Maui Discussion

Maui residents express their views in this weekʻs Letters to the Editors. Views on mask mandate — has it gone too far? Why is track still closed? Need help for rent, but federal funds not processed fast enough. And resident concerned all the life-saving cardiothoracic surgeons are leaving Maui.

Maui Now has launched a new Letter to the Editor form on its website. The purpose is to help facilitate a public platform for diverse views and opinions about issues, events and anything else related to our islands. Submissions can be completed by filling out an online Letter to the Editor form or emailing a letter to letters@mauinow.com.

Maui County Councilmember Yuki Lei Sugimura is urging residents and businesses impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic to apply for assistance.

Mayor Victorino notes that some local businesses are not qualifying for small business grant programs because they exceed revenue thresholds currently in place. “We had to set thresholds because I wanted this money to go to our small local businesses, not to some big conglomerate someplace else… we’re committed to help our local businesses, our small mom and pops wherever possible.”

Maui Mayor Michael Victorino expressed frustration with parties that were held over the holiday weekend despite continued warnings to refrain from gatherings.

The National Park Service and Haleakalā National Park launched a new webpage “Nā Wāhine o Haleakalā: Women of Haleakalā,” honoring the stories of women with impactful contributions and connections to Haleakalā. The launch of the webpage took place amid a nationwide centennial celebration of the 19th Amendment, which has given American women the right to […]

The number of COVID-19 cases at the Maui Memorial Medical Center has risen to 36 as of noon today.  Maui Health confirmed that there are 19 health care workers and 17 patients at Maui Memorial Medical Center who have tested positive for COVID-19.

Topics covered include: thresholds for interisland travel safety, realistic time frames for the return of tourism, timing to the state’s return to school and education plans, returning to normalcy, unemployment, job loss, COVID-19 vs flu, and balancing a return of tourism with efforts to diversity the economy. 

The Office of Hawaiian Affairs’ (OHA) Trustee-at-Large and Grassroot Institute of Hawaii’s President and CEO, Keli’i Akina, Ph.D. sits down with Pacific Media Group COO and MauiNow director, Jack Dugan to answer questions about the current state of Hawai’i’s economy. Grassroot Institute of Hawaii is an independent public policy think tank focusing on educating the […]

A string of peaceful demonstrations and paddle out events have been held over last two weeks throughout the islands.

Maui Hotel & Lodging Association’s executive director, Rod Antone sits down with Pacific Media Group COO and MauiNow director, Jack Dugan to answer questions about the current state of Maui’s hotel and lodging industry during the coronavirus pandemic. The Maui Hotel & Lodging Association (MHLA) represents Maui County’s visitor industry on policymaking and industry-related issues […]

Organizers said, “It is time to move toward healing.  It is time to move toward forgiveness.  It is time to move toward love.  It is time to love ourselves.”

A peaceful Paddle Out for George Floyd was held just before sunset on the West shores of Maui on Sunday in a show of unity amid tensions nationally over the man’s death at the hands of a police officer.

The peaceful demonstration, which began at 10 a.m., included a line of individuals holding signs and chanting “I can’t breathe,” as passing motorists honked horns.   The rally comes on the heels of the May 25th death of George Floyd in Minneapolis and the ongoing protests that have followed.

Last week, we put out a “call-to-action” to our readers asking how they feel about the COVID-19 pandemic. There was strong participation with more than 2,000 verified responses. This was an over 400% increase in participation from our April survey.

To gain a better understanding of how the Maui community feels about the COVID-19 pandemic, we recently put out a survey. Here are the results.

Maui Mayor Michael Victorino today sent a letter to Governor David Ige saying he hopes residents will be able to call or go online to place flower deliver orders for Mother’s Day on May 10, 2020. Under the Governor’s Sixth Supplementary Proclamation, county mayors must now seek approval before issuing any emergency rules, orders or proclamations.

Maui Mayor Michael Victorino today sent a letter to Governor Ige urging him to reconsider or clarify rules “to expressly allow exercise activities to occur on the beaches.”  The letter comes on the heels of Governor Ige’s latest proclamation that includes an order that closes all state beaches.

Op-Ed: Maui Councilmember Tamara Paltin Calls for More Transparency Amid Covid-19: “Transparency is key!  People need to be able to trust leadership on all levels and in every arena, and leadership needs to be held accountable for the decisions they make.”

“In the interest of open government and to allow meaningful community deliberation, dealing with a proposal that makes wide-ranging changes to our County Charter (which is unrelated to the public health crisis) is not prudent or fair to the community when safety and well-being is a primary focus.”