Maui News

From yoga in outer space to interactive star-gazing, University of Hawaiʻi students created innovative and fun new virtual and augmented reality experiences through a class collaboration between the UH Mānoa’s Information and Computer Sciences Department and the UH Academy for Creative Media System.

Motorists are advised of potential slowdowns near King Kekaulike High School in Pukalani on Monday, Dec. 30, as two speed tables will be installed at mile marker 0.25 on Haleakalā Highway (Route 377) in response to community and school concerns over speeding in the area.

County of Maui offices, facilities and services will be closed or modified on Wednesday, Dec. 25, 2024, for Christmas, and Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2025, for New Year’s Day.

The plan is designed to guide policy and outlines nearly 170 actions for the county to mitigate and adapt to climate-change effects, transition to 100% renewable energy and achieve net-negative emissions.

Ahead of the 2025 edition of The Sentry, Kā‘anapali Golf Courses and First Tee Hawai‘i will host a free interactive event for juniors aged 3 to 18 in support of First Tee Hawai‘i. All are welcome on Dec. 30, 2024 from 2 to 4 p.m. on the Kā‘anapali driving range. Golf clubs for juniors will also be available for use. A Q&A will be hosted by NBC Sports/Golf Channel analyst, First Tee Hawai‘i board member and longtime Maui resident, Mark Rolfing.

Public comments are due Jan. 22 for a proposed installation of a “geotextile, sand-filled burrito” as erosion control at the Kanai A Nalu, a nearly 50-year-old, four-story condominium in Māʻalaea.

The County of Maui has released the final Long-Term Recovery Plan for Lahaina, following a monthlong community engagement series on the draft plan that included feedback from hundreds of residents and local stakeholders.

The eruption of Kīlauea slowed significantly between 3 and 4 p.m. on Monday, and appears to have paused, according to a status update posted by the USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory. The eruption started just hours earlier at 2:20 a.m. on Dec. 23, 2024.

A High Surf Warning kept Maui’s Ocean Safety Officers busy over the weekend, on both the North Shore and the Upper West side of the island, with Jetski operators remaining on-duty until sunset as a precaution.

There’s still time to apply for Hawaiʻi Ag & Culinary Alliance’s (HACA) Cottage Industry to Commercial Enterprise Scholarship. Local value-added entrepreneurs using Hawaiʻi-grown, raised or caught ingredients, are encouraged to apply to join this network of innovators reshaping Hawai‘i’s food industry.

As the eruption and volcanic gas emissions continue, downwind communities may be affected by vog conditions (hazy air pollution caused by volcanic emissions). Particulates in the air and levels of sulfur dioxide (SO2) may increase and fluctuate in various localized areas on Hawai‘i Island, causing poor air quality. Currently, air quality levels are elevated at the Ocean View and Pahala air quality monitoring stations.

A Holiday Lane Closure Restriction runs from Monday, Dec. 23, through Sunday, Jan. 5. Only closures with demonstrated need (e.g., necessary for safety or to avoid lengthy construction delays) have been approved and are on this list. There will be no lane closures on Wednesday, Dec. 25 in observance of Christmas Day.

Gov. Josh Green, M.D., alongside community advocates, opened a new kauhale in an ongoing effort toward ending homelessness in Hawai‘i. This community project at 357 North King St. on Oʻahu, is designed to provide a safe, supportive and culturally rooted environment for individuals and families transitioning out of homelessness.

Maui pre-nursing students may now apply for the Spring 2025 Kealaho‘imai TEAS Prep Course. This free, hybrid course will run for 10 weeks from Feb. 10 to April 26, 2025 and is sponsored by Hui No Ke Ola Pono.

The Maui Humane Society is offering waived and reduced adoption fees for the month of December thanks to the generosity of BISSELL Pet Foundation and Cathy Bissell.

The state divisions of Aquatic Resources and Boating and Ocean Recreation have been working together since 2021 through its Rapid Response Program to provide funding to nonprofits throughout Hawaiʻi to aid in marine debris cleanup efforts.

The famed Peʻahi “Jaws” surf break along Maui’s north shore drew a spectacular show of talent from experienced big wave surfers over the weekend as safety crews stood by to assist. These images were captured by photographer, Patrick Wardle who shared the images with us.

The Hawai‘i Department of Taxation has updated its income tax withholding tables to reflect upcoming changes in a new state law that makes incremental adjustments to the standard deduction amount and income tax brackets beginning tax year 2024, through tax year 2031.

A study commissioned by the Hawai’i Seaglider Initiative has found that 78% of Hawai’i residents support the introduction of an interisland sea glider service, according to an announcement.

Kīlauea volcano began erupting within the summit caldera at approximately 2:20 a.m. HST this morning, Dec. 23, 2024, following an increase in seismicity that began beneath the summit just a half hour earlier, at approximately 2 a.m. HST. Multiple fountaining sources are erupting lava flows on the base of Halemaʻumaʻu crater, wiithin Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park.