Maui condo prices soared 25% in May

Maui’s housing market encountered some big swings in sales and prices last month, according to statistics released Friday by the Realtors Association of Maui.

The biggest move was a 25 percent gain in the median price for condominiums sold in May, which was $476,000 compared with $380,000 in the same month last year. Condo sales dropped 17 percent to 116 in May from 139 a year ago.

In Maui’s single-family house market, sales fell 22 percent to 85 last month from 109 a year ago. A 2 percent decline was registered for the median price of single-family house sales, which dipped to $540,000 last month from $549,000 last year.

Hawaiian Tel, Sheraton credit unions merge

Hawaiian Tel Federal Credit Union has acquired the lone Sheraton Hawaii Federal Credit Union branch in Hono­lulu.

The acquisition became effective Sunday, and the combined institution now has eight branches, with a ninth branch to open next month inside the downtown Walmart.

Hawaiian Tel FCU, the largest nongovernmental FCU on Oahu, has more than 52,000 members and more than $510 million in assets.

Sheraton Hawaii FCU, which serves the financial needs of the employees of Sheraton Hawaii properties, has 2,400 members and $21 million in assets. Sheraton Hawaii FCU’s office at the Sheraton Wai­kiki will remain as a branch office.

Hawaiian Air passenger traffic up 2.4%

Hawaiian Airlines’ passenger traffic rose 2.4 percent in May from the year-earlier period even though fewer seats were filled.

The state’s largest carrier transported 856,559 passengers compared with 836,600 in May 2013.

Hawaiian’s load factor, or the percentage of seats filled, declined 1.2 percentage points to 79.1 percent from 80.3 percent. Revenue passenger miles, or one paying passenger transported 1 mile, was virtually flat at 1.15 million while available seat miles, or one seat transported 1 mile, rose 1.7 percent to 1.45 million from 1.43 million.

Hawaii HomeOwnership Center gets grant

The First Hawaiian Bank Foundation has donated $50,000 to the Hawaii HomeOwnership Center to help the center provide classes and individualized coaching to homebuyers statewide to attain sustainable homeownership.

HHOC says less than 1 percent of its 1,050-plus homeowners have been challenged with their mortgage payments, which reflects the positive effect of homebuyers being educated before their home purchase. The funding support also will help HHOC to continue providing foreclosure prevention counseling at no charge to homeowners experiencing difficulty paying their mortgage.

Aloha Petroleum Lahaina marks re-branding

Aloha Petroleum Ltd. will celebrate the opening of its first Aloha-branded fueling station in Lahaina, Maui, with a three-day celebration from Thursday through June 14. The grand opening will feature prize giveaways, including a 51-inch plasma HDTV and in-store specials on food and beverage items.

Aloha re-branded the location from Shell to Aloha during a four-month, $600,000 renovation proj­ect, upgrading the location to Aloha’s new design and image program. The location is at the intersection of Mill and Dickenson streets.

Updated features to the store include a new interior and a broader selection of wine and fresh and healthy food offerings. The store also features a Fusion fountain machine, which adds "shots" to the mix with the selected product. Aloha Island Mart continues to make fresh hot foods, including fried chicken, on premises.

The three-day celebration will feature sweepstakes for Hawaii residents, through which four winners will take home a $50 Aloha gift card and the grand-prize winner will win the TV. The grand opening will be June 16 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

For more information, visit the Aloha Petroleum Facebook page at www.facebook.com/alohagas.

Colorado regulates ride-sharing companies

DENVER » Leading a push to legitimize Internet companies that connect riders to drivers with a few taps on a cellphone app, Colo­rado has become the first state whose Legislature passed a law regulating companies like UberX and Lyft. Gov. John Hickenlooper signed the bill Thursday.

The entry into the transportation marketplace by the ride-sharing companies has left officials nationwide struggling to catch up with emerging technology that competes with traditional taxis and limos but with less overhead.

On Thursday, Lyft launched its ride-sharing service in Hono­lulu through a marketing partnership with Hawaiian Airlines.

A handful of state legislatures this year have tried and failed to pass bills to provide oversight for ride-sharing companies. Taxi and limo companies have objected, arguing the Web-based businesses have an unfair advantage and light regulation.

On The Move

The Queen’s Medical Center has honored the following student and adult volunteers of the year: 

» Sherilyn Palafox received the student Kokua Poo­kela Award. She is a UH medical student and volunteered 470 hours in the Emergency Department.

» Bob Morikawa is the adult Kokua Poo­kela recipient. He is a nurse anesthetist who retired from Queen’s and joined the volunteer ranks two years ago.

» Pat Faus, a former Queen’s nurse, received the Hoo­mau Award, which recognizes longevity of service. Faus has been a volunteer at Queen’s for more than 25 years.

Ship Ahoy!