#Lāhaina

“All the Things I Leave You (Patawid),” an Ilokano-language film with deep ties to Maui and Hawaiʻi’s Filipino plantation history, has been named one of eight films shortlisted to become the Philippines’ official submission for Best International Feature Film at the 99th Academy Awards.

The Sierra Club Hawaiʻi Chapter has officially endorsed Green Party candidate Pāʻele Kiakona for Hawaiʻi State House District 14 in his campaign to represent West Maui.

The University of Hawaiʻi Center for Oral History secured four grants totaling $538,000 to record the stories of Maui communities, including those navigating the aftermath of the 2023 wildfires.

Three years after devastating wildfires swept through Lahaina and parts of Upcountry Maui, the Hawaiʻi Department of Health continues to support the health and recovery of Maui communities through behavioral health services and partnerships with community organizations.

Maui police are investigating an assault involving dozens of individuals reported in West Maui earlier this month. The initial call was for a disorderly incident involving approximately 30 people, reported at around 10:06 p.m. on Friday, July 17, 2026, at the pool area of Kāʻanapali Aliʻi, located at 50 Nohea Kai Drive in Lahaina.

Kalei’s Lahaina is launching a new giveback initiative, donating $1 from every Kalei’s Lahaina Loco Moco plate sold each quarter to local organizations that support and uplift the Lahaina community.

With fewer eyes monitoring the neighborhood, residents are especially worried about speeding and trespassing, which shows in more police calls.

In 10 years of monitoring West Maui’s waters, one network of citizen scientists has noted other findings like rising salinity due to years of drought and declining nitrates as the residual impacts of Lahaina’s plantation days fade away.

Public comments are being accepted through July 8 on a draft environmental assessment for a Maui County project to replace a sewer force main in Lahaina.

Sugimura has a lead of more than 10 points in two polls, but Bissen’s camp says its polling shows him with a 6-point lead.

More than $20 million worth of projects are left to be completed at the harbor, including work on the piers and dinghy dock that cost $8 million and are expected to start this year.

Topics to be discussed include: Restoration of the Lahaina Royal Complex; Ongoing and upcoming state Department of Transportation projects; The County Department of Water Supply’s upcoming Lahaina Watermain Project; Community input on the proposed Lahaina community center and field house; and Updates from the County Office of Recovery, including information on Hoʻokumu Hou programs.

West Maui nonprofit Mana Mentors is celebrating a standout first season for its Lahaina Youth Surf Team, with several young athletes capturing top finishes at Duke’s Legends of the Bay and the Hawaiʻi Surfing Association State Championships.

PacWhale Eco-Adventures, the social enterprise of Pacific Whale Foundation, will resume ocean operations from Lahaina Harbor beginning June 1, 2026, marking a meaningful milestone in Maui’s ongoing recovery following the 2023 wildfires.

The Lahainaluna High School Foundation marked its 25th year of awarding scholarships on April 30, presenting $167,000 in awards to students and alumni despite a year that brought both the lingering aftermath of the August 2023 wildfires and flooding from the February 2026 Kona low storm.

The two sides have reached a tentative agreement, but a price still needs to be negotiated and the council must approve it, with the chair saying it’s “not a done deal.”

Property owners whose homes were destroyed by the Lahaina fire in 2023 have until Aug. 31 to apply for reconstruction and reimbursement programs.

Maui Health also got funding in the budget as the legislative session closed last week, but lawmakers think it won’t be enough for repairs to the storm-damaged Kula Hospital.

County officials are urging residents and business owners affected by March’s Kona low storms to take advantage of federal disaster assistance programs before key application deadlines pass.

Hawaiʻi Gov. Josh Green said the options for the damaged Upcountry hospital could include a mobile unit designed for disasters or a temporary modular clinic like the one Kaiser built in Lahaina after the 2023 wildfires.