Kilauea lava might have birthed baby island

The Kilauea eruption has so far added 655 acres of new land, producing a slightly bigger Big Island. And it now appears that this awe-inspiring show of geology — flowing and fountaining since early May — is delivering new land offshore, too.

During a recent overflight, a Hawaiian Volcano Observatory field crew spotted an “island” formation — roughly 20 to 30 feet in diameter — at the northernmost part of the ocean entry area in Puna. Right now, there’s no telling whether the formation, situated a few yards offshore, will stand or quickly crumble. But late last week, fueled by energetic fissure 8, it was busily oozing lava and producing a steam plume.

Kauai vacation-rental situation offers housing idea

Seems like a logical idea: Kauai Mayor Bernard Carvalho Jr. is thinking of lifting a temporary ban on legal vacation rentals on that island’s north shore, pending ongoing recovery from the April flooding. In return for allowing businesses to resume, the operators would allow the use of the units for temporary housing for those displaced.

If only it was possible to apply that logic to the vacation rental situation on Oahu. This county faces its own disaster: the rental shortage. Could operators earn their way to a legal permit by committing to a period of long-term renting first?