Maui News

The County of Maui is seeking resident feedback in person and online about a potential ferry service to connect Lānaʻi and Molokaʻi with Maui.

US Rep. Jill Tokuda (HI-02) introduced a bill on Tuesday to ensure that Native Hawaiian organizations can fully access funding they are entitled to under the Native Hawaiian and Alaska Native Culture and Arts Development Program for cultural programming and activities.

In an ongoing effort to protect Hawaiʻi residents from gun violence and keep communities safe, the Department of Law Enforcement (DLE) will host another community gun buyback event on Saturday, Aug. 24, 2024, at the Aloha Stadium Lower Parking lot on Oʻahu, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Officials with the Maui Fire Department and the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives responded today to media inquiries about the timeline and process for releasing information on the cause and origin of the Aug. 8, 2023 Lahaina wildfire.

Queen Kaʻahumanu Center is seeking vendors for the debut of its latest signature event, 808 Bash, happening on Saturday, Aug. 24.

Hawaiʻi State Federal Credit Union (Hawaiʻi State FCU) today announced that Brennon Morioka, dean of the College of Engineering at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, and Darren Nakao, executive vice president and chief financial officer at UHA Health Insurance, have been elected to serve on its volunteer board of directors. Monica Toguchi Ryan, owner and president of Highway Inn, has been reelected to the board for her third and final term. Morioka, Nakao and Toguchi Ryan will all serve new three-years terms, effective June 22, 2024.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency is seeking vendors for group site maintenance and maintenance/repairs on FEMA-owned modular housing units being used as temporary housing for individuals and families displaced by the Maui wildfires.

The bay fronting the temple in Paia is experiencing extreme coastal erosion due to sea level rise, with the shoreline moving inland at a rate of 1.6 feet per year.  The erosion has affected turtle habitat, toppled graves into the sea, and is now threatening the historic temple building. 

Gov. Josh Green signed into law 17 bills aimed at crime prevention, public safety and law enforcement, including one that makes those owning or operating illegal gambling houses criminally responsible.

A Maui County Council committee yesterday made approvals for leadership positions in Maui’s two newest departments, offices which were both initiated by Maui voters via charter amendments in November 2022.

Just as Maui County is seeking to phase out transient vacation rentals in apartment-zoned districts, the European city of Barcelona, Spain, has imposed some of the most restrictive vacation rental rules on the planet, according to the World’s Best Cities Report 2024.

The 25th anniversary of the Molokaʻi 2 OʻahuPaddleboard World Championships (M2O), presented by the Hawaiʻi Tourism Authority is set to welcome an international field of athletes who will cover more than 32 miles across the Kaiwi Channel, launching from the coastline of Moloka’i and finishing on O’ahu.

A small brush fire off of the Kūihelani Highway near the Dunes at Maui Lani Golf Course burned an estimated 30-foot by 100-foot area along the highway, opposite to any development.

The Pesticides Branch of the Hawai‘i Department of Agriculture (HDOA) is extending its free pesticide disposal program to the island of Lāna‘i in August. Lāna‘i farmers and other commercial users of pesticides may safely dispose of canceled, suspended, unwanted or unlabeled pesticides, but pre-registration is required. The registration deadline is Tuesday, July 16, 2024 at 4:30 p.m. The drop-off day is Tuesday, Aug. 6, 2024, with the location to be provided only to registered participants.

“This budget makes historical investments in affordable housing, health care, climate and education – all of our big priority areas as a state. It will provide over $200 million for Maui’s recovery efforts through the Major Disaster Fund. In addition to what is funded in the budget, we passed historical tax reform this session which will put more money into the pockets of local families to combat inflation,” said Green.

Residents are encouraged to attend the County of Maui’s Weekly Disaster Recovery Community Update Meeting at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, July 10, in the Lahaina Civic Center gymnasium.

Gov. Josh Green, M.D., issued his final veto decisions today after additional analysis and input from stakeholders. Of the 17 bills on his original Intent to Veto List, Green issued seven vetoes. He signed four bills after issuing line-item reductions, and six bills were signed into law.

HTA is providing $48,000 in scholarships to support the professional development of 32 Hawai‘i chefs through this specialized career pathway program.

The Maui Planning Commission failed to have enough commissioners available this morning for an anticipated continuation of a public hearing on a proposed phase-out of approximately 7,000 transient vacation rentals in Maui County’s apartment-zoned districts.

The Hilo International Airport experienced a brief halt in operations as Hawai‘i Police Department personnel responded to a report by Transportation Security Administration staff that two items resembling grenades were detected during x-ray screening within a carry-on bag belonging to male Japanese national departing the country.