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Community

General news which affects the Molokai community in one way or another.

Mauna Kea Authority Collecting Public Input

Thursday, February 5th, 2026

Mauna Kea Authority Collecting Public Input

By Léo Azambuja

Mauna Kea Stewardship and Oversight Authority officials came to Molokai last week as part of a statewide tour to gather public input toward a new management plan being crafted for when they take over the lease of Mauna Kea’s summit on Hawaii Island in a couple of years.

“I really urge you to just share your deepest naʻau, your manaʻo about Mauna Kea, about the ways that properly mālama our very important wahi pana and help us develop the management plan that we think is the best management plan we can possibly come up with in order to make sure that the Mauna is there for generations,” MKSOA board member Noe Noe Wong-Wilson said through a video conference from Hilo on the slopes of Mauna Kea.…

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Lauhala Anthuriums for Valentine’s Day

Thursday, February 5th, 2026

Lauhala Anthuriums for Valentine’s Day

By Léo Azambuja

The hala tree was one of the most important plants in old Hawaii. All parts of the tree were utilized — the fruit was a famine food also used for lei-making and paintbrushes, the roots and flowers had medicinal properties, the wood was used to build structures. But it was its leaves, called lauhala, that made the tree so popular until today. 

Weaved in a variety of ways, lauhala was used in crafting floor mats, hats, containers, burial vessels, baskets and even canoe sails.

“I am a third-generation weaver, taught by my tutu lady and my hanai mama and my hanai tutu.…

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Egusa Is January’s Ace Winner

Thursday, January 29th, 2026

Egusa Is January’s Ace Winner

By Rick Schonely
Jeff Egusa is the January Ace Winner for the Hui O Kukui Golf Club.
Egusa, the former owner of Friendly Market Center for many years and one of Molokai’s top professional golfers, shot 42–41 for a net total of 83 and with his 15 handicap his 68 net got him in a playoff with Poncie Raguindin and Rodney Reyes.
Egusa won the playoff to claim the victory for January. Congratulations Jeff.
The Hui O Kukui Golf Club would like to thank the staff and management of iconic Ironwood Hills golf course for perpetuating the game of golf on Molokai.…

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Kenpo Karate Classes Opening at Home Pumehana

Thursday, January 29th, 2026

Kenpo Karate Classes Opening at Home Pumehana

Leeward Kenpo Karate Ke Ola O Molokai News Release

Leeward Kenpo Karate Ke Ola O Molokai is happy to announce we are reopening. Classes will be held Tuesdays and Fridays from 6-8 p.m. at Home Pumehana Community Hall.  

The club previously operated from 2003 until 2013, and is a branch of Leeward Kenpo Oahu. We teach Kenpo Karate and are part of the Kajukenbo self-defense system. 

The club’s head instructor is Sifu Lori Nartatez, with assistant instructors Elroy Mollena, Ryan Johnston and Kyle Macmillan. 

We would like to welcome back any former students, as well as anyone interested in becoming a new student. …

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Federal Home Loan Reform Offers Critical Relief for Molokai Veterans

Thursday, January 29th, 2026

By Cristina Johnson, Asbestos Ships Organization

Like residents in other regions, veterans in Molokai, Hawaii, have been facing a scarcity of affordable housing and a cost of living that far outpaces local incomes. 

With just roughly 600 veterans and limited mortgage relief options, even short-term hardship can push homeowners toward foreclosure. The now-expired Veterans Affairs Servicing Purchase (VASP) program temporarily helped about 20,000 struggling borrowers remain housed; however, the initiative offered no lasting protection. Fortunately, Congress has since authorized a permanent alternative through the new VA Home Loan Program Reform Act. But unless this is enforced without delay, veterans in Molokai and throughout the country risk losing homes in a market that is difficult to cope with.…

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Hawaii Opens $2.2M Micro-Grant Program for Small Ag 

Thursday, January 29th, 2026

DAB News Release

The Hawaii Department of Agriculture and Biosecurity is now accepting applications for the popular Micro-Grant for Food Security Program. This is the fifth year of the grant program which provides support for small-scale gardening, herding and livestock operations to increase the quantity and quality of locally grown food in food-insecure communities. A total of $2,235,220 was approved by the U.S. Department of Agriculture for this year’s program through funding authorized under the 2018 Farm Bill. 

