Maui News

A Maui County Council committee voted 6-2 Monday to advance three bills clearing the way for construction of a long-awaited fire station in Haʻikū, over the objections of two council members who argued the project sits on land wrongfully taken from Native Hawaiians.

After a severe electrical issue caused a well outage Sunday, Aug. 23, 2026, Department of Water Supply (DWS) water service gradually returned to affected areas of Haʻikū and surrounding communities beginning Monday afternoon.

Festivals of Aloha released its 2026 schedule of events and theme, “Ea Mai Ke Kai Mai – Rise Up from the Sea,” in support of Gov. Josh Green’s declaration of 2026 as the “Year of Our Coastal Kuleana.”

September events on Maui include sign-waving at the Queen Ka‘ahumanu Shopping Center and safeTALK training at UH Maui College on Sept. 10, followed by Crisis Intervention Team Training on Sept. 30.

The County of Maui Department of Human Concerns Immigrant Services Division will host a United States Passport Application Acceptance Fair by appointment from 8:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Friday, Aug. 28, 2026, at the Maui Family YMCA Westside Resource Center, 226 Kupuohi St., Lahaina.

Additional Hawaiian Electric employees arrived on Hawaiʻi Island on Monday, including lineworkers, engineering and other support teams from Maui and Oʻahu, to aid in restoration efforts and help speed recovery. Three newly arrived Oʻahu crews are working in the Kona area today. Seven additional Oʻahu crew members will arrive Tuesday in Hilo.

Festivals of Aloha kicks off at Wailuku First Friday guided by its 2026 theme, “Ea Mai Ke Kai Mai – Rise Up from the Sea,” in support of Gov. Josh Green’s declaration of 2026 as the “Year of Our Coastal Kuleana.” on Friday, Sept. 4, 2026, from 6 to 9 p.m. in the heart of Wailuku Town.

The Ritz-Carlton Maui, Kapalua will welcome artists, cultural practitioners, musicians, and educators from across Hawaiʻi for the 34th Annual Celebration of the Arts, taking place Sept. 18-19, 2026.

Families impacted by Hurricane Lala may be eligible for assistance replacing essential baby and young-child items that were lost or damaged during the storm.

West Maui Construction Inc. is performing modifications to the Kīhei Wastewater Pump Station No. 9, which will result in a temporary closure of the roundabout on Ulua Beach Road, along with a section of parking to be unavailable. Beach access will still be available to the public by way of the existing beach access pathway.

The Department of Water Supply is asking those in the West Kuiaha and Awalau areas to continue conserving water because a well is currently out of service. Those in the affected areas may experience low water pressure or water outages while DWS crews work to restore service.

The Nisei Veterans Memorial Center (NVMC) will host a special community screening of Voices Behind Barbed Wire on Saturday, Sept. 12, at its campus located at 665 Kahului Beach Road. The program is free to attend, and reservations are required.

Gov. Josh Green has authorized the state Department of Taxation to waive penalties and interest for the period of Aug. 20, 2026, to Oct. 20, 2026, for eligible impacted taxpayers who are not able to timely file certain state income tax, general excise tax and transient accommodations tax returns, or are not able to make timely payment in connection with those returns.

The University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa is one of the nation’s best colleges and universities, according to The Princeton Review’s 2027 edition of “The Best 392 Colleges” guide, released on Aug. 18.

Meeting community needs moment-to-moment in the aftermath of Hurricane Lala, The Salvation Army Hawaiian & Pacific Islands Division has served up warm meals and aloha to high-impact areas across Oʻahu, Maui, and Hawaiʻi Island this week.

The Rotary Club of Lahaina Sunset welcomes Kayla McHone as its guest speaker at an upcoming meeting on Tuesday, Sept. 1, 2026.  The topic of her presentation will be “Habitat Maui:  Building Homes, Building Hope.”

Flash Flood threat continues for parts of Big Island as Tropical Depression Moke makes its way south of the state. The system is forecast to degenerate to a remnant low late today and dissipate on Tuesday.

The Summit District of Haleakalā National Park remains closed following recent storms and the ongoing closure of Crater Road (Route 378). Recovery efforts, including hazard tree removal, continue along the roadway.

On the forecast track, the center of Moke will pass southwest of the Big Island of Hawaiʻi overnight and well south of the smaller main Hawaiian Islands on Monday. Rainfall totals of 3 to 6 inches of rain are expected over eastern Maui.

Hawaiian Electric has restored power to approximately 3,200 Hawaiʻi Island customers since Saturday morning. As of Sunday afternoon, about 6,460 customers remain without power.