Maui News

Ocean Safety Officers will bring Santa to shore Maui-style on Christmas Eve. This year, hotel officials anticipate an estimated 200 people as lifeguards escort Santa ashore via a surprise form of transportation.

Volunteers contributed nearly 3,000 hours of service to restore the Anu‘u Tower, Hale Pahu, and Ki‘i, as well as repair the tsunami damaged foundation.

Maui County Council Member Joe Pontanilla is the latest victim of a vehicle theft on Maui. Pontanilla’s Toyota 4-Runner was stolen from the parking lot of the Maui Beach Hotel on Tuesday, December 20, 2011 at around 8:40 p.m.

Maui police reopened Kauhikoa Road in Haiku at 2:30 p.m. on Thursday, December 22, 2011. The road was closed earlier in the day as crews worked to repair a downed electrical pole.

Water officials say the recent heavy rains made the water too muddy to go through the filtration system. It is the second time in as many weeks that the conditions have resulted in a shutdown.

The funds are part of a larger, nearly $1 million in tobacco cessation community grants, awarded by the Hawai’i Community Foundation to a total of eight organizations throughout the state. Maui recipients include the Lanai Community Health Center and Maui Family Support Services.

A lawsuit filed by Kamehameha Schools against a non-Native Hawaiian applicant, his mother and their former attorney has been resolved with a $1.4 million settlement in favor of the school.

The 18-year old men, were kayaking from Maui to Lanai when they sounded a distress beacon at around 6 p.m. on Tuesday.

The early morning swim at the Kahului Pool will be moved to the Kokua Pool until further notice.

There are 3 public fireworks displays planned at midnight in Maui County, to ring in the New Year. Although there have been recent heavy rains, this past year has been very dry, so the threat of wildfires is still a major concern.

The 28th Recruit Class of the County of Maui, Department of Fire and Public Safety graduated after 22 weeks of formal training.

American Safari Cruises plans to resume regularly scheduled visits to Molokai on January 21, 2011. The cruise company said “an amicable agreement has been reached” with local groups, as well as state and federal authorities.

Mechanical problems resulted in missed trash collection along a route in Haiku and Paia today. Resumption of service will take place tomorrow, Wednesday, December 21, 2011.

Firefighters on Maui are conducting live fire training near Kahului Airport from 8:30 to 9:30 a.m.

Honolulu Bishop Larry Silva said that Hawaii is now “twice blessed” after the canonization of St. Damien, and now the canonization of Cope. Mother Marianne left a legacy of health care, education and spiritual nourishment in Kalaupapa on Molokai where she spent 30 years, serving Hansen’s disease patients.

The information was used in compiling the administration’s supplemental budget for 2013, that was submitted to the state legislature today.

At around 3 p.m., officials from the Water Department say the repair job is estimated to take approximately five hours.

This year 8,000 to 10,000 kids on Maui, Molokai and Lanai will benefit from the 2011 Toys For Tots collection drive

Toys collected are gathered by volunteers and distributed to over 25 different Human Services agencies in Maui County.

Maui firefighters extinguished a fire that burned a small storage shed near an abandoned home in Kahului on Sunday.