Maui News

The Hawaiʻi State Department of Education on Friday announced new standards for produce suppliers to ensure students receive consistently high-quality and safe meals.

US Rep. Jill Tokuda (HI-02) testified before the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs Subcommittee on Health, which held a legislative hearing Wednesday on her bill, H.R. 8562. The Parity for Native Hawaiian Veterans Act of 2024 is a bill to improve healthcare access and affordability for Native Hawaiian veterans.

The Maui Police Department Cold Case Unit requests the public’s assistance in identifying a man who was found deceased in the waters off Kahului Harbor breakwater on Sept. 25, 1996.

The Maui Hotel & Lodging Association announced their 2024-2025 Board of Directors at their annual meeting held on Sept. 12 at the Sheraton Maui Resort & Spa. Board members were elected from a list of candidates nominated by MHLA property and allied members earlier this year.

The Maui Nonprofit Directors Association will be announcing the Humanitarian, Business and Executive Director of the Year award winners at the association’s annual meeting, 5 p.m., Thursday, Oct. 10, at the Maui Beach Hotel Ballroom.

The Lahaina wildfire that killed at least 102 people and destroyed more than 2,000 buildings did not stem from a single cause, according to the phase-two Lahaina Fire Incident Analysis Report released Friday and prepared by the independent Fire Safety Research Institute for the state of Hawaiʻi.

A summary report of community engagement by the County of Maui with the Lahaina community is now available to view and download on the Ola Lahaina page at www.MauiRecovers.org.

Hawaiʻi Attorney General Anne Lopez announced today the results of the Lahaina Fire Incident Analysis Report, the second report of the three-part evidence-based investigation into how state and county governments responded during the Maui wildfires. The report reveals no single factor led to the devastation. Instead, a complex set of factors including weather and its impacts, risk and preparedness, decades-old infrastructure, organizational structure and incident management and coordination created a historic disaster. The report was prepared by the Fire Safety Research Institute (FSRI), a part of UL Research Institutes.

Maui Hub is thrilled to announce that it has surpassed a significant milestone, having paid over $2 million to Maui’s local farmers, ranchers, and food producers since its inception in 2020. This achievement underscores their commitment to bolstering Maui’s agricultural economy and ensuring the availability of fresh, high-quality local produce for our community.

Borge died on Aug. 5, 2024, at 54 years old. Borge was a prominent community member who envisioned and brought to fruition, the homeless village known as Pu‘uhonua O Wai‘anae. She lived there for 17 years and was known for her leadership and aloha.

There are multiple reports of an Outdoor Warning Siren sounding in the Pāʻia area. The Maui Emergency Management Agency reports there is NO emergency.

August 2024 saw Maui’s housing market exhibit contrasting trends, with single-family homes experiencing both a rise in sales and an increase in median prices, according to the latest data from the Realtors Association of Maui. The median sales price for single-family homes increased by 10.4% compared to August 2023, reaching $1,325,000, indicating continued demand at higher price points. Meanwhile, condominium sales dropped by 34.7%, though the median price for condos surged to $1,000,000, a 33.3% increase.

The County of Maui Department of Fire and Public Safety invites the community to celebrate its 100 years of fire service, with an event Saturday, Sept. 14, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Boys and Girls Club of Maui, located at 100 Kanaloa Ave. in Kahului.

Thirteen previously suspended school bus routes in Central Oʻahu and East Hawaiʻi Island will be reinstated starting Monday, Sept. 16, restoring service for nearly 300 student bus riders at eight schools, according to the state Department of Education.

Registration is now open for the 2024 Hawai‘i Agriculture Conference – AG2024 – to be held Nov. 7 and 8, 2024 at the Hawai‘i Convention Center.

More than 50 restaurants on O‘ahu, Maui and the Island of Hawai‘i will participate in the two-week campaign to dine local during the typically slower post-Labor Day season. In the coming months, all of the participating restaurants will be represented by chef talent during the 14th Annual Hawai‘i Food & Wine Festival events from Oct. 18-Nov. 10, where they’ll be joined by hundreds of chefs, winemakers, mixologists and beverage professionals from around the world. 

As Congress considers a short-term spending bill to keep the government open past the Sept. 30 funding deadline, US Sen. Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) Thursday spoke on the Senate floor on the importance of including disaster aid to support survivors on Maui and across the country. In particular, Schatz stressed the need to provide disaster survivors with flexible, long-term assistance in the form of Community Development Block Grant-Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) funding which will enable them to rebuild their homes and communities as quickly as possible.

September marks Hunger Action Month—a time to raise awareness about hunger, advocate for change, and take meaningful action to combat food insecurity. This year, the significance of this month is particularly profound for us here on Maui. In the wake of the devastating wildfires, the demand for food assistance has surged by over 65%, pushing our community to the brink.

Maui Police Department Capt. Joy Medeiros was one of 254 law enforcement officers who graduated from the FBI National Academy, marking the completion of the 291st session on Sept. 12, 2024.

The Housing and Land Use Committee will have a special meeting on Monday at 5:30 p.m. in the Council Chamber to discuss the possible effects of rent stabilization in Maui, Committee Chair Tasha Kama announced today.