Community

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

Molokai Whippas Awards 3 Scholarships

Wednesday, August 11th, 2021

Molokai Whippas Awards 3 Scholarships

Molokai Whippas News Release

Another beautiful late spring day and the Molokai Whippas could only wonder what might have been. This year’s 44th annual Molokai Whippas Invitational Fishing Tournament became another victim to the COVID pandemic that has plagued the world for well over a year. Earlier this year, the Whippas made the difficult decision to cancel this year’s event.

Despite the cancellation, the Molokai Whippas ohana stepped up and really came through to help the Whippas attain their goal. A late decision was made to produce a limited edition commemorative shirt. Artist and designer Wayne Ng of Design Ng came through with a great design and collaborated with Guy Inocelda, who operates T’s On Me which screens the designs, to add masks to match the shirts.…

Golf Ace

Wednesday, August 11th, 2021

Golf Ace

By Rick Schonely | Sports Reporter

Billy Moore is the August Ace winner for the Hui O Kukui Golf Club. Moore shot 51-54 for a total of 105 and with his 36 handicap his net score of 69 got him into a playoff with Rick Schonely and Dana Takashima. Moore won on the first playoff hole with a par and his handicap stroke.…

MAC Show Deadline Coming Up

Wednesday, August 11th, 2021

MAC News Release

Friendly reminder to all members, affiliates, and students (keiki through college) of the Molokai Arts Center (MAC) that the submission deadline is approaching for the 10th annual MAC Member Show.

We are currently accepting artwork for the Show! Deadline for submission is Sunday, Aug. 15 at 5 p.m. Notifications for juried works and cash prizes will be made the week of Aug. 31. All work juried in will be exhibited online from Sept. 28 through November.

Artwork must be dropped off with an entry form at the MAC studio Aug. 8-15. Reservations for drop off required! No walk-ins, please.…

Na Pu’uwai Fair Encourages Healthy Lifestyles

Wednesday, August 11th, 2021

Na Pu’uwai Fair Encourages Healthy Lifestyles

By Catherine Cluett Pactol | Editor

Despite a last minute switch from a traditional event to drive-thru style, Na Pu’uwai’s Mauli Ola Health Fair went on last Saturday afternoon featuring free goodie bags, healthy food, COVID testing and vaccinations, raffle drawings and gym membership signups.

Due to last week’s spike in on-island cases, event organizers made changes for safety, with COVID testing also offered as a last minute addition. Participants could meet Na Pu’uwai healthcare providers, learn about healthy lifestyles – learn it from numan, integrative programs and take a fitness test. COVID Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson vaccine shots were offered, administered as participants remained in their vehicles.…

Telehealth Support Services Coming

Wednesday, August 11th, 2021

DOH News Release

The Hawaii State Department of Health (DOH) has partnered with the Hawaii State Public Library System and the Pacific Basin Telehealth Resource Center at the University of Hawaii at Manoa to bring COVID-19 health and digital navigators and telehealth services to 15 libraries in underserved and rural areas statewide. The $3.7 million project is funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to address COVID-19 health disparities as part of the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021.

The project will start by the end of this year and includes 15 state libraries, including the Molokai Public Library.…

Community Energy Meeting a Success

Wednesday, August 11th, 2021

Molokai Clean Energy Hui News Release

More than 50 Molokai residents and clean energy experts Zoomed in to the Molokai Clean Energy Hui’s first community meeting on Aug. 4.

“Our top priority today is to ask for your help by providing your mana‘o and getting the word out about the upcoming Molokai Community Energy Resilience Action Plan (CERAP) so that this can be a truly community-led and island-wide process,” said Leilani Chow, Hui Coordinator and Sust’aina ble Molokai (SM) Energy Program Manager.

Matt Yamashita, Executive Hui and SM Board member, recapped Molokai’s renewable energy history. When Sust’aina ble Molokai surveyed nearly 300 residents in 2012, there was overwhelming support for transitioning to community-friendly renewable energy.…

New Molokai COVID Cases, Vaccine Mandates

Wednesday, August 11th, 2021

New Molokai COVID Cases, Vaccine Mandates

By Catherine Cluett Pactol | Editor

While Hawaii saw between 400 and 650 new COVID cases per day last week, Molokai also had a spike in cases. Two new cases were reported by the Dept. of Health last Thursday and seven on Friday for Molokai, according to a DOH Sunday update. Though it was not reported how many of the Molokai cases have been from the Delta variant, the highly contagious variant is now accounting for a majority of cases in a massive COVID-19 spike in cases around the U.S. and the world.

Kualapu’u School had two students test positive for COVID-19, prompting some student quarantines while the school remained open.…

Delta Variant Surge Causes Concern

Wednesday, August 4th, 2021

By Catherine Cluett Pactol | Editor

While Molokai has not seen any new COVID-19 cases since one on July 14, across the state and country, COVID cases are soaring, which officials attribute to the Delta variant’s high rate of spread.

On July 31, Hawaii reported 485 new cases, and the day before that, a record 622 new infections, which the Dept. of Health says came from a combination of a backlog of uncounted cases earlier in the week and the Delta variant’s contagion. Lt. Gov. Josh Green said last Saturday, there were 129 virus patients hospitalized across the state, amidst the biggest COVID surge in the state so far this year.…

Students Name Monk Seal

Wednesday, August 4th, 2021

Students Name Monk Seal

By Catherine Cluett Pactol | Editor

Molokai students got to name a Hawaiian monk seal born on Molokai during the pandemic. The one-year-old male seal was gifted his name, Kepuhinui, meaning “the great one of Kepuhi Beach,” during a haku inoa, or name weaving exercise, by almost 20 second grade Hawaiian language immersion students at Kualapu’u School.

Most young monk seals get identification tags attached to their hind flippers, but the seal, previously identified only with a fading bleach mark L4, finally got a culturally meaningful name in added to his identity in May.

The naming process used environmental, geographical, astronomical and cultural information particular to a specific seal to weave together a unique name, according to the Hawaii Marine Animal Response (HMAR).…

Emergency Repairs Bring Ho’olehua Water Restrictions

Wednesday, August 4th, 2021

By Catherine Cluett Pactol | Editor

Ho’olehua water users are asked to conserve water usage after a significant leak was discovered in the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands’ (DHHL) tank. Emergency repairs were initiated last week Monday to the 200,000-gallon tank.

The department days remediation will include the tank being removed from service while a temporary bypass is installed. This temporary fix will allow the water system to remain in usage while permanent repairs are made.

“Ho‘olehua Water System users are asked to immediately reduce their water usage by 25 to 50 percent during the repair period,” said DHHL in a release last week.…