Maui News

In recognition of Mahina ‘Ōlelo Hawai’i, a free Hawaiian language fair with live entertainment, card games, “make and take” stations and informational booths will be held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday at Queen Ka‘ahumanu Center.

Five nominees for Circuit Judge for the Circuit Court of the Second Circuit (Island of Maui) have been announced for consideration. Governor Josh Green, M.D. will nominate a successor to Richard T. Bissen Jr., who was elected Mayor of Maui County late last year.

The 20-member Hawai‘i Climate Commission voted today to support Gov. Josh Green’s proposal to create a $100 million climate fund to continue guiding the state’s adaptation and mitigation efforts to combat climate change.

The county anticipates closing the road between Ka‘ū High & Pahala Elementary and Na‘alehu Elementary due to flooding. To ensure students and staff wonʻt be stuck, the schools are being closed. 

“We’ve been in this position before with boulders falling from a hillside in Kalihi Valley several times during a 10-year period,” said State Representative John Mizuno (D-29 Kalihi Valley, Kamehameha Heights, portion of Lower Kalihi) in a news release. “Unfortunately, much of the rockslides or boulders coming down are both related to the rainy weather and the location, usually along a hillside which naturally has a gravitational pull once the surrounding soil turns to mud.”

Mental health clinicians represented by the National Union of Healthcare Workers announced they have reached a tentative agreement with Kaiser Permanente on a three-year contract. This is expected to bring to an end a nearly six-month strike.

Nearly 500 frontline healthcare workers at Kaiser’s Maui Health System have voted to strike in dispute over pay. Maui Health says it continues to negotiate in good faith and hopes to reach an agreement soon.

“Light to moderate rain may be locally heavy at times over Kauaʻi and Oʻahu while periods of heavy rain will result in much greater flash flood potential over windward and southeast-facing slopes of the Big Island and Maui,” according to an update issued by the National Weather Service on Friday morning.

The Kīpahulu District of Haleakalā National Park will be closed on the morning of Friday, Feb. 17, due to the risk of extreme flash flooding, road closures, landslides and road washouts in East Maui, according to a news release issued today.

Rock band, Daughtry performs on Maui at the Castle Theater of the Maui Arts & Cultural Center on Friday, Apr 21, 2023. The concert starts at 7:30 p.m.

Applications are being accepted for the 2023-2024 Kealahoʻimai Massage Therapy Program offered through University of Hawaiʻi Maui College Continuing Education. This free training is sponsored by Hui No Ke Ola Pono’s Kealahoʻimai program, which promotes Native Hawaiian workforce development in the healthcare and wellness industries. Grant funding covers the full cost of instruction, textbooks, supplies, uniforms, and licensing exam fees for participants.

The Nuestro Futuro Foundation, whose grant supported MEO’s efforts to bring its Youth Services tobacco, alcohol, drugs, bullying and suicide prevention programs to Moloka‘i, was selected as Benefactor of the Year. 

Although some counties saw a drop in home prices at the start of the new year, Maui County was the only one in the state to exceed a $1 million median for single-family homes.

The company reports that crews are prepared to respond to storm-related outages, but advises that in some areas, power restoration may be delayed due to accessibility issues caused by fallen trees, debris or flooding.

The County of Maui is urging the public to monitor weather conditions as emergency managers prepare for impacts from an approaching kona low system.

With more than $8 million in federal funds that need to be used by Sept. 30, 2025, Maui County Council member Tamara Paltin is urging the administration to set up a program in order to administer a homeowner’s assistance fund. “The most heartbreaking part to me is that we know we have residents going into foreclosure, behind on HOA fees or property taxes and we have wasted a whole year already of being able to help them,” she said. “This is super urgent to me.”

Governor Josh Green, M.D. has appointed Trish La Chica and Luke Evslin to fill the State House of Representatives seats on Oʻahu and Kauaʻi respectively, after the seats were left vacant due to earlier cabinet-level nominations.

In Maui County alone, there are 15,390 private solar systems on the HECO grid, the majority (94%) of which are residential, and 6% are commercial. The systems in Maui County have 145 megawatts of generating capacity.

The US Space Force finalized a contract with CKM Cultural Resources Feb. 14 to provide a cultural advisor and monitor in support of the remediation project atop Haleakalā following a fuel spill at the site.

The measure would double the standard deduction for individual filers from $2,200 to $5,000, and double the personal exemption from $1,144 to $2,288. Additionally, Hawaiʻi’s renters would see relief through increased tax credits.