Catherine Cluett Pactol
General Assignment ReporterCatherine Cluett Pactol is Hawaiʻi Public Radio’s Maui Nui reporter. She lives on Molokaʻi and is HPR’s first full-time employee based on a neighbor island. Having served as a contributing HPR reporter on and off since 2008, she officially joined the HPR newsroom in summer 2023.
Previously, she worked at The Molokai Dispatch, Molokaʻi’s only newspaper, for 15 years and served as its editor for more than a decade. During that time, she led the paper’s small team to win more than 30 Excellence in Journalism awards from the Society of Professional Journalists Hawaiʻi chapter, while also freelancing for magazines and publications across the state. She has a degree in creative writing from Bates College, and her work has been led by a passion for storytelling through community journalism.
Contact her at cpactol@hawaiipublicradio.org.
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Some Maui renters say they're experiencing evictions or eviction threats from landlords who want to get more rental money through lease programs for fire victims. Though many renters say they can’t prove their landlords are evicting them for that reason, one man's landlord came out and told him just that. HPR's Catherine Cluett Pactol reports.
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From the inside of Māla Ocean Tavern, you wouldn't think the restaurant is steps away from Lahaina’s burn zone. It's the first business on Front Street to reopen after the Aug. 8 fire destroyed much of the town. The owners hope the community sees the restaurant as a sign of hope. HPR's Catherine Cluett Pactol reports the response has been overwhelming.
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One Lahaina resident shared the struggle to come to terms with his town's losses while looking ahead to recovery and Lahaina's future. HPR's Catherine Cluett Pactol shares his manaʻo.
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Immediately after the Maui fires, community hubs sprang into action to support the immediate needs of displaced families. HPR's Catherine Cluett Pactol checked in on one that's been open for six months.
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Heavy rains and dangerous swells have battered West Maui this winter. But members of Lahaina Strong are weathering the storms on the beach to take a stand for long-term housing. Six months after the fire destroyed their town, more than 2,000 families still live out of hotels. HPR's Catherine Cluett Pactol has the story from Lahaina.
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FEMA is planning a temporary group housing site in Kāʻanapali. HPR’s Catherine Cluett Pactol reports.
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The government said it has finished fire debris cleanup in Upcountry Maui. Twenty homes and more than a thousand acres burned in the area. But residents say the cleanup isn't nearly complete and, as HPR’s Catherine Cluett Pactol reports, they are doing the work themselves.
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The Maui fires didn’t follow a precise pattern of destruction. As HPR’s Catherine Cluett Pactol reports, some residents in both Lahaina and Upcountry Maui are left living right next to burned areas, and that means ash is blowing into their homes.
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Residents from across the state walked in the Hoʻūlu Lahaina Unity Gathering last weekend in a show of support for the community. HPR's Catherine Cluett Pactol was there at the scene to report on this story.
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Massive black granite walls stand inscribed with the names of more than 58,000 men and women who died or remain missing from the Vietnam War. The memorial is an iconic fixture in Washington, D.C., that many from Hawaiʻi won't ever have a chance to see. But that's changing this month. HPR's Catherine Cluett Pactol reports it's a rare opportunity on Hawaiʻi Island and Maui.