Merrie Monarch results 2026: Hālau Hiʻiakaināmakalehua takes overall hula title; Maui secures runner up spot

Maui Economic Opportunity Youth Services invites Molokaʻi sixth to 12th graders to the 4th Kamp Kaohi ‒ on its new dates of May 1 and 2 ‒ for an overnight of fun while learning and discovering the inner strength to handle the difficulties of teenage life on the island.

Local farmers told Maui County Council members Thursday that the government is falling short of providing island agriculture the help needed to sustain operations. Representatives of the Maui Humane Society also warned that the island’s only open-admission shelter is facing a “perfect storm” of rising costs and record demand.

The kāne of Hālau Hiʻiakaināmakalehua, under the direction of Kumu Robert Keano Kaʻupu IV won the overall title at the 63rd Annual Merrie Monarch Festival, in Hilo Hawaiʻi. In an interview at the end of the broadcast, Kaʻupu, who was at a loss of words, said he was in “shock,” but also “grateful and humbled.”

Nā Kia‘i O Maui will host a Clothing & Furniture Community Giveaway on Saturday, April 25, 2026, from 9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Lahaina Resource & Recovery Center, located at 150 Hāna Highway in Kahului.

Grassroots mutual-aid organization, Maui Rapid Response, is recovering from a break-in reported Thursday night at its community space in Kahului.

A look further back in the geologic record reveals that several lava fountaining eruptions similar to the ongoing one in Halemaʻumaʻu occurred within Kīlauea caldera within the past 500 years.

A second dead coconut rhinoceros beetle (CRB) was found in a detection trap on Wednesday afternoon, April 8, 2026, approximately 2 miles west of Molokaʻi Airport, by staff from the Molokaʻi/Maui Invasive Species Committee (MoMISC). This is the second CRB detection on Molokaʻi. This follows the first Molokaʻi detection of a dead CRB on April 7.

The state of Hawaiʻi Emergency Management Agency urges all Hawaiʻi residents to remain vigilant after the National Weather Service extended the Flood Watch for the entire state through 6 p.m. Monday.

County of Maui Department of Planning is informing property owners and residents within the Special Management Area (SMA) throughout Maui County of limited activities that are permissible due to the state’s emergency proclamation tied to the current and recent storms.

A disturbance approaching from the northwest is expected to renew deep tropical moisture across all Hawaiian Islands beginning late tonight. Given saturated soils and elevated stream levels following recent heavy rainfall, flooding may redevelop quickly. A Flood Watch has been extended to 5 p.m. on Monday.

Kahiko night at the Merrie Monarch Festival featured hula in the ancient style with 29 groups performing Friday night in the annual competition in Hilo, Hawaiʻi. The festival continues tonight with ʻauana or modern hula, followed by results from the 63rd event.

Gifts of any size given Wednesday, Dec. 8, directly remove financial barriers for students, expand hands-on learning and advance research addressing Hawaiʻi’s most pressing needs, from health care and education to environmental stewardship.