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Petty Officer 2nd Class Wendell Hidalgo, a sailor from Maui, Hawaiʻi, serves in Japan aboard a forward-deployed US Navy warship. Hidalgo graduated from Maui High School in 2019.

This action is taken to honor law enforcement officers who have lost their lives in the line of duty while protecting others. 

Due to unpredictable weather conditions and forecasted adverse weather that may create unsafe road conditions, the Wednesday evening Disaster Recovery Community Update meeting is canceled this week, May 15, 2024. Motorists are advised to exercise caution should hazardous conditions occur.

“Last October, the Administration requested $23.5 billion for disaster recovery,” the senators wrote. “Since then, the need for recovery resources in our communities have grown and evolved. The nation has also witnessed additional crises, including the tragic collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Maryland. This funding is essential for our constituents to move forward in rebuilding their homes, lives, businesses, farms and communities.”

Gov. Josh Green, M.D., proclaimed May as Wildfire Mitigation and Risk Reduction Preparedness Month. The proclamation comes nine months after the Aug. 8, 2023 wildfire that destroyed much of historic Lahaina Town and claimed the lives of more than 100 people.

To help increase local menu offerings in school lunches, three dozen public schools on Maui, Moloka‘i, Hawai‘i Island and Kaua‘i will be offering fresh local poi as an accompanying lunch menu item to students and staff this month in honor of May Day. 

A total of 24 local entrepreneurs and small business owners attended the May 9 Maui TechOhana and were wowed by the inspiring work and technology of the Maui Food Innovation Center (MFIC). Ian Stewart, Entrepreneurship & Business Development Specialist, Pāʻoihana Program, and Douglas Paul, Chef Instructor gave an engaging presentation of the Center’s work including a video tour of the facility and samples of their success stories.   

Maui County Council members heard testimony from about a half-dozen people Monday morning on proposed real property tax rates, mostly from transient vacation rental operators who said they’re being unfairly squeezed with higher tax rates at a time when their future bookings are dropping dramatically.

Homebuyers on Maui closed on more single-family homes and condominiums in April, according to the latest resale figures from the Realtors Association of Maui. The median sales prices for both categories also saw notable increases:  single-family homes rose by 16.9% to $1.3 million, while condominiums climbed by 8.4% to $962,500, compared to April 2023.

As of May 1, 2024, a new law governing tenant screening fees was put in motion to help protect renters and promote transparency in the rental application process. Enacted as Act 200 (SLH 2023) and codified in Hawai‘i Revised Statutes § 521-46, the law prohibits a landlord from charging an applicant for a residential dwelling unit, a tenant screening fee that is more than the actual cost to obtain information about the applicant.

Construction of a new restroom at Haʻikū Park is underway and is expected to be completed in late 2024, the Department of Parks and Recreation announced. Situated behind the Haʻikū Community Center on Hāna Highway, the restroom will replace a previous comfort station.

Registration is now open for First Tee Hawaiʻi’s Summer Camps programming at The Dunes at Maui Lani Golf Course. First Tee Hawaiʻi is a youth development organization that helps kids and teens build their strength of character through golf.

Four students graduating from Kīhei Charter School have taken on different challenges posed by the Maui wildfires and other statewide issued in their Senior Graduation Defense presentations. Seniors—Taylor Guindon, Tara Zamani, Sundi King and Claire Eller—presented respective projects on wildfire prevention policies, microbe research in the fire aftermath, stories of resilience from wildfire survivors, and an ʻŌhiʻa restoration project sparked by a visit to Hawaiʻi Island.

A commencement ceremony returned to Molokaʻi on Friday for 42 University of Hawaiʻi Maui College graduates at the UH Maui Molokaʻi Education Center, Kaunakakai, Hawaiʻi. The UH Maui graduation on Molokaʻi is typically held there every four years, with the last graduation ceremony held in 2016. The 2020 ceremony was not scheduled because of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Buckling up isn’t just the law; it saves lives for drivers and passengers when the unexpected happens and they’re in a motor vehicle collision, according to the Hawai‘i Department of Transportation and its traffic safety partners.

Update: The National Weather Service has issued a Flood Watch for the entire state through Friday evening. A kona low developing north of the state will bring the potential for a prolonged period of heavy rain and thunderstorms over portions of the state from Wednesday through Friday and likely continuing through the weekend.

AAA Hawaiʻi expects 7.5 million residents of Hawaiʻi, Alaska, California, Oregon and Washington will travel over this Memorial Day weekend, a 4.7% increase from 2023. This is a new record for travel for the holiday and the second year in a row that Memorial Day travel in the Pacific states should exceed the previous record levels of 2019.

A former Hawaiʻi resident was sentenced to 57 months in prison and three years of supervised release for wire fraud and money laundering related to a scheme to defraud at least 42 Hawaiʻi and California victim-investors out of more than $1.2 million.

Aubrey Weston, an instructor and accounting program coordinator at the University of Hawaiʻi Maui College, was among 14 UH faculty members from across the state awarded the Regents’ Medal for Excellence in Teaching.

Wave of Harmony Foundation announced a new partnership with The Gilbert and Aileen Kam Chuck Charitable Trust. With a grant of $110,000, this collaboration signifies a new chapter for young performers across the island.