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Gov. Josh Green held a news conference Wednesday at the state Capitol to detail some of the 253 bills he signed out of 260 bills passed during the 2024 legislative session.

Lt. Gov. Sylvia Luke, serving as Acting Governor, signed an Emergency Proclamation (EP) on Wednesday evening in response to the ongoing Crater Road Fire in Upcountry, Maui which began on July 10, 2024, and has since burned an estimated 410 acres.

Gov. Josh Green provided an update on the ongoing Maui wildfire recovery as the one year mark nears on Aug. 8, 2023. As of July 5, 2024, the state had cleared all individuals from the non-congregate sheltering (NCS) program at hotels; however, there were still 62 families that were finalizing their arrangements with the federal government to transition into longer-term housing. That’s down from the 3,071 families that were being accommodated in hotels in the aftermath of the wildfires.

Update (8 p.m., July 11, 2024): Due to improving conditions Maui County officials have lifted the advisory as of 6:37 p.m. for residents in affected areas to prepare for potential evacuations. Maui Fire Department crews will remain on scene overnight to monitor the fire. Acreage of the fire decreased from 420 to 355 due to more accurate mapping assessments. 

While unloading cans of Spam and packets of saimin at distribution hubs shortly after the fires, Makale’a Ane and other farmers wanted to find ways to get fresher, healthier foods to families.  “After the fires, we kind of pivoted and took the work that we’re doing on the farm and said, let’s feed our people in this way,” said Ane, the climae and resilience director for the Living Pono Project.

The County of Maui is seeking resident feedback in person and online about a potential ferry service to connect Lānaʻi and Molokaʻi with Maui.

US Rep. Jill Tokuda (HI-02) introduced a bill on Tuesday to ensure that Native Hawaiian organizations can fully access funding they are entitled to under the Native Hawaiian and Alaska Native Culture and Arts Development Program for cultural programming and activities.

In an ongoing effort to protect Hawaiʻi residents from gun violence and keep communities safe, the Department of Law Enforcement (DLE) will host another community gun buyback event on Saturday, Aug. 24, 2024, at the Aloha Stadium Lower Parking lot on Oʻahu, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Officials with the Maui Fire Department and the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives responded today to media inquiries about the timeline and process for releasing information on the cause and origin of the Aug. 8, 2023 Lahaina wildfire.

Queen Kaʻahumanu Center is seeking vendors for the debut of its latest signature event, 808 Bash, happening on Saturday, Aug. 24.

Hawaiʻi State Federal Credit Union (Hawaiʻi State FCU) today announced that Brennon Morioka, dean of the College of Engineering at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, and Darren Nakao, executive vice president and chief financial officer at UHA Health Insurance, have been elected to serve on its volunteer board of directors. Monica Toguchi Ryan, owner and president of Highway Inn, has been reelected to the board for her third and final term. Morioka, Nakao and Toguchi Ryan will all serve new three-years terms, effective June 22, 2024.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency is seeking vendors for group site maintenance and maintenance/repairs on FEMA-owned modular housing units being used as temporary housing for individuals and families displaced by the Maui wildfires.

The bay fronting the temple in Paia is experiencing extreme coastal erosion due to sea level rise, with the shoreline moving inland at a rate of 1.6 feet per year.  The erosion has affected turtle habitat, toppled graves into the sea, and is now threatening the historic temple building. 

Gov. Josh Green signed into law 17 bills aimed at crime prevention, public safety and law enforcement, including one that makes those owning or operating illegal gambling houses criminally responsible.

A Maui County Council committee yesterday made approvals for leadership positions in Maui’s two newest departments, offices which were both initiated by Maui voters via charter amendments in November 2022.

Just as Maui County is seeking to phase out transient vacation rentals in apartment-zoned districts, the European city of Barcelona, Spain, has imposed some of the most restrictive vacation rental rules on the planet, according to the World’s Best Cities Report 2024.

Cravalho Entertainment presents a special summer evening of music and entertainment for all ages, welcoming back to the stage Big Island native, Waylon Nihipali to Maui on Saturday. The Waylon Nihipali: Make it Country 2 Performance takes place July 13 from 7 to 9 p.m. at the Grand Wailea’s Molokini Garden.

The 25th anniversary of the Molokaʻi 2 OʻahuPaddleboard World Championships (M2O), presented by the Hawaiʻi Tourism Authority is set to welcome an international field of athletes who will cover more than 32 miles across the Kaiwi Channel, launching from the coastline of Moloka’i and finishing on O’ahu.

A small brush fire off of the Kūihelani Highway near the Dunes at Maui Lani Golf Course burned an estimated 30-foot by 100-foot area along the highway, opposite to any development.

The Pesticides Branch of the Hawai‘i Department of Agriculture (HDOA) is extending its free pesticide disposal program to the island of Lāna‘i in August. Lāna‘i farmers and other commercial users of pesticides may safely dispose of canceled, suspended, unwanted or unlabeled pesticides, but pre-registration is required. The registration deadline is Tuesday, July 16, 2024 at 4:30 p.m. The drop-off day is Tuesday, Aug. 6, 2024, with the location to be provided only to registered participants.