Maui News

The Hawai‘i State Department of Education today unveiled its Return to Learn: School Reopening Plan that public schools are using to prepare for the “safe and healthy” return of students and staff during the upcoming 2020-21 school year.

The Hawaiʻi Restaurant Association issued an open letter this month on behalf of a hui of restaurants in Maui County to the Department of Liquor Control saying the industry has been “devastated” by the COVID-19 pandemic and needs help.

Alexandra Cameron was last seen in the Kīhei area of Maui, operating a 2007 silver Jeep Liberty, bearing license plate LEZ-656. She may also have a small black dog with her.

Maui police say speed is suspected as a factor in a near fatal motorcycle crash in Kahului overnight.  A 43-year-old man with no local address suffered critical life-threatening injuries in a crash, reported at 12:25 a.m. on Thursday, July 2, on East Kamehameha Avenue at the Puʻunēnē Avenue Intersection. 

The Governor has granted a two-week extension to the County of Maui to keep a checkpoint in place along the Hāna Highway between Kapakalua Road and Hāna Town.  The checkpoint will remain in place through at least July 15th, limiting traffic to residents amid ongoing health and safety concerns related to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The $2 million in funding will encompass the design and construction of the repair and, where necessary, the replacement of various segments of the track and field surfaces, including portions that were damaged by wildfires.

A 47-year-old woman from Kona on Hawaiʻi Island was airlifted to safety after becoming lost while on a hike in Kapalua on Wednesday morning.

Due to commercial vendors deciding not to sell firecrackers for this holiday, no permits are being issued for firecracker purchases on Maui for the upcoming Fourth of July holiday. 

Mayor Michael Victorino issued a statement last night, strongly opposing two proposed amendments by the County Council’s Governance, Ethics and Transparency Committee, calling the items “reckless.” Meantime, council members defended their proposals with one member calling the Mayor’s statements “overly dramatic.”

There are nine new COVID-19 case reported for Hawaiʻi today–six on the island of Oʻahu, two on Maui and one in a resident diagnosed outside of Hawaiʻi–bringing the statewide count to 926 cases in Hawaiʻi over the course of the pandemic. To date, 741 people (81.6%) have recovered including 114 (95.7%) recovery in Maui County. There are currently 167 active cases in the state, including five on Maui.

The interim guidelines cover multiple aspects of operations, and each of the 10 campuses will develop their own operational plans that take into consideration their unique location, facilities, programs needs and available resources. The first day of classes for the fall 2020 semester is Monday, August 24.

The state’s mandatory interisland travel and health form can now be submitted online within 24 hours of flight departure. State officials say this upgrade adds efficiency to the passenger verification process, helps save travelers time and allows information to enter the database in real-time. The form includes health and contact information needed to trace close contacts should a passenger become ill.

Hawaiian Airlines today announced it will resume a reduced schedule between Hawaiʻi and most of its US mainland gateway cities on Aug. 1, when the state of Hawai‘i begins welcoming travelers who choose to participate in a pre-travel COVID-19 testing program being developed.

Starting this Thursday July 2, and continuing through the Fourth of July Weekend, the Maui Police Department Traffic Division will be conducting sobriety checkpoints and saturation patrols at various locations to address impaired driving over the holiday weekend.

A new gender option is now available for State IDs, driver’s licenses, and commercial driver’s licenses that allows the public to apply, renew, or obtain a duplicate credential and select “X” or “Not Specified” in the gender category instead of the binary “M” (Male) or “F” (Female).

The launch comes ahead of the July 4th holiday weekend as police implement sobriety checkpoints and other units continue to enforce COVID-related safety measures.

County officials say the checkpoint will remain in place for today while they await the governor’s response. Lawmakers continue to work on a traffic management plan for the Hāna Highway and are proposing a reservation system for key destinations along the highway like Waiʻānapanapa State Park, to mitigate traffic concerns in the rural community.

The monthly test of the all-hazard Statewide Outdoor Warning Siren System, coordinated with the test of the Live Audio Broadcast segment of the Emergency Alert System, is scheduled for Wednesday, July 1, 2020 at 11:45 a.m.

The County of Maui announced a summer youth program in partnership with Maui Family YMCA that begins next Monday, July 6, 2020.  

There are 18 new COVID-19 case reported for Hawaiʻi today–15 on the island of Oʻahu, one each on Maui and Kauaʻi and one case pending identification of island residency–bringing the statewide count to 917 cases in Hawaiʻi over the course of the pandemic. To date, 736 people (81.8%) have recovered including 113 (96.5%) recovery in Maui County. There are currently 163 active cases in the state, including four on Maui. As a result of updated information, one case from Oʻahu was removed from the counts, according to the State Department of Health.