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Author Archives: Catherine Cluett Pactol

Students Receive Scholarships

Wednesday, May 20th, 2026

Students Receive Scholarships

By Dayanti Karunaratne

A scholarship can make college more affordable, and in many cases possible, by helping to cover tuition and other expenses. It also reduces students’ stress and helps them to focus on their studies rather than financial worries. Some scholarships target minorities and underrepresented groups as a way of leveling social justice.

The Molokai High School Library was transformed for the school’s annual Scholarship Award Ceremony May 15, when several graduating seniors accepted an array of different scholarships worth tens of thousands of dollars in front of about 50 family and friends. 

“If you are diligent, you will be rewarded, you will be supported, and you will endure to the end, until your goal is achieved,” said Mikiʻala Pescaia, one of the presenters for the scholarships. …

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‘We Are Polynesia’ Wraps Up May Day in Kaunakakai

Wednesday, May 20th, 2026

‘We Are Polynesia’ Wraps Up May Day in Kaunakakai

By Léo Azambuja

An impressive display of cuteness and cultural affirmation by kindergarteners and elementary school students from Kaunakakai Elementary School before hundreds of parents, relatives and friends closed this year’s May Day celebrations last week.

“Let us begin the dancing and excitement by traveling to Tahiti. The kindergarteners from kumu Tere Neuhart and Ms. Kini will begin the dancing. The kindergartners will entertain you with a fun number entitled Tahiti, Tahiti,” the emcee for the school’s 2026 May Day Program said before the first of 11 performances May 15.

This year’s theme for Kaunakakai School’s May Day, “We Are Polynesia,” took the audience through several Polynesian cultures, including Tahiti, Tonga, Samoa, Cook Islands, Fiji, New Zealand and, of course, Hawaii. …

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What Does Community Governance Look Like for Molokai? 

Thursday, May 14th, 2026

Molokai Bahá’í Community Media Release

“Ea: Community Governance” will be the topic of a community talk story at the Molokai Public Library on Wednesday, May 20 at 5:30 p.m. This session, presented by Zhantell Dudoit Lindo and Kawaipuna Kalipi of Molokai Heritage Trust, explores how communities build the capacity, structures, and collective responsibility needed to steward our own lands, resources, and future.

Molokai Heritage Trust is rooted in the belief that our communities already hold the knowledge needed to reshape our future. This workshop explores community governance as a living, place-based practice grounded in ʻāina. Participants will reflect on how governance begins within ʻohana and grows through relationships across neighborhoods, districts, and island-wide networks.…

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Early Childhood Services Director Amaral Retiring

Thursday, May 14th, 2026

Early Childhood Services Director Amaral Retiring

MEO News Release

Thousands of Maui County residents from low-income families can thank Maui Economic Opportunity Director of Early Childhood Services Debbi Amaral — who will be retiring later this month — for getting a “head start” with subsidized preschool.

For the last 30 years, Amaral has devoted her life to providing quality childcare, education and family support and has helped families and children weather community and personal crises. She has been director of Head Start programs on Maui and Molokai for 3-and-4-year-olds and the Kahi Kamaliʻi Infant Toddler Center at the J. Walter Cameron Center in Wailuku for the last 21 years.…

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Molokai High’s Class of 2026 Graduation Details

Thursday, May 14th, 2026

Molokai High School News Release

Molokai High School is proud to announce the commencement ceremony for the Class of 2026. The traditional ceremony will take place on Friday, May 22, at 4 p.m. at the Molokai High School Athletic Field.

The community is invited to join the celebration in person (limited seating available) or virtually via a comprehensive livestream provided by Akakū. Viewers can tune in through:

Television: Akakū Channel 54 Digital: The “Maui Stream” app or akaku.org Social Media: Maui/Molokai Akakū Facebook pages and YouTube channel

To ensure a smooth start to the festivities, gates for ticketed seating will open at 3:15 p.m.…

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Kilohana School Spring Bazaar

Thursday, May 14th, 2026

Kilohana School Spring Bazaar

By Léo Azambuja

For many years, the Kilohana School Spring Bazaar has been the main fundraiser for this charming elementary school in Manaʻe. Aside from that, it’s a really fun and popular family event attended by hundreds of people each year.

