Maui News

Five people were displaced, including a child following a home fire on Puia Place in Makawao Friday night. The fire caused an estimated $260,000 in damage to the structure and an unknown amount of damage to the contents.

Queen Kaʻahumanu Center invites the community to Countdown to Christmas with events, giveaways, and shopping opportunities running Dec. 18-24. 

Training in the use of mass timber will be offered in January and February and the University of Hawaiʻi Maui College for members of the Hawaiʻi Regional Council of Carpenters and its signatory contractors.

The Sentry today announced the return of Ludvig Åberg, Wyndham Clark, Hideki Matsuyama, Collin Morikawa, and Xander Schauffele to The Plantation Course at Kapalua when the PGA TOUR’s Opening Drive begins at The Sentry from Jan. 2-5.

Total requests for general funds amount to $10.4 billion in fiscal year 2026 and $10.5 billion in fiscal year 2027, which represents an increase of $620 million (6.3%) in the first year and $664 million (6.7%) in the second year.  

A red alga first found by University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa researchers smothering coral reefs in Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument has been detected for the first time by the team outside of the marine monument and more than 2,000 miles away.

Wailuku Public Library bookmobile librarian Jessica Gleason is among 10 national recipients of the “I Love My Librarian Award,” according to an announcement from the American Library Association.

Twenty-five recruits are now fully commissioned conservation officers with the DLNR Division of Conservation and Resources Enforcement. Hawai‘i Island, Maui Nui, and O‘ahu will all have seven additional DOCARE officers, while Kaua‘i will have four.

The Maui County Council will consider a draft resolution this week, urging the creation of a statewide missing persons task force.

The County of Maui Department of Human Concerns Immigrant Services Division offices on Maui, Molokaʻi and Lānaʻi will briefly close from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 18, 2024, for staff training.

“In an election, the person who gets the most votes should win. It’s that simple,” said Schatz. “No one’s vote should count for more based on where they live. The Electoral College is outdated and it’s undemocratic. It’s time to end it.”

Approximately 70 keiki, teens, and families were partnered at the Kahului Target store with members of the Hawaii National Guard, US Coast Guard, Maui Fire Department, US Army, Maui County, Kaiser Permanente, Maui Health and AMR paramedics. Each youth was given a $100 Target gift card for their Christmas shopping.

County of Maui real property owners are reminded that the deadline for filing 2025 assessment year exemptions, dedications and agricultural use claims is Tuesday, Dec. 31, 2024.

The Board of Land and Natural Resources voted 5-0 Friday evening to issue a revocable permit to Alexander & Baldwin and subsidiary East Maui Irrigation Co. for the use of East Maui stream water, much of it for Upcountry drinking water and for nearly 10,600 acres of Mahi Pono farm lands.

PBS Frontline’s new documentary, “Maui’s Deadly Firestorm,” a year-long investigation into the devastating August 2023 wildfire that claimed 102 lives and destroyed the historic town of Lahaina in Maui, Hawaiʻi. The film explores the causes of the deadliest American wildfire in a century and the missed warnings that made it so unstoppable.

The Westin Maui Resort & Spa, Kāʻanapali kicked off the holiday season with its Spirit of the Season event last week with festive entertainment, delicious treats, and a tropical winter wonderland ambiance.

All are invited to kick off the holiday season at Duke’s Beach House Maui with a concert featuring GRAMMY-nominated, 21-time Nā Hōkū Hanohano Award winner Henry Kapono and two artists from Henry Kapono Foundation’s On The Rise Program, Arlie-Avery Asiu and Nāmakaokalani Pauole. The live music event paired with dining, cocktails and views of Kāʻanapali’s North Beach, is set for Friday, Dec. 20, from 1 to 5 p.m.

Japanese cooking connoisseur Naoko Moller will lead Zen dining workshops at 4 and 6:30 p.m. Jan. 11 at Kahului Jodo Mission, located at 325 Lāʻau St. Visit jcsmaui.org to register.

Maria Lanakila Catholic Church reopened last week in downtown Lahaina, resplendent in white Christmas lights and even capped by a three-quarter moon high over its spire in the West Maui night sky.

“Every year, the GIA process highlights the Legislature’s commitment to aiding eligible organizations and nonprofits that are leading publicly funded programs, making a positive impact and doing exceptional work in our communities,” said House Committee on Finance Chair Kyle T. Yamashita (House District 12, Upcountry Maui).