Featured

Drivers who wanted to beat the rush before today’s legal presence law went into effect, were met with long lines on Friday at the DMV. Individuals say they waited about three hours during the midday rush.

The 140-pound Austin Bloch of King Kekaulike rallied from a 4-1 deficit against Kamehmeha Kapalama’s Tyson Kuahine to claim the only Maui Interscholastic League gold medal at the Chevron/HHSAA Wrestling Championships.

This weekend’s round-up of Maui’s best entertainment.

The US Postal Service clearly acknowledges the geographic isolation and unique needs of the Kalaupapa community, said Rep. Hirono in response to the news. So far, the Postal Service has only made a decision about Kalaupapa, and not the others that were being considered for closure.

The project includes a complete re-wiring of the runway light and taxiway light circuits. The anticipated completion date for the federally funded project is May 2012.

“Until full electrical power service is restored by Maui Electric, the department is unable to pump water to maintain desirable water levels in the storage tanks,” said Maui Department of Water Supply Administrative Officer Jacky Takakura.

As of 5 p.m., all power is restored on Maui. MECO officials say a malfunction on the controls of two large generating units at Maalaea Power Plant caused the units to trip offline. Approximately 20,000 customers were initially affected by the power outage.

“One of the reasons we want the region to develop is it makes our land more valuable–for both purposes: commercial revenue generation of that piece, but it also makes it cheaper for us to provide homesteading because we share the cost of the infrastructure,” said Nahale-a.

The agreement would allow the agencies to utilize shared resources not only to address daily issues, but also to benefit the county and the department in times of disaster.

The group planning the rally said, “The latest announcement has roused the same ire once again in a sizable segment of the Maui Community.” A coalition of community groups are joining together this weekend from 9 to 11 a.m. on Saturday, March 3, 2012, at the tree site fronting the Maui Schooner Resort.

The Maui Policy Committee today recommended the disapproval of two nominees–Ralph Black, and James Clemens–to the Lanai Planning Commission.

New requirements to renew, reinstate and apply for a Hawaii state driver license or learner permits go into effect on March 5, 2012.

A new report shows that 1,105,606 visitors in 2010 spent nearly $75 million in Haleakalā National Park and in surrounding communities. That spending, Park officials say, supported 861 jobs in the local area.

To assist residents and business owners in understanding the upcoming new flood map changes, there will be a public meeting on March 12 in Kihei.

The loss of power occurred at around 7 a.m., when a vehicle struck a pole in the area. Students at Lahainaluna HS were released at 10 a.m. because of the outage.

“It is almost like a final closure for the family. We have the proper recognition, we have the proper head stone, and I believe we can put this to rest finally from our family’s point of view.”

A new report reveals that in Maui County, native Hawaiians in the “race alone” category comprised 7.4% of the county’s population, and in the “race alone or in combination” group, 29.7%.

The fire was first reported at 7:38 p.m. at a 750 square-foot cottage located at the back of a residence at 502 South Kamehameha Avenue. The individual was transported by Medic-1 from the scene with burns to his left arm, left leg, and some facial injuries.

The largest number of sightings was at Pu’u Olai were 232 whales were counted, (33 of them claves); followed by Papawai Point (the scenic lookout on the Honoapiilani Highway) with 189 whales; and Ma’alaea with 167 whales. The 2012 tally, was 34% less than the 1,607 whales counted in 2011.

Maui police are investigating the suspected involvement of speed and drugs as contributing factors in an early morning head-on collision on the Honoapiilani Highway that left two Lahaina women hospitalized in critical condition.