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Author Archives: Melissa Kelsey

Two Swine Flu Cases Confirmed on Molokai

Wednesday, July 1st, 2009

Scale of confirmed cases falsely reported

By Melissa Kelsey

Two Molokai influenza cases tested positive for the H1N1 “swine flu” virus last weekend, according to Janice Okubo, Public Information Officer at the state of Hawaii Department of Public Health (DOH). She added that other cases are currently being tested. 

Earlier this week, Hawaii radio and television stations falsely reported that there had been 20 confirmed cases among Molokai firefighters.

“There is no clear basis to declare an outbreak of this sort,” wrote Mahina Martin, Maui County Community Relations and Communications Director, in a Monday statement addressing the false reports.

Only one of the two confirmed swine flu cases on Molokai was a firefighter, according to Martin.

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Rummaging for Resources

Monday, June 29th, 2009

Rummaging for Resources

Aka`ula School parents chip in to raise money.        

By Melissa Kelsey

For many parents on Molokai, working together is a fundamental facet of providing keiki with an excellent education. At Aka`ula School’s Summer Festival last Saturday, families collaborated to earn money to cover the school’s unpaid bills.  

“We needed to raise funds for the kids’ education,” said parent Dean Chow. “All the parents just kind of kicked in.”   

At the Aka`ula School campus at Kualapu`u Center, parents sold ono homemade bread, coconut cream pie, apple pie, lemon pie, shortbread cookies and other baked goods. Visitors enjoyed corn dogs, barbeque chicken plates and fresh coconut drinks. Whole, roasted Rotisserie chickens brought to the island from Sam’s Club sold out before the event was over.   

Chow said families donated possessions from their homes for a rummage sale of clothes, books, dishes, videos and other used household items. Farms and friends of the school contributed plants to the selection of goods for sale. Inside the school, an impromptu gift shop sold pottery, candles and other more expensive items.

Head of School Vicki Newberry said this is the first year Aka`ula School has hosted this type of fundraiser, but the school hopes to repeat the festival in the future.

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Medical Marijuana on Trial

Monday, June 29th, 2009

Molokai court weighs eviction of Home Pumehana resident.

By Melissa Kelsey

The legal boundaries of medical marijuana use on Molokai were tested at the Molokai District Court in Kaunakakai last Tuesday. Based on her legal medicinal use of the drug, Gloria Molica is facing possible eviction from Home Pumehana, the senior living center where she resides.

“It is dangerous to the health and safety of the residents,” said Home Pumehana Housing Manager Jersula Manaba, explaining reasons why the living facility does not allow marijuana on its grounds.     

Medical use of marijuana is controversial because it is a federal offense, yet since 2000 has been legal in the state of Hawaii. Sixty-two-year-old Gloria Molica said she has suffered from severe depression and post traumatic stress disorder, so much so that her doctor has prescribed her to use marijuana to treat her symptoms. Molica holds a “blue card,” the certificate that allows Hawaii patients to grow, transport and possess marijuana for personal medical purposes with a physician’s approval.   

Judge Barclay MacDonald heard the Home Pumehana versus Gloria Molica case. Attorney Maria Sullivan represented plaintiff Manaba. Defendant Molica attended the trial without an attorney.   

“I don’t buy, I don’t sell, I do not smoke,” said Molica at the trial. “I vaporize at my own discretion because of my health,” she said.

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Stinging Intruders

Wednesday, June 24th, 2009

Stinging Intruders

Invasive jellyfish removed from Kaunakakai Wharf.   

By Melissa Kelsey

To protect themselves from the stinging cells, the workers wore protective body gear. Warnings were posted at the wharf for swimmers to beware even after the jellyfish were removed, due to the possibility of stinging cells still floating in the water. Throughout the project, the invasive species workers conducted public outreach by showing the jellyfish to children at the wharf and alerting them to the danger.

Scientifically known as Cassiopea sp., the jellyfish are not native to the Hawaiian Islands and were probably stowaways on a sailing vessel, according to Walsh. She said the species is unique because individuals freely expel stinging cells into the water as opposed to stinging only upon contact.

Kaunakakai Wharf is a popular swimming area for Molokai’s residents, and Buchanan said it is used even more frequently during paddling season in the summer months. As a result, DLNR and MoMISC made it top priority to remove the jellyfish from the water.

