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(Updated at 5 a.m. 8/7/09 by Wendy Osher) Hurricane Felicia has been downgraded from a category 4 to a category 2 hurricane.  The system was last located at 1280 miles east of Hilo, Hawaii and moving toward the west-northwest at 13 mph.  A gradual turn to the west is expected over the next couple of […]

Updated @ 11 a.m. 8/6/09 by Wendy Osher: Forecasters from the National Weather Service say Felicia is the strongest hurricane in the Eastern Pacific since hurricane Daniel of 2006. Hurricane Felicia is now located 1490 miles east of Hilo Hawaii.  Winds for the category 4 Hurricane have decreased slightly to 135 mph.  Slow weakening of […]

UPDATED AT 5 A.M. 8/6/09 Hurricane Felicia has maintained her strength as a category 4 hurricane with winds remaining near 140 mph.  At around 5 a.m., the system was located at 1545 miles east of Hilo Hawaii and moving at a rate of 10 mph. The current track brings the storm within reach of the […]

Hurricane Felicia has maintained category 4 strength and is expected to weaken later today. At 11:30 p.m. HST,, the Center of Hurricane Felicia was located near Latitude 15.5 North, Longitude 131.2 West, or about 1480 miles west-southwest of the Southern tip of Baja California. Felicia is moving toward the west-northwest at 10 mph and is […]

UPDATED AT 5:10 P.M. 8/5/09 WEDNESDAY Hurricane Felicia is now classified as a category 4 hurricane and is moving toward the west-northwest at a rate of about 12 mph. Winds have increased to 140 mph with higher gusts. That places Felicia as a Category Four Hurricane on teh Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale. Forecasters with the National […]

Approximately 1,100 state employees are due to receive layoff notices that the state began issuing today. The notices state the positions of the affected employees will be eliminated as of November 13, 2009.

The county’s planning committee will begin deliberations on the General Plan.  The first meeting is set for August 4th in the Council Chambers, with additional meetings planned on Molokai, Hana and Lanai.  The general plan is the county’s primary planning tool and statement of policies. Deliberations will begin with the Countywide Policy Plan, the first […]

The state begins phase two improvements to the Kahului Boat Launch Ramp on Monday, August 3, 2009. The $379,228 project includes the construction of a new 55-foot long by 5-foot wide engineered aluminum loading dock with fiberglass grating, adjacent to the existing concrete loading dock. It also includes removal of the existing asphalt paved access […]

University of Hawaii football coach Greg McMackin will be suspended for 30 days and take a salary cut as part of the actions handed down by the University of Hawaii administration today.  The actions come after McMackin used a gay slur in a WAC media briefing yesterday to describe a dance performed by the Notre […]

Congress approved a measure today to revive the popular Cash for Clunkers program by extend funding.  U.S. Congresswoman Mazie Hirono of Hawaii joined more than 300 other representatives in voting today to increase funding by $2 billion, a move that is expected to boost sales by an additional 800,000 vehicles. The program allows consumers to […]

The Lahaina Restoration Foundation is hosting a three-day event celebrating the town’s plantation heritage.  “Lahaina Plantation Days, Then and Now” begins Thursday July 30 at the old Pioneer Mill site near the historic smokestack on Lahainaluna Road.  The event will feature entertainment, food booths and exhibits. Event hours are 7:00 pm to 9:30 pm on […]

Aloha Air Cargo is offering a new delivery alternative for businesses that now face increased rates for barge shipping. The new Aloha FlexShip service is described by company officials as a convenient and cost-effective solution for transporting less time-sensitive, non-perishable items. Aloha FlexShip delivers goods in three to five days, providing service out of Honolulu […]

Tropical Storm Lana continues moving far southeast of the Hawaiian Islands.  At 11 a.m., the National Weather Service reported the center of the storm at about 640 miles southeast of Hilo Hawaii. The system was moving toward the west at about 16 mph and was expected to continue at that strength for the next 48 […]

Four Maui projects are among a list of renewable energy and water preservation initiatives included in a $34 million federal appropriations bill that passed in the Senate last night. A total of $752,000 in funding is proposed for projects at ‘Iao Stream, Maalaea Harbor, Waiohuli, and the West Maui Watershed. The largest Maui allocation of […]

The developers for a proposed town center in South Maui are attempting to incorporate sustainable design in the mixed use project.  The project called “Downtown Kihei” is a 320,000 square foot mixed use sustainable community that combines residential, entertainment, restaurant and retail space. The California-based architectural design company, Stoutenborough Inc., entered an agreement with developer […]

The Maui Department of Fire and Public Safety held a blessing today for the department’s Heavy Rescue Truck that will be used in rescue and recovery efforts island-wide.  The truck will go on line in the first week of August, providing rescue crews with the ability to transport equipment and supplies aboard a single response […]

The County of Maui announced this afternoon that the Kualapuu well is now operational and pumping water at a rate of 800 gallons per minute to the one million gallon Kaunakakai holdingtank. The County temporarily used a well belonging to the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands to fill the Kaunakakai holding tank while repairs to […]

Maui’s first Whole Foods Market is expected to create 140 new jobs within the community when it opens in Kahului next year. The 26,266 square foot store at the Maui Mall is set to open on schedule in the Spring of 2010, becoming the brand’s second Hawaii location. The company opened its first Hawaii store […]

Businesses on Molokai are taking extra steps to conserve water as tank repairs continue. In an effort to avoid unnecessary water use, Molokai Pizza Café manager Regan DeGeorge says the business turned off its ice cream machine and is using paper products to reduce water use for washing dishes. Residents of Kalae and Kaunakakai on […]

The group tasked with selecting a site for the proposed Thirty Meter Telescope selected Mauna Kea on the Big Island of Hawaii, today as its preferred site. Governor Linda Lingle praised the decision by the board of directors of the TMT Observatory Corporation saying, it marks “an extraordinary step forward in the state’s continuing efforts […]