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• After the Lahaina wildfire in Maui, local parents are struggling to cope and explain the situation to their children.
• To offer support, Project:Camp, a nonprofit, has launched a free day camp at the Maui YMCA for children ages six to 16, providing them a sense of normalcy and positivity.
• Project:Camp cofounder Ozzie Baron says they aim to foster resilience in affected communities and emphasize the importance of optimism and a sense of belonging for the children.
• Source: HAWAII NEWS NOW

• After the devastating wildfires in Lahaina, Maui, Uber announced initiatives to support the affected community.
• They pledged $500-thousand to the Hawai’i Community Foundation’s Maui Strong Fund, and added a donation button on their app, promising to match the first $500-thousand of user donations.
• They’re also offering free rides to shelters for evacuees, financial support for local drivers, and say they're committed to helping rebuild and restore the community.
• Source: UBER NEWSROOM

• The devastating wildfires in Maui have impacted hundreds of pregnant women and new moms, making them desperate for medical care and supplies.
• To address this urgent need, the nonprofit Pacific Birth Collective has been delivering essentials via jet ski and boat, and Healthy Mothers Healthy Babies Coalition of Hawaii has dispatched a mobile clinic van offering free services.
• Although these organizations are receiving support now, they say the recovery effort will take years and they’ll continue to need the world’s help.
• Source: GOOD MORNING AMERICA

• In response to the recent devastating wildfires in Maui, some significant help is coming in from Chicago.
• Yesterday, the Northern Illinois Food Bank sent out 41 pallets of dry goods in partnership with ALDI and Feeding America.
• Then United Airlines sent a plane from Chicago's O'Hare airport headed to Maui with 24-thousand pounds of supplies, and the plane will return to the mainland with passengers who’ve been stranded on the island since the fires began.
• Source: NBC CHICAGO

• After a trip to Maui earlier this year, eight-year-old Julian Lin from New York City learned that a friend he made there, Ryan, lost his home in the recent wildfires.
• Julian set up a lemonade stand in Central Park and launched a crowdfund, raising over $7-thousand, which will be shared between Ryan, Maui United Way, and the Maui Humane Society.
• Julian is an aspiring entrepreneur whose mantra is “Make Money, Do Good,” and he believes deeply in generosity, saying, "Generosity to me is like breathing."
• Source: PEOPLE

• A new report from Bankrate reveals the best states to retire in based on the cost of living, quality of healthcare, safety, well-being and weather.
• Topping the list is Iowa, which is especially appealing thanks to its affordability and lower housing costs.
• Delaware comes in second, followed by West Virginia, while Alaska is 50th, making it the worst state to retire in.
• Hawaii comes in 9th place.
• Source: Travel and Leisure

• In the wake of the Old Lahaina wildfires, culinary professionals and volunteers from Hawaii and around the world have come together to help victims and emergency workers.
• Celebrity chef Lee Anne Wong, whose popular Lahaina restaurant was destroyed, teamed up with Maui chef Sheldon Simeon to prepare meals and urged other chefs, farmers, and vendors to contribute.
• Additionally, restaurants from other islands pledged support and the Southern Smoke Foundation offered emergency relief for food and beverage workers affected by the disaster.
• Source: GOOD MORNING AMERICA

• Interpol’s debut album, “Turn On The Bright Lights,” is about to turn 21
• To celebrate, the Manhattan-based group played the entire album at Outside Lands
• “Turn On The Bright Lights” debuted in August 2022

• In celebration of the 50^th anniversary of “Let’s Get It On”, the 1973 album is to be reissued on digital platforms
• They reissue also comes with 33 bonus tracks, of which 18 are previously unreleased
• The album also features some mostly instrumental David Van DePitte Sessions with Herbie Hancock on piano
• Meanwhile, the Grammy Museum will host a “Let’s Get It On” 50th anniversary event on August 23^rd featuring Smokey Robinson and Jimmy Jam
• Source: Pitchfork

Alice Cooper To Create Makeup Line

We recently told you that former Duran Duran guitarist Andy Taylor has a new solo album coming even though he’s battling cancer. Well, the rocker has let us in on how he has all the energy.

