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Author Archives: layout@themolokaidispatch.com

Diane Fumie Akina

Wednesday, December 7th, 2022

Diane Fumie Akina

Diane Fumie Akina (Tokuoka), 76, passed away on Nov. 16, 2022 in Seattle, WA.

Diane was born and raised in Molokai, HI. She moved to the mainland to begin her new journey and made Seattle her home. She worked very hard and retired early from Safeway Company. 

She was an excellent crafter and loved to use her hands to work. She crocheted, sewed, baked and had a green thumb for plants. She was very independent, strong and extremely organized. She was fun and up for anything.  Everyone who met her, loved her.  But most of all, she love, love, loved her family very much. …

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Julie Marie Pierson Place

Wednesday, December 7th, 2022

Julie Marie Pierson Place

Julie Marie Pierson Place, age 66, passed away on Oct. 24, 2022 at Queens Medical Center in Honolulu surrounded by loved ones. She was born Nov. 8, 1955 to Lorel and Frances (Schuler) Pierson in Nampa, Idaho, who have both since passed. She is also predeceased by her husband Rhinehardt K. Place of Ualapue, Molokai. 

Julie graduated from Nampa High School in 1972.  She moved to Molokai in 1984. She worked a while with Hotel Molokai, Molokai Ranch and Molokai Realty. Julie worked for the State of Hawaii until her retirement in December 2021, dedicating 30 years to the Department of Human Services, Child Protection Division where she helped to provide services for foster children.…

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Ethel Hatsumi (Kawakami) Umemoto

Wednesday, December 7th, 2022

Ethel Hatsumi (Kawakami) Umemoto

Beloved mother, grandmother and great grandmother, Ethel Hatsumi (Kawakami) Umemoto, 92, of Molokai Hawaii, passed away peacefully at her residence at Kahala Nui Nursing Home on Oahu on Oct. 28, 2022.  She was born on Oahu on Sept. 22, 1930, to Kiichi Kawakami (deceased), and Hanayo (Morioka) Kawakami (deceased). She is formerly from Kahaluu, Kane’ohe and Waimanalo. 

Ethel retired from the Hawaii State Hospital in Kane’ohe HI in 1993, She was a R.N. Nursing Supervisor.  She also was the vice president of Kahaluu Valley Nursery Inc. Ethel loved to play golf and belonged to Mid Pacific Country Club in Lanikai, Oahu. …

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Pool Closed for Maintenance

Wednesday, December 7th, 2022

Maui County News Release

The Cooke Memorial Pool in Kaunakakai will be closed for deep cleaning of the pool’s surface and restrooms from Dec. 12 through Dec. 14, the Department of Parks and Recreation announced. For those wondering, professionals like pool cleaning service sherman oaks are the trusted experts for providing a thorough, deep cleaning of your pool. With specialized knowledge and experience, they ensure that every inch of your pool is spotless, from the tiles to the filter system. They use advanced equipment to remove debris, scrub pool walls, and clear out the skimmer baskets, ensuring no dirt or grime is left behind.…

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DHHL Temporary Office Closure

Wednesday, December 7th, 2022

DHHL News Release 

The Department of Hawaiian Home Lands’ (DHHL) Molokai District Office will be closed from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 13 through Thursday, Dec. 15 for software training and updates.

Those in need of services from the Department should plan accordingly around the scheduled closures. For more information, call (808) 560-6107.  …

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Partnership Makes Possible Prom Dress Giveaway

Wednesday, December 7th, 2022

MEO News Release 

Maui Economic Opportunity Youth Services on Molokai, The Bella Project Hawaii and Mokulele Airlines are playing Cinderella by offering 75 prom dresses at no cost to Molokai youth, who normally have to travel off-island to purchase their formal wear.

The Oahu-based nonprofit collects donations of dresses, shoes, jewelry and accessories and gives them away to high schoolers. The Bella Project also partners with nonprofit organizations that work with low income, special needs, critically ill and military high schoolers.

Bella means beautiful in many languages; the goal is to create “Bellas of the Ball,” according to the Bella Hawaii program.…

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A’o Aku; A’o Mai: What I Learn, I Teach

Wednesday, December 7th, 2022

A’o Aku; A’o Mai: What I Learn, I Teach

Community Contributed

By Sara Jane Larkin, Teacher

First graders practice what they know all day every day. At Kilohana Elementary School, one way I planned for them to practice their understanding of letters and the sounds they make when put together is writing a haiku.  Haiku demands understanding of syllables.  Syllables are sounds. They are the sounds that make up individual words as opposed to CVC words where each letter makes its own sound. This learning guides early readers into the understanding of digraphs and diphthongs — more than one letter that combine to make a single sound.  Please enjoy our first grade haiku with the prompt, “What about living on Molokai brings you joy?”…

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Murder Investigation in Death of Molokai Woman

Wednesday, November 30th, 2022

By Catherine Cluett Pactol

The investigation is ongoing in the murder of a 43-year-old Molokai woman last week. On Nov. 19 at 5:46 p.m., Molokai emergency dispatchers received a 911 call from a male about a possible murder at his house, according to police. When police officers arrived, they found the lifeless body of a female, who was later identified as Amie Kaholoaa. The man, who police later said was 59-year-old Mariano Garces, could not be found in the area by police.

At 6 a.m. the next day, Garces returned to his house and was placed under arrest for murder in the second degree, according to police.…

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More Partnerships for Mokulele

Wednesday, November 30th, 2022

By Jack Kiyonaga, Community Reporter

As Molokai residents are well aware, flying to and from Molokai is expensive and unreliable.

Roundtrip flights to neighboring islands routinely cost well over $200. Molokai residents have been left holding the bag and wondering when flight service will improve.

Recently, Mokulele Airlines, owned by mainland company Southern Airways, entered into new agreements with Hawaiian and Alaska airlines. The agreements will allow the West Coast based airlines’ customers to book tickets directly to Mokulele destinations – including Molokai.

Southern Airways CEO Stan Little explained that he believes “our airlines working together will advance our shared goal to benefit the people of Hawaii.”…

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Thanksgiving Reflections

Wednesday, November 30th, 2022

By Aka’ula Students

Aka’ula School students reflected on Thanksgiving in the school’s newsletter, reprinted with permission.

The Time of Year

By ‘Ohi’aku Ritte Camara Tangonan, Junior

Thanksgiving, the time of year where the house becomes a five-star restaurant and the most ‘onoest aroma stains the air with only the image of the finished product. Beautiful and scrumdiddlyumptious desserts are baked with aloha over small conversations while keiki are running around having fun. New recipes and new dishes are brought to thought every year and tried by family members and ones that have been least touched, well, you could say, we ain’t seeing that dish next year.…

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