In Case You Missed It

The fire that destroyed most of Lahaina and killed at least 101 people started at 2:55 p.m. Aug. 8 in the vicinity of Kuʻialua Street and Hoʻokahua Place, mauka of the Lahaina Bypass and Kelawea Mauka Makai Park. Fanned by intense winds churned up by Hurricane Dora to the south, the fire raced to the coastline in 60 to 90 minutes.

Home Maid Bakery will officially shut down wholesale operations and its Lower Main Street location in Wailuku, effective April 29, the Kozuki family has announced on social media.

A comprehensive timeline for the Aug. 8-9 Lahaina wildfire has been released by Hawaiʻi Attorney General Anne Lopez. The Phase 1 report is the first of three to be completed as part of an independent investigation by the Fire Safety Research Institute.

The After-Action Report, produced by the Western Fire Chiefs Association, covers all four major fires that began on Aug. 8, 2023. More than 200 individuals were interviewed in the course of compiling the document which covers the period of Aug. 7-11, 2023. Recommendations include more apparatus and fire stations. It does not include information on the cause or origin of the fire, which is still under investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

The 2024 Nā Kamehameha Commemorative Pā‘ū Parade and Ho‘olaule‘a is set for Saturday, June 15, 2024. Due to the Lahaina fires, the day-long events will be relocated to Central Maui, featuring a parade route along Ka‘ahumanu Avenue and a ho‘olaule‘a at Queen Ka‘ahumanu Center.  This year’s Hawai’i-wide theme is “He Inoa No Kalaninui Kamehameha” – Honor to Kamehameha the Great. The application is accessible online for parade entries to apply, with a deadline of May 24, 2024.

Parties to cases involving the Lahaina wildfire disaster could see their first trial date as soon as Nov. 18, 2024 before Judge Peter Cahill. The date was set during a status conference held Friday before a room full of attorneys representing various interests in the case.

Kalaupapa resident, John Arruda celebrates 100 years of life today. In a statement, Arruda said, “The State of Hawai‘i has provided me with everything, and that’s why I have this beautiful Kalaupapa, which has kept me going all these years and where I call home.”

When Maui was hit by a devastating fire last August, the nation collectively grieved. For singer and songwriter Lily Meola, who was born and raised on Maui, the heartbreak ran deep. So, she did what she does best—poured her pain and feelings into song. Initially revealed in a rare live performance on her Instagram account, “Hope in the Ashes,” is now available everywhere you get your music with all proceeds from the song being donated to the Maui Food Bank.

Maui County Council members looked for ways Thursday for developers to move forward with construction of two Lahaina affordable housing projects that residents have pinned hopes on as being “shovel-ready,” but nevertheless face significant obstacles.

The DLNR Division of Boating and Ocean Recreation fuel system vendor for Lahaina Small Boat Harbor, is in the process of rebuilding the fire-damaged, above-ground portion of the fueling system at no cost to the state. It will probably three years before everything is finished. Until the harbor is out of the restricted zone, no one can reach it by land.

The 150-year-old Lahaina banyan tree continues to show signs of recovery, eight months after the Maui fires. In video provided by the Hawai’i Department of Land and Natural Resources, Duane Sparkman of the Lahaina Treecovery project provides an update, describes some of the challenges the iconic tree still faces, and talks about what lies ahead.  

Eight months to the day after a wildfire swept through Lahaina town, Maui County Council members heard the anguish of residents struggling to recover from the disaster that claimed at least 101 lives and leveled their beloved historic town.

As if fighting for justice weren’t tough enough, now attorneys and staff in the Maui County Department of the Prosecuting Attorney have a new foe: an infestation of mold in their Old Wailuku Courthouse offices.

Komar is offering a quarter of the 20-acre site that was outlined in the eminent domain proposal, saying it will accommodate 100% of the 400,000 cubic yards of debris from Lahaina and Olowalu.  As a condition of the donation, Komar says it wants the donated land to be used exclusively for Lahaina debris; and that the county extend equal rights to the remaining 15 acres for use by Komar.  

Ka Lā ‘Ōnohi Mai O Ha‘eha‘e under the direction of Nā Kumu Hula Tracie and Keawe Lopes of Oʻahu took the overall title at the 61st Annual Merrie Monarch Festival, in Hilo Hawaiʻi. The men of Mauiʻs Hālau Kekuaokalā‘au‘ala‘iliahi took home third place awards for kāne kahiko and ‘auana performances, as well as the festival’s third place overall award for men. In the women’s division, Hālau Nā Lei Kaumaka O Uka earned a tie for fifth place in the wahine kahiko division.

Kahiko night at the Merrie Monarch Festival featured hula in the ancient style with 29 groups performing Friday night in the annual competition in Hilo, Hawaiʻi. The festival continues tonight with ʻauana or modern hula, followed by results from the 61st event.

Kaʻōnohikaumakaakeawe Kananiokeakua Holokai Lopes was named Miss Aloha Hula 2024 at the 61st Annual Merrie Monarch Festival on Thursday night at the Edith Kanakaʻole Stadium in Hilo, Hawaiʻi. Maui’s own Amedée Kauakohemālamalama Conley-Kapoi of  Hālau Kekuaokalāʻauʻalaʻiliahi, under the direction of Nā Kumu Haunani and ʻIliahi Paredes was the first runner up.

Maui’s median home price rose to $1,303,692 in March of 2024, up 9.5% from 2023 when the median was $1,191,000. The data was included in the latest data released by the REALTORS® Association of Maui (RAM).

“April 1—April Fool’s Day—78 years ago a magnitude 8.6 earthquake from the Aleutian Islands generated a tsunami that took about four-and-a-half hours to hit our state,” said Laura Kong, Ph.D., director of International Tsunami Information Center. “By 6:30 a.m., waves that would reach 53 feet on the Big Island, 33 feet on Maui, 54 feet on Molokaʻi, 35 feet on Oʻahu and 45 feet on Kauaʻi, began to arrive.” The event resulted in $340 million in damage and the loss of nearly 159 people in the state, 96 in Hilo.

This past Saturday, proprietors of five distinct food trucks commemorated the bittersweet grand opening of their new home, Maikaʻi Market, in Kahului.