The Maui News / MATTHEW THAYER photo

Ellie Shellooe (right) hugs friend Natalie Nichols goodbye last week along Main Street in Wailuku. Shellooe said that after growing up on Maui, the economic downturn caused by COVID-19 is forcing her to move to Las Vegas for a job in the tourism industry. “There’s definitely a lot of feelings,” she said. After being furloughed for nearly a year, she said, her position with Diamond Resort was recently eliminated. “I’m spreading my wings,” she said. “I have a job starting four days after I get in.”