Maui News
What is the IRS’ Recovery Rebate Credit and who qualifies?
The Internal Revenue Service has issued all third-round Economic Impact Payments. Any remaining stimulus payment people are entitled to on their 2021 income tax return can be claimed as part of the 2021 Recovery Rebate Credit.
Lānaʻi Destination Management Action Plan – Fall 2021 Progress Report
The document aims to rebuild, redefine and reset the direction of tourism over a three-year period. The DMAP was approved by HTA’s board of directors in January 2021 and released to the public and published on HTA’s website on March 4, 2021.
Ige travels to Washington, D.C. for National Governors Association meeting
Gov. Ige will participate in a session with US Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg, and attend various meetings on topics that include drought, COVID-19, and infrastructure funding.
34 Hawai‘i health care providers to receive $30M on federal COVID-19 relief
The payments focus on supporting smaller health care providers that have experienced revenue losses related to the pandemic and providers serving Medicaid, Children’s Health Insurance Program, and Medicare beneficiaries.
County to give free COVID-19 test kits Tuesday in Wailuku, remote areas
Maui County will assist the state Department of Health in distributing COVID-19 home self-test kits from 3 to 6 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 1, at the War Memorial Stadium parking lot in Wailuku. Test kits are also being distributed to nonprofit partners and to remote communities in Hana, Molokai and Lanai, according to a news release today. Six test kits per vehicle — with each kit holding one test — will be distributed during the drive-through distribution.
Maui panel on COVID-19 slated Feb. 4 features state, local leaders
The community is invited to participate in a Maui County-organized COVID-19 discussion panel featuring state government, health and education officials that will be held online from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. Feb. 4, a news release said. Convened by Mayor Michael Victorino, the panel will include Gov. David Ige and Lt. Gov. Josh Green, along with Dr. Michael […]
PacWhale Eco-Adventures welcomes new eco-friendly vessel
The brand-new build “boasts innovative sustainability features that promise to revolutionize whale watching and other ocean tourism excursions.”
AARP Hawaiʻi accepting 2022 Community Challenge Grant applications
Grants fund quick-action projects that help communities become more livable in the long-term by improving public spaces, transportation, housing, civic engagement, coronavirus recovery, diversity and inclusion, and more.
Young leaders brainstorm solutions for Maui Nui in ‘Civic-thon Challenge’
Fourteen aspiring leaders came together over the weekend, virtually, to work on solutions to diversify Maui’s economy.
Lahaina students experience humpback whales outside of the classroom
Trilogy Excursions hosted the student body of Sacred Hearts School on private whale watch tours to experience humpback whales in their natural habitat.
Sponsors sought for Summer Food Service Program to provide meals for children
The US Department of Agriculture’s Summer Food Service Program is seeking sponsor organizations on all islands to help provide children in low-income communities with free meals during the summer months.
Volcano Watch: Kamaʻehuakanaloa — the volcano formerly known as Lōʻihi Seamount
In July 2021, Lōʻihi Seamount was renamed Kamaʻehuakanaloa by the Hawaiʻi Board on Geographic Names.
Good year for rare plants in Hawai’i: carnation and fern return from brink of extinction
A fern on Kaua’i and the Hawaiian carnation on the Big Island are two of the success stories outlined in the Hawaiʻi’s 2021 Rare Plant Program report.
Court decision delays Paeahu Solar project
Innergex, a renewable energy developer based in Canada, has plans to build and operate the 15-megawatt solar array with a 60-megawatt-hour battery energy storage system on approximately 200 acres leased from ‘Ulupalakua Ranch, mauka of Pi‘ilani Highway in Kīhei. The project plans to utilize 150 acres of fallow grazing land for the project.
Jan. 28, 2022 COVID-19 update: 1,907 new cases in Hawaiʻi, 5 deaths
Cases since then have been trending down, but hospitalizations on Maui remain elevated.
Native Hawaiian Caucus’ 2022 legislative package includes regenerative tourism
The Native Hawaiian Affairs Caucus in the Hawaiʻi House of Representatives recently announced their legislative package for the 2022 session which includes measures for regenerative tourism, managing native ecosystems, and museum renovations.
Visitor dies after being found unresponsive in Kāʻanapali, Maui
A 52-year-old man from California died after apparently being pulled from waters unresponsive in Kāʻanapali, Maui Wednesday.
Kapalua mansion owner claims to fight ‘noise pollution’ in Cliff House controversy
Questions over shoreline access and public versus private jurisdiction have bubbled to the surface in a controversy that pits a wealthy blockchain entrepreneur against many who frequent popular swimming spot Cliff House in Kapalua. Maui shoreline activist Kai Nishiki via social media Wednesday alerted residents that neighboring mansion-owner Jonathan Yantis allegedly cut down the Cliff House ladder, erected misleading nature preserve signs about native birds and hired a private security officer to “harass” people about noise, drinking and music.
ACLU Hawaiʻi sues City, DOE, HPD officers over student arrest
The American Civil Liberties Union of Hawaiʻi and Caballero Law LLC filed a civil rights lawsuit in federal court against the City and County of Honolulu, the State of Hawaiʻi Department of Education, and Honolulu Police Department for alleged federal civil rights violations.
Maui COVID-19 hospitalizations rise to 51
There are now 51 people hospitalized in Maui County with COVID-19 as of 9 a.m. on Jan. 27, 2022, marking a new record high since the start of the pandemic.
