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A live snake was found in a shipping container on Moloka‘i this morning while it was being unloaded at a hardware store in Kaunankakai, state officials said. Maui County Police on Moloka‘i were called to the hardware store shortly after 8 a.m. and arriving officers shot the snake with a pellet gun. The snake measured about 20-inches long and has been identified as a non-venomous gopher snake.

American Savings Bank announced the retirement of Gabe Lee, who served as Executive Vice President of Commercial Banking for over 25 years and successfully created ASB’s Commercial Banking division. Tony Mizuno, who joined ASB in 2020 and has more than 30 years of banking experience, was promoted to lead ASB’s Commercial Banking team.

The program helps youth who are not able to receive care in their own home but can achieve stability and growth in a caring atmosphere where they can receive parental supervision, guidance and support.

A groundbreaking new 30-meter Maui Forest Height Map reveals that trees on the Valley Isle are taller than previously thought. UH researchers say the findings provide critical information needed to accurately evaluate the upstream freshwater yield, a crucial consideration for town planning in watersheds like Lahaina.

There is no tsunami threat to Hawaiʻi following a (preliminary 7.0 moment) 6.7 magnitude earthquake reported at 10:59 a.m. HST on Jan. 8, 2024 in the Kepulauan Talaud Indonesia region. The USGS reports that the quake was located 100 km SE of Sarangani, Philippines.

“As descendants of the ocean, the dearth of Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders in ocean science seems inconsonant,” writes a team of University of Hawaiʻi authors in an article published in a special issue of Oceanography.

Aloha Harvest today announced it has received a $20,810 donation from First Hawaiian Bank, as part of the bank’s annual Kōkua Mai employee giving campaign. The funds will provide a boost for Aloha Harvest, reinforcing its capacity to sustain and enhance general operations, ultimately amplifying the positive impact on food rescue and addressing local food insecurity challenges.

Detectives from Hawai‘i Police Department’s Area II Criminal Investigation Section are investigating a structure fire that killed an elderly man early Sunday morning, Jan. 7, 2024, in Ocean View.  

The University of Hawaiʻi Maui College is seeking Maui pre-nursing students for the Spring 2024 Kealahoʻimai TEAS (Test of Essential Academic Skills) Prep Course. 

The Puʻuhonua Kauluwehi project will collaboratively establish a network of biocultural refuges supporting the cultivation of native plants to accelerate landscape-scale ecological restoration, food security, and community well-being strategies.

A Flood Watch is in effect through Tuesday afternoon as a cold front makes its way down the island chain.

The deadline to apply for federal disaster assistance has passed; however, Hawaiʻi residents and businesses have been granted a 45-day grace period, until Thursday, Jan. 25, to submit their US Small Business Administration disaster loan applications for property damage caused by wildfires. 

A 31-year-old Maui man who died in a single-vehicle collision on Sunday, Jan. 7, 2024, in Kailua-Kona, has been positively identified as Christopher Keaulama Liftee of Kīhei, Maui.

The partners reached a milestone in the cleanup of Lahaina with: 1,481 Tax Map Keys (TMKs) Fully Assessed; 168 Tons of Household Hazardous Materials (HHM) and Bulk Asbestos Material (BAM) Removed; 6,371 Samples Taken; 3,430 Vehicles Located; and 6,241 Trees Assessed with 202 Trees Marked as Protected and 4,678 Trees Tagged.

The state Department of Transportation will be conducting road work this week that will result in lane closures at various locations. Lane closure schedules may change at any time without further notice. All projects are weather permitting.

The University of Hawaiʻi is in the initial stages of establishing a space engineering and instrument development center at the UH Institute for Astronomy’s facilities on the UH Hilo campus, thanks to general fund support from the Hawaiʻi State Legislature and Hawaiʻi Gov. Josh Green.

Whether they originate above or below the Earth’s surface, a wide array of signals appear on the USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory’s earthquake-detecting (seismic) data streams. Part of a seismic analyst’s duty is identifying normal versus irregular seismic activity. 

CocoNene, the local brand known for its made in Hawaiʻi products, has expanded its presence at International Market Place on Oʻahu.  The Waikīkī expansion is part of rebuilding and recovery efforts after the Lahaina flagship store was lost in the West Maui fire in August of 2023. It also comes a month after the grand opening of their new store in Māʻalaea, Maui at the Maui Harbor Shops.

OP-ED: Senator Angus McKelvey (District 6, West Maui, Mā‘alaea, Waikapū, South Maui) issued a statement responding to Governor Green and Mayor Bissen’s interim housing plan for Maui wildfire survivors.

UPDATE: Michelle Kwik was located and transported to the Maui Memorial Medical Center for evaluation, according to Maui police.  The Maui Police Department thanked the public for their assistance in locating Kwik, who was reported missing by her family on Jan. 6, 2024.