Maui News

Lane closure schedules may change at any time without further notice.  All projects are weather permitting.

Maui Obituary Notices: Week of June 21. May they Rest In Peace. Brought to you in part by Ballard Family Mortuaries.

There are 11 new COVID-19 case reported in Hawaiʻi today–nine on Oʻahu, and two on Hawaiʻi Island–pushing the statewide count to 814 cases in Hawaiʻi over the course of the pandemic.

The Maui Police Department is requesting the public’s assistance with any information pertaining to the whereabouts of Kenneth Sands.   Sands is 33 years old, stands approximately 5 feet 10 inches tall and weighs about 270 pounds. Sands has brown hair and hazel eyes.

Maui Now’s Wendy Osher interviews Dr. Stacy Ammerman, OB-GYN from the Maui Memorial Medical Center. Dr. Ammerman will answer questions about deliveries during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Kaua‘i had no cases for ten weeks and this raises the cumulative number of COVID-19 cases on the island to 29, since March. There are six (6) new cases on O‘ahu and one (1) on Maui for a total of 14 new cases confirmed in the past 24-hours, and a statewide case total of 803.   

Maui County Mayor Michael Victorino joined the Valley Isle’s African American community and dignitaries nationally in commemorating the end of  slavery in the United States in June 1865. Juneteenth, a combination of the words “June Nineteenth,” is the freedom day designated by many African Americans  and the longest running African American holiday in the United States. The annual holiday is observed in 47 states, but not in three states, including North Dakota, South Dakota and Hawaiʻi.

Maui farming company – Mahi Pono – is partnering with the Hawaii Agricultural Foundation to offer local high school students paid internships.

The building will be open during normal business hours from 7:45 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, except holidays.  The council has notified the county that the 8th floor will remain closed at this time–this includes the council chamber and council member offices.

Mayor Michael Victorino returned the FY 2021 operating budget to the Maui County Council today without his signature.

The snake was identified as a “Corn” snake. Corn snakes are native to the eastern United States but are also found in southern states such as Florida, and subdues its small prey by constriction. The corn snake can get as big as 6 feet.

East Maui Councilmember Shane M. Sinenci said today his proposed charter amendment to create a county Department of Agriculture will be heard on Tuesday at 9 a.m. in the Government Ethics and Transparency Committee. 

There are 27 new COVID-19 case reported in Hawaiʻi today–25 on Oʻahu, and one each on Kauaʻi and Maui–pushing the statewide count to 789 cases in Hawaiʻi over the course of the pandemic.

Two Maui Bus fixed routes will be reinstated effective July 1, 2020, the County of Maui Department of Transportation announced. Those routes are: Wailuku Reverse #2 and Kahului Reverse #6. The routes were suspended because of a drop in ridership due to COVID-19.

In this exclusive interview, Maui Now News Director Wendy Osher sits down with Dr. Vijak Ayasanonda from the Maui Memorial Medical Center. Dr. Ayasanonda, who is an emergency room physician at the Maui hospital, answers questions about rapid COVID-19 testing, universal testing at the Maui hospital, and how antibody tests work. 

Maui’s unemployment rate remains the highest in the state with the state Department of Labor and Industrial relations reporting a 34.5% unemployment rate for Maui Island in May.  

“Samples from up to thirty individuals are pooled and tested together in a single tube using sensitive molecular biological detection methods,” explained Dr. O’Carroll. Maui Mayor Michael Victorino said he supports pre-testing before visitors leave their destination, not after arrival.

The Kaua‘i District Health Office was informed today of one new confirmed case of COVID-19 on the island of Kaua‘i, bringing the cumulative total for the county to 22.  The case is not reflected in the state totals for today, which were updated at noon.  Today’s official count from the state Department of Health included 18 new cases of COVID-19 on O‘ahu. 

Maui County Federal Credit Union is holding school supplies and backpack drives at each of its branches in Kahului, Lahaina and Wailuku from June 22 until July 17, 2020. These events will support The Salvation Army Maui’s annual back-to-school efforts to provide backpacks filled with school supplies for Maui’s children in need.

The Security and Disaster Recovery vessels will be ported at Hilo, Kawaihae, Nāwiliwili, and Kahului Harbors and can support emergency operations at Port Allen, Kaunakakai, and Kaumalapau Harbors.