Maui News

Posted by Wendy Osher, Information provided by the office of the Governor. Below is a transcript of the web address Governor Linda Lingle made this afternoon to update the public on the State Budget, public employee union labor negotiations and binding arbitration with the Hawaii Government Employees Association (HGEA) and United Public Workers (UPW). GOVERNOR […]

By Wendy Osher UPDATE @  3:45 P.M. Thursday, September 03, 2009 Firefighters continue to maintain their posture in fighting the 8,000 acre Molokai fire that has been burning for six days.  County Civil Defense Administrator Gen Iinuma tells us crews have been doing an exceptional job of maintaining the perimeter of the fire, but continue […]

Thousands of gallons of wastewater overflowed during the construction of a new Kaanapali force main on Wednesday.   The spill was reported at 11:35 a.m. and was stopped immediately.  Approximately 1,500 gallons of the 10,600 gallons of wastewater flowed from the discharge piping, but the water did not enter the ocean. Officials with the County of […]

An 83 year old Wailuku man suffered fatal injuries in a two car accident near the Kahului boat ramp on Tuesday.  Authorities say Katsuto E. Saiki died the following day after being transported to Maui Memorial Medical Center. The accident was reported at around 10:33 a.m. on Tuesday, September 1, 2009 at the intersection of […]

The Maui Native Hawaiian Chamber of Commerce hosts its third annual Hui Holomua Business Fest this Friday at the Grand Wailea Resort.  The festivities also feature the inaugural Ko’i Award ceremony.  The day begins with the arrival of a fleet of canoes and ceremonial Hawaiian protocol at the beach fronting the hotel at dawn.  There […]

The Hawaii State Senate’s Ad Hoc Committee will conduct an informational briefing on Maui this week to gather information relating to the potential impacts of reductions within the state Department of Agriculture on Maui. In a press release issued today, the committee states that the discussion arises from Governor Linda Lingle’s announced intention to layoff […]

Governor Linda Lingle has appointed Anita Seyer Wong as the deputy to the chair of the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands (DHHL). Wong has been with DHHL since 2007 handling complex assignments related to restructuring of development financing, legal coordination of housing contracts, as well as overseeing project managers for the department’s Land Development Division. […]

UPDATE: 10:30 A.M. Wednesday, September 02, 2009 By Wendy Osher Firefighters now have 50% containment on a 5-day old fire on Molokai that has burned 8,000 acres since Saturday afternoon.  Two TH-47 Chinook Helicopters from the National Guard are being used today to assist as crews work to get a better handle on the forestry […]

3:30 P.M. UPDATE:  Tuesday, September 01, 2009 By Wendy Osher Firefighters continue to maintain their hold on a fire that has burned between 7,800 and 8,000 acres since it started Saturday afternoon.  The blaze is now 50% contained overall, but the upper portion of the fire in the forestry area remains active, and is not […]

UPDATED @ 4:00 P.M. MONDAY, AUGUST 31, 2009 More than 70 state and county firefighters are on the scene of a three day old fire on Molokai that has now burned an estimated 7,800 acres.  Crews are being assisted by 5 helicopters, 7 bulldozers, and 5 water tankers. Bulldozer activity remains heavy as equipment operators […]

UPDATED @ 12:30 P.M. MONDAY, AUGUST 31, 2009 County and state fire crews continue their third day of battling a brush fire on Molokai that has increased in size to 7,200 acres since it was first reported Saturday afternoon. On the ground, 40-plus County firefighters are joined by 28 wildland firefighters from the State’s Division […]

UPDATE: 6:45 A.M. MONDAY, AUGUST 31, 2009 FIRE FORCES SCHOOL CLOSURES:  The department of Education closed four schools on Molokai today because of the ongoing fire above Kaunakakai. Closures today include Molokai High, Molokai Middle, Kaunakakai Elementary and Kualapuu Elementary Public Charter School. DROUGHT CONDITIONS ON MOLOKAI:  The island of Molokai has been having especially […]

UPDATE TO KAUNAKAKAI FIRE SUNDAY 8/30/09 4:15 p.m. RESIDENTS OF KALAMAULA MAUKA ON MOLOKAI EVACUATED A change in wind conditions has caused the brush fire on Molokai to switch from a mauka direction to makai. In response, Maui Police ordered residents in the Kalamaula Mauka area to evacuate at around 4:15 this (Sunday, August 30, […]

The Maui Arts & Cultural Center today confirmed a date for the upcoming John Legend concert.  The five-time platinum album selling Legend will perform on Maui at the Castle Theater on September 10, 2009 at 7:30 p.m.  The venue has listed a six ticket limit with sales to the general public beginning this Saturday, June […]

A brush fire burned an estimated 2,500 acres since it was first reported shortly after noon, Saturday, August 29, 2009.  The fire was located above the town of Kaunakakai and continued to burn in the mauka direction at nightfall. Three helicopters assisted crews from the Molokai’s Kaunakakai, Hoolehua and Pukoo fire stations. Air operations included […]

A brush fire above Kaunakakai on Molokai burned 60 acres by 3:30 Saturday afternoon, August 29, 2009. The fire was first reported at 12:05 p.m. in a town located above Kaunakakai. County officials say the fire was burning in the mauka direction. Three helicopters were dispatched to the scene for water drops as well as […]

Governor Linda Lingle will hold an emergency meeting with her cabinet directors over the weekend to identify additional spending reductions needed to close the growing budget shortfall.  Today, Lingle said reductions will likely include additional layoffs in order to realize labor savings. The meeting comes on the heels of a reduced revenue forecast that is […]

The county’s Water Resources Committee will consider a bill to permit use of water from the Hamakuapoko wells during times of drought. Under the bill, customers in on the Upcountry water system would be permitted to utilize the resource during dry conditions that warrant a drought declaration. Committee Chair, Mike Victorino, who scheduled the bill […]

Hawaii’s four county mayors will join state and county tourism officials next week for a special marketing campaign in Los Angeles to promote Hawaii as a visitor destination. The special promotional campaign is entitled “Hawaii: A Thousand Reasons to Smile,” and was organized in part by the Hawaii Visitors and Convention Bureau, and is set […]

West Maui Lawmaker, Angus McKelvey testified Wednesday before the Board of Education to reject a proposal by the State Librarian that seeks the closure the Lahaina Library. McKelvey says the library serves the entire area of West Maui, which on any given day has a population of about 20,000 people.  State Librarian Richard P. Burns […]