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Raising Funds for Fun

Sunday, February 14th, 2010

Raising Funds for Fun

A few dozen Special Olympics athletes put their running shoes and basketballs aside and slipped on waiter aprons for their fifth annual fundraiser, “Dance Under The Stars”.

Around 100 supporters enjoyed a meal, entertainment, raffles and a silent auction at Hotel Molokai. Guests could bid on items from Molokai Hot Bread, a collection of Lono’s CDs to Molokai Princess ferry tickets.

Rita Kalahiki, Special Olympics Molokai area administrator, said the most expensive part of their budget is airfare.

” – which means they don’t get to compete at all, she said.

Kalahiki said a lot of these athletes were often the first to be cut on the high school teams, and without the encouragement and work of the volunteer coaches, wouldn’t be playing anymore.

Jim Sonnikson, chairperson of Special Olympics Molokai, is also the coach of bocce ball, which he came across by circumstance.

While driving along the highway many years back, he saw some kids playing and stopped to say hi. They didn’t have a coach, so Sonnikson decided to help them out.

“They’re fun, it’s enjoyable,” he said. “They’re always smiling.”

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Happy Chinese New Year!

Sunday, February 14th, 2010

Happy Chinese New Year!

Molokai celebrated the Year of the Tiger last month when the Chungs’ organized the island’s first Chinese New Year Parade. But according to Chinese astrologists, Chinese New Year will take place on Feb. 14, 2010.

Kenneth Nip, a Molokai Public Library volunteer and one of the kupuna honored at the parade, set up a display at the library (pictured above), as he has for the past several years.

“It’s to let people here on-island know what Chinese New Year is all about,” Nip said.

The display has information on ‘tigers,’ or those born in the Year of the Tiger, as well as about Chinese traditions around this holiday. The display will be up until Sunday, Feb. 14 for everyone to check out.

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Fire Damages St. Sophia’s Church

Thursday, February 11th, 2010

Fire Damages St. Sophia’s Church

At about 10:42 p.m. last night, 11 firemen doused a blaze that broke out at Kaunakakai’s St. Sophia's Church, according to Fire Inspector Richard Schonely.

Although there were no injuries, the still-standing structure succumbed to extensive interior damages and is currently under investigation.

While the cause of the fire is still unknown, Schonely said they’re awaiting investigators from Maui to hold a formal inspection.

Schonely said three fire engines and one tanker responded to the scene last night, putting the fire out in roughly two hours.

The historic St. Sophia's Church, built in 1937, was to undergo replacement as soon as enough funds were secured by the Molokai Catholic Community. Having raised money since 1995, the community hoped to create

a new worship structure known as the Blessed Damien Church, in honor of Father Damien who was canonized just four months ago.

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Artistic Community Shines

Wednesday, February 10th, 2010

Artistic Community Shines

Visitors and residents alike will now be able to fly into some local art. Four artists were commissioned to create and display their artwork at the Ho`olehua Airport, breathing life into the blank canvas that was the terminal. From photography of a Molokai beach to a batik screen depicting Father Damien, all pieces are distinctly Molokai.

The pieces, scattered throughout the terminal, don’t yet have an end date to when they will come down, allowing both visitors and residents a lot of time to check out the place.

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Chinese New Year Parade

Friday, February 5th, 2010

Chinese New Year Parade

Molokai’s first Chinese New Year Parade last Monday celebrated two characteristics that parade organizer Mel Chung wants to bring to Molokai.

“It’s an auspicious year, it represents strength and unity,” Chung said. “It’s exactly what we need now with the current economic downturn.”

The Chungs said they aren’t sure when they will plan the next Chinese New Year parade on Molokai.  “this was hard to top.”

“This was hard to top,” he said. “It is a once in a lifetime thing. ”

The Chungs are asking for anyone with video or pictures of the parade to please stop by Shop 2 on Ala Malama St. in Kaunakakai to share them and add to the parade’s permanent record.

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New Bill Considers Kalaupapa Future

Wednesday, February 3rd, 2010

New Bill Considers Kalaupapa Future

In the wake of St. Damien’s canonization last October, the focus in Kalaupapa has shifted from the settlement’s past to its future. With an aging population of surviving Hansen’s disease patients, the state is in the process of deciding what will happen to the land when patients no longer live there.

Senator Kalani English and Senate President Colleen Hanabusa introduced a bill last week that, if passed, could eventually turn the history-rich peninsula into land controlled by a Hawaiian governing entity. The bill’s main purpose is to set up a plan for governing the settlement when all of the patients have passed away. However, if the United States Congress ever recognizes an independent Hawaiian government, the land would belong to that group.

 The proposed bill would place Kalaupapa on a list that includes Kaho`olawe and other state lands that are earmarked for a potential future governing body.

“Actually a lot of the state lands will fall under that jurisdiction, but right now it’s still a very complicated issue,” English said.

Currently, Kalaupapa is in its own county and is not governed by the County of Maui. An administrator, appointed by the Department of Health (DOH), serves as the de facto mayor of Kalawao County. Hanabusa and English’s bill is designed to pass that burden to the Department of Hawaiian Homelands (DHHL) when the DOH is no longer needed in the settlement.

“The whole thing is making sure we transition smoothly,” English said. “Especially in light of the cultural and historical concerns, DHHL is the right agency to administer the area.”

DHHL currently owns the majority of the land in Kalawao County but leases it to the National Park Service who helps to preserve the area. The 50-year lease is not scheduled to end until 2041 and will not be affected by the new bill in question.

Some Molokai residents and homesteaders hope that the peninsula, which was populated by native Hawaiians for 800 years before Hansen’s disease patients arrived, would be returned to the Hawaiians for building new homes in the future. However, the senators’ bill says that the land should be preserved and is not to be used for new homesteads.

