In Case You Missed It

Planners envision kalo fields, coconut farms and other natural buffers to help protect one of the state’s most important reefs.

A report by the Hawaiʻi Housing Finance and Development Corp. says systemic barriers in Hawaiʻi constrain housing production and lie at the root of the state’s housing shortage and residents’ high cost of living.

The Maui Fair is a beloved local tradition that drew about 90,000 people the last time it was held in 2019.

The summit eruption at Kīlauea volcano that began on Dec. 23 appears to have entered its forth eruptive episode this morning at about 9:15 a.m. with a small lava flow exiting the north vent, following low-level continuous lava spattering that started around 5:40 a.m. from the same vent.

Public comments are due Jan. 17 on Elon Musk’s plans for his SpaceX rockets to splash down in a much wider area, including Hawaiian waters and 240 nautical miles east of the Papahānaumokuākea National Marine Sanctuary.

Hawaiʻi Attorney General Anne Lopez has released the final, forward-looking report for the Department of the Attorney General’s investigation into official government response to the Lahaina wildfire in August 2023. The disaster claimed the lives of at least 102 people, destroyed more than 2,000 structures and left thousands homeless.

Fires — whether they be wildfires or aerial fireworks — are top of mind for many lawmakers as they prepare for this year’s lawmaking session, beginning Wednesday at the state Capitol in Honolulu.

The devastating wildfires that swept through Maui in 2023 have reduced the island’s population by more than 1,000 residents, driven by increased out-migration and declining in-migration, according to a new blog entry published by the University of Hawaiʻi Economic Research Organization.

Two humpback whales were freed of life-threatening entanglements on Jan. 8 and 9 off the coast of Maui in the Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary. These most recent responses bring the total number of humpback whale entanglement cases since mid-December to eight.

Maui County is planning to propose measures to make it easier to rebuild homes in historic and shoreline areas.

Representing 73 landowners, Front Street Recovery is committed to rebuilding the heart of Lahaina by restoring over 800 businesses and providing more than 7,000 jobs critical to supporting local families and the community.

The highest peak on Maui was graced with snow this morning as blustery conditions left a blanket of white powder at the summit of Haleakalā at the 10,000 foot elevation.

Chairperson Sharon Hurd said the Hawaiʻi State Department of Agriculture is investigating a complaint by Maui coffee farmer Gerry Ross that big company Mahi Pono was able to obtain coffee leaf rust-resistant cultivars that small companies could not.

A group of unsheltered residents living on Amala Place in Kahului sued the county in 2021, saying they weren’t given enough notice and weren’t granted a hearing to make their case before the sweep.

The agreement was hammered out in December following a three-day strike. The union wields significant power with 930 members — more than half of the 1,650 employees at Maui Health’s three hospitals.

Kīhei residents Ashley and Justin Ody welcomed baby girl Isla, known affectionately as “Baby Ody,” on New Year’s Day. She’s the couple’s first baby, and also the first baby of the New Year at Maui Memorial Medical Center.

In 2024 PUMA GOLF created a limited-edition Lahaina Maui golf cap with proceeds going directly to Lahainaluna High School through the Maui United Way, to help with community efforts from the tragic fires that ravaged the island one year ago. Last year’s Lahaina Maui Cap, which prominently featured the Lahaina “L,” on the front panel, raised almost $40,000 for LHS after selling out in quick order, so the folks at PUMA GOLF decided to do it again with a new design. 

A New Year’s celebration turned deadly on Oʻahu when a firework explosion killed at least three individuals and left more than 20 people in serious or critical condition, according to sources. The incident was reported just after midnight at a home on Keaka Drive in the Salt Lake area of Honolulu.

Wildfire recovery, the cancellation of the Maui Fair, housing solutions, and election highlights are among the stories that made our list of top features this year. Here’s a recap of some of Maui’s biggest stories in 2024.

A gifting initiative led by Lahaina teen, Madison “Madi” Goldsmith, and mainland nonprofit, the Lady Savant Foundation is recognizing positivity in the sustained spirit of residents following the 2023 Lahaina wildfires.