Keoni Hill on Dec. 12 earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Aerospace Engineering from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Prescott, Arizona. His parents are Lisa Agdeppa (pictured with Keoni) and John Hill of Lahaina.

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 “http://www.lahainagateway.com”>www.lahainagateway.com.

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Following on the rebranding announcement in August by newly integrated Aqua-Aston Hospitality, the hotel and resort management group recently announced several key promotions among its leadership team. Robin Harlow now holds the new position of vice president of sales. Harlow has been with the company for over ten years and previously served as senior director of sales. She is responsible for identifying new business opportunities and implementing a direct sales strategy that leverages competitive insights while leading the global direct sales team. A Maui resident, Harlow commutes to Waikiki during the week and lives in Napili with her family on weekends.

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.

Students in Ms. Boggess’ Business Class at Lahainaluna High School entered American Savings Bank’s 2015 KeikiCo Contest, which focused on financial literacy for Hawaii’s youth. The students placed second in the grades 9-12 division. The contest is a business plan competition encouraging students to showcase their best ideas. The students worked in groups of 3-4, generated unique ideas for businesses, did market research, found locations for rent in the community and compared prices. They then determined the correct business for the community by looking at their target audience and business success rate. Some creative companies were Choke Chocolate, Fusion X, Big Boyz Pizza and Krank HI.

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.

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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.

A Christmas Eve Service will be held at 9:30 p.m. at Hale Hema at Kaanapali Beach Hotel. Church On The Go Pastor Laki Kaahumanu (pictured) will lead the service, which will feature song and hula under the stars. The next day, a Christmas Day Feast will be held in the Tiki Terrace with seatings from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 3 to 7 p.m. Visit Santa hourly at Kaanapali Beach Hotel’s North Pole! For reservations, call 667-0124.

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.

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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.

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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.