Senior District Judge Helen Gillmor has sentenced a 42-year-old Maui woman with 230 prior arrests and 36 previous convictions to six years in jail for aggravated identity theft and mail theft.

Prosecutors provided evidence that Davelyn Mahi stole hundreds of mail items and recovered credit cards and other property over a six-month period, then used the stolen information to purchase thousands of dollars’ worth of goods.

Mahi was also sentenced to one year of community confinement following her release and was ordered to pay $8,551.03 in restitution.

Mahi’s criminal history was cited as a substantial factor in Mahi receiving greater than the maximum sentence advised by U.S. sentencing guidelines.

Lava breakout ends quickly but thrills Big Isle tourists

Lava broke out of the normal flow on the north side of Puu Oo Crater on Hawaii island Thursday morning, creating excitement among visitors.

But the "breakout" was short-lived, ending by midnight and extending only 1,600 feet before halting.

"It was a temporary thing," said Christina Neal, chief scientist for the Hawaii Volcano Observatory.

Neal said scientists did a flyover in a helicopter Thursday.

Neal said breakouts happen a couple of times a month, usually when there’s a blockage or a pulse of lava that can’t be accommodated by the normal flow.

State makes headway in fighting fire ants

The state’s efforts to combat little fire ants produced positive early results this week when no evidence of the stinging insects was found in previously infested areas of Waimanalo and Mililani Mauka.

Native to South and Central America, little fire ants (Wasmania auropunctata) were first detected in Hawaii in 1999, when an infested area was discovered in Puna. The ants have since spread to Oahu and Maui.

The ants, whose stings can blind animals and cause severe pain in humans, were detected in Waimanalo in January and April. They were first spotted in Mililani Mauka in June 2014.

Treatments developed by the Hawaii Ant Lab were applied in both locations, and surveys conducted by the state Department of Agriculture and the Department of Land and Natural Resources on Thursday and Friday found no evidence of the creatures.

Periodic surveys will continue over the next three years.

The encouraging news came just as Gov. David Ige proclaimed September as Stop the Ant Month in Hawaii. The governor encouraged homeowners and landowners to conduct annual surveys on their properties to prevent the further spread of the ants.