Kevin Fujii/Civil Beat/2025
Will Patient Death Halt Kalaupapa Access? ‘No One Really Knows’
The National Park Service is working with the late Meli Watanuki’s estate and tour operators on options to continue.
Erin Nolan/Civil Beat/2026
Maui’s Speed Bump Bonanza Is Driving Some Locals Crazy
The county has installed dozens of traffic-calming devices to improve public safety. Some residents say it has gone too far.
Cory Lum/Civil Beat
EPA Just Walked Back Hawaiʻi’s Plan To Retire Its Dinosaur Power Plants
By throwing a wrench in the state’s Regional Haze State Implementation Plan, advocates say HECO can sidestep rules years in the making.
Nathan Eagle/Civil Beat/2024
Maui Council Races Could Reshape Power Balance
This election will bring new faces — and possibly a progressive majority — to the county’s nine-member lawmaking body.
Kevin Fujii/Civil Beat/2025
People Usually Get Away With Harming Hawai‘i’s Seals Despite Tourist Case
A Seattle visitor was arrested a week after lobbing a rock at an endangered seal on Maui. But cases involving people killing the seals are rarely prosecuted.
Sean Hower/Civil Beat/2026
Despite A Death And Damage, Maui Stalls On Chronic Kīhei Flooding
Residents remain frustrated by the county’s lack of progress in addressing the decades-long problem facing the burgeoning South Maui town.
Hawaiʻi Balks At Funding Maui Fire Victim Health Study
Lawmakers did not pass a bill that would have funded the continuation of the most comprehensive study of the long-term health effects of the wildfires.
Marina Riker/Civil Beat/2023
Billionaire’s Private Airline Prepares New Moloka‘i Route
Lānaʻi Air was formed to fly guests in style to Larry Ellison’s luxury resorts. Now the company wants to help close the gulf in access to off-island doctors for Moloka‘i residents amid a shortage of air travel options.
Nathan Eagle/Civil Beat/2023
Maui Fire Lawsuit Payouts Are Near. Few Survivors Will Break Even
Money could start flowing to victims by June, nearly two years after the settlement was finalized.
(Erin Nolan/Civil Beat/2026)
Lawsuit: Maui Mayor’s Former Chief Of Staff Claims Whistleblower Retaliation
Leo Caires says he was wrongfully terminated after reporting county fraud.