Maui News

Residents in search of employment and new career opportunities can access free trainings provided by the University of Hawaiʻi  Community Colleges through its Good Jobs Hawaiʻi initiative.

The Salvation Army’s cherished Angel Tree tradition aims to make the holiday season a little brighter for families who face financial hardships and are struggling to make ends meet, by providing Christmas gifts for their children. Walmart donated more than 30,000 toys to The Salvation Army for this event and other efforts this holiday season.

The Hawaiʻi Department of Transportation is notifying motorists of upcoming closures for the week of Nov. 20, on Honoapiʻilani Highway as part of the West Maui Temporary School Facilities project.  

Kahului Walmart will begin selling cut Christmas trees on Tuesday, Nov. 21, daily from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Ten of the Top 50 players competing in the 2023 Allstate Maui Invitational have been named to Jersey Mike’s Naismith Men’s Player of the Year Watch List.

The Hawaiʻi State Department of Health Food and Drug Branch is alerting residents to a voluntary recall by KinderFarms, LLC for KinderMed Infants’ Pain & Fever and KinderMed Kids’ Pain & Fever OTC medication products because of acetaminophen instability.

Kula Hospital has been named one of US News and World Report’s Best Nursing Homes for 2024. Kula Hospital is among the elite 19% of skilled nursing facilities that earned a “High Performing” rating, the highest possible achievement, and has an overall rating of 5 out of 5.

Purchasing Specialist Mae Koyanagi, a 28-year employee who works behind the scenes to keep the wheels of Maui Economic Opportunity churning to help those in need, was named MEO’s Employee of the Month. It’s the fourth time she is being recognized with the honor.

The weekly Disaster Recovery Community Update Meetings for Kula residents impacted by the August wildfires will now be held at 6 p.m. Tuesdays at the Kula Elementary School cafeteria.

A blessing ceremony was held Friday for the new Wailuku parking garage, as the contractor handed off the new facility to the County of Maui. The four-story, 393-stall parking structure is scheduled to open in early December.  Initially, parking will be free, with the expectation that fees will apply in the future, pending approval by the Maui County Council.

“I want to see that grow out of this situation we’re in today. Let us find the people who bind us together. Let us find the strength in our lāʻau (plants), in our community. Let us find the koʻi (adze) that define the future and shape our world as we’re going to see it; the kālaimoku (high official), the kālai waʻa (canoe carver)—all of those people. They’re in our community. I can stare into this audience and see all the individuals, and that’s what gives me comfort,” said Kaipo Kekona.

Eleven new officers joined the ranks of the Maui Police Department as the graduates of the 94rd Recruit Class. A ceremony was held Friday, Nov. 17, 2023 at the Grand Wailea – A Waldorf Astoria Resort. 

Maui Mayor Richard Bissen acknowledged: “Housing was an issue on Maui and in West Maui before Aug. 8, and it became, obviously, a bigger issue after that.” “Our duty as government is to present the other options that people have. Let’s talk of creating a land trust,” said the mayor. That was one of the topics that was also explored at the Native Hawaiian Convention.

The House Interim Wildfire Prevention Working Group, Environmental Remediation Working Group, and Shelter Working Group will each meet on Friday to take public input on their respective draft report.

Hawaiʻi Island police met with Kamehameha Schools administrators on Hawaiʻi Island, who reported that a former employee of the school embezzled more than $360,000 over a period of approximately three years.

The new Kapapahuliau Climate Resilience Program aims to enhance climate change mitigation efforts for the Native Hawaiian community.

Today, four-time GRAMMY Award Winners and Rock & Roll Hall of Famers, The Doobie Brothers, have released a new single “Lahaina” along with a music video to provide aid and support to Maui following the August 2023 wildfire disaster.

AAA Hawaiʻi reports that a record number of residents in Pacific states are expected to travel for Thanksgiving, projecting 9.9 million travelers.

The Salvation Army hosts “Maui County’s Angel Tree Distribution” event at Kahului Walmart’s special Winter Wonderland scene on Nov. 18 and 19, 2023.

County of Maui Disaster Area Restrictions will be lifted from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Monday and Tuesday, Nov. 20 and 21, for owners and residents with vehicle passes in Zones 7B, 7C, 7D and 7E.