Maui News

Technical skill rotations were hosted throughout the day exploring topics such as fashion design process, 3D modeling, video pre-production and much more, along with networking sessions and informative panels from professionals in the creative industries. Attendees were provided with an overview of CID’s workforce initiatives, ways to maximize the ClimbHI Bridge portal, and insights into preparing students for successful careers within the creative industries.

The Maui Nui Marine Resource Council will partner with Keālia National Wildlife Refuge staff to remove invasive plant species that threaten to overgrow and crowd out native plants along the Boardwalk. Volunteers will meet at the Keālia NWR Visitor Center at 8:30 a.m. on Saturday, May 18 and carpool to the first entrance of the boardwalk for the volunteer day. The workday will conclude at 11 a.m.

The new officers are Jeremiah Aceret, Levy Alizna, Kaelan Bush, Hau’oli Caparida, Lyman Diego, Quinton Pedroza, Aloices Sabugo, Austin Travis, and Lateral Officer Graduate Anthony Campos. 

Update (8:20 a.m. May 10, 2024). Power has been restored to all customers impacted by earlier outages in Kahului and Lahaina.

The online community survey launched by County of Maui Office of Recovery to help shape the creation of the Lahaina Recovery Plan is now available in Hawaiian, Ilocano, Spanish, Tagalog and Tongan. The survey will be available until May 19, 2024, and can be found on Maui Recovers’ “Ola Lahaina” page at https://mauirecovers.org/lahaina. Click on the box on the top right to select the preferred language for the survey.

County of Maui Department of Parks and Recreation announced that maintenance and upgrades will briefly close portions of certain County parks in Central and South Maui in coming weeks. 

The US Senate on Thursday passed the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2024, which included several provisions authored by US Sen. Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i). The bill contains measures to address air tour noise in Hawai‘i, improve air tour safety, help airports adapt to extreme weather, and establish a Senate-confirmed Assistant Secretary at the Department of Transportation’s Office of Aviation Consumer Protection. The bill now moves to the House of Representatives for consideration.

The University of Hawaiʻi Maui College held its first commencement since the Maui wildfires on Thursday on the Great Lawn of the campus in Kahului. About 220 of 450 graduates participated in the ceremony under the theme “resilience.”

“Maui is set for an extended recovery period this decade, while population slowing will reduce future growth to varying degrees across the counties,” according to the UHERO forecast.

The state Department of Transportation advises motorists of a reduced speed limit on Akahele St., mauka of Honoapi‘ilani Highway (Route 30) from 30 mph to 20 mph. The reduction is to accommodate school traffic from the temporary King Kamehameha III Elementary School site, which has its entrance and exit along Akahele St. The school is makai of the Kapalua Airport.

The National Weather Service has issued a Flood Advisory for Maui until 9:45 p.m. At 6:36 p.m., radar showed heavy rain and isolated thunderstorms over Upcountry Maui, with rain falling at a rate of up to 2 inches per hour. Additional heavy showers will be possible over the next few hours. Some locations that will experience flooding include: Kahului, Kīhei, Kula, Kēōkea, Pukalani, Makawao, Hāliʻimaile, Wailea, Pāʻia, ʻUlupalakua, Puʻunēnē, Haʻikū-Paʻuwela, Paʻuwela, Māʻalaea, Mākena, Huelo, Keʻanae, Haleakalā National Park, Hoʻokipa Beach Park and Kailua.

An unusually strong upper level disturbance moving over the state will bring the possibility strong to severe thunderstorms, which could produce damaging winds and large hail over the state. The greatest chance for severe thunderstorms will occur during the day Friday through Friday evening, according to the National Weather Service. Listen for later statements, as well as possible watches and warnings, as this event becomes more clear.

The National Weather Service has issued a Winter Storm Warning for the Big Island Summits, in effect from noon on Friday, May 10 to 6 a.m. on Saturday, May 11, 2024.

The National Weather Service has issued a Flash Flood Watch for all of the main Hawaiian Islands through 6 a.m. on Saturday, May 11, 2024.

A critical transmission line that serves as a back-up route of power to approximately 11,000 customers in West Maui is now online after Hawaiian Electric rebuilt the line along former routes in the Lahaina area with new steel and wood poles and electrical equipment. 

The Hawaiʻi Department of Health has released findings of lead screening conducted at a series of community events between December 2023 and February 2024, among people impacted by the Maui wildfires. DOH Public Health Nurses and Healthy Mothers Healthy Babies Coalition of Hawaii (HMHB) collaborated on the project. While wildfire ash contains significant concentrations of lead, the screening results do not indicate evidence of widespread human exposure to toxins in the ash, according to a department news release.

Sen. Angus L.K. McKelvey will host two talk story sessions next week discussing the 2024 Hawaiʻi State Legislative Session on Monday, May 13 in Lahaina, and on Tuesday, May 14 in Kīhei.

The Miss USA Organization today announced that Miss Hawaiʻi USA Savannah Gankiewicz of Maui, will take the title of Miss USA 2023. The titleholder, Noelia Voigt resigned earlier this week and explained her departure in an Instagram post, citing mental health and well-being. Savannah will be crowned in a celebratory coronation ceremony on Wednesday, May 15 in Hawaiʻi, according to an announcement on the Miss USA website.

A portion of homes in the Pukalani area will have their water service disrupted beginning 9 p.m. Thursday, May 9, to 5 a.m. Friday, May 10, 2024.

Hawaiian Electric continues to investigate the cause of an outage early Wednesday morning that knocked out power to an estimated 2,500 customers. The outage was reported at 2:15 a.m. on May 8. “While the exact cause is still being determined, inspections identified an archery arrow caught in a line and trees making contact with a section of powerlines in the area,” a spokesperson said.