Maui News

To address the unprecedented volume of public records requests following the August 2023 Maui wildfires, the County of Maui launched a new online records management portal.

Six months after reaching a settlement with owners of a luxury yacht for its grounding, removal and damage to natural resources, the owners still have not paid the thousands of dollars owed to the state.

A series of powerful storms in 2023 and the first part of 2024 contributed to a higher than usual number of boat groundings in Maui, according to state officials. Today, DOBOR awarded a $841,820 contract to Sea Engineering, Inc., to salvage the former Navy torpedo boat, Chaparral. It currently rests in sand, next to a seawall in North Kīhei.

David Gregoire was located and found to be in good health.  The Maui Police Department thanked the public for their assistance.

Last year, the REALTORS® Association of Maui Community Foundation awarded $37,000 in scholarships to 37 students. This year’s deadline to apply is March 1, 2024.

Maui police today confirmed the identity of Lydia Coloma, 70, of Lahaina as a victim of the Aug. 8, 2023 wildfire in West Maui. Coloma was previously on a list of unaccounted for individuals, which has now dropped to three people. The latest confirmation completes the public identification process for the 100 known fatalities from the Lahaina fire.

Hawaiʻi County producers incurred $100,000 in total losses while Maui County producers incurred $23 million in total losses. Producers estimated the reduction in sales revenue at $5.1 million, the reduction in agritourism revenue at $3.9 million, the value of livestock losses at $75,000, the value of crop damages at $5.4 million, and property damages at $8.5 million.

Members of the Hawaiʻi State Legislature’s Keiki Caucus were joined by community advocates to unveil the 2024 Keiki Caucus Bill Package, which is comprised of five priority bills aimed at addressing the health and welfare of Hawaiʻi’s youth. 

After paddling miles and hours on the ocean, two kayakers ended up off the shore of Launiupoko, and there it was: a humpback mother whale “tail sailing” beside her calf.

The organization plans to use the Stupski investment to finance construction loans for native Hawaiians to build on Department of Hawaiian Homelands. With this investment, HCL aims to house 200 beneficiary families over the next five years directly with the funds.

Comprising 10 bills and two resolutions, the measures reflect the bipartisan efforts of six interim House working groups that collaborated with subject experts and various agencies and engaged in extensive discussions relating to the Lahaina wildfire.

Maui County has planned an informational workshop from 3 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 27, on the Right-of-Entry process for residential and commercial property owners. It will be held at the Lahainaluna High School cafeteria, 980 Lahainaluna Road in Lahaina.

The University of Hawaiʻi and Ocean Networks, Inc. announced a $120 million, public-private partnership to construct a submarine optical fiber cable system that is aimed at connecting the Hawaiian Islands and improving and expanding high-speed broadband internet throughout the state.

Inclement weather may have contributed to the grounding of two large vessels at Kīhei and Mā’alaea, and now weather continues to slow efforts to remove them, according to officials with the State Department of Land and Natural Resources.

Imua Family Services celebrated the start of a series of projects, including the second location for an Imua Inclusion Preschool. As Imua Discovery Garden moves closer to completion, the community will enjoy additions alongside the new preschool, including a butterfly house exhibit, a native Hawaiian ethnobotanical garden and vegetable gardens.

Maui’s Nō Ka ʻOi Toastmasters Club is a local nonprofit educational club that helps prime members for career growth.

In an effort to provide relief to working-class families and ensure nutritious meals for keiki so they can focus better at school, Representative Mahina Poepoe (D-13 Moloka‘i, Lāna‘i, Kaho‘olawe, portion of Kahului, Ha‘ikū, Pe‘ahi, Huelo, Nāhiku, Hāna, Kīpahulu) introduced House Bill 1540. The legislation requires eligible schools to participate in the Community Eligibility Provision, which provides […]

Hawaiian Electric is continuing restoration work to rebuild portions of the electric system in Lahaina in an effort to ensure safe and reliable power to all West Maui customers following the August 2023 wildfires. Ongoing restoration efforts include the rebuilding of transmission and distribution lines along former routes in the Lahaina area with the installation of new interim steel poles and electrical equipment.

The Hawai‘i Department of Transportation advises air travelers of potential flight delays due to the Sentry Aloha fighter exercise that is being hosted by the Hawai‘i Air National Guard through the end of January.

At its upcoming meeting on Jan. 26, 2024, the Board of Land and Natural Resources will consider enforcement action against the owners of the vessel Nakoa, which, in February 2023, grounded outside the Honolua-Mokulēʻia Bay Marine Life Conservation District. In the incident, 119 specimens of stony coral and 1640.5 square meters of live rock were damaged.