English, who is also a board member of Ka Ohana O Kalaupapa, said the bill was designed with the wishes of the patients in mind.

“Many of the kupuna in Kalaupapa would support this because it reassures their legacy will be probably cared for. Throughout this whole process I have been zealously trying to protect their prerogative,” English said.

The bill was first introduced last Monday and passed its first reading in the Legislature last Wednesday. 

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Building a Community

Monday, February 1st, 2010

Building a Community

The Molokai Habitat for Humanity raised thousands of dollars last week to continue to build affordable housing on the island. Habitat’s Lu`au by the Sea has become an annual event hosted by Hotel Molokai. This year, 174 people showed up to enjoy a night of good food, entertainment and a silent auction.

Guests had the opportunity to bid on items ranging from beautiful art and massages to floor tiling. There was also a raffle with a series of great prizes. Molokai’s Emily Mahiai won the grand prize, a free dinner and a night’s stay at Hotel Molokai.

“This year went very well. We sold a lot of raffle tickets and had even more guests than we expected,” said executive director Jean Han. “It’s very important because not only are we raising money, but it’s also about community awareness.”

Habitat depends on community volunteers to help with the many projects they do each year on Molokai. Han said the money raised last week will help fund more houses on Molokai and a program to rehabilitate old homes as well.

“It’s a very worthwhile,” said Cedric Alonzo, who moved into his new Habitat home in December. “This program gives us a chance to really afford being a homeowner. It’s very doable.”

Molokai also recently became a part of the Habitat Global Village program that connects volunteers from all over the world. The program brings volunteers to the island for two weeks to help with projects and get to know Molokai. Han said she hopes to bring in a new groups every two months.

Guests at the lu`au were entertained by several musicians and a special performance from the Hina I Ka Po La`ila`i hula halau. The young dancers taught the crowd their traditional protocol and preparation before performing a series of dances.

“We had all homegrown local cultural entertainment this time around and I think everyone really appreciated that,” Han said.
 

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Ranch Pays Big

Friday, January 29th, 2010

Ranch Pays Big

Some of the desolate-looking grounds and empty swimming pool at Kaluakoi’s old hotel will be brought back to life in the near future thanks to a recent court ruling against Molokai Ranch.

Last month, an arbitration hearing forced Molokai Properties Limited (MPL) to reopen the abandoned pool at the site of the Kaluakoi Hotel and pay $75,000 in punitive damage to the West Molokai Resort Association of Apartment Owners (AOAO).

The hotel, owned by MPL, stopped maintaining the grounds in late 2008 and officially shut down the pool in December 2008. However, a cross easement with the AOAO that dates back to 1976 requires the hotel’s owner to maintain common areas as long as they own the property – even if the hotel is no longer in operation. Retired Judge Patrick Yim, who served as arbitrator in the case, said MPL’s failure to do so was, “intentional, knowing, egregious and malicious.”

When the Kaluakoi area was first being developed in the 1970s, the Kepuhi Partnership purchased to adjacent plots of land – one to build condominiums and the other for what became the Kaluakoi Hotel.

Kepuhi Partnership created a cross easement declaration that outlined “common areas” that were available to patrons of both lots. According to the easement, those spaces include, “all parking areas, roads, walkways, landscaped areas… and the swimming pool.” The easement explained that the cost of maintenance for those areas was to be split, but the actual work was the responsibility of the hotel lot’s owner.

The AOAO, with the help of Honolulu attorney Terry Revere, filed a complaint with the Second Circuit Court on Feb. 17, 2009 – roughly two months after MPL shut down the pool. Both groups decided to settle the matter in arbitration and a final decision was reached on Dec. 24.

MPL claimed it was not their choice to shut down the pool and reopening it would be legally impossible. However, Yim’s report denied both of these defenses and also stated that MPL failed to provide evidence to back up their counterclaim that AOAO actually owed them thousands of dollars in maintenance fees.

The AOAO also requested an unstated amount of money to reimburse unit owners for possible renters they had lost due to the pool being closed and other poor maintenance. Yim denied that claim saying there was no way to tell how much business was actually lost because of MPL’s failure to uphold its obligations.

AOAO President Jeff Kent, his attorney Terry Revere, MPL General Manager Daniel Orodenker and his attorney Andrew Beaman were all contacted for comment, but none returned phone calls.

Residents in the Kaluakoi area did say crews began cleaning the pool and landscaping walkways earlier this week, but could not verify that they were working for MPL.

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Births

Friday, January 29th, 2010

Kiralyse Mahina Friend-Puailihau was born on September 27,2009 at 2:38 p.m. at Irwin Army Community Hospital in Junction City, Kansas, to proud first time parents Laulani and Christopher Friend.   She weighed in 6 lbs. 18 in. tall.  Very proud and happy Grandparents are Kimo and Ziona Puailihau of Hoolehua, Moloka'i, Michael and Olga Friend of Fayetteville, North Carolina, and Great-Grandparents of Ohio welcome her into the world.

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Access Denied

Monday, January 18th, 2010

The Molokai Planning Commission (MoPC) backtracked on their backtrack last week, deciding not to hear an appeal of the 20,000 square foot farm dwelling being built by Pierluigi Zappacosta on Molokai’s west end.

Over nine months ago, the commission voted to exempt Zappacosta from obtaining a Special Management Area (SMA) permit. The commissioners voted to hear an appeal of their decision last September, but changed their minds last week, saying they were legally unable to allow an appeal. Most of the commissioners showed remorse while delivering their verdict last Wednesday, but said they hoped to use this case as a catalyst to change laws that led to the long, confusing process.

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