Maui News

The Credit Unions of Maui have announced a donation of $300,000 to HomeAid Hawaiʻi’s Ka Laʻi Ola project, a housing initiative aimed at providing stable and secure shelter for survivors of the Lahaina wildfires. The project aims to house up to 1,500 displaced residents over the next five years.

The Hawai‘i Tourism Authority held its esteemed Tourism Legacy Awards luncheon on Wednesday as the culminating event of the 2024 Hawai‘i Tourism Conference. HTA proudly presented Tourism Legacy Awards to Kaua‘i’s Hamura Saimin and Hawai‘i’s own Chef Sam Choy for their long-standing achievements in serving Hawai‘i’s communities.

Condé Nast Traveler announced today the results of its annual Readers’ Choice Awards and Four Seasons Resort Lānaʻi was awarded the No. 1 resort in Hawaiʻi while Sensei Lānaʻi, A Four Seasons Resort was named No. 4 Destination Spa in the United States and No. 11 Destination Spa in the World.

The most recent reported ongoing scam is spoof callers claiming to be a Maui Police Department representative. Spoofing is a technique used to manipulate caller ID information, making it appear as if the call is coming from a legitimate source, such as a government agency, financial institution, or even a known contact, making it highly deceptive.

Since the start of the school year in early August, the Department has reinstated 100 bus routes on O‘ahu, Maui and Hawai‘i Island. Service has been restored for 88% of impacted students – 3,263 out of 3,720. Active efforts to restore 38 more routes are ongoing. 

Sparks from a broken overhead power line ignited unmaintained vegetation off of Lahainaluna Road on the morning of Aug. 8, 2023, and that led to a chain of events that leveled Lahaina town and killed at least 102 people, according to an official origin-and-cause report released Wednesday. The fire’s cause was officially determined to be “accidental.”

ʻAha Pūnana Leo announced the release of their first iOS educational app, Ka Hakalama me Pākaʻa, a groundbreaking language tool designed to revolutionize the teaching and learning of the Hawaiian syllable chart. ‘Aha Pūnana Leo’s Kīpaepae app was designed to be used as a supplement to in-person Hui Kīpaepae ‘ohana classes or as a standalone practice tool for any learner of ‘ōlelo Hawai‘i.

Aloha Petroleum recently donated $4,356.85 to Helping Hands Hawai‘i on behalf of its customers. The funds were raised through canister donations at participating Aloha Island Mart convenience stores across the state.

VIDEO: The fire, which claimed 102 lives and destroyed thousands of homes and businesses, originated at 6:34 a.m. on Aug. 8, 2023, off of Lahainaluna Road in unmaintained vegetation near utility pole 25. It was caused by sparks ejected from the re-energization of broken power lines above, according to fire officials. The report further states that the fire was rekindled by a severe wind event at approximately 2:52 p.m., marking the start of the afternoon phase of the fire.

Maui Humane Society is participating in the BISSELL Pet Foundation’s nationwide “Empty The Shelters” event from Oct. 1-15. This reduced adoption-rate event seeks to address a severe capacity crisis at the shelter.

The County of Maui Department of Agriculture is collaborating with community partners across Maui, Molokaʻi and Lānaʻi to develop a Food and Nutrition Security Plan and is seeking help prioritizing strategies to support Maui County’s food system. Those interested in helping the department prioritize the plan’s draft objectives and provide feedback on what’s missing from the plan may complete a 10-minute survey before Oct. 11, 2024.

The Shops at Wailea has announced a lineup of live music, art and cultural celebrations taking place this month.

The goal is to give these students the tools and skills necessary to reach grade level proficiency by the end of the school year, ultimately building confidence and a love of reading.

The Hawai‘i Department of Transportation (HDOT) advises highway users that crews will be conducting traffic signal work at the intersection of Honoapi‘ilani Highway (Route 30) and Kūihelani Highway (Route 380) in Māʻalaea from 8 p.m., Thursday, Oct. 3 to 6 a.m., Friday, Oct. 4.

Maui visitor arrivals were up almost 80% in August, compared with a year earlier, the month when the Maui wildfires struck Aug. 8-9. But visitor travel to the Valley Isle still lags behind what it was before the disaster, according to a monthly report by the Hawaiʻi Department of Business, Economic Development & Tourism.

A west coast alliance of Rotary Clubs has donated $32,500 to Project Empower, a nonprofit organization formed in 2023 by Oʻahu-based RevoluSun Solar, to aid in building temporary housing solutions for those affected by the deadly wildfires in Maui last August. 

Gov. Josh Green is coming under pressure from dozens of Native Hawaiian and other community advocacy organizations to appoint a “loea,” or expert, in Native Hawaiian water management to the state Commission on Water Resource Management.

Maui photo enthusiasts captured images of Comet Tsuchinshan-Atlas as it passed over Maui skies on Sunday night.

Data from 115 seismic nodes deployed in late June across the East Rift Zone of the Big Island’s Kīlauea volcano, fortuitously before significant unrest began, will be used to image the location and volume of magma within the region at a level of detail not previously possible.

The Protect Kahoʻolawe ʻOhana wants a full Environmental Impact Study completed before any further use of Kaʻula Island for military exercises.