Government

Ualapue Shaft Tested Positive for E. Coli

Wednesday, April 15th, 2020

County of Maui News Release

The Maui Department of Water Supply detected E. coli bacteria in the Ualapue Shaft on Molokai on April 7, in a water sample collected the previous day. E. coli testing takes 18 hours to complete. It is important for residents to note that this detection was in the shaft itself and not in the water source.

A resampling of water from the Ualapue Shaft the following day, April 8, was confirmed to meet federal Environmental Protection Agency and state Department of Health water quality standards. It did not contain any traces of E. coli contamination.

The water in the Ualapue system remains safe to drink, because it has been disinfected, and no E.…

Filing for Federal Business Funding

Wednesday, April 8th, 2020

By Phil Pendergraft, President, The Molokai Dispatch

Last Friday, just after 10 a.m., The Molokai Dispatch filed its application for assistance under the Payroll Protection Program (PPP) of the CARES Act. The filing was accepted by the Bank of Hawaii and assigned a reference number. We learned some things through the application process we think might be helpful for fellow Molokai businesses.

The PPP is designed to provide assistance to small businesses, generally defined as having less than five hundred employees, in meeting payroll and other key costs through this diffi-cult time. If a business keeps its staff through the eight weeks following the loan, then the amount of the payroll costs during this period will be forgiven and the loan balance re-duced.…

Micro Business Loan Program

Wednesday, April 8th, 2020

County of Maui News Release

Mayor Michael Victorino announced the launch of the Micro Business Loan Program to help business owners impacted by COVID-19 on Molokai, Lanai and Maui.

The County of Maui is committing $1 million for the program, which will be administered by the Maui Chamber of Commerce, to support economic viability.

“This loan program is designed to help our smallest businesses applying for a loan online with 10 or fewer employees,” Mayor Michael Victorino said. “We are so grateful to all those who are supporting the health of our people by staying at home. Through this partnership with the Chamber of Commerce we can help them cover their finances during this difficult time.”…

Small Business Assistance on MEDB Website

Wednesday, April 8th, 2020

County of Maui News Release

Federal programs for small businesses on Molokai as well as step-by-step instructions on how to apply for assistance due to impacts from COVID-19 are available on Maui Economic Development Board Inc.’s (MEDB) website at medb.org.

The information and assistance is part of a joint effort between the County of Maui, Small Business Development Center (SBDC) and MEDB.

“We’re trying to stay up-to-date with the federal legislation and programs so we can continue to help our local businesses,” said Leslie Wilkins, President and CEO of MEDB. “We have a dedicated team, led by Business Development Director Gerry Smith, answering questions and will be updating our website with more resources and information.…

Hawaii Emergency Laulima Partnership Applications

Wednesday, April 8th, 2020

County of Maui News Release

Applications are now being accepted for financial assistance though the Hawaii Emergency Laulima Partnership (H.E.L.P.) program. The County of Maui allocated $2 million in general funds to the program to assist families with members who have lost jobs due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The H.E.L.P. program offers financial assistance for Maui County residents with essential needs such as food, personal hygiene, medicine, rent, mortgage, utility services, phone or internet services, car payments, and other necessities.

The program is being administered through a partnership with Maui Economic Opportunity, Inc. (MEO).

“The health and well-being of our residents are our top priority,” Mayor Michael Victorino said.…

Maui County Updating Hazard Mitigation Plan

Wednesday, April 8th, 2020

County of Maui News Release

Molokai residents are being asked to help find solutions to problems associated with natural hazards by participating in hazard mitigation. One way is to fill out the Public Mitigation Planning Survey at surveymonkey.com/r/mitigatemaui.

The survey is part of the Maui Emergency Management Agency’s work to develop an update to the County’s Hazard Mitigation Plan. It addresses threats such as wildfires, significant beach erosion and highway rockslides and now includes the COVID-19 pandemic as a public health threat.

The plan looks at how the County can lessen the impact of natural hazards such as wildfires, tropical storms and erosion on all three islands.…

Federal Assistance for Small Businesses

Wednesday, April 1st, 2020

Sen. Schatz News Release

U.S. Senator Brian Schatz released a resource guide to help Hawaii small businesses like many on Molokai better understand how to access federal loans and new programs established under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act. The bipartisan $2 trillion CARES Act is the largest aid package in American history and was signed into law last Friday.

“This new law will help Hawaii small businesses meet their payroll and provide people with paychecks for up to eight weeks,” said Senator Schatz, a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee. “As more federal help becomes available, we’ll continue to work to provide more information about how Hawaii families and businesses can access these new resources.”…

$2M for Residents Impacted by COVID-19

Wednesday, April 1st, 2020

County of Maui News Release

Mayor Michael Victorino signed a relief bill to launch a $2 million program to assist residents of Molokai, Lanai and Maui who’ve been severely impacted with job losses from the COVID-19 (coronavirus) crisis.

“Maui County is establishing the Hawaii Emergency Laulima Program (HELP) to make available $2 million to assist residents who’ve suffered economic hardship from the COVID-19 pandemic,” Mayor Victorino said. “In this unprecedented time of uncertainty, we want to reach out to our hard-hit hotel, restaurant, retail and other workers who’ve seen their source of livelihood shut down to slow down the spread of this disease.”…

County Budget Proposal

Wednesday, April 1st, 2020

County of Maui News Release

Mayor Michael Victorino presented his Fiscal Year 2021 budget proposal to members of the Maui County Council last week, proposing to lessen the financial burden on taxpayers while doing more to respond to the COVID-19 crisis.

“Our longtime fiscally conservative policies have positioned us well to face the economic hardship our nation will endure as the coronavirus disaster plays out in the weeks and months ahead,” Mayor Victorino said.

The Victorino administration has already requested a Fiscal Year 2020 budget amendment for an appropriation of $4 million from the Emergency Fund and $2 million for the HELP program.…

New Unemployment, Job Website Launched

Wednesday, March 25th, 2020

County of Maui News Release

The American Job Center – Maui has launched a website with information to help Maui, Molokai and Lanai residents file for unemployment insurance or register for job searches from the safety of home in the wake of impacts from the COVID-19 (coronavirus) outbreak.

The Maui American Job Center website is at mauiamericanjobcenter.com. You can take the help of storefront seo to help you come first in search engine results and your prospects find you easily without the help of expensive ads. Contact a memphis web design agency to help design a business website that will attract potential customers.…