Maui News

State Rep. Mahina Poepoe has introduced Bill 2544, which provides dependable non-emergency medical transportation for residents of medically underserved rural communities such as Molokai and Lāna‘i. The measure makes chartered flights to seat patients, as well as health care providers.

Maui Powerhouse Gym, known for its modern amenities, expert trainers and welcoming atmosphere, is now commencing community-based fitness programs at its facility in Kīhei.

Lahainaluna High School football coaches Dean Rickard (co-head coach), Garret Tihada (associate head coach) and Bobby Watson (former head coach) will join players Morgan “Bula” Montgomery, Teva Loft, Kaulana Tihada and Kuola Watson as honorary coin toss captains at Super Bowl LVIII in Las Vegas on Sunday, Feb. 11. 

AlohaCare awarded academic scholarships to seven students in the state, three of whom are students from Maui and Lānaʻi. The application portal has opened for the 2024-2025 school year.

Kamehameha Schools Maui high school senior Kealoha Baricuatro has been named a finalist for the 2024 Jersey Mike’s Naismith High School Basketball Courage Award. Baricuatro, who tragically lost her father due to COVID-19, and lost her home during the Maui wildfires, was selected as one of 10 national finalists.

The CDC estimates that if menthol cigarettes were no longer available, an estimated 4,400 adults in Hawai‘i who smoke would quit smoking.

The Hawai’i Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation announced the appointment of the new Deputy Director for Correctional Institutions, Pamela Sturz.

Hawaiʻi-born nonprofit Child & Family Service, in collaboration with The Parent Line, invites the public to nominate parents statewide who have shown leadership in their homes and communities.

The International Kitesurfing Association officially measured and certified the wave, and Guinness approved the new record on Jan. 22, 2024, a year to the day after McLaughlin conquered the wave.

In 2021 and 2022, lead was detected in about 15% of drinking water sources at elementary schools across Hawaiʻi. A new website now allows the public to track progress of fixture replacements and lab results.

Kate Blystone won a recommendation for confirmation as Department of Planning director in an 8-1 vote Tuesday afternoon from the Maui County Council’s Government Relations, Ethics and Government Transparency Committee.

The severe-weather hardening of island power grids will cost approximately $190 million, with half paid by the federal government and half coming from Hawaiʻi power consumers, according to an announcement from Hawaiian Electric Co.

Candidates for public offices are beginning to check out and file nomination papers, according to the Hawaiʻi Office of Elections’ candidate filing report.

Maui Humane Society will open its new Lahaina Pet Resource Center on Feb. 7, 2024, following a traditional Hawaiian blessing ceremony at 11 a.m. A mobile veterinary clinic event will be held following the ceremony, offering free wellness services to pets affected by the fire.

Ongoing El Niño climate conditions have not generated as much dry weather as expected in the Hawaiian Islands, the Hawaiʻi Drought Council reports.

 Maui County Council Member Yuki Lei Sugimura will hold two talk story sessions Upcountry this week.  The first session takes place tonight (Feb. 6) at the Kula Elementary School cafeteria from 6 to 7 p.m.  Sugimura will also hold her monthly Talk Story with Yuki Lei outreach program, Feb. 10, at the Upcountry Farmers Market from 7 to 11 a.m.

The County of Maui Disaster Recovery Community Update meetings in Lahaina will resume Feb. 21, after being canceled this week to focus on a community gathering observing the six-month mark after the Lahaina fire.

“The impact we’ve made together in Tre’s memory is a testament to the power of community and the enduring spirit of aloha,” said Chelsie Evans Enos, Tre’s Mom and founder of the Live Like Tre’ Foundation. “We miss him every second. He deserves his story to inspire others to be kinder and to spark small acts of kindness. His legacy lives on in those who honor his memory in these ways.”

Coast Guard officials have confirmed that a missing mariner and his 32-foot boat, the Malulani, arrived safely in Hawaiʻi on Saturday.

Nikki Kayes, an eighth grader at Seabury Hall, is one of 27 students in the country named a Caroline D. Bradley Scholar. The winners receive full tuition to a private high school and access to a lifelong mentoring network.