Maui News

A bill to help Hawaiʻi law enforcement officers crack down on illegal fireworks has made its way to the desk of Gov. Josh Green.

Author and early childhood specialist Lori Abreu read her children’s book “Moʻo and Koholā” to the preschoolers at the Maui Economic Opportunity Head Start Makawao center on Thursday.

Repairs and installations on County of Maui’s Lahainaluna Road between Honoapiʻilani Highway and Lahaina Bypass will begin in the next several weeks to prepare for the reopening of Lahainaluna Road in August, the County’s Office of Recovery announced.

Gas prices statewide are decreasing, according to the AAA Hawaiʻi Weekend Gas Watch. The statewide average price for regular unleaded is $4.72, which is four cents lower than last week. The national average gas price is $3.45, one cent lower than last week. 

Applications are now being accepted from Maui, Molokaʻi, and Lānaʻi residents for fall 2024 Health Sciences Academic Preparation Courses offered at the University of Hawaiʻi Maui College.

Motorists are advised of traffic into and out of Lahaina as crews continue cleanup efforts following an oil spill reported before noon near the Keawe Street / Honoapi’ilani Highway intersection. Motorists report continued traffic delays in the area.

Community members are encouraged to attend a July 2, 2024, meeting on proposed road and slope repairs along Kahekili Highway in the vicinity of Mile 15 – a narrow, fragile portion of roadway that connects Kahakuloa and West Maui. The community meeting will be held from 5 to 7 p.m. Tuesday, July 2, at Waikapū Community Center, 22 E. Waikō Road, Waikapū, according to the County of Maui Department of Public Works.

At 59 years old, many men might begin thinking about retirement and savoring their twilight years. Not Kevin Grant.

In accordance with the Act and NOAA’s Policy for the Assessment of Civil Administrative Penalties and Permit Sanctions, both individuals were jointly assessed a $20,000 civil penalty in the case of an attack by unleashed dogs causing the death of the Hawaiian monk seal pup. 

The Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement (CNHA) has acquired 43.08 acres of land in Hilo that will be designated for affordable housing. The acquisition signals CNHA’s plan to establish a private land trust specifically for housing Native Hawaiian and other Hawai‘i families. The parcel, located in the Kaumana subdivision of Ponahawai, Hilo, was purchased for an undisclosed amount from a landowner who wishes to remain anonymous.

Maui County hotels continued to be impacted by the Aug. 8, 2023, wildfires, but still led the counties in May 2024 revenue per available room (RevPAR) due to comparatively higher average daily rate (ADR).  Maui County hotels achieved RevPAR of $302 (-10.9% vs. 2023, +14.6% vs. 2019), with ADR at $517 (-4.2% vs. 2023, +49.8% vs. 2019) and occupancy of 58.3% (-4.4 percentage points vs. 2023, -17.9 percentage points vs. 2019). 

As many wildfire survivors struggle with adapting to the changes in their lives, Maui Behavioral Health Resources is hosting free supportive groups and activities for women, families and individuals in West Maui.

The Construction Industry of Maui (CIM) awarded three Maui high school students each a $25,000 scholarship—the Bob Poulson scholarship—to encourage education towards a career in the construction industry. This year’s scholarship recipients are Maui high school seniors, Carla Mae Agrade of Lahaina, John Kaahui of Haʻikū and Emi Sado of Kahului. “I am immensely proud to award this year’s scholarships to such […]

Applications are now being accepted from Maui, Molokaʻi, and Lānaʻi residents for the 2024-2025 Kealaho’imai Community Health Worker Certificate cohort offered through the University of Hawaiʻi Maui College’s Human Services Program.

Maui County Council Housing and Land Use Committee members unanimously recommended approval Wednesday of a bill to rezone the former Old Laundry Building in Hāna town. Bill 69 would re-establish commercial use for the 21,711-square-foot property, possibly as an art or culturally appropriate music studio.

The Maui Nui Marine Resource Council will host the June edition of its free-to-attend “Know Your Ocean Speaker Series” featuring Evelyn Tickle, CEO and Founder of GRoW Oyster Reefs on Wednesday, June 26 at 5:30 p.m. via Zoom.

The County of Maui, in coordination with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the state of Hawaiʻi, announces the official closure of the Disaster Recovery Center (DRC) and the Community Recovery Center (CRC) effective Saturday, June 29, 2024. In their place, the County of Maui Office of Recovery will be hosting a blessing and soft opening on July 3, 2024 at its new location at Lahaina Gateway.

‘Ulu‘ulu, Hawai‘i’s official state archive for moving images, is coordinating the digitization and description of 2,000 films and videotapes from the PBS Hawai‘i collection, a project expected to be completed by the end of the year.

The expansion of community ownership of real estate in West Maui is one of the few solutions that promises to make homeownership more accessible and build local families’ wealth following the Aug. 8, 2023, wildfires in Lahaina. That according to findings of a report completed earlier this year by the nonprofit Hawai‘i Land Trust (HILT) and Kahālāwai Consulting LLC. The report studied the threat of accelerated land loss by local families and businesses.

Sherae Dauhn Hanchett is a Maui nurse and a mother of three who aims to be an example for other healthcare professionals in her rural Hāna community.