Featured

Just last weekend, it was revealed that migrant child labor is being used for hazardous jobs in factories making products for well-known brands like Cheetos, Fruit of the Loom and Lucky Charms.

The DLNR Division of Boating and Ocean Recreation reports the yacht, Nakoa, was scuttled in 800 feet of water after it was freed from the rocky shoreline near Honolua where it had been grounded for nearly two weeks. “It had taken on water, was listing starboard and riding bow high after being pulled free by a tractor tug early this afternoon,” according to an update issued by DLNR.

The state Department of Transportation will be conducting road work this week that will result in lane closures at various locations. Lane closure schedules may change at any time without further notice.  All projects are weather permitting.

During a time when the shelter is well over capacity, Maui Humane Society is teaming up with Choice Health Bar to offer adoption incentives through the month of March. This month, adoption fees are waived and every adoption includes a $10 gift certificate to Choice Health Bar, a plant-based restaurant with locations in Pāʻia, Lahaina and Kāʻanapali, according to a news release.

This year, the keynote speaker is Daphne Frias, a 25-year old youth activist who is a champion for the disabled community. 

Mayor Richard Bissen is launching Holomua Kākou in an effort to bring county government to the diverse communities that make up Maui County.

The Maui Police Department’s Crisis Intervention Team welcomed 22 new members to its list of trained personnel during a ceremony on Friday, March 3, 2023.

Maui County is far behind its goal of creating 5,000 affordable homes for local people over five years, according to an update this week on the Maui County Comprehensive Affordable Housing Plan. Since the plan was finalized a couple years ago, 675 homes are being built and another 943 homes are approved for construction. Assuming that 600 rent and homeownership opportunities are secured through other projects outlined in the plan, roughly 3,000 homes are needed in under three years.

Two men from Maui were sentenced in federal court for their racially motivated attack on a white man who was attempting to move into their neighborhood of Kahakuloa. Kaulana Alo-Kaonohi, 33, was sentenced to 6.5 years in prison; and Levi Aki Jr., 33, was sentenced to four years and two months in prison.

Salvage efforts will resume sometime this weekend as crews attempt to free the grounded yacht Nakoa from the near-shore reef on the edge of Honolua Bay. 

The Department of Health has announced a pilot cesspool grant program to assist qualified property owners with upgrading or converting their cesspools, or connecting to an available sewage system.

Road closures on Vineyard Street and Church Street in Wailuku will occur from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. starting Tuesday, March 7 for paving work, as part of the County of Mauiʻs Wailuku Town Improvement Project.

The Maui Arts & Cultural Center presents New Zealand’s Atamira Dance Company, the world’s foremost creator and presenter of Māori contemporary dance theater, with the Maui premiere of the evening-length Te Wheke.

The Aloha Section of the PGA of America named Kapalua Golf General Manager Alex Nakajima as its “2022 Golf Professional of the Year” and Plantation Course Head Professional Michael Castillo its “2022 Merchandiser of the Year” for resort properties. 

The inaugural Western Regional Native Hawaiian Convention will be held at the Westgate Las Vegas Resort and Casino and will feature discussions on cultural perpetuation, housing and tourism, as well as evening hula showcases and other Hawaiian entertainment.

The Maui Police Department is accepting applications for the 7th Annual Teen Academy.  Session dates are June 5-16, 2023, and July 10-21, 2023, between 7:45 a.m. and 3 p.m. daily.

A measure that would legalize adult-use cannabis in Hawaiʻi, passed the Senate Committees on Commerce and Consumer Protection and Ways and Means on Thursday, and now heads to the Senate floor for consideration.  

“We’re looking for equitable, humane care for residents and visitors to West Maui, where more than 50% of the county and state income on Maui is derived from taxes,” said Joseph Pluta, president of the West Maui Taxpayers Association. Maui Now’s Gary Kubota interviewed Pluta, who is working to ensure West Maui gets its fair share of improvements.

Media mogul and billionaire Oprah Winfrey recently purchased about 870 acres of Kula agricultural land for nearly $6.6 million in recent months, adding to hundreds of acres of real estate she already owns in Kula and in Hana. Winfrey bought four parcels total, according to sales deeds.

Kāʻanapali Golf Courses’ PGA Teaching Professional Chris Armanini has been named a 2022 PGA Jr. League #GameChanger Award winner by the PGA of America.