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Maui Health CEO Lynn Fulton has been awarded the prestigious Pacific Business News “Women Who Mean Business” award for 2025, an accolade recognizing extraordinary women who excel in both business and community leadership.

The Maui County Council’s Water Authority, Social Services and Parks Committee has recommended full Council confirmation of Jonathan Likeke Scheuer as the Hawaiian Homes Commission representative to the East Maui Regional Community Board.

The Hawaiʻi Fire Department this week teamed up with partners from across the state at the Hawaiʻi Wildfire Summit, a multi-agency gathering held on Hawaiʻi Island to tackle the pressing challenges of wildfire prevention and preparedness.

One lane in the northbound direction on South High Street will be closed for two nights from 8 p.m. to 5:30 a.m., the next day, from Monday, March 3 through Wednesday, March 5. The closure is necessary for striping and paving work following an emergency sewer line repair in the area on Thursday, Feb. 27.

US Rep. Jill Tokuda (HI-02) led the Hawai‘i congressional delegation in requesting FEMA Region 9 to waive the collection of fair-market value rent from survivors of the Maui fires participating in FEMA’s Direct Housing program. Currently, survivors are expected to receive their first rental bill on March 1 and have until March 11, 2025, to appeal the decision on the rental amount.

The Coast Guard medevaced a cruise ship passenger who experienced multiple strokes 300 miles offshore Kailua-Kona, Hawaiʻi, Thursday.  

The Hawai‘i Lodging & Tourism Association on Wednesday celebrated the exceptional contributions of the state’s hospitality workforce in front of an audience of 750 people at the 32nd Annual Na Po‘e Pa‘ahana Awards at the Sheraton Waikīkī.

The public is invited to attend the 2025 State of the County Address, which will be presented by Mayor Richard T. Bissen, Jr. from 5 to 7 p.m. Friday, March 7, at Maui Arts and Cultural Center’s Castle Theater. Doors open at 4 p.m. An RSVP is requested but not required for in-person attendees.

Motorists are advised of potential traffic delays due to an upcoming single lane closure in Lahaina, taking place March 6-7, 2025. Guardrail work relating to improvements for the Kaiāulu o Kūkuʻia Affordable Housing project call for a lane closure at the intersection of Honoapiʻilani Highway (Route 30) and Kapunakea Street.

Motorists are advised of potential traffic delays as modular homes for wildfire survivors are transported from Kahului to the state’s Ka Laʻi Ola housing site in Lahaina.

Maui Economic Opportunity blessed a new electric-powered bus and Level 2 charging stations Thursday morning as the nonprofit that runs the Maui Bus paratransit and the county’s specialized Human Services transportation systems laid the foundation for an EV future.

County of Maui Department of Public Works is now accepting building permit exemption declarations for shipping containers in the County Industrial zoning district.

The number of homes allowed on a lot could double in some areas under a bill that the county says would help address a housing crisis made worse by the fire.

The clearest near-term risk is federal layoffs, which could result in a loss of more than 2,000 local jobs, fully offsetting growth in construction and the lift from local tax cuts. Together with other federal policies, this places the Hawaiʻi economy at risk of recession over the next few years, UHERO reports. 

David Morimoto is being promoted to Vice Chair and Chief Operating Officer; and Dayna Matsumoto is being promoted to Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer.

Plastic is the most prevalent marine pollutant, and plastic surfaces are the fastest growing habitat in the ocean. Researchers at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa recently discovered that many species of fungi from Hawaiʻi’s nearshore environment have the ability to degrade plastic, and some can be conditioned to do it faster.

The County of Maui’s Automated Planning and Permitting System (MAPPS) will be offline and unavailable from 6 p.m. Hawaiʻi Standard Time Friday, March 7, to 7 a.m. Monday, March 10, 2025, while the system is upgraded as part of planned software maintenance. 

State Sen. Angus McKelvey and US Rep. Jill Tokuda are rebuking the administration of President Donald Trump for the loss of thousands of federal jobs as part of an effort to shrink government bureaucracy.

At the urging of University of Hawaiʻi President Wendy Hensel, the UH Foundation is working to raise private donations to support graduate students whose funding has been interrupted due to recent federal executive orders.

On Thursday, March 6, acclaimed singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Ron Artis II will headline the evening along with ʻukulele master Kalei Gamiao. On Friday, March 7, Akoni Palomino will bring his signature blend of Hawaiian and reggae rhythms to the series. Both performances will take place from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.