#Charmaine Tavares

Mayor Charmaine Tavares Encourages HUD Recipients to Apply for Homeownership Option Program Mayor Charmaine Tavares issued a reminder today to those who receive Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher Rental Assistance payments, to consider applying for the federally-funded Homeownership Option Program (HOP).  Only two recipients took advantage of the program to date, which is administered by […]

Liberty Dialysis-Hawaii today broke ground for a 250 kilowatt emergency generator system for the Maui Dialysis Facility, designed to assure patients throughout Maui Nui have access to life-preserving services in the event of a natural disaster. It fulfills one patient’s appeal after a severe storm battered Maui on Dec. 5, 2007, knocking down power lines […]

By Wendy Osher [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DnBkAd6Qn4o[/youtube] The County of Maui added three new buses to its fleet today, bringing to 18 the number of large capacity buses in the Maui fleet. Transportation Director Don Medeiros said Maui recorded over 2.3 million boardings in FY 2010, marking yet another milestone for public transportation on Maui. Last year, an […]

Maui’s Marie Osaki and Marvin Paularena were selected as Maui County’s 2010 Outstanding Older Americans.  Osaki and Paularena were honored along with three other finalists—Johanna Bergman of Lahaina, James Crowe of Kula, and Maxima Mariano of Kahului—at a luncheon hosted by the County’s Department of Housing and Human Concern’s Office on Aging.  The 42nd annual […]

By Wendy Osher Maui became the final county in the state to implement a cell phone driving ban with the bill officially taking effect yesterday. The measure makes it illegal to use a mobile electronic device or telephone while driving unless it is being used with a hands-free device. Maui’s law also prohibits the county’s […]

Maui Mayor Charmaine Tavares will sign a new ordinance into law today, restricting use of cell phones and mobile electronic devices while driving.  Maui becomes the last county in the state to implement such a ban.  The law allows the use of cell phones if they are operated with a hands-free device, such as Bluetooth […]

Rennovations are now complete on 42 Maui homes under a $670,613 federal grant for low-income, frail and elderly residents.  The Senior Home Accessibility and Retrofit Program (SHARP) is aimed at promoting safety and accessiblity with the goal of allowing participants to remain in their homes where they will be able to continue to live independently.  […]

The county furlough schedule for the fiscal year that begins next week on July 1st, was released by the Mayor’s office today. All County of Maui civil service and appointed employees, excluding uniformed Police and Fire employees under separate collective bargaining agreements that do not include furloughs, will be furloughed 12 days between July 1, […]

The County of Maui Office of Economic Development executed a total of $470,000 in grants benefiting Maui Economic Development Board, Inc., the East Maui Taro Festival and Ahupua`a O Molokai, according to an announcement made by Maui Mayor Charmaine Tavares today. The Maui Economic Development Board, Inc. received $450,000 for business and workforce development to […]

The brush fire that began a week ago on Monday, June 7, 2010 in the mountainous terrain above Ma’alea, was officially extinguished by 12:30 this (Monday, June 14, 2010) afternoon.  County officials say the 6,200 acre fire is believed to be the largest to impact the island of Maui.  The cause remains under investigation. Maui […]

By Wendy Osher Maui Mayor Charmaine Tavares today said she will not sign the council’s version of the 2011 budget, saying the council showed disregard for the departments’ financial and operating knowledge and expertise. [flashvideo file=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nzFMjeN1mYc /] “It will become law without my signature or endorsement, as provided for in the charter,” said Tavares. “I […]

By Wendy Osher (Update 6:30 p 6/8/10) [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wl6ed3NH6Jo[/youtube] Maui Police re-opened the Honoapiilani Highway at around 6 p.m. (Tuesday, June 8, 2010) for contraflow travel using one lane of travel, following a six hour road closure.  Firefighters continue to battle a 2,000 acre blaze above Maalaea that was first reported at 10 p.m. Monday. Police […]

Reduced hours at all county landfills takes effect July 1, 2010 due to budget constraints.  The reduction in service is expected to address a $1.7 million decrease in the County’s landfill operations budget for the 2011 Fiscal Year. Maui Mayor Charmaine Tavares said the county worked to address union employee concerns to reach a formal […]

Two Maui groups will benefit from thousands of dollars in grant funding from the county for cultural and environmental conservation efforts.  The funds include $10,000 to Na Mamo O Mu’olea for stewardship and education projects in the remote East Maui region; and $35,000 to the Tri-Isle Resource Conservation and Development Council to be used in […]

By Wendy Osher Olympian Apolo Ohno touched down on Maui today as part of a sweepstakes aboard Alaska Airlines.  A special “Follow Apolo to Hawaii” themed-plane arrived at Kahului Airport with five winners aboard who will join Ohno in his first real vacation since his career took off.  (VIDEO below from Apolo’s visit to Maui)  […]

Today (Wednesday, June 02, 2010) is the deadline to register for an electrical energy storage seminar presented in part by the County of Maui.  The event itself is a full day seminar that takes place two weeks from today on Wednesday, June 16, 2010 from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at UH Maui College. It […]

A survey asking Maui, Molokai, and Lanai residents about actions they would take during a hurricane or tsunami will be mailed to randomly selected households in June.  The survey is sponsored by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and Civil Defense and will be conducted by SMS Research.  Survey results will be used in preparedness […]

By Wendy Osher A decision was reached last night to partially restore stream flows to select waterways in East Maui.  The historic decision was met with mixed emotions and a call for compromise from some who had until last night, been firm in their approach for or against the sugar industry, and demands from sustainable […]

Three fire department vehicles were blessed today with Hawaiian names reflective of the districts that they will serve.  The practice of naming the firefighting fleet in the Hawaiian tradition is unique to the county of Maui. [flashvideo file=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ceePJDdN7s /] Tanker 3 which will be used to fight fire in the west Maui district was given […]

By Wendy Osher Water to six East Maui streams will be restored at varying levels, under a decision issued by the state Commission on Water Resource Management tonight (Tuesday, May 25, 2010). The commission also voted to keep instream flow standards at status quo levels at the remaining 13 East Maui streams under consideration. The […]