In Case You Missed It

Kaiser Permanente Hawai’i opened a new Mom and Newborn Center on Maui, the first of its kind on the Valley Isle. Located at Kaiser Permanente’s Maui Lani Medical Office in Wailuku, the center embraces moms and newborns within 48 hours of being discharged from the hospital. The center adds the convenience of combining postpartum check-ups for both mom and baby in one visit, providing physical and emotional well-being assessments for mom, as well as weight and other health monitoring for baby. The lactation consultant who visits with mom and baby in the hospital will visit the couple again at the Mom and Newborn Center to provide continued support in the breastfeeding process.

“I have family on this side able to take me in because if not I would probably be on the Mainland.” – Ivy Navarro, Lahainaluna alum

Maui County Council members set aside concerns about displacing two dozen homeless people from Holomua Road and the possibility of a legal challenge, and they decided Friday to restrict public access to a lower portion of the road and close its upper section.

In May 2024, Maui’s housing market exhibited stability in single-family home sales while showing moderate increases in median prices, according to the latest figures from the Realtors Association of Maui (RAM). The median sales price for single-family homes rose by 2% compared to May of the previous year, reaching $1,297,500 with the 2024 year-to-date median listed at $1,300,000 for Maui. Compared to last month, the median home price was $1,303,692 in March of 2024.

By virtue of being uncontested, Maui County Council Members Shane Sinenci of East Maui and Gabe Johnson of Lāna‘i will be re-elected to their respective seats this year. Central Maui Sen. Troy Hashimoto is also uncontested for his 5th District Senate seat, and District 9 Rep. Justin Woodson has no opponent to stand in the way of his return to the state House of Representatives.

After hearing testimony overwhelmingly opposed to Air Force plans to build and operate up to seven telescopes atop Haleakalā, Maui County Council members unanimously supported a resolution opposing construction of the proposed Air Force Maui Optical and Supercomputing Site Small Telescope Advanced Research facility.

Maui County Council members voted unanimously Wednesday to wrap up their work on the County’s fiscal 2025 budget, sending their spending package to Mayor Richard Bissen for final action.

Representatives of fire-related entities from state, national and local levels gathered at Fire Station 14 in Wailea to launch the state’s 8th annual Wildfire and Drought LOOKOUT! campaign on Tuesday.

The first phase of the “Maui Nui Hall of Fame” was unveiled Sunday evening at Kahului Airport, featuring 40 inaugural inductees from Maui County who have made significant contributions in music, film, and sports in Hawai‘i and beyond. The event drew more than 100 Hawaiʻi icons, government leaders, residents and well-wishers who celebrated the accomplishments, talents and impressive careers of honorees who have left a lasting impact in their respective fields.

The Bon dance season is set to make its return to Maui this summer. The Japanese Buddhist tradition of Obon, which is held at various temples throughout Maui County, is a community celebration to honor and offer prayers to the spirits of ancestors through music and dance. The full 2024 Maui Bon Dance Schedule is posted HERE.

“I hope there’s changes that can come in our economy that benefits its people first and not necessarily just how much money can you make from it,” Cowell said. “I hope people who are moving there and who are buying space there can acknowledge and realize how that is such a privilege. And that unfortunately there are people who cannot and will never be able to afford the spaces that they are occupying at this time.”

On Tuesday, the Pacific Remote Islands Coalition highlighted an advisory assessment by The Udall Foundation’s John S. McCain III National Center for Environmental Conflict Resolution, which found that Indigenous peoples should be included in the renaming process of the Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument.

The Maui Police Department’s fledgling helicopter program experienced some turbulence this week during a Maui County Council committee meeting when questions surfaced about the proposed air unit’s projected costs.

Maui County does not have water available in West Maui for the Pulelehua project, a long planned development seen as a scarce opportunity to provide desperately needed housing for Lahaina residents displaced by the August wildfires.

Hawaiian Electric Company unveiled details today regarding its Public Safety Power Shutoff or PSPS program for lessening the risk of wildfires in Hawaiʻi, which will launch on July 1. As part of this program, Hawaiian Electric may preemptively shut off power in certain areas it has identified as high risk during periods of forecast high winds and dry conditions. In Maui County, the program will start in West Maui, Upcountry, parts of Central and South Maui, and parts of central Molokaʻi (affecting approximately 26,100 customers).

The Board of Land and Natural Resources has rejected a request from the owners of the luxury yacht Nakoa for a formal contested case hearing to fight a $1.8 million fine assessed last month.

“I would just say we’re a very persistent and resilient class,” senior Lola Donez said Sunday. “We’ve literally been through it all I guess, and we’re still standing, we’re still here graduating. We still accomplished what every other high school student accomplishes when they graduate — we just kind of had to go through a lot more hardships.”

Lahainaluna High School’s Class of 2024 celebrated the end of an emotional four-year journey, with 216 seniors receiving their diplomas Sunday night at the Sue D. Cooley Stadium.

Maui County members voted 9-0 on Tuesday to approve a bill on first reading to close the mauka portion Holomua Road above the entrance to old Maui High School to address concerns about brush fires and other public safety issues.

*Reader caution: This story contains allegations of animal cruelty that some might find disturbing. Thieves stole “Eddie,” a well-fed and beloved domesticated pig, from a Haʻikū animal sanctuary on May 11, according to a post by Sarah Haynes, operator of the Kitty Charm Farm. She said the criminals faked an Instagram video of themselves “hunting” it, then killed and gutted it. Before long, they entered the 250-pound deceased animal into a Makawao feral pig hunting contest, winning first place and $1,000 cash prize, according to Haynes’ social media posts.