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Community

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

Planning for Molokai’s Energy Future

Wednesday, June 30th, 2021

MCEH News Release

We must go slow, to move fast. This proverb is true for Molokai’s renewable energy needs.

In 2017, Hawaiian Electric Companies (HECO) revealed a statewide plan including Molokai for 100 percent renewable energy by 2020. However, Molokai is not even close to the goal. Molokai has an abundance of rooftop solar, but customer options for roof top solar are limited due to technical limitation with the grid.

Over the last decades, four large-scale renewable energy developers have come and gone without completing projects for various reasons, primarily costs and roadblocks with HECO. Today Molokai remains dependent on expensive and environmentally damaging fossil fuels.…

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$5M in Rental, Utilities Assistance for Native Hawaiians

Wednesday, June 30th, 2021

CNHA News Release

In a continued partnership with the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands (DHHL), the Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement (CNHA) is expanding the Native Hawaiian Rental and Utilities Relief Program to include all eligible Native Hawaiians living in Hawaii. Prior to this program, only beneficiaries on the DHHL Waiting List who are at least 50 percent Hawaiian, were eligible for assistance using the DHHL funding.

This new allotment of funds was made possible through the American Rescue Plan of 2021 and is part of the DHHL COVID-19 Emergency Rental Assistance Program. This round of funding is available to all Native Hawaiians whether or not they are on the DHHL Waiting List.…

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Structure Fire Leaves One Displaced

Wednesday, June 30th, 2021

Structure Fire Leaves One Displaced

By Catherine Cluett Pactol

A structure fire in Kawela along Kamehameha V Highway just before 8 p.m. last Friday night destroyed a small cottage occupied by one person. The highway was closed for about 30 minutes while crews got the blaze under control.

The 10-by-12-foot studio cottage was fully engulfed when fire crews arrived, according to the Maui Fire Department (MFD).

The occupant of the house, Christi Feeter, said it all happened in a matter of seconds.

“I saw a spark by the outlet, grabbed my laptop and phone, and the flames were already up the wall,” she said. “I ran outside to grab my dog and a few seconds later when I looked back, it was just engulfed in flames, 20 feet high.”…

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OHA Awards $1.77M in COVID Response Grants

Wednesday, June 30th, 2021

OHA News Release

Programs helping to mitigate learning struggles endured by young learners during the pandemic, provide psychiatric services to Native Hawaiians and provide food to vulnerable Native Hawaiian communities are among the grant awardees announced today by the Office of Hawaiian Affairs.

A total of 15 Hawaii nonprofit organizations on five islands will receive a total of $1.77 million in grant awards through OHA’s COVID-19 Impact and Response Grants. The grant program is being offered for the first time to help the community address the multiple impacts of the global pandemic.

On Molokai, KUPU was awarded $55,042 for its “Conservation Leadership Development Program” to provide employment opportunities for early and developing professionals (17 years or older) who want to commit to a career in conservation.…

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Variant Spreads, Restrictions Lifted

Wednesday, June 30th, 2021

By Catherine Cluett Pactol

After the first case of a COVID-19 variant known as the Delta variant was reported in Hawaii two weeks ago, cases of the variant have now been found in all counties, with a total of 13 cases as of last Friday.

“The rapid spread of the Delta variant is troubling, but not surprising,” said State Laboratories Division Administrator Dr. Edward Desmond. “Cases of this particular strain of COVID-19 have doubled every two weeks in other jurisdictions so we expected it to move quickly after it was first detected on Oahu earlier this month.”

The Delta variant is more transmissible than the original SARS-CoV-2 and preliminary research shows that it results in a higher rate of severe illness than other SARS-CoV-2 variants, according to the Dept.…

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Wildland Fire Training This Week

Wednesday, June 30th, 2021

MFD News Release

From Wednesday, June 30 through Friday, July 2, the Maui Fire Department will be conducting a series of live fire wildland training exercises on Molokai. The training will be taking place on a parcel of DHHL land southeast of the intersection of Maunaloa Highway and Pu’upe’elua Avenue in Ho’olehua. The training will occur daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. during this time.

During the training, Molokai residents can expect to possibly see smoke and flames in the immediate area.

These training evolutions give Maui Fire Dept. fire fighters on Molokai an opportunity to train in realistic conditions to prepare for the upcoming wildfire season, while at the same time eliminate some of the wildfire fuel loads.…

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Chattanooga Choo Choo

Wednesday, June 23rd, 2021

Opinion by Father Pat Killilea, St. Francis Church, Kalaupapa

“When you hear the whistle blowing eight to the bar, Then you know that Tennessee is not very far. Shovel all the coal in, gotta keep rolling, Woo, Woo, Chattanooga, there you are.”

When you hear the whistle of a train, your thoughts may turn back in time to the voices of the Andrew Sisters or the strains of the Glen Millar Band bringing back memories of the Chattanooga Choo Choo train. If the Chattanooga Choo Choo were to blow its whistle today, it might well toot its salute to a baby just born to Julia Aleszczyk and her husband, Ryan Poland, in Chattanooga, Tennessee.…

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Molokai Teachers Renew National Board Certification

Wednesday, June 23rd, 2021

Molokai Teachers Renew National Board Certification

NBCT News Release

Molokai High School Librarian Diane Mokuau and Student Services Coordinator Laura Peterson are two of thousands of teachers across the United States to renew their certification as a National Board Certified Teacher (NBCT).

The National Board for Professional Teaching Standards is excited to celebrate these teachers along with the more than 20,000 teachers currently pursuing Board certification – seen as the profession’s mark of accomplished teaching.

“The pandemic truly tested the mettle of anybody working in a school setting — including teachers and their students,” said Peggy Brookins, NBCT, President and CEO of The National Board. “Those teachers who renewed their Board certification this year voluntarily chose to challenge themselves, reflect on their practice and confirm that they are teaching to the highest standards.…

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Patricia “Tisa” Sanchez-Pagay

Wednesday, June 23rd, 2021

Patricia “Tisa” Sanchez-Pagay

Patricia “Tisa” Sanchez-Pagay, 77 years old, passed peacefully on April 23, 2021, at Queens hospital on Oahu, after a long battle with illness. Patricia was born in Kohala on Nov. 27, 1943 on Hawaii Island to Minnie and Patricio Sanchez, Sr. She moved to Molokai in her early childhood and graduated from Molokai High in 1961.

Patricia worked in the late 60s for Dole company in Maunaloa, where she met her late husband Joseph Pagay, who preceded her in death in 2006. She also worked many years for Molokai Ranch and spoke fondly of the old Maunaloa community in which she was raised.…

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Water Main Break Causes Closures

Wednesday, June 23rd, 2021

Water Main Break Causes Closures

By Catherine Cluett Pactol

Some Kaunakakai businesses and a portion of the highway was temporarily closed last Friday when a County water main broke along Kamehameha V Highway in town shortly before 2 p.m. Water shooting high in the air could be seen all the way from Ranch Camp.

Water in Kaunakakai had to be shut down for several hours while the Dept. of Water Supply completed repairs. Traffic was rerouted around the break between Mohala Street and Ailoa Street. A resident of Manila Camp reported water service was restored to that area around 6:30 p.m.…

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