• Failure notice from provider:
    Connection Error:http_request_failed

  • Submission Deadlines

    Advertising

    Thursday 4pm

    January 23, 2025

    Content

    Friday 4pm

    January 24, 2025

    To print on:

    Wednesday

    January 22, 2025

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

Author Archives: Megan Stephenson

Body Found on West End Beach

Wednesday, January 6th, 2010

A 44-year-old man was found on Papohaku Beach last Wednesday morning, Dec. 30. Pending results of an autopsy, cause of death has not been determined.

Rupert Manalili was found in the early morning by two young men who were visiting the island. Molokai Police Detective Eugene Santiago, who is in charge of the investigation, said the men pulled him out of the water and called the authorities. When the first responders arrived, he was declared dead.

Det. Santiago said they don’t know much about Manalili, who was of Filipino descent, but said he had recently moved to Molokai by himself and was looking for work. He had previously lived in several different locations on the mainland. His next of kin has been notified.

The death is still under investigation.

Posted in , commentsAdd your comment

Aunty’s Corner

Wednesday, January 6th, 2010

Aunty’s Corner

Aloha Molokai.  My name is Aunty Kapua.  I have always loved Molokai and when my beloved sister passed away I moved here from Lahaina. I am a kupuna volunteer here at The Molokai Dispatch taking care of the e-mail subscriptions and the hard copy subscriptions. The most fun, however, is stuffing the newspapers with the inserts every Wednesday. 

I thought it would be great to have a column about the doings of us kupuna on Molokai.  To start off I want to thank Misaki’s and Molokai Drugs for their wonderful donations to the Hui at Home Pumehana.  I wish also to thank the staff at Home Pumehana for their hard work for both onolicious Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners that they prepared and served.  Wow, lots of work.

During the holidays, Na Wahine O Molokai, under the direction of Kumu Hula Kauila Reyes, walked around town doing their Christmas caroling.  Akaku Television was there to capture their Christmas cheer on camera.  You can see the kupuna on Channel 54 during Maui Time. It’s really funny to see one’s self on TV.

Last week, Alulike Kupuna Program took the kupuna on a lovely drive to the east end and told us about the different areas. We were quizzed afterwards.  Auwe, all but myself could remember all the places.  I need to get a map and learn what all the ahupua’a are named.
 
If you are interested in submitting to this column please let me know at the Dispatch by calling 552-2781 or stopping in the office on Kamo`i St.

Posted in , , commentsAdd your comment

Seal Slaying

Monday, January 4th, 2010

Seal Slaying

A Molokai monk seal has once again captured the island’s attention – this time for his unfortunate death. A male monk seal that has been known to swim in Molokai waters for the past several years was found dead on Dec. 14, 2009.

NOAA officials say he was intentionally shot, after performing a necropsy, and have opened an ongoing investigation on why and how the animal met its fate. It is against the law to kill an endangered species, like the Hawaiian monk seal, and being found guilty can carry a fine up to $50,000.

are an important part of Hawaiian natural resources,” Schofield said. “They were here before we were.” He added that anyone with any information about this latest incident should call 1-800-853-1964.

 

Posted in , , , , comments1 Comments

Early Christmas for Science

Monday, December 14th, 2009

Early Christmas for Science

Community Contributed
By Dawn Bicoy

Three Molokai teachers got their Christmas presents a little early last week. Malia Lee, Jenny Ainoa and Scott Hemenway were all presented with grants from the Monsanto Hawaii Science Education Grant Fund at the conclusion of last week’s Science Fair.

The grants were awarded for a variety of educational endeavors, including requests for the purchase of digital cameras, science fair supplies, and digital probes for labs to study water quality and oceanography along Molokai’s shores. 

“It’s truly gratifying to see the range of projects and commitment from educators like Malia, Jenny and Scott, who continue to pursue such worthwhile programs despite the tough economic times our state is facing,” said Dawn Bicoy, Monsanto Hawaii’s Molokai Community Affairs manager.

