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Hawaiian Electric postpones Shift and Save pilot program
By order of the Public Utilities Commission, Hawaiian Electric has postponed the start of the new Shift and Save pilot program for approximately 17,000 residential and business customers who were selected at random to test time-of-use rates on O‘ahu, Hawai‘i Island and Maui.
US Coast Guard transitions to next phase in Maui wildfire recovery
The Unified Command and the primary contractor, Global Diving & Salvage, have removed, to date, over 2100 gallons of product from vessels in the vicinity of Lahaina Harbor.
Grammy-nominated artist performing at Ke Kani Hone O Wailea Concert on Friday
Natalie Ai Kamauu is a Grammy-nominated artist, four-time “Female Vocalist of the Year” Nā Hōkū Hanohano Awardee, and was named “Miss Aloha Hula” at the Merrie Monarch Hula Festival.
Temporary site for Kamehameha III Elementary below Kapalua Airport is projected for completion in 95 days
FEMA will be fronting the initial $5.36 million in funding for a temporary campus on 10.2 acres in Honokōwai below the Kapalua Airport. The build time for the temporary site will be around 95 days.
Federal grant applications open for wildfire risk reduction, landscape scale restoration in Hawaiʻi
Federal grant opportunities to assist landowners in reducing fire risk in Hawaiʻi include Landscape Scale Restoration grants, Community Wildfire Defense grants, and Wildland-Urban Interface grants.
Island Grocery Depot in Lahaina has reopened
Island Grocery Depot in Lahaina reopened Tuesday with modified business hours. The store will not have ice, fresh meat and select
produce items until water is safe.
Federal emergency watershed program helping with environmental damage from Maui wildfires
Three Soil & Water Conservation Districts and the County of Maui are working with the federal Emergency Watershed Protection Program to quickly address widescale environmental damage caused by the August wildfires.
New UHERO dashboard highlights areas of Hawaiʻi housing crisis
The University of Hawaiʻi Economic Research Organization launched a publicly available, interactive housing data dashboard on Sept. 26, that allows users to customize their data reports based on location, with information such as property and rental market, demographics, zoning and housing stock. UHERO designed the dashboard to inform discussions on the way forward for housing in Hawaiʻi.
Haku Baldwin Center supports first responders impacted by Maui wildfires
In response to the devastating impact of the recent wildfires, Haku Baldwin Center, a Makawao-based nonprofit specializing in therapeutic and educational equine-assisted services, announced the opening of a free mental health and wellness program for Maui’s first responders and their families.
Imua Physical Therapy in Lahaina has reopened, staff member remains in critical condition with burn wounds
“Although our clinic was spared from the fire, that wasn’t the case for three of our staff members who have been displaced. The most difficult news is that our Patient Service Coordinator Laurie Allen remains in critical condition in Straub Hospital with the burn wounds she sustained in her evacuation from her home,” said Director of Clinics Tiffany Prangnell.
Committee to receive testimony for comprehensive recovery and resiliency plan on Sept. 27 in West Maui
The Maui County Council’s Government Relations, Ethics and Transparency Committee will meet on Wednesday at 9 a.m. at The Westin Maui Resort and Spa in Kāʻanapali in the Honoapi‘ilani Ballroom, to receive testimony on a resolution to develop a comprehensive recovery and resiliency plan in response to the August wildfires.
Residents in Zone 1C return to their Lahaina homes during first day of supported reentry
Residents in all but one of the affected homes in Zone 1C of the Maui Wildfire Disaster Area applied for and received vehicle passes to return to their properties Monday on Kaniau Road in Lahaina.
ARDA-Hawaiʻi refocuses its 19th Annual Golf Tournament to benefit Maui relief efforts
Recognizing that the road to recovery and healing on Maui will be long, the American Resort Development Association, Hawaiʻi chapter (ARDA-Hawaiʻi) has refocused its 19th Annual Memorial Scholarship Golf Tournament to benefit Maui Strong. The tournament is scheduled to take place on Friday, Oct. 13, 2023, at Hoakalei Country Club on Oʻahu, with a shotgun start at 12 noon.
175 kids affected by Maui fires get new bikes, and more available through Krank Cycles
About 225 people showed up to a Krank Cycles event, and in a little more than two hours, all 400 donated bikes were assembled for children and adults affected by the Maui fires.
More than $3.5M in grants to promote food security in Hawaiʻi
The grants, made possible through the Micro-Grants for Food Security Program, will provide support for small-scale gardening, herding, and livestock operations to increase the quantity and quality of locally-grown food in communities experiencing food insecurity.
Update on price freeze for commodity sales, landlord-tenant code for the Island of Maui
This price freeze, which is scheduled to remain in effect until Nov. 6, 2023, unless terminated or superseded by separate emergency proclamation, does not extend beyond the Island of Maui. During this declared emergency, the price freeze now in effect for the Island of Maui means that the essential goods and services that are subject to the price freeze must be sold at pre-emergency price levels.
Grant opportunity open for land acquisition, pre-applications due Oct. 9
The Department of Land and Natural Resources, through its Legacy Land Conservation Program, seeks applications from partners for grants to acquire and preserve land that has natural, environmental, recreational, scenic, cultural, agricultural production, or historic value, including park and trail systems that provide access to such land. Approximately $6.8 million is expected to be available for award during the current grant cycle (Fiscal Year 2024 funds).
One more Lahaina fire victim identified by police: death toll is 97, unaccounted for is 22
The Maui Police Department identified one more victim of the Aug. 8 Lahaina fire on Monday: Matsuyuki Osato, 83, of Lahaina.
Baker Foundation donates laptop computers to seven Maui County high school students
The Dr. Bobby and Julie Baker Foundation has provided free laptop computers to seven accomplished Maui County high school students. Most of the students were directly or indirectly impacted by the Maui wildfires on Aug. 8.
Wildfire impacts result in decrease in Maui vacation rental supply, demand for August 2023
Due to the Maui wildfires that occurred in Lahaina on Aug. 8, 2023, many vacation rental units in West Maui became unavailable for the rest of August, resulting in dramatic decreases in unit night supply and unit night demand in the West Maui area.