COMMUNITY NEWS for December 24 issue

COMMUNITY NEWS for December 24 issue December 24, 2015 Lahaina News Last minute Christmas shopping available at Lahaina Gateway LAHAINA - Still need to find a few more gifts, plus buy your holiday groceries, too? At Lahaina Gateway, you'll find gifts for everyone in your 'ohana, and gift cards, too.

Many Lahaina Gateway stores will have special hours on Christmas Eve: Barnes & Noble, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Central Pacific Bank, 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.; Claire's, 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.; David's Happy Nails, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; FootLocker, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Genki Sushi, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Island Cream Co., 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Foodland Farms, 6 a.m. to 10 p.m.; Local Motion, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Mahina, 9:30 a.m. to 7 p.m.; OfficeMax, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Supercuts, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Teddy's Bigger Burgers, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.; and The Vitamin Shoppe, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Galan Sports Chiropractic will be closed from Dec. 24-27. All other merchants will have regular hours.

All merchants are closed for Christmas Day - Mele Kalikimaka! Lahaina Gateway is located along Honoapiilani Highway at Keawe Street in Lahaina. Westin's Kaanapali resorts offer daily bus service to the center for their guests. Visit www.lahainagateway.com.

-----------------Rep. Tulsi Gabbard seeks entries for art contest HONOLULU - Hawaii Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard announced that she is accepting submissions from Hawaii high school artists in the Second Congressional District for the 2016 Kaha Ki'i Congressional Art Competition, hosted by the U.S. House of Representatives.

"Hawaii art students, with the support and mentorship of their teachers, continue to surpass my expectations year after year with their creative, beautiful and thoughtful artwork. I'm looking forward to seeing the submissions to our annual competition in 2016," said Gabbard.

"The nationwide competition is a great platform for Hawaii students to showcase the unique culture of our islands and communities from their perspective. The winning pieces will be on display for one year at the U.S. Capitol and in my Washington and Hawaii offices for visitors to enjoy."

Artwork must be submitted by Feb. 23, 2016. Semi-finalists will be announced shortly after, and Congresswoman Gabbard will reveal the winning pieces at an awards ceremony in April at the Hawaii State Capitol.

Interested applicants can obtain complete details regarding the competition on the congresswoman's official website or by calling Rep. Gabbard's office at (808) 541-1986.

-----------------State to accept grants-in-aid applications HONOLULU - Hawaii Senate Ways and Means Committee Chair Jill Tokuda and House Finance Committee Chair Sylvia Luke announced that qualified nonprofit and other organizations will again be able to apply for State Grants-in-Aid (GIA) that may become available and will be under consideration during the 2016 Regular Session.

Previous grants were appropriated to nonprofit and other organizations for various public purposes that were recognized as priorities and seen as complimentary to state government functions, including health, education, workforce development, social services and cultural and historical activities.

In order to allow the legislature time to thoroughly review applications, the deadline to submit grant applications will be 4:30 p.m. on Jan. 22, 2016.

Last year, the legislature awarded nearly $30 million in grants to non-profits across the state.

Information on the GIA process will be made available at www.capitol.hawaii.gov. For information, call the Ways and Means Committee at (808) 586-6800 and the Finance Committee at (808) 586-6200.

-----------------Work slated at 'Iao Valley State Monument KAHULUI - 'Iao Valley State Monument will be closed from Jan. 11-22, 2016 for various park improvements, including closures of the two large capacity cesspools in the park that were mandated via a consent agreement with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

The cesspools were servicing the park's comfort station that was closed in 2009 due to the EPA violations and will remain closed.

In order to comply with these required closures, the Division of State Parks will close the monument for two weeks to decommission the cesspools as required by the EPA, and make additional repairs and renovation to the parking lot and improvements to the park water system.

When the monument reopens, a trailer restroom facility will be onsite to meet the sanitation needs for park users.

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Boy Scouts to hold banquet KAHULUI - The Maui County Council, Boy Scouts of America will hold their Annual Banquet on Saturday, Jan. 23, at the LDS Maui Lani Stake Center.

The banquet will begin at 5:30 p.m. at the 1300 Maui Lani Parkway center.

The night's theme is "Super Heroes." The organization will celebrate all of the accomplishments of the Maui Council in 2015.

The guest speaker for the night will be Major General John Harrel.

The cost is $20 per person for a catered meal, or $150 for a catered table of eight. To sign up to attend, visit www.mauibsa.org/cab2016.

For more information on Maui Boy Scouts, visit www.mauibsa.org or www.facebook.com/mauibsa.

-----------------Hospice Maui receives $22,000 grant WAILUKU - Each year, Hawaii Community Foundation (HCF) distributes FLEX grant awards to recognize high-performing non-profits across the state.

This year, Hospice Maui received $22,000 in operating support from the Robert Emens Black Fund and Kent & Polli Smith Family Fund, both of which are participating HCF FLEX grant program funds.

The grant to Hospice Maui will go toward program expenses.

"Speaking on behalf of our board of directors, our staff, our volunteers, and the patients and families whom we serve, I am grateful to the Hawaii Community Foundation and its funding partners for this generous gift," said Greg LaGoy, Hospice Maui's CEO.