Maui Now

County of Maui officials are encouraging residents and visitors to prepare for the potential of heavy rainfall, flooding and isolated thunderstorms as a narrow band of rain moves over the state Tuesday and Wednesday.

The Upcountry Farmers Market is welcoming 22 additional vendors for its Holiday Craft Fair, giving shoppers a chance to buy handmade gifts from their Upcountry neighbors. The extra vendors will set up Saturdays from Oct. 31 through Dec. 26 during regular market hours, 7 to 11 a.m.

Federal grant money will be used to support two inspectors and one chemist position with the State of Hawaiʻi.

The Hawai‘i Department of Health, Harm Reduction Services Branch has named Peter Tuiolosega Silva as the recipient of the 2026 Suzanne Richmond-Crum Award. Silva is being honored for his outstanding contributions to HIV services in Hawai‘i.

The Maui County Veterans Council invites the Maui community to attend the 2026 Veterans Day Ceremony and Community Picnic on Wednesday, Nov. 11, at War Memorial Gymnasium in Wailuku.

The Maui County Council voted 5-4 on Friday against sending hotel-zoning proposals for four oceanfront condominium complexes in West Maui and Māʻalaea to the Maui Planning Commission, rejecting the last four properties Council Chair Alice Lee had sought to add to the referral process.

Leilani’s On the Beach recognized Abraham “Snake” Ah Hee as its 2026 Pioneers of Surfing honoree during a private award presentation at the restaurant on Sunday, Oct. 25.

Reagan James Miles of Kīhei won the 2026 Klipper Amateur at Marine Corps Base Hawaiʻi Oct. 22-24 on Oʻahu.

A trough moving over the state should bring abundant tropical moisture and is expected to remain nearly stationary for a few days. Heavy rain and isolated thunderstorms are possible, potentially leading to flooding across all islands. #FloodWatch

The Hawai‘i Wildlife Center is marking Bat Week, which runs Oct. 24 to 31, with a call to help protect ‘ōpe‘ape‘a, the endangered Hawaiian hoary bat that is the state's only living native land mammal. #opeapea

Fifteen new pieces have been added to an exhibit featuring a family of artists, including the late kumu hula Nālani Kanakaʻole, who passed away on Jan. 3.

The Hawai‘i Department of Human Services today announced the state’s ongoing commitment to protecting Social Security survivor and disability benefits for children in foster care — reaffirming a policy shift made in 2023 to ensure that these funds belong to the youth they were intended to support.

The deep-sea, three-person submersible revolutionized oceanography and made more dives of Hawaiʻi’s active underwater volcano than any other vessel.

Funding from the Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust advances the Ka ʻUmeke Lama initiative and establishes Hawaiʻi’s first in-state oncology fellowship.

A 37-year-old Kīhei man suffered fatal injuries in a motorcycle accident Friday night on Piʻilani Highway near the intersection of Kaonoulu Street. The incident was reported at 7:34 p.m. on Oct. 23, 2026. #PiilaniHwy #motorcycle #Kaonoulu

The partnership represents a shared commitment to advancing lifesaving education, professional development, research, and international cooperation to better protect residents and visitors in island communities.

The County of Hawaiʻi Fire Commission voted to select Daniel Volpe as the next Fire Chief for the Hawaiʻi Fire Department (HFD). #HawaiiIsland #DanielVolpe

The state Department of Transportation will be conducting road work this week that will result in lane closures at various locations. Lane closure schedules may change at any time without further notice. All projects are weather permitting.

Flags for Our Heroes, a community patriotic tribute organized by the Rotary Club of Wailuku, takes place Nov. 7–8, 2026, at the Maui Tropical Plantation Front Field.

A Maui County Council committee on Tuesday voted 9-0 to recommend passage of a bill that would require paid lobbyists to register with the county and publicly report their spending. The measure would bring Maui County in line with the rest of Hawaiʻi.

Maui Emergency Management Agency staff members officially moved into their new Maui Emergency Operations Center (EOC) building in Wailuku, marking a significant step in the County of Maui’s work to strengthen emergency preparedness and response. #Maui #MEMA #EOC

More than 1,400 Hilo-Waiākea students explored the wonder of astronomy during ʻIkuwā Journey Through the Universe (Journey) Week, Oct. 19-22, 2026. #maunakea #astronomy #ikuwa #journeythorughtheuniverse

Nearly 12,000 of Maui County’s 117,689 registered voters have returned their ballots to date. Voters have until 7 p.m. on Nov. 3 to return their ballots. #vote #election #ballot

Work to repair the damage to Kīhei Wastewater Pump Station No. 6. was completed early Friday, Oct. 23, 2026, according to the County of Maui Department of Environmental Management.

Kaunoa Senior Services, a division of the County of Maui Department of Human Concerns, is looking for holiday helpers to make wishes come true for hundreds of Maui, Molokaʻi and Lānaʻi kūpuna.

