Maui County Council member Yuki Lei Sugimura is trying to unseat Mayor Richard Bissen in a closely watched race this election.
12.02.2026 10:05
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Maui County Council member Yuki Lei Sugimura is trying to unseat Mayor Richard Bissen in a closely watched race this election.
The state is seeking another extension to the FEMA housing program that thousands of Maui residents have relied on since losing their homes in the 2023 wildfires. It's currently set to end Feb. 28.
The population of tiny stinging ants has surged despite efforts to control the invasive species. Experts fear devastating consequences if the infestation spirals out of control.
Extinct in the wild since 2002, several Κ»alalΔ have survived their first year since being released on the Valley Isle.
The county says it is tightening up its oversight of public money to prevent fraud and abuse.
Government officials developed a way to deal with tons of electric vehicle batteries left in the aftermath of wildfires and found at illegal dumpsites.
The County Council plans to take up a separate measure Friday that could effectively exempt more than half of the affected properties.
KΔΚ»anapali condo owners have filed the first lawsuit so far against the county over Bill 9.
The county won't say how much it intends to pay the company in damages over the eminent domain case to acquire a dump site for Lahaina fire debris.
The state has installed 16 new weather stations across Maui County since the deadly fires in August 2023 and plans to install more soon on other islands.
Since the death of Tasha Kama, the council is divided into two equal factions of four members.Β
The split council will take the legislation up for final reading in two weeks, and plans to hear a separate bill that could effectively exempt many of the roughly 7,000 affected properties.
The tanks hold thousands of gallons of water so firefighters have a ready supply, especially in dryer and harder to reach areas.
The cost of renting a place to stay has been prohibitively expensive for some who want to come help the island rebuild. Now, there's a new option.
Her death leaves a void on the ideologically split nine-member council as it confronts major housing policy decisions.
Citing no more unmet needs, the agency canceled $2 million worth of contracts with a company managing residential units leased from property owners.
Some Hawaiβi nonprofits are objecting to the mainland organization's meddling in local politics and overall lack of public transparency.
While the genetically modified seed industry has declined across HawaiΚ»i, records show Monsanto, now owned by Bayer, has increased its water usage on two Maui farms by 13% since 2021.
The county plans to use 160 acres from Peter Martin for flood control, evacuation routes and other projects that could help the fire-torn town recover.
A temporary investigative group recommended rezoning thousands of apartment-zoned units so they can be used as both short- and long-term rentals.
The 2023 wildfires exacerbated the housing shortage on an island thatβs already one of the hardest places to find a place to live with a dog or cat.
The Maui County Council is taking up a bill to repeal a 1944 law that's still on the books.
KaiΔulu Initiatives, a grassroots nonprofit, aims to revitalize Lahaina's landscape and prevent future wildfires by planting native plants and trees.
County leaders say they are prioritizing the community as a whole but critics feel it's scapegoating.
There is so much happening on Maui and across the county, and I'm really looking forward to continuing to report for the community!
I also had the privilege of speaking to some of those who loved Macayla Deponte, a 20-year-old woman who was fatally shot by a police officer in February.
www.civilbeat.org/2025/03/maka...
Those are the circumstances fueling a heated debate over Mayor Richard Bissen's proposed plan to convert thousands of short-term rentals into long-term housing.
www.civilbeat.org/2025/06/emot...
www.civilbeat.org/2025/03/maui...
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