Maui News

Seabury Hall student Bobby Goldyn of Makawao, was the only student from Maui to win a gold medal in this year’s Congressional Gold Medal Awards. The medal is awarded to high school students who achieve certain benchmarks in volunteerism, character development and fitness.

MEO assisted 20,365 individuals/families touching nearly 43,000 lives in the last fiscal year, MEO CEO Debbie Cabebe said. MEO buses on Maui, (including East Maui), Moloka‘i, and Lāna‘i, provided 270,555 rides for 5,774 unduplicated passengers.

The Native Hawaiian Intellectual Property Working Group comprised of experts in native Hawaiian law, indigenous intellectual property, and cultural practitioners held its first meeting at the Hawaiʻi State Capitol on Monday.

The Trucker Dukes Memorial Dive, organized by UVSC (Us Versus Cancer), combined a keiki spearfishing tournament and invasive species roundup with community fundraising to support UVSC’s mission to support families facing cancer-related challenges.

The Hawaiʻi Association of Broadcasters is opposing Gov. Josh Green’s intent to veto HB 2581, saying the bill addresses an “outdated” state statute that allows a mayor or the Governor to “unlawfully” suspend the transmission of electronic media during a state of emergency.

In May 2024, Maui County continued to have the largest supply of available vacation rental (TVR) units in the state, but occupancy rates for them were below half, at 49.5%, according to a report by the state Department of Business Economic Development and Tourism’s Hawaiʻi (DBEDT).

The latest Visitor Satisfaction and Activity Survey results show that visitors’ experience on Maui among US West and US East travelers have improved since the Aug. 8 wildfires, according to the Hawaiʻi Tourism Authority. The percentage of visitors to Maui that rated their trip “excellent” was 89.8% from the US East, 86.3% from Europe, 86.2% from the US West, and 85.9% from Canada. Additionally, the percentage of visitors from these markets “very likely” to return to Maui in the next five years remained high: US West (71.5%), Canada (63.0%), and US East (59.0%).

Since October 2023, The Kanikapila Project — a post-fire program on Maui — has lifted up people of all ages who are impacted by the tragic Lahaina wildfire using the healing power of music. So far, the project has gifted music lessons and over 400 ʻukulele.

The Hawaiian Coffee Labeling Act 211, which was enacted in July 2023, requires all coffee products carrying a Hawai‘i geographical reference to include the disclosure of the location where the coffee was grown in the state, and also indicate the percentage by weight of locally grown coffee and coffee grown elsewhere. The law also specifies that coffee products claiming to be 100% Hawaiian in the labeling and advertising must be grown and processed in Hawai‘i. 

Sheraton Maui Resort & Spa will host its next Kōkua for Maui event on Friday, July 5, 2024 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the resort. The event is a place where Maui residents and visitors can shop and show their aloha for local artisans and Lahaina small businesses who were impacted by the August 2023 wildfires.

A 20-year old man visiting from Romania was swimming about 15-20 feet offshore when he suddenly felt pain to his right foot and discovered he had lacerations to the top and bottom of his foot, which was bleeding profusely. The victim and two others near him in the water did not see any shark but medical personnel on scene related that the injuries were consistent with a shark bite.

Following the Maui wildfires of August 2023, the University of Hawaiʻi is spearheading projects totaling $2.1 million to address the impacts to air and water quality, public health, ecosystem resilience and community evacuation responses.

A standing-room-only crowd filled the Maui County Council chambers Tuesday morning to hear the start of debate over Mayor Richard Bissen’s proposed phase-out of approximately 7,000 transient vacation rental units in apartment-zoned districts.

This is the fifth year the UH Drone Technologies team is participating in the competition. Its best finish was sixth in 2017 and third among US teams the same year. The team aims to place higher this year.

The meeting will include a US Army Corps of Engineers update on debris removal, information on the Department of Health’s new environmental monitoring portal, and presentations by the Maui Emergency Management Agency, Maui Fire Department, Maui Police Department and County Department of Public Works.

Department officials say the most recent reported ongoing scam is spoof callers claiming to be a Maui Police Department representative. Spoofing is a technique used to manipulate caller ID information, making it appear as if the call is coming from a legitimate source, such as a government agency, financial institution, or even a known contact, making it highly deceptive.

The Hawaiʻi Department of Health (DOH) has launched an Environmental Monitoring Data Portal to provide a one-stop shop for sharing the results of previous and ongoing environmental monitoring in the areas affected by the August 2023 Lahaina and Kula wildfires.

The County of Maui Office of Recovery and Department of Planning will hold a planning workshop for the Lahaina Town Historic and Business Districts on Saturday, June 29, 2024, from 3 to 5:30 p.m. at the Lahainaluna High School cafeteria, located at 980 Lahainaluna Road. The workshop will address the core of Lahaina town’s historic and commercial areas, primarily makai of Honoapiʻilani Highway.

Mayor Richard Bissen’s proposed elimination of transient vacation rentals in Maui County’s apartment-zoned districts is expected to lead to more available long-term rental and for-sale housing, although the high dollar value of apartments in coastal resort areas mean there “may be issues” about their affordability.

The state Department of Health has confirmed one travel-related dengue virus case on Oʻahu. Department officials say the individual traveled to a region where dengue is known to be spread. There have been five confirmed travel-related dengue cases identified in the state (one on Maui, four on Oʻahu) so far in 2024.