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Author Archives: layout@themolokaidispatch.com

Veteran’s Corner

Wednesday, November 30th, 2011

Veteran’s Corner

Hello my beloved veterans and people of Molokai, old Jesse here with all the veterans’ news and upcoming events. I’d like to remind everybody that Wednesday, Dec. 7 is Pearl Harbor Day and this year has a significant meaning. This is the 70th anniversary of the bombing of Pearl Harbor by the Japanese thrusting the United States into World War II. Then President Roosevelt, in a speech to the American people the day after the sneak attack, called Sunday Dec. 7, 1941 a day which will live in infamy. On this day let’s remember the more than two thousand Americans that lost their lives that day.

This next piece is about a local World War II veteran of Molokai and commander of the local VFW Post #3870. Recently, Mr. George S. Harada, a former member of the 442nd Regimental Combat Team traveled with a large group of veterans to Washington D.C. with his friends and peers. At our nation’s capital there was a ceremony at Emancipation Hall where representatives of the 100th and 442nd Regimental Combat Teams along with members of the Military Intelligence Service were presented with the Congressional Gold Medal by Speaker of the House, Rep. John Boehner. The actual medal will be enshrined at the Smithsonian Institute in Washington D.C. for all Americans to see. After the ceremony, members of the three groups were left wondering why the AJA (Americans of Japanese Ancestry) have not been so honored. The veterans of the three groups, along with the veterans from the Navajo Code Talkers and The Tuskagee Airmen who were previously so honored, may purchase a replica of the medal. However an anonymous donor, donated 500 medals to the veterans, and George was one of the veterans that received one. George, all of the residences of Molokai are exceedingly proud of you and send a big mahalo.

The local VFW Post 3870 will have their monthly meeting on Tuesday, Dec. 13 at 12:30 p.m. at Commander George Harada’s home. If you have any questions, please call the commander at 553-5730. If you would like to volunteer to help on the new vet center, please come to the veteran’s center and see Mac Poepoe on Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. when the center is open. I trust that everyone had a very Happy Thanksgiving and ate lots of turkey and ham. In our hurried lives, especially around this holiday season, please let’s not forget our troops around the world, including all the men and women who are in harm’s way, protecting our lives. We send them a big mahalo, and to the veterans and all the people of Molokai, you are truly the best and I love you all. If anyone needs any help, please give old Jesse a call at 553-3323.

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Learning All Summer Long

Monday, October 31st, 2011

Learning All Summer Long

Community Contributed by Kalei “Pumpkin” Moss

This past June, school may have ended for the summer but classes were still being held through the 21st Century Grant program.  Kaunakakai, Kilohana and Maunaloa Elementary Schools all held programs over the summer to help keep our children engaged and learning while school was out.

Kaunakakai Elementary School held classes that included violin with teacher Lauren Fischer, Nutrition and P.E. with teacher Ui Kalani and Space Camp with teacher Kawika Gonzales, who actually attended NASA space training.  Through collaboration with Officer Sonnie Ka`ai with the Molokai Police Department, first through sixth grade students were given the opportunity to not only continue learning what they were being taught in school, but also participate in a leadership class.  One day a week, the students were taught by one of four different members/organizations of the community.  Dan Emhoff representing Akaku taught the student how to create public service announcements; Chris Chow and Roselle Kamaile representing Alu Like spoke on drug prevention; Vicki Boswell and Liz Price from Napu`uwai did a heart guardianship program on nutrition and wellness; and Penny Martin representing Papahana Kuaola spoke on being a good steward of our land by being environmental conservationists.  At the end of the summer programs a Ho`oike was held for students to share with their parents and families the work they had accomplished.

Kaunakakai School also held a special week-long drama class that was open to all island students.  Through the direction of artists from the Maui Arts and Culture Center, the drama students acted, sang and even rapped in a play “Aloha Aina,” which showed the importance of taking care of the land through recycling and going “green.”

