Maui News

Blackstone fund owned hotels, Grand Wailea and The Ritz-Carlton, Kapalua, partnered with the Maui Food Bank to distribute 2,000 food packages to local families during drive-through events hosted by employee volunteers at the resorts on Friday.

“For here in Maui County if I had a week, seven days or more of 10 (new positive cases) a day or more, I’d be looking to slow it down–shutting down, pulling back if that was necessary,” said Mayor Victorino. As for the projected timeline for the state’s previously announced pre-travel testing program, Mayor Victorino said, “For most of us we are looking at a later date than Aug. 1…I would hate to put a date to that forces people to say ‘well you said this.’  Let me say for less of a better term, I’m going to give you my best guesstimation… Sept. 1.”

Senator Mike Gabbard, Chair of the Agriculture and Environment Committee, applauded the final passage of a bill in the House of Representatives today to legalize the growing, processing, and sale of industrial hemp in Hawai‘i.

Contact tracing by the the state Department of Health has uncovered a total of 17 COVID-19 cases to-date involving two O‘ahu commercial gym facilities. Health officials say cases in both gyms are linked to a single person who participated in exercise classes at both.

Firefighters gained 100% containment on a large brush fire in Hāliʻimaile as of 1 p.m. today.   The fire started early Wednesday morning near the Kailua Gulch makai of Hāliʻimaile Road and remained at 4300 acres this afternoon. 

Motorists are advised of possible delays on Honoapiʻilani Highway in Māʻalaea for the Honoapiʻilani Highway Resurfacing project which extends from Keanu Street to Kūihelani Highway.

There are 28 new COVID-19 cases reported for Hawaiʻi today, including–25 new cases on the island of Oʻahu, one each on Maui and Hawaiʻi Island, and one resident who was diagnosed outside of the state.  This brings the statewide count to 1,158 cases in Hawaiʻi over the course of the pandemic. To date, 847 people (74.3%) have recovered including 116 (92.8%) recovery in Maui County. There are currently 292 active cases in the state, including nine on Maui.

“There’s already one that is promising and is being tested on humans in a preliminary study.  But even with that encouraging news, we are probably at least a year at best from having a vaccine readily available to our members of our community,” said Dr. Michael Shea, Intensivist and Immediate Past Chief of Staff at Maui Health.

The report shows the State paid more than $2 billion in benefits since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic on March 1, 2020.

More than 20 miles of fishing line, weights and derelict fishing gear has been collected as part of a recycling program established on Maui two years ago.  

Care facility concerns were raised in June when a recent cluster of infections appeared at the Hale Nani Rehabilitation and Nursing Center on Oʻahu, Hawaiʻi’s largest skilled nursing facility.  

Guests can complete a webmap survey to pin-point the exact location of hotspots on the island where traffic collisions occur and opportunities for infrastructure or design improvements can be considered.

There are 36 new COVID-19 cases reported for Hawaiʻi today, including–34 new cases on the island of Oʻahu, and one each on Kauaʻi and Hawaiʻi Island.  This brings the statewide count to 1,130 cases in Hawaiʻi over the course of the pandemic. To date, 840 people (75.6%) have recovered including 116 (93.5%) recovery in Maui County. There are currently 271 active cases in the state, including eight on Maui.

State and county leaders continue to weigh the benefits and challenges of potentially pushing back the return of tourism to Hawaiʻi as cases continue to surge in some mainland locations.

2nd Violation: The Department of Health will issue a red placard. This will result in immediate closure of the establishment and a news release will announce the red placard posting. The food establishment may request a reinspection and review to safely reinstate their operations.

A proposed 40 megawatt solar photovoltaic energy project with 160 MWh battery energy storage is proposed for development on Haleakalā Ranch land in the South Maui community of Kīhei. The Kamaole Solar Project is the subject of a Virtual Open House set for 5:30 to 7 p.m. on Tuesday, July 14, 2020.  

For the first time, researchers have shown that native ʻōhiʻa seedlings can survive for at least a year in areas that have active mortality from Rapid ʻŌhiʻa Death, or ROD, a fungal disease that is devastating to this dominant and culturally important tree in Hawaiian forests. Researchers from the US Geological Survey in Hawaiʻi say his information can be useful to land managers and homeowners as they prioritize conservation actions.

Senate Bill 5054 requires every person who permanently moves firearms out of the State to contact the county police department where the firearms are registered to notify that particular police department that the firearms have been moved out of the State within five days of their removal from the State.

Maui police are responding to a motor vehicle accident along the Honoapiʻilani Highway near Papalaua (between Mile 11-12). The pickup truck reportedly hit a tree and flipped over. The vehicle was off to the side of the road. The incident was reported at around 6:09 a.m. on Thursday, July 9, 2020.

Wednesday’s cleaning of the Kīhei DMVL office was attributed to precautions related to a COVID-19 interaction at the facility on Tuesday.