Maui News

The first-ever Made in Maui County Festival held Nov. 7 and 8, 2014, included 130 vendors and sold roughly $300,000 in products over two days. More than 9,400 people attended the event, even in the wake of poor weather.

In response to a recent decision by Maui County attorneys, a rally was held on Friday, Feb. 6, at the Maui County Building in defense of the GMO Moratorium Initiative that was passed in the November 2014 general election.

On Thursday, Feb. 5, 2015, at approximately 10:23 a.m., Maui Police Department’s Wailuku Patrol located and arrested Longs robbery suspect John Naauao Jr., 28, of Kula. Naauao has been charged with “Robbery in the First Degree.” Bail is set at $50,000.00.

The Mayor’s Office of Economic Development (OED) has executed a contract with the Applied Research Laboratory at the University of Hawai‘i to work on upgrading broadband access for Maui County.

The Maui Sierra Club will be holding its annual meeting and awards ceremony on Sunday, Feb. 8, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Kaunoa Center in Spreckelsville. The event is open to the public with a free picnic-style lunch, live music, inspirational talks and an awards ceremony recognizing leaders upholding the club’s values.

Members of the SHAKA Movement (Sustainable Hawaiian Agriculture for the Keiki and the ‘Āina) are expressing outrage at a recent Maui County decision to take “no position” on defending the moratorium on GMO cultivation in Maui County.

The Department of Water Supply will conduct road work on Ka‘ ahumanu Avenue in front of Maui Mall today, Feb. 4. The two lanes going toward Hāna Highway will be blocked until approximately 2 p.m. today, until the work is completed. Traffic flow on Ka‘ ahumanu Avenue heading toward Wailuku will not be affected.

The Maui County Police Department has reported a fatality today that resulted from an accident on Dec. 29, 2014. The victim, Andrea Delia, 46, of Lāhainā, was transported to Maui Memorial Medical Center in critical condition and died on Jan. 7, 2015, as a result of this incident.

Two DLNR divisions are overseeing the salvage and removal operation of a Pacific Whale Foundation boat that grounded last Monday in Lāhainā Harbor. Both the Division of Boating and Ocean Recreation and Division of Aquatic Resources are monitoring the situation to assess potential environmental damage and ensure repairs for any damage done.

Matson Terminals Inc. must pay $400,000 in fines in addition to a $600,000 restitution for previous guilty pleas for two criminal charges of illegally dumping molasses into Honolulu Harbor. The plea agreement dictates that the restitution money will be equally divided between the Waikiki Aquarium to support marine ecosystems, and the Sustainable Coastlines Hawai‘i to aid in the care and clean-up of local beaches.

In response to a recent decision by Maui County attorneys, events will be held this week–a “litigation teach-in” at UH Maui College and a rally at the Maui County Building–in defense of the GMO Moratorium Initiative that was passed in the November 2014 general election.

By Maui Now Staff Rep. Kaniela Ing has introduced a new bill to make SuperPACs more transparent and curb political spending. House Bill 1475 would require SuperPACs to reveal their top ten donors, and require corporations to get shareholder approval before making independent political contributions. The proposed bill comes in the wake of a record […]

The Maui Police Department is looking for a male suspect who jumped over pharmacy counter at Longs Drugs in Kulamalu on Feb. 2 at approximately 8:27 p.m., brandishing a black handgun. He pointed the gun at pharmacists and demanded “oxys” (Oxycodone). “A few Maui doctors have created a large number of prescription narcotic addicts who will become increasingly desperate to get their fix….”

Andrew Keenan will instruct the upcoming “Becoming a General Contractor” Tuesday nights from Feb. 10 to March 10, from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. at UHMC. The training will cover attaining a contractor’s license, finding clients, bidding construction jobs, managing them and finishing the job to the customer’s satisfaction.

Rep. Mele Carroll resigned as of Feb. 1, 2015, leaving a vacancy in the District 13 State House. Applications to fill her position are now available online. The Maui County Democratic Party has set a deadline of Friday, Feb. 6, at 11 p.m. to apply for the seat.

The County of Maui Department of Environmental Management is seeking public proposals and applications to utilize an estimated $237,000 in recycling grant funds. In complement to the request for grant proposals, a grant application workshop will be held Feb. 6, 2015, at 3 p.m, in Ste. 602 of the One Main Plaza conference room.

MEO announced that $47,741 in Maui County funding has been made available for Project Graduation Programs for 2015 high school graduating classes in an effort to promote alcohol- and drug-free graduation celebrations.

Maui Solar Project announced it is supporting a legislative bill that will give Hawai‘i residents a tax credit for having PV battery backup systems. The bill, H.B. 212, states that any taxpayer that files an individual or corporate net income tax return for the year is eligible for the credit against the Hawai‘i state individual or corporate net income tax.

Pacific Whale Foundation’s ultra-modern vessel, “Ocean Discovery,” ran aground on a reef fronting Lāhainā Harbor today, Monday, Jan. 2.

Due to mechanical problems, one residential refuse collection route in Pukalani was not serviced today. The missed pickups are expected to be completed on Tuesday, Feb. 3.