Maui News

The County of Maui is looking for hundreds of volunteers to help with different community service projects this month, in honor of Martin Luther King Day.

Mechanical problems were blamed for missed trash service in Kula this morning. Areas affected included: Ainakula Road, Akea Place, Holopuni Road, Ka Drive, Kimo Drive, Kulalani Circle, Kulalani Drive, Kulamanu Circle, Lower Kula Drive, Lower Kula Road, Mano Drive, Omaopio Road, Piliwale Road, Pulehu Road, Waimele Place, Waokele Place, and all surrounding streets and roads.

Ocean Vodka plans to open a new organic farm and solar powered distillery on 80-acres in Kula later this year. The company boasts that the product will be the only vodka in the world made with the sun and ocean.

The newly-installed array of panels at the Kihei Wastewater Treatment Facility sets a record as the largest PV system on Maui; and the carport PV system at the Kihei Aquatic Center is the first of its kind on Maui.

The funds are part of a larger $70 million release for capital improvement projects across Hawaii that are intended to help carry the state’s recovery into the new year.

Crews from Maui Electric Company worked to restore power to various parts of the county affected by outages over the last few days. Below is a run-down of incidents and restoration efforts reported since Friday when high winds brought down trees and power lines in several parts of the island.

The fire was reported shortly after 5 p.m. on the shoulder of the mauka bound lane, about a mile below the Haliimaile intersection, fire officials said.

The kiln was being used inappropriately to dry sections of bamboo stalks, and was left unattended.

Gov. Neil Abercrombie today announced the appointment of Gilbert Keith-Agaran to state Senate to represent Hawaii’s 5th senatorial district, a seat recently left vacant by Lieutenant Governor Shan Tsutsui.

The Hyundai Hope on Wheels 5K Run/Walk raised an estimated $83,625 for a joint partnership project between the Maui Memorial Medical Center, the Kapi’olani Medical Center for Women & Children and the Hawaii Cord Blood Bank.

The purpose of the plan is to remediate coral accidentally damaged when concrete modules were placed at the Keawakapu artificial reef in early December, 2009.

The Maui Democratic Party has narrowed a list of names to three as top contenders for the Senate District 5 seat, vacated by the advancement of former Senate president Shan Tsutsui of Maui to lieutenant governor.

Forecasters say east winds over Haleakala will be 30 to 35 mph with localized gusts over 45 mph. The strongest winds are expected over exposed ridges.

Officials with the Maui Department of Water Supply are urging custormers in the Upper Kula area to conserve water over the weekend, due to an extended power outage in the Olinda area earlier in the day. Water officials say the 2 million-gallon Omaopio Tank is nearly empty and customers may experience low pressure or no water if the tank cannot fill up to safe levels.

A light quake occurred 4 miles SE of the Pu`u `O`o Crater along the south flank of the Kilauea Volcano, at a depth of 6 miles.

The worker was in a hydraulic lift bucket and was repairing phone lines when the incident occurred at 1:39 p.m. on Friday, January 4, 2013. The lines wree damaged earlier in the morning as the result of another fallen tree.

Rescue personnel from the Maui Fire Department rappelled down approximately 125-feet to the victim, who was pronounced dead at the scene.

Wild weather on Maui forced a suspension of play on opening day of the Hyundai Tournament of Champions, power outages in Olinda and Haleakala, downed trees and branches across the island, and blustery conditions at the higher elevations.

According to the party’s nominating committee, Casumpang’s application was inadvertently directed into a spam filter of the email that was receiving applications electronically for the Senate District 5 vacancy.

Maui Electric Company is reporting a power outage in the Haleakala Summit and Olinda areas was caused by fallen trees. The notification was issued at 8:49 a.m. on Friday, January 4, 2013.