Walsh said the timing of the jellyfish removal was even more urgent because the jellyfish are an invasive species that reproduce during the summer months. Cassiopea sp. had previously been found on Molokai in 2006 in Puko`o Lagoon and Old Kamalo Wharf, according to a DLNR report describing their removal from a different habitat on the Big Island of Hawaii.

A Second Invader
The jellyfish are not the only invasive species on the target list for removal from Molokai’s waters. An invasive algae commonly known as gorilla ogo is threatening coral reefs on Molokai, according to a DLNR document. Scientifically called Gracilaria salicornia, the algae is spreading on coral reefs and culturally significant fishponds along southern Molokai. At areas such as Kaunakakai Harbor, Keawanui, Ualapue and Kaloko`eli, gorilla ogo could smother coral reef habitats on Molokai if its growth is not stopped, according to the DLNR.

For a project that will continue through April of 2010, DLNR employees are undergoing a formal process to remove the algae and develop a bio-secure processing and recycling system to prevent future growth. Last week, the same team that removed the jellyfish from Kaunakakai Wharf also began the first stage of the algae project by doing survey research at invasion sites, according to Walsh.   

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Fixing the Pipes

Wednesday, June 24th, 2009

Molokai Irrigation System gets a makeover.

By Melissa Kelsey

For farms to thrive on Molokai, nothing is more important than a reliable source of water. At the Molokai Irrigation System (MIS), significant water pipe upgrades are almost finished, and promise to make water delivery to the island’s farms even more secure, according to MIS Chairman Adolph Helm.

Helm said the state legislature approved over $1 million toward MIS system upgrades several years ago after state audits revealed massive disrepairs. But it was not until this year that the actual repair work began.   

To the revamp the system, Helm said the primary pipes that connect the MIS from the east end of the island to the west end are being replaced. These lifelines, which service all of the MIS pumps on Molokai, have never been replaced since the MIS was first constructed more than 40 years ago. The MIS system electrical wiring has already been amended to better handle water moisture. As an added perk, a telemetry system will be installed that will allow for remote control of the pumps and give MIS workers the ability to monitor the water flow inside pipes and wells.     



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Continuing the Trade

Wednesday, June 24th, 2009

Continuing the Trade

Independent grocer manages his family’s business.

By Melissa Kelsey



“Independent grocers are a dying breed,” said Kevin Misaki, the General Manager at Misaki’s in Kaunakakai. The father of three children and an avid fisher and diver, Misaki is the third generation manager of the Molokai family-owned grocery.

From new refrigeration equipment to fresh coats of paint, shoppers at Misaki’s have enjoyed the shop’s recent improvements. New cash registers will be installed in six months or so, according to Misaki. The roof has been repaired and internal construction renovations have made the grocery more shopper-friendly. Misaki said Molokai’s small population dissuades large chain-store competitors and helps small businesses like Misaki’s thrive.  

Misaki came back to Molokai in 1979 to continue his family’s business after he graduated from college on Oahu. He said he had initially considered majoring in Oceanography, but later changed course and graduated with a degree in Marketing because he thought it would be easier to find a job on Molokai in that field.

“I think for young people, it is how important it is to actually live here,” said Misaki. “It is about what they are willing to sacrifice.”

Like Misaki’s, most major businesses in town are owned by families who eventually pass store management down to their children, according to Misaki. However, he said as time goes on, it gets more and more difficult for families to have a successor who wants to manage the business.

“Lots of kids do not want to come home, but then later they discover that they do,” said Misaki.

Misaki explained that it is difficult to find a well-paying job on Molokai, as a result of lower industry salaries compared to the mainland and some other islands.

“It is hard to come back and plan something,” he said. “It is more about being in the right place at the right time.”  

Misaki has mostly positive words for Molokai’s young people starting their own businesses, but urges them to be realistic about risks and do their research.

“I see young people who try to start a business and I applaud them,” he said. “That way you can have the freedom of being your own boss.”   

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Creating Commerce

Wednesday, June 24th, 2009

Business Center hosts Resource Day.    

By Melissa Kelsey

For an island of old, family establishments where new ideas can involve piles of bureaucratic paperwork, Molokai might seem like a daunting place to start a business. But for Molokai Business Resource Day attendee Suzanne Olsson, new businesses are one avenue toward creating an even more sustainable lifestyle for Molokai’s residents, building a thriving micro-economy.