This summer the Kilohana School students used their creative sides with arts and crafts taught by Wanda Pascua and drawing and painting with Suzanne Olsson.  They were able to get their hands dirty in horticulture classes taught by Valerie Hart where they learned about gardening with worms and how to care for an herb garden.  Students also learned discipline and hard work in a Kenpo class instructed by Randy Foley, and the basics of playing instruments like the viola, violin and cello with Lauren Fischer.

Through a partnership with the Summer P.A.L.S program and the 21st Century Grant, Maunaloa School offered classes for students as well.  Students learned how to cook healthy snacks with Janna Espaniola and hula instruction with Kahana Deknees.  They also had math and reading classes with Lana Freeman, who taught pre-K through third grade and Wendy Espaniola, who taught fourth through sixth grade.

The 21st Century Grant programs are offered year-round at various schools island-wide and strive to offer classes to our students and community members that will assist them with their future endeavors.  Thank you to all those who participated in the summer programs this past year.   If you or your children are interested in participating in the 21st Century Grant program please contact Joshua Adachi at Kaunakakai School at 553-1730 or Sandra Czajkowski at 658-0609 for more information.

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Veteran’s Corner

Monday, October 31st, 2011

Veteran’s Corner

Hello my beloved veterans and people of Molokai, old Jesse here with all the veterans’ news and upcoming events. Veterans Day in the U.S. is Nov. 11 each year. Why this day? Originally, Nov. 11 marked “Armistice Day” commemorating Nov. 11, 1918, the day fighting ended with World War I after the Allied Nations and Germany reached an agreement. In the U.S., Congress established Armistice Day as a national holiday in 1938, according to documents at the Veterans Affairs (VA) Department. But the holiday was later extended to honor all veterans when World War II broke out, crushing the notion of WWI as “the war to end all wars,” VA documents state. In 1954, Congress passed a bill renaming Armistice Day as Veterans Day. Celebrate this day with the Molokai Veterans Caring for Veterans at Ho`olehua Veterans Cemetery on Friday, Nov.11 at 9:30 a.m. and light refreshments will be served. If you would like to volunteer to help, of if you would like to donate juice, coffee, paper plates, cups and other things, call Ted Johns at 558-0312.

Commands across the corps are telling Marines that when in uniform they cannot wear bracelets bearing the names of friends killed in combat. Marine Corps Systems Command, which oversees uniform board policies, says Killed in Action (KIA) bracelets aren’t approved under current regulations. The only related rule dates to 1972 and allows bracelets honoring POWs and MIAs, but not those killed. Times change, and this rule should also. Marines are justifiably angry and confused by the piecemeal enforcement of a rule that few knew existed and makes no sense. A huge part of being a Marine is also remembering those who don’t survive combat. Marines are taught to honor the fallen. Forcing them to hide or remove their bracelets runs counter to the ethos, and defies the Corps’ most sacred values of honor, courage and commitment. Change that rule, now!

The VA wants to talk with women veterans and began calling them in June to gauge their satisfaction with VA health care and inform them of available services. The VA says women represent 6 percent of all veterans using VA health care. “We want the veterans and their caregivers to talk candidly about why they aren’t using VA, whether they are aware of the gender specific services we offer and what additional services they would like to see VA offer,” said Patricia Hayes, chief consultant of the VA’s Women Veterans Strategic Health Care Group. For more information, go to www.va.gov/womenvet.

I would like to remind everyone of the VFW’s monthly meeting on Tuesday, Nov. 8 at 12:30 p.m. at Commander George Harada’s home. If you have any questions please call George at 553-5730. Also, I’d like to remind everyone that John Candello, the veterans advocate, will be on Molokai Nov. 3 and 10 from 7:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. by appointment, call 553-3611. Please let’s not forget our military personnel stationed around the world, and especially those men and women in harm’s way. We send them a big mahalo for all they do, and to our veterans at home for all they have done, and the people of Molokai for supporting them. You are all very special and dear to me, I love you all. Give old Jesse a call at 553-3323.