The three award winners were excited about the possibilities it will open for them inside the classroom.

  “We really need the supplies and tools.  Just to have these items in the first place, makes all the difference.  Instead of me doing a demo in front of my students, we can now do it together” said Scott Hemenway, Molokai Intermediate School science teacher. 

The fund is open to public schools serving students at the intermediate, high school and college grade levels on the islands of Molokai, Maui, Kauai and Oahu.  Established in 2005 it was intended to help our Hawaii public schools with programs, tools and supplies, as well as enhance science education and encourage students to consider a future career in the sciences.  It is entirely up to the school, teacher, or parent-teacher association to envision its grant request and apply. 

 “As a company we’re dedicated to scientific research, and we’re proud to be able to support these educators who empower students with science and technology skills.  Their vision is instrumental in creating this partnership so that everyone here on Molokai wins,” Bicoy said. 

For more information on Monsanto Hawaii, visit www.monsanto.com/hawaii

Posted in , , commentsAdd your comment

West End Mansion Still Uncertain

Monday, December 14th, 2009

West End Mansion Still Uncertain

Eight months after being exempted from a Special Management Area (SMA) permit, Pierluigi Zappacosta is no closer to building his proposed 20,000 square foot farm dwelling on Molokai’s west end, nor is his opposition any closer to stopping him.

The Molokai Planning Commission (MoPC) met last week to continue to sort through the tangled web of legal procedures surrounding the controversial project. The commissioners decided they would wait until January to decide whether or not to hear an appeal on their April 22 decision to exempt Zappacosta from obtaining the SMA permit.

or the reasons we made the decision,” said Commissioner Napua Leong. Leong, who spearheaded the motion to allow Morgan’s appeal, asked the appellant to do a better job of capturing the commission’s reasons for allowing the appeal rather than his own.

The commissioners decided that a final decision on whether or not to hear the appeal would be made at their next meeting, schedule for Jan. 13. MoPC Vice-Chair Steve Chaikin said if Morgan’s report was not up to par at that meeting, the group would have to reconsider their decision to let him appeal.

 

Posted in , comments18 Comments

Off to the Capitol

Monday, December 14th, 2009

Off to the Capitol

Washington D.C. is a day of traveling away, but worlds apart from what most Molokai High School students are used to. It has stoplights, an area population in the millions, and museums with artifacts documenting the birth of our nation. But, as these students said, they will have the opportunity to use the nation’s capitol as their classroom to better understand their country.

This year, a record number 23 students from Molokai High School are signed up to participate in Close Up, a nonprofit organization that brings U.S. and international students to visit and study in our nation’s capitol. The week-long excursion will be over spring break in 2010.

The $2500 price tag for the trip is steep, but it comes with the opportunity to discuss and debate domestic and international issues with other students around the country, as well as meet members of Congressional staff, visit museums like the Smithsonian, monuments like the World War II memorial, and government buildings like the Supreme Court. Each student is responsible for raising their own money for the trip.

,” Mokuau said.

The students will be traveling to Washington D.C. from March 14 – 19, and are still actively seeking donations. They will continue to hold fundraisers until their trip, and encourage anyone interested to contribute.

Posted in , , , comments1 Comments

Choke Talent on Molokai

Monday, December 14th, 2009

Choke Talent on Molokai

Nearly 50 students from four Molokai schools participated in this year’s Brown Bags to Stardom talent show last Saturday night, an island-wide talent competition. This was the second year that the competition was open to elementary and middle school students, and the first year that Molokai had all three divisions represented.

Posted in , , comments2 Comments

Too Few Tuna

Friday, December 11th, 2009

Too Few Tuna

NOAA News Release

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is dropping its baseline catch limits for bigeye tuna by 400 metric tons. The new limit applies to the U.S. pelagic longline fisheries in the western and central Pacific Ocean that will stand through 2011. The limits are being placed because the species’ Pacific Ocean population is subject to overfishing.

