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Author Archives: Catherine Cluett Pactol

Mrs. Kuulei Virginia Momi Hoe Kanoho

Friday, March 28th, 2025

Mrs. Kuulei Virginia Momi Hoe Kanoho

Mrs. Kuulei Virginia Momi Hoe Kanoho, age 100, of Hilo, Hawaii passed
away on March 1, 2025 in the Hilo Benioff Medical Center. She was born in
Honolulu, Oahu on May 18, 1924 and was a retired nurse for Dr. Wipperman,
Dr. Harvey, Dr. Lane, Dr. Gutteling, Dr. Zelko and Dr. Carpenter. She was
a member of St. Joseph Church in Hilo. Visitation will be held on
Thursday, April 3, 2025 at St. Joseph Church (43 Kapiolani Street) in
Hilo, Hawaii from 8:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m.; funeral mass will begin at 9:30
a.m. Burial will follow at Homelani Memorial Park in Hilo, Hawaii.…

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Ornellas Honored for Work in Civic Education

Friday, March 28th, 2025

Ornellas Honored for Work in Civic Education

Hawaii State Judiciary News Release

Chosen from teachers across Hawaii, Molokai High School (MHS) teacher Ric Ornellas was honored by the Hawaii House of Representatives, along with the Commission to Promote and Advance Civic Education (PACE), for his work in civic education and for inspiring a sense of civic responsibility and community in his students.

Ornellas was recognized along with four other Hawaii teachers: Jessica dos Santos, Denise Mazurik, Janyce Omura, and ʻImaikalani Winchester.
“Mr. Ornellas is very deserving,’ said MHS Principal Katina Soares. “He has been an indispensable pillar of the MHS community since 2008, dedicating his second career as an educator to empowering students as a special education and social studies teacher, and class advisor.…

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Molokai and Lanai Keiki Take Flight in Musical Mystery Camp

Friday, March 28th, 2025

Molokai and Lanai Keiki Take Flight in Musical Mystery Camp

Hokulani Children’s Theater of Molokai News Release

Spring break brought young performers from Molokai and Lanai came together for an action-packed three-day musical play training camp from March 17 to 19, helping students fine-tune their voices, dance moves, and stage presence for Molokai’s first-ever full-length children’s musical play.
“Flight of the Mothman,” a thrilling musical mystery by Matt Glickstein and Jason Spraggins, features 11 original songs and dances. The show will debut Friday, April 25, at 7 p.m. at Home Pumehana Main Hall, and Saturday, April 26, at 7 p.m.
The camp was a whirlwind of high-energy performing arts workshops, team-building activities, and a special cultural excursion to Keawanui Fishpond, where students explored Molokai’s rich history of sustainability.…

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Weekend Sports Results

Friday, March 28th, 2025

Weekend Sports Results

By The Molokai Dispatch Staff

The Molokai High School (MHS) Farmers took wins in baseball, softball and boys volleyball this past weekend.

For baseball, the boys traveled to Maui to take on Kulanihakoi High School in a two-game series. The Farmers swept Kulanihakoi, putting up an 11-1 victory on Friday followed by a 4-1 win on Saturday. The wins propelled the Farmers to a 4-0 start to their season.

MHS softball was also in action, taking on the Pine Lasses. The Lady Farmers dropped the first game on Friday by a score of 29-20, but came back strong for Saturday’s rematch.…

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Strengthening Literacy on Molokai

Friday, March 28th, 2025

Strengthening Literacy on Molokai

By Jack Kiyonaga, Editor

This year, Molokai High School (MHS) took a new approach to their annual Read Across America initiative: focusing on local authors. Funded by a grant from the National Education Association, MHS was able to put on a special event at both the high school and Molokai Public Library focusing on the book “Ho’ohui Maika’i: an Anthology.”