• Alice Cooper Certain The Beatles Would’ve Reunited
• Guns ‘N Roses’ New Single Leaked… To Bars

• Following the devastating wildfires on the Hawaiian island of Maui, professional golfer Collin Morikawa has pledged his support to the community.
• The 26-year-old PGA champ took to Instagram to announce that he will donate $1,000 to the recovery effort for every birdie he makes during this season’s FedExCup Playoffs.
• Although Morikawa was born in California, his grandfather once owned a restaurant in Lahaina, the town that suffered the most damage from the wildfires.
• Source: PEOPLE

• A rock and roll legend has passed. Robbie Robertson, founding member of The Band and a Rock And Roll Hall Of Famer, died yesterday at the age of 80
• Among the classics Robertson wrote: "The Weight," "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down," and "Up on Cripple Creek"
• Robertson was a legend's legend, considered an inspiration to artists like Bob Dylan, Elton John, Eric Clapton and U2 among many, many others
• Source: RollingStone

• WalletHub has just come out with their report on the Most Pet-Friendly Cities in the country.
• They compared the 100 biggest U.S. cities on 23 key metrics related to budget, health & wellness and outdoor pet friendliness.
• The most pet-friendly city in 2023 is Scottsdale, Arizona, which is number one for pet health & wellness.
• Honolulu comes in 85th place.
• Source: WalletHub

August 8^th is International Cat Day! This is the day we celebrate our feline friends! The International Fund Animal Welfare (IFAW) along with other animal rights groups founded the holiday in 2002 and we’ve had an official day to honor our cats ever since.

• Today is National Chocolate Chip Cookie Day and Yelp is helping us celebrate with a new ranking of the best chocolate chip cookies in the country.
• They analyzed all the reviews on their site and came up with the best spots in the U.S. for these sweet treats.
• The best chocolate chip cookie can be found at Zenaida’s Cafe in Las Vegas, where they serve “ooey-gooey, warm chocolate chip cookies topped with a white chocolate glaze” for free when you get your bill.
• Local spots that made the list: 
• Kalapawi Café & Deli, Kailua Hawaii, 
• Kona Coffee Purveyors, Honolulu, Hawaii, 
• Edible, Honolulu, Hawaii
• Source: Yelp

• Celine Dion’s sister, Claudette, has provided an update on the singer, saying their sister Linda has moved in to help, along with Celine's three sons René-Charles, Eddy, and Nelson 
• Claudette also says Celine is struggling to find medications that help her but that she's taking the advice of top researchers
• Claudette adds that Celine is working to hopefully get back to performing in the future
• As we previously reported, Celine, is battling Stiff Person Syndrome which affects muscles in the trunk and arms
• Source: Hello Mag

• In 2021, Sebastien Roure found a class ring at a World War II battlefield in France, and later discovered it belonged to U.S. Army Staff Sergeant Robert Kuroda, a Medal of Honor recipient who was killed in action in 1944.
• Roure reached out to Kuroda's family, who traveled to France to reclaim the ring and now proudly display it alongside Kuroda’s Medal of Honor at their family business in Hawaii.
• This week, the Roure family visited the Kurodas in Hawaii, getting to see the ring again, meeting the family and getting a tour of the island as thanks for returning an important part of their family’s history.
• Source: KITV

• WalletHub’s report on the States With the Most and Least Student Debt in 2023 has just come out.
• They compared the states and Washington, D.C. across 12 metrics in two main areas: Student-Loan Indebtedness and Grant & Student Work Opportunities.
• Pennsylvania tops the list as the state with the most student debt, while Utah has the least.
• Hawaii comes in 2nd with the least.
• Source: WalletHub