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Hawaiian Telcom Residential Customers Can Receive Free Phones

Monday, June 23rd, 2008

Phones will work even when power goes out


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The corded telephones work on the low-level electrical current provided from Hawaiian Telcom central offices, which have back-up power systems in case of emergencies. “In the aftermath of the October 2006 earthquake, most other phone services could not operate without electricity,” Brown said, “but Hawaiian Telcom’s reliable landline home phone service kept operating, providing an added level of safety to our customers who could continue to reach emergency services and loved ones.”

 

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Ilia Reyes, Record Breaker!

Monday, June 23rd, 2008

Local boy out-swims competition in championship event.

Ilia Reyes, son of Fred and Louann Reyes of Ranch Camp, competed in the
2008 Long Course Age Group Swimming Championships held at the Veterans'
Memorial Aquatics Center from June 12-15.  Reyes, swimming for the Kamehameha Swim Club, was on three record-breaking relay teams and earned two individual gold medals during the course of the four-day meet.

On day 1, Reyes swam on the 400 M Freestyle Relay team.  Well-known for his quick starts, Reyes led off the relay and was followed by Brett Gomes, Mitchell Chong, and Kekoa Taparra.  The quartet finished within two seconds of breaking the state record.

The second day of competition for Reyes involved the trials of the 50 M Free and the 200 M Free events.  Reyes earned the top seed for the 50 Meter event and the fifth seed for the 200 Meter event in the morning prelims.  Although he placed fifth in the finals of the 200 M Free, Reyes and Gomes waged a tremendous battle in the 50 M Free and both swimmers were rewarded with a tie for the gold medal.

The day concluded with the 400 M Medley relay.  The Hawaiian record of 4:08.00 went crashing down after Chong, Kila Pickering, Gomes, and Reyes were done with their swims.  With Reyes swimming the anchor leg (freestyle) and splitting a :54.29, the foursome clocked an outstanding 4:05.29 to close the day's swims.

On Saturday, Reyes had only one individual event but it was his specialty, the 100 M Free.  Entering with a seed time of :55.74, Reyes swam a :54.45 in the prelims and earned the top seed for the finals.  In the finals, Reyes blazed to a :53.71 and another gold medal.

As they did the night before, the team of Chong, Pickering, Gomes, and Reyes closed the day's events by bringing down the 200 M Medley Relay Hawaiian record of 1:52.82, lowering the mark to 1:51.70, and adding another gold medal around their necks in the process.

Sunday's events brought the anticipation of the meet concluding with another record.  The final event was the 200 M Free Relay.  Again, Reyes led off and was followed by Pickering, Chong, and Gomes.  The record of 1:39.30 didn't stand up to the performance of the four swimmers as they established a new mark of 1:38.62.

For the meet, the Kamehameha Swim Club totaled 1,952 points and more than doubled the second place team.

Former age group coach Lloyd Yonemura teamed with Dain Kane behind the mics to call the action throughout the entire meet.  Both officials marveled at the performance of Yonemura's former swimmer.  "He's done very well since he left our pool and has faster swimming ahead of him.  Now that he's on the UH-Manoa swim team, he's training harder and longer.  You can see it in his performances and you can feel his confidence rising.  I'm so proud of his accomplishments over the years!"

Congratulations to Ilia and his teammates of the Kamehameha Swim Club!


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Molokai Water And Sewer Problems

Friday, June 20th, 2008

Via Hawaii Public Radio: Since its formation in 1897, Molokai Ranch has evolved through numerous enterprises including ranching, pineapple and, most recently, tourism, in its efforts to remain afloat.  This past April, Molokai Ranch and Molokai Properties Ltd. abruptly shut down, threatening water and sewer services to about a third of the island.  HPR's Noe Tanigawa spent a day with activists who helped precipitate the Ranch's most recent demise and are now proposing a way for the future.

Listen to the program at: http://www.hawaiipublicradio.org/hpr/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2143&Itemid=70

or Download mp3
Runs: 3:57

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Grant Money for Displaced Ranch Workers

Friday, June 20th, 2008

U.S. Department of Labor announces nearly $390,000 grant to assist workers affected by closure of Hawaii’s Molokai Ranch.

The U.S. Department of Labor today announced a $389,425 grant to assist workers dislocated as a result of the closure of the Molokai Ranch owned by Molokai Properties Limited.

“This closure is a big setback for people on Molokai,” said acting Assistant Secretary for Employment and Training Brent R. Orell. “This grant will help affected workers access important re-employment services and training that will help them find work soon.”

The grant, awarded to the Hawaii Department of Labor and Industrial Relations, will provide the workers with re-employment services that will include skills assessment, individual career counseling and occupational skills training.

On March 24, Molokai Properties Limited issued a Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification announcing that it would cease all operations at the Molokai Ranch, which included the Molokai Lodge, Kaluakoi Golf Course, Kaupoa Beach Village and Maunaloa Tri-Plex Theater.

