Maui News

Three West Maui Rotary Clubs came together earlier this month to host donation drives aimed at collecting school supplies for children in need. In just three days, 15 boxes of school supplies were gathered, and more than $1,300 raised.

Heavy equipment was deployed to help contain a brush fire that burned about 25 acres in Waiehu mauka of Kahekili Highway near Maka’ala Drive, fire officials said in an update Thursday afternoon.

With the largest supply of vacation rentals in the state, Maui County’s unit demand and occupancy rates are down in double-digits since last year and 2019, before the COVID-19 pandemic struck, according to a report for June by the Department of Business, Economic Development & Tourism.

This August, the State Foundation on Culture and the Arts (SFCA) will hold strategic planning sessions across Hawai’i to gather diverse insights to help shape the agency’s initiatives and priorities.

A virtual community meeting will be held for area residents and interested parties to learn more about Kūihelani Solar Phase 2, a proposed utility-scale solar project in Central Maui. The virtual meeting will take place via Zoom on Tuesday, Aug. 27 at 5:30 p.m.

History buffs will have an opportunity to see portrayals of sugar barons from the 19th- and early 20th-century Hawai‘i in performances of “How Sweet It Is” at the July 27-28 debut of “Makawao Cemetery Theatre.”

The Hawaiian Volcano Observatory is reporting an “abrupt increase” in seismic activity recently in the upper East Rift Zone of Kīlauea.

The Rotary Club of Wailuku has announced the successful acquisition of a $50,000 grant from the Rotary D5000 Foundation Maui Fires Relief Fund. This grant will be used to support Piha Wellness and Healing over the upcoming fiscal year. These professionals will offer their services to individuals and families who have been impacted by the wildfires on Maui.

Mauiʻs Reagan James Miles of Kīhei won the Boys 15-18 division of the 2024 Oʻahu Junior Championship held this week on Oʻahu.

This funding will be used to support Hawaiʻi’s teacher workforce by creating the first statewide registered apprenticeship program for K-12 teachers. The program will enable approximately 142 aspiring educators to ‘earn and learn’ while obtaining their bachelor’s degrees at no cost, avoiding student loans.

After a 99-day jury trial, a federal jury found Michael J. Miske, Jr., 50, of Kailua, Oʻahu, guilty of racketeering conspiracy, murder, and 11 other felony charges on July 18, 2024. On Wednesday, the court determined that as a result of Miske’s conviction of the racketeering conspiracy, he should forfeit a variety of assets to the federal government. Sentencing is scheduled for Nov. 26, 2024.

The Central East Maui 50/70 State of Hawaiʻi Championship team had their playoff run come to sudden end Wednesday night with a 4-0 loss to Southern California during a semifinal game at the West Region Tournament in Nogales, Arizona. They were just two wins away from a ticket to the World Series,

The US Coast Guard conducted an underwater search using side scan sonar technology.

“So for being from Lahaina, I really wanted to look for opportunities that would be learning opportunities that would be more meaningful and impactful for my students. And so being part of this program and being able to participate in different activities, I have seen how I can take that and apply that to my own teaching and my own classroom,” Michelle Brummel, teacher, Lahainaluna High School.

The Maui Humane Society has announced it is waiving adoption fees for dogs and cats six months and older, small animals (rabbits, guinea pigs, turtles), and kittens under six months old have an adoption fee of just $50, now through July 31.

A Hawai‘i state court on Tuesday temporarily blocked part of the Midwifery Restriction Law, which prevents pregnant people in Hawai‘i from using traditional midwives for their pregnancies and births. The lawsuit was filed by the Center for Reproductive Rights, the Native Hawaiian Legal Corporation, and the law firm Perkins Coie on behalf of nine plaintiffs, including six midwives and student midwives, as well as three women who wish to access care from traditional midwives.

The Maui Planning Commission heard more than seven hours of often impassioned testimony Tuesday, then deliberated nearly three hours before recommending that the Maui County Council approve a bill to phase-out of thousands of short-term rentals in apartment districts, mostly in South and West Maui.

County of Maui officials announced today, July 24, 2024, that Crater Road is scheduled to reopen at noon; however, if conditions become unsafe, the road will again be closed.  Portions of Crater Road have been closed since July 10 due to the ongoing Crater Road fire in Upper Kula, which remains at 80% containment and 574 acres.

The project includes the installation of 52 weather stations on four islands. The weather stations, mounted on Hawaiian Electric utility poles, will provide meteorological data that will help the company to decide whether to activate and deactivate a public safety power shutoff, or PSPS. Under the PSPS program launched July 1, Hawaiian Electric may preemptively shut off power in areas that are at high risk of wildfires during periods of forecast high winds and dry conditions.

The sign-waving initiative aims to unite the community in raising awareness about human trafficking and exploitation.