Kaʻū News Briefs Jan. 17, 2025

High Lava Fountains, Some Unhealthy Air
View from the southwest rim of Kaluapele, the summit caldera of Kīlauea, where the temporary S2 webcam is located. This view looks down on the active north and south vents on the morning of January 17 as lava fountains reached 100-115 ft (30-35 m) high and fed lava flows in the western part of Halemaʻumaʻu. The volcanic plume was going almost straight up from the lack of wind. USGS photo by D. Downs

UNHEALTHY AIR GREETED Pāhala Friday morning with haze hanging in the village and blanketing the mountains and coast. At 8 a.m., the air quality was rated Unhealthy, with the red symbol on the state Department of Health's air quality map. Nāʻālehu's air was rated Moderate. By noon, the intermittent breeze had blown much of the vog away and air quality became Moderate, then Good. For Pāhala and Nāʻālehu, air quality returned to Moderate in the evening.

To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see facebook.com/kaucalendar. See upcoming events, print edition and archive at kaunews.com.

A TRAGIC 2024 TRAFFIC FATALITY & DUI REPORT FROM HAWAI'I POLICE DEPARTMENT has been released. 
    In 2024 there were 26 fatal crashes on Hawai'i Island, resulting in 29 fatalities, compared with 14 fatal crashes resulting in 15 fatalities in 2023. This represents an increase of 85.7 percent for fatal crashes and 93.3 percent for fatalities.
    For the year 2024, there were 964 Driving Under the Influence of an intoxicant arrests compared with 955 in 2023, an increase of 0.94 percent.

    Impaired drivers involved in traffic collisions and impaired drivers under the age of 21 both saw increases in 2024 compared to the preceding year. There were 277 drivers arrested for driving under the influence of an intoxicant who were involved in traffic collisions in 2024, compared with 254 in 2023, an increase of 9.1 percent. Meanwhile, 71 drivers arrested for driving under the influence of an intoxicant who were under the age of 21 in 2024, compared with 65 in 2023, an increase of 9.2 percent. Major traffic collisions increased in 2024, with 987 major collisions compared to 843 in 2023, an increase of 17.1 percent.
    HPD promises that DUI roadblocks and patrols will continue island wide.

To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see facebook.com/kaucalendar. See upcoming events, print edition and archive at kaunews.com.

A cone along the Maunaiki Trail. A hike begins at 10 a.m. Saturday at Kaʻū Desert Trailhead on Highway 11
in Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park, one of the many Volcano Awareness Month events. NPS Photo by A. LaValle

HIKE THE KAʻŪ DESERT TRAIL ON SATURDAY MORNING at 10 a.m. as Volcano Awareness Month continues. Traverse Mauna Loa’s Keamoku ʻaʻā lava flow and find the footprints in Kīlauea’s 1790 
explosive ash deposit during this guided hike to the Footprints shelter in Hawai‘i Volcanoes National
Park.
    University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo Geology Department faculty and geologist Cheryl Gansecki will talk about the geologic features along the trail in this unique region where Mauna Loa, Earth’s largest active volcano, and Kīlauea, one of Earth’s most active volcanoes, meet. Gansecki will tell the story of the fatal explosive eruption of Kīlauea in 1790, which deposited ash that preserves footprints of that time period.        Adventurous hikers can continue on to Maunaiki to explore vents and lava flows of the 1919–1920 eruption (adds an additional moderate hike of +2 miles roundtrip). Meet at 10 a.m. at the Kaʻū Desert 
Trailhead on Highway 11 in Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park.
    To read more about the trail and history Footprints area, see: https://www.nps.gov/havo/planyourvisit/footprints.htm

To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see facebook.com/kaucalendar. See upcoming events, print edition and archive at kaunews.com.

5,000 delivered in the mail, 2,500 on the streets.