Featured

The Hāna Highway checkpoint will be terminated when the extended closure expires at the end of today, according to Maui Mayor Michael Victorino. According to the Mayor, the checkpoints at both Twin Falls and ʻUlupalakua Ranch will not have National Guard or Maui Police Department presence starting tomorrow.

A drive-through COVID-19 testing event will be held on Wednesday, July 22, at Keōpūolani Park in Kahului. Testing will be administered by Minit Medical Urgent Care from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

There are 29 new COVID-19 cases reported for Hawaiʻi today, including–27 new cases on the island of Oʻahu, and two new cases on Hawaiʻi Island.  This brings the statewide count to 1,292 cases in Hawaiʻi over the course of the pandemic.  To date, 951 people (74.8%) have recovered including 120 (93%) recovery in Maui County. There are currently 319 active cases in the state, including nine on Maui.

“Central to the survival of tenants and property owners alike is the fact that counties continue to collect property taxes in full, resulting in a domino effect of landlords needing to cover their expenses from small businesses’ occupancy,” according to Island Business Management, LLC, one of the survey partners.

A second survey geared toward understanding the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on Hawaiʻi’s businesses is taking place. Results from the first survey, conducted in April 2020 revealed the hardest hit industries were accommodations (hotels), down 83 percent in full-time employee reductions, and retail businesses, down 76 percent.  

University of Hawai’i Maui College hosts the first in a series of virtual Open Houses via ZOOM today. The Open Houses will be held on Wednesdays, July 15, July 22, and July 29 at 5 pm.  Here’s how to participate:

Former UH-Maui College dormitory buildings were blessed Tuesday morning for Huliau, a project to make safe housing available for people who’ve fallen into homelessness. “Huliau” means “turning point, time of change.”

There are 22 new COVID-19 cases reported for Hawaiʻi today, including–19 new cases on the island of Oʻahu, and three new cases on Hawaiʻi Island.  This brings the statewide count to 1,264 cases in Hawaiʻi over the course of the pandemic. The state Department of Health also reports that as a result of updated information, one case from Honolulu was removed from the counts.

The Maui Vacation Rental Association along with four homeowners on Molokaʻi filed a lawsuit in federal court on Friday against the County of Maui seeking to reinstate their permits to operate as Short-Term Vacation Rentals.

Da Kitchen is closing its Kahului location on Wednesday, July 22, 2020 after 20 years in business.  The announcement came in the form of a company Facebook post on Monday evening and was confirmed via phone call to store managers. The restaurant is known for signature dishes that include the “Deep Fried Spam Musubi,” and its Mocos and Bowls that include the “Polynesian Paralysis Moco,” and the “Kanak Attack Combo Moco.” The Kahului location employs at least 10 staff for front-of-house operations in Kahului.

Maui fire crews are responding to a brush fire in the area of Piʻihana Road in the Happy Valley area of Wailuku. Crews are on scene.

A 50 acre brush fire reported yesterday in Kīhei is now 100% contained.  The department currently has one engine company and two tankers conducting mop up operations.

Gov. David Ige this afternoon announced he is delaying the launch of the state’s pre-travel testing program by a month to Sept. 1, 2020. The governor has faced mounting concerns amid reservations from county mayors.  The pressure also comes as spikes in cases occur on O‘ahu; and three deaths were reported among Hawai‘i residents today. Mayor Victorino has said that spikes on the mainland have resulted in delays in testing capabilities and the amount of test kits available for Hawai‘i.

There are 23 new COVID-19 cases reported for Hawaiʻi today, including–19 new cases on the island of Oʻahu, one each on Maui and Hawaiʻi Island, and two new cases of Hawaiʻi residents who were diagnosed out-of-state.  This brings the statewide count to 1,243 cases in Hawaiʻi over the course of the pandemic.

The Department of Health Disease Outbreak Control Division today reports three more deaths of Hawaiʻi residents from coronavirus. The state recorded 86 new COVID-19 cases since last Friday and says most are in previous clusters associated with “community-spread.”

Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (HI-02) will host her next telephone town hall meeting to update Hawai‘i residents about COVID-19 at 4 p.m. HST on Wednesday, July 15, 2020.

The funds will be used to deploy more ocean sensors to observe and monitor sea levels, tides, currents, waves, and temperatures. The data collected is aimed at improving forecasts of severe weather events—like king tides and hurricanes.

A 28-year-old pedestrian suffered fatal injuries after being struck by a vehicle while attempting to cross Kahului Beach Road on Sunday night, according to Maui police. The collision occurred at around 8:23 p.m. on Sunday, July 12, on Kahului Beach Road, about 0.2 miles NW of the Kaʻahumanu Avenue intersection fronting the Harbor Lights condominiums in Kahului.

Here on Maui, a total of 146 people arrived on four trans-Pacific flights, including: 62 returning residents, 37 visitors, 22 individuals planning to relocate to Hawaiʻi, 24 crew members and one individual in transit to another location.  

The State of Hawaiʻi, Department of Transportation, Highways Division – Maui District’s (HWY-M) awarded the Nō Ka ʻOi Highway Hui Award to Kīhei-Wailea Medical Center in recognition of the center’s 14 years of notable volunteer work for the Adopt-A-Highway Program.