Catherine Cluett Pactol
General Assignment ReporterCatherine Cluett Pactol is Hawaiʻi Public Radio’s Maui Nui reporter. She lives on Molokaʻi and is HPR’s first full-time employee based on a neighbor island. Having served as a contributing HPR reporter on and off since 2008, she officially joined the HPR newsroom in summer 2023.
Previously, she worked at The Molokai Dispatch, Molokaʻi’s only newspaper, for 15 years and served as its editor for more than a decade. During that time, she led the paper’s small team to win more than 30 Excellence in Journalism awards from the Society of Professional Journalists Hawaiʻi chapter, while also freelancing for magazines and publications across the state. She has a degree in creative writing from Bates College, and her work has been led by a passion for storytelling through community journalism.
Contact her at cpactol@hawaiipublicradio.org.
-
The ʻOhana Assistance Pilot Project launched on Monday to provide grants of up to $100,000 to Maui County homeowners for the design and construction costs of ‘ohana units.
-
In the first step of decision-making on a county proposal to phase out certain short-term rentals, the Maui Planning Commission heard from hundreds of testifiers engaged in the process. HPR’s Catherine Cluett Pactol reports the decision could have wide-ranging impacts on the community.
-
Keanu Lau Hee will serve as Hawaiʻi Community Foundation's senior director for the Maui Recovery Effort. She will start on July 16.
-
In the first six months after the wildfires, more than $25 million in real estate was sold in Lahaina. HPR's Catherine Cluett Pactol discusses a recent report that says community ownership can offer solutions and protect locally owned properties from investment-driven sales.
-
Lahaina’s King Kamehameha III Elementary School was destroyed in last August’s wildfire. HPR’s Catherine Cluett Pactol shares the process of determining a permanent rebuild location.
-
Progress is being made in Lahaina fire recovery and officials shared infrastructure, water and debris cleanup updates with Lahaina residents during a recent community meeting.
-
The research experiment created by a team of Maui High School students was selected to be aboard an upcoming NASA balloon flight. HPR’s Catherine Cluett Pactol talked with the students and one of their advisors to learn more.
-
Molokai Gold is just one company carrying on a long history of famed honey production on the island. Moloka’i homesteader Micah Buchanan transitioned from farming to beekeeping a little over a decade ago. HPR's Catherine Cluett Pactol visited his farm to learn the ins and outs of possibly the "best honey in Hawaiʻi."
-
An electric mobile clinic just launched service on Maui, focusing on maternal, child and reproductive health care. It is equipped with an intake area, adjustable bed for exams, kitchenette, toilet, storage and refrigerated storage for medication.
-
An up-and-coming food truck market on Maui is more than just a place to grab a bite. Tucked into a cozy spot on South Puʻunēnē Avenue in Kahului, Maika’i Market is dishing out hope and bringing Lahaina community members together. HPR's Catherine Cluett Pactol reports.