County Maui Financial News

The Entertainment Industry Foundation says the People's Fund of Maui, an initiative started by Oprah Winfrey and Dwayne Johnson to benefit survivors of the wildfires in Maui, has given away almost $60 million

The Hawaii Supreme Court is scheduled to hear about insurance issues tying up a potential $4 billion Maui wild fire settlement

What is going on with aviation security

As many as one-third of people displaced by the August 2023 Maui fires wound up in the homes of friends and family in the weeks after the disaster

Hannah Kobayashi is a talented photographer from Maui, Hawaii, known for her striking mandala and geometric artwork shared widely on Instagram. Standing 5 feet 10 inches tall, with brown hair, hazel eyes, and a knife tattoo on her forearm, she carried a unique presence that resonated through her art and personality. Hannah had a passion for storytelling through photography and was travelling to New York for what she described as a «bucket list» experience. Her plans included spending time with her aunt in upstate New York and photographing a Brooklyn show on November 13. However, her journey took a mysterious turn after missing a connecting flight in Los Angeles on November 8. The timeline of events that followed has left her family and investigators puzzled.

Hannah Kobayashi, a Maui-based artist known for her mandala and geometric designs, began her journey on 8 November, flying from Maui to Los Angeles International Airport. She was scheduled to catch a connecting flight to New York City but never boarded. Police reported that Kobayashi had expressed a desire to «step away from modern connectivity» before her trip. Lt. Douglas Oldfield of the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) added, “Her social media posts suggested she wanted to disconnect from her phone.” After leaving the airport without her phone, Kobayashi visited several locations in Los Angeles, including The Grove shopping area and Union Station. She was last seen crossing the US-Mexico border on 12 November with her luggage.

In the year since the Lahaina fires on Maui, the Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement has helped more than 6,000 families through a robust recovery project

One year after the Maui fires, thousands of residents struggle with grieving the losses of loved ones and generational homes

The mayor of Maui County in Hawaii wants to stop owners of thousands of vacation properties from renting to visitors

Dwayne Johnson on Instagram. 'The Rock' took to Instagram and shared some images of himself at the sound booth while voicing for his role as Maui in Moana 2. This is his reprisal role for Maui as he has also worked in the same role in the franchise's previously released film. 'Maui', Johnson's character is a super-strong and mystical demigod who guides Moana through her rollercoaster journey in the upcoming film, according to a ScreenRant report.

Maui County is suing major cellular carriers for failing to properly inform police of widespread service outages during the height of last summer’s deadly wildfire

Jeff Bezos is expanding his real estate portfolio with a third mansion on South Florida's exclusive Indian Creek island. As reported by Bloomberg, the founder of Amazon.com Inc. has reportedly agreed to pay around $90 million in an off-market deal for a six-bedroom home in the Miami-area enclave.

Local officials in Hawaii plan to open an office that will speed up Maui County’s notoriously slow processing of building permits to help the town of Lahaina to recover from last year’s deadly wildfire

The utility provider Xcel Energy says its facilities appeared to have played a role in igniting a massive wildfire in the Texas Panhandle that grew to the largest blaze in state history

Sometimes studying nature gets voyeuristic — but whale watchers off the coast of Hawaii got more than they bargained for when they observed two male humpback whales getting freaky in the wild.The encounter made waves in the scientific marine community, as this was both the first recorded evidence of penetrative sex in the species and the first witnessed homosexual activity between two humpback whales.A study documenting the unprecedented moment, as well as the accompanying photographs, was published in the journal Marine Mammal Science on Tuesday.Two photographers opportunistically captured the historic moment west of Maui in January 2022. Whether they wanted to or not, Lyle Krannichfeld and Brandi Romano got rare front-row seats to the action when the two male humpbacks initiated sex only three to five feet below their boat.The occurrence was then studied and validated by scientists.The study says despite the decades-long efforts of researchers, the sexual behaviour of humpback whales “remains largely undescribed.”According to the study, the two male humpback whales approached the boat and circled one another several times.

Dwayne Johnson's involvement in Moana 2 remains in the negotiation phase, casting uncertainty on his return as the beloved demigod Maui. While Disney unveiled plans for the animated sequel to the 2016 blockbuster Moana earlier this week, concrete details about the cast have yet to materialize. The purported talks with Johnson come amid fervent anticipation for the sequel, slated for a theatrical release later this year.

LAHAINA, Hawaii—Nearly six months after a wildfire incinerated Lahaina, clean-up crews this week are scheduled to begin clearing the charred rubble to make way for a near-total rebuild—a task that will be extraordinarily complicated due to the sensitive ecology and deep history of this former Hawaiian royal capital. Fire clean-ups are often tricky, but prepping Lahaina for its next phase presents some extra challenges. It’s on a remote island with only one access highway.

Hawaii’s governor and mayor are welcoming tourists back to the west side of Maui months after August wildfires killed at least 100 people and destroyed more than 2,000 buildings

PGA Tour’s Q-School. The next two weeks are a brief period of relief in the calendar of professional golf. However, there is a build-up of anticipation for the impending resumption. The golfing calendar for the year 2024 begins with the PGA Tour, announcing a return to its original schedule. This is followed by the DP World Tour, PGA Tour Championships, Korn Ferry, and LPGA events. Fans though need to be waiting till February for the comeback of LIV Golf.

Heritage Insurance Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:HRTG) reported an improved financial performance in its Q3 2023 earnings call on Friday, November 3, 2023, despite facing significant challenges such as wildfires in Maui and Hurricane Idalia in Florida. The company's CFO, Kirk Lusk, and CEO, Ernie Garateix, led the conference call.

Maui County's mayor says all of West Maui except for burned-out sections of historic Lahaina will reopen to tourism on Nov. 1