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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.

County of Maui Disaster Area Restrictions have been lifted for business in Zone 5A, which is the Old Lahaina Lūʻau anchored parcel along Front Street. Access is via the Lahaina Cannery Mall through the Keawe Street entrance only. All other entrance points are blocked off.

The Department of Water Supply reminds people in areas affected by the recent wildfires that they may obtain safe water for their drinking, cooking and basic hygiene needs from a fleet of designated potable water tankers positioned at various sites in Lahaina and Upper Kula.

Kolohe Kai performs this Saturday, Sept. 30 at the A&B Amphitheater & Yokouchi Pavilion at the Maui Arts & Cultural Center in Kahului. Gates open at 5 p.m. and the show starts at 6 p.m.

The Office of Economic Development, Grants Review Committee and Mayor Richard Bissen, have approved $74,704 in funding for the longtime Maui nonprofit organization, Ka Lima O Maui. This grant, facilitated by the Office of Economic Development, will further enable Ka Lima O Maui’s efforts to provide adults with disabilities meaningful work opportunities, bolstering their mission to “enhance lives through self-reliance.”

Polynesian Voyaging Society CEO Nainoa Thompson today announced a major change to the Moananuiākea Voyage sail plan.  In the wake of the devastating fires on Maui, Hōkūleʻa will return home from San Diego, California in late December, before continuing on the circumnavigation of the Pacific.  

When a wildfire devastated the island of Maui on Aug. 8, killing at least 97 people and destroying more than 2,000 homes, the FBI offered assistance to law enforcement partners on Maui. Today that assistance continues as teams work to identify remains and confirm individuals who are unaccounted for.

House Interim Schools Working Group Co-Chairs Justin H. Woodson and Jenna Takenouchi and members of the House Interim Schools Working Group in coordination with the Hawaiʻi State Department of Education will organize a public meeting on Thursday, Sept. 28, 2023, to discuss the status of education for Maui students impacted by the Lahaina wildfire. 

The Senate Committee on Commerce and Consumer Protection will hold a field briefing in Lahaina on Thursday, Sept. 28 to address questions and take testimony pertaining to wildfire-related insurance claims.

The Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement hosts a day long hula and mele workshop fundraiser, Kōkua Nā Hono Aʻo Piʻilani, on Sunday, Oct. 1, 2023 from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Windward Community College, Hale ʻĀkoakoa. Proceeds from the event will directly benefit ongoing Maui relief efforts. 

Mayor Richard Bissen and members of his Lahaina Advisory Team have shaped a phased approach to the reopening of West Maui to visitors following an announcement by Gov. Josh Green that West Maui will reopen on Oct. 8, 2023.

The Nature Conservancy, Hawai’i and Palmyra announced that artificial intelligence or AI powered imagery analysis detected two more seabird species at Palmyra Atoll that hadn’t been seen in decades.