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The University of Hawaiʻi Maui College held its first commencement since the Maui wildfires on Thursday on the Great Lawn of the campus in Kahului. About 220 of 450 graduates participated in the ceremony under the theme “resilience.”

“Maui is set for an extended recovery period this decade, while population slowing will reduce future growth to varying degrees across the counties,” according to the UHERO forecast.

The state Department of Transportation advises motorists of a reduced speed limit on Akahele St., mauka of Honoapi‘ilani Highway (Route 30) from 30 mph to 20 mph. The reduction is to accommodate school traffic from the temporary King Kamehameha III Elementary School site, which has its entrance and exit along Akahele St. The school is makai of the Kapalua Airport.

The National Weather Service has issued a Flood Advisory for Maui until 9:45 p.m. At 6:36 p.m., radar showed heavy rain and isolated thunderstorms over Upcountry Maui, with rain falling at a rate of up to 2 inches per hour. Additional heavy showers will be possible over the next few hours. Some locations that will experience flooding include: Kahului, Kīhei, Kula, Kēōkea, Pukalani, Makawao, Hāliʻimaile, Wailea, Pāʻia, ʻUlupalakua, Puʻunēnē, Haʻikū-Paʻuwela, Paʻuwela, Māʻalaea, Mākena, Huelo, Keʻanae, Haleakalā National Park, Hoʻokipa Beach Park and Kailua.

A critical transmission line that serves as a back-up route of power to approximately 11,000 customers in West Maui is now online after Hawaiian Electric rebuilt the line along former routes in the Lahaina area with new steel and wood poles and electrical equipment. 

The Hawaiʻi Department of Health has released findings of lead screening conducted at a series of community events between December 2023 and February 2024, among people impacted by the Maui wildfires. DOH Public Health Nurses and Healthy Mothers Healthy Babies Coalition of Hawaii (HMHB) collaborated on the project. While wildfire ash contains significant concentrations of lead, the screening results do not indicate evidence of widespread human exposure to toxins in the ash, according to a department news release.

Sen. Angus L.K. McKelvey will host two talk story sessions next week discussing the 2024 Hawaiʻi State Legislative Session on Monday, May 13 in Lahaina, and on Tuesday, May 14 in Kīhei.

The Miss USA Organization today announced that Miss Hawaiʻi USA Savannah Gankiewicz of Maui, will take the title of Miss USA 2023. The titleholder, Noelia Voigt resigned earlier this week and explained her departure in an Instagram post, citing mental health and well-being. Savannah will be crowned in a celebratory coronation ceremony on Wednesday, May 15 in Hawaiʻi, according to an announcement on the Miss USA website.

A portion of homes in the Pukalani area will have their water service disrupted beginning 9 p.m. Thursday, May 9, to 5 a.m. Friday, May 10, 2024.

Hawaiian Electric continues to investigate the cause of an outage early Wednesday morning that knocked out power to an estimated 2,500 customers. The outage was reported at 2:15 a.m. on May 8. “While the exact cause is still being determined, inspections identified an archery arrow caught in a line and trees making contact with a section of powerlines in the area,” a spokesperson said.

After 27 years at the entrance to downtown Wailuku, Mele Ukulele will close its flagship store following the sale of its location near Wailuku bridge to a mainland owner.

The 55th Annual Barrio Fiesta takes place May 24 and 24 at the Binhi at Ani Filipino Community Center in Kahului. Friday’s hours are 5-10 p.m., and Saturday’s event will run from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.

Hawaiʻi Specialty Pharmacy (HSP) today announced the opening of two new ambulatory infusion centers on Maui—in Wailuku and Upcountry. Specialty pharmacies and ambulatory infusion centers support patients requiring specialized treatments, including chemotherapy, antibiotic infusions, and more.

An unusually strong upper level disturbance is expected to approach the islands later Friday into Saturday, bringing the possibility of very active weather to portions of the state. The latest guidance indicates a possibility for severe thunderstorms, which could produce damaging winds and large hail, as well as the possibility for localized intense rainfall and flash flooding, according to the NWS.

Maui Mayor Richard Bissen announced the County of Maui has issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) to conduct an After-Action Report assessing the coordination of Maui County Emergency Management Agency’s (MEMA’s) response to the Maui Wildfires that occurred in August 2023.

US Sen, Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) called on Congress to pass long-term disaster relief funding for impacted communities across the country, including on Maui and Vermont. Speaking on the Senate floor on Wednesday, Schatz underscored the need to pass funding for the Community Development Block Grant-Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) program in order to provide survivors with flexible assistance to rebuild their homes, small businesses, and communities over the long-term. 

One person was displaced following a fire in a third-floor unit at the Harbor Lights condominium in Kahului on Wednesday morning.

US Sen. Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI) joined Senators Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Susan Collins (D-ME), and 25 colleagues in introducing a bipartisan resolution to honor our nation’s teachers and commemorate National Teacher Appreciation Week as May 6-10.

Mail carriers from Maui to Maine will lead the Postal Service’s effort to “Stamp Out Hunger” this Saturday, May 11 in the 32nd annual National Association of Letter Carriers’ Food Drive. 

The Maui Planning Commission will review the latest draft for the South Maui Community Plan during a public meeting from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. Tuesday, May 14, 2024. Testimony will be accepted.