Featured

An estimated 650 Thanksgiving meals were served on Wednesday under an annual community service partnership between the University of Hawaiʻi Maui College and The Salvation Army.

“It’s crazy, because even though 14 years have gone by, it’s still very, very difficult. So we come and we do these events because we just beg people to make the right decisions. Do not drink and drive. We’re just asking that everybody has a place on their family table every year. So please, please, do not make a decision and change somebody else’s life,” said Andrea Maniago who lost her 16-year-old son Kaio Fukushima to a drunk driver in 2009.

Maui Health’s Medical Staff Office is launching a special Holiday Toy Drive on Sunday, Nov. 26, 2023, to support the children and families of Maui Health’s employees and physicians affected by the recent wildfires on Maui, and other families who have faced challenges this year.  Donations will be accepted at Maui Memorial Medical Center’s circular driveway, adjacent to the main lobby entrance, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. 

The demand for vacation rentals in Maui County fell to 98,500 unit nights, a 27% decrease from October 2022 and a whopping 61.5% decrease from October 2019 (before the pandemic struck).

Kaiser Permanente’s two mobile health vehicles will continue to operate at the Royal Lahaina Resort, but at a new location at the tennis courts, starting on Monday, Nov. 27.

County of Maui Disaster Area Restrictions will be lifted for owners and residents with vehicle passes from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. beginning Monday and Tuesday, Nov. 27-28, in Zones 11C and 12B.

Maui still has not totally bounced back from the job losses due to the August fires. A year ago in October, Mauiʻs unemployment was only 3.7%.

Seventeen live coconut rhinoceros beetle larvae were found Tuesday by an arborist cutting down coconut palm trees in Kīhei. The arborist called the Maui Invasive Species Committee, and reported that he was contracted to remove 12 dead palm trees and found several large larvae in the crown of the first palm tree he cut down.

Council member Gabe Johnson expressed his support Wednesday for the Lahaina Strong Hui, which is currently calling for action from State and County administrations to address the urgent sheltering crisis in Lahaina caused by the Aug. 8 wildfires. 

County of Maui Disaster Area Restrictions will be lifted for owners and residents with vehicle passes from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. beginning Friday and Saturday, Nov. 24-25, in Zone 6D. This includes portions of Limahana Circle.

Student enrollment at the University of Hawaiʻi Maui College increased by 7.1% this fall, contributing to UH’s overall 1.2% rise in student enrollments across its 10 campuses.

Imua Family Services welcomes Maui’s children and their families to its third annual Keiki Holiday Festival on Saturday, Dec. 16 from 4 to 8 p.m. at the Will Smith Imua Discovery Garden in Wailuku.

The Maui Hotel & Lodging Association delivered 16,800 pounds of rice throughout Maui, Molokaʻi, and Lānaʻi for the Thanksgiving Holiday. This year marked the 30th Annual Turkey & Rice Holiday Gifting event.

As government leaders are tasked with meeting the critical need for housing in the wake of the August wildfires on Maui, one suggestion has drawn particular interest. For Maui resident, Matt Jachowski, there’s only one answer: utilizing short-term rentals and second homes while seeking federal and philanthropic dollars to fill the rent gap.

The Hawaiʻi State Senate confirmed both Judge Lisa M. Ginoza and attorney Vladimir P. Devens to the position of Associate Justice to the Hawaiʻi Supreme Court.

As Hawaiʻi grapples with a surge in wildfires threatening communities and ecosystems, bipartisan efforts are underway to introduce legislation to tackle prevention and preparedness.

For entertainment this week on Maui, there’s multiple Grammy winner Kalani Pe’a, Amy Hānaiali’i’s annual Christmas concert, a Jazz & Blues Festival, a Jazz Maui event with Louise Lambert Quartet, and a bit of Shakespeare with Jason Feddy. Find our comprehensive listing HERE.

The Hawaiʻi Department of Transportation, County of Maui, and the Federal Highway Administration is installing an emergency stormwater capture system in Lahaina to reduce the environmental impact from silt, ash and other disaster debris potentially entering storm drainage systems.

Hawai‘i Vacation Condos by Outrigger has named Henry “Hap” Judd as general manager of Nāpili Shores Maui; and Jordan Whitmire as general manager of both Waipouli Beach Resort & Spa Kauaʻi, and Lae Nani Resort Kauaʻi.

An ocean search is underway for a missing swimmer off of the “Cliffhouse” area of Kapalua in West Maui. Crews were called to the scene at 3:38 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 20, 2023, in response to a report of a 42-year-old California man, who was washed out in rough conditions after jumping from the rocks into the ocean.