Maui News

Kaiser Permanente Hawai’i has added four new maternity care providers at the Wailuku Medical Office to ensure expectant families can continue to receive high quality care on-island. The new team members include obstetricians-gynecologists Jennifer Leeper, DO, and James Morong, MD, along with certified nurse-midwives Brooke Raidmae, CNM, and Carolyn Wetzel, CNM. 

Jennifer Karaca, the founding executive director of Maui nonprofit Common Ground Collective, has been honored with the District 50 Hawai’i Lions’ Humanitarian of the Year.

Nalu’s South Shore Grill owner, Ron Panzo was honored as the winner of the US Small Business Administration’s (SBA) 2024 Hawaiʻi State Small Business Person of the Year award. This award acknowledges outstanding achievements and contributions of small businesses across Hawaiʻi and the nation.

Maui County will participate in the 39th Annual Troy Barboza Law Enforcement Torch Run.

MTS-Nakamura Wrestling of Wailuku took first overall at this past weekend’s 2024 Hawaiʻi State Wrestling Championship, held annually at the Lahaina Civic Center. The event drew 19 wrestling clubs statewide and nearly 500 wrestlers.

The meeting will feature an update from County Department of Parks and Recreation Director Pat McCall on the status of the Lahaina Aquatic Center. The US Army Corps of Engineers will provide an update on debris clearing.

Attorney General Anne Lopez announced today criminal charges against a woman for the alleged embezzlement of approximately $44,367 in union dues from the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, Local Union 1186.

The main parking lot gates near the tennis courts and soccer field complex at Kahului Community Center will be closed from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. Thursday, May 9, and Friday, May 10, for painting of the parking lot, the County Department of Parks and Recreation announced. Street parking will be available.

Nonprofit organization West Maui Improvement Foundation (WMIF) today announced the receipt of another $1,250,000 in funding to purchase a modular fire station for Olowalu. The Benioff Family Foundation donated $1 million and the Arrillaga Family Foundation, as directed by Justine Stamen & John Arrillaga, $250,000.

An estimated 30 acres of fallow agricultural land burned along the Maui Veterans Highway on Sunday afternoon. Crews arrived on scene to find multiple areas of brush on fire along the southeast side of the highway.

Two candidates for public office are testing political waters and saying they aim to help address Maui’s housing crisis, especially in the wake of the August wildfires.

Maui County homeowners affected negatively by the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic may be eligible to receive financial assistance for mortgage, other qualified housing expenses and other resources to help them avoid foreclosure under the Maui Homeowner Assistance Fund (MHAF) Program that launches today, Monday, May 6, 2024. Homeowners displaced by the Maui Wildfires also may be eligible for assistance and are encouraged to apply.

Wenaokeao, meaning “earliest glow of light,” is the name given to the SPIRou spectrograph and ESPaDOnS, which are used to observe the colors of light emitting from stars.

Vertical Sports Maui hosts a faith-based sports camp, June 10-14, 2024. The camp has space for 700 kids between the ages of 6-14.

The Federal Housing Administration will extend the foreclosure moratorium through Aug. 4, 2024, to help homeowners impacted by 2023 wildfires. FHA is taking this action due to the extent of the devastation from the wildfires, the reduced capacity for borrowers to access needed resources, and the unique challenges associated with the geographic location of Maui.

Since Bank of Hawai‘i’s College Assistance Program began in 2016, 25 employees have now earned degrees from Chaminade University or an associate degree from the University of Hawai‘i Community Colleges with more than $2.1 million in educational costs covered.  This year, all four employees—Rita Aponte, Ryan Chang, Cindy Corpuz and KerryLynn Vea—received their bachelor’s degrees in business administration.

A total of 50 cats left the Maui Humane Society and the Lānaʻi Cat Sanctuary last week, headed to their new life in California with the Humane Society Silicon Valley. The transport was made in collaboration with Greater Good Charities.

The Kahului Airport Runway 2-20 has been reopened as of 8 a.m., May 6, 2024. Staff are coordinating departures to minimize delays.

Organizers of the annual David Malo Day event will speak at the Rotary Club of Lahaina Sunset on May 21, 2024. Eva and Danny Palakiko will share information about the event, held last month at Lahainaluna High School.

The Expeditions Maui-Lānaʻi Ferry is expanding service with three round trips per day, seven days a week, starting the week of June 3, 2024. The expanded service is aimed at meeting passenger demand.