The Ka La‘i Ola interim housing development for wildfire survivors in West Maui received a significant boost today as the Hawai‘i Community Foundation through its Maui Strong Fund, announced a $40 million grant to local nonprofit HomeAid Hawai‘i.

Mayor Richard Bissen and Managing Director Josiah Nishita updated Maui County Council members Thursday morning on the status of the county’s request for state funding to help with the staggering costs of rebuilding infrastructure destroyed in the Aug. 8-9 wildfires disaster.

A redevelopment project to beautify the rundown Kīhei Marketplace ran into strong community opposition Tuesday before the Maui Planning Commission with dozens of testifiers irked about plans for 13 transient vacation rentals.

The grand opening of Kaulana Mahina Apartments—a workforce housing development in Wailuku—took place on Thursday, April 18. This event comes at a time when the chronically undersupplied housing market on Maui has been further impacted by the devastating fires of last August.

Gov. Josh Green, M.D., has announced a new partnership with HomeAid Hawai‘i to build Ka La‘i Ola, a project that will create 450 units for wildfire survivors on Maui who were not eligible for FEMA assistance. Ka La‘i Ola is the largest interim housing development announced for Maui wildfire survivors to date. Groundbreaking will soon be announced. 

The Maui Fair Alliance announced that it will not organize or hold a Maui Fair in 2024, and will be taking steps to dissolve after years of dedicated service to the Maui community. The Maui Fair was last held in October 2019 several months before Hawaiʻi’s first COVID-19 case was confirmed in the islands.

A minute-by-minute timeline assembled by fire investigators provides a chilling, detailed account of how a grassland fire reported at 2:55 p.m. Aug. 8, mauka of the Lahaina Bypass and Kelawea Mauka Makai Park, rapidly grew into a monster, devouring everything in its path.

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.