National Emergency Grants are part of the secretary of labor’s discretionary fund and are awarded based on a state’s ability to meet specific guidelines. For more information, visit www.doleta.gov/NEG.

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Cars and Appliances Now Accepted at Molokai Landfill

Friday, June 20th, 2008

Cars and Appliances Now Accepted at Molokai Landfill

Landfill will soon accept vehicles, appliances, and scrap metal.


 

 

 

Molokai residents will be able to recycle vehicles, appliances, scrap metal, tires, propane tanks and car batteries at the Molokai landfill beginning July 3, the County of Maui’s Department of Environmental Management announced today. The recycling service is for residents only and an appointment must be made. Commercial recycling is not allowed.

The County has established a phone line dedicated to handle the appointments. Molokai residents should call 336-0899 to schedule their drop-off. The phone line is now accepting appointments in anticipation of the July 3 start date.

Callers will be asked to leave their contact information and appointments will be scheduled in the order they are received.

Appointments for metals recycling will be made for Thursdays from 10:00 am - 3:30 pm and Saturdays from 8:00 am – 11:00 am beginning Thursday, July 3.

Prior to recycling a vehicle, residents will be required to complete two forms, a “Statement of Fact for Junking of a Non-Repairable Vehicle” form and a “Residential Vehicle Acceptance” form. Both forms are available at the County of Maui’s Division of Motor Vehicles Molokai office.

At the landfill, anyone recycling a vehicle will need to check-in with the scale attendant to confirm the appointment and turn in the required forms prior to drop-off.

The service ceased several months ago while the County obtained the necessary permits from the State Department of Health that would allow the landfill to resume metals collection and recycling.

 

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Molokai Water Wars part two

Sunday, June 15th, 2008

A dried out Kawela Stream below existing water catchment dam, negatively impacting the Kawela drinking water wells.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

By The Hemowai Brothers

In the last issue we talked about how water problems brought down Molokai Ranch, and the problems Maui County now faces with their salty wells. We ended with the water problems Monsanto faces with the limited water supply for Ag use in the Molokai Irrigation System (MIS), which was built to satisfy the needs of Molokai Homesteaders.

It appears Monsanto is ready to buy the surface water system from Molokai Ranch. This system includes water catchment dams, pipes, reservoirs and water tanks. This system takes water from seven of our mountain streams, from Kalamaula to Kawela. The water goes from central Molokai to west Molokai using some twenty miles of pipes, on an island only thirty-seven miles long.

The problem is that Molokai Ranch may own the system, but the water belongs to the public. Molokai Ranch does not own the water, the water is a public trust, held by the State for all the people of Hawaii. Water is managed by the State Water Commission, and water sales, are regulated by the State Public Utilities Commission (PUC). The Ranch cannot sell something they do not own.

A petition to designate Molokai a Surface Water Management Area (SWMA) has been before the State Water Commission for some 13 years now, since 1995. Now that Molokai Ranch has decided to shut down its operations, it is time to insist action be taken by the State on this long over due petition and for an in stream flow standards (IFS), which was asked for in 1992.

State Laws insure that perennial streams are flowing at all times, from mauka to makai. An interim flow standard was set for all streams on Molokai in 1988, which was based on no scientific data collection. The state must now set IFS, as required by law for our streams in order to protect the life of these streams and the things living in the streams. Average base flow of our streams in our state has gone from 10cfs to 6cfs within the last 88 years.

Lack of Water is a big problem on our Island of Molokai, because we insist on living on the dry side of our Island. We need to be very careful how and who gets to use this precious limited resource

Monsanto needs to think twice before they try to buy something they cannot own, the mountains are the home of our gods, and the streams belong to all of us.

These same water wars are going on in Maui, type in Hemowai.tv and Click on to Maui Water Wars.



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Local Surfers Shred it Up

Sunday, June 15th, 2008

Friendly Isle rippers medal at state tournament.

By Dispatch Staff

Molokai surfers represented at the season finale for the Hawaii Surfing Association, On Oahu on June 4, 5, and 6. Kaoli Kahokuloa, Taoa Pou, and Mark Shima competed against more than 270 surfers from around the state.

All three Molokai competitors duked it out in the shortboard divisions in nearly perfect surf at Ala Moana Bowl, on Magic Island.

Molokai grown Kahokuloa took third place in his division and won $150, a stuffed prize bag and a huge trophy.

Taoa Pou competed fiercely but didn't advance out of his first round heat.

Shima, as seasoned veteran, slashed his way to a second place finish in his division for the second year in a row. Shima said he’s thankful to surfing legend China Uemura for the hospitality and to Molokai local Steve Morgan for shaping “incredible surfboards that help keep me in the game.”

