Maui News

County of Maui officials, project partners and community members gathered Thursday, July 30, 2026, to mark the groundbreaking and blessing ceremony for the Lahaina Recreation Center playground, a highly anticipated project that symbolizes hope, renewal and resilience for the West Maui community.

Hawaiian Electric is monitoring high winds and dry conditions in West Maui, Ōmaʻopio and Pūlehu in Kahului, and areas of Hawaiʻi Island which may lead to an increased risk of wildfires. At this time, the company is in a Public Safety Power Shutoff “watch” condition, meaning that if weather conditions intensify in the next 24 to 48 hours Hawaiian Electric may proactively shut off power in communities with high exposure to wildfire risk.

Grants of up to $15,000 will be available for qualifying projects, potentially covering up to 100% of project costs. Applications open Aug. 5, 2026 and will be processed on a first-come, first-served basis.

The owner of a West O‘ahu ranch contacted DLE Saturday morning to report a group of people hunting on private ranch property without permission.  The owner also reported hearing what sounded like numerous gun shots in the area where the suspected illegal hunters were located. 

A 17-year-old Lahaina male turned himself in on Thursday, July 30, 2026, in connection with the investigation of an organized retail theft of thousands of dollars in luxury items from Wailea retailers earlier in the week. He was arrested on suspicion of second-degree theft and criminal conspiracy.

On Thursday, July 30, 2026, a 14-year-old Lahaina boy voluntarily turned himself in at the Wailuku Police Station.  He was arrested on the suspicion on riot.  On Thursday, July 30, 2026, a 14-year-old Lahaina boy voluntarily turned himself in at the Wailuku Police Station.  He was arrested on the suspicion on riot.  

United States Attorney Ken Sorenson announced that Bernadette Acaso, 19, a Filipino national residing in Honolulu, Oʻahu and Kahului, Maui, was charged by criminal complaint on July 22, 2026, with unlawfully voting as an alien.

The County announced its Department of ʻŌiwi Resources grant applications open July 31 through Aug 31, 2026. The average award is expected to range from $25,000 to $50,000. New Kūikawā Grants max request $2,500 for FY2027. An informational webinar is scheduled for Aug 11 at 11 a.m.

Maui County could more than double public control of West Maui’s drinking water under a proposed deal with Maui Land & Pineapple Co., but County Council members on Wednesday pushed back on provisions in a memorandum of understanding that would bundle the water purchase with zoning changes for housing on land the company wants to keep for development.

The County of Maui Office of Recovery today announced it will be launching two competitive grant opportunities through its Hoʻokumu Hou program, open to nonprofits and government agencies that are working to support community members’ recovery from the 2023 Maui Wildfires.

Community members, cultural leaders, artists and government officials gathered recently at the historic Pāʻia Sugar Mill to bless and unveil a new large-scale mural celebrating public art shaped through listening, collaboration and a shared commitment to place.

The Maui County Council’s Government Relations, Ethics and Transparency Committee voted 9-0 Tuesday to recommend passage of a bill extending the Board of Ethics’ jurisdiction to pursue ethics violations from one to six years, and to explicitly apply the change retroactively.

Three residents were displaced as a result of a structure fire reported at a single-family home along the Kahekili Highway on Thursday morning.

State House District 14 candidate Sne Patel today announced the endorsement of the State of Hawaiʻi Organization of Police Officers, adding the support of Hawaiʻi’s largest law enforcement organization to his network of labor and community endorsements. 

CEO and founder of ʻOhana Care, Jessika Galvez will be the speaker at the Rotary Club of Lahaina Sunset meeting on Tuesday, Aug. 4, 2026. ʻOhana Care is a home care agency and the on-site care provider at Kalama Heights Senior Living.

Produced by the Maui Ocean Center in partnership with the Māʻalaea Village Association, “Māʻalaea’s Taste for Regeneration” tells the inspiring story of a growing community movement to restore Māʻalaea Bay from mauka to makai (the uplands to the ocean). 

The event raised $50,000 for Maui Junior Golf Association, a Maui nonprofit dedicated to developing life skills through fun, affordable and competitive programs that educate, motivate and inspire future golfers — bringing the coalition’s total raised since 2014 to over $350,000.

The Maui County Council’s Budget, Finance and Economic Development Committee unanimously advanced a bill Tuesday requiring greater transparency in county land use, while also receiving an update on the upcoming overhaul of the county’s transient accommodation tax collection system.

Maui police officers responded to reports of an organized retail theft at a Wailea retail complex Tuesday evening, where three suspects allegedly stole luxury items valued at over $80,000. Two male suspects—an 18-year-old from Miami and a 15-year-old from Lahaina—were detained; while a third suspect, identified as a male juvenile, fled the area and remains at large.

Maui Now and its team of journalists earned multiple awards in the 2025 Hawaiʻi Society of Professional Journalists Excellence in Journalism awards, including second place for Best Overall News Site for the second year in a row.