The state Department of Human Services will have to shut down its ongoing relief efforts for 4,431 remaining survivors of the 2023 Maui wildfires on April 4 unless the Federal Emergency Management Agency lifts a funding freeze, according to a federal lawsuit filed by attorneys general from both Republican and Democratic states. Read more
Thousands remain in “temporary” living arrangements. An outsized number are still looking for work, with an unemployment rate a dismal 8% for fire-affected people. Read more
Mayor Richard Bissen had asked the commission to place Maui Police Chief John Pelletier on administrative leave while commissioners conduct an independent review of the allegations in the lawsuit, potentially involving criminal conduct. Read more
The University of Hawaii Economic Research Organization surveys found that the proportion of displaced households with temporary living arrangements in February, 18 months after the disaster, declined to 45% from 51% a year after the fires that destroyed most housing in Lahaina and several homes in Kula. Read more
The fire that killed 102 people and scorched 2,000 acres also burned the Mo‘olele, rendering the 42-foot, double-hulled coastal canoe unusable. Read more
Gov. Josh Green announced Friday the first disbursement from the $175 million One ‘Ohana Fund, part of the Maui Wildfires Compensation Program created to provide direct financial relief to families of those who died and people who suffered serious injuries in the August 2023 wildfires. Read more
Maui Police Chief John Lawrence Pelletier was named in an amended civil complaint filed Friday in federal court in Northern California by one of Combs’ alleged victims. Read more
Police are still investigating whether speed, drugs or alcohol were factors in the crash. Read more
Maui Police Department Chief John Lawrence Pelletier was named in an amended civil complaint filed Friday in federal court in northern California by one of Diddy’s alleged victims. Read more
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The chief of the Maui Police Department was named alongside a former NFL All-Pro wide receiver, a comedian and others as part of a new slate of allegations in the ongoing sexual assault saga of jailed rap mogul Sean “P. Diddy” Combs. Read more
The latest case comes just a few days after the third case of 2025 — all of which were on Oahu — marking the first case for Maui County so far this year. Read more
When Raia Olsen, owner of Oahu Grazers, pulls up to the solar farm in Mililani and lets her flock of sheep out of the trailer, they know just what to do. Read more
Police are investigating whether speed, drugs or alcohol were factors in the crash. Read more
The funding comes as the nonprofit’s federal grants for these programs are ending, according to Nani Barretto, HWMO co-executive director. Read more
Danny Gabriel Freitas remains in custody at the Maui Police Department and is being held without bail. Read more
About 30 percent of survivor households live below the poverty line in West Maui, where landlords continue to drive up rents following the August 2023 wildfires that destroyed nearly 4,000 structures, most of them homes. Read more
The 41-year-old Kahului male arrested in the case remains in police custody, pending charges. Read more
MPD officers checked the 41-year-old man’s house at 111 Kahului Beach Road, and found an unresponsive female. Read more
Despite the reopening, officials warn that barricades and “Do Not Enter” signs will remain in place for many parts of commercial Lahaina due to safety hazards as construction and deconstruction continues. Read more
The workers were employed through the National Dislocated Worker Grant program and working for 27 “host” organizations on cleanup, recovery and humanitarian efforts. Read more
The Maui Humane Society said federal cuts have hit home, as funding used to employ three wildfire survivors was suddenly lost last week. Read more
