Maui News

Due to a rapid rise in COVID-19 variants on island, the Maui Memorial Medical Center is updating its visitor policy for the second time this week.

Maui Economic Opportunity is reporting the theft of five catalytic converters from the organization’s fleet of buses at its Puʻunēnē base yard.

The state Department of Health reports that there were 234** additional COVID-19 cases in Hawai‘i on Thursday. **An interruption in electronic lab reporting earlier this week resulted in incomplete case counts reported yesterday and today. The balance of positive COVID-19 tests that were not reported due to the recent interruption will be reported on Friday.

The Kuahiwi a Kai: Lānaʻi Watershed Conservation Program has received four new grants worth $471,000 and matching contributions of $547,000, for a total conservation impact of more than $1 million.

A group of 12 Native Hawaiian researchers will depart from Kāneʻohe Bay on Saturday to embark on a 15-day scientific voyage into the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument.

Haleakalā and Hawaiʻi Volcanoes national parks, which were founded as one park in 1916 and called “Hawaiʻi National Park,” are celebrating their joint 105th birthdays on Sunday, Aug. 1, with free entrance.

The 260,618 visitors to Maui in June 2021 contributed $503 million to the local economy, which is 5.4% more than the $477 million spent by the 295,926 tourists who came to the island pre-pandemic in June 2019.

The annual Hawaiʻi State Judiciary juror questionnaires will soon be mailed to individuals who have a Hawaii state driver’s license or are registered to vote in Hawaiʻi.

Hawaiian Electric is hosting a virtual stakeholder meeting on Wednesday, Aug. 11, from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., to collect feedback from Moloka‘i residents and business owners, renewable energy developers, and interested parties regarding Moloka‘i shared solar projects, also known as the Community-Based Renewable Energy program.

The public is invited to learn more about Hawaiian monk seals at a free presentation entitled “Saving a Species: Rehabilitation as a Conservation Tool for Hawaiian Monk Seals” on Wednesday, Aug. 4 at 5:30 p.m. HST via Zoom where two special guests from The Marine Mammal Center’s dedicated hospital for monk seals, Ke Kai Ola, on Hawaiʻi Island will highlight their conservation and outreach work.

The program provides first-time homebuyers with down payment and/or closing cost assistance of up to 5% of the home purchase price, not to exceed $30,000. Applicants will be selected through a lottery drawing process.

A group of University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources extension agents and researchers on Oʻahu, Kauaʻi, Maui and the Big Island have joined a national network’s sweet potato research group.

The Kīhei Aquatic Center is scheduled for reopening at 9 a.m. on Thursday, July 29 after it was closed due to safety concerns.

The state Department of Health reports that there were **85 additional COVID-19 cases in Hawai‘i on Wednesday. **An interruption in electronic lab reporting resulted in incomplete case counts reported today (Monday, July 26, 2021). Retrieval of these reports is anticipated to occur in the next 1-2 days.

Hawaii is under a tsunami watch as officials evaluate the effects of an 8.1 earthquake reported at 8:15 p.m. HST on Wednesday, July 28, 2021 in the Alaska Peninsula.

“Getting to share the sport with so many people that maybe have never even watched surfing was super special,” Moore told WSL. “As a Hawaiian, just seeing Duke Kahanamoku’s dream come true to have surfing in the Olympics is super special. It’s a big time for surfing to be recognized on this level.”

Chick-fil-A broke ground today on it’s first Hawai’i restaurant, to be located at the Puʻunēnē Shopping Center in Kahului, Maui.

With the impacts of severe weather events and forecasted impacts of climate change on the roads and bridges that connect communities, the Hawaiʻi Department of Transportation’s has made its Hawai’i Highways Climate Adaptation Action Plan, exposure assessments and hazard viewer available online for the public.

US Sen. Brian Schatz (D-HI) today introduced the Vulnerable Road Users Safety Act, new legislation that would improve road safety standards and make streets safer for pedestrians and cyclists.

Make the transition easier for your kids by planning ahead. Get your child back on a consistent schedule early, which includes a regular bedtime. Most school-aged children need 10-11 hours of sleep per night.