News Releases

Printmaking Classes

Thursday, February 26th, 2026

Paʻa Printmakers News Release

Paʻa Printmakers is offering two new classes at the Molokai Center, located next to American Savings Bank. Below are the course details:

Mokuhanga Woodblock Workshop

– Instructor: Faith Stone

– Technique: Traditional Japanese water-based woodblock printing (no press required).

– Schedule: Saturday, March 14 (9 a.m.- 4 p.m.) and Sunday, March 15 (9 a.m.-1p.m.).

Link: honoluluprintmakers.org/classes/japanese-mokuhanga-with-faith-stone

Make a Flag Book

– Instructor: Tamara Moan

– Technique: Constructing an accordion-spine flag book using stencil prints.

– Schedule: Saturday, March 21st (10:00 am – 4:00 pm). Please bring your own lunch and snacks.

Link: honoluluprintmakers.org/classes/on-molokai-flag-book-with-stencil-imagery-with-tamara-moan…

Head Start Preschool Accepting Applications for Next School Year

Thursday, February 26th, 2026

MEO News Release

Maui Economic Opportunity’s Head Start preschool program will be accepting applications beginning February for the 2026-2027 school year.  

Head Start is a federally funded program that provides comprehensive early childhood education services at no cost to families that meet the federal poverty income guidelines and selection criteria. All families with age-eligible children are welcome to apply.

Eligible participants are children, who are or will be 3- or 4-years-old by July 31, 2026. Parents or Legal Guardians are required to provide the child’s birth certificate and income verification (preferably 2025 income tax returns or 2025 W-2 forms). When applicable, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), Supplemental Security Income (SSI) or Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefit history printouts will be required. …

Homesteader Is First Molokai Driver to Complete New MEO CDL Program

Thursday, February 19th, 2026

MEO News Release

A Hawaiian Homes homesteader who recently returned to Molokai is the first resident to obtain a Commercial Driver’s License (CDL) in Maui Economic Opportunity’s new CDL training program on the island.

Kayla Luuloa passed her CDL exam on Feb. 5 and will be training to drive MEO buses that provide the island’s only mass transit option through a Human Services transportation contract with the County of Maui.

With no other CDL training opportunities on Molokai and a demand for bus drivers, MEO created the in-house program. Driver Supervisor Amy Makaiwi runs the training program for the CDL, a required qualification for an MEO bus driver on Molokai.…

P. Denise La Costa Announces Bid for Maui Mayor

Thursday, February 19th, 2026

MLC 2026 News Release

P. Denise La Costa, a Maui community leader and business owner, announced last week that she is running for Maui County Mayor. 

P. Denise La Costa is a longtime Maui resident and former Maui planning commissioner who has spent decades working directly on housing, land use, public safety and community recovery.

She has led major organizations, managed budgets, built businesses, and served Maui across nonprofit, regulatory and community roles for more than 30 years. 

Visit MayorLacosta2026.com for more information.…

Pūlama Ka Heke Launching ERMAT Program to Improve Medical Access

Thursday, February 19th, 2026

Pūlama Ka Heke News Release

Pūlama Ka Heke is proud to announce the launch of the Essential Rural Medical Air Transport (ERMAT) program which will be called Kaulele a Ola (meaning to take flight to heal and regain health), a groundbreaking initiative designed to expand equitable access to specialty healthcare for residents of Molokai and Lānai. 

ERMAT will provide coordinated, reliable medical air transportation to Oahu and Maui, addressing long-standing barriers that have limited timely access to specialty care for rural communities.

Funded by the Hawaiʻi Department of Health, ERMAT will offer 12 round trip flights between Molokai and Oahu and four round trip flights between Molokai and Maui per month for Molokai residents.…

Hui to Host Visiting Veterinarians for Free Vaccination, Low-Cost Visits 

Thursday, February 19th, 2026

MCVH News Release

Molokai Community Veterinary Hui (MCVH) is pleased to announce that it will be hosting a licensed veterinarian from Hawaii Island for a special weekend of veterinary services on Feb. 28 and March 1. MCVH is collaborating with Big Island Pet Care Center to bring affordable care to our island. 

On Saturday, Feb. 28, there will be a free community vaccine clinic from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Appointments will be scheduled in 15-minute intervals to ensure efficient and timely service for pet owners. This clinic is designed to help protect the health of Molokai’s pets while reducing barriers to essential preventative care. …

Lauhala Workshop Part II this Sunday in Hoʻolehua

Thursday, February 12th, 2026

MAC News Release

The Molokai Arts Center’s Hawaiian Arts Program presents its second Lauhala workshop on Sunday, Feb. 15 from 3:30-5:30 p.m. at Hoʻolehua Homestead Makeke, at 2240 Lihi Pali Ave behind Molokai High School, mauka, just east of Purdy’s Mac Nut Farm. Register at https://bit.ly/MACHA2026.

The MAC continues its popular HĀ workshops featuring the Lauhala (pandanus) plant. Participants will be taught to weave lauhala into a bracelet. Cultural practitioner Mokihana Paleka Jackson returns this Sunday to share the art of lauhala weaving.

The MAC HĀ 2025-26 Program is a bi-monthly series which promotes cultural arts through ‘aina (land) and mea kanu (that which is planted), utilizing our natural resources. Each month, a cultural practitioner will help participants, keiki through kupuna, craft a product from a specific plant (i.e. kukui,…

Lawmakers Secure $1.3M for ʻAha Pūnana Leo

Thursday, February 12th, 2026

Office of Sen. Brian Schatz News Release

U.S. Sen. Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) secured $1.3 million in congressionally directed spending, also known as an earmark, in this year’s appropriations deal for ʻAha Pūnana Leo. The funding will be used to train teachers, support families, and develop new early childhood education Hawaiian language materials, such as books and videos, to help young children build literacy and math skills.

Learning language early matters because it shapes how kids think and learn for the rest of their lives,” said Schatz, a senior member of the Senate Appropriations Committee. “This new earmark funding will help revitalize the Hawaiian language while making sure more kids have the resources to learn and grow.”…

12th Annual Cursive Is Cool Contest Launches Nationwide for Students in Grades K-7

Thursday, February 5th, 2026

AHAF News Release

The American Handwriting Analysis Foundation (AHAF) announced today that its annual Cursive Is Cool(r) handwriting contest is now open to students in Kindergarten through Grade 7, encouraging young writers to express themselves creatively through cursive handwriting.

Now in its 12th year, the Cursive Is Cool(r) contest continues to grow in reach and enthusiasm, engaging students, teachers, and families worldwide. Children are invited to submit original cursive writing entries, which are judged on legibility, neatness, and creative content.

“Our judges are excited every year to see what children write,” said Lauren Mooney Bear, CG, Campaign for Cursive Chair and immediate past President of AHAF.…

AlohaCare Foundation Giving $75K in Scholarships

Thursday, February 5th, 2026

AlohaCare News Release

The AlohaCare Foundation is now accepting scholarship applications — from February 2 to March 16, 2026. Each scholarship recipient could get up to $10,000 while pursuing careers in healthcare or social services. AlohaCare members, or their family members, are eligible to apply. 

For more information or to apply for 2026–2027 scholarships, visit foundation.alohacare.org/scholarships.

In the 2025–2026 academic year, the Foundation awarded $75,000 in scholarships to 19 students across Molokai, Hawaii Island, Kauai, Maui and Oahu — all pursuing careers in healthcare or social services.

“Every scholarship recipient represents someone who can stay in Hawaiʻi and improve the lives of Hawaii families,” said AlohaCare CEO Francoise Culley-Trotman.…