The anthology is a collection of Molokai women’s stories told through the context of food, culture and identity. It focuses on the various ethnic make-ups of Molokai families and how this diversity is experienced and demonstrated through food practices. The book was created via a collaboration between the Hawaii Council for the Humanities and the Krause Family Foundation.…

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Mobile Vet Plans to Service Molokai

Friday, March 28th, 2025

Mobile Vet Plans to Service Molokai

By Jack Kiyonaga, Editor

Relief for Molokai pet owners should be coming soon, as a Maui-based mobile veterinarian is planning on adding Molokai to her schedule.

Dr. Krysta Scimeca started her mobile veterinary clinic, Infinity Vet, in the immediate aftermath of the 2023 Lahaina wildfires. In fact, she’d moved from Kaneohe to Kihei only three days prior to the fires. Following the disaster, Scimeca noticed a massive need in pet care, especially as the blaze had burned down the only two veterinary hospitals in West Maui. Converting her business from a mobile animal euthanasia clinic to an animal care clinic, Scimeca began to service over 400 patients in Hana and Lahaina.…

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Iconic Church Faces Uncertain Future

Friday, March 28th, 2025

Iconic Church Faces Uncertain Future

By Jack Kiyonaga, Editor

Famed Kalamaula church, Kalaiakamanu Hou, looks much the same as it did last spring. The Easter wreath still hangs on the door. The pews face the altar, as if expecting Sunday’s service.
But in front of the doors hangs a yellow ribbon of caution tape.

“Everyone takes it for granted that Kalaiakamanu Hou will be here forever,” said longtime congregation member Crystal Egusa. “They can’t believe that we might lose it.”

The church has been closed since last summer when building contractors deemed the structure unsafe. Sunday masses have since moved to the adjacent church hall. Now, congregational members are unsure of how to proceed, and if it’s even feasible to try to save the iconic church.…

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Featured Farmer

Thursday, March 20th, 2025

Community Contributed
UH College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resilience, Cooperative Extension Team

Christina Aki, a homesteader on Molokai, has cultivated an inspiring food forest and garden
since taking CTAHR programs. Her small-scale, subsistence-focused operation has grown
through innovation and dedication, and with the help of her son, Anthony, who manages much of the implementation. Together, they are restoring their ‘aina while reclaiming a sense of purpose and self-sufficiency.

Before she began gardening, Christina was an active Zumba instructor. When COVID-19
disrupted her lifestyle, her grandson built her planter boxes, sparking a new passion for growing
food. She started with pak choi, basil, and mamaki, eventually supplying 70 pak choi monthly to
the local market.…

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Ho’aka Mana Partners with The Spirit Horse Ranch to Foster Healing

Thursday, March 20th, 2025

Ho’aka Mana News Release

Ho’aka Mana, a Native Hawaiian organization and nonprofit, is collaborating with The Spirit Horse Ranch to support healing, mental wellness, and resilience through evidence-based, equine-assisted interventions and trauma support.
Scheduled for every first Tuesday of the month until July 1, with additional dates on Aug. 19 and Sept. 21, Ho’aka Mana is inviting the Molokai community to join them at Wichman Ranch in Ho’olehua.
This program is open to the entire community—time slots will be on a first-come, first-served basis. We welcome all ages and encourage those interested in fostering healthy relationships to participate.
To participate, register through the link at HoakaMana.org…

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Free Guitar Concert

Thursday, March 20th, 2025

St. Damien Parish News Release

The St. Damien Parish and Remember the River invites the community to enjoy a free concert
presented by guitarist, composer and storyteller Susan McDonald at St. Damien Church on
Tuesday, March 25 at 5 p.m. The program will include Latin American music and will
feature pieces inspired by sea creatures, as well as music McDonald composed during her travels in the Ecuadorian Amazon.

When her friends Chip Scarlett, a marine photographer, and his wife Susan, a writer, invited
McDonald to join them at their home in Molokai, she embraced the opportunity to not only
experience the humpback whales in their spring migration but also to get to know a tight knit
community that holds such a deep respect for nature.…

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