Maui News

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.

Alexander & Baldwin and East Maui Irrigation Company filed a Final Environmental Impact Statement for the proposed water lease for the Nāhiku, Keʻanae, Honomanū, and Huelo License Areas.

AlohaSafe Alert, the State of Hawaiʻi’s official COVID-19 exposure notification app, has reached one million activations.

Among other possible benefits, applicants to the program may: get help to qualify for rental and mortgage loans; access loans up to $100,000 for home buying costs (income and other program restrictions apply); qualify for up to $11,500 in grant funds for home purchase; and learn about HCA’s grants for first month’s rent/deposit up to $4,000.

A two-week pilot program will allow kama‘āina entry into the Hanauma Bay Nature Preserve on Oahu, without a reservation.

Forty sentenced felons on Hawaiʻi Island were transferred to the Hālawa Correctional Facility on Oʻahu on Tuesday in an attempt to alleviate overcrowding.

Two more Maui women are the recipients of grand prizes as part of the latest round of prize distribution in the state’s #HIGotVaccinated campaign.

The confirmed cases included: 106 on O‘ahu; 25 on Hawai‘i Island (+2 probable); 10 on Maui (+1 probable); four on Kaua‘i; and 15 in Hawai‘i residents diagnosed while out of state (-1 probable).

Maui Countyʻs tourism continues to rebound from the COVID-19 pandemic, with occupancy for vacation rentals increasing to 81.3% for June, but demand and rates still trail pre-pandemic levels, according to the new Hawaiʻi Vacation Rental Performance Report by the Hawaiʻi Tourism Authority.

Two hundred students at Princess Nāhiʻenaʻena Elementary School and Kamehameha III Elementary School will receive supplies they need when they return to the classroom next week, thanks to a donation from local State Farm agent Chad Santiago.

Throughout the month of July, County employees hosted a school supply drive that yielded more than $100,000 worth of new school supplies. The donated items will be distributed to Maui Nui public schools that serve low income households.

The US Senate unanimously passed the Veterans’ Disability Compensation Cost-of-Living Adjustment Act, bipartisan legislation that would increase the rates of compensation for veterans with service-connected disabilities and the rates of dependency and indemnity compensation for the survivors of certain disabled veterans.

The Hawaiʻi Tourism Authority (HTA) has begun its pivot to become a more effective destination management organization by promoting two key executives — Kalani Ka‘anā‘anā and Caroline Anderson — who will help guide the initiatives outlined in its 2020-2025 Strategic Plan, according to an HTA news release.

The confirmed cases included: 102 on O‘ahu (+3 probable); 34 on Hawai‘i Island; 16 on Maui; Kaua‘i (+1 probable); and seven in Hawai‘i residents diagnosed while out of state.

The Kahului Post Office is hosting its 4th weekend Passport Fair event on Saturday July, 31, for Maui residents and out-of-state visitors who want to apply for new US passports. The Passport Fair, designed to make the process easy, will be held from 7 am to 3 pm at the Kahului Post Office at 138 S. Puʻunene Ave. in Kahului.

Maui police temporarily closed the Honoapiʻilani Highway in Olowalu near Mile 16 due to a downed pole.

A federally funded $3.7 million project is providing 15 libraries in underserved and rural areas of Hawai’i with health and digital navigators, and telehealth services, to help people obtain COVID-19 information and support services.

The Maui Memorial Medical Center today announced it is implementing a vaccine requirement for visitors to the hospital, effective today, July 26, 2021.

“This update to the guidance comes at a time when we are really emphasizing the prioritization of a return to in-person learning for students in K-12 schools,” said Dr. Sarah Kemble.