All 237 nonhistorical, concrete pilings along Front Street in Lahaina have been removed — totaling approximately 500 tons of material. A press release announcement from the County of Maui described the achievement as “a significant step forward in Maui wildfire recovery efforts.”

The Maui Planning Commission is wrestling with a precedent-setting decision on the first special management area permit for reconstruction of an oceanfront Front Street home destroyed in the August 2023 Lahaina wildfire, after concluding public testimony Tuesday.

The proposed project seeks to upgrade these properties to a gravity sewer system, eliminating environmental impacts from cesspools and leaking septic systems while providing a wastewater management system more resilient to disaster hazards from wildfires, flooding, and tsunami.

Calling it a “significant milestone,” the County of Maui Department of Environmental Management Wastewater Reclamation Division announced that Lahaina’s County sewer system is now 100% active. The progress comes as homes and businesses look to rebuild after the August 2023 wildfire.

There were just 27 tickets remaining on Tuesday for the Lahaina Restoration Foundation’s Benefit Lūʻau, happening on Saturday, May 10, at the iconic Old Lahaina Lūʻau grounds in West Maui.

A proposed $1.85 million project to rebuild an oceanfront home on wildfire-ravaged Front Street in Lahaina is getting support from neighbors who also want to rebuild while taking hits from critics concerned with coastline impacts, rising sea levels, and what one opponent called “another mansion on the shoreline.”

In Hawaii, Matson continued its annual support for public schools statewide as the sole corporate sponsor of the State Department of Education’s Beginning Teacher Summer Academies with a contribution of $50,000 for two years. Larger contributions of primarily in-kind services in Hawaii include: Hawaii Foodbank – $1,254,000; Maui Wildfire Recovery – $ 648,000; Maui Foodbank – $ 613,000; and American Heart Association – $77,500.

Maui County is hoping to bring another well online by this summer, but it would be limited to temporary housing projects and homes rebuilt after the 2023 wildfire.

The County of Maui Department of Planning is encouraging property owners whose legally nonconforming structures were destroyed in the August 2023 wildfires to apply for building permits and begin the process of rebuilding.

With growing numbers of Maui County employees, on paper, at least, is there enough space for them to park at the Kalana O Maui campus in Wailuku?

The bill aims to bolster the security of AI weather models by requiring the development of a US weather dataset.

Maui County Council members heard about progress and plans for future needs Tuesday from the Maui Emergency Management Agency, now less than two years after the August 2023 wildfires disaster.

Hauling will take place nightly at 9 p.m., from Wednesday, April 9 through Friday, April 11. The transport will involve trucks in a caravan that will move the homes from the staging area near the Kahului small boat ramp, along Kahului Beach Road (Route 3400), to Lahaina.

The Hawai‘i Wildfire Management Organization has been recognized by the National Association of State Foresters as a leader in wildfire mitigation.

The Senate Judiciary and Ways and Means committees have recommended passage of a House bill that would put into state law fire safety recommendations arising from a Hawaiʻi Attorney General investigation of the August 2023 Maui wildfire disaster. The bill has passed second reading and moves on to third reading in the Senate. House Bill […]

A $250,000 check was presented to the West Maui YMCA for its Community Center Partnership Park. The check, from Rotary D5000 Foundation Maui Fires Relief Fund, will support the construction of a Dual Modular unit that will serve as both a youth space, office space, flexible program space and an additional covered area for the community.

The tree saplings are displayed at Maui’s OGG Airport for both arrivals and departures, beneath the central baggage claim’s atrium ceiling and in the nearby courtyard.

Maui United Way has made a significant financial commitment to the Lahaina Community Land Trust with an investment of $1.5 million, designed to help protect and preserve the lands of Lahaina for future generations. This funding aims to support LCLT’s mission of ensuring that Lahaina’s lands remain in the hands of its local residents, with an emphasis on safeguarding affordable housing, cultural spaces and ecosystems. 

Scientists at the University of Hawaiʻi have developed new wildfire risk maps to better predict fire danger across the state. Unlike the current Red Flag Warning system, which relies on weather from a limited number of stations, these maps provide a daily, high-resolution look at the most current fire ignition risks statewide.

HULI has raised funds for the construction of 16 solar trailers, which will be donated to Nā ʻAikāne o Maui as part of ongoing efforts to support Lahaina wildfire recovery.