Maui News

The Office of Hawaiian Affairs will release the first of five digitized historic Lahaina collections on its Papakilo Database on Aug. 8, 2024, one year to the day after the devastating Maui wildfires. The collection is the result of a collaborative partnership with the Lahaina Restoration Foundation.

Mayor Richard Bissen has announced that in connection with the scheduled activities on Thursday, Aug. 8, 2024, he has requested all construction/utility work be stopped in all secured burn zone areas, all previously secured burn zone areas, all highway and Bypass areas between Puʻukōliʻi Road and Olowalu Store, and all areas adjacent to the current and previously secured burn zones.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency reflected upon a challenging year marked by the Aug. 8 wildfires disaster. FEMA administrators say major recovery projects highlight the community’s resilience and the role of FEMA in supporting rebuilding efforts.

“The wildfire in Maui has highlighted these issues for our state, leading to skyrocketing insurance rates for condos, some increasing by as much as 1,000%. With the possibility of similar rate hikes for townhouses, immediate action is required to protect Hawaiʻi homeowners and maintain market stability,” according to the governor’s announcement.

At the one year mark since the fires, the Federal Emergency Management Agency provided an update on its Kilohana group housing site. The development, located on 34 acres mauka of a cane haul road near Wahikuli Road, will provide temporary housing for 169 households, and is anticipated to be complete by the end of October 2024.

State and local government leaders joined the Federal Emergency Management Agency in reflecting upon the one year mark since the Aug. 8, 2023 Maui wildfires. Leaders shared their focus on a shift toward long-term recovery while supporting the community’s resilience as it moves forward.

Matson has committed to donating $5 million in cargo transportation services to state- and county-supported Maui recovery projects, including housing. The Ka La‘i Ola project by HomeAid Hawaiʻi, the state, Maui County and Hawai‘i Community Foundation, is the first to benefit from Matson’s assistance. HomeAid Hawai‘i and its contractors are on track to complete the first 270 units by December 2024 and the remaining 180 units by the first quarter of 2025. Starting Aug. 9, 2024, Ka La‘i Ola will be welcoming ‘ohana in phased openings. 

The US Environmental Protection Agency has ordered the emergency suspension on the use of the pesticide dimethyl tetrachloroterephthalate (DCPA or Dacthal) under the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act.

Beginning next week, the University of Hawaiʻi Maui College will offer a comprehensive range of free construction training courses that will continue through this Fall 2024 semester. It starts with a one-week Basic Carpentry course, running from Monday, Aug. 12 to Friday, Aug. 16, from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., daily.

Maui Walking Tours LLC has expanded to offer free city walking tours in both Kīhei and Wailuku. The tour company’s newest guided walking tour takes participants through the streets of Wailuku sharing stories of its rich history. In addition to highlighting historic landmarks, buildings, and architecture, the tour weaves close to a dozen Wailuku street murals into the route, sharing the history and culture depicted through art. Tours are held every other Saturday, starting at the courtyard in front of the State Office Building and last 90 minutes.

The Kīhei Charter School has announced a significant upgrade of its computer hardware and software using a 2GB platform. According to KCS, it is the only Maui school to use a 2GB system, expanding tech utilization limits for students and faculty.

Public comments are due Aug. 22 for Maui County’s draft environmental assessment of its planned 4,900-foot extension of Līloa Drive, also known as the North-South Collector Road, from East Waipu‘ilani Road to Ka‘ono‘ulu Street in Kīhei.

On Tuesday, Global Empowerment Mission (GEM) Hawaiʻi unveiled its warehouse stocked with beds, comforters, and other household essentials to begin its aid to at least 300 wildfire-afflicted homeowners in a multi-year rebuilding process.

Edmund M.K. Enomoto of Kula, Maui, was named a Living Treasure of Hawaiʻi by the Honda Hongwanji Mission of Hawaiʻi as a ceramicist in 1987 at the age of 41, one of the youngest ever to receive that accolade. He died Aug. 3, 2024 at the age of 78.

HISAKO Film Lab is a nonprofit program coming from HISAKO Productions, a company created by Maui-born filmmaker Destin Daniel Cretton (Shang Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings) in collaboration with the University of Hawaiʻi Maui College, Academy For Creative Media.

In observance of the one-year mark since the Aug. 8, 2023, Maui wildfires, the Office of Recovery-West Maui in Lahaina Gateway will be closed on Thursday, Aug. 8, 2024. 

This Saturday, Maui Humane Society will host a Wags ‘n Wheels pet adoption event in partnership with Servco Subaru Maui from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Servco Subaru Maui dealership. The event aims to help pets find ‘furever homes’ in recognition of the one-year anniversary of the Lahaina wildfires, which displaced hundreds of pets in the community.

The Hawai‘i Department of Health has confirmed a travel-related dengue virus case in Hāna, on the island of Maui. Upon investigation, DOH found conditions that could increase the risk of transmission. Vector control teams are responding and will continue to be active in the area.

Glenn Sato, a 71-year-old retiree, won the Tako Division at the 36th annual Larry Libres Fishing & Diving Tournament, Saturday at Kanahā Beach Park in Kahului. Sato is the oldest tako champion in the 36-year history of the event. A total of 201 divers participated in the north shore event with 90 octopuses brought to the scale by 56 divers.

A hui of three Marriott properties in Wailea has received the No Ka ʻOi Highway Hui Adopt-A-Highway Award from the State of Hawaiʻi Department of Transportation, Highways Maui District, in recognition of their collaborative community care efforts.