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 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. -
The 21st annual cleanup of coastal areas in Lahaina will be held on Sept. 27 and highlights student volunteerism. Volunteers will pick up rubbish along seven square miles of highway and Lahaina coastline in what organizers call the longest-running annual cleanup in the state. -
Hawai'i Organics Compost on Maui is the island's largest facility of its kind. It has a goal of keeping green waste out of the landfill and using local landscaping resources -
Some Molokaʻi families living off the electric grid are getting a major upgrade through a local program. HPR's Catherine Cluett Pactol has the story. -
Earlier this week, HPR reported on a petition aimed at stopping the invasive coconut rhinoceros beetle from reaching Molokaʻi. HPR’s Catherine Cluett Pactol shares the next steps of that effort. -
One Maui organization is using a national disaster recovery framework to foster local partnerships and help fill the needs of fire survivors. From Lahaina, HPR’s Catherine Cluett Pactol reports on the work of Maui's Long Term Recovery Group.
