Catherine Cluett Pactol
Maui Nui 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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The Maui Hub connects residents with farmers to directly distribute produce through an online marketplace. A lot of their Maui customers use SNAP benefits, and they’re already reporting a drop in sales. -
A documentary called "Lāhainā Rising" just had its world premiere at this week’s Hawaiʻi International Film Festival, where it also won the Made in Hawaiʻi award. HPR caught up with the filmmakers. -
A Stanford University Ph.D. student from Molokaʻi is researching coral genetics in Maui Nui. As HPR's Catherine Cluett Pactol reports, his results could impact our understanding of reef health across Hawaiʻi. -
If the federal government shutdown continues through this month, funding loss may impact flights to rural Hawai’i communities. HPR’s Catherine Cluett Pactol has the details. -
The 98th Maui County Fair was back last weekend after a six-year absence, drawing more than 115,000 people over four days. HPR's Catherine Cluett Pactol was there to take listeners along for the ride. -
A volunteer effort to protect a Lahaina school campus from future fire risk is bringing the community together. As HPR’s Catherine Cluett Pactol reports, it’s just the start of a long-term initiative with safety in mind. -
A first-of-its-kind digital hub on Molokaʻi, spearheaded by the Molokaʻi Homestead Farmers Alliance, will offer high-speed internet access and other services for residents of the rural island. -
For more than 100 Hawaiian Homes beneficiaries on Maui, a decades-long wait is over. HPR’s Catherine Cluett Pactol reports on the first Department of Hawaiian Homelands’ agricultural lease awards in more than 20 years. -
A new one-year rule went into effect Wednesday to help protect Molokaʻi from the invasive coconut rhinoceros beetle by restricting the import of soil and landscaping materials known to harbor the insect. HPR's Catherine Cluett Pactol has more. -
Lahaina resident Courtney Lazo has found a way to keep the memories of her grandmother's time in Lahaina alive through her clothing company. The brand is named after her youngest son. She found out she was pregnant the same month the wildfires burned her fifth-generation Lahaina home, where she grew up.