Wailea Beach Resort will be hosting a Nalu Night Slides Halloween Edition on Oct. 25, 2026, from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. – a special Halloween take on the resort’s popular nighttime family-friendly event.

Award-winning artists, chart-topping  songwriters, and music fans from around the world will gather at The Ritz-Carlton Maui,  Kapalua for the 12th Annual Maui Songwriters Festival, Jan. 6-9, 2027. #MauiSongwritersFestival

The Hawai‘i Department of Transportation notifies road users that the traffic signal at the Lahaina Bypass (Route 3000) and Kai Hele Kū Street will be dark from 8 p.m., Friday Oct. 23 to 6 a.m., Saturday, Oct. 24.

The Kaua‘i Police Department is introducing Automated License Plate Reader (ALPR) technology as part of its ongoing efforts to enhance public safety, strengthen investigative capabilities, and improve the department's ability to respond to criminal activity throughout the island. #Kauai #ALPR

US Sen. Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) announced that Hawai‘i is receiving nearly $81.4 million from the US Department of Transportation to cover the costs of repairs to roads, bridges, and other structures that were flooded and damaged during the Kona low storms earlier this year.

Scheduled for a two-week period Oct. 26 – Nov. 6 to offer maximum opportunity for diners to try multiple outlets, participating restaurants will offer a variety of discounts and added value offers. #KapaluaRestaurantWeek

The Hawaiʻi Department of Health has identified a new travel-related dengue virus case on Maui, bringing the total number of dengue cases in the state to 10 in 2026. The affected individual was exposed to the virus while traveling in a region where dengue is common. #dengue

Maui's 99.9 KISS FM welcomes Patty Lee to "The Morning KISS," joining host Ed Kanoi to greet listeners as they wake up and start their day.

The Maui County Council is scheduled to take a final vote Friday on a bill that would let the county open a temporary site for people living in their vehicles, and officials hope to begin relocating people from Pūlehu Road as early as next week.

The discovery is the result of a decades-long survey that is now providing new insights into how galaxies form and evolve.

A 72-year-old resident was seriously injured Wednesday afternoon after falling roughly six feet into a below-ground electrical vault on his property in Nāpili. #Napili #rescue

The County of Maui and Hawaiian Council, with support from Hawaiʻi Community Foundation, will celebrate the grand opening of ʻUlu o Lele on Tuesday, Nov. 10, with an afternoon of community festivities and a free concert by Common Kings.  #OutletsOfMaui #UluOLele #CommonKings

The experience allowed travelers to rehearse every step of a journey to better prepare them for a future flight.

Students, faculty and staff at the University of Hawaiʻi now have free access to Microsoft 365, one of several technology improvements underway across the university’s 10 campuses.

K9 Trina successfully located the missing man on a trail, approximately two miles from where his rental vehicle had been located.

On Sunday, Oct. 25, 2026, Maui will preview the celebration of the 120th Anniversary of Filipinos in Hawaiʻi, which will be held on Dec. 20, 2026.

Hawaiʻi Administrative Rules require that all vessels must register annually before entering the Kahoʻolawe Island Reserve to troll during designated trolling dates—Nov. 7-8 and 21-22, 2026 between 12:01 a.m. Saturday and 11:59 p.m. Sunday. #Kahoolawe #KIRC

FEMA’s National Flood Insurance Program provides more than $16.5 billion in coverage for over 64,000 policyholders in Hawaiʻi.

A Maui County Council committee voted 9-0 on Monday to recommend passage of a bill that would let the county provide temporary wastewater service to the new Central Maui School in Waikapū if the school opens before the county’s planned Central Maui wastewater plant is completed.

King Kamehameha III Elementary, whose iconic Front Street campus burned down in the August 2023 wildfire, is expected to be rebuilt just below the Lahaina Bypass by 2029. As they wait, staff say the temporary classrooms in Kapalua are already in need of repairs.

A structure fire broke out at a Wailuku construction site near Church Street and Vineyard Street on Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2026, at around 10:17 a.m. #Wailuku #structurefire

Tony and Grammy Award winner Lauren Patten will headline "A Night at the Masquerade," the opening concert of the new Broadway on Maui concert series, at 7 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 24, at the Historic ʻĪao Theater. #IaoTheater #Broadway #LaurenPatten

Mayor Richard Bissen’s Holomua Kākou is returning to Lānaʻi on Tuesday, Oct. 27, and Wednesday, Oct. 28, 2026. The previously scheduled event was postponed due to severe weather forecasts. #HolomuaKakou #Lanai

Nearly two years after release into the forests of Haleakalā, five ʻalalā (Hawaiian crows) continue making their way in the wild and demonstrating encouraging natural behaviors. #alala #HawaiianCrow

The Maui County Department of Finance launched an online portal Oct. 5 where taxpayers can manage their county transient accommodations tax accounts, according to a county news release issued Friday.