Author Archives: Catherine Cluett Pactol

Kaunakakai Harbor Improvements Meeting This Wednesday

Tuesday, May 15th, 2012

DLNR News Release

The Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR) will conduct a public
information meeting in Kaunakakai on Wednesday, May 16, to provide information on planned construction activities for improvements to the commuter ferry (Molokai to Maui) and the impact to harbor operations.

“DLNR is the lead agency coordinating the design and construction of this major project, in coordination with the state Department of Transportation-Harbors Division, which manages the commercial harbor side,” said William J. Aila. “Public use of this essential harbor will continue during construction.”

The meeting will take place from 5 to 7 p.m. at the Mitchell Pau‘ole Center, 90 Ainoa St.…

Kanemitsu Bakery to Appeal $90,000 Fine

Sunday, May 13th, 2012

Dept. of Health cites sanitation violations

Kanemitsu Bakery plans to appeal $90,000 of fines in violations issued after failing to suspend operations for two days in March following a Department of Health (DOH) order. Kanemitsu Bakery, makers of the famous Molokai hot bread, distributes its products statewide. Customers have been giving their specialty breads rave reviews for over 75 years, but the DOH’s reaction wasn’t so enthusiastic.

“On March 7, an inspection by the DOH uncovered serious deficiencies in the maintenance and manufacturing practices conducted at the facility,” stated a DOH press release. Violations included improper cleaning of cooking implements, inadequate control of rodents, lack of hot water, and general unsanitary conditions.…

Women’s Bamboo & Mud Building Apprenticeship

Wednesday, May 9th, 2012

Kleiwerks International News Release

Women who want to learn natural building techniques have a unique opportunity at their doorstep this fall on Molokai. Kleiwerks International’s Women of the Americas Sustainability Initiative (WASI) is hosting a three-month Women’s Bamboo & Mud Building Apprenticeship. During the apprenticeship from September 15 through December 15 that brings together a group of Native Hawaiian and off-island women to live, learn and build. Apprentices will construct a start-to-finish prototype house for island residents, build a permanent community commons, develop leadership skills by facilitating local groups and working as a team, gain understanding of how one community is facing issues of “development,” and engage multimedia storytelling strategies to share with larger audiences.…

Living Well with Arthritis Workshop

Wednesday, May 9th, 2012

County of Maui News Release

If you or a loved one lives with arthritis, a workshop coming to Molokai may help you learn a better lifestyle. The County of Maui Department of Housing and Human Concerns’ Office on Aging is sponsoring a “Better Choices, Better Health” Living Well with Arthritis self-management workshop beginning on Thursday, May 10 on Molokai.

The Living Well with Arthritis Workshop focuses specifically on the unique challenges faced by individuals that live with arthritis and related conditions such as fibromyalgia, osteoarthritis which cause stiffening of the bones and joints.

The workshops consist of a series of six classes that focus on learning and implementing practical skills used to stay healthy and control symptoms through relaxation, nutrition, improved communication skills, medication management, exercise and more.…

Goodbye to Crystal Meth

Wednesday, May 9th, 2012

Community Contributed

By Pukanala Alcon

My dearest, most beautiful, most precious, most dependable Crystal Meth or so I thought you were. You and I’ve been together since I was 13 years old. I thought you were meant for me and I was meant for you. When I first started hanging with you, you made me feel like Superman. During my adolescent years there wasn’t a problem I couldn’t handle or a mountain too high to climb. I could overcome anything as long as I had you by my side.

After a couple of years together, you became the most important thing in my life.…

Letter: SB2785 Passes the Senate

Wednesday, May 9th, 2012

By Cheryl Corbiell

Mahalo to all those who testified in opposition to Senate Bill 2785, a bill which, according to legislators, provides a framework for Big Wind. Legislatures commented about all your calls, letters, visits and emails – we got their attention.

The bill passed at the very last minute, with acknowledgements of our concerns. The senate floor discussion on SB2785 centered on opposition from Lanai and Molokai. Senators Hee, Chun Oakland and Slom voted “no”, and we congratulate and thank them for having courage to say NO. Ten senators voted “with reservations,” which means that a majority of the Senate had problems with this bill.…

Kawela Bridge Replacement Underway

Wednesday, May 9th, 2012

For years, Kawela residents living along the highway about five miles east of Kaunakakai have experienced flooding of Kawela Stream during heavy rains. Now, the year-and-a-half process of replacing the Kawela Bridge has begun, which state Department of Transportation (DOT) officials say should improve water flow and mitigate future flooding.

Construction of the new bridge is scheduled to continue through January 2014, according to a statement from Goodfellow Bros., the Molokai company contracted to complete the work. The $8.4 million project is being paid for with $6.5 million in federal funds, $1.6 million in state money, and some additional funding, according to DOT spokesperson Michael Moscati.…

Ka Hula Piko 2012

Sunday, May 6th, 2012

Ka Hula Piko 2012

The annual three-day Ka Hula Piko festival brought locals and visitors together to celebrate the birth place of hula on Molokai. This year’s theme was “Lei `ia Molokai ke aloha hulu mamo,” or “Molokai wreath in the love of the ancestors.” In honor of the kupuna, this year’s first Creative Keiki Contest featured posters, poems and essays expressing what their kupuna means to them. Check later this week for contest winners.

Saturday’s event, held at Mitchell Pauole Center, showcased a variety of halau and traditions.

Dancers of Oahu-based Hula Halau Kukunaokala performed ancient hula centering around Molokai. The halau was founded in 1977 by the late Kumu Hula John Kaimikaua to carry on the hula traditions of this island.…

IAM Launches International Petition to Stop Undersea Cable

Thursday, May 3rd, 2012

I Aloha Molokai News Release

I Aloha Molokai (IAM) has launched a worldwide petition to stop Gov. Neil Abercrombie’s multi-billion-dollar Big Wind Interisland Cable boondoggle. Gov. Abercrombie, Hawaiian Electric Company (HECO) and some House and Senate members are now finalizing legislation that would allow the project to fast-track without sufficient environmental analysis or public review.

Noting the project’s huge potential impacts on whales and “critically endangered Hawaiian monk seals – one of the rarest marine mammals in the world – as well as five species of sea turtles, three species of dolphins, and hundreds of other marine species,” the petition adds that the project “will be rubber-stamped without due process – without public input from residents of Hawaii and, not to mention, everyone worldwide who wants to protect whales, sea turtles, seals, and dolphins.”…

Free Spays in May

Wednesday, May 2nd, 2012

Free Spays in May

Molokai Humane Society News Release

The Molokai Humane Society is pleased to announce that for the month of May, all wahine cat and dog spays will be offered free of charge (additional fees for vaccines and pain medications may apply.) This procedure normally costs $20 for cats and $30 for dogs.

This operation can safely be performed on animals as early as eight weeks of age. Molokai does not have an animal shelter, and spaying and neutering is the only way to end overpopulation.

Call 558-0000 to make an appointment. All feral cats must come in a humane trap.…