Central East Maui Little Leaguer Isaac Imamura gets a kiss from his grandmother, Liann Castro, during Monday afternoon’s welcome home gathering at Kahului Airport. Castro said she was “very proud” of her grandson. “I missed him,” she said. The Maui boys of summer reached the U.S. championship game of the Little League World Series, before falling to the eventual champions from Louisiana, a team they had beaten earlier in the tournament. Central East Maui finished fourth in the marquee youth international baseball tournament of the summer. It was the first time a Maui team reached the famed Little League World Series in Williamsport, Pa. For more on the homecoming, see Sports.

The Maui News / MATTHEW THAYER photo