Maui News

Just five households remain sheltered at two hotel sites on Maui as the one-year mark since the Aug. 8, 2023 wildfires is just over a month away. The emergency hotel sheltering program managed by the state ended on June 30. 

Task Force officers confiscated approximately 200 pounds of illegal fireworks from a home in Waipahu on Tuesday. On Wednesday, DLE launched SaferWatch, a web and mobile-based security system that allows the public to anonymously report illegal fireworks in the community. Over the Independence Day holiday, 59 illegal fireworks tips were submitted to DLE using the new app.

The Hawai‘i Department of Transportation will host a public informational meeting to discuss the planned improvements to Puʻunēnē Ave. (Route 3500) between Wākea Ave. and Kūihelani Highway (Route 380). The meeting takes place on Thursday, July 11, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at Maui Waena Intermediate School in Kahului.

Summer EBT, also called SUN Bucks, is a new and permanent program to provide benefits to households with school-aged children to purchase food during the summer. Households will receive $177 for each qualifying child, to be spent during the summer months.

A Kauaʻi man was recognized on a national stage for his integral role in the preservation and education of an ancient fishpond near Līhuʻe. Fred “Peleke” Flores, field operations and cultural resources manager with Mālama Hulē‘ia, received the Ellison S. Onizuka Memorial Award from the National Education Association in Philadelphia Wednesday.

US Rep. Jill Tokuda (HI-02) introduced a bill on Friday to rename the Captain Cook Post Office on Hawaiʻi Island after First Lieutenant John Kuulei Kauhaihao of Hōnaunau, who was killed in action in Vietnam and posthumously awarded the US Army’s second highest award for valor, the Distinguished Service Cross. 

Bacon Universal announced its role as the grandstand sponsor for the upcoming Makawao Stampede 2024, taking place July 5-7 at the Oskie Rice Event Center. As the exclusive Kubota dealer in Hawaiʻi, Bacon Universal will feature a significant display showcasing the latest Kubota equipment, including tractors, excavators, track loaders, and utility vehicles. Highlighting the weekend’s festivities, Bacon Universal offers a meet and greet opportunity with six-time pro rodeo world champion Kaycee Feild.

The deadline for candidates to purchase informational tables at the 52nd Kupuna Aloha Luncheon on Saturday, July 27 – which is expected to draw more than 400 kupuna – is on Monday, July 8.

Twenty-nine middle and high school youth learned the importance of creating an emergency fund, not applying for 15 credit cards and that “you never get a second chance to make a first impression” when applying for a job at the two-day Maui Economic Opportunity Teen Financial Literacy workshop this week.

Habitat for Humanity Maui announced a special Disaster Recovery Fundraiser to be held at the historic Old Lahaina Lūʻau on Aug. 17, 2024. This event aims to raise essential funds to support the rebuilding of Lahaina, which was devastated by the catastrophic wildfires of 2023. All proceeds from the fundraiser will go directly towards recovery and reconstruction efforts. 

Suspension of service disconnections for all Hawaiian Electric customers on Maui has been extended through at least Aug. 31, 2024, in accordance with the extension of Gov. Josh Green’s emergency proclamation. Maui customers who are financially challenged by the devastating wildfires will not have to worry about potential disconnection of their electric service, according to a company announcement.

A new report by the University of Hawaiʻi Economic Research Organization identifies potential opportunities to diversify Hawaiʻi’s economy by analyzing a variety of industries across counties in the US and the state.

In just two days, the Hawai‘i Tourism Authority’s inaugural Work Wise program transformed perception of the tourism industry for its 53 participating high schoolers and graduates from Maui and O‘ahu.

Maui’s Reagan James Miles of Kīhei won the HSJGA Boys 15-18 State Championship, held July 1-2, 2024 at Hawaiʻi Prince B/C golf course on Oʻahu.  It was the second state title for the 18 year old Miles, who also won the 2018 HSJGA State Championship at age 12. 

Artist, Dale Zarrella, a Maui-based sculptor and painter unveils his newest masterpiece at Fairmont Kea Lani’s lobby this afternoon, July 4, at 2 p.m. He has been working on the 8-foot “Wailea Mermaid” sculpture for more than 11 years and is finally ready to share her with the public.

A Kahului man was arrested on weapons and other charges following routine beat checks by officers with the DLNR Division of Conservation and Resource Enforcement at Kaʻae Road in Wailuku on Wednesday morning.

Gov. Josh Green, M.D., signed into law 12 bills on Wednesday, aimed at fortifying Hawaiʻi’s agricultural resilience, enhancing biosecurity measures, and promoting responsible land management practices. 

To address recent hindrances to children’s music studies on Maui, Imua Family Services has announced a partnership with The Narada Michael Walden Foundation for its “Keiki Music Fund.”

Maui nonprofit Binhi at Ani will award scholarships to 26 Maui County students in the Class of 2024. The three top-rated students will receive $2,000 while 23 students will receive $1,000.

Gov. Josh Green, M.D., alongside US Sen. Brian Schatz and HUD Regional Administrator Jason Pu, on Wednesday announced that Hawai‘i has been awarded more than $6.6 million in new federal grant funding to help build more housing. The funding comes from a new grant program based on Schatz’s bipartisan ‘Yes In My Backyard’ legislation and was first funded in the fiscal year 2023 appropriations bill.