In Case You Missed It

Polynesian voyaging canoe Hōkūleʻa departed Statter Harbor in Juneau, Alaska early Sunday morning, officially starting the four-year Moananuiākea Voyage to circumnavigate the Pacific. 

Now that the canoe and the crew of this next leg from Juneau to Ketchikan have been blessed, they are waiting for a favorable weather window to make their departure and officially start the circumnavigation of the Pacific.

The Queen Kaʻahumanu Center announced updates regarding two retail shops. Ekolu Music & Apparel at the Queen Ka‘ahumanu Center has entered into a long-term lease after a successful opening in November 2022; and fellow retailer, Football Fanatics is moving to a 5,000 square-foot flagship store at the former site of Champs.

A ceremonial blessing and send-off is planned today in Juneau, Alaska for the global launch of the Moananuiākea Voyage.  The Polynesian sailing canoe Hōkūleʻa and her crew are set to embark on the four-year circumnavigation of the Pacific. 

Hawaiʻi Gas union workers voted Wednesday to ratify a new three-year contract, marking the end of a strike that started on June 1, 2023.

The change in the Council on Revenues general fund projections for Fiscal Year 2022-2023 went from +2% in March to –1% in May, which Gov. Green said, prompted the need to rebalance the state’s financial plan through line-item reductions to the budget.

Governor Josh Green, M.D. has signed legislation to expand access to health care on Maui and to uplift career advancement opportunities for health care workers in the state.

Wildlife and enforcement officials have reported yet another monk seal death on Oʻahu. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Office of Law Enforcement responded to a report of a young monk seal, identified as RS48, and also known as Hoʻomau Lehua. The seal was found dead on June 12, 2023, on the North Shore of Oʻahu. NOAA officials say the cause of the seal’s death is currently unknown.

The Maui Arts & Cultural Center presents Kumu Kahua Theatre’s production of Folks You Meet At Longs, July 22-23 at the McCoy Studio Theater. Tickets go on sale Tuesday, June 13 at 10 a.m.

Kīlauea volcano began erupting within Halema‘uma‘u crater at the summit during the early morning of June 7. The eruption marks another in a series of recent eruptions that the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory has been able to successfully forecast.

Mayor Richard Bissen signed into law a $1.07 billion Fiscal Year 2024 budget that provides for a decrease in tax rates for owner-occupied homes assessed at $3 million or less, increased funding for affordable housing and $184 million in capital projects and infrastructure for Maui County.

Shoreline advocates blocked heavy machinery at Kā’anapali Beach Tuesday, amid ongoing concerns over how sea level rise and continued beach erosion is handled.

Kīlauea’s alert level was lowered from Warning to Watch amid decreased effusion rates. Kīlauea’s summit eruption is expected to continue and remain confined to Halemaʻumaʻu crater within Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park.

Kolohe Kai, one of Hawaiʻi’s most streamed reggae artist of the past decade, will perform live in concert with special guests Matisyahu and Cydeways on Saturday, Sept. 30, 2023 at 6 p.m. The show will be outdoors in the Yokouchi Pavilion and A&B Amphitheater at the Maui Arts & Cultural Center in Kahului. Gates open at 5 p.m.

More than 100 people attended community meetings held over the weekend in Kīpahulu, Hāna and Kaupō, to hear updates on the Alelele Point rockfall project. “It’s important to go directly to impacted communities who are experiencing hardship, provide an update and make ourselves available to help with questions and address concerns,” said Mayor Richard Bissen […]

Kīlauea volcano is erupting. At approximately 4:44 a.m. on June 7, 2023, the USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory detected glow in Kīlauea summit webcam images indicating that an eruption has commenced within Halemaʻumaʻu crater in Kīlauea’s summit caldera, within Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park.

The Top 20 things to do on Maui for the week of June 8-14 includes the world film premiere of Willie Nelson’s 90th birthday concert, the Pacific Whale Foundation film festival event and the “Asia Phoenix” at the MACC. Find our comprehensive listing HERE.

A 62-year-old Lahaina man suffered fatal injuries in a motor vehicle crash on the Lahaina Bypass on Tuesday morning. Police say the man was operating an electric bike and was attempting to travel east across the Lahaina Bypass at the Honoapiʻilani Highway intersection when a black 1999 Toyota Tacoma traveling southbound collided into him.

The Automobile License Plate Collectors Association honored  the state of Hawai‘i with the 2022 Best Plate Award, recognizing the  Polynesian Voyaging Society’s depiction of its iconic voyaging canoe Hōkūle‘a at anchor at Kualoa Bay, the site of its inaugural launch in 1975. 

Registration starts June 13 for the popular Keiki Tilapia Fishing Tournament, presented by Hawaiian Electric, Kā‘anapali Golf Courses, and Maui United Way.