While the National Security Agency continues to collect and store unprecedented amounts of data from millions of U.S. citizens, it appears the County of Maui can’t even archive emails more than three years old. “Don’t wait ‘til it’s too late,” a flyer posted in the county building warns employees. “Save your important emails. Starting June […]
Will the County of Maui’s plan to provide public WiFi help destroy human civilization?*
Chances are this sentence you’re reading right now is printed on a piece of paper. Maybe it’s a quirk of Maui, or just an accident of history, but even in our so-called “Digital Age,” most of MauiTime’s readers still pick up our print edition each week. Of course we publish online, and distribute our stories […]
You can now connect to Maui Invasive Species Committee with your smartphone
You can now connect with the Maui Invasive Species Committee (MISC) using the COM Connect app on a smartphone. It’s a mobile communication tool that gives citizens the ability to alert Maui County officials to various issues like abandoned vehicles, potholes, graffiti as well as report invasive species. “One of the ways to keep [Maui] […]
Auditor scrutinizes Maui County procurement cards
On June 14, the Maui County Auditor released a new report on the county’s use of procurement cards (so-called pCards)–a credit card that county officials can use to buy goods and services. The Auditor decided to take a look at Maui pCard use after a plethora of news reports made clear that former Hawaii Island […]
MauiTime 2016 Year In Review
Even without the election of Republican Donald Trump to be President of the United States, this was a monstrous year. We’ve had to deal with job losses, outrageous giveaways to big business and just a general slide away from democratic protections and open government assurances. We like to think of Hawaii (and Maui especially) as […]
Hurricanes, hospitals and unions: Fear and Loathing on Maui
There was certainly a lot to fear last week. And this week, for very different reasons, seems just as frightening. Hurricane Madeline was coming! Then Hurricane Lester was right behind! Two hurricanes bearing down on the state! Then nothing much happened (though high surf from Lester did wash a bunch of debris onto Baldwin Beach, […]
Our take on the 2016 Hawaii Primary Election results for Maui County
Well, we have another Primary Election under our belts–another day in the state’s history when we let a sliver of the population narrow our choices for political leadership. As expected, turnout statewide was pretty lousy–a mere 34.8 percent of Hawaii’s registered voters actually showed up (in Maui County, turnout was an even worse 29.6 percent). […]
MauiTime 2016 Hawaii State Primary Election Endorsement Guide
A man who has nothing for which he is willing to fight, nothing which is more important than his own personal safety, is a miserable creature and has no chance of being free unless made and kept so by the exertions of better men than himself. -John Stuart Mill I enjoy democracy immensely. It is […]
Know your 2016 Maui County election candidate: Keith Regan
Keith Regan is the County of Maui’s Managing Director. He’s held the job for nearly eight years. Though he’s one of Mayor Alan Arakawa’s top advisers and aides, Regan’s post doesn’t actually include the power to hire or fire any of the county’s department heads. In any case, he’s one of the five people running […]
What Maui County Council candidates Dain Kane, Keith Regan and Hana Steel say about a proposed county manager
As you’d expect, a lot was said at last night’s Kula Community Association-sponsored candidates’ forum, which included about a dozen people running for various local and state offices on Maui. But of particular note was the panel of five candidates running for the Maui County Council’s Waikapu-Wailuku-Waiehu-Waihee seat, currently held by Mike Victorino, who’s termed […]
Kula Community Assoc. 2016 Maui election forum
Though the filing deadline for the Maui County candidates in the 2016 election is still a couple weeks away (June 7), a few races already loom large on the political radar. There are a lot of candidates out there and a ton of issues. But the Kula Community Association wants to help you this Wednesday, May 18 […]
Possibly important County Governance Special Committee meeting this Thursday
It’s pretty wonkish, but some pretty far-reaching local government reforms will be up for discussion at a public meeting this Thursday, Feb. 25. Yes, it’s time for yet another gathering of the county’s Special Committee on County Governance. Put simply, it’s a panel of 11 citizens (only nine of which can actually vote on anything) […]
Dain Kane returns (again!) to run for his old Maui County Council seat
Looks like we can add Dain Kane’s name to the list of those wanting to replace Mike Victorino in the Maui County Council’s Wailuku seat. “With the support of family, friends, and long standing supporters throughout Maui County, I’m excited to once again earn the trust of our citizenry to serve our community,” Kane said […]
2015 MauiTime Year In Review
Well, another year’s in the books. On the whole, 2015 wasn’t any more disastrous or violent than any other recent year, I suppose (we did get a new Star Wars film out of it), though at times it certainly seemed otherwise. Murder rates have risen in many large American cities, and a series of horrific […]
Holiday lights brighten Wailuku First Friday town party
Wailuku’s First Friday town party on Dec. 4 was extra festive with the addition of holiday lights strung throughout the street, a window decorating contest and Malino live on the Maui Thing stage. “This year we wanted to do something extra special to decorate the town,” said Ashley Takitani Leahey, a Wailuku community volunteer. “Since it […]
20 questions answered about the new Maui County Manager proposal
There’s been a lot of talk recently about making some radical changes to the County of Maui’s system of government. Specifically–reducing the elected mayor’s powers (or eliminating the position entirely) in favor of hiring a professional “County Manager.” Because much of the talk about such a change has been both arcane and emotional, and because […]