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Kate Blystone was confirmed as the Planning Director for the County of Maui by the Maui County Council on Wednesday. She has more than 20 years of experience as a land planner and community engagement professional in the public, private, nonprofit and education planning sectors.

Hōlani Hāna, Ke Ao Hāli‘i, and Na Mahi‘ai o Ke‘anae—collaborating under the banner Mālama Maui Hikina—are working to mitigate tourism impacts at popular areas of East Maui including Kaihalulu, Honolewa, Kaihalulu, Waioka and Nā‘ili‘ilihaele Steam.

More than 65 people and organizations testified Tuesday in support of a bill that seeks to crack down on drunk driving in Hawaiʻi. Senate Bill 2384, which proposes to lower the legal blood alcohol concentration (BAC) for driving from 0.08% to 0.05%, was passed by the Senate Judiciary Committee.

Hawaiian Electric will postpone the launch of its new rooftop solar and energy storage programs by one month while the company makes changes approved by the Public Utilities Commission, the company announced. The new programs, originally scheduled to launch March 1, will now be available to customers starting April 1.

The Core Four Business Planning Course’s second series of 2024, classes focused on how to start and run a business, starts Tuesday, March 5, and runs twice weekly through Thursday, April 4.

During their meeting, Kouchi and Hashimoto urged Ambassador Tai to recognize the unique situation that West Maui is in as it attempts to recover from the wildfire, and to advocate for the construction of 1,000 permanent FEMA-built housing units to house wildfire survivors.

Councilmember Yuki Lei Sugimura has announced a community meeting at the Mayor Hannibal Tavares Community Center in Pukalani on Thursday, Feb. 29 from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. The focus of the meeting will be on hazard mitigation and recovery efforts Upcountry.  

The US Army Corps of Engineers announced on Tuesday the successful installation and turnover of the newly constructed temporary campus for King Kamehameha III Elementary School students in Lahaina to the Hawai‘i State Department of Education.

This week on Maui, there are free performances by the Brigham Young university jazz orchestra, Brother Noland and renown pianist June Choi Oh, Billboard hitmaker Iration performs at the MAAC, Mantoku Mission holds its annual bazaar, and the Nāpili Farmers Market reopens after the Aug. 8 Lahaina wildfire.

A bill that seeks to establish a nine-member Lele Community District Board to facilitate rebuilding decisions for the post-wildfire Lahaina area of West Maui, is scheduled for key committee decision making on Wednesday.

Music legend James Taylor has announced his return to Maui with his All-Star Band for a special outdoor concert under the stars at Alexander & Baldwin Amphitheater on Sunday, May 5.

Maui firefighters responded to a structure fire early Tuesday morning in the Kaupō area of East Maui. Damages were estimated $6,000 to the structures and $100,000 in damage to the contents. No one was displaced and no injuries were reported. The cause of the fire is undetermined and remains under investigation.

A measure that would restore the counties’ power to regulate the sale of cigarettes, tobacco products and e-cigarettes appears to be stalled in the House Finance Committee, and it may die there Wednesday if no action is taken.

Two teen girls were arrested on Tuesday afternoon following an investigation into an alleged threat at ʻĪao Intermediate School.

University of Hawaiʻi Maui College Chancellor Liu Hokoana will be the speaker at the Rotary Club of Lahaina Sunset meeting on March 5, 2024. He will share an update on UH Maui since the Lahaina wildfires.

The County of Maui Office of Recovery invites residents to participate in an online feedback activity on its recently launched Ola Lahaina page, a hub for online community engagement for Lahaina’s wildfire recovery efforts. The feedback activity will be available through March 15, 2024, and can be found at https://mauirecovers.org/lahaina. 

A lawsuit was filed Tuesday by the Native Hawaiian Legal Corporation and the Center for Reproductive Rights challenging a midwifery law that they say is preventing pregnant people in Hawaiʻi from using skilled midwives for their pregnancies and births, as they have for generations.

Kupu, a conservation and youth education nonprofit, is accepting applicants for its Kupu ʻĀina Corps Wildfire Recovery Initiative dedicated to wildfire recovery and resilience work on Maui and Hawaiʻi Island, until the deadline on March 1, 2024.

Gov. Josh Green, M.D. announced details surrounding the planned launch of the One ‘Ohana Fund on March 1, and provided a housing update for wildfire survivors. While earlier this month, the governor said a moratorium would “not likely” be needed during his six month update, he revisited the idea today.

The 34-year-old man made international headlines after surviving a 1,000-foot fall off the Ko‘olau Mountains and lay dazed and alone at the base of a waterfall for three days before he was rescued, according to the state Department of Land and Natural Resources. “All things considered,” is an understatement.