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Lahaina Community Land Trust celebrates blessing of its first parcel secured in community ownership
Standing on ʻāina that will forever be protected for Lahaina’s kamaʻāina families, the Lahaina Community Land Trust gathered Monday with community leaders, friends and ‘ohana to celebrate and bless the first property secured into community ownership.
Senate bill calls for changes on Commission on Water Resource Management
At the request of the Maui County Council, Senate President Ronald Kouchi (Kaua’i, Ni’ihau) has introduced a bill to make changes to operations of the state Commission on Water Resource Management.
HI Alcohol Policy Alliance pushes to lower BAC limit from 0.08 to 0.05 percent
The Hawai‘i Alcohol Policy Alliance returned to the State Capitol today to continue advocating for legislation aimed at reducing alcohol-related traffic fatalities and injuries.
Kīlauea volcano enters fourth eruptive episode following two week pause
The summit eruption at Kīlauea volcano that began on Dec. 23 appears to have entered its forth eruptive episode this morning at about 9:15 a.m. with a small lava flow exiting the north vent, following low-level continuous lava spattering that started around 5:40 a.m. from the same vent.
Mike Lambert nominated as new Director of State Department of Law Enforcement
Gov. Josh Green, M.D., announced the nomination of Major Mike Lambert, a distinguished veteran of the Honolulu Police Department, as the next Director of the State Department of Law Enforcement.
Mokulele Airlines puts temporary pause on all flights due to maintenance
Mokulele Airlines has temporarily paused all of its flights this morning, according to an announcement on the company’s website. The airline says the pause is due to maintenance and is being done out of an abundance of caution.
Maui Metropolitan Planning Organization submits annual report to state Legislature
Maui Metropolitan Planning Organization has submitted its fiscal 2024-2025 annual report to the state Legislature. The report covers the period from Dec. 1, 2023, to Nov. 30, 2024.
Bill introduced to establish four-year nursing bachelor’s degree at UH Maui College
In an effort to address the growing problem of nursing shortages in Hawaiʻi, state senators led by Central Maui Sen. Troy Hashimoto are proposing that the University of Hawaiʻi Maui College establish a four-year nursing bachelors of science degree, a significant step up from the current two-year associate program.
Maui to receive $15.6M grant to expand Lahaina recycled wastewater facilities
The US Department of the Interior has awarded the Maui County Department of Environmental Management a $15.6 million grant for recycled wastewater facilities in Lahaina, according to an announcement.
SpaceX seeking permit to splash down in Pacific, Gulf of Mexico and Indian Ocean
Public comments are due Jan. 17 on Elon Musk’s plans for his SpaceX rockets to splash down in a much wider area, including Hawaiian waters and 240 nautical miles east of the Papahānaumokuākea National Marine Sanctuary.
Maui County student-athlete travel pilot program proposed for intra-county travel
A three-year travel pilot program for Maui County student athletes would be established and administered by the state Department of Education under a bill introduced by Rep. Mahina Poepoe (Moloka‘i, Lāna‘i, Kaho‘olawe, portion of Kahului, Ha‘ikū, Pe‘ahi, Huelo, Nāhiku, Hāna and Kīpahulu).
Documentaries on Rapa Nui and Mauna Kea open Maui’s Sustainability Film Series on Thursday
The County of Maui’s Office of Innovation and Sustainability is teaming up with filmmakers to present a series of short documentaries and feature films focused on sustainability through free community film screenings.
County Agricultural Micro Grant informational meeting set Jan. 15
An informational meeting on the newest round of the Maui County Agricultural Micro Grant will be held from 5 to 6 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 15, in-person at Maui Economic Opportunity in Wailuku or via Zoom.
Hawaiʻi AG releases third and ‘Final Forward-Looking Report’ on Lahaina wildfire
Hawaiʻi Attorney General Anne Lopez has released the final, forward-looking report for the Department of the Attorney General’s investigation into official government response to the Lahaina wildfire in August 2023. The disaster claimed the lives of at least 102 people, destroyed more than 2,000 structures and left thousands homeless.
Summit eruption at Kīlauea volcano remains paused
The summit eruption at Kīlauea volcano that began on Dec. 23, 2024 has been paused since the evening of Jan. 3, 2025. Subsidence might suggest that the magma column feeding the eruption has withdrawn deeper, but continued glow from the northern eruptive vent last night indicates that lava remains close to the surface.
Fire prevention, housing top priorities as new lawmaking session gets underway
Fires — whether they be wildfires or aerial fireworks — are top of mind for many lawmakers as they prepare for this year’s lawmaking session, beginning Wednesday at the state Capitol in Honolulu.
UHERO: Maui wildfires trigger population loss, economic impact
The devastating wildfires that swept through Maui in 2023 have reduced the island’s population by more than 1,000 residents, driven by increased out-migration and declining in-migration, according to a new blog entry published by the University of Hawaiʻi Economic Research Organization.
Resilience hubs topic of Mayor’s Sustainability Speaker Series on Thursday
Kristin Baja, who has worked on resilience hubs for more than a decade, will discuss the role of hubs in supporting sustainability during a lecture and a community forum on Thursday, Jan. 16, as part of the County of Maui Mayor’s Sustainability Series.
Two Molokaʻi churches lauded for highway cleanups
The Heart of Aloha Church and Tenrikyo Molokaʻi received the Adopt-A-Highway Nō Ka ʻOi Highway Hui Award for the fourth quarter of 2024 and first quarter of 2025, respectively. Both churches and their volunteers have regularly picked up trash along a two-mile segment of highway for the past eight or more years, helping to prevent roadside rubbish from blowing into the ocean or other sensitive ecosystems.
Vandals use fireworks to damage Kahului School Park’s bathroom storage unit
The restroom storage facility at Kahului School Park Field 2 was broken into and vandalized on Saturday, Jan. 11, 2025, according to the County Department of Parks and Recreation.
