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Motorists on Maui will see heightened traffic enforcement April 3-14, 2023, as the MPD Traffic Division takes part in the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s U Drive. U Text. U Pay. Distracted Driving awareness enforcement event. 

A statewide Sexual Assault Awareness Month sign-waving is planned for Tuesday, April 4 at various locations across the state, including an event fronting the State Building on Maui from 4:15 to 5:15 p.m.

In 1986, Kīʻope Raymond was asked to join the board of the ʻAha Pūnana Leo to found the first private, nonprofit pre-school in Hawaiian language on Maui. There are now three ‘Aha Pūnana Leo schools on Maui and pathways enabling Hawaiian immersion language students to receive instruction and graduate from Lahainaluna, Hāna, and King Kekaulike high schools. Maui Now writer Gary Kubota interviewed Raymond as part of this People of Maui series.

Governor Josh Green, M.D. today signed seven bills into law he’s calling “good government” bills, to advance the goals of ethics, lobbying, and campaign spending laws in Hawai‘i.

In a new effort to reduce waste, the Maui Marathon will be using the HydraPak SpeedCupTM instead of paper/wax cups at all of the aid stations. Organizers say, “together, participants and organizers can work to prevent single-use cups from filling our landfills or littering the roads and trails.”

The finalists for the Maui County seat include: Lauren Akitake, a private practice attorney and per diem District Court Judge who taught business law at the University of Hawaiʻi Maui College; Sheri Daniels Chief Executive Officer at Papa Ola Lōkahi; and Beverly Stanich, retired longtime principal of Wailuku Elementary School on Maui.

The Hawai‘i Department of Agriculture has opened a grant program to support the establishment and expansion of food hubs in Hawai‘i. Proposals for the Food Hub Pilot Program are now being accepted for grants between $50,000 and $250,000 aimed at increasing the capacity of food hubs, which are centrally located facilities where food products may be aggregated, stored, processed, and marketed.

The Senate Ways and Means Committee voted Thursday to approve the State Budget Bill, also known as House Bill 300. Highlights of the budget document are posted HERE.

Maui Ocean Center is once again hosting twice weekly Aquari-Om yoga classes, with a portion of proceeds supporting sea turtle rescue and coral restoration efforts on Maui.

Residents are being warned of a voluntary recall of various dark chocolate fruit and peanut bites on Maui and O‘ahu due to an undeclared milk allergen on product labels. 

The Maui Police Department confirmed the passing of former Chief Howard Tagomori on March 3, 2023. He served 35 years in county law enforcement, including a decade as chief from 1988 to 1998.

The Wailuku Pool will be closed on Saturday April 1 for Water Safety Instructor Training for pool lifeguards, the County of Maui Department of Parks and Recreation announced.

HI-5 Redemption Centers located at the County of Maui Recycling Centers in Haʻikū and at the University of Hawaiʻi Maui College campus in Kahului are temporarily closed due to ongoing staff shortages.

Tourism continued to recover across the state in February, with Maui County reporting double digit increases in visitors and spending over the same time last year.

More than 7,500 Hawaiian Electric customers received a record $8.1 million in federal credits to reduce their energy bills, about $2.5 million more than last year.

Maui Humane Society hosts its annual “Wags to Riches” VIP fundraising event on April 29, 2023. Shelter animals will be sent from the doghouse to the penthouse. The top fundraisers will earn a VIP night with a shelter dog at several of Hawaiʻi’s top-rated luxury beachfront resorts.

A raccoon was captured Wednesday in a shipping container of household goods and furniture on Oʻahu. The container came from Maryland via California and arrived at  Honolulu Harbor on March 19.

Zoe Campos of UCLA held the lead to take home the Individual Trophy; and team Pepperdine earned top honors in the 2023 ʻĀnuenue Spring Break Classic at Kā’anapali.

The deadline for ‘Imi Pono: The Greatest Challenge, which this year calls on high school and intermediate youth to develop an anti-vaping media campaign, has been extended to April 20.

Approximately 122,277 acres of federal, state, private, and public lands are being proposed as critical habitat for 12 species, all found only on Hawaiʻi island.