• The death toll in the Maui wildfire has risen to 36. More than 2,100 people were in evacuation centers on the island, and the convention center in Honolulu was being prepared to take evacuees. [KPIX]
• San Francisco Mayor London Breed was on Maui on a personal vacation when the wildfires began Tuesday, and she evacuated to Oahu on Wednesday. A statement from her office said she was never in danger and added, "this wildfire is devastating to witness and our thoughts are with the people of Maui." [ABC 7]
• The 150-year-old Lahaina banyan tree in Maui, thought to be the oldest banyan tree in the U.S., was scorched in the fire and it's not clear whether it will survive. [Chronicle]
• The COVID test-positivity rate at California Walgreens stores reached 48% this week, confirming the surge in cases that is happening here and nationwide. [Chronicle]
• Following Wednesday's fire at the Port of Oakland, at the Schnitzer Steel plant, there are questions about its lingering effects on local air quality. [KTVU]
• KRON4 Chief Meteorologist Lawrence Karnow is sharing his harrowing experience of having his appendix burst while he was on a flight to Boston — but he made it to a hospital and is recovering. [KRON4]
• Trump is, predictably, refusing to sign a loyalty pledge insisted on by the Republican National Committee saying that he will support whoever the eventual nominee is, in order to participate in the Republican primary debates. [New York Times]

Top image: Photo by Kaleikaumaka Dodd. Dodd is among the victims of the fire's devastation in Lahaina, and he's seeking help on GoFundMe.