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Not Just Any Seed

Monday, October 31st, 2011

Not Just Any Seed

Community Contributed by Glenn I. Teves, UH County Extension Agent

Some people think that saving seeds is a waste of time because it’s easier to order them from a seed catalog or pick them up at the nearest supermarket.  It’s not that simple. Some varieties developed for cold climates may not be the best for us.  Good seed must be adapted to our special climate considering all its idiosyncrasies, such as high humidity, warm nights and arid conditions. Not just any seed will do.

Several years ago, a flood ravaged our seed laboratory on the University of Hawaii (UH) Manoa campus. In it is a gold mine of seeds developed in Hawaii, and some are almost impossible to replace. One of them was STEP 305.  Alone, STEP 305 wasn’t considered good enough to be released, but when crossed with a UH tomato named Anahu it produced one of the most prolific and tasty hybrid tomatoes called N-52. Developed in Hawaii, N-52 was resistant to over eight different diseases and also spider mites and root knot nematodes.  We cannot produce N-52 anymore until we find STEP 305, so I decided to track it down.

Cognizant of the fact that since 1970, we have lost 75 percent of our local seed worldwide, I spent a few hours rummaging through another seed reefer on the UH Manoa campus. The magoon lab reefer is the size of a large office where all kinds of vegetable seeds are stored, but not STEP 305.  As I was leaving after lunch, I threw some rubbish in a dumpster outside the reefer. Looking in, I found about 40 pounds of corn seed in large plastic bags. Someone had dumped them a few days earlier. These were not just any old corn seed, but ancient varieties collected from little towns all over Mexico, the ancestral home of corn. Donated by farmers, these seeds were passed down through generations of farmers over hundreds of years. Names like Oaxaca and Reventador, some seeds were gold, others were silver and some were bronze. I thought I had found hidden treasure but I had to put them in the reefer for another day’s work.

Next was checking the USDA Germplasm Laboratory at Cornell University where they store thousands of varieties of vegetable seeds. Looking through their list, I bumped into three Hawaii lettuce varieties. I only heard stories about them from my predecessors, since they were “lost” over 50 years ago, but someone was smart enough to send it to USDA for safekeeping. USDA recently sent me the seed and I’m trying to increase it, and hopefully make it available soon. But still no STEP 305.

After checking other universities that conduct tomato research with no success, I felt I must have overlooked something. Maybe Googling STEP 305 would do it. Low and behold, I find STEP 305 listed in a little seed store in Alsace, France near the Belgium border, so I email the store and I’m waiting for their reply, hopefully in English. It took a while to locate STEP 305, and I still don’t have it my hand, but it’s worth the wait because it’s not just any seed. It’s the parent of N-52.

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“Roi Round-up” Spearfishing Tournament Nov. 6

Monday, October 31st, 2011

The popular “Roi Round-up” Spearfishing Tournament, which first took off on Maui in 2008, is taking place this year in Lahaina on Sunday, Nov. 6. The purpose of the event is to remove invasive fish from the Valley Isle’s reefs, including roi or peacock grouper, to`au or blacktail snapper, and ta`ape or blue-line snapper. All three species were introduced to Hawaiian waters in the 1950s. Approximately 60-80 divers will be competing for top honors in several categories, including Most Fish, Largest Roi and Smallest Roi.

Founders and organizers of the Roi Round-up include Brian Yoshikawa of Maui Sporting Goods, Maui fisherman Darrell Tanaka and his wife Jackie, Stuart Funke-d’Egnuff of Tri-Isle RC&D, and Kuhea Paracuelles, a local conservation professional.

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‘Welcome Home’

Monday, October 31st, 2011

‘Welcome Home’

to withstand weather.”

