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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A group of Maui volunteers is on a mission to reduce the volume of unused clothing getting dumped in the landfill, especially in the wake of overflowing wildfire donations. HPR’s Catherine Cluett Pactol joined them as they took a day to weed through the mountain of clothes. -
Lahaina's sewer system is now 100% restored. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has been working on the completion of the sewer line along Fleming Road to support FEMA's Kilohana temporary housing site. -
Homes made of recycled surfboards could be one answer to Maui’s housing challenges. HPR’s Catherine Cluett Pactol reports on a Maui company that’s creating locally made building blocks. -
A science, technology, engineering, agriculture and mathematics program geared towards preschoolers on Maui provides themed books, interactive activities and family workbooks. -
The island's newest homestead community in Waikapū will have 91 homes, ranging in size from two to five bedrooms. Construction of Puʻuhona Phase II is slated for completion by February 2026. -
Construction will begin this month on the 47,000-square-foot facility in Wailuku, representing a permanent place to honor and practice ʻōiwi art traditions. -
Hōlua sledding is not nearly as well-known as other Hawaiian sports like surfing or canoe paddling. As HPR's Catherine Cluett Pactol reports, cultural practitioners are working to change that. -
Maui County is weighing a proposal to phase out transient vacation rentals in Maui County’s apartment zones to increase long-term housing stock on Maui. HPR’s Catherine Cluett Pactol shares new information from a University of Hawaiʻi Economic Research Organization report examining the economic impacts of that proposal. -
Hawaiʻi's first homestead was established on Moloka’i in 1922 as a pilot for what became Hawaiian homelands across the islands. As HPR's Catherine Cluett Pactol reports, Molokaʻi homesteaders continue to honor Prince Kūhiō's legacy and on his birthday week, are celebrating a milestone on the island. -
Maui County's $1.5 billion proposed budget for fiscal year 2026 focuses on recovery, resilience and investments across the county. For the first time in 100 years, the budget will be delivered in both English and ‘Olelo Hawai’i.
