Maui News

US Sen. Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI), a member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, announced Senate passage of her bipartisan resolution designating April 2024 as “National Native Plant Month.”

Approximately 1,200 restaurant, bar and hospitality workers have received one-time $1,000 disbursements from the Kokua Restaurant & Hospitality Fund, according to an announcement from the Hawaiʻi Ag & Culinary Alliance.

The Maui Arts & Cultural Center (MACC) has announced that Hawai‘i’s fourth youth poet laureate presentations and selection of the state’s 2024 Youth Poet Laureate will be presented before a live, invitation-only student audience in Castle Theater on Thursday, April 4 at 10 a.m.

The Kīhei Aquatic Center 50 Meter Pool will close at 2:45 p.m. Thursday, April 4, for Maui Interscholastic League water polo matches. The Training Pool at the facility will remain open for recreational swimming until 4 p.m.

The Hawai‘i Department of Transportation is providing notice of its intent to declare a traffic emergency zone on Hāna Highway (Route 360) between mile post 9.7 and 9.9 in the vicinity of Waikamoi Stream for emergency rockfall mitigation work.

The Honolulu Community Action Program will receive $15,933,000 in federal funding from the US Department of Health and Human Services to support the organization’s Head Start and Early Head Start Programs, U.S. Senator Mazie Hirono announced.

One person was displaced following a structure fire on Papaua Place in Nāpili on Tuesday night. The fire was reported at 11:12 p.m. on April 2, at a two-story garage/ʻohana unit.

The Maui Arts & Cultural Center presents multi-faceted singer/songwriter A.J. Croce in concert with his band in Castle Theater Sunday, May 19 at 7:30 pm. The concert is in celebration of two of his father Jim Croce’s legendary albums, “Life and Times” and “I Got A Name” in addition to songs from “You Don’t Mess Around With Jim.” He and the band will also share some of A.J’s own tunes and songs that influenced both him and his father.

Inspired by the devastation of the Aug. 8 Maui wildfires, Makawao artist and gallery owner Jordanne Perkins picked up her brushes and painted her Lahaina Strong Series — 45 paintings in 52 days to honor Lahaina residents and memories of their historic town.

The County of Maui Department of Water Supply has issued a notice for a water outage planned for part of Pukalani on Thursday, April 4, from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

Hawaiian Electric will be using unmanned aircraft, or drones, for aerial inspections of its infrastructure in the Kāʻanapali, West Maui area on Wednesday, April 3, from 8 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., weather permitting.

Mayor Richard Bissen’s Weekly Disaster Recovery Community Update Meetings resume this week at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, April 3, at Lahaina Civic Center after pausing for spring break and the holidays.

Hawaiʻi-based muralist and artist Kamea Hadar partnered with the makers of the SPAM brand team to develop a special, limited-edition Hawaiʻi Collector’s Edition Spam can, announced the SPAM brand team on Monday.

Fresh off its Spring Showcase, Hawai’i International Film Festival (HIFF) has invited 48 student short films to be presented at its first-ever ‘Ōpio Fest. The students represent 33 different schools from O’ahu, Kaua’i, Maui, Lana’i, Big Island—and two from Alaska.

The County of Maui Department of Environmental Management has extended the deadline to Friday, April 5, for letters of inquiry for programs, projects and events aimed at promoting sustainability throughout Maui County for its fiscal year 2025 grant season.

Gov. Josh Green, M.D., has ordered that flags be lowered to honor the last Pearl Harbor survivor of the USS Arizona, Lou Conter, who died on Monday, April 1, 2024, at age 102. Conter and many of his 335 shipmates who survived the attack, distinguished themselves by rescuing many of their brethren and continued to serve the Navy with dignity and honor. The Dec. 7, 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor took the lives of 1,177 Arizona crewmembers.

A bill to legalize personal adult use of cannabis will not be heard in the House Finance Committee, said Chair Kyle Yamashita, who represents Upcountry Maui.

The county division said it will repair the bike lane and shoulder area makai of South Kīhei Road near Kūlanihākoʻi bridge to make the roadway, bike lane and shoulder area safe for residents and visitors. 

A guest from Hawaiʻi is the lucky winner of a $1,172,262 progressive jackpot. The unnamed winner hit the jackpot on Saturday, March 30, while visiting the California Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas over the Easter weekend.

At the start of 2024, the state Department of Land and Natural Resources implemented an Ocean Stewardship Fee Program to help fund projects to protect marine resources. The Aloha I Ke Kai program collects a one dollar fee from passengers and customers that board boats with commercial use permits.