The grand opening was celebrated by nearly a hundred community members, county officials, retired and active firefighters county-wide, and was honored with artifacts from Molokai’s old fire stations, donated by Molokai Museum and Cultural Center.

“We are honored to have this station her on Molokai. The community is real happy about it too,” said Firefighter I Solomon Maliu Jr. “It’s a blessing.”

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Kioea Declared Official Bird of Kaunakakai

Wednesday, October 26th, 2011

Kioea Declared Official Bird of Kaunakakai

Community Contributed by Arleone Dibben-Young

The proclamation to name the kioea the official bird of Kaunakakai, Molokai, was signed by Maui County Mayor Alan Arakawa and Council Chair Danny Mateo on Oct. 25, making it the second district in the state to declare an official bird. The signing took place at Kaunakakai Elementary School. The proclamation resulted from a petition of more than 1,000 signatures.

 “It was a perfect match,” Mateo said, “as written in the proclamation; its uniqueness reflects the individuality found of Molokaians.”

The kioea (Bristle-thighed Curlew, Numenius tahitiensis) is one of the rarest shorebirds in the world and is found exclusively on tropical Pacific islands and atolls. Ancient Hawaiian poetical sayings unique to Molokai indicate the rare bird was once abundant. “Ku`u manu o o Ho`olehua” was said of the kioea, whose early morning call “Lawelawe ke o! Lawelawe ke o! Take the food! Take the food!” signaled fishermen it was time to go to the sea to go fishing.

A few years ago 46 million Americans claimed to be birders and spent more than $40 billion annually. Since then, birdwatching has soared and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service reports that it is the fastest growing outdoor activity in the U.S. Recent demographics indicate that bird watchers are usually highly educated, affluent, and will travel to remote locations to observe a specific bird or species. Known as avitourism, birders are expected to flock to Molokai as a destination in search of the rare Bristle-thighed Curlew, the island’s kioea.


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Sporting Success

Wednesday, October 26th, 2011

Volleyball: Movin’ Forward

After securing the second berth in the Maui Interscholastic League (MIL) tournament last week, the Molokai High School (MHS) girls’ volleyball team returns to the state championshipWednesday to defend last year’s crown.

The path to states was tougher than years past, as the Farmers lost five of last season’s state champion squad to graduation or transfer. Another, senior Natalia Levi, had her season cut short by a serious foot injury earlier this month.

But coach Matt Helm said the Farmers’ other senior standout, Leenell Hernandez, excelled during last week’s tournament while gracefully leading her younger teammates.

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Cartoon Crafter

Wednesday, October 26th, 2011

Cartoon Crafter

“Someone name an animal,” the presenter asks his audience at the Molokai Public Library last Thursday. Children and adults enthusiastically shout responses as he begins drawing on his easel. What started as disconnected lines and shapes suddenly begin to take form as a joyful lion. This is the world of Oahu-based cartoonist Jon Murakami, and during one of the stops of his seven-library tour around Hawaii – themed “picture it” – he shared a little bit about himself and his creative career.

As a child of the ’70s, Murakami described himself as an “indoor kid” who enjoyed the Sunday funnies. His parents helped push him toward an artistic career which, now 40 years in the making, encompasses artwork for greeting cards, cartoons and children’s books.

For more information on Murakami, visit his website at web.me.com/jonjmurakami/JonJMurakami/Welcome.html.

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Molokai Humane Society First Quarter Report

Wednesday, October 26th, 2011

The Molokai Humane Society (MoHS) started its fiscal year (FY) on July 1 and it is divided into four quarters. On Sept. 30 we ended our first quarter of FY2012. We have had many achievements during our first quarter and have made a positive difference for many animals.

In July we hired a bookkeeper and began utilizing new financial policies and procedures that will allow us to maintain quality records. These records will allow us to apply for additional grant funding as well as report accurately to our current funders. We will also be able to keep track of the services and items we provide to the community.

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