Maui News

Nonprofit The Friends of the Library of Hawai‘i on Wednesday presented the Mahalo Award to State Sen. Lynn DeCoite, recognizing her support of Hawai‘i’s public libraries. The Mahalo Award is given annually to a legislator who has demonstrated exemplary support of Hawai‘i’s public libraries during the prior legislative session.

Noalani Helela’s play Aloha Kaua will be showing at the historic ʻĪao Theater, March 8 and 9. Aloha Kaua is a historical drama about the  period in King Kamehameha III’s rule known as “the time of Kaomi” (ka wa  ia Kaomi).

Volunteers ages 16.5 to 23 years old are sought to participate in a spring break archaeology adventure at the Kēōkea-Waiohuli Hawaiian homelands. The free, six-day archaeology intensive begins March 15 at a 102-acre cultural reserve. There, students will learn to discover archaeological features; then identify, clear, and “adaptively” replant and reuse the ancient sites. 

Motorists in West Maui are advised of potential traffic delays due to night lane closures at the intersection of Honoapiʻilani Highway (Route 30) and Kapunakea Street in Lahaina for sewer line and paving work for the Kaiāulu o Kūkuʻia Affordable Housing project.

With the US Army Corps of Engineers’ recent completion of debris removal in commercial areas, the security contract for restricted areas in Lahaina’s Impact Zone will end at 6 p.m. Feb. 28, 2025, according to the County’s Maui Emergency Management Agency.

Police say seven individuals, ranging in age from 18 to 74, sustained injuries, with three in critical condition and one transported via medevac following the explosion in Kāʻanapali. Preliminary investigations suggest that the explosion may have involved liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), which supplies common area BBQs. Witness statements indicate a possible grill malfunction before the incident.

The Office of Hawaiian Affairs today announced the launch of “AHO”- the Access to Home Ownership program, a new mortgage loan program designed to address Hawaiʻi’s affordable housing crisis and assist Native Hawaiians in achieving their dreams of homeownership in Hawaiʻi.

Democratic West Maui Rep. Elle Cochran has the second-highest rate of full-day absences so far this year at 80%, second-only to Republican Rep. Gene Ward, who has been absent every day through the 20th day of this year’s lawmaking session.

Hawai‘i’s congressional delegation of US Sens. Brian Schatzand Mazie Hirono and Reps. Ed Case and Jill Tokuda introduced today a resolution celebrating Mahina ‘Ōlelo Hawai‘i, also known as Hawaiian Language Month.

Hawaiʻi State Federal Credit Union recently presented a donation of $5,000 to Hawaiʻi Meals on Wheels in support of its mission to provide nutritious meals and essential services to kūpuna and individuals with disabilities across Oʻahu. 

Book Trust, an early literacy nonprofit co-founded by Maui residents, is celebrating 20 years of increasing book access and ownership for keiki throughout Hawaiʻi with a book-themed fundraising and friend-raising event at 4:30 p.m. Feb. 22 at Ocean Organic Farm & Distillery.

The 44th Annual Kapalua Wine & Food Festival will return to The Ritz-Carlton Maui, Kapalua, July 10-13, 2025, featuring a star-studded weekend of world-class cuisine and exceptional wines.

In response to a surge in thefts in fire-impacted areas, the County of Maui is taking action to enhance security. To address these concerns, the County will install security cameras in key, high-risk locations to deter criminal activity and support law enforcement efforts.  

Maui teams delivered strong performances at the 2025 Hawaiʻi Elementary and Middle School VEX IQ Robotics Regional Championships, held Feb. 15-16, with several teams earning top awards and positioning themselves for potential advancement to the VEX Robotics World Championship in Dallas, Texas.

First Tee – Hawaiʻi is looking for enthusiastic and caring individuals to serve as positive mentors and role models to kids and teens in the program. These individuals should have a desire to help kids discover what’s inside of them, guide them to strengthen it and mentor them to put it into action in everything they do.

Art lovers and collectors are encouraged to stop by the Paint Maui Plein Air Invitational 2025 happening in West Maui this week and continuing through the weekend.

US Rep. Case has reintroduced two measures in the 119th Congress calling for moratoria on the mining of the Earth’s deep seabed unless and until its potentially destructive consequences are fully understood and an appropriate international protective regulatory regime is established.

Debris was cleared from 148 commercial lots in Lahaina ahead of the Feb. 26, 2025, deadline. The clearing of the commercial lots follows the clearing of residential properties at the end of August 2024. In total, 1,538 residential and commercial properties have been cleared of wildfire debris.

US Sen. Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) spoke on the Senate floor on Wednesday, underscoring congressional Republicans’ efforts to cut taxes for billionaires. He said this comes while working families are footing the bill as they struggle with soaring prices from inflation, air safety concerns, and threats to public health.

Retired Maui Economic Opportunity staffer Bishop Pahia, who continues his work to help those released from jail and prison transition to life in the community, was named MEO’s Volunteer of the Year on Friday at the nonprofit’s Valentine’s Day luncheon at the Maui Beach Hotel.