• Failure notice from provider:
    Connection Error:http_request_failed

  • Submission Deadlines

    Advertising

    Thursday 4pm

    November 21, 2024

    Content

    Friday 4pm

    November 15, 2024

    To print on:

    Wednesday

    November 20, 2024

  • Join us on Facebook Follow us on Twitter Follow us on Google Plus Subscribe via RSS

Author Archives: Megan Stephenson

Veterans Corner

Monday, February 28th, 2011

Column submitted by Jesse Church

The commander of the Molokai Veterans Caring for Veterans Larry Helm recently had heart surgery to replace a heart valve. He came through the surgery well, and was out of bed, taking a short walk two days later. Larry was released from the hospital after a one week stay, and is now recuperating at home, going to physical therapy and is doing very well.

The Molokai Veterans Caring for Veterans lawsuit is moving along, with lawyers on both sides currently in negotiations; both parties have made a settlement offer. Hopefully the lawyers will be able to hammer out an agreement, and we can begin construction on the Veterans Center.

Posted in comments1 Comments

Tutu’s Corner

Monday, February 28th, 2011

Tutu’s Corner

Community Contributed

Column by Tutu and Me

Po`okela means excellence, to exceed, to excel. In the Hawaiian culture, everyone has not only their kuleana, responsibility, but also an understanding that we should do more than what is expected whenever possible.  It’s a feeling in your na`au (literally: guts; figuratively: of the heart or mind) that you should do not only what is asked, but to perform beyond what is expected. In school, it means doing assignments not only thoroughly, neatly, and turning it in on time but putting a cover on the report, adding illustrations and doing extra research. The same is true in the workplace – not only performing up to expectations but taking the initiative to do more than you are asked. This is po`okela.


Getting keiki out of the house in the morning is a challenging task. Getting to Tutu and Me consistently is good. Getting to Tutu and Me and being on time for the morning circle is superb. Attending consistently and arriving on time with both caregiver and keiki smiling and ready to go is po`okela.

All of the wonderful toys and equipment at the Tutu and Me site are fabulous. All of the “homemade” activities – the cardboard box canoe, refrigerator, puppet theater, etc. are awesome. The extra effort the staff gives in creating these things is from their hearts, and with aloha is po`okela.

Try This at Home:
•    In daily activities with your keiki, po`okela should be recognized and praised.
•    Po`okela is learned through observation and modeling.  When a task has been completed well, describe and explain this to your keiki. For example: “Look! Daddy washed the car. Not only the outside but the inside too. He did a really good job, didn’t he?”
•    Recognize and praise keiki when they do something well. For example: “You not only put away your toys but your sister’s as well! That’s an excellent job!”

Remember: Kulia i ka nu`u – Strive to reach the highest. Motto of Queen Kapi`olani.

Contributions from Tutu and Me Traveling Preschool, a program of Partners in Development Foundation.  Tutu and Me is funded through a grant from the U.S. Department of Education.

Posted in , , commentsAdd your comment

A Molokai Wind Farm

Monday, February 28th, 2011

A Molokai Wind Farm

Community Contributed

By Steve Morgan

Unlike Molokai, land on Lanai has already been designated for the purpose of the wind farm. As a result, the process on Lanai has progressed further than that on our island. Referencing Lanai issues will hopefully help us in making evaluations for our own island.

How much land will the Lanai wind farm require?
According to Castle and Cooke, majority landowner of Lanai, the maximum amount of land that will be used will be 12,800 acres.

What benefits are being offered to the people of Lanai in return for the construction of a wind farm on their island?

Based on the Jan. 11 presentation given by Harry Saunders of Castle and Cook, a basic summary of the combined benefits being offered to the Lanai community are as follows:
-    Make  Lanai utility rates the same as Oahu rates
-    Make Lanai electric grid 100 percent green by 2020
-    Maintain public access for hunting and fishing
-    Infuse money into weakened tourist industry in order to maintain jobs
-    Improve existing water infrastructure including $500,000 annual investment for improvements
-    $250,000 annual investment into watershed preservation
-    1 percent gross revenue to establish community benefit fund  for broad range of community projects, as decided by the community
-    $100,000 annual investment to Lanai Cultural and Heritage Center
-    Road Improvements
According to Mr. Saunders, these benefits would be included in a Purchase Power Agreement (PPA) making these benefits legally binding.

What is the response of the Lanai community?
According to “Lanaians for Sensitive Growth” (LSG), a 25-year-old community advocacy organization, complete support for the wind farm project is found only within a small percentage of Lanai residents. Combining dozens of small group sessions, and a random survey of approximately 400 homes in Lanai covering a broad demographic spectrum, the survey by LSG determined the following statistics:
-    7 percent in complete support
-    23 percent support with reservation
-    21 percent opposed
-    36 percent need more information
-    13 percent other
The official statement made by LSG at this time is, “We do not feel that the potential benefits outweigh the environmental, cultural, social and economic impacts to Lanai and the community.” At the Jan. 11 Senate hearing, Reynold Gima, president of LSG, requested that the senators at the meeting engage more fully with the Lanai community, concluding “Do with us, don’t do to us!”

Is there a Lanai governing body that will be involved in the decision making process on Lanai?
No, currently there is no such governing body. Using the county process, the intention of LSG is to designate land in the area of the proposed windmills to the zoning categories of “Open Space One and Open Space Two.” According to LSG, through such a designation, the Lanai Planning Commission would have jurisdiction over some areas of the wind farm.

For more info in regard to opposition of the Lanai wind farm go to friendsoflanai.org

Posted in , , commentsAdd your comment

Preserving Forgotten History

Monday, February 28th, 2011

By Associated Press and Molokai Dispatch staff

Not many people in or outside of Hawaii know the state hosted internment camps – preliminary studies have identified 13 sites in Hawaii where people were confined for varying lengths of time between the 1941 start of the war and the war's end in 1945.

