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Business

Census Incentives

Wednesday, September 9th, 2020

Census Incentives

By Catherine Cluett Pactol

Time is running out to complete the mandatory U.S. Census, and with Molokai’s response rates critically low, officials held two incentive events on the island last weekend. Last Friday, residents who hadn’t yet completed the census could receive a $5 gas card to Rawlins Texaco, while on Saturday a sweet deal offered a Kamoi Snack N Go gift certificate for answering census questions.

The census, which takes place every 10 years, counts residents based on age, race and area of residence. Guided by census data, the federal government allocates about $6.75 billion to states and communities across the country each year.…

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GT Auto Closes After 40 Years

Wednesday, September 2nd, 2020

GT Auto Closes After 40 Years

By Catherine Cluett Pactol

Forty years and thousands of car repairs later, Glenn and Karen Takata, owners of GT Auto Repair in Kaunakakai, have closed their business to retire.

They opened GT Auto in 1980 together with Car Repair Lynchburg by an experienced auto repair shop, renting a space now occupied by Maka’s Korner. Glenn grew up on Molokai and went to school on Oahu to be a mechanic, saying he always wanted to own his own shop back home. Visit a dealership that offers used cars in el cajon if you are looking for affordable but durable vehicles.

When the couple made their home on Molokai in 1977, Glenn first worked for a few years as a mechanic at a shop owned by Valley Isle Motors.…

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Young Brothers Granted 46% Rate Hike

Wednesday, August 26th, 2020

By Catherine Cluett Pactol

In the latest in a saga of Young Brothers barge troubles, the company was granted a 46 percent rate increase, with conditions. The increase, approved last week by the Hawaii Public Utilities Commission (PUC), will be effective Sept. 1. YB must fulfill several mandates as part of the rate hike, which has been granted on a emergency basis for 12 months.

“We understand that Young Brothers is the only carrier required to serve all islands and discontinuation of service would discontinue all service to Molokai and Lanai,” said Molokai Councilmember Keani Rawlins-Fernandez in an informal virtual community meeting she held to dis-cuss the rate increase last Thursday.…

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Bayer ‘Health Care’

Wednesday, August 5th, 2020

Regarding some of the statements in the Bayer News Release in last week’s issue (July 22), the facts need clarifying. The company, which used to be called Monsanto, claims to be a “global enterprise with core competencies in the life science fields of health care and nutrition.”

Currently Bayer faces a court order to pay $20.5 million in damages to Dewayne Johnson, the groundskeeper who was sickened by Bayer products and technology. The jury found that Monsanto (Bayer) “ ‘acted with malice and oppression’ by failing to acknowledge glyphosate as a cancer-causing agent.” That jury awarded $289 million — was reduced at appeal.…

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Public Works Gets New Baseyard

Wednesday, August 5th, 2020

Public Works Gets New Baseyard

By Catherine Cluett Pactol
A long-awaited, new baseyard for the Maui County Highways Division was completed and blessed last week, located in the industrial park area near Maui Electric’s power plant. The $7.7 million building includes a 2,560-square-foot administrative building, a 7,440-square-foot maintenance building, a 3,960-square-foot vehicle storage building and a new garage with pole lifts and an overhead crane from the crane hire in Perth company.
The old Highways baseyard was located in a tsunami inundation zone in Kaunakakai that frequently flooded, and workers operated out of an aging garage and container offices. The new facility is at higher elevation out of the flood zone and will serve as a safe base for Molokai Public Works staff to respond to emergencies.…

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Help with Utility Payments

Thursday, June 4th, 2020

DHS News Release

The Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) provides heating and/or cooling assistance to needy Hawaii households by assisting with a one-time payment towards their utility bill (electric or gas) in two ways.

Energy Crisis Intervention (ECI) program assists needy households in crisis, the electric or gas service has been disconnected or will be terminated as the household has been notified via a disconnect notice from utility company. Applications for ECI are accepted year-round, but the amount of approvals each month are limited and fill quickly.

Energy Credit (EC) program assists needy households who are not in crisis but need assistance with bill payment for the heating and cooling of their residence.…

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Young Brothers Seeks State Help for Barge ‘Crisis’

Thursday, June 4th, 2020

By Catherine Cluett Pactol

Interisland shipper Young Brothers has declared an “impending cash crisis” and is now seeking help from the state to continue operations, the company announced last week.

YB officials said the COVID-19 pandemic has brought a 30 percent drop in cargo volumes and the company reported losing nearly $8 million through April and projects mounting losses totaling approximately $25 million by the end of the year. In a letter to the state Public Utilities Commission (PUC), YB called its financial situation “extremely dire.”

The company claimed it will no longer receive cash infusions from its parent company as of June 1.…

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Most Businesses and Services Can Reopen

Thursday, June 4th, 2020

By Catherine Cluett Pactol

Most businesses and services on Molokai and around the county are now allowed to reopen. Mayor Michael Victorino announced last week that as of June 1, dine-in restaurants, fitness and recreational facilities, massage therapists and other personal services can accept customers. Officials say social distancing, wearing of masks and sanitation practices must continue, along with health and safety modifications in some cases.

“We are reopening Maui County cautiously and safely,” Victorino said. “While new COVID-19 cases continue to remain low, everyone needs to do their part to follow social distancing and sanitization practices, so we can maintain the good position we’re in today.”…

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Molokai Library Bookdrop Open

Wednesday, May 27th, 2020

HSPLS News Release

The Hawaii State Public Library System is pleased to announce that all library bookdrops, including Molokai Public Library, are now open to return library materials. The reopening represents the beginning of a phased-in approach to providing library services to support the health and safety of our communities. No book donations will be accepted at this time.

To ensure the health and safety of our staff, all returned items will be placed into quarantine for a minimum of four days before checking those items in. Depending on the date of return, and the location’s hours of operation, it may take a few days for your library account to reflect the return.…

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More Molokai Farmers Awarded Grants

Thursday, May 21st, 2020

HDOA News Release

The Hawaii Department of Agriculture (HDOA) will be issuing a second round of grants totaling an additional $200,000 under the COVID-19 Emergency Farmer Relief Program to assist farmers, ranchers and growers who have experienced financial damage. In this second round, 96 grants were issued ranging between $2,000 and $4,000 each and will provide stop-gap financial relief to help agribusinesses during the COVID-19 crisis, including seven grants on Molokai. The funds may be used to help utilize an oversupply of agricultural products resulting from decreased demand due to closures of restaurants, schools and other businesses.

Last month, HDOA issued 106 grants totaling $270,000, of which $250,000 came from the State’s barrel tax fund (Agriculture Development and Food Security Special Fund) and made available through Gov.…

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