“This is the Kilohana School Spring Bazaar. It’s been going on for about 40 years,” said Lacey Phifer, a Kilohana School alumni, tutor and the head organizer for this year’s bazaar May 9. “It’s my first year doing it. This is to fundraise for our school’s activities.”

The proceeds, she said, go toward the school’s supplies, field trips, bus services, Christmas program and other holidays, and the bazaar itself.…

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Lānaʻi Air Is Coming to Molokai

Wednesday, May 13th, 2026

Lānaʻi Air Is Coming to Molokai

By Léo Azambuja

Lānaʻi Air recently announced it will start operating daily flights from Molokai to Honolulu this summer. Aside from providing an alternative to Mokulele Airlines, company officials said the larger planes will offer a more comfortable experience, plus the new service will create several jobs for island residents. 

“We’re excited about getting to start service to Molokai,” said Kurt Matsumoto, president of Pulama Lānaʻi, Lānaʻi Air’s parent company.

Lānaʻi Air Operations Director Jolette Silva said they will start with four daily flights to Honolulu by mid-August — two in the morning and two in the late afternoon. 

The flights will be on a 19-seater Cessna Sky Courier 408, a twin-engine, high-wing turboprop aircraft designed for regional commuter operations and cargo.…

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Molokai Educational Resource Experience

Wednesday, May 13th, 2026

Molokai Educational Resource Experience

By Léo Azambuja

Greased pigs, a giant tortoise, tiny chicks, a loving kitten and a trained K9. A firetruck, an ambulance and a chopper. Musicians, pilots, hospice workers, police, firefighters, nurses, dentists and builders. Watermelons, lau lau, ahi poke and musubi. A castle and hay bales.

“It’s the Molokai Educational Resource Experience. We started five years ago with about four people. In the first event, we had 800; now we are over 2,000 people,” volunteer Rosie Davis said.

The Fifth Annual Molokai Educational Resource Experience presented by the Molokai Homestead Farmers Alliance at Lanikeha Community Center May 9 was busy from the get-go at 9 a.m.…

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Digital Literacy Classes for Nāʻiwa Homesteaders

Wednesday, May 6th, 2026

NASA Press Release

Māpunawai is a Hawaiʻi-based nonprofit focused on closing the digital divide by providing culturally responsive digital literacy training, tools, and support—especially for kūpuna, rural residents, and underserved communities. 

Working with libraries and community partners across the state, it has served over 10,000 people through hands-on education and technology access programs.

The Nāʻiwa Agricultural Subdivision Alliance supports lessees and beneficiaries of the Nāʻiwa Agricultural Subdivision in achieving homeownership and sustaining subsistence farming through home builder assistance and farm development programs.

In early 2026, a joint initiative delivered basic digital literacy training to Nāʻiwa homesteaders, including access to laptops and Wi-Fi hotspots to support connectivity in their remote subdivision near Hoʻolehua Airport.…

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FEMA Deadline for Kona Low Assistance Extended

Wednesday, May 6th, 2026

FEMA News Release

Molokai residents affected by the March 10–24 Kona Low flooding now have until June 14, 2026 to apply for FEMA Individual Assistance. 

Under the President’s Major Disaster Declaration, FEMA’s Individual Assistance program is available to help eligible individuals and households with basic, disaster-related needs that are not covered by insurance or other sources.

If you have homeowners’ or renters’ insurance, you should file a claim as soon as possible. By law, FEMA cannot duplicate benefits for losses covered by insurance. If your insurance policy does not cover all your damage expenses, you may be eligible for federal assistance.

How to Apply for FEMA Assistance

Survivors can apply for FEMA Individual Assistance by:

Phone: Calling FEMA’s toll-free hotline at 1-800-621-3362 (1-800-621-FEMA). …
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