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Online applications for disaster relief financial support will begin Oct. 1, 2023, from the Maui Disaster Relief initiative by the Hawaiʻi Catholic Community Foundation, and all of Maui’s 10 Catholic churches.

“I’m really pleased. From the first photographs I saw it looked like everything was gone and that’s not the case. There are important historic buildings here that I think can be repaired,” said State Historic Preservation Division Administrator Dr. Alan Downer.

Kaiser Permanente will host three, no-cost Parenting After Tragedy classes to help parents understand and address the emotional and psychological needs of their keiki following the devastating Maui wildfires.   

Kolohe Kai and special guest Matisyahu Cydeways perform their upbeat reggae style on Saturday (Sept. 30) during a stop of their summer tour at the Maui Arts & Cultural Center’s A&B Amphitheater.

As the deadline to fund the federal government nears, US Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) called on colleagues in the US Senate and House of Representatives to pass the Senate’s bipartisan continuing resolution to keep the government open and avert a disastrous shutdown.

“From Hawaiʻi to Vermont, our nation has been hit hard by natural disasters. For those struggling with substance abuse and mental health problems, these are even darker times.  This critical legislation will expand the Crisis Counseling Assistance and Training Program to ensure we can respond quickly when people need us most,” said Rep. Tokuda.

The Hawaiʻi Department of Health is reporting one additional case of mpox in an O‘ahu resident. This is the first case of mpox diagnosed in Hawaiʻi since November 2022.

“I think that’s a huge consideration that needs to be in place before we open, so everybody knows what to do. I think that’s one of the problems—the one road in and one road out for our schools is systemic in the poor planning decisions which amplified the tragedy of the fires,” said Elizabeth Bowen, a teacher at Princess Nāhiʻenaʻena Intermediate School.

As of this week, about 800 households in non-congregate sheltering had not yet established full eligibility. Those households are receiving a letter asking them to contact the Red Cross within 48 hours, by phone or in person at the hotels where they are staying, to provide the missing information.

A unique plant first seen in the high forests of West Maui in 2020 has now been officially recognized as a new Hawaiian species. The plant, now named Clermontia hanaulaensis, was found during routine surveys by botanist Hank Oppenheimer of the Plant Extinction Prevention Program, a partnership with DLNR and the University of Hawai‘i.

During the first Congressional fact-finding hearing about the deadly Aug. 8 Lahaina fire, members of the US House Energy & Commerce subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations grilled Hawaiian Electric President and CEO Shelee Kimura about de-energizing power lines, wildfire mitigation efforts and replacing above ground lines connected to wood poles with buried lines.

Costumed children and their families are invited to join Imua Family Services at its third Keiki Halloween Festival on Saturday, Oct. 28. Held annually at the Will Smith Imua Discovery Garden in Wailuku, the spooktacular event features live music, activities and goodies offered up by community nonprofit and business partners.

A team of freedivers from the Honolulu-based nonprofit organization Papahānaumokuākea Marine Debris Project returned on Saturday from a 28 day cleanup expedition to the remote Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands. 

County of Maui Disaster Area Restrictions will be lifted for owners and residents with vehicle passes from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday, Oct. 2, and Tuesday, Oct. 3, in Zones 2C, 2D and 2E, which includes homes on Kuʻuipo Street, ʻAʻa Street and Lokia Street.

Central Pacific Bank Foundation and Ace Hardware are joining forces to distribute much needed disaster relief and essential cleaning supplies to West Maui residents affected by the Maui wildfires. A distribution will take place on Saturday, Sept. 30, 2023 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. (while supplies last) in front of the Ace Hardware location at the Lahaina Gateway Center.

More than 20 students, faculty and staff gathered in the Heona Fine Arts Studio last week to begin work on a new three-panel, 40-foot by 8-foot acrylic on canvas mural. It will be the centerpiece of UH Maui College’s new Student Lounge.

“Like you and I, our people have questions. We all deserve answers. Right now, the most important question must be, how do we keep the help coming?” – US Rep. Jill Tokuda

With construction of the first phase on a path to be completed by the end of the year, Kaulana Mahina—the new workforce housing development in Wailuku—will soon be accepting applications for its lottery process.

“We recognize that even before the Lahaina fire there were conflicts between commercial vessel operations, especially at Māla Wharf, and community recreational users. For this reason, we are encouraging fishers, commercial vessel operators, and interested community members to attend this informational meeting so everyone can share and hear respective interests and concerns at the same time before decisions are made,” said Chang.

Nearly 150 people from keiki to kūpuna — many who have lost loved ones, homes and businesses in the Aug. 8 fire — testified before the Maui County Council in Kāʻanapali about the resolution to develop a recovery and resiliency plan in response to the Maui fires.