal is to give counties more authority after a US judge found in 2022 that Honolulu violated state law by attempting to limit rentals of fewer than 90 days. According to Evslin, this ruling left Hawaii’s counties with minimal means for controlling holiday rentals, such as property taxes.
Lawmakers also proposed increasing Hawaii’s housing supply by requiring counties to allow additional houses to be built on individual lots. However, they scaled down the legislation after local officials stated that they were already investigating the notion.
Short-term rental owners claimed that a phase-out would violate their property rights by taking their property without compensation, potentially forcing them into foreclosure. Some anticipated legal issues.
According to Alicia Humiston, president of the Rentals by Owner Awareness Association, several communities in West Maui were created for tourists; thus, they lack schools and other facilities that families require.
“This area in West Maui that is sort of like this resort apartment zone — that’s all north of Lahaina — it was never built to be local living,” he said.
AP – VOR News Image
Hawaii Lawmakers Take Aim At Vacation Rentals After Lahaina Wildfire Amplifies Maui Housing Crisis
According to one housing advocate, just because a city allowed vacation rentals decades ago does not imply it should still do so now.
Courtney Lazo, a real estate agent and member of Lahaina Strong, the organization that is occupying Kaanapali Beach, says tourists can now stay in her city, but many locals cannot.
“How do you expect a community to recover, heal, and move forward when the people who make Lahaina, Lahaina, aren’t even there anymore?” she asked at a recent press appearance, her voice quivering. “They’re moving away.”
SOURCE – (AP)
Angry protesters pelted Felipe VI of Spain with mud and other objects during a visit to flood-hit Valencia. Spain’s national broadcaster reported that two bodyguards were treated for injuries.
Felipe VI of Spain and Queen Letizia, Spain’s prime minister, and other leaders were met with shouts of “murderer” and “shame” as they traversed the town of Paiporta, which is one of the most severely afflicted in the region.
King Felipe and Queen Letizia were later observed offering comfort to individuals in the throng despite being covered in mud on their faces and clothing.
The floods, which were the most severe in Spain in decades, resulted in the deaths of over 200 individuals. In the hopes of locating survivors and recovering corpses, emergency personnel are still working to search underground car parks and tunnels.
In response to the floods, there has been a wave of resentment toward the authorities for their perceived failure to provide adequate support and warning.
The king was observed walking down a pedestrian street when a sudden surge of demonstrators who hurled insults and screamed, causing his bodyguards and police to be immediately overwhelmed.
Some of the demonstrators threw mud and objects, which made it difficult for them to maintain a protective ring around the monarch.
Angry flood survivors hurl mud and insults at Spain’s King Felipe VI during Valencia visit.
Felipe VI of Spain Greets Mob
Images depicted the king, queen, and entourage, who held canopies over the monarch as they departed, with mud on their faces and clothing.
During the visit, the royal couple was accompanied by Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez and the president of the Valencian regional government, Carlos Mazón. However, they were promptly evacuated as the crowd became increasingly hostile.
The BBC has verified footage that appears to depict stones being thrown at Sánchez’s vehicle as he was driven away, while Spanish media reports that objects were hurled at him.
The audience chanted, “Where is Sánchez?” after he departed.
“I am only 16,” Pau said, his eyes welling with tears. “We are assisting, but the leaders are not acting.” People are still dying. I am unable to endure this any longer.
Another woman stated, “They abandoned us to our deaths.” We have forfeited everything: our homes, enterprises, and aspirations.
A subsequent observation revealed that the civil guard and mounted officers endeavored to disperse the irate throng.
People clean mud from a shop affected by floods in Valencia, Spain.
Severe Flooding in Valencia province
The royal entourage intended to continue their journey to Chiva, another community in the Valencia province severely affected by the flooding. However, this visit has been postponed.
In a subsequent video on the royal household’s Instagram account, the monarch expressed his comprehension of the protestors’ “angry and frustration.”
Maribel Albalat, the mayor of Paiporta, said that she was astonished by the violence but also acknowledged the “frustration and desperation of the people.”
Juan Bordera, a Valencian parliamentarian, characterized the king’s visit as “an extremely poor decision.”
