Maui News

The Hawaiʻi State Judiciary will mail out juror questionnaire forms to Hawaiʻi residents across the state beginning Sept. 4 for possible jury service in 2025.

Goodfellow Bros. will begin performing road work on Kekaulike Ave. at Mile 8.2 on Tuesday, Sept. 3, 2024. A Full road closure will be in effect for this construction area for the next nine months.

Hawaiʻi State Federal Credit Union recently presented a donation of $5,000 to Parents And Children Together in support of the nonprofit’s ongoing programs and services. The donation will help PACT continue its work of providing comprehensive services to empower Hawaiʻi’s most vulnerable families and communities.

Maui County offices, including the Office of Recovery – West Maui at Lahaina Gateway and the Recovery Permit Center at the County of Maui Service Center in Kahului, will be closed on Monday, Sept. 2, 2024, in observance of Labor Day.

Ignite Reading has been selected as an approved vendor by Hawai’i’s Department of Education, a potential game-changer for students struggling with reading proficiency – a concern for 65% of fourth graders in the state. 

Gilma was downgraded to a tropical depression early this morning, but the system still has the potential for brining heavy rain to the islands tonight through Saturday – specifically over windward Maui and Hawaiʻi Island districts, according to the latest forecast from the National Weather Service. The NWS reports that while localized flooding is possible, widespread flooding is not expected.

The Maui Nui Marine Resource Council will host the September edition of its “Know Your Ocean Speaker Series” featuring Courtney Klepac, Ph.D. on Wednesday, Sept. 4 at 5:30 p.m. via Zoom. Klepac will present her work with Super Reefs to identify and protect heat-resistant reefs.

“Paper Chase,” a documentary film that delves into the history of Japanese-American news media, will be screened at 1:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 14, at the Nisei Veterans Memorial Center. The screening is free of charge. Doors open at 1 p.m. This event was scheduled for screening last year, but it was postponed because of the August 2023 Maui wildfires.

Uncle Bully’s Surf Skool, from Inflatable Film, is about local Maui surf instructor Robert “Bully” Kotter and his mentorship of underserved youth during the pandemic. This powerful story about one person’s quest to shape a hopeful future for the next generation is one of the last stories filmed in Lahaina before the Aug. 8, 2023 wildfires.

Earlier this summer, UHERO published its analysis of Maui’s legislation to regulate Transient Vacation Rental (TVR) properties, stating, “If the policy is enacted in full, it would increase Maui’s long-term residential housing stock by 13%, representing a dramatic increase in housing supply,” said UHERO’s economists. “Reductions in tourism or property tax revenues would also present serious challenges to Maui County… Understanding the broad impacts of this policy will be key to understanding future economic conditions on Maui.”

The Rotary District 5000, consisting of 53 Rotary clubs spread across four islands, hosts a Maui fire disaster recovery update via Zoom at 10 a.m. on Saturday, Aug. 31.

Maui Planning Commission members breezed by a proposed policy statement in the draft South Maui Community Plan update Tuesday evening, agreeing by consensus that the plan would aim to increase long-term residential housing by phasing-out short-term rentals from Māʻalaea to Kanaio.

The Kaho’olawe Island Reserve Commission (KIRC) has announced permitted trolling dates for September 2024, including: Sept. 7-8 and 28-29.

The Hawai‘i Supreme Court ruled in a 4-1 decision today that the pet industry’s environmental review of commercial aquarium fish collection in West Hawai‘i is legally adequate.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency has awarded an additional $7.9 million in funding to the Hawaiʻi Department of Human Services to expand the state’s Disaster Case Management Program. This additional funding will enable the program to expand its current reach by more than double, capable of serving approximately 3,000 households. 

Access to Keōpūolani Park facilities will be temporarily restricted to competition use Saturday morning, Aug. 31, to host a Maui Interscholastic League Cross Country event in preparation for the Hawaiʻi High School Athletic Association State Championship event in the fall, the County of Maui Department of Parks and Recreation announced.

New UH research is using drones to successfully assess the age of critically endangered, free-ranging dolphins in Greece. Researchers are comparing the drone imagery results with long-term data and data from stable, non-endangered bottlenose dolphin populations in Australia and Florida.

As of Aug. 28, 2024, REAL ID-compliant Hawaiʻi driver’s licenses and state identification cards can be added to iPhone and Apple Watch, the Hawaiʻi Department of Transportation announced.

The Royal Lahaina Resort & Bungalows in Kāʻanapali is open once again, following 10 months of providing refuge to Lahaina residents in need. On Tuesday, Sept. 3, the resort will mark its grand reopening with a Hawaiian Blessing at noon, followed by an inaugural dinner service in the evening.

Tropical storms Gilma and Hector are forecast to weaken considerably and bring rain as they approach the Hawaiian Islands, according to the National Weather Service.