In Case You Missed It

For entertainment this week on Maui, there are performances by the Great American Jazz Piano Competition finalist Jeff Hellmer & Friends, three-time Nā Hōkū Hanohano winner Kevin Brown and Maui Prep actors in Beauty and the Beast, as well as a Winter Craft Fair and the 50th Maui County Senior Fair.

The Maui Police Department today identified one more victim of the Aug. 8 Lahaina fire: Sharlene Rabang, 78, of Lahaina.

Last Thursday, State House Representative Troy N. Hashimoto was appointed by Governor Josh Green, M.D. to fill the Senate District 5 vacancy created by outgoing State Senator Gilbert S.C. Keith-Agaran who resigned on Oct. 31, 2023. This appointment resulted in a seat vacancy for House District 10.

The Hawai‘i State Department of Health has issued a formal notice to proceed for Maui Wellness Group, LLC, dba Maui Grown Therapies after it passed its final on-site inspection for its fourth retail facility. Maui Grown Therapies’ new retail site is located at 1215 South Kīhei Road D-2 in Kīhei, and the company expects to begin sales on Friday, Nov. 17, 2023.

Liam Moleta of Oʻahu earned this year’s title for his performance of “Aloha Nō Kahului.” Also competing were Tevita Lisiate Apina-Pacheco from Waiʻanae, O‘ahu, Antonio Robles of Wailuku, Maui, and Via Tiumalu Jr from Kīhei, Maui.

Mānoa Chocolate’s name originated from the Hawaiian word mānoa which means solid, vast and depth. Butterbaugh found this name fitting: it summed up his goal to (1) make chocolate with deep, complex flavor profiles, and (2) create a vast impact on Hawaiʻi’s agricultural and manufacturing industries.

Families with dependent children in their household, directly and indirectly impacted by the wildfires and earning less than 350% of the poverty level (which for a family of four is $120,750 annually) are eligible for the benefits.

“Although we are fortunate to have several relief fleet… we’re still in our drought season. We still are averaging about 60 wildfires a month, and so this truck will be going to work pretty quickly here… It will not lay unused,” said Maui Fire Chief Brad Ventura.

Maui County has closed the job applications for administrator of the Maui Emergency Management Agency, and will begin the selection process from 15 candidates.

The Senate Ways and Means Committee visited a site being considered for a potential multi-acre film studio in Kailua-Kona and heard updates on the local film industry for its last stop on a three-day visit on Hawaiʻi Island. Considering yesterday’s agreement reached by SAG-AFTRA and film studios, the visit’s timing proved to be especially relevant.

A groundbreaking and blessing ceremony was held Thursday morning for Hale O Piʻikea, a new 223-unit affordable rental housing development in Kīhei.

Governor Josh Green, M.D. today announced Troy Hashimoto as the Senate successor to Gil Keith-Agaran, who resigned from the post effective Oct. 31. Hashimoto said he would continue to work on key areas of affordable housing, education and health care in his new capacity.

Children and staff of Princess Nahiʻenaʻena Elementary School and Kamehameha III Elementary were treated to a Lahaina Toy Surprise and Delight event on Wednesday. The event aimed to bring joy to families impacted by the Lahaina wildfires and create a Winter Wonderland filled with surprises and delights for students and staff.

Cool Cat Café at the Wharf Cinema Center Shops in West Maui was destroyed by the August wildfire in Lahaina. Rising from the aftermath, the restaurant is poised to open for lunch and dinner at the Kukui Mall in Kīhei in early 2024.

Preliminary analysis suggests that the pink color of water at Keālia Pond appears to be the result of a single-celled organism called halobacteria. Officials with the US Fish and Wildlife Service say halobacteria are “salt-loving organisms” found in high salinity water bodies.

A new recovery fund which will exceed $150 million, will distribute money to families of those who died, and to those who suffered severe personal injuries in the Maui wildfires.

A new Guinness World Record has been documented for Australia surfer Laura Enever for her ride at Outer Reef, the big-wave break on the North Shore of Oʻahu, on Jan. 22, 2023. The World Surf League measured and verified her wave to be 43.6 feet, breaking the world record for the biggest wave ever paddled into by a woman. 

For entertainment this week on Maui, there’s the Maui Veterans Day Invitational Kayak Clash, the 21st Annual Falsetto Contest, a free performance by The Voice contestant Jason Arcilla, debuts of Makana’s song “Lahainalalo,” and a recital by classical pianist Mahana Teave as part of a Wildfire Benefit Concert Series.

Officials with the US Army Corps of Engineers tell Maui Now that the $53.7 million base contract covers all the utilities, terracing, installation of the modular facilities and the first 6 months of leasing the buildings.

The World Surf League 2023/2024 Big Wave season is officially open. This Big Wave season will feature events at two iconic locations: the TUDOR Jaws Big Wave Challenge at Peʻahi on Maui in the Hawaiian Islands; and the TUDOR Nazaré Big Wave Challenge in Nazaré, Portugal.  The holding period to run the competition at Nazaré opens today, and Peʻahi starts on Nov. 10. Both events’ holding periods close on March 31, 2024.