Maui News

“It’s the first time ever, that a loan prequalification has been issued to a farmer, since the Congress created HUD184a, something that our farmers and ranchers have been denied to even apply for, for more than 20 years,” said Robin Puanani Danner, chairwoman for the Sovereign Council of Hawaiian Homestead Associations.

”Ground-based observations from Maunakea will be critical for turning the JWST images into a three-dimensional map of the universe,” said David Sanders, lead IfA investigator.

Over the course of two weekends, the Maui rotarians have cleanups organized in partnership with Mālama Maui Nui at Baldwin Beach, Kanahā Beach, Kāʻanaplai Beach, Charley Young Beach, Keawakapu Beach, and Keālia Pond.

Kaiser Permanente administered more than 1,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccine during a mass vaccination event held today at their Wailuku Medical Office.

The state Department of Health reports that there were 51 additional COVID-19 cases reported in Hawai‘i on Saturday, including 40 on O‘ahu, five on Maui, four on Hawai‘i Island, and two on Kaua‘i. There were a total of 1,078 cases logged over the past two weeks, 210 of them in Maui County.

Gravimeters, essentially extremely precise pendulums, can measure a change in the force of gravity to one-in-one billionth of the force you feel every day. This force varies based on the distance and the amount of mass between the instrument (or you) and the center of the Earth.

The state Department of Transportation has a list of roadwork projects taking place across the island this week that will result in lane closures.

The H.T. Hayashi Foundation awarded $195,000 in total grant funding to five local organizations supporting keiki and Hawaiʻi’s culture and the arts at its February board meeting. The grant funding is the first round of funding in 2021 – the foundation granted more than $814,000 to local community organizations across the state in 2020.

The program was the first-of-its-kind in the state, now consisting of 126 individuals trained in how to interact with individuals potentially suffering from a mental illness or experiencing an emotional crisis.

Molokaʻi High School Librarian Diane Mokuau was recognized as School Library Journal’s national 2021 Librarian of the Year.

Maui Health will begin a walk-in vaccine clinic at the Maui Memorial Medical Center – Main Lobby location every Tuesday and Thursday beginning next Tuesday, April 27 and continuing throughout the month of May.

The legislation threatens to eliminate three of the Hawaiʻi Tourism Authority’s four strategic pillars, removing the agency’s ability to do anything except marketing Hawaiʻi, while dismantling the State’s ability to effectively manage tourism for the benefit of Hawaiʻi’s residents, culture and environment.

Today, the agencies confirmed that a total of 15 cases of TTS have been reported to VAERS, including the original six reported cases.

Maui County hotels reported better performance compared to last year and led the counties in March RevPAR of $228 (+18.7%), with ADR rising to $466 (+10.9%) and occupancy of 49.0 percent (+3.2 percentage points). Maui County’s March supply was 392,800 room nights (-0.3%). Maui’s luxury resort region of Wailea had RevPAR of $362 (+26.0%), with ADR at $802 (+27.2%) and occupancy of 45.2 percent (-0.5 percentage points). The Lahaina/Kāʻanapali/Kapalua region had RevPAR of $180 (+7.1%), ADR at $379 (+3.2%) and occupancy of 47.4 percent (+1.7 percentage points).

The state Department of Health reports that there were 94 additional COVID-19 cases reported in Hawai‘i on Friday, including 74 on O‘ahu, 11 on Maui, four on Hawai‘i Island, one on Moloka‘i, and four in Hawai‘i residents diagnosed while out of state. There were a total of 1,140 cases logged over the past two weeks, 232 of them in Maui County.

Kaiser Permanente launched its Safety Net Vaccine Equity Initiative which provides funding to health care safety net organizations working to increase COVID-19 vaccinations for communities disproportionately affected by the pandemic. Five Federally Qualified Health Centers in Hawaiʻi will receive a total of $400,000 to use over six months to help patients access COVID-19 vaccines.

Makawao-based bicycle shop, Krank Cycles Maui will donate 40 to 50 bicycles at no cost to the Lānaʻi community and keiki as part of its “Lānaʻi Bike mission” at the Lānaʻi Service Station from 9 a.m. on Saturday, May 1. The Krank Cycles team will also provide free bicycle tune ups and servicing at the event in Lānaʻi City.

On Saturday, May 1, from 8 a.m. to noon, there will be a Moderna vaccination clinic at Binhi At Ani, the Filipino Community Center in Kahului located at 780 Oneheʻe Avenue. There will be several nurses and nursing students who are fluent in Filipino dialects on hand. The clinic is open to the public.

Binhi at Ani Filipino Community Center hosts two free vaccination clinics in the coming weeks: Bakuna for Veterans at Binhi at Ani Filipino Community Center on April 24; and Time for the Shots on May 1, administered by the University of Hawaiʻi Maui College Nursing Program.

A multiagency undercover law enforcement operation targeting child sexual predators in Hawaii from April 2-4 resulted in the arrest of three individuals on charges related to the solicitation of minors. Those arrested include two active duty soldiers and one active duty Marine.