Vacation rentals evicted from Kīhei Marketplace redevelopment plans

The April Kīhei 4th Friday Town Party will take place at Azeka Shopping Center Mauka on April 26 from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.

The application deadline is July 1 for a second round of healthcare professionals seeking help in a new Healthcare Education Loan Repayment Program.

Several Maui-based small businesses will participate in Mana Up’s inaugural Aloha Market from April 26-28 in SoHo, Manhattan, New York. The city will host the multi-day Hawai‘i-themed immersive shopping and cultural event, featuring 40 companies.

On Tuesday night, State legislators approved a final version of the State’s Supplemental Budget. This measure includes operating, capital improvement projects (CIP), and grants-in-aid monies for fiscal year 2024-2025 (FY25).

Andaz Maui at Wailea Resort, situated on Maui’s southwestern coastline along Mōkapu Beach, announced the completion of its enhanced room product. Marking the resort’s 10th anniversary, the refresh establishes a new decade for the property and includes a redesign of key components within the resort’s 320 guest rooms, including 35 suites.  

A new national report finds Hawaiʻi is one of only five states in the country to meet 10 of 10 research-based quality benchmarks for pre-kindergarten programs. However, the report finds the state ranks 44th in the nation for preschool enrollment for four-year-olds and 31st for three-year-olds.

The Hawai‘i Department of Health has confirmed one additional case of pertussis (also known as whooping cough) in a third distinct region on Hawaiʻi Island which is unrelated to previous cases. This new case closely follows 10 recently reported cases and brings the total to 11 pertussis cases on the Island from March – April 2024. Several of the recent cases have occurred in infants too young to be fully vaccinated. 

A redevelopment project to beautify the rundown Kīhei Marketplace ran into strong community opposition Tuesday before the Maui Planning Commission with dozens of testifiers irked about plans for 13 transient vacation rentals.

Graduates will be celebrated throughout the University of Hawaiʻi 10-campus system this spring starting on May 4 and ending on May 11. This includes a May 9 commencement at the University of Hawaiʻi Maui College in Kahului. Molokaʻi is hosting their live commencement ceremony on May 10 for residents who earned a certificate or degree from the University of Hawaiʻi from fall 2021 to spring 2024. It is held only once every four years.

“Seeing students share their voices to talk about the importance of native birds in Hawaiʻi is so inspiring,” said Dr. Josh Atwood, Information and Education Specialist for DOFAW. “They did a lot of research to produce these videos. You get the sense from these videos that even if they haven’t seen these birds in person, the students take pride in them as part of what makes these islands special.”

One resident was displaced by a structure fire in Waiheʻe early Tuesday morning. The fire was reported at 3:08 a.m. on April 23, 2024 at a utility building on Kahekili Highway. The fire resulted in a total of $49,000 in damage to the structure and unknown damages to its contents.

The Color Festival Hawaiʻi, Imua Family Services’ signature friend-raiser event, emerges with spring with a blast of multi-hued rainbows on Sunday, April 28 at the Maui Arts & Cultural Center. The event is a celebration of Maui’s diverse community and the vibrancy that connects us all together. Live music, food and explosions of color are among the highlights at this open air concert.

Several Maui-based small businesses will participate in Mana Up’s inaugural Aloha Market from April 26-28 in SoHo, Manhattan, New York. The city will host the multi-day Hawai‘i-themed immersive shopping and cultural event, featuring 40 companies.

Andaz Maui at Wailea Resort, situated on Maui’s southwestern coastline along Mōkapu Beach, announced the completion of its enhanced room product. Marking the resort’s 10th anniversary, the refresh establishes a new decade for the property and includes a redesign of key components within the resort’s 320 guest rooms, including 35 suites.  

Lahaina will be the second Branch of Tomorrow on Maui. The first is Kīhei, which opened in 2017. Bank of Hawai‘i has served the people of Lahaina for nearly a century—beginning with its first branch in the area on Front Street in 1930. In addition to the new branch, Bank of Hawai‘i Foundation donated $100,000 to Hawai‘i Community Lending for the Lahaina Homeowner Recovery Program.

The Maui County Small Business Week starts on Sunday, April 28 and ends on Saturday, May 4, 2024. The 2024 MauiSBW program includes four educational events designed for one-person, mom-and-pop, micro to small size of businesses.

All other Kapa‘a refuse transfer station services are available.

However, the Kaua'i County Department of Parks and Recreation reports Morgan’s Ponds will remain closed until further notice.

The supplemental spending plan for fiscal year 2024-25 incudes an operating budget of $10,395,945,997 in general funds and $19,209,528,184 through all funding methods.

The board on Friday will consider whether to approve the fines levied against several North Shore property owners.

Breezy to locally windy trade winds will continue through Friday. Expect enhanced trade wind showers through Thursday morning as a band of unsettled clouds...

The electric utility reports that generation margins have returned to levels where conservation is no longer necessary.

Motorists driving between North and South Kohala are advised to use Highway 250, or Kohala Mountain Road, as a detour for the next several hours.

The supplemental spending plan for fiscal year 2024-25 incudes an operating budget of $10,395,945,997 in general funds and $19,209,528,184 through all funding methods.

The Hawai‘i Board of Land and Natural Resources on Friday will consider whether to approve more than $3 million in state fines levied against several North Shore property owners.

Eight college teams from UH-Mānoa, University of Guam, Northern Marianas College and Brigham Young University-Hawaiʻi recently battled it out for the Aloha Collegiate Cup in the 'Mobile Legends: Bang Bang' event