In Case You Missed It

The Lahaina wildfire that killed at least 102 people and destroyed more than 2,000 buildings did not stem from a single cause, according to the phase-two Lahaina Fire Incident Analysis Report released Friday and prepared by the independent Fire Safety Research Institute for the state of Hawaiʻi.

August 2024 saw Maui’s housing market exhibit contrasting trends, with single-family homes experiencing both a rise in sales and an increase in median prices, according to the latest data from the Realtors Association of Maui. The median sales price for single-family homes increased by 10.4% compared to August 2023, reaching $1,325,000, indicating continued demand at higher price points. Meanwhile, condominium sales dropped by 34.7%, though the median price for condos surged to $1,000,000, a 33.3% increase.

Four people were injured when a commercial catamaran ran aground on Kāʻanapali Beach in West Maui on Tuesday evening. The incident was reported at 7:15 p.m. on Sept. 10, 2024. DLNR reports that the vessel was removed this morning with no release of any hazardous materials reported.

Whaler’s Fine Jewelry owner Tien Doan is no stranger to adversity. A survivor of Pol Pot’s “Killing Fields” in Cambodia, Doan lost his Front Street family home to last year’s wildfire, along with two vacation rental properties — reduced to ashes.

AES Hawaiʻi held a blessing ceremony on Friday to launch Kūihelani solar-plus-storage, Hawai‘i’s largest solar facility, which is producing electricity for Maui at 8-cents per kilowatt hour, the lowest renewable energy cost in the state. The facility produces 60 MW of renewable energy, enough to power 27,000 Maui homes.

A field crew with the Maui Invasive Species Committee detected a small population of little fire ants (Wasmannia auropunctata) along Hāna Highway near the entrance of the Kīpahulu District of Haleakalā National Park on Aug. 26, 2024. This finding follows the late May detection of little fire ants or LFA at a county storage area on Waikaloa Road in Hāna. Officials say the ants likely spread via contaminated road fill to Kīpahulu within the last year. The infestation appears to be confined to approximately two-thirds of an acre, less than half a soccer field. 

Members of the US House Subcommittee on Government Operations and the Federal Workforce, including Hawaiʻi US Reps. Jill Tokuda and Ed Case, heard an update Wednesday on last year’s deadly wildfires during a hearing at the Lahaina Civic Center.

Elected officials will hear from federal and local witnesses as it looks into whether the government followed the lessons it learned from other disasters.

The Hawai‘i Community Foundation announced a $2.128 million grant to the Daniel R. Sayre Memorial Foundation. The total award amount comprises $1 million from HCF’s Maui Strong Fund and $1.128 million donated by Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez. The new trucks will have the ability to drive off-pavement, allowing crews to better reach wildfires early and prevent them from spreading.

The two teams joined in the potluck tradition after Lahainaluna beat Moloka‘i in the Famers’ MIL 11-player football debut on Saturday night.

The land trust says listings of burned properties in Lahaina with prices well above their assessed land values pre-fire will draw outside investors and put properties out of the reach of local buyers. But sellers say it’s a tough call to put their properties on the market and that they’re just trying to recoup their losses and move on with their lives.

Second Circuit Court Judge Peter Cahill granted a motion on Friday to allow the Hawaiʻi Supreme Court to determine whether or not insurers can interfere with the historic $4.037 billion global settlement for plaintiffs in the Maui Wildfires Cases. The findings by the higher court could either provide more clarity on the role of insurers seeking to recoup money from payouts; or, if it does not reach a resolution in nine months, the settlement could be terminated.

Maui Planning Commission members breezed by a proposed policy statement in the draft South Maui Community Plan update Tuesday evening, agreeing by consensus that the plan would aim to increase long-term residential housing by phasing-out short-term rentals from Māʻalaea to Kanaio.

Waiola Church members are eagerly awaiting the call from the Army Corps of Engineers to notify them when their property is next for cleanup. The church is among the properties that have been put off until the end of the cleanup process because of their historic characteristics and physical hazards. 

Maui County Council members approved on second-and-final reading Tuesday land use measures to pave the way for redevelopment of Queen Kaʻahumanu Center as it struggles amid a nationwide decline in brick-and-mortar shopping malls. Bills 67 and 68 advance to Mayor Richard Bissen for final action.

The 2024 Emma Farden Sharpe Hula Festival Legacy Award was presented to Carolee “Doll” Aricayos on Saturday, Aug. 17, 2024, at the Queen Ka‘ahumanu Center. Aunty Doll, as she is affectionately known, was recognized for her lifelong dedication to hula and culture.

Volunteer LeCamieann Shiffler, whom one swim coach called “an angel” who dropped out of the sky, has spearheaded the effort to cleanup the fire debris from the popular pool so it can reopen for the community.

Maui Planning Commission members will take up the draft South Maui Community Plan update on Tuesday, and it comes with a very hot potato — a policy statement to increase residential housing by phasing-out short-term vacation rentals.

Flight disruptions have worsened following a series of events that include the groundings of Mokulele’s larger-capacity Saab last month and a portion of its fleet over the weekend. The airline also determined earlier this year that the aircraft it brought in to provide backup service are not a good fit for Hawai’i.

With the tying run at third base, the Central East Maui Little League All-Stars fell just short in a 4-3 elimination game loss to Lake Mary, Fla., on Wednesday. They were one of the final eight teams in the tournament.