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Business

Shop Local, Support Molokai

Wednesday, November 18th, 2020

Shop Local, Support Molokai

By Catherine Cluett Pactol

This season of giving, local businesses and entrepreneurs are relying on us more than ever to support them by shopping and gifting Molokai-made or -purchased items. Over the next few weeks, we’ll be highlighting local gift sources and hope you’ll share your favorites with us too. What are your go-to Molokai artists, creators or businesses to support this holiday season? Why do you shop local? Email us at editor@themolokaidispatch.com or visit our Molokai Dispatch Facebook page to suggest a local highlight or join the shop local conversation.Kapua U’i Jewelry, @kapua.ui, kapuaui.com

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DHHL to Offer Its Own Internet

Wednesday, November 11th, 2020

By Catherine Cluett Pactol

With Molokai homesteaders struggling with faulty internet service under Sandwich Isles Communication, the Department of Hawaiian Homelands is poised to deliver its own internet to homestead communities. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has approved applications for DHHL to bring wireless broadband to Molokai, Lanai, Maui and Kauai, which is anticipated to be operational by 2022.

Slow internet has been plaguing Molokai homesteaders for some time but has been exacerbated by the pandemic, as students attempt to study remotely, employees work from home and small business owners bolster their online marketplaces.

“Anger, frustration, you can’t even get through to a live body to talk about what the situation is, or negotiations of how they can have their bills paid, or you can transfer over to another carrier,” Rep.…

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‘Ohana to Continue Service, Mokulele in Financial Hardship

Thursday, November 5th, 2020

By Catherine Cluett Pactol

After announcing they would temporarily stop service on Nov. 1, ‘Ohana by Hawaiian will now continue flying “through at least January 2021,” the airline said in a statement last week.

A “dormant” Essential Air Service (EAS) provision covers flights to Molokai and Lanai, requiring a 90-day notice for disruption of service, according to the Dept. of Transportation. Ross Higashi, deputy director of the airports division, said in a state Senate Transportation Committee virtual meeting last week that the EAS designation wasn’t being evoked for years because multiple airlines were providing commercial air service to Molokai and Lanai.…

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Sust’aina ble Molokai Launches Egg Production

Thursday, November 5th, 2020

Sust’aina ble Molokai Launches Egg Production

By Catherine Cluett Pactol

Molokai doesn’t have to decide whether the chicken or the egg came first, because another “first” has poised the island to potentially produce all its own eggs. Nonprofit Sust’aina ble Molokai is the first organization in Maui County — and likely the state — to have a Dept. of Health certified cooperative distribution model for on-island egg production.

Molokai currently imports more than 100,000 eggs per month, according to Sust’aina ble Molokai (SM) Executive Director Harmonee Williams Pastrana. Hand in hand with their efforts to foster consumption of locally grown produce, the organization is seeking to reduce the community’s dependency on off-island sources for eggs through a unique program that makes it easy for small farmers to produce and sell eggs.…

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Realtors Donate PPE to Kilohana School

Wednesday, October 28th, 2020

Realtors Donate PPE to Kilohana School

Hawaii REALTORS News Release

Hawaii REALTORS®, a leading statewide professional trade organization for the real estate industry, donated PPE to schools throughout the state in early October as part of REALTOR® Action Day (RAD).

Each year Hawaii REALTORS® hosts an annual RAD event to assist schools in need. Since 2018, RAD volunteers have completed school improvement projects for 18 Hawaii schools. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, RAD had to cancel most in-person volunteer projects this year.

“With some students slowly phasing back to in-person classes after fall break, we decided to use those funds to donate PPE to our RAD partner schools,” said Jack Legal, president of Hawaii REALTORS®.…

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Festival of Hope Provides for Families

Wednesday, October 28th, 2020

Festival of Hope Provides for Families

CFS News Release

Child and Family Service (CFS) hosted the Festival of Hope for Families, a walk-up event offering local individuals and families support resources, services, and food gift certificates from Oct. 12-16. Part of a series of statewide events, Molokai’s Festival of Hope for Families helped provide needed supplies, resources, and family-friendly activities to those in need during the pandemic crisis.

This family-focused festival followed social distancing guidelines and required that all attendees follow safety guidelines when walking up to the Child and Family Service Molokai Office where groceries, food gift certificates, Community Resource Kits, PPE items and advice, and education resources were distributed.…

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$1M in Small Business Mortgage and Rent Relief

Wednesday, October 28th, 2020

County of Maui News Release

Mayor Michael Victorino announced Wednesday the launch of a $1 million Small Business Mortgage and Relief direct payment program to provide a lifeline for businesses struggling to survive COVID-19 impacts. The County of Maui is partnering with the Maui Chamber of Commerce, which is administering the mortgage and rent relief program.

“Commercial rent and mortgage relief is a top priority for most businesses,” Mayor Victorino said. “This CARES Act funding provides a lifeline to help businesses survive the COVID-19 pandemic and recession. Small businesses are the backbone of our economy, providing goods and services to our community and jobs that keep food on the table for local families.…

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Workshop for Renewable Energy Cooperative

Wednesday, October 21st, 2020

Shake Energy News Release

On Saturday, Oct. 24, from 9 to 11 a.m., Shake Energy will host another virtual public meeting to further our progress on designing renewable energy projects on Molokai to be locally owned and operated. This follows in a series of community workshops hosted on Molokai about Community-Based Renewable Energy (CBRE). These meetings are held regularly every two weeks to continue the effort to formalize this energy cooperative and design the projects it will own and operate.

At the meeting this weekend, we will be hosting interviews from energy development companies that are interested in partnering with us to submit our bids to Hawaiian Electricʻs Request for Proposals (RFP) for Phase II CBRE projects on Molokai.…

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More Time, Funding for Small Business Relief

Wednesday, October 21st, 2020

County of Maui News Release

The County of Maui has added another $1 million to the Kokua Maui County Small Business Recovery and Relief Fund, and small businesses now have until Oct. 31 to apply for grants of as much as $7,500.

The additional $1 million in CARES Act funding brings the Kokua Maui County Small Business Recovery & Relief Fund’s total funding to $7 million. The fund was established in a partnership with local federal credit unions to help small businesses impacted by COVID-19.

So far, 859 applications have been approved, with more than $5.6 million disbursed. Twenty-four Molokai businesses have been awarded nearly $143,000, and three Lanai businesses have received over $18,500.…

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Molokai Farming Cost-Reimbursement Program

Wednesday, October 21st, 2020

County of Maui News Release

The County of Maui Office of Economic Development announces a second round of funding is available for the Molokai Farming Cost-Reimbursement Program.

Molokai farmers were allocated $23,213 in the first round of funding to help them comply with federal food regulations. Now, total funding available through this program is $221,535.

The program provides cost reimbursements to farmers and ranchers on Molokai to assist with the costs of compliance with U.S. Food and Drug Administration Food Safety Modernization Act and state food safety laws. The total amount of cost reimbursement to any one applicant shall not exceed $5,000.…

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