Maui News

A 57-year-old man was rescued after suffering a possible spinal injury while swimming at Baldwin Beach Park in Pāʻia on Wednesday morning.

The Maui Police Department, in coordination with a local mortuary, is seeking the public’s assistance in identifying and locating next of kin for several deceased individuals within Maui County.

US Sen. Brian Schatz of Hawai‘i announced that the Hawai‘i Department of Transportation will receive $24 million in federal funding to rehabilitate and replace approximately six bridges within the Hāna Highway Historical District with modern, resilient structures.

Maui County and Higashi-matsu-shima City, Japan, formalized a Friendship City agreement during a ceremony on Maui. The partnership, signed by Mayor Richard Bissen, honors a bond rooted in disaster resilience following the 2023 Maui Wildfires and the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake.

The Maui Public Art Corps will invite the community to celebrate the blessing and public unveiling of a new large-scale mural by artist Efren Rebugio Jr. at the historic Pāʻia Sugar Mill, on Thursday, July 16, 2026, from 10 to 11:30 a.m.

The crux of the debate is whether apartment units, long zoned for residential use, should be used as direly needed local housing or continue operating as visitor accommodations with the economic benefits of jobs, property tax revenue and income for vacation rental investors.

Lahaina Homecoming, a new, three-day celebration focused on healing, reconnection and hope, will kick off July 17-19, 2026, to welcome home 103 former Lahaina residents while inviting the public to help recognize Lahaina’s enduring spirit.

West Maui residents may dispose of recyclable, bulky items for free at the Go Green Recycling event from 8 a.m. to noon July 18, 2026, at 300 Lahainaluna Road near the Pioneer Mill smokestack (enter off Kuhua Street).

Gov. Josh Green enacted two measures that strengthen Hawaiʻi’s efforts to protect vulnerable individuals, support survivors and hold offenders accountable. HB 1960, Act 191, Session Laws of Hawaiʻi (SLH), and HB 1959, Act 192 SLH, build upon the state’s ongoing efforts to combat human trafficking, address domestic violence and enhance public safety systems statewide.

Miwa will share the extraordinary rediscovered diary of his father, Larry Fumio Miwa, a Hiroshima survivor whose firsthand account offers rare insight into one of history’s most devastating moments. As a young schoolboy in August 1945, Larry documented each day with clarity and courage—recording the destruction around him, the improbable survival of his family, and his solitary journeys through an abandoned and shattered city.

The public is invited to shop a weeklong celebration of Native Hawaiian creativity, entrepreneurship, and culture at the Neal S. Blaisdell Center, where Nā Mea Hawaiʻi will curate special marketplace experiences during the Hawaiian Council’s 2026 Native Hawaiian Convention and the 51st Annual Queen Liliʻuokalani Keiki Hula Competition & Festival.

The Hawai‘i Department of Transportation announced that its five largest airports have reached Level 3 under the Airport Carbon Accreditation Program. This milestone reinforces the department’s commitment to sustainability in aviation across the state.

“For the first time in state history, qualifying cancer patients will have the opportunity to access promising investigational therapies here in Hawai‘i, without traveling thousands of miles to medical centers on the U.S. mainland,” said Dr. Naoto T. Ueno, medical director of the new Hoʻōla Early Phase Clinical Research Center.

Yves Dela Torre was located and found to be in good health. The Maui Police Department thanked the public for their assistance.

The coalition is advocating for a practical, near-term solution: the immediate funding and installation of two 500,000-gallon water tanks integrated directly into the Upper Kula potable water system.

The Miranda family of Kaonoulu Ranch, who hosts the event, celebrated 110 years with the next generation of the ranch, Elizabeth and Daniel Miranda winning All Around Cowgirl and Cowboy titles. A complete list of top finishers is posted here.

Gov. Josh Green signed into law complementary measures aimed at regulating tobacco use and mitigating its impacts on communities across the state. He said the new legislation demonstrates Hawai‘i’s commitment to reducing the harmful impacts of disposable electronic smoking devices (ESDs) and ensures that products sold in Hawaiʻi meet federal standards.

The Maui County Council voted unanimously to approve a resolution authorizing a nominal-rent lease, allowing the Lānaʻi Youth Center to move into its newly built facility on county-owned property and clearing the way for the nonprofit to open before the start of the school year.

Maui County Council members voted unanimously to authorize the acquisition of a West Maui condominium unit for up to $278,000 to expand the Nā Hale Kūpuna program, which provides permanent housing for kūpuna displaced by the August 2023 wildfires.

The Lahaina Restoration Foundation invites the community to experience E Hoʻi Ka Nani I Mokuʻula (Let the Glory Return to Mokuʻula), the free 360-degree immersive film experience presented at Maui Ocean Center’s The Sphere. The next screening will take place on Friday, July 10, 2026 at 6 p.m., with doors opening at 5:30 p.m.