Maui News

Residents in some areas of Haʻikū on Maui did not have their trashed picked up as scheduled on Friday, Dec. 5, due to a staffing shortage, county officials announced.

Thirty-five kids in need from Maui County will be paired up with police officers to select $100 worth of toys and gifts each as part of the annual event.

The Maui County Office on Aging announced it is co-sponsoring a Holiday Senior Social for its Enhance Fitness program this Saturday, Dec. 6 from 5 to 8 p.m. at Maui Powerhouse Gym in South Maui’s Azeka center.

Kula resident Diane Logsdon, was selected as the recipient of the 2014 Andrus Award for community service from AARP Hawaiʻi.

Former State Budget Director Kalbert Young (formerly of Maui) has been appointed to serve as the Vice President for Budget and Finance and Chief Financial Officer of the University of Hawai‘i System.

Maui residents concerned about the discovery of little fire ants in Nāhiku are invited to attend a meeting on Wednesday, Dec. 10th at 5 p.m. at Helene Hall in Hāna.

(Update: 6:45 p.m. 12/4/14) Front Street in Lahaina in now open. It was closed earlier this evening due to flooding caused by a broken water main.

Target has already attracted 1,100 applicants online, and had hundreds of interested job seekers attend the first day of a four-day job fair on Maui.

Former accounting administrator for the County of Maui, Maria Zielinski, has been selected to serve as the director of Taxation and head of the Department of Taxation under the Ige administration. She previously served as Hawaiʻi deputy Comptroller.

NextEra Energy and Hawaiian Electric Industries announced an a deal to combine. The transaction is valued at approximately $4.3 billion and includes the assumption of $1.7 billion in HEI debt.

A car theft suspect has since been formally charged for allegations of first degree attempted murder after a police chase in South Maui on Tuesday, in which one officer reportedly sustained minor injuries.

A federal judge sentenced former Maui resident, Mahealani Ventura-Oliver, 44, to six years and six months in jail for her role in marketing a debt elimination and tax scheme.

The Coast Guard has since located the owner of an inflatable kayak found adrift approximately one mile off Olowalu Beach in West Maui on Wednesday, Dec. 3, 2014. The owner stated the kayak blew off the beach late in the night.

Maui police responded to 22 burglaries, 15 vehicle thefts, and 19 vehicle break-ins in Maui County over a seven day period, between Nov. 23 to 29, 2014.

Two guides were arrested for allegedly leading illegal lava viewing tours into the Wao Kele O Puna Forest and Kahaualea Natural Area Reserves.

Water service on Mahalani Street in Wailuku will be temporarily shut off while the Department of Water Supply personnel work to replace an old valve on Wednesday and Thursday, Dec. 10 and 11, 2014.

The medical marijuana program in Hawaiʻi has been in operation for 14 years but is being transferred to the Department of Health, effective Jan. 1, 2015. In preparation for this transition, state health officials say there will be a planned blackout period from Dec. 12 to 31 in which no certifications will be issued.

Hawaiian Airlines announced plans to expand non-­stop service between Maui and Los Angeles during the summer of 2015. More than 53,000 air seats will be added in each direction over 14 weeks.

Target is looking to hire approximately 250 team members for its new Kahului store at the future Puʻunēnē Shopping Center, which is currently under construction and is set to open in March, 2015.

Authorities say the young female seal was found dead in Anahola on Nov. 30, 2014, with injuries that were described as “blunt force trauma.”