Maui News

The Maui County Council has approved the Bissen administration’s proposed acquisition of 79 acres for a permanent wildfire debris and ash disposal site and Central Maui Landfill expansion.

University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa Hawaiʻi Institute of Marine Biology biologists used drone imagery to understand how nursing humpback whale mothers and their calves fare as they cross the Pacific Ocean. Recent declines in North Pacific humpback whale reproduction and survival of calves highlight the need to understand how mother-calf pairs expend energy across their migratory cycle. The study was published in “The Journal of Physiology.”

The Royal Lahaina Resort & Bungalows in September celebrated its reopening with the launch of its new oceanfront restaurant and bar, Lahaina Noon, and poolside bar, Pineapple Moon. And last month, the resort blessed its brand-new entertainment venue, The Branches.

Emergency crews are responding to a plane crash into an unoccupied building near the Daniel K. Inouye International Airport on Oʻahu Tuesday afternoon. The incident was reported shortly after 3 p.m. on Dec. 17, 2024.

The County of Maui’s weekly Lahaina Disaster Recovery Community Meetings will be paused during the holidays. The next in-person meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025, at Lahaina Intermediate School cafeteria.

The Meet the Artist series returns today from 4 to 8 p.m. at The Sandbar in the Sheraton Maui Resort & Spa. The event was created in the wake of the devastating wildfire that tragically impacted Lahaina.

The US Senate has unanimously passed the Lahaina National Heritage Area Study Act, a bill introduced by US Sen. Mazie Hirono and US Rep. Jill Tokuda.

The Maui Arts & Cultural Center presents Hunter Hayes in a solo acoustic concert at the MACC, the Maui debut for the singer/songwriter and a multi-platinum and Grammy nominated artist. Tickets go on sale online only at MauiArts.org at 10 a.m. Wednesday, Dec. 18 and to the general public Friday, Dec. 20.

A fire at a Central Maui home was contained to a second story bedroom on Saturday night. The fire was reported at 9:33 p.m. on Dec. 14 at a home on Hoʻomoku St. in Kahului. The fire damaged a wall, mattress, nearby shelves and their contents.

Maui Economic Opportunity’s 14-passenger Lahaina bus, decked out in Christmas frills and lights, cruised down Kāʻanapali Parkway, joining floats, a Maui Fire Department engine, trucks and flatbeds in the Lahaina Lights Parade on Saturday, Dec. 14. Loretta Webby drove the bus with a few MEO staff and riders aboard. Bus P-164 is the vehicle stationed […]

A brush fire along the Honoapiʻilani Highway in the area of “Cut Mountain” in West Maui burned an estimated one acre before being brought under control and extinguished on Sunday night. The fire was reported at 10:16 p.m. on Dec. 15, 2024. It forced the temporary closure of the highway in both directions due to fire and smoke.

Maui fire crews responded to the Maui Meadows neighborhood on Sunday for a report of an electric trike that caught fire while being charged. The incident was reported at 6:34 p.m. on Dec. 15 at a residence on Mililani Place.

Maui students were among the best in the state in concocting ideas to use artificial intelligence to address real-world issues that youths face today.

US News & World Report is ranking Maui as the No. 3 top destination for the Best Places to Visit in the USA.

Five people were displaced, including a child following a home fire on Puia Place in Makawao Friday night. The fire caused an estimated $260,000 in damage to the structure and an unknown amount of damage to the contents.

Queen Kaʻahumanu Center invites the community to Countdown to Christmas with events, giveaways, and shopping opportunities running Dec. 18-24. 

Training in the use of mass timber will be offered in January and February and the University of Hawaiʻi Maui College for members of the Hawaiʻi Regional Council of Carpenters and its signatory contractors.

The Sentry today announced the return of Ludvig Åberg, Wyndham Clark, Hideki Matsuyama, Collin Morikawa, and Xander Schauffele to The Plantation Course at Kapalua when the PGA TOUR’s Opening Drive begins at The Sentry from Jan. 2-5.

Total requests for general funds amount to $10.4 billion in fiscal year 2026 and $10.5 billion in fiscal year 2027, which represents an increase of $620 million (6.3%) in the first year and $664 million (6.7%) in the second year.  

A red alga first found by University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa researchers smothering coral reefs in Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument has been detected for the first time by the team outside of the marine monument and more than 2,000 miles away.