“I feel positive and hopeful for Molokai,” said Olsson. “We have so many resources here.”

Molokai Business Resource Day provided resources and training for Molokai entrepreneurs at the Kuha`o Business Center in Kaunakakai last Wednesday. The event was sponsored by the County of Maui Office of Economic Development and the State of Hawaii Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs. Molokai Small Business Specialist Annette Pauole-Ahakuelo said most attendees were either newcomers to Molokai or were returning home after having lived off-island. Lots of people are starting their own businesses as a result of having trouble finding employment, according to Pauole-Ahakuelo. During regular business hours, Kuha`o Business Center offers free assistance to Molokai residents who have a goal of starting their own business.

“Our center is very special and we try to make it as Molokai friendly as possible,” said Pauole-Ahakuelo. “If aunty does not know the answer, we can find it together.”

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Sust-`AINA-bility Kicks Off

Monday, June 22nd, 2009

Sust-`AINA-bility Kicks OffBy Melissa Kelsey

At a ho`olaulea to celebrate the upcoming Sust-`AINA-ble Molokai: Future of a Hawaiian Island Conference, community members confronted ideas of what Molokai’s future could hold.

“For so long we have been saying what we do not want, but what do we want?” said Malia Akutagawa, one of the event’s organizers. She explained that while Molokai has been protesting development for a long time, the island has been less vigilant about verbalizing its positive goals.    

“We do not have to look elsewhere,” said event organizer Matt Yamashita, on learning how to live a sustainable lifestyle. “We can learn so much from our neighbors.”

Activist Walter Ritte, one of the event’s speakers, explained that the two goals of the ho`olaulea were to announce the July 17-18 Sust-`AINA-ble Molokai conference and to start a discussion about what a sustainable Molokai means.   

Community hula dancers shared the stage with Brother Nolan to provide the night’s entertainment.

While the event attracted a broad range of people, organizers say they will be targeting an increase in Hawaiian representation at the upcoming conference in July.  




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Tracing Roots

Monday, June 22nd, 2009

Kaunakakai church houses Molokai family history records.

By Melissa Kelsey

Molokai is full of history, but the island’s arguably largest collection of names and dates is stored in a small, dark room filled with lanky microfilm machines and tall storage cabinets. For all families who want to research their genealogy, the Molokai Family History Center at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Kaunakakai stores a voluminous collection of records from the past.  

“It is the best kept secret that should be out, and yet, it is available to anybody,” said Barbara Nakamura, the Center’s former director.

Keepers of the Records
The Molokai Family History Center was officially founded in 1988, according to Nakamura, at which time she was its only staff member. Today, the Center is staffed by more than 30 volunteers.

“Families and the linking of families, both living and dead, are important to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints,” said Nakamura, explaining why genealogy is an important element of the church’s ministry.

The majority of the Center’s historic records consist of books and microfilm, which are small pieces of film bearing miniature photocopies of documents. To read microfilm, visitors insert the tiny film into a machine that magnifies the letters.

Stored inside large, manila file cabinets, the Center maintains microfilm of census records from Maui County, Hawaii County and Honolulu County. Hawaiian newspapers, sugar plantation employment records, Chinese entry permits, passports and government court records are just some of the information the microfilm hold. In addition, there are birth, marriage and death records from the state Department of Health and historic data from other Polynesian islands.

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Keiki Wave Riders

Thursday, June 18th, 2009

Keiki Wave RidersBy Melissa Kelsey

At the Keiki Surf Meet at Wailua Beach last Saturday, Molokai keiki proved that when it comes to the water, they are in their element. From paddling into their own wave to switching stance on their board mid-wave, the competition entrants made their marks with style.  

“It gives them something to do on the weekends, and surfing is a good thing to do,” said parent Earl Dunnam. “It allows them something to work toward.”   

Parents and volunteers cheered from the sand and waded to their knees in the water to guard the safety of the kids as they performed daring maneuvers.    

“If you look, the parents are helping even kids they do not know,” said parent Malu Dunnam.

The meet was one of three Keiki Surf Meets that will be held this summer, according to volunteer meet director Peter Angelsea. The volunteer based organization Ko Molokai Keiki O Ke Kai runs the event annually, with the help of parents and donations from local businesses.

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