Flavor of Maui

WAILUKU - Showers carried in on remnants of two cold fronts over the past two weeks brought brief respite to Maui County watersheds but failed to overcome the ongoing drought conditions. A system that dropped 2.6 inches in the West Wailua Iki rain gauge over two days on Nov. 18 and 19 boosted flows out of the East Maui watershed.

LAHAINA - Maui police have reported that an officer deployed a Taser stun gun to save the life of a 29-year-old man threatening suicide in an incident last week in Lahaina. Capt. Charles Hirata, commander of the Lahaina Patrol District, said officers were called at about 11:30 p.m. Monday by a woman who reported that her boyfriend was threatening to kill himself.

WAILUKU - The fate of "Piggy" was sealed. He was going to be the main course in a holiday dinner. But then the 300-pound pig was stolen five days before Thanksgiving from his pen on a farm off Piihana Road in Wailuku.

WAILUKU - As the county tightens its budget, isle nonprofits are preparing to see their funding cut next year. Mayor Charmaine Tavares said her administration has asked all nonprofits applying for grants to reduce their requests by 10 percent for the 2010 budget. Agencies that provide life-supporting services, including food and shelter, will be funded first, she said.

KAHULUI - It was a mixed shopping bag for Black Friday on Maui as some merchants reported that post-Thanksgiving sales were busier than they expected and others said Friday's totals did not match up to previous years.