🌱 How Lahaina residents can weigh in on disaster recovery changes
Lahaina, Hawaii Patch AM: a 4 min readGood morning Lahaina! We're back again in your inbox, keeping you updated with what's happening in and around town. ☀️
In today's newsletter:
- How Lahaina residents can weigh in on disaster recovery changes
- What Lahaina harbor’s first full dredging since 1966 means for boaters.
- How a new Lahaina bunkhouse could speed wildfire recovery housing.
Today's riddle: What did the carpenter ant say when he walked into the bar? 🤔 (Answer below!)
- Wednesday: Mostly sunny, with a high of 86 and low of 68 degrees. 🌶 Hot!
- Thursday: Some sun with a few showers, temps: high: 84, low: 69.
- Friday: A couple of showers, with a high of 83 and low of 70 degrees.
📰 News we're reading
1. County seeks public input on proposed disaster recovery plan amendment (mauinews.com) — Lahaina residents can submit in-person comments on Maui County’s proposed changes to the disaster recovery buyout program at the Lahaina Resource Center on Keawe Street through July 1. The amendment would cap assistance per property, set priority and tiebreaker rules, and better align eligible activities with community needs. Comments are also accepted online, by email, mail, and phone with translation help available. 
2. Hawaii schools grapple with AI, congressional candidate pulls gun on Maui County workers, former Hawaii County housing official gets 4 years for taking $1.4M bribe, more news from all the Hawaiian… (allhawaiinews.com) — Lahaina Small Boat Harbor is finally getting dredged, including its main basin for the first time since 1966, which should improve access and safety for local boaters and tour operators. The statewide roundup also covers a Maui congressional hopeful arrested after allegedly brandishing a gun at county workers, a major solar project on Maui, and other island-wide education, housing, and infrastructure issues.
3. Hawaiʻi Off Grid starts Maui ‘Bunkhouse' build as a sustainable, rapid solution for Habitat for Humanity : Maui Now (mauinow.com) — A new mass timber “Bunkhouse” is rising in Lahaina to house Habitat for Humanity volunteers helping families rebuild after the 2023 fires. Designed by Maui firm Hawaiʻi Off-Grid, the prefabricated structure is a test case for faster, more affordable, and sustainable post-disaster housing, with completion targeted for August 2026.
4. Free Mokuʻula screening at Maui Ocean Center, June 12 : Maui Now (mauinow.com) — Lahaina residents are invited to a free immersive film on Mokuʻula’s history, hosted by the Lahaina Restoration Foundation at Maui Ocean Center’s Sphere on Friday, June 12, 2026. Reservations are required but parking is free after 5 p.m., offering an easy cultural outing that reconnects the community with this sacred site’s legacy.
5. Will Doctors Trade 5 Years In Rural Hawaiʻi For Free Med School? (civilbeat.org) — A major new grant program will pay full tuition for healthcare students who commit to working five years in rural Hawaiʻi, including hard‑hit areas like Maui where the 2023 Lahaina wildfire worsened doctor shortages. With $28 million in federal funds this year, the HOME RUN initiative already has dozens of awardees and aims to ease crushing student debt while steering badly needed physicians and nurses to neighbor islands and other underserved communities.
📸 Around Lahaina
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💬 Chatter
What your neighbors are talking about on social media
- This morning I was invited to attend the Haleakala Waldorf school commencement exercises for the class of 2026.
Eleven incredibly intelligent young adults were called up to the stage. One by one, each of these individuals was described, and the audience tried… (Nextdoor Launiupoko)
- Marriott Hotels & Resorts posted a job opening for General Cleaner Housekeeper in Lahaina. Apply here.
- Starbucks Corporation posted a job opening for shift supervisor - Store# 21586, LAHAINA DT in Lahaina. Apply here. You can search for other jobs near Lahaina here.
Ok Lahaina! So now you're in the loop about what's happening today. Thanks for reading, and see you in your inbox next time! Oh -- and if you like what you're reading, invite a friend to Patch AM!
-- The Patch AM Team
P.S. The answer to today's riddle: Is the bar tender here? (Thank you W. M. for sending it in!)
Got a good riddle for PatchAM? Submit it here!
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