Featured

Health officials on Maui have identified a cluster involving the convergence of people at a restaurant and bar in West Maui. It is unclear where the source of the infection came from, but health officials are asking anyone who was at The Dirty Monkey on Aug. 22, to self quarantine for 14 days through Sept. 5, 2020.

“We had a little bit of a rocky rollout. Everyone has been brought up to speed on how they need to label the vials and I think we’ve learned from that experience.  The good news is that the 1776 tests are a small fraction of all of the tests we’ve done so far,” said Mayor Caldwell.

The new $755,500 Kula Park Playground, located off of the intersection of Kula Highway and Calasa Road, will open to the public at noon on Tuesday, Sept. 1, 2020.

Hamada Suisan Co. Ltd., the owner of a Japanese-flagged fishing vessel, was charged in federal court today with allegedly aiding and abetting the attempted export of shark fins out of Hawaiʻi in violation of the Lacey Act.

There were seven deaths linked to COVID-19 in Hawai‘i today, marking the deadliest day for the state since the pandemic began.  There were 133 new COVID-19 cases in Hawai‘i today including 107 on O‘ahu, one on Maui and 24 on Hawai‘i Island and one resident out of state.

A large brush fire that started Sunday afternoon in Puʻunēnē is now 95% contained as of 10:19 a.m. on Monday, Aug. 31, 2020. The area burned remains unchanged at approximately 1500 acres.  “Provided the lack of any significant rainfall through the summer months, fuels have become very dry across portions of the state. These dry conditions combined with breezy trades and relative humidity’s dipping below 45 percent through the afternoon hours will support extreme fire behavior today.”

Governor David Ige announced today that state Health Director Dr. Bruce Anderson and Public Safety Director Nolan Espinda will be retiring from their respective posts in September.

Founded in a 50-square-foot commercial kitchen in Kīhei, Hawaiʻi Commercial Foods has been manufacturing and selling its salads for well over two decades. Its product line has grown from one item – kim chee – to now 46 products including such favorites as pickled onion, namasu, pasta salad, grab-and-go ready-to-eat salads, mac-potato salad, wakame salad and takuan.

Multiple fire units are on the scene of a brush fire in Puʻunēnē.  The fire was reported at around 1 p.m. 

There were 200 new COVID-19 cases in Hawai‘i today including 174 on O‘ahu, four on Maui and 22 on Hawai‘i Island. There was also one more death linked to COVID-19 on O‘ahu, bringing the state total since the pandemic began to 63. Maui has four additional cases for a cumulative total of 334.

“This modified process enforces travel quarantines and protects our communities from the spread of COVID-19. This new procedure is a welcome step toward a more efficient, streamlined process to speed up traveler processing at airports,” said Mayor Michael Victorino.

FEMA’s grant funding will allow Hawaiʻi to provide $300 per week, on top of their regular unemployment benefit, to those unemployed due to COVID-19.

Two Maui middle school students spotted a space satellite projected to break up and re-enter Earth’s atmosphere on Saturday, August 29 around 10:45 a.m. over the South Pacific. Maui students Holden Suzuki and Wilson Chau used observations from one of Halaeakalā’s telescopes to track the inoperative satellite, OGO-1.

There were 310 new COVID-19 cases in Hawai‘i today including 263 on O‘ahu, seven on Maui, 39 on Hawai‘i Island and one on Kaua‘i.   There were also three more deaths linked to COVID-19, bringing the state total since the pandemic began to 62. The deaths include three on O‘ahu. Maui has seven additional cases for a cumulative total of 330.

The Maui Police Department now has three employees who have tested positive for COVID-19. Police say the three individuals work in positions that require limited public interaction and are currently in isolation.

Maui Mayor Michael Victorino announced this afternoon that the television production, Temptation Island, is “on again,” with production set to start on Sept. 8.

The number of COVID-19 positive cases at the Roselani Place assisted living community is now 27–including 18 staff and nine residents.  

There were 265 new COVID-19 cases in Hawai‘i today including 233 on O‘ahu, six on Maui, and 26 on Hawai‘i Island. Maui has six additional cases for a cumulative total of 324. Clusters on Maui include at least 27 cases at the Roselani Place assisted living facility and 66 associated with the Maui Memorial Medical Center.

“To date we have had 337 impaired driving arrests which include 17 Habitual impaired driving arrests, compared to 342 impaired driving arrests this same time last year. Habitually Driving Impaired arrests in Maui County have seen a drastic 400% increase this year alone,” said Lieutenant William Hankins, MPD Traffic Division Commander.

“I am saying this–It’s about time we take an opportunity to test–to see if these protocols that they’ve put in place will work. We have to test sooner or later–why not now, why not at the Andaz.  Let’s make that our first.  And let’s see.  Because every great plan only works if you do it.”