Honouliuli Gulch on Oahu, which held 1,200 people between 1943 and 1945, was the largest camp in Hawaii.

The National Park Service is holding public meetings over the next month to get input on internment camps in Hawaii during World War II to help it determine the best way to preserve these sites and share their history.

Posted in , commentsAdd your comment

Springing into Play

Monday, February 28th, 2011

Springing into Play

Heading out of winter and into the hot summer months, student athletes at Molokai High School are preparing to end the current school year proudly, representing tennis, track and field, and baseball.

Tennis
With a first year coach and a team mainly comprised of new players, the boys and girls tennis team are ready to break new ground.

“They’re all fresh, [and] that’s the best kind,” said coach Katie Brind. “I can show them the correct form.”

Brind, who has been playing tennis since she was six, joined the team this year after watching her niece play last year.

She is joined by returning volunteer assistant coach, Renee Montizor, who said the team did very well learning the fundamentals over the past few weeks. Montizor said Brind has just finished ranking the players, which matches players based on their skill sets, to determine how they will play in their matches. Also because the team is novice, they will mostly play in double sets.

.”

Kikukawa is joined by eight other athletes, including those training for the ‘field’ part of track and field. Assistant coach Rodney Nelson will be training freshman Rendy Jacobs in the shot-put, and senior Kalei Adolpho will be training again for her state-qualifying high jump. Adolpho, who recently signed an athletic scholarship to play volleyball next year at the University of Hawaii-Manoa, qualified for the state championships in the high jump after just one meet – the Maui Interscholastic League (MIL) championships.

The track and field team will head to Maui on March 11 for their first meet at War Memorial stadium.

Posted in , commentsAdd your comment

Molokai Leader in Hawaii Swimming

Monday, February 28th, 2011

Molokai Leader in Hawaii Swimming

As he lowers the goggles to his eyes, adjusting them one last time, Ilia Reyes has one goal in mind – beat 20 seconds in his 50-yard freestyle.

The officials tell the swimmers to ‘take their mark,’ and all swimmers crouch into start position; a loud buzz announces the start.

With arms like windmills, Molokai-born Reyes edges out seven other top swimmers to take first place, touching out second place by mere milliseconds. His time: 19.78 seconds. The University of Hawaii-Manoa (UH) swimmer was at the Conference-USA Championship at the University of Houston in Texas last week.

“Winning the 50 [freestyle]; bringing home a championship trophy; I’m just excited,” Reyes said in a phone interview last week from Houston. He said this was the first time UH has ever won a conference championship in swimming.

Reyes said it was the “family-oriented” training at UH that got him to this point.


Next up: the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) championships starting March 24. Reyes said he won’t know until results for the PAC-10 conference are posted if he qualified, but that he hopes to be swimming in the big meet. After that, Reyes has some Olympic-sized dreams.

“There’s always another step, a best time, but I look at it and I can be better,” Reyes said. “There’s always another level.”

Reyes will finish up his studies next fall, graduating with a bachelor’s in kinesiology and rehabilitation science. In the meantime, he said he will continue to train for national competitions and for the Olympic trials, set for June 2012.

“He’s been doing what it takes,” Flanagan said. “You get what you put into it, and he’s been putting a lot of time and effort…he deserves every bit of what he’s getting.”

His first coach said it’s a great accomplishment for Molokai to competing at a collegiate level in the first place.

“The magnitude of where he is as far as swimming goes on Molokai, I don’t think is paralleled by any other swimmer,” Yomemura added.

Posted in comments1 Comments

Dancing under the Stars

Monday, February 28th, 2011

Special Olympics Molokai hosted their sixth annual “Dancing Under the Stars” fundraiser at Hotel Molokai on Feb. 5, 2011.  Upon entering, couples were invited to register for our first “Dance Couple Contest” which lasted for 45 minutes non-stop.  Six couples danced their hearts off, but the winning couple was Tina Aki and Richard Rodriguez, proving they have the stamina and vibrance to have won. Thanks all those who donated, volunteered or contributed in anyway to make our dinner, dancing, silent auction and lucky drawing a success. 

Posted in , commentsAdd your comment

Need a Website?

Monday, February 28th, 2011

I have lived on the Big Island for 20-plus years and my plan was to move to Molokai when I retire and start a small web business there. Unfortunately, my life took a different turn. I have owned the http://molokaiweb.com domain name forever; it was part of my future plans, but since I will not be moving there I won't need it anymore. I probably could sell it on the domain name market for a decent amount of money, but then it would just become a click-an-ad page for some mainland firm. I think it should remain in local hands. If anyone on Molokai has use for it, feel free to contact me at johnrabi@yahoo.com.

Mahalo and aloha!
John S. Rabi

Posted in , commentsAdd your comment

Molokai Ranch Water Wars

Monday, February 28th, 2011

Well here we go again, another chapter in the never-ending battle over Molokai’s precious limited water.

West Molokai gets the bulk of its drinking water from Well 17, which is located next to Kualapu`u town. The use of this Well 17 has been illegal for the past four years. How can this be? It must be politics. Try to go to our courthouse on Tuesdays and see if any one who does illegal things can get away with it… I don’t think so!

Posted in , commentsAdd your comment

Do We Really Need the Molokai Community Health Center?

Monday, February 28th, 2011

With my deep respect to these who initiated the MCHC – I beg to differ with them.
We should read the article written by Sen. Fred Hemmings to the Dispatch about three or four years ago. It tells us the real picture of Molokai – Molokai really needs help, but not health care providers like the MCHC.

Posted in , commentsAdd your comment