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A group formed to suggest changes to legislature regarding Hawaiʻi’s existing child welfare system wants to hear from people with lived experiences of the state’s child welfare system.

The Hawai‘i State Department of Labor and Industrial Relations will launch three new tools in its Unemployment Insurance claim portal over the next few weeks.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency will host a series of resume workshops in June, intended to hire residents for long-term positions with FEMA in Maui County.  

The War Memorial Complex tennis courts and Coach Soichi Sakamoto Swimming Pool will be closed on Saturday, June 1, for the Maui AgFest & 4-H Livestock Fair being held at the complex.

The Maui Police Department’s fledgling helicopter program experienced some turbulence this week during a Maui County Council committee meeting when questions surfaced about the proposed air unit’s projected costs.

Princess Nāhiʻenaʻena Elementary unveiled a vibrant mural that students worked on with local artist Noble Richardson on Wednesday. The mural on Building A honors the school’s namesake while incorporating aspects of Lahaina’s history and cultural significance.

Popular for canoe regattas and other ocean activities, Hoaloha Park, along the Kahului Harbor shoreline, is the first County beach park that needs public feedback to help develop an adaptation plan, which finds ways to make parks more resilient to climate change, county officials announced. County of Maui Department of Parks and Recreation and project consultant SSFM International will hold a virtual community meeting from 5 to 7 p.m. Thursday, June 13, to gather feedback on Hoaloha Park’s adaptation plan.

In a step toward addressing the housing challenges in Hawai‘i, Gov. Josh Green, M.D., signed a series of bills today aimed at benefiting condominium owners, associations, and residents throughout the state. This legislative package is designed to streamline processes, enhance management practices, and increase accessibility to clean energy programs for condominium communities.

The first special council meeting will only include budget-related legislation for the county’s fiscal year that begins July 1. The second meeting is on Resolution 24-103, providing comments on the proposed Maui Optical and Supercomputing Site Small Telescope Advanced Research facility, or AMOS STAR, atop Haleakalā.

American Savings Bank is proud to announce that its 2024 Kahiau Giving Campaign has raised $443,000. The charitable contribution will support five local nonprofits in their efforts to improve the quality of life for Hawaiʻi residents. More than 90% of ASB teammates participated in the annual workplace giving initiative, which began in 2011.

Representatives of the Hawaiʻi Tourism Authority, Hawaiʻi Lodging & Tourism Association, City and County of Honolulu, and an array of public safety professionals and visitor industry partners made a special announcement during a press conference at the Hawaiʻi Convention Center today commemorating Honolulu for being recognized by Berkshire Hathaway Travel Protection as the “Safest City to Travel to in the World” in 2024.

There were 174,582 visitors to Maui in April 2024, a significant decrease from 243,245 visitors (-28.2%) in April 2023 and 247,984 visitors (-29.6%) in April 2019, according to preliminary statistics from the state Department of Business Economic Development and Tourism. DBEDT Director James Kunane Tokioka said “With the Hawaiʻi Tourism Authority’s Mākaukau Maui campaign and targeted efforts showcasing Maui’s readiness to welcome visitors, DBEDT is committed to supporting the state and Maui’s economic recovery.”

The Maui Arts & Cultural Center has announced that tickets are now available for an all-ages comedy show that features three of Hawaiʻi’s legends of comedy – Andy Bumatai, Frank De Lima and Augie T – taking place at Castle Theater on Friday, July 26 at 7 p.m.

Update: (1:01 p.m., May 30, 2024) ʻĪao Valley Road is now open in both directions. It was closed earlier due to a motor vehicle accident at Aliʻi Drive near Kepaniwai Park in Wailuku.

In Kahului, the average price of $4.84 is three cents higher than last week and one cent higher than a year ago.

The DLNR Division of Forestry and Wildlife helped fell more than 1,000 invasive trees, mostly Albizia, to be used in building 28 hale for the Festival Village as part of the 13th Festival of Pacific Arts & Culture (FestPAC).

A two-pronged investigation by the DLNR Division of Conservation and Resources Enforcement failed to find evidence that the Celebrity Cruise Lines ship, Celebrity Edge, violated any state rules while sailing off Kaua‘i’s Nā Pali Coast State Wilderness Park, earlier this month.

The Los Angeles Football Club (LAFC) on Wednesday announced the signing of Maui native Tommy Musto to a Major League Soccer contract. With the signing, Tommy becomes the first-ever Hawaiʻi-born player to sign with LAFC, and the 13th in league history.   

The Kibou for Maui Project in Japan hosted a Maui leadership delegation from May 19 to 23, 2024, to facilitate an educational and strategic exchange between Maui recovery effort leaders and experts in Japan’s Tohoku region, which underwent significant rebuilding after the 2011 earthquake and tsunami.

Maui County does not have water available in West Maui for the Pulelehua project, a long planned development seen as a scarce opportunity to provide desperately needed housing for Lahaina residents displaced by the August wildfires.