Featured

The Maui Police Department is requesting the public’s assistance with any information on the whereabouts of Kody Barnes, 34, of California.

“If it’s illegal fireworks, it’s a Class C felony [and] it’s a $2,000 fine,” said Chief Pelletier, calling it a public safety issue. “Though you may think it’s harmless to fire something off, people lose limbs, we know people burn down houses, and it’s usually the innocent person who is affected.”

The state Department of Health is reporting a COVID-19 count of 3,484 new cases today, surpassing the previous record for daily new cases of 2,205 reported on Sunday, Dec. 26. Todayʻs count includes 334 cases on Maui, 242 on Hawaiʻi Island, 147 on Kauaʻi, 21 on Molokaʻi, one on Lānaʻi, and 59 out of state, as the Omicron surge continues.

Mayor Michael Victorino signed an emergency proclamation on Wednesday that suspends the effective date of the Maui County Disposable Foodware Ordinance until March 1, 2022.

Maui Health’s Emergency Operations Center team is updating its visitor policy effective today, due to the rapid rise of COVID-19 cases in the community.

The Hawai‘i Department of Health today announced it is revising the state’s COVID-19 isolation and quarantine policies to closely align with recommendations made by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. These changes are effective Monday, Jan. 3, 2022 for all DOH directed isolation and quarantine.

Maui County’s seven day average of cases is now 61.3 cases per 100,000, surpassing the Delta peak of 57.6 per 100,000 reported on Aug. 25.

A 74-year-old man from Lake Forest, Illinois, was pulled unresponsive from waters in Wailea on Tuesday afternoon.

While it appears she has removed her social media postings, one woman got the attention of conservation managers and law enforcement, after posting photos of large rocks being thrown into Lake Waiau. 

Maui police say a 17-year-old male driver that was involved in a traffic accident early Monday morning in Lahaina, has succumbed to his injuries and died.

The 10 campuses of the University of Hawaiʻi will temporarily move many spring 2022 in-person courses to an online delivery for the first two weeks of the semester because of the current Omicron surge of COVID-19 cases in Hawaiʻi, UH announced today.

In Maui County, the seven day average for new cases daily was 93, with a 9.0% test positivity rate over 14 days. This is +438% from Dec. 13-26, 2021. For every 100,000 residents in Maui County, there have been an average of 55.6 newly reported cases per day over a seven day period.

There are two public aerial fireworks displays planned in Maui County to ring in the New Year–in South Maui from a barge offshore of the Grand Wailea Resort, and at the Four Seasons Resort Lānaʻi from the laydown area at 1 Mānele Bay Road.

West Maui residents said they are pursuing legal action and other measures to halt a beach restoration plan at Kāʻanapali Beach that they say is riddled with negative environmental and cultural impacts.

Maui Health leadership continues to monitor the rise in community spread of COVID-19 and the potential for increased hospitalizations amid a surge in cases across the state.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention today issued an announcement saying it is shortening the recommended time for isolation from 10 days for people with COVID-19 to 5 days, if asymptomatic, followed by five days of wearing a mask when around others.

“Individuals who do not show up for scheduled appointments deny a testing opportunity for someone else,” said Mayor Victorino.

A Maui teen sustained life threatening injuries from a single vehicle crash reported overnight in West Maui.

The DOH is reporting a COVID-19 count of 1,384 today, including 71 on Maui and two on Molokaʻi. The latest data represents a total of 13,966 “active” cases statewide over two week, surpassing the Delta peak of 11,500.

The DOH is reporting a COVID-19 count of 2,205 today, the highest daily count on record for the state.