Maui News

Civic engagement in Lahaina remained strong Tuesday evening, with about 100 community members and staff gathering to discuss potential sites for King Kamehameha III Elementary School’s permanent location.

The Fundamentals First held an Inaugural Golf Tournament on Oct. 12 at The Dunes at Maui Lani golf course, successfully raising funds to support a general fitness and sports performance training program for youth, high school and collegiate athletes to maximize athlete potential.  

Hawai‘i Land Trust, Hawaiʻi’s statewide local nonprofit land trust that protects, stewards, and connects people to the lands that sustain Hawaiʻi, will honor the Ed Lindsey ʻohana at its 23rd annual Buy Back the Beach benefit lūʻau from 5-9 p.m. on Jan. 25, 2025.

A surge of calls to the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline one year after the Lahaina wildfires underscores urgent need for expanded Hawaiʻi-based mental health support services. However, limited local resources have caused many calls to be rerouted to out-of-state services, exposing critical gaps in local mental health infrastructure, according to the University of Hawaiʻi. These findings were published in JAMA Network Open on Nov. 20.

Maui County hotels continued to be impacted by the Aug. 8, 2023, wildfires. Maui County hotels achieved RevPAR of $253 (-24.9% vs. 2023, -1.7% vs. 2019), with ADR at $462 (-8.7% vs. 2023, +36.9% vs. 2019) and occupancy of 54.9% (-11.8 percentage points vs. 2023, -21.5 percentage points vs. 2019). 

During the holiday hustle and bustle, scammers often target unsuspecting utility customers. Today, on national Utility Scam Awareness Day, Hawaiian Electric warns customers to guard against criminals taking aim at their hard-earned money.

Dedicated members of Rotary Maui Fires Relief Advisory Committee, alongside Rotary D5000 District Governor Ted Faigle, visited the University of Hawai’i Maui College to see how Rotary support for student vocational training was conducted at the college’s Food Innovation Center.

Queen Kaʻahumanu Center is excited to host a series of local pop-up shops this holiday season.

Fairmont Kea Lani is delighted to announce the 33rd annual Tree Lighting Ceremony taking place on Friday, Nov. 29, 2024 in conjunction with the start of their 11th annual Tree of Hope Campaign benefitting Maui Food Bank.

The County Department of Environmental Management will provide updates on three key areas of recovery: an update on areas that have had sewer service restored; a brief update on the US Environmental Protection Agency’s Wahikuli sewer project; and information regarding the County’s recently announced agreement to acquire land from Nan, Inc., adjacent to the Central Maui Landfill, that would be used for the Permanent Disposal Site of Lahaina fire debris.

New benefits, including funds for a new refrigerator, washer, stove and microwave, and increased assistance limits highlight the beginning of the second year of the Maui Relief TANF Program that supports those impacted by the Maui wildfires.

The Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement (CNHA), in partnership with the Hawai‘i Tourism Authority and the Hawai‘i Community Foundation, proudly presents Lahaina Festival —a three-day celebration of music, culture, and community support for Maui’s resilient spirit. This free event, open to the public, will take place from Sunday, Nov. 24 to Tuesday, Nov. 26, 2024, at the Royal Lahaina Resort & Bungalows, coinciding with the prestigious Maui Invitational college basketball tournament.

The Hawaiʻi Department of Transportation and its traffic safety partners held a kickoff at Aloha Stadium to declare the week of Nov. 18-24 as Crash Responder Safety Week.

The Hawaiʻi Department of Health Food and Drug Branch is alerting residents to a recall issued by Grimmway Farms for multiple brand names of organic whole carrots and organic baby carrots because of potential E. coli O121:H19 contamination. These products were sold throughout the U.S., and include 365 Whole Foods Market, Bunny Luv, Cal-Organic, Good & Gather and O Organics brands that were available for purchase at supermarkets and retailers in Hawai‘i.

Hawaiian Electric crews and contractors will be conducting equipment upgrades and tree trimming on Hāna Highway between Lower Ulumalu Road and Hohani Place (between mile markers 13 and 14) heading towards Central Maui from Tuesday, Nov. 19 to Thursday, Nov. 21, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., daily. The work is aimed at maintaining reliable service.

The County of Maui has entered into conditional agreements with a subsidiary of Nan, Inc., Hawai‘i’s largest, locally owned construction company, to purchase approximately 49 acres of previously quarried land and 30 acres of land currently being quarried adjacent to the Central Maui Landfill. The 30 acres of land would be available upon completion of quarrying activities. The $4 million agreements, pending approval by the Maui County Council, aim to secure a suitable, long-term disposal site for debris from the August 2023 Lahaina wildfires and address the island’s future landfill needs.

The Maui Hotel & Lodging Association will distribute 5-pound bags of rice on Lānaʻi as part of its annual Rice for the Holidays event, Nov. 23. The program began in 2008 when MHLA partnered with Jim Coon of Trilogy Excursions in their annual giveaway of turkeys to island residents. MHLA joined in by adding the rice to go with each turkey.

The last day of Maui Bus operations at Queen Kaʻahumanu Center is today, with the opening of the new Kahului Transit Center taking place tomorrow. The blessing and planned opening comes more than three years after it broke ground in February 2021, and reported delays in project completion. 

The West Maui Temporary School Facility Project has been awarded the prestigious Project of the Year by the Construction Management Association of America. The Project of the Year Awards honor exceptional achievement and showcase the finest in construction and project management across the country.

Catholic Charities Hawai‘i will host “Living Alone with Dementia: Strategies for Support” from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 20, at the Queen’s Conference Center at the Queen’s Medical Center in Honolulu.