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The National Weather Service has issued a Flash Flood Warning for the island of Maui until 7:30 a.m. The National Weather Service has issued a Severe Thunderstorm Warning for Maui until 7 a.m. At 5:23 a.m., severe thunderstorms were located along a line extending from near Waikapū to near Kaupō, moving southwest at 10 mph with 70 mph wind gusts.

Maui Economic Opportunity Inc. celebrates 60 years of service in Maui County this year. This retrospective looks at its branch on Moloka‘i where its offices across the street from Kaunakakai Elementary School became a “community hub” in its early years, according to MEO Moloka‘i Director Mahie McPherson.

The Hawai‘i State Department of Education announced today that one previously suspended school bus route serving Samuel E. Kalama Intermediate School will be reinstated starting on Monday, Jan. 13, restoring service for approximately 31 student bus riders. 

Hawaiian Electric will close its Shift and Save time-of-use rates program to new enrollments as of Feb. 1, 2025, following the completion of a one-year pilot. Customers enrolled in Shift and Save before that date will be allowed to continue in the program with the ability to opt out at any time.

As Hawaiʻi lawmakers get ready for the opening of this year’s legislative session on Jan. 15, members of the House and Senate are holding informational meetings and the Senate Democratic majority has announced its legislative priorities.

President Joe Biden signed US Rep. Jill Tokuda’s bill into law, naming the Captain Cook Post Office on Hawaiʻi Island the “Army 1st Lt. John Kuulei Kauhaihao Post Office Building.”

Local eligible nonprofits and governments across the country can now apply for the 2025 AARP Community Challenge grant program, which funds quick-action projects that help communities become more livable by improving public places, transportation, housing, digital connections and more.

The County of Maui Department of Environmental Management has launched a new Tow and Scrap program for Molokaʻi residents to recycle their unwanted qualified vehicles at no cost. The County is partnering with A&S Services LLC and Molokaʻi Metals Facility to facilitate the program.

The Seabury Hall Performing Arts Department presents Disney’s Newsies Jr. — a musical packed with energy, heart, and an inspiring story of standing up for what’s right.

All Walmart locations statewide will participate in the first Wellness Day of 2025 this Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., where customers can receive free BMI and blood pressure screenings, and affordable immunizations like COVID-19, flu, RSV, tetanus, hepatitis, HPV and more.

The Hui No‘eau Visual Arts Center’s annual juried exhibition will be on display Jan. 17 through Feb. 21, 2025, with an opening reception to be held on Friday, Jan. 17 from 5 to 7 p.m. A walk through with juror Abigail Romanchak will be held Friday, Jan. 17 from 4 to 5 p.m.

“Hawaiʻi Conservation Kuleana,” a new podcast from the DLNR, launches next Monday, Jan. 13. Monthly episodes will explore the complex balance of conservation, cultural stewardship and community engagement in Hawaiʻi.

Researchers at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa have made an exciting discovery: a virus found in the ocean called FloV-SA2 carries the genetic instructions for making part of a ribosome—a crucial component in cells that turns genetic information into proteins. This is the first time a virus that infects eukaryotic organisms (such as plants, animals, and fungi) has been found to have this capability, according to UH researchers.

Queen Kaʻahumanu Center is seeking vendors for the return of the Baby Expo, happening on Saturday, Jan. 25, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Lights at both the Waiʻale Park and Waiehu Terrace Park basketball courts are temporarily out of service. The outage is due to vandals severing light control box wiring.

A 49-year-old Haʻikū woman suffered fatal injuries in a single-vehicle crash on Baldwin Avenue in Pāʻia, Wednesday.

FEMA continues to house survivors of the Aug. 8, 2023, Maui wildfires through their Direct Housing Program. FEMA responds to questions that tenants may have about the program and their housing security as well as questions landlords may have about housing fire survivors.

University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa nursing students Cedric Abad and Sandra Xiao credit their six-week internship at Molokaʻi General Hospital this past summer with transforming their career aspirations and deepening their commitment to healthcare.

The five nonprofits receiving grants from Nareit Hawaiʻi are Hawaiʻi Literacy ($35,000), Kaibigan ng Lahaina ($30,000), Hawaiʻi Land Trust ($30,000), The Pantry by Feeding Hawaiʻi Together ($25,000), and The Salvation Army ($25,000). 

About a 6-mile segment of Honoapi‘ilani Highway from Ukumehame to Launiupoko would be moved mauka, beyond the reach of rising sea levels, to protect a vital roadway to West Maui. Even now, portions of the highway from Pāpalaua Wayside Park to the Lahaina Bypass are a mere stone’s throw away from the ocean.