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Author Archives: layout@themolokaidispatch.com

Molokai-Made Film ‘Kala’ Packs Powerful Messages

Wednesday, November 8th, 2023

Molokai-Made Film ‘Kala’ Packs Powerful Messages

By Catherine Cluett Pactol | Reporter

The Molokai cast and crew behind a new short film hope its poignant messages will open up community dialogue about addiction, recovery and family relationships. “Kala,” a 20-minute narrative scripted film, is written and directed by Molokai filmmaker Matt Yamashita. 

“At its core is the theme of healing through forgiveness,” said Yamashita. “It revolves around the relationship of two estranged brothers who had a falling out and hadn’t spoken to each other in years because of the main character’s history of substance abuse.” 

“Kala” had its world premiere on Molokai last month and has since received honorable mention at the Hawaii International Film Festival.…

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CCSLAR Plan Moves Forward

Wednesday, November 8th, 2023

CCSLAR Plan Moves Forward

By Maria Angst | Community Reporter

Throughout October, Sustʻainable Molokai conducted multiple workshops to gather community feedback on their Molokai Climate Change and Sea Level Rise Adaptation and Resiliency plan (CCSLAR). 

The workshops focused on reviewing the latest priority site maps, which now include coastal inundation zones, and selecting the mitigation strategies that the community believed were most suitable for the island and its residents.

The CCSLAR plan’s ultimate goal is to identify measures that will preserve natural and cultural resources from sea level rise while remaining cost-effective. The plan will span across decades. 

The primary objective of this plan is to work closely with the community to pinpoint priority sites where sea level rise, erosion, and flooding are most critical, and to propose community-supported adaptation strategies to mitigate these impacts. …

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Robotics on the Rise

Wednesday, November 8th, 2023

By Jack Kiyonaga | Editor

Buoyed by a new, permanent home, the Molokai High School (MHS) robotics team is ready to compete at the highest levels. 

The robotics team had shuffled around locations in recent years before landing at the Vocational Shop and Agriculture Building, Building H. Last year, the club was located in the cafeteria but suffered break-ins and vandalism of equipment. Now, the club has access to work benches, computer stations, and a permanent practice field for robotics competitions. 

“I think with our new space we can do a lot more now. We can leave equipment out and leave our power tools out,” explained Robotics Coach Edwin Mendija. …

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Culinary Club Shines at Statewide Contest

Wednesday, November 8th, 2023

Culinary Club Shines at Statewide Contest

By Jack Kiyonaga | Editor 

For the second straight year, Molokai High School (MHS) Culinary Club placed in the top two at the prestigious Localicious Recipe Contest at the Hawaii Food and Wine Festival. This year, senior Aiko Kanemitsu took second place at the cooking event. 

Out of 127 high school competitors statewide, Kanemitsu was one of three finalists chosen. The finalists competed in a cook-off style contest on Oct. 28 at the Bishop Museum. Accompanying Kanemitsu were four other MHS students who had participated in the preliminary competition as well. 

The theme for this year’s contest was what type of dish you would like to see in school lunches.…

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MHS Cross Country Goes to States

Wednesday, November 8th, 2023

MHS Cross Country Goes to States

By Maria Angst | Community Reporter

On Oct. 21, Molokai High School had three runners qualify for the 2023 Hawaii Cross Country State Championship on Oahu. Head coach Mahina Hou Ross explained that he was proud of all the runners and their continued efforts this season. 

Qualifying runners for Molokai boys at the MIL Championship included Jericho Ku Adolpho, who placed 18th with a time of 19:12.4 and Sunny Dunham, placing 19th with a time of 19:14.1. Kaia Yamashita was the only qualifying girl runner for the Molokai team, placing 18th with a time of 24:42.2. 

In total MHS had eight boys and three girls compete in the MIL Championships.…

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Live Like Tre Foundation Announces Scholarship Awardees

Wednesday, November 8th, 2023

Live Like Tre Foundation Announces Scholarship Awardees

LLFT News Release

The Live Like Tre Foundation (LLTF) is proud to announce the recipients of the LLTF Scholarships for the academic year 2023-24. These exceptional individuals embody the spirit of the foundation’s mission to inspire acts of kindness, love, and positive impact in their communities. Their dedication and aspirations mirror the values of Tre’ Evans-Dumaran, in whose honor these scholarships were established. 

The scholarship recipients have demonstrated their commitment to “Living Like Tre” in various ways. One awardee was Genesis Gomez-Kahookano, from Molokai. Genesis’s dream is to become a nurse and make a positive impact in her community. As a student athlete, she played for the Molokai High School softball team and is continuing her softball career at Lake Region State College. …

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Hokulani CTOM Experiences Molokai Magic

Wednesday, November 8th, 2023

CTOM News Release

In a true testament of aloha, the people of Molokai and beyond have come together to create magic on the island, providing its youth with unprecedented opportunities in the performing arts. The Hokulani Children’s Theatre of Molokai (CTOM) initiative, born out of the collective love for arts, has become a beacon of creativity and mentorship, shaping the dreams and aspirations of Molokai’s talented young performers. 

This remarkable endeavor is preparing for a new awe-inspiring performance “Christmas, Peter Pan” after a transformative summer enrichment program. These events are made possible through acts of generosity and mentorship from individuals who have selflessly devoted their time, talent, and love for the arts.…

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Hole-in-One

Wednesday, November 8th, 2023

Hole-in-One

By Rick Schonely

On Wednesday, Sept. 20 some magic happened at Iconic Ironwood Hills golf course. Kamoana Spencer, the pride of Spencer’s Bus Service, Maui County Firefighter extraordinaire and all-around awesome guy, got his first ever hole-in-one! Spencer got his hole-in-one on the number 16 hole of the back nine of the skins tournament that day and he used a nine iron from 204 yards for his first ace! The 16th hole is the number 7 hole, the iconic downhill par three with the million-dollar view. Spencer’s first ever ace was witnessed by his twin brother Kawai Spencer, and Dana Takashima, Ronald “Naka” Nakagawa, Jeff Egusa and Rick Schonely.…

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See What We Can No Longer See, Hear What We Can No Longer Hear

Wednesday, November 8th, 2023

By Keomailani Hanapi Hirata

A Pu was blown from deep within our ‘aina kupuna o Molokai, vibrating from Komohana. The kahea was felt and answered; from the east, Mililani Hanapi, Keo Hanapi-Hirata and La’akea Poepoe; from the north, Keoki and Miki’ala Pescaia; from the south, Kawehi Soares; from Moku o Keawe, Halealoha Ayau. Nahulu and Pulama Maioho could not be with us this day but sent their mana with us. Within one week, and with the support of Molokai Ranch management and The Nature Conservancy (TNC) Molokai, we planned our visit to Mo’omomi. None of us were prepared for the ‘eha and kaumaha we were walking into.…

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Small Business Boost

Wednesday, November 1st, 2023

Small Business Boost

By Jack Kiyonaga, Editor 

Running a small business on Molokai can be challenging – but a business training program has given entrepreneurs a boost to excel. Twelve Molokai residents recently proved they have what it takes, graduating from the Pulauhala program on Oct. 25. 

This first cohort of the Pulauhala program, run by Ho’aka Mana Native Hawaiian Organization, completed 14 workshops as part of their year-long class. 

Pulauhala is an accelerator program whereby participants develop the concepts, brands and logistics behind their business ideas. Graduates from the program ranged from established companies to people just starting out with an idea. Part of the Pulauhala program included taking concrete steps like registering a business name with the Dept.…

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