Multiple readers have asked about unemployment insurance and how it is going to fare after the pandemic. This will give you an idea of how the system works. State unemployment insurance (SUI) is largely funded by employers. Most employers are charged tax that depends on two things: the ...

I am a a resident of Molokai and a homesteader. I support the reelection of Rep. Lynn DeCoite for District 13. As a young girl, I have watched Lynn grow up right down the road from me, and she was always out in the farm working with her grandparents. She is a hard-working woman with great ...

There is a very real need for a Maui County Department of Agriculture to serve the small farmers on Maui. It is a false flag to state it is another level of bureaucracy to place on the farmers. Far from it, it is instead a locally sourced, Maui-centric capacity to help Maui farmers envision ...

Even if included in the West Maui Community Plan, the letter headlined “More park space and fewer gentleman’s estates” requires community involvement to succeed. Are you willing to help develop the designated “central park” on Kamehameha Schools/Bishop Estate’s property located ...

“It’s time to lead our people into the future.” So says the website of Imua TMT, a native-led coalition that supports the Thirty Meter Telescope on Mauna Kea on persuasive cultural, scientific and economic grounds. On July 29 or 30, the Regents of the University of California will be ...

Simply put, “The Plan” is totally ridiculous and doomed to failure. I hardly know where to start. So the state is going to create an alliance with some still unknown entity to test all visitors (and returnees) to Hawaii for COVID-19 72 hours prior to departure and get results within that ...

Hawaii had no disease until Capt. James Cook came to visit. Missionaries and whalers followed. More disease came. What if Cook and crew wore masks? Many Hawaiians would still be alive, today. Hawaii was a “Garden of Eden” till Pandora’s Box was opened and could not be closed. Since ...

In this time of reckoning on racism, we don’t need a song about war written by Frances Scott Key, a slave owner, sung at all our sporting events. It would be appropriate to make our nation’s anthem “America the Beautiful.” This is not an original idea, but it is an idea whose time is ...

The Fourth of July weekend at Big Beach in Makena was fantastic. Why? The parking lots there which had been closed for several months were finally open. How? Peter Sisco of Kula had enough of the problems created by the closed parking lots: congested parking on the road, crowding at the ...

I am 75, single, independent, in fairly good health but on the diabetic scale, and live fairly isolated in Kula. With great care, and not without some challenging moments, I have strictly followed all of the recommendations made to help stop and curb the spread of the virus. I was all alone ...

My name is Margie Cooper and I am a retired compositor at The Maui News. I am writing in support of my former colleagues and coworkers as they pursue a new contract with management of the newspaper. It is no secret that the cost of living in Hawaii, and Maui in particular, is close to ...

This letter is in response to a July 3 letter. Lt. Gen. Nathan Bedford Forrest, Confederate cavalry commander in the Civil War, was often described as a “born military genius.” His rule of action — “Get there first with the most men” — became one of the most quoted statements of ...

I used to be a visitor, but now I am kama‘aina. After being a “visitor” to Maui for over 30 years, my husband and I now find ourselves residents of this lovely isle. From the first year we set foot on Maui, we knew we wanted to retire here. Becoming kama‘aina happened in an eye blink. ...

I am so disappointed in the obituary section on The Maui News website as it is so incomplete when compared with the paper. It seems you need no picture or you need to be important to get on the website. I hope this will change as it leaves out a lot of people. Marguerite Jensen Makawao

Hawaii is the second hardest hit of all the states economically by the COVID-19 virus; the recent reports of large increases of COVID-19 “cases” will only make that worse, but those reports are inaccurate and misleading. The reports from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention of ...

The World Health Organization is urging our world to reduce its alcohol intake during the pandemic as a proven way to lessen the incidences and severity of COVID-19. Instead of seeking ways to support efforts to reduce alcohol consumption in our community, the Maui County Liquor Control ...

A July 3 letter about grilling plant-based foods states “These products don’t harbor nasty bugs or cancer-causing compounds. They are missing the cholesterol, saturated fats, drugs, hormones, and pesticides of their animal-based alternatives.” The writer fails to point out these ...

Talk about a major contradiction on safety and health care for COVID-19 prevention with the fireworks and illegal aerials allowed to go on. The air became bad. Smoke and extreme noise. No one or very few wore a mask. Someone has to die before they stop this illegal action. A house in ...

I am writing this letter in support of the talented staff reporters of our local newspaper, The Maui News. These hard-working and dedicated reporters are essential to our local wellness. They keep us informed of important issues that could only be accurately expressed by reporters with local ...

Amazed at the conclusions of the July 2 writer of “Cattle solution to promote health of Maui ecosystem.” I looked at Wikipedia. The 2019 IPBES Global Assessment Report on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services found that industrial agriculture and overfishing are the primary drivers of the ...