Mr. Bordera told the BBC authorities “didn’t heed any warnings.”
“It is logical that the people are angry, and it is logical that the people did not comprehend the urgency of this visit,” he continued.
Sánchez directed the deployment of 10,000 additional police officers, civil guards, and soldiers to the region on Saturday.
He stated that the deployment was the highest in Spain’s history during peacetime. However, he also acknowledged that the response was “insufficient” and that there were “severe issues and shortages.”
Spain searches for bodies after unprecedented flooding claims at least 200 lives.
Over 200 Killed in Flooding
The inundation began on Tuesday following a period of heavy rainfall. Floodwaters caused bridges to collapse and cities to be engulfed in a thick layer of mud. Numerous communities lacked water, electricity, food, and other fundamental services.
The mortality toll from the flooding reached 217 on Sunday, and it is believed that many more individuals are still missing.
The Valencia region on the Mediterranean coast has been the site of nearly all of the confirmed fatalities thus far.
Certain regions have been particularly devastated. Today, the royal delegation visited Paiporta, a municipality where authorities have reported a minimum of 62 fatalities.
On Sunday, the Spanish meteorological agency AEMET issued the maximum alert level for certain areas of southern Valencia, including Alzira, Cullera, and Gandia.
The agency warned that the intensity of the cyclones expected to pass through the region will not be comparable to Tuesday’s. It anticipates a total of 90mm (3.45 inches) of precipitation.
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At Least 95 People Die In Flash Floods In Spain
Global oil prices are plummeting after Israel launched a retaliatory strike over the weekend that targeted Iranian military locations rather than its energy infrastructure, as had been anticipated.
Crude oil prices rose globally on October 2 after Iran launched roughly 200 missiles into Israel as part of a series of fast-increasing attacks between Israel, Iran, and its Arab allies that threatened to bring the Middle East closer to a regional war.
Iran is the world’s seventh-largest oil producer, but a bigger crisis in the Middle East may have an impact on the region’s largest energy producers.
Oil Prices Fall As Reality Of Weak Global Demand Overtakes Risk Of Wider War In Middle East
With many believing that the threat is receding in the short term, the price of benchmark U.S. crude and Brent crude, the worldwide benchmark, fell 6% on Monday. U.S. crude oil plunged well below $70 per barrel.
The Israeli military stated that its aircraft targeted Iranian facilities used to manufacture missiles fired at Israel, as well as surface-to-air missile installations.
Here’s a look at the current status and prospects for oil and gas prices:
The price of U.S. benchmark petroleum fell 6% Monday after Israel’s weekend retaliation strike on Iran targeted military targets rather than oilfields in the world’s seventh largest producer of crude.
This brings the price of a barrel of U.S. crude well below $70 after it rose above $77 earlier this month. Oil and gasoline prices have fallen dramatically since their yearly highs in April. According to energy specialists, more than half of the pumps in the United States sell a gallon of petrol for less than $3.
The focus has shifted back to the fundamentals of global energy markets, which have seen plentiful supply and falling demand this year. Slowing economic growth in China, the world’s largest energy consumer is a major cause.
Beijing announced that China’s economy grew at a 4.6% annual rate in the July-September quarter, down from 4.7% the previous quarter and falling short of the official aim of “about 5%” growth in 2024.
The Middle East war continues to roil energy markets, albeit not as dramatically.
Prices spiked momentarily this month after Iran launched missiles into Israel, but many experts believe Israel’s response over the weekend was moderate, potentially ending a cycle of retaliatory strikes from both sides, at least for now.
The OPEC+ coalition, which includes members of the producer’s cartel as well as ally countries such as Russia, wields less control over world pricing than in the 1970s when an oil embargo following the start of the Yom Kippur War in 1973 doubled crude oil prices.
Since then, the global oil supply has shifted dramatically, with the United States emerging as the world’s top producer. Months of conflict between Israel and two Iranian proxies, Hamas and Hezbollah, did little to raise oil prices for OPEC and its 12 member countries. Only the prospect of a direct conflict between Israel and Iran shifted the needle.
It is the fundamentals.
The long-term expectation is that oil prices will fall rather than rise. This is due to a shift in the supply-demand balance, which normally causes oil prices to fall.
