Maui News

There were 241 new COVID-19 cases reported in Hawai‘i on Friday, including 190 on O‘ahu, 28 on Maui, 13 on Hawaiʻi Island, 1 in Kauaʻi and 9 in Hawaiʻi residents diagnosed outside of the state. There is one new death on Oʻahu.

The Hawaiʻi Police Department has put out a missing person alert for Robby Gay Yoshiyama. The 5-foot-4 man was last seen wearing a green T-shirt and blue jeans near the 1400 block of Kilauea Ave in Hilo on Dec. 31, 2020.

American Red Cross volunteers from the Maui County Chapter responded to an early morning residential fire on Liholiho Steet in Wailuku. The Red Cross Disaster Action Team helped to coordinate emergency aid for the four adults and four children impacted by the fire.

The Hawaiʻi Business Pivot Grant program has awarded $16.7 million to 2,366 non-profit groups and small businesses for eligible operational changes or “pivots” made due to COVID-19.

As 2021 approached on Maui, home fireworks displays erupted throughout the island. Here is the light show captured in Central Maui by Art Welsh.

Frustrations Surface Over Maui Restaurant and Bar Rules, and Interpretation for EnforcementFrustrations Surface Over Maui Restaurant and Bar Rules, and Interpretation for Enforcement

Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the in-person 2021 Maui Marathon scheduled for April has been cancelled and the running event now is going virtual.

The County of Maui has completed the purchase of three properties, including the Hawaiian Telcom Building in Wailuku for approximately $3.8 million.

Thirty-plus COVID-19 cases have been identified at the Harbor Lights condominium complex in Kahului on Maui, according to an update provided Thursday afternoon by Maui Mayor Michael Victorino.

The Hawai‘i State Laboratories Division began its molecular surveillance in June and to date has performed genome sequencing on nearly 700 samples of viral RNA.

A Haʻikū man is hospitalized with life-threatening injuries following a single-vehicle crash on New Year’s Eve on Maui.

Aina Townsend, 22, of Wailuku, drove off in his very first fully-paid-for vehicle on New Year’s Eve. The man who works as a security guard at a local grocery store didn’t know that doing what he felt was right would land him in such a lucky position.

As 2020 comes to an end — hallelujah! — Maui Now takes a look back at the year like no other, when masks became fashion items, Old Lahaina became a ghost town and Maui lost an icon, Willie K.

There were 188 new COVID-19 cases reported in Hawai‘i on Wednesday, including 135 on O‘ahu, 26 on Maui, 14 on Hawaiʻi Island and 13 in Hawaiʻi residents diagnosed outside of the state.

The bipartisan Expanding Capacity for Health Outcomes (ECHO) 2019 Act was signed into law this week as part of the annual government funding bill. The legislation authored by US Sen. Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) establishes a $10 million per year grant program to promote the use of technology to connect health care providers and deliver high-quality care in hard-to-reach regions.

Starting Jan. 1, 2021, a new state law goes into effect in Hawaiʻi that prohibits the sale and distribution of sunscreens that contain the chemicals oxybenzone and octinoxate that are harmful to the coral reef. Free materials to educate visitors and residents are available.

The lava lake within Halemaʻumaʻu crater continued to enlarge slowly in the past few days to 82 acres in size.

COVID-19 testing at the Harbor Lights condominium complex in Kahului is currently underway as state and county crews, in coordination with Minit Med work to determine the extent of a cluster reported there earlier this week.

Currently, Maui County has sustained 10 traffic fatalities this year. Four of these fatalities or 40 percent involved someone impaired by alcohol or drugs.

The public is reminded that fireworks can only be legally set off from 9 p.m. New Year’s Eve to 1 a.m. New Year’s Day.