Maui

HONOLULU — A former Maui police officer pleaded guilty Wednesday to fraud charges after prosecutors accused him of soliciting sex from a woman he pulled over for driving while intoxicated.

The first Tongan police chief in the state of Hawaii and first Tongan police officer with the Maui Police Department has retired from the department after 36 years, officials said.

Students from the University of Hawaii Maui College Nursing Program will administer COVID-19 vaccines to Maui's Filipino community on May 1.

Maui Mayor Michael Victorino has vetoed a bill that would have applied stricter regulations to a state program that offers developers incentives to build affordable housing units.

WAILUKU, Hawaii — Maui will soon require a second COVID-19 test for trans-Pacific travelers arriving on the island. Maui County Mayor Michael Victorino said the program is expected to begin the first week of May, The Maui News reported Tuesday.

WAILUKU — Maui County will soon require second coronavirus tests for trans-Pacific travelers flying directly to the island.

WAILUKU — The Maui County Council is considering measures that would reserve at least half of all public beach access parking for residents and for visitors to be charged parking fees.

A coronavirus outbreak tied to a Maui church and its congregation has resulted in at least 55 positive cases and prompted the state Department of Health to warn the general public of the "imminent risk."

HONOLULU — A young humpback whale swimming off Maui has been freed of about 100 feet of line entangled in its mouth and flipper.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary coordinated the effort in partnership with local businesses and organizations, the Honolulu Star-Advertiser reported Wednesday.

On Tuesday, the team cut off line that was wrapped around the whale's flipper and trailing about 50 feet (15 meters) behind it.

Viewpoints Gallery has been part of the arts scene in Maui's upcountry town of Makawao for thirty years.

It’s run by artists—and known for colorful and diverse works.

HPR’s Noe Tanigawa reports that hasn’t changed—even though the current show is about what we’ve been through in 2020.

Thousands of acres of watershed land in the West Maui Mountains are up for sale and state lawmakers are considering buying the property. 

WAILUKU — County officials in Maui are considering a ban on all short-term vacation rentals to combat illegal rental operations on the island.

WAILUKU, Hawaii — Hawaii lawmakers have proposed a state purchase of a watershed in the West Maui Mountains to help preserve the area's native plants, endangered species and drinking water.

WAILUKU — Maui surpassed 3 million annual visitors for the first time since the Hawaii Tourism Authority began keeping records, a new report said.

The National Park Service has announced an increase in visitor entrance fees at Haleakala National Park on Maui and Hawaii Volcanoes National Park on the Big Island. The two parks are among the national parks across the country rolling out higher fees to help pay for infrastructure and maintenance.

WAILUKU — The Hawaii Department of Health posted a water advisory at a Maui beach that tested above a bacteria safety threshold, officials said.

LAHAINA — An insurance company is offering a $50,000 reward to help find a masked man in a full-length black gown who stole more than $1 million in diamonds from a Hawaii jewelry store on Halloween.

NEW ORLEANS — A project to restore coastal dunes on Maui's north shore is getting help from some of the 44 grants awarded nationwide by the National Coastal Resilience Fund, a public-private partnership assisting communities threatened by storms and flooding from rising and warming seas.

WAILUKU — The Hawaii Department of Health notified a Maui neighborhood of a suspected case of a mosquito-borne illness near their residences, officials said.

Climate change could be creating conditions in Hawai'i similar to those in California, where wildfires have devastated parts of the state, according to a University of Hawai'i wildfire expert.

Updated: Nov. 6, 10:06 a.m.

WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court seems uncertain about how to decide a closely watched case from Hawaii about the reach of landmark federal clean-water protections.