According to the International Energy Agency’s most recent energy market assessment, oil demand in the first half of this year increased by the least amount since 2020. Meanwhile, supplies have continued to rise, and the OPEC+ alliance has announced intentions to release more oil into the market beginning in December.
What’s happening with energy prices this year?
Oil futures soared sharply to start the year, reaching $85 per barrel in April, but it’s been mostly downhill since then, and gas prices have followed suit.
Because oil costs half of a gallon of gasoline in the United States, gas prices are loosely correlated. Between Friday and Monday, when Israel conducted a measured counterstrike against Iran, the price of a barrel of oil fell $4.
OPEC has failed to build a floor for oil prices this year.
Oil Prices Fall As Reality Of Weak Global Demand Overtakes Risk Of Wider War In Middle East
Saudi Arabia and other oil-producing countries extended output cutbacks until June next year, seeking to preserve low oil prices that have yet to recover despite Middle Eastern turbulence and this year’s summer travel season.
At the same time, the United States is pumping an unprecedented amount of petroleum. The United States Energy Information Administration predicts that the average daily crude oil output in the United States will be 13.2 million barrels annually, with production only expected to increase in 2025.
What’s next for oil and gas prices?
Several energy experts believe that oil prices have peaked this year and will continue to fall, implying that motorists will benefit from additional discounts.
“Limited nature of Israeli strikes against Iran should diminish fears of wider war and shave some of the geopolitical premium on crude oil,” said Tom Kloza, global head of energy analysis at the Oil Price Information Service, in a social media post this weekend. “Today’s U.S. retail gas avg is $3.13/gal with 55% of sites priced at less than $3/gal.”
SOURCE | AP
A recreational substance termed “pink cocaine” is gaining popularity and causing misunderstanding because it does not normally include cocaine.
The pink powder, which is actually a mix of other narcotics tinted pink, has been discovered in drug seizures, forcing law authorities to issue warnings.
Pink cocaine is also known as “tusi,” however both nicknames are based on marketing rather than fact. According to experts, it rarely contains cocaine and is more likely to contain ketamine, which has quite distinct effects.
What Is The Recreational Drug ‘Pink Cocaine’?
Why is it pink?
Pink cocaine gets its pink tint from food coloring or dye, according to Joseph Palamar, a drug trends researcher at NYU Langone Health in New York.
“Sometimes it has cocaine in the mix, but it’s typically more of a ketamine concoction,” says Palamar. Studies have discovered batches containing methamphetamine, MDMA, bath salts, caffeine, and opiates.
“It’s a concoction that anyone can make if they have a couple of drugs and a pink dye,” Palamar told reporters.
According to research released last year by Palamar, the term “tusi” may have been coined to emulate 2C-B, a recreational drug popular on the rave scene in the 1990s and noted for its euphoric effects. The drug analyses that Palamar evaluated revealed that tusi did not often include 2C-B.
According to him, young people nowadays may be unaware of the history of the name tusi and may be confused by the name pink cocaine.
“It’s just some beautiful powder that their pals are using. “They probably have no idea what it is supposed to be,” he explained.
Why is pink cocaine dangerous?
The threat stems from the unknown contents. Users may have undesirable side effects or take more than their previous experience indicates they can handle. Ketamine is a potent anesthetic that has been licensed for surgical usage, but it has also been used recreationally and to treat depression, anxiety, and pain in recent years. It has the potential to produce hallucinations as well as interfere with breathing and cardiac function.
What Is The Recreational Drug ‘Pink Cocaine’?
“Ketamine is not a fun drug to most people,” Palamar stated. “It kind of puts you in your own little world and things tend to feel very alien when you’re on it, especially in large doses.”
Someone who is drunk at a party and believes cocaine may counteract the effects of alcohol will be unpleasantly startled with pink cocaine, which is primarily ketamine, he added.
Where does pink cocaine come from?
In May, the United States Coast Guard reported seizing pink cocaine and other drugs off the shores of Mexico, Central and South America.
“That was the first time that I heard of large batches being imported into the U.S. as tusi,” Palamar told me. It might just as easily be created by drug dealers in the United States who mix their own, he claimed.
SOURCE | AP
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