#lanai news

When 19-year-old Talia Agliam walks across the stage to receive her bachelor’s degree in sociology and a certificate in law and society from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa on May 17, she will carry with her not only the pride of achievement, but the strength and support of her Lānaʻʻi island community.

The Lānaʻi community celebrated Earth Week on Saturday at the Lāna‘i Culture & Heritage Center’s 4th Annual Kupulau Festival.

Fraser Avenue Lāna‘i Dog Park was designed to provide a safe, accessible space for residents and their dogs to enjoy off-leash play.

The County of Maui Department of Environmental Management is hosting a white goods, metals and e-waste collection event for Lānaʻi residents on Saturday, April 12, 2025, from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Pulama Lānaʻi Fleet Yard.

The UH Maui College Lānaʻi Education Center currently serves 84 students, 64 of whom are Early College students from Lānaʻi High & Elementary School.

Lānaʻi residents are needed to serve as volunteer members on several Maui County boards and commissions, including the Lānaʻi Planning Commission, Liquor Control Commission, Police Commission, Board of Variances and Appeals, Fire and Public Safety Commission and Maui County Cultural Resource Commission.

The resort team at Four Seasons Resort Lanai has put together a celebration taking place Saturday, Dec. 21 from noon to 4 p.m.

After eight months of closures, most of the roadway in Mānele Small Boat Harbor has reopened. Multiple water main breaks created issues with the section between the upper road and the lower, makai road. The middle section of the roadway will remain closed until further notice.

One man and two children were rescued by Coast Guard personnel after their boat capsized offshore of Lānaʻi Saturday. A helicopter crew located the capsized 16-foot boat about 7 miles south of Mānele Harbor. One man and two boys, ages 8 and 12, were clinging to the hull, not wearing life jackets.

Mayor Richard Bissen and his administration will host a community budget meeting from 5 to 7 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 23, at ILWU Union Hall in Lānaʻi City.

Young Brothers christened the Kalohi and Nāulu barges last week, marking a milestone in a more than $45 million investment to enhance the reliability and resilience of interisland shipping services.

Maui Economic Opportunity will be assisting Lāna‘i residents who are customers of First Hawaiian Bank by adding a stop at the bank’s Kahului Branch to the weekly Lāna‘i Shopping Shuttle to Maui. The bank will be closing its Lāna‘i Branch at 644 Lāna‘i Ave. on Friday, June 28, and the shopping shuttle is one of the options offered for banking customers on the island.

Maui Economic Opportunity is seeking to retain Lānaʻi representation on the Board of Directors and is soliciting a community organization to take a seat on the policy-making entity of the 59-year-old Community Action Agency.

A group formed to suggest changes to legislature regarding Hawaiʻi’s existing child welfare system wants to hear from people with lived experiences of the state’s child welfare system.

Residents are encouraged to attend upcoming community meetings on Maui, Molokaʻi and Lānaʻi to offer feedback on the County of Maui draft wetlands overlay map, which shows approximate locations of wetlands and possible migration areas reflected by passive flooding data.

The Lānaʻi Culture & Heritage Center hosts its 3rd Annual Kupulau Festival on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. in front of the center in Lāna‘i City.

“Too many seniors on Lānaʻi are being forced to move away from their homes and off island just to get the care they need,” said Sen. Schatz. “This new funding will help build Lānaʻi’s first ever adult day care center, giving seniors a much-needed option for care, while keeping families together.”

Lānaʻi Culture & Heritage Center led a group of volunteers to a sacred and remote heiau on Saturday. The stewardship day took place at Hi’i Agricultural Heiau, located about two miles from Kōʻele. 

Moloka‘i bus driver Barbara Sentel, who has been shuttling Moloka‘i residents to shopping, doctor visits and other destinations for the last 34 years, was named Maui Economic Opportunity Driver of the Year for 2023.

More than 70 golf enthusiasts shared a day on Mānele Golf Course for the inaugural Lānaʻi Culture & Heritage Center tournament. The tournament, held on Saturday, raised more than $35,000 to support the nonprofit’s mission to celebrate and preserve Lānaʻi’s culture and diverse heritage.