In Case You Missed It
Maui losing 10 stores, 80 jobs after company overseeing iconic surfing brands files for bankruptcy
Four Honolua Surf Co. stores, two Quiksilver, two Billabong and two Volcom stores are set to shut down on Maui after their current inventory sells out, probably near the end of April.
Long-awaited greenway moving forward with potential as Lahaina evacuation route; but project still years away
The West Maui Greenway, which also could be used for evacuations during emergencies, received a $15.4 million federal grant in January that the county has nine years to use.
Council panel recommends confirmation of Jonathan Scheuer to East Maui Regional Community Board
The Maui County Council’s Water Authority, Social Services and Parks Committee has recommended full Council confirmation of Jonathan Likeke Scheuer as the Hawaiian Homes Commission representative to the East Maui Regional Community Board.
Should neighborhoods build more densely after Lahaina fire? This bill would allow it
The number of homes allowed on a lot could double in some areas under a bill that the county says would help address a housing crisis made worse by the fire.
UHERO forecast: Federal cuts raise risk of Hawaiʻi economic downturn
The clearest near-term risk is federal layoffs, which could result in a loss of more than 2,000 local jobs, fully offsetting growth in construction and the lift from local tax cuts. Together with other federal policies, this places the Hawaiʻi economy at risk of recession over the next few years, UHERO reports.
County wants to buy land to improve emergency evacuation routes in Lahaina
A council committee backed the $1.7 million purchase of land that could be used in the short term to house volunteers helping with rebuilding and to store construction materials.
Maui voyaging canoe lost in the Lahaina wildfires to be replaced
The Mo‘olele was birthed 50 years ago and was in a park along the ocean, at 525 Front Street, when it burned. Timothy ‘Timi’ Gilliom is a captain and the builder of the Mo‘okiha O Pi‘ilani and the new canoe that’s replacing the Mo‘olele, the Nāleilehua.
Resurrection of Maui County Fair passes County Council unanimously on first reading
Maui County Council members voted unanimously 9-0 to approve on first reading an amended Bill 7, revising the County’s fiscal year 2025 budget to appropriate $1.5 million to the nonprofit Festivals of Aloha for the 2025 Maui County Fair.
Maui man walks free after 30 years behind bars, with help of Hawaiʻi Innocence Project
“Thank you… You guys believed in me,” said Gordon Cordeiro as he hugged family and friends upon his release on Friday afternoon. After more than 30 years behind bars, Cordeiro is a free man thanks to the Hawaiʻi Innocence Project and a ruling by 2nd Circuit District Court Judge Kirstin M. Hamman, vacating a murder conviction and granting him immediate release.
Temporary tiny homes to replace tents at homeless shelter near Kahului Airport
The state says the homes will be converted into a kauhale — a community of tiny homes with shared amenities — though the location has yet to be determined.
7 injured, some critically in Kāʻanapali explosion; preliminary investigation points to petroleum gas
Police say seven individuals, ranging in age from 18 to 74, sustained injuries, with three in critical condition and one transported via medevac following the explosion in Kāʻanapali. Preliminary investigations suggest that the explosion may have involved liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), which supplies common area BBQs. Witness statements indicate a possible grill malfunction before the incident.
Fire debris cleared from final commercial property in Lahaina ahead of schedule
Debris was cleared from 148 commercial lots in Lahaina ahead of the Feb. 26, 2025, deadline. The clearing of the commercial lots follows the clearing of residential properties at the end of August 2024. In total, 1,538 residential and commercial properties have been cleared of wildfire debris.
Council’s $300,000 vacation rental phase-out study strays off course
A Maui County Council plan to contract its own study of the economic impacts of Mayor Richard Bissen’s proposed phase-out of Maui County vacation rentals has fallen to the wayside, and Council legislative analysts will conduct research in-house instead.
Maui County: Lahaina wildfire debris will begin being moved from Olowalu to Central Maui in June
Construction of the permanent site for the Lahaina wildfire and debris is currently underway in Central Maui on recently purchased land and is expected to be completed in June.
County bill advances to allow nonconforming structures in Lahaina to be rebuilt as they were before the wildfires
Planning officials say some residents are waiting for the bill to pass in order to rebuild their properties.
Senate bill advances to strip county council approval of state-funded housing projects
A bill to exempt state-financed housing developments from county council approval has passed second reading on the Hawaiʻi Senate floor and advanced to the Ways and Means Committee.
US Senate confirms Tulsi Gabbard as director of national intelligence
In a 52-48 vote the US Senate confirmed Tulsi Gabbard, of Hawaiʻi as director of national intelligence.
With massive flooding in Kīhei wreaking havoc every winter, community wonders: When will things change?
Maui County and the state have done studies on ways to respond to flooding and improve drainage in the areas, but some residents feel they’re not taking fast enough action.
Beach restoration, cleanup of abandoned cars among ideas for Olowalu’s coast when highway is realigned
More than 50 community members showed up for a planning meeting for the “Olowalu: The Road to Resilience” study being developed due to the upcoming realignment of Honoapi’ilani Highway from Ukumahame to Olowalu.
Rapid ʻŌhiʻa Death detected at Maui elementary school
The least-virulent strain of the fungal infection known as Rapid ʻŌhiʻa Death (ROD) was detected late last month in three landscape ʻōhiʻa trees on the campus of a Maui elementary school.
