Maui News

The Hawai‘i Department of Health Food and Drug Branch today alerted residents to a recall by Niitakaya USA, Inc., of its Shiso Katsuo Ninniku and Miso Katsuo Ninniku pickled garlic products with all “Best By” dates because the label does not inform consumers that the recalled product may contain bonito, which is an allergen.

Three Hawaiʻi state legislators and a member of the Honolulu City Council are in Washington D.C. today sharing their insights about matters facing Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders at the White House. Senators Dru Mamo Kanuha and Jarrett Keohokalole, Representative Darius K. Kila, and Honolulu City Council Vice Chair Esther Kiaʻāina have all been invited to the White House to attend the inaugural White House Native Hawaiian & Pacific Islander (NHPI) Convening.

The Honpa Hongwanji Federation State Judo Championships made its triumphant return to the Valley Isle as host Makawao Hongwanji Judo Club welcomed more than 121 judoka and their families from across the state. Judoka from six different Hongwanji judo clubs filled the King Kekaulike High School Gymnasium over the muggy Labor Day weekend.

A field crew with the Maui Invasive Species Committee detected a small population of little fire ants (Wasmannia auropunctata) along Hāna Highway near the entrance of the Kīpahulu District of Haleakalā National Park on Aug. 26, 2024. This finding follows the late May detection of little fire ants or LFA at a county storage area on Waikaloa Road in Hāna. Officials say the ants likely spread via contaminated road fill to Kīpahulu within the last year. The infestation appears to be confined to approximately two-thirds of an acre, less than half a soccer field. 

The Hawai‘i State Department of Education announced that nine previously suspended school bus routes in Central Oʻahu, East Hawaiʻi Island and Upcountry Maui will be reinstated starting Monday, Sept. 9, restoring service for nearly 200 student bus riders at seven schools.

Mauiʻs Kahului Airport (OGG) will receive $14.3 million in AIP supplemental grant funds for apron light replacement for enhanced safety. Itʻs one of four airport projects identified in Hawaiʻi to improve operations.

The County of Maui Department of Parks and Recreation announced it has applied for emergency Shoreline Management Area permits to remove the Baldwin Beach Park pavilion, which has been damaged over time by high surf and rising sea levels. The structure has been fenced off and the public is asked to avoid the area.

The Hawai‘i Food and Wine Festival announced a new partnership with the James Beard Foundation to support women in the culinary industry, aligning with the theme for the 14th Annual Festival: Empowerment.

Eligible farm and livestock workers in Hawaiʻi can pre-register for in-person payment registration events Sept. 6 to 9 for a one-time $600 relief payment under the Hawaiʻi Farm and Food Worker Relief Grant Program. The grant aims to offset expenses workers incurred due to the COVID-19 public health emergency. 

The Hawai‘i Department of Transportation advises drivers that westbound lanes of Kaʻahumanu Ave. (Route 32) between Kāne Street and Lono Ave. will be impacted by water line work for the Maui Palms Hampton Inn project on Thursday, Sept. 12.

Housing and Land Use Committee Chair Tasha Kama announced that today’s committee meeting scheduled for 5:30 p.m. has been canceled because of technical issues with the distribution of the meeting agenda.

The Hawai‘i Department of Transportation advises highway users to expect delays this weekend as wide loads will be transported from Kahului Harbor to a staging area near the Kahului boat ramp beginning Saturday morning, Sept. 7 through Monday morning, Sept. 9. Trucks will be transporting modular homes that will eventually be moved to Lahaina for wildfire survivors.

The Hawaiʻi State Department of Health reports that laboratory results have confirmed Norovirus is the cause of illness reported by numerous campers at the Kalalau Section of the Nāpali Coast State Wilderness Park on Kaua‘i. The trail remains closed for a seven-day period.

University of Hawai‘i Maui College Associate Professor Dr. Joseph Keola Donaghy documents and explores the role that musical performance and composition practice played in efforts to defend Maunakea and how these practices reflected the idea of kapu aloha that was prevalent among kia‘i (protectors).

Ocean Conservancy is calling for volunteers worldwide to join the 39th annual International Coastal Cleanup (ICC), the world’s largest beach and waterway cleanup effort, launching on Sept. 21, 2024. With plastic pollution at crisis levels, ICC organizers invite everyone who loves the ocean to take action by joining a cleanup in their area.

Members of the US House Subcommittee on Government Operations and the Federal Workforce, including Hawaiʻi US Reps. Jill Tokuda and Ed Case, heard an update Wednesday on last year’s deadly wildfires during a hearing at the Lahaina Civic Center.

Queen Kaʻahumanu Center launched its inaugural 808 Bash on Aug. 24, bringing Maui together in celebration of community. Organizers say the success of this event has set the tone for what is hoped to become a new annual tradition for the island.

The County of Maui Department of Parks and Recreation will host one-day mass permitting events for summer 2025 private-party rentals of community centers in three districts.

Mobile Power Hawaiʻi announced the launch of its new mobile solar generator, the PowerCube. The PowerCube is a formidable 10 kW solar array with 28 kWh of stored energy mounted to a trailer. The flexibility of the PowerCube and its production capabilities are the result of longtime Maui residents Corey Barth and Paul Maselli’s ingenuity and problem-solving in the wake of the Lahaina fires.

The Holy Rosary Church has announced an inaugural golf tournament set to take place on Saturday, Sept. 21 at The Dunes at Maui Lani Golf Course in Kahului. The special event doubles as a friendly competition and vital fundraiser to support the ongoing restoration and preservation of one of Maui’s most cherished historic landmarks.