The rule, published last week in the Federal Register, puts in place catch limits for longline fisheries, which target adult bigeye. Under this rule, the U.S. will reduce its longline catch of bigeye tuna from the 2004 baseline catch of 4,181 metric tons (mt) to 3,763 mt.

Once the 3,763 mt catch limit is reached in any of those years, retaining, shipping or landing bigeye tuna caught in the western and central Pacific Ocean will be prohibited for the remainder of the year, with limited exceptions. The catch limit will not apply to the longline fisheries of American Samoa, Guam or the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.

Members of the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission, the international body which manages highly migratory fish species like bigeye tuna, agreed to the catch limits in both their longline and purse seine fisheries at their meeting last December.

Earlier this year, NOAA published a rule limiting fishing days by purse seine vessels and restricting tuna purse seine sets on floating objects known as fish aggregation devices, in an effort to reduce the catch of juvenile bigeye tuna.

NOAA understands and predicts changes in the Earth’s environment, from the depths of the ocean to the surface of the sun, and conserves and manages our coastal and marine resources. Visit http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov

Posted in , commentsAdd your comment

Keep Molokai Art in Molokai

Friday, December 11th, 2009

Keep Molokai Art in Molokai

Art From the Heart News Release

Molokai Art From the Heart, formerly known as Molokai Artists & Crafters, is committed to promoting the talent so abundantly found on Molokai. We have found a new talent which we would like to share with the rest of our island.

Steve Legare, our retired Fire Captain from Ho`olehua is our latest discovery. Steve has been photographing sunsets for about four years. We could see he had a great artistic eye so we asked him to give acrylic paint a try. His first two paintings of the buildings on Kaunakakai’s Hotel Lane turned out great. The first one was the old Imamura Residence, built in the 1930s. In the second, Legare did a great job of capturing the essence of the old Molokai favorite, hot bread.

We want to encourage him to continue to paint because he has a lot of talent. You can see his work on display at our gallery located next to Misaki’s on Ala Malama Ave. in Kaunakakai. For everyone’s convenience we will be open in the evenings on Wednesdays, Dec. 9 and 16. We are also open every day and evening the week of Christmas.

Posted in , commentsAdd your comment

“Find the Humor”

Friday, December 11th, 2009

“Find the Humor”

Donald Sunshine had one terrible day of traveling. While coming back to Molokai from his other home in Virginia, he and his wife missed their flight from Honolulu to Molokai due to a previous four-hour delay; his luggage was torn to pieces; and his finger slashed open traveling to his hotel. But Sunshine, channeling his last name, was able to laugh it off.

Sunshine shared this story and many more like it in his newest book, “Life’s Moments.” He was at Molokai Public Library last week to discuss the collection of short stories that focus mostly on his grandfather.

“In these troubled times I was inspired by remembering my grandfather and his gift of trying to find the humor in things,” he said.

The book is also filled with life lessons Sunshine picked up on the road. A common theme for Sunshine is traveling, as it lends itself to many horror-turned-humor accounts.

One story which he read to the audience is called “The Reluctant Traveler,” where he recounts his attempts at packing for himself for the first time, and forgets his shorts. They were vacationing in Tahiti.

Joanne Sunshine, who Donald calls his ‘guiding force,’ smiled at these shared memories as they were read and interjected some more humor into the live reading.

The Sunshines’ have lived in Molokai and their farm in the Appalachian Mountains of Virginia for 10 years. He is a Professor Emeritus of architecture at Virginia Tech, and has written several architecture books, five Molokai-focused books (including a themed “Molokai Moments”), and 13 volumes of sketchbooks.

“Life’s Moments” is available at the Big Wind Kite Factory, Molokai Fish and Dive, Molokai Drugs, Coffees of Hawaii, Import Gift Shop and The Local Store (Hotel Molokai).

Sunshine left his audience with some advice.

“I thought it’s a special time when we need faith, hope, and humor,” he said. “I’d like to suggest ‘lighten up.’”

 

Posted in , , , commentsAdd your comment