Maui News
Rep. McKelvey Co-Introduced Bills Addressing Affordable Housing, Environment Protection & Special Ed Scholarships for Senate Consideration
Rep. Angus McKelvey, who serves the West Maui district, has co-introduced several of the 310 bills that the Hawaiʻi State House of Representatives recently has transmitted to the Senate for consideration.
Sen. Schatz Reintroduces Bill to Tax Wall Street and Reduce Economic Inequality
Today, US Sen. Brian Schatz (D-HI) reintroduced the Wall Street Tax Act, legislation that creates a new progressive tax on financial transactions to curb high risk trading practices, reduce economic inequality and generate $752 billion in new federal revenue over the next decade.
Maui Police Chief Faaumu to Retire May 1, 2021
By Wendy Osher Maui Police Chief Tivoli Faaumu announced his planned retirement, set to take effect on May 1, 2021. Faaumu is a 36 year veteran of the department, starting out at the receiving desk in 1985. He was named police chief in 2014, serving six and a half years at the helm. Department spokesperson […]
Maui Police Investigating Suspicious Male in Olinda Forest
The Maui Police Department is currently investigating a complaint of a suspicious male seen in the Olinda Forest area of the Waihou Spring Trail in Makawao. Police received a tip from a concerned citizen who had also observed a suspicious male in camouflage clothing in the area of the Pine Forest Trail in Makawao a couple of weeks before the Waihou Spring Trail incident. It is unknown if the male in each incident is the same person.
Hawai‘i Flags Lowered in Honor of Victims of Atlanta Tragedy
Governor David Ige has ordered that the United States flags and the Hawaiʻi state flags be flown at half-staff until sunset on Monday, March 22, 2021 in honor of the victims of gun violence carried out on March 16 in the Atlanta Metropolitan Area.
Treasury and IRS Automatically Extends Tax Day for Individuals to May 17
The Treasury Department and Internal Revenue Service automatically extended the federal income filing due date for individuals from April 15 to May 17, 2021 for the 2020 tax year. The IRS announced that it will be providing formal guidance in the coming days.
Maui Police Issues Safety Reminders for Hiking, Outdoor Activities
The Maui Police Department issued a list of safety reminders today with suggestions on ways to avoid hazards, danger and injury when outdoors. Police advise the public to be especially mindful of weather conditions and their immediate surroundings.
First-Ever Passport Fair at Kahului Post Office, March 27
The U.S. Postal Service holds its first-ever USPS Passport Fair at the Kahului Post Office from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, March 27. Employees at the Kahului post office will accept applications for new U.S. passports and answer questions about the application process.
West Maui Water Conservation Urged After Heavy Rain
West Maui residents and businesses are being asked to curb domestic water use after recent heavy rainfall brought muddy water to the Mahinahina and Lahaina water treatment facilities and forced the closure of water intake systems.
Leilani Farm Sanctuary Seeking Donations to Rebuild Fencing Destroyed by Dam Overflow
Record heavy rainfall on Maui last week caused a dam to overflow and destroy fencing for acres of habitat in the lower reaches of Leilani Farm Sanctuary, an all-volunteer, non-profit facility for rescued animals in Hāʻiku.
State Seeks EPA Exemption for Hawaiʻi Coffee Farmers Battling Damaging Fungus
The Hawaiʻi Department of Agriculture today filed a request for a specific exemption from the US Environmental Protection Agency to allow Hawaiʻi coffee growers to use a fungicide to help manage coffee leaf rust, a fungus that is a serious threat to Hawaiʻi’s $56 million coffee industry.
March 17, 2021 COVID-19 Update: 69 Cases (38 O‘ahu, 23 Maui, 4 Hawai‘i Island, 1 Lānaʻi; 3 Out-of-State)
The state Department of Health reports that there were 69 additional COVID-19 cases reported in Hawai‘i on Wednesday, including 38 on O‘ahu, 23 on Maui, one on Lānaʻi, four on Hawai‘i Island, and three in Hawai‘i residents diagnosed out of state. There were a total of 753 cases logged over the past two weeks, 252 of them in Maui County.
Wind Advisory for Lānaʻi Until 9 p.m.
Winds of 35 to 30 mph with localized gusts over 45 mph are expected on the Island of Lānaʻi today. The National Weather Service issued a Wind Advisory fo the island, in effect until 9 p.m.
Maunakea Telescope Tracking Flyby of Asteroid the Size of Golden Gate Bridge
From the summit of the Big Islandʻs Maunakea, astronomers will be tracking an asteroid estimated to be the size of the Golden Gate Bridge that will make a “close pass” by Earth on March 21.
Maui Volunteers Honor World Planting Day, March 21
At the close of the year, they will return the trees to CORAL, and the trees will be planted at CORAL’s Wahikuli restoration site to prevent sediment from running down the mountain and into the ocean where it smothers coral reefs.
$132,500 in Emergency Grants to Support Landslide Resilience on Kaua‘i
Hawai‘i Community Foundation announced $132,500 in grant funding to support emergency response efforts on the island of Kaua‘i following flash flooding that resulted in a massive landslide cutting off road access to the North Shore last week Thursday.
Three on Maui Recognized as “Champions for Children”
There are three honorees from Maui: Cristina and Devin Pagaduan, owners of Pastele House Maui; Maui Family Support Services, Inc. Early Head Start; and Debbi Amaral, Director of Maui Economic Opportunity Head Start.
Hawaiian Airlines Launches Ontario-Honolulu Service
Hawaiian Airlines today inaugurated five-times-weekly nonstop service to Honolulu from Ontario, expands options for Greater Los Angeles residents.
‘First-of-Its-Kind’ Coral Reef Atlas Published for West Maui
The Nature Conservancy released the “Atlas of the Reefs of West Maui,” a comprehensive report compiling 20 years of data detailing changes in the abundance and diversity of marine life in West Maui. The ‘first-of-its-kind’ atlas includes data collected by public and private organizations at 2,600 sites stretching from the Pali Tunnel on Honoapiʻilani Highway to Līpoa Point north of Honolua Bay.
Legislation Pursues Creation of First National Heritage Areas in Hawai‘i
Congressman Kaialiʻi Kahele (HI-02), joined by Congressman Ed Case (HI-01), is calling for a feasibility study to determine whether the South Kona coastline on the Island of Hawaiʻi should be designated as an NHA, while Case, joined by Kahele, is reintroducing his measure from the just-concluded 116th Congress for a similar designation for Kaʻena Point on the Island of Oʻahu.
