Maui News

Maui County hotels continued to be impacted by the Aug. 8 Wildfires, but still led the counties in September 2023 Revenue Per Available Room due to comparatively higher Average Daily Rate. 

A community budget meeting for West Maui, hosted by Mayor Richard Bissen and his administration, is set for Tuesday, Nov. 14 at 5:30 p.m. at the Lahaina Civic Center.

Council member Nohelani Uʻu-Hodgins announced that the Government Relations, Ethics and Transparency Committee will meet at Lahaina Civic Center on Wednesday at 5 p.m., to receive testimony on a resolution for a comprehensive recovery and resiliency plan in response to the August wildfires.

The public is advised of a water quality exceedance of enterococci at Cove Park, Maui. Levels of 164 per 100 mL have been detected during routine beach monitoring. The beach has been posted and this advisory will remain in effect until water sample results no longer exceed the threshold level of 130 enterococci per 100 mL

Tickets for the homecoming football game between Lahainaluna High School and Baldwin High School at Sue D. Cooley Stadium on Oct. 21 have sold out. The game will be live streamed on the NFHS network of the National Federation of State High School Associations (subscription fee is required). Visit nfhsnetwork.com for more information.

County of Maui Disaster Area Restrictions will be lifted for owners and residents with vehicle passes from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. beginning Monday, Oct. 23 and Tuesday, Oct. 24, in Zones 13A, 13B and 13C.

The Hawaiʻi Department of Transportation is hosting a job fair at the Kahului Airport, Lanui Conference Room on Friday, Oct. 20, 2023, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Crews with the Maui Invasive Species Committee say aerial eradication efforts of a 175-acre little fire ant infestation in Nāhiku has reached a turning point. The infestation was discovered in 2014 during an effort to remove invasive Nicosia plants from the area.

Council Vice Chair Yuki Lei Sugimura (Upcountry residency District)  and Presiding Officer Pro Tempore Tasha Kama (Kahului residency district) today announced they will host a wildfire relief “Resources for Religious Leaders” informational meeting on Tuesday, Oct. 24, 2023 from 9 a.m. to noon at the UH Maui College Pilina Building Events Center.

Nonprofit organizations, including houses of worship, that had losses caused by the Maui County wildfires and high winds have one week – until Wednesday, Oct. 25 – to submit a Request for Public Assistance from FEMA.

The nonprofit Hawaiʻi Land Trust has received a more than $1.1 million grant from the Hawai‘i Community Foundation Maui Strong Fund to create temporary workforce opportunities in partnership with KUPU for 48 Maui residents who have been affected by the recent wildfires. Applications are open through Nov. 17, 2023.

The US Environmental Protection Agency has removed hazardous materials from more than 75% of the burned properties in Lahaina, Maui – the first phase of the overall federal cleanup response to the Maui Wildfires.

Currently, crews are continuing repairs to restore an approximate 300 remaining customers in Lahaina, including the Wahikuli area. In the last two weeks, with more areas being cleared for re-entry by emergency response officials, crews restored power to about 350 customers in the Kahoma Village, parts of Puamana and Upper Kapunakea area.

Workers and self-employed individuals, who temporarily or permanently lost their jobs due to the August wildfires and emergency declarations, will be eligible for paid disaster-relief positions and training through a program run by Maui Economic Opportunity.

Council member Tamara Paltin introduced Bill 95 (2023), which she said would exempt properties destroyed or rendered uninhabitable by the August wildfires from property taxes and create an incentive for hotels and short-term rentals to house residents displaced by the fires.

Maui United Way, a charitable nonprofit serving Maui for more than 75 years, created and implemented an Emergency Financial Assistance program that received more than 9,000 applications, and has now successfully distributed payments of $1,000 to more than 7,000 individual fire survivors on Maui. Maui United Way has now launched the second round of grants to assist its local Maui nonprofit partners.

Governor Josh Green, M.D., with Maui County Mayor Richard Bissen, state officials, FEMA and the American Red Cross joined in providing an update on the economic recovery and housing response on Maui following the devastating Aug. 8 wildfires.

Mayor Richard Bissen and his administration will host community budget meetings throughout Maui County starting next week for residents to share their priorities and provide input on the budget for Fiscal Year 2025, which begins July 1, 2024.

The Biden administration today announced $3.5 billion for 58 projects across 44 states to strengthen electric grid resilience and reliability. This comes following an announcement in August of $95 million in federal funds from the program to harden the energy grids in Hawaiʻi following Maui’s devastating wildfire.

All Tournament ticket-only packages and limited booster ticket-only packages for the 2023 Maui Invitational are now officially on sale and can be purchased online.