Maui News

Council committees on Maui are finalizing items this week before the Fiscal Year 2014 Budget Session begins at the end of the month. Key items up for consideration include a proposed amendment seeking additional funds for the new Kihei Police Station, and…

Governor Neil Abercrombie announced the release of more than $46 million for various capital improvement projects across Hawaii. The funds include more than $5 million for the design and construction for expansion and improvements to the Maui Veterans Cemetery.

“Even if no money is added, $65,000,000 is much more than enough to get the tractors out and dust fences up by next Fall,” said Rep. Ing.

A second such hooking of a false killer whale in Hawaiian waters this calendar year would trigger the closure of the fishery to tuna longline fishing for an area encompassing more than 112,000 square nautical miles south of the main Hawaiian islands.

Maui police responded to 5 burglaries over a seven day period, between February 24 and March 2, 2013. There were incidents reported at the following locations: Haiku, Kihei, Napili, Waiehu and Wailea.

Extreme drought conditions remain in place over leeward areas of Maui County and the Big Island of Hawai’i despite excessive rainfall along the windward slopes, officials said.

A fire at the Hale Kamaole condominium complex in South Maui caused an estimated $1.5 million in damage to the structure, and $120,000 to contents within, according to Maui Fire Department officials. After an investigation, Maui Fire Services Chief Lee Mainaga said the cause of the fire is being classified as “undetermined” pending any further information received. He noted that the fie was “unlikely intentional.”

Maui Mayor Alan Arakawa will join Council Chair Gladys Baisa in lobbying state lawmakers on Friday in an effort to retain the County’s hotel room tax revenue.

The Department of Parks and Recreation is improving the 0.494 acre parcel for passive shoreline recreation. The property was acquired by the County of Maui by Resolution in April 2007 in a settlement of a state lawsuit and appeal.

Twenty medical professionals joined in the Read Across America celebration at five Maui schools on Friday, as part of the national effort to advance student achievement and invest in public education.

Isao Nakagawa, a local fisherman and retired Maui Land & Pineapple Company employee found remains of pre-dated shearwaters in 2001 at Ha-wea Point in Kapalua.

A rain garden is described as a strategically located, low-lying area planted with native vegetation that intercepts runoff so pollutants can be captured and filtered.

While active military personnel are exempt from cuts, authorities say they do anticipate around a 20% decrease in wages for civilian positions, with the cuts coming primarily through furloughs.

Three hunters were rescued from the Waiakoa Loop Trail early this morning after becoming disoriented and lost in the mountainous terrain of Polipoli last night.

Among those voicing support for the bill were officials from the Maui County Office on Aging, Representatives on Maui, and respective authorities in other neighbor island communities.

The event will be held this Saturday, March 9, from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. at the Lipoa Street Farmer’s Market in South Maui. This month’s event features information on the Fire Prevention Bureau’s Smoke Alarm Maui program, which offers free smoke detectors to county residents.

In past years, native Hawaiian artists Raiatea Helm, Kapulani Landgraf, Christen Marquez, Christopher K. Morgan and Cyril Pahinui were honored with this award.

Central Maui’s first leash-free dog park will officially open on Saturday, Mar. 16, 2013 at Keopuolani Park in Kahului.

Marijuana advocates in Hawaii have announced the launch of two statewide coalitions to support the reform of local marijuana laws.

The state House passed a bill on Tuesday that would prohibit employers from requiring disclosure of passwords and user names for social media accounts of applicants and employees.