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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In the November election, former South Maui Councilmember Kelly King lost to incumbent Tom Cook by just 97 votes. King and a group of 30 voters filed a lawsuit challenging the results. This week, the Hawai’i Supreme Court upheld the election results and denied King's request for a new election. -
After spending months preparing, Maui County established a special program office within the Office of Recovery to oversee the management and use of the funds. -
Maui County has released the final version of the Long-Term Recovery Plan for Lahaina. HPR’s Catherine Cluett Pactol explains. -
A multigenerational family grocery store in Upcountry Maui proves success is all about community. The bright green building is home to one of the dwindling mom-and-pop businesses still run by its founding family. HPR’s Catherine Cluett Pactol has the story. -
A Maui small business owner hopes to reduce holiday rubbish with an eco-friendly wrapping paper alternative. HPR’s Catherine Cluett Pactol reports it’s now available nationwide through Target. -
The legislation directs the National Park Service, in partnership with Maui County and other local partners, to study the suitability and feasibility of this designation. -
The unsheltered community of Maui’s Holomua Road is making changes for the better. Once lined with piled-up rubbish, the road is now cleaner thanks to regular community cleanups by residents and volunteers. HPR’s Catherine Cluett Pactol has the story. -
As union negotiations are ongoing with Maui Health System and Kaiser Permanente for more than 900 health care employees on Maui and Lānaʻi, the Maui County Council passed a resolution supporting them in their requests for higher pay and safe staffing ratios. -
For Ah Hee ‘ohana in Lahaina, there’s a new meaning to being home for the holidays. HPR’s Catherine Cluett Pactol reports that they’re the first family to complete their rebuild and pass all final inspections after last year’s wildfire. -
Lahaina educators received monetary thanks for their extraordinary commitments to their students in the wake of the wildfires. And as HPR’s Catherine Cluett Pactol reports, there’s also a housing project in the works for them.
