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House Interim Schools Working Group hosts West Maui community meeting, Sept. 28
House Interim Schools Working Group Co-Chairs Justin H. Woodson and Jenna Takenouchi and members of the House Interim Schools Working Group in coordination with the Hawaiʻi State Department of Education will organize a public meeting on Thursday, Sept. 28, 2023, to discuss the status of education for Maui students impacted by the Lahaina wildfire.
State Senate to hold field briefing in Lahaina on wildfire-related insurance claims, Sept. 28
The Senate Committee on Commerce and Consumer Protection will hold a field briefing in Lahaina on Thursday, Sept. 28 to address questions and take testimony pertaining to wildfire-related insurance claims.
CNHA hosts hula and mele workshop fundraiser to benefit Maui
The Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement hosts a day long hula and mele workshop fundraiser, Kōkua Nā Hono Aʻo Piʻilani, on Sunday, Oct. 1, 2023 from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Windward Community College, Hale ʻĀkoakoa. Proceeds from the event will directly benefit ongoing Maui relief efforts.
Mayor Richard Bissen announces a ‘phased approach’ to reopening West Maui to visitors
Mayor Richard Bissen and members of his Lahaina Advisory Team have shaped a phased approach to the reopening of West Maui to visitors following an announcement by Gov. Josh Green that West Maui will reopen on Oct. 8, 2023.
AI detects two more bird species at Palmyra Atoll that hadn’t been seen in decades
The Nature Conservancy, Hawai’i and Palmyra announced that artificial intelligence or AI powered imagery analysis detected two more seabird species at Palmyra Atoll that hadn’t been seen in decades.
ʻUkulele Festival Hawai‘i to donate more than 800 instruments to Maui families affected by fires
More than 800 ‘ukulele will be donated to various organizations, institutions and community groups on Maui to assist with distribution to the affected children and families so that they may find healing and comfort through the sound of music and through the ‘ukulele.
Workshop scheduled for DHHL agricultural lessees of Nāʻiwa Homestead on Molokaʻi
The Nāʻiwa Homesteaders Program will host a two-day workshop for Molokaʻi’s Nā‘iwa Homesteaders Community on Thur., Sept. 28, and Fri., Sept. 29, 2023, starting at 5 p.m. HST. The workshop will take place at Kulana ʻŌiwi, the Office of Hawaiian Affairs / Department of Hawaiian Homelands Conference Room on Molokaʻi.
US House subcommittee holding hearing Thursday to investigate electric infrastructure’s role in Lahaina fire
The US House Committee on Energy & Commerce is holding a subcommittee fact-finding hearing on Thursday in Washington, D.C., to investigate the role of electric infrastructure in the “catastrophic Maui fire” in Lahaina on Aug. 8 that killed at least 97 people.
Voter registration update available at the Westin Kāʻanapali, Sept. 27
West Maui residents can update their voter registration in-person at the Government Relations, Ethics, and Transparency Committee on Wednesday, Sept. 27, 2023, at the Westin Maui’s Honoapiʻilani Ballroom, starting at 8:30 a.m.
Six more Lahaina fire victims identified by police: death toll is 97, unaccounted for is 22
The Maui Police Department identified six more victims of the Aug. 8 Lahaina fire on Tuesday: Felimon Quijano, 61; Luz Bernabe, 64; Joel Villegas, 55; Adela Villegas, 53; Angelica Baclig, 31; and Junmark Quijano, 30. All are from Lahaina.
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 $5.36M site for Kamehameha III Elementary below Kapalua Airport is projected for completion in 95 days
FEMA will be fronting the cost of the approximately $5.36 million 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.