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Mahalo for Helping Mikayla

Thursday, June 12th, 2008

Our family and friends back home . . . It is amazing how the distance between us does not seem to affect the bond we all share.   Our little princess Mikayla has touched your hearts somehow, someway and in turn your thoughts and prayers has lifted us through this difficult time.  Prayers can change things.  Recently our daughter visited the Transplant Institute of Loma Linda Medical Center in California.  We had such good news!  The transplant team concluded that Mikayla will not be needing a liver transplant urgently!  Her score for placement on the liver transplant list is still low.  However, it is certain that she will need a liver transplant.  When?  No one knows.  It could be a year from now, or even longer, only God will know when that time will be.  We are so relieved, we have time on our side to allow our little baby to grow a little more so that she will be more prepared for this big surgery in the future.  It is proven that the outcome of a liver transplant is much more successful after the age of one.   

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A Call to Molokai to Shape Our Future

Tuesday, June 10th, 2008

A Call to Molokai to Shape Our Future

Aloha to the people of Molokai: This is a time of great reflection and of great potential for change. On a global level, the world is looking at how we can preserve our planet and our population through sustainable practices. On a national level we face rising unemployment rates and rising gas and food prices, and the entire country must determine what future we want and how we will cast our votes in the presidential election.  And on a local level, all of us here on Molokai, in the wake of Molokai Ranch's shutdown, are thinking about how we will shape the future of this island.

The document Molokai: Future of a Hawaiian Island proposes a starting point for a balanced movement toward future change. Because this plan is not set in stone it does not require a YES or NO vote and is not something for you to accept or reject.  It is simply a foundation to build upon.  The subtitle of the document "I ka wa ma mua, ka wa ma hope," tells us that our direction for the future can build upon wisdom from our past.  This document incorporates mana'o from many Molokai community plans written over a period of thirty years and also includes new and innovative visions for Molokai.  It draws on the mana'o of everyone from young elementary children to our cherished kupuna—some of whom are no longer with us but whose knowledge lives on—and it invites additional mana'o from everyone in this community.

A healthy plan must be a living document open to modification. With your input and kokua, we hope this document will evolve into a balanced blueprint for our community's future.  We may not all agree on every aspect of planning, but all sections of the plan encourage further research, idea building, and community discussion so we can collectively determine acceptable options and best courses of action. This document does not claim to have all the answers, but this document does open a dialogue to ask two crucial questions: what do we value? And what do we want for our island?

Each of us has a stake in this community and each of us has things we love about Molokai, things we want to be preserved for future generations, whether it's our everybody-knows-everybody community of 'ohana and neighbors who kokua each other, our rural lifestyle, or our clean beaches where we can fish, swim and surf.  Each of us can also name positive changes we'd like to see, such as more sustainable jobs for our people, enriched education systems, and a restored and abundant 'aina. 

Now is the time to look within and think about what you value and what you want for the future.  This plan can help you begin that process. Please read it, get out your pens, and mark it up with your own comments. This document is not only relevant for those who worked on it or those who speak out at community meetings; this document is for every Molokai resident from opio to makua to kupuna.

Stay tuned for upcoming community meetings where you can voice your input on the plan in an open and positive environment. With your help this initial vision can evolve into a truly workable plan for a better Molokai. The strength of Molokai's future depends on our ability to unite as a community and to take an active and pono role in shaping our future.   I MUA KAKOU.  EO MOLOKAI NUI A HINA.

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Keiki Host Poetry Night

Sunday, June 8th, 2008

Kualapu`u School Poetry Club showcases skills.

Maeva Cummings, Kilikea Hanchett, Peni Tilini, Naalii Lindsey-Argel, and John-Michael Mokiao-Duvauchelle read Shel Silverstein's Eight Balloons at Poetry Night.

By Maeva Cummings, Peni Tilini, John-Michael Mokiao-Duvauchelle, Naalii Lindsey-Argel, and Kilikea Hanchett (3rd grade students at Kualapu`u)

On Tuesday, May 27, 2008, at 5 p.m. Mrs. Labrador’s Poetry Club from Kualapu`u School read a variety of poems for their Poetry Night that took place in Mrs. Labrador’s classroom. The Poetry Club students were Maeva Cummings, Peni Tilini, Naalii Lindsey-Argel, John-Michael Mokiao-Duvauchelle, and Kilikea Hanchett-Lopez.

The students invited their families to the poetry night. Mrs. Labrador, Mrs. Lani, Mr. Labrador, Ms. Estes, and Ms. Seguritan also attended the poetry night.

All of the poems were by the famous poet Shel Silverstein. All students read the poem “Eight Balloons.” Each student also chose two poems of their choice to read for their families. Some of the poems read were “Homework Machine,” “Signals,” “Batty,” “Ations,” and “Hot Dog.”

To prepare for the Poetry Night, the students practiced for many months at home and at school. They were working on improving their reading fluency. It is important to improve reading fluency to be able to read accurately and smoothly. All five students made gains this year in reading fluency. They were awarded at poetry night for their achievements.




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