In Case You Missed It
Mokuʻula in focus: Input sought on master plan for Lahaina Royal Complex, building a ‘living framework’
The completion of a master plan does not translate to immediate construction, but rather establishes a “living framework” for subsequent environmental reviews, historic reviews, permitting and multi-phase implementation over generations.
Waiʻānapanapa State Park facility improvements project begins July 6
A facility improvements project at Waiʻānapanapa State Park in Hāna, Maui, will enter the construction phase on Saturday, July 6. The project includes a new comfort station adjacent to the park’s eastern parking area and resurfacing of Honokalani Road. Construction of the comfort station is expected to be completed in the fall, with road improvements scheduled for completion in early 2027.
New program at Hawaiʻi-CC and UH Maui College aims to address cesspool challenges
In response to the cesspool crisis, Hawaiʻi Community College and the University of Hawaiʻi Maui College launched a new certificate program that trains students to work alongside contractors and engineers assisting with cesspool conversions and installing more sustainable systems.
Maui County leaders urge preparedness as hurricane season starts with above-normal predictions
Hurricane season in Hawaiʻi runs from June 1, through Nov. 30, 2026, and with an above-normal season forecast — including five to 13 tropical cyclones in the Central Pacific — County of Maui and Maui Emergency Management Agency officials are urging residents and visitors to prepare well before a storm is on the horizon.
Historic Pacific Ocean Row reaches half-way point to Maui
After a month on the water, Joshua Dukes and his three rowing companions are nearing the halfway point on their historic journey from Washington to Maui, Hawaiʻi. The 3,100 mile trek across the open ocean started on May 2, 2026 and is expected to take a total of 50-70 days to complete.
Congressional candidate arrested on Maui for alleged Terroristic Threatening incident in Wailuku
A 40-year-old Kīhei man identified as Congressional candidate Kirill Basin, was placed under arrest Friday for first degree Terroristic Threatening after he allegedly entered a county building off of Main Street in Wailuku while brandishing a firearm and engaged in a verbal altercation with county employees, police said.
Pacific Whale Foundation helps document a record-breaking whale voyage
The Pacific Whale Foundation has helped publish a new study that documents the longest individual humpback whale movements ever recorded—including one animal tracked crossing more than 8,700 miles between Brazil and Australia over 22 years. The foundation was a co-lead organization on the research, published May 20 in the journal Royal Society Open Science. The […]
Maui Health and UHCC launch new Maui-based healthcare degree programs with full scholarship opportunities
Maui Health, in partnership with the University of Hawaiʻi Community Colleges, has announce new Respiratory Therapy (RT) and Radiologic Technology (Rad Tech) training programs on Maui — creating local access to these in-demand healthcare careers for the first time.
New hotel zoning clears Council committee, 6-1, despite planning commissions’ opposition
The Maui County Council’s Housing and Land Use Committee voted 6-1 Tuesday to advance new hotel zoning districts for thousands of short-term vacation rentals facing a county-mandated phase-out—overriding unanimous rejection from all three county planning commissions.
Timeline for repairs to sinkhole on South Kīhei Road rests on federal funding for Kona Low Storm recovery
The County Department of Public Works’ pursuit of emergency federal funding and the complexity of repairs are shaping the timeline for permanent restoration of South Kīhei Road near Kamaʻole Beach Park II, where a sinkhole forced the closure of both lanes during severe weather in March.
‘She’s up with the saints’: Meli Watanuki, one of Kalaupapa’s last living patients, dies at 91
Loved ones remember her “thousand-watt smile” and “spark plug” personality. Her death puts public access to Kalaupapa in question, as she owned and sponsored the only permitted tour to the area.
Hoʻonani Village project recommended for first reading passage by full Council; calls for deferral set aside
A Maui County Council committee voted 5-1 Wednesday to recommend passage of two land use bills that would clear the way for the proposed Hoʻonani Village mixed-use development on former sugarcane fields near Kahului Airport, overriding deferral recommendations from three county departments with concerns about infrastructure shortfalls.
Maui football standout Kaholi Krau commits to Utah State University
Baldwin High School senior Kaholi Krau has officially committed to continue his academic and athletic career at Utah State University, where he will play football for the Aggies in the Pac-12 Conference.
HECO installing sturdier replacement poles in Lahaina, with plans for limited underground lines
Hawaiian Electric started work this week to replace wooden poles with steel and composite fiberglass on a key stretch of Honoapi’ilani Highway that it calls the “first targeted area of critical pole hardening.”
6.0 earthquake off Hōnaunau-Nāpōʻopoʻo, no tsunami threat to Hawaiʻi
There is no tsunami threat to Hawaiʻi following a 6.0 (preliminary magnitude 5.9) earthquake that occurred at 9:46 p.m. on Friday, May 22, 2026, 12 km S of Hōnaunau-Nāpōʻopoʻo, on Hawaiʻi Island. The location is on the western flank of Maunaloa.
Tulsi Gabbard resigns as Director of National Intelligence
US Director of National Intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard has resigned from her post according to an update posted on her X account this morning.
2026 Central Pacific Hurricane Outlook calls for above-normal season with 5-13 tropical cyclones
Forecasters are predicting an above-normal hurricane season for the central Pacific basin this year. NOAA’s outlook for the 2026 hurricane season, which runs June 1 to Nov. 30, predicts a 70% chance of an above-normal season, with at total of 5-13 tropical cyclones across the central Pacific in the forecast.
Maui Council committee advances Kaʻehu Bay purchase over Native Hawaiian family’s objections
The Maui County Council’s Budget, Finance and Economic Development Committee voted 6-3 Tuesday to recommend full Council approval of the county’s proposed purchase of a contested Kaʻehu Bay shoreline parcel in Waiehu, setting aside calls from a Native Hawaiian family for deferral pending further consultation.
Maui Council panel OKs $240K in additional legal fees for wildfire litigation
The Maui County Council’s Government Relations, Ethics and Transparency Committee voted unanimously Tuesday to authorize an additional $240,000 in legal fees for Los Angeles-based special counsel Meyers Nave, bringing the firm’s total authorized compensation to $740,000 for work tied to litigation arising from the August 2023 Lahaina wildfires.
Maui Council committee advances $4M budget amendment for Hālau of ʻŌiwi Arts
A Maui County Council committee recommended first reading approval Tuesday of a $4 million bond funding request for the Hālau of ʻŌiwi Arts project in Wailuku, even as council members raised pointed questions about why items originally represented as part of the project had been dropped before construction began.
