Maui News

“As the State of Hawai’i and the County of Maui attempts to rebuild, local businesses are challenged with closure, and families struggle to maintain normalcy. MYFS is challenged with an anticipated increase in adolescent abuse, runaways and/or homelessness,” said Wong.

Kaunoa Senior Services’ Meals on Wheels Program needs volunteers immediately to help deliver fresh meals directly to the homes of qualified seniors. Volunteers are needed on various days, Monday through Friday, between 9 a.m. and noon.

To ensure peace of mind for some travelers, the Retreat is debuting a new elective post-arrival on-property COVID-19 Nasal PCR testing program that is in addition to the government required pre-arrival testing.

In the face of the COVID-19 pandemic and economic fallout, University of Hawaiʻi Maui College enrollment dropped 1.9 percent for the fall semester to 2,396 students.

“Tabora Gallery Lahaina is a brand new business and we are busting at the seams to get going. We’ve been waiting to open the doors and we finally were able to do it,” said Anne Wood. Other Front Street stores that opened on Thursday included: CocoNēnē, West Maui Gifts, Maui Jewelers, Billabong and Honolula Surf.

Maui United Way has added Lisa Grove, a Lāna’i resident and active member of the Lāna’i community, to its board of directors. Grove will help strengthen the organization’s partnership with Maui Nui.

Maui Airports District Manager Marvin Moniz said that considering it was the first day, the day went by “fairly well.” He reported the biggest issue was large volumes of passengers arriving at the same time. This included two American Airlines flights and one United flight, which arrived at the same time, “deplaning approximately 500 passengers that caused a back up in the holding room.”

At Kahului Airport, with Thursday’s launch of Hawaiʻi’s Safe Travels Program, Maui Mayor Michael Victorino declared: “This is a new day for Maui County. It is a rebirth of our visitor industry.”

If Hawaiʻi government thinks it is safe enough for transpacific travelers to vacation in Maui now – and for residents to drink in bars and eat in restaurants – many parents want to know why it is not safe enough for children to learn in person at public schools in Maui, where the low number of COVID-19 cases meet the DOH guidelines for reopening.

The Hawaiʻi Department of Transportation advises the public that intermittent delays for traffic signal controller upgrades are possible at all signalized intersections on Maui starting on Monday, Oct. 19, 2020.

There were 91 new COVID-19 cases in Hawai‘i today, including 74 on the island of O‘ahu, 13 on Hawai‘i Island, two on Maui (in Haʻikū and Kīhei) and two in Hawai‘i residents diagnosed out of state. Kaua‘i reported no new cases today.

Saving the ‘ōhā wai from extinction required park staff to gather cuttings and seeds from wild populations, raise plants in a nursery, fly into remote areas on the eastern slope of Haleakalā, and hike across challenging terrain into dense rainforest.   

In response to the group’s call for intervention, officials with the Mayor’s office provided a statement to Maui Now on Wednesday evening saying, “Mayor Victorino is aware of the situation and investigating the issues involved in this matter. Meanwhile, he’s working toward achieving a resolution that respects and protects Native Hawaiian cultural and archaeological resources.”

The state’s pre-departure COVID-19 testing program and Maui County’s voluntary post-arrival COVID-19 testing program for travelers seeking exemption from Hawaii’s 14-day quarantine begin today.

The County of Maui has added another $1 million to the Kōkua Maui County Small Business Recovery & Relief Fund, and small businesses now have until Oct. 31, 2020, to apply for grants of as much as $7,500.

Pre-loaded $500 restaurant cards were mailed out to eligible individuals under the state’s new Hawai‘i Restaurant Card Program.   The program was established to help Hawai‘i unemployment insurance recipients impacted by COVID-19.

Once the list is established and the pre-travel program is launched for Japan —  travelers from that country will have the option to take the NAAT test from a trusted partner 72 hours prior to their departure for Hawai‘i.

There were 101 new COVID-19 cases in Hawai‘i today, including 81 on the island of O‘ahu, 18 on Hawai‘i Island, and one each in Maui County (in Haʻikū) and in a Hawai‘i resident diagnosed out of state. Kaua‘i reported no new cases today.

The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today announced a proposed settlement with Lanai Oil Company, Inc. for Clean Water Act violations at its facility on Lanaʻi Island. Under the agreement, Lanai Oil is required to pay a penalty of $71,166.

Hawaiian Telcom has expanded its fiber broadband service to nearly 700 new homesteads in East and North Central Moloka‘i, with more than 300 locations in Kualapu‘u and more than 350 in ‘Ualapu‘e.