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Author Archives: layout@themolokaidispatch.com

Masks No Longer Required Outside

Wednesday, June 2nd, 2021

By Catherine Cluett Pactol

Molokai logged three new COVID-19 cases last week, bring the island’s total to 79 since the pandemic began. The relatively low case count for the week indicates a decline in the two clusters that skyrocketed the island’s cases in the previous two weeks.

Last week, Gov. David Ige lifted the statewide mask mandate for all individuals outdoors, effective immediately. Mask wearing is still highly recommended outdoors when in large groups. The indoor mask mandate remains unchanged.

“The virus is still circulating in our community, and unvaccinated people are particularly at risk,” said Gov. Ige. “Until more people are vaccinated, we must continue to take precautions indoors and outdoors in large groups for the safety of our loved ones, neighbors and communities.”…

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Hawaiian Electric Urges Hurricane Preparedness

Wednesday, June 2nd, 2021

Hawaiian Electric News Release

The 2021 Central Pacific hurricane season starts on June 1 and Hawaiian Electric is advising customers, both residential and commercial, to be prepared and have emergency plans in place.

Hawaiian Electric crews work year-round to harden the company’s five island grids so they are better able to withstand the effects of powerful storms. A major focus of Hawaiian Electric’s efforts to build resilience involves reinforcing poles, lines and other equipment. The utility also spent $18 million in 2020 to clear trees and vegetation from around power lines and equipment, resulting in fewer and briefer outages during storms.…

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OHA Awards Nonprofit Grants

Wednesday, May 26th, 2021

OHA News Release

A Molokai program is among 14 nonprofit organizations statewide that received grant awards from the Office of Hawaiian Affairs totaling $1.25 million that will support the Native Hawaiian community through its new ‘Ohana and Community Program Grants. The funding is intended to help reinforce and strengthen Native Hawaiians’ ‘ohana (family), moʻomeheu (culture) and ʻaina (land and water).

On Molokai, Maui Family Support Services, Inc., is awarded $41,199 for their “Ho‘owaiwai Kaiaulu Project – Molokai” to provide a continuum of programs to strengthen the physical and mental wellbeing of Native Hawaiian ‘ohana and keiki, to increase their social and emotional competence, and improve ‘ohana strengths and resilience.…

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Pass Automatic Voter Registration

Wednesday, May 26th, 2021

In 2020, at the height of the pandemic, Hawaii instituted for the first time ever, an all mail-in voting system which resulted in the state recording its highest rate of voter participation since 1994. Last year, Maui County tallied a 42.7 percent voter turnout at the primary and a 66.4 percent turnout at the general election — a respective increase of 6.5 percent and 14 percent from the previous election.

Surely other factors influenced voter motivation in 2020, but the transition to an all mail-in ballot system was likely the largest contributor to the record turnout. Although this boost is encouraging, Hawaii’s voter turnout rates still score among the lowest in the nation.…

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Firewise Success

Wednesday, May 26th, 2021

Saturday, May 1 was Wildfire Community Preparedness Day, a national campaign that encourages people and organizations everywhere to come together on a single day to take action to raise awareness and reduce wildfire risks. Paniolo Hale was awarded $500 from State Farm for the removal of stored fuel sources that could potentially ignite due to embers or radiant heat.

Mahalo nui loa to all for making the 2021 Wildfire Community Preparedness Day possible: The Molokai Dispatch and Hawaiian Wildfire Management Organization (HWMO) for getting the word out; Paniolo Hale owners for your participation and the Firewise Committee for the many hours that went into organizing this event; Cameron Chemical Corporation (CCC) and Molokai Recycling, Refuse and Landfill for taking care of the materials; and to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) and State Farm for sponsoring the 2021 Prep Day.…

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Laptops for Molokai Moms

Wednesday, May 26th, 2021

Laptops for Molokai Moms

Keani Rawlins-Fernandez News Release

Shortly after Mother’s Day, on May 14, Maui County Council Vice-Chair Keani Rawlins-Fernandez distributed 20 Dell laptops provided by the Hawaii Commission on the Status of Woman through the generous donation of a private citizen, and a freight transportation donation by Mokulele Airlines from Maui to Molokai.

The Commission made these computers available to moms and female caregivers to ensure digital equity, particularly after the COVID-19 pandemic shifted the way we work, learn, pay bills, and live. It made technology even more critical to survival.

Through the help of a selection committee, applications were reviewed and scored based on specific criteria.…

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Go for the Green Scholarships

Wednesday, May 26th, 2021

Go for the Green Scholarships

Rotary Club News Release

The Rotary Club of Lahaina Sunset announces the recipients of the two “Go for the Green” $2,500 scholarships. These scholarships are being offered to the selected students who will be attending an accredited college and must be pursuing a field of study that will benefit the environment. Reese Raguindin from Molokai High School and Manuel Kupa`a Castro from Lahainaluna High School were the recipients of the 2021 Go for the Green scholarships.

Raguindin will be attending Pacific University in Forest Grove, Oregon. She will be majoring in education. She earned a 4.167 grade point average while being a leader in student government and various organizations at Molokai High.…

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Pitching Our Tents

Wednesday, May 26th, 2021

Opinion by Father Pat Killilea, St. Francis Church, Kalaupapa

You may have heard the one about the detective who, on being interviewed by a friend, was asked why he stayed in a tent. He responded that he was under cover. When I think of a tent, I usually think of a scout troop or an army platoon pitching their tents under the wild blue yonder. I think of the tinkers, the Irish traveling folk, who pitched their tents on the side of the road and made tin cans for the local people. I think also of the apostles, Peter, James and John, on the mountain of Jesus’ transfiguration.…

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MHS Class of 2021: A Year of Challenges and Firsts

Wednesday, May 26th, 2021

MHS Class of 2021: A Year of Challenges and Firsts

By Catherine Cluett Pactol

It was the first time a Molokai High School commencement ceremony was held on the football field. The first class to graduate after a full year under pandemic conditions. And graduation represented the first time the class had officially been together all year.

Last Saturday’s graduation ceremony for the school’s 66 seniors was like no other. Though Farmer pride shone through, it was somewhat muted by the strict protocols of a COVID-19 ceremony. Graduates waited for the ceremony to begin in their cars in the parking lot, accompanied by only two attending family members. In a carefully orchestrated and secured process, they entered the football field one by one, sanitizing hands as they walked through the gate, and sat down to face their family members on chairs spaced six feet apart.…

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Molokai Clusters Identified, Expanded

Wednesday, May 26th, 2021

Molokai Clusters Identified, Expanded

By Catherine Cluett Pactol

As of last Friday, 24 COVID-19 cases on Molokai in the last two weeks have been identified as part of two separate clusters. The total number of cases since the pandemic have risen to 76 as of Sunday, according to the Dept. of Health. Nineteen cases are related to a Molokai General Hospital construction cluster that began when a Maui contractor working at the site tested positive on May 11. Five cases have been identified by DOH contact tracers as a separate restaurant cluster.

Maui District Health Officer Dr. Lorrin Pang said last Friday he believes the clusters to be “contained,” meaning contact tracers had found no “surprises” or outliers from known clusters, or new clusters, for several days.…

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