#Maui Now

The ongoing Halemaʻumaʻu eruption at Kīlauea is paused, per an announcement from the US Geological Survey’s Hawaiian Volcano Observatory at 9:06 a.m.

Recruitment for 53 entry-level officers with DLNR’s Division of Conservation and Resources Enforcement opens Jan. 3, 2026. Vacancies for officer positions are located across the state.

County of Maui offices, facilities and services will be closed or modified on Thursday, Jan. 1, 2026, on New Year’s Day.

Community members are invited to celebrate the launch of a new Rotary Club in South Maui at the Maluhia Maui Rotary Club Celebration on Tuesday, Jan. 6 at 5:30 p.m., held at South Maui Gardens by the Peace Pole.

On the Monday before Christmas, families and children at Ka Hale A Ke Ola Homeless Resource Center had the chance to meet Mr. and Mrs. Claus, enjoy a holiday lunch and receive personalized gifts.

The Maui Police Department is warning the public about a reported phishing scam in which individuals are fraudulently using publicly available information from the County of Maui Board agendas.

The Maui Middle School Menehune Basketball League has announced the start of its 2026 season, with player evaluations underway for students in grades 6 through 8 across Maui County.

Two in-person workshops to provide information on the upcoming Agricultural Micro Grant Program 6.0, which offers up to $25,000 to small farms and ranches in Maui County, will be held in early January 2026.

Akakū Maui Community Media will continue its new Maui Business Tuesdays salon series with a January event highlighting locally made small farm products from across Maui Nui.

Often spotted by onlookers in Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park, or even by YouTube livestream viewers, the long, ashy gray or brown, ropy cloud-like structures tend to appear near or downwind of active lava fountains. But what is it that we’re actually seeing? Twisters? Tornadoes? Whirlwinds? Lava-nadoes? Vol-nadoes? Tephra-nadoes?

A Kīhei fifth grader is turning recyclable cans and bottles into learning opportunities and joy for students on a remote island 3,000 miles away. 

In an AI-driven era, Hawaiʻi’s 2025 Word of the Year contrasts human-centered “analogue” thinking with concerns over AI-generated “slop.”

A new political action committee aimed at expanding representation and advancing civil rights in Hawaiʻi was formally launched today, coinciding with the third anniversary of the federal Respect for Marriage Act.

Over a century ago, three malihini (newcomers) organized a gift giveaway for thousands of Oʻahu’s underprivileged children that would, for seven years, become a beloved island tradition. It was called The Malihini Christmas Tree and three visitors staying at the Young Hotel in 1908 started it. This program ran for seven years. 

Hawaiʻi will begin drawing down federal infrastructure funds to ensure universal broadband access through the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment program, following official approval from the National Telecommunications and Information Administration.

Hawaiʻi’s Green Fee will go into full effect on Jan. 1, 2026, after a majority of legal claims challenging Act 96 were dismissed, the state Department of the Attorney General announced.

KaiAloha Supply recently supported keiki-focused nonprofits through its third annual Holiday Keiki Toy Drive, dedicating over $9,000 in toy budgets to 10 organizations on Maui and Oʻahu, the company announced this week.

Microtransit may be a solution for Maui’s low-ridership bus areas, and a recent County of Maui Department of Transportation public meeting on the topic rolled out several details of the proposal.

The Hawaiʻi Community Foundation has named Tamar Chotzen Goodfellow as chair of its Board of Governors, effective Jan. 1, 2026.

Six Maui middle school wrestlers captured championship titles at this year’s Hawaiʻi Jr Officials Championships, held Monday, Dec. 22, at Kamehameha Schools Kapālama on Oʻahu.