Maui News

Gov. David Ige has appointed Bennette Misalucha to fill the late Sen. Breene Harimoto’s state Senate seat. State Senate District 16 includes Pearl City, Momilani, Pearlridge, ‘Aiea, Royal Summit, ‘Aiea Heights, Newtown, Waimalu, Halawa, and Pearl Harbor.

The Hawai’i Medical Service Association is offering more financial relief to local businesses in the form of a one-month 15 percent premium credit.

The Hawai‘i State Senate passed a bill that would prohibit the Public Utilities Commission from extending or renewing any contracts to generate energy from coal and phase out the use of coal in Hawai‘i by the end of 2022.

Former UH-Maui College dormitory buildings were blessed Tuesday morning for Huliau, a project to make safe housing available for people who’ve fallen into homelessness. “Huliau” means “turning point, time of change.”

In celebration of July as Parks and Recreation Month across the nation, the Maui Department of Parks and Recreation is hosting a Photo & Haiku Poem Contest.  

Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-Hawaiʻi) joined colleagues in introducing legislation aimed at bolster federal and state government investigations into police departments with alleged “patterns or practice of discriminatory and unconstitutional behavior.”

There are 22 new COVID-19 cases reported for Hawaiʻi today, including–19 new cases on the island of Oʻahu, and three new cases on Hawaiʻi Island.  This brings the statewide count to 1,264 cases in Hawaiʻi over the course of the pandemic. The state Department of Health also reports that as a result of updated information, one case from Honolulu was removed from the counts.

Application forms for free and reduced-price school meals for children unable to pay the full price of meals served under the National School Lunch Program and/or School Breakfast Program are being mailed home with a letter to parents or guardians for School Year (SY) 2020-21.

The Maui Vacation Rental Association along with four homeowners on Molokaʻi filed a lawsuit in federal court on Friday against the County of Maui seeking to reinstate their permits to operate as Short-Term Vacation Rentals.

Da Kitchen is closing its Kahului location on Wednesday, July 22, 2020 after 20 years in business.  The announcement came in the form of a company Facebook post on Monday evening and was confirmed via phone call to store managers. The restaurant is known for signature dishes that include the “Deep Fried Spam Musubi,” and its Mocos and Bowls that include the “Polynesian Paralysis Moco,” and the “Kanak Attack Combo Moco.” The Kahului location employs at least 10 staff for front-of-house operations in Kahului.

A 50 acre brush fire reported yesterday in Kīhei is now 100% contained.  The department currently has one engine company and two tankers conducting mop up operations.

Gov. David Ige this afternoon announced he is delaying the launch of the state’s pre-travel testing program by a month to Sept. 1, 2020. The governor has faced mounting concerns amid reservations from county mayors.  The pressure also comes as spikes in cases occur on O‘ahu; and three deaths were reported among Hawai‘i residents today. Mayor Victorino has said that spikes on the mainland have resulted in delays in testing capabilities and the amount of test kits available for Hawai‘i.

There are 23 new COVID-19 cases reported for Hawaiʻi today, including–19 new cases on the island of Oʻahu, one each on Maui and Hawaiʻi Island, and two new cases of Hawaiʻi residents who were diagnosed out-of-state.  This brings the statewide count to 1,243 cases in Hawaiʻi over the course of the pandemic.

The Department of Health Disease Outbreak Control Division today reports three more deaths of Hawaiʻi residents from coronavirus. The state recorded 86 new COVID-19 cases since last Friday and says most are in previous clusters associated with “community-spread.”

Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (HI-02) will host her next telephone town hall meeting to update Hawai‘i residents about COVID-19 at 4 p.m. HST on Wednesday, July 15, 2020.

The funds will be used to deploy more ocean sensors to observe and monitor sea levels, tides, currents, waves, and temperatures. The data collected is aimed at improving forecasts of severe weather events—like king tides and hurricanes.

A 28-year-old pedestrian suffered fatal injuries after being struck by a vehicle while attempting to cross Kahului Beach Road on Sunday night, according to Maui police. The collision occurred at around 8:23 p.m. on Sunday, July 12, on Kahului Beach Road, about 0.2 miles NW of the Kaʻahumanu Avenue intersection fronting the Harbor Lights condominiums in Kahului.

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Maui awarded the 2020 Maui Bigs of the Year at its BIG Awards Night virtual event on June 19.  

The virtual concert will air on Friday, July 17, 2020, at 5:30 p.m. on Facebook Live.

Here on Maui, a total of 146 people arrived on four trans-Pacific flights, including: 62 returning residents, 37 visitors, 22 individuals planning to relocate to Hawaiʻi, 24 crew members and one individual in transit to another location.