The program is open to:

Individuals, including backyard farmers – for the amount set at $5,000 per applicant.Applicants must be a Hawaii resident, at least 18 years old and head of the household.…
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Hoʻolauleʻa at Kaunakakai Ball Park

Thursday, January 29th, 2026

Hoʻolauleʻa at Kaunakakai Ball Park

Kā Molokai Makahiki 2026 concluded with the Hoʻolauleʻa at the same place where all the sports competitions took place, at Kaunakakai Ball Park Saturday, Jan. 24 at 5 p.m. More than 500 people showed for an evening of live music, hula performances and food.

“In the spirit of this year’s theme, Liko aʻela nā lālā nolu pē i ka ua Kilihune, this Kā Molokai Makahiki has been a season of return and renewal following the pause brought on by Covid. This year, off Island competitors once again joined the Makahiki games, restoring a practice that has long connected Molokai with the wider pai ʻāina,” Hoʻolauleʻa emcee Hala Pa-Kala said at the event’s opening. …

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Hula Panel and Exhibit at Mitchell Pauole Center

Thursday, January 29th, 2026

Hula Panel and Exhibit at Mitchell Pauole Center

This year’s Kā Molokai Makahiki had a special event, a hula panel and exhibit at Mitchell Pauole Center Jan. 24 from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. The event honored Molokai’s hula lineages and the role of hula in the Makahiki tradition. 

“We are reintroducing the hula aspect into our Makahiki traditions because of Lono,” Lima said of the Hawaiian god of fertility, abundance, agriculture and peace. “When Lono brings the rains, he activates the forest, and when the forest is activated and moves, that is what inspired our people to dance, to tell those stories that way.”

The seven panelists — Debbie Naeʻole, Bridget Mowat, Loretta Ritte, Teri Neuhart, Kahiwa Chow, Karen Harada and Uakea Weisbarth-Tafaoimalo — were students of kumu hula Rachel Kamakana, Harriet Ne, John Kaʻimikaua, Kauwila Reyes and Moana Dudoit. …

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Kā Molokai Makahiki 2026

Thursday, January 29th, 2026

Kā Molokai Makahiki 2026

By Léo Azambuja

For more than four decades, the Makahiki on Molokai has fostered community bonding and cultural preservation. The Makahiki games strengthen Molokai’s unique identity as a bountiful island and influential community while serving as a platform for young children, youth and adults to engage in sports and cultural activities.

“There was a group of people that came together and said, ‘Why don’t we try and see if the young generation would be interested in Makahiki games, Hawaiian games,’ and nobody thought that it would work. So, here we are 45 years later,” Hawaiian activist and cultural practitioner Walter Ritte said at the opening ceremony of the Kā Molokai Makahiki 2026 at Kaunakakai Ball Park Jan.…

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Doris Masaye Reed

Thursday, January 22nd, 2026

Doris Masaye Reed

Doris Masaye Reed, 82, born in Kamalo, Molokai, passed away peacefully in her sleep on Dec. 6, 2025.

Doris lived a life full of adventure and aloha. Alongside her beloved husband Richard, she sailed around the world aboard Satan’s Doll with their faithful dogs, exploring new cultures, savoring incredible food, and making lifelong friends. She loved reading, tending to her plants, and writing about their travels.

From slinging drinks to baking her legendary macadamia nut pies, Doris had a gift for making every gathering special. She cherished R&R Tuesdays, lunch with her friends, and her daughter Carol’s cooking. Her warmth, laughter and love of Hawaiian music made every moment brighter.…

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