Maui News

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.  

One resident was doing carpentry work at the home of an elderly woman. State officials say the woman, who is in a high-risk category, “was incensed” upon learning the man was being arrested for quarantine violation.

The closure includes: the Mill House Restaurant, Mill House Resting Café, the Rolling Mill Food Truck, Maui Chef’s Table and the Plantation grounds. The Plantation looks forward to reopening in the future, but does not have a specific projected date in mind.

As of March 16, 2020, the County began allowing registered owners to dispose of two vehicles per calendar year. The Junk Vehicle Disposal Assistance Program assists residents to dispose of their junk vehicles legally and properly.

The Expeditions Lānaʻi Ferry announced updated COVID-19 rules and changes that take effect immediately, limiting the amount of unescorted freight that will be allowed on each trip from Lahaina and Lānaʻi.

Earlier this month, the FTA awarded over $7 million through the CARES Act to the Hawai‘i Department of Transportation on behalf of MauiBus through its Section 5307 Urbanized Area Formula fund.

Today, US Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) announced that the five Native Hawaiian Health Care Systems and Papa Ola Lokahi, which coordinates health care programs and services for Native Hawaiians, will receive a total of $16,999,696 in federal funding from the US Department of Health and Human Services.

This bill would provide internet-connected devices and $50 a month toward broadband access to workers who were laid off or furloughed during the pandemic as well as others in need.