• Failure notice from provider:
    Connection Error:http_request_failed

  • Submission Deadlines

    Advertising

    Thursday 4pm

    September 4, 2025

    Content

    Friday 4pm

    August 29, 2025

    To print on:

    Wednesday

    September 3, 2025

  • Join us on Facebook Follow us on Twitter Follow us on Google Plus Subscribe via RSS

Community

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

Cancel RIMPAC

Thursday, August 13th, 2020

We’re six months into a global pandemic. The U.S. death toll just surpassed 160,000 people. That’s 53.4 times more people than were killed on 9/11/01 and 66.5 times more than were killed at Pearl Harbor.

With new COVID-19 cases already rising, the last thing Hawaii needs is a large number of people arriving from all over the world all at once. In 2018, 25 nations, with 46 warships, five submarines, 17 land forces, more than 200 aircraft and 25,000 personnel were part of the Rim of the Pacific Exercise. RIMPAC has been held in Hawaii every other year since 1971. A scaled back version is set to begin Aug.…

Posted in , , , , commentsAdd your comment

CBSFA Follows ‘Ike Kupuna

Thursday, August 13th, 2020

Opinion by Keani Rawlins-Fernandez

The highly anticipated Board of Land and Natural Resources public hearing on the Mo‘omomi CBSFA will be held on Wednesday, Aug. 19 at 5:30pm. Due to COVID-19, the hearing will be livestreamed. Testimony may be provided online or in-person with advanced registration.

What is a CBSFA? A Community-Based Subsistence Fishing Area designation is a type of fishing management area that encourages continued subsistence, and in Mo‘omomi’s case, would prohibit commercial fishing, except for trolling, within its boundaries. CBSFAs are not marine sanctuaries. It would not create “no-take zones,” like Hanauma Bay.

The Mo‘omomi CBSFA would not limit or prohibit anyone’s right to gather and feed their families: “§13-60.9-1(3) Recognize and protect customary and traditional native Hawaiian fishing practices that are exercised for subsistence, cultural, and religious purposes in the area.…

Posted in , , , , commentsAdd your comment

Mo’omomi CBSFA Public Hearing

Thursday, August 13th, 2020

DLNR News Release

Stakeholders are strongly encouraged to participate online for a statewide, online public hearing on the proposed adoption of new rules to establish the Moʻomomi Community-Based Subsistence Fishing Area (CBSFA) on Molokai’s northwestern coast. The goal of the CBSFA is to establish a marine managed area to maintain sustainable long-term harvest of key subsistence fish stocks and to reaffirm traditional and customary native Hawaiian subsistence fishing practices.

Brian Neilson, Administrator of the DLNR Division of Aquatic Resources (DAR) said, “This innovative option of an online hearing, especially with the spike in coronavirus infections, provides a safe and appropriate physical distancing for DLNR/DAR to hear from everyone regarding these important nearshore marine resources.…

Posted in , , , , , commentsAdd your comment

DeCoite Narrowly Beats Ritte, Pending Recount

Thursday, August 13th, 2020

By Catherine Cluett Pactol

If you ever thought your vote didn’t count, Saturday’s primary election showed differently. Just 91 votes between Molokai’s incumbent District 13 Representative Lynn DeCoite and fellow Molokai resident and challenger Walter Ritte, as of press deadline Sunday. A mandatory recount was conducted Monday evening.

“In the past, candidates would have to file with the court to request a recount if they’re close,” said Maui County Clerk Kathy Kaohu. But she explained part of new mail-in voting laws call for an automatic recount of results that come within 100 votes or one quarter or one percent of the total number of votes cast, whichever is greater.…

Posted in , , , commentsAdd your comment

Interisland Travel Quarantine in Effect Again

Thursday, August 13th, 2020

By Catherine Cluett Pactol

With numbers of new COVID-19 cases in the state continuing to skyrocket, a partial interisland travel quarantine was reinstated by Gov. David Ige last week, effective Tuesday, Aug. 11. The mandatory 14-day quarantine affects Molokai residents traveling anywhere in the state except Oahu. If you’re flying into Honolulu, you don’t have to quarantine, but upon your return to Molokai, the 14-day quarantine would be required.

“With Oahu’s 200 new cases reported today and 1,618 active cases statewide, reinstituting the interisland quarantine was necessary to protect our community and healthcare system,” Mayor Michael Victorino said last Friday. “I also want to let our residents know that we are discouraging any non-essential travel, but we understand if you need to travel for work or medical care.”…

Posted in , , , , commentsAdd your comment

Molokai Lags in Critical Census Response

Thursday, August 13th, 2020

By Catherine Cluett Pactol

Participating in the U.S. census is an important and mandatory task every 10 years that’s currently underway and informs billions of dollars in funding in Hawaii. But Molokai households are falling behind in responding to several simple questions, with only about 27 percent of residents responding thus far, according to census officials.

“That’s far below the current national average of 63.1 percent, and the Hawaii average of 59.4 percent,” said Caroline Witherspoon of Becker Communications on behalf of Hawaii Counts, an organization aimed at educating residents about the census.

“…There’s so much money involved [so] we’re trying to make sure that our islands get their fair share,” said Bill Snipes, Community Liaison for the Office of the Mayor focusing on the census.…

Posted in , , commentsAdd your comment

Golf Winner

Wednesday, August 5th, 2020

Golf Winner

By The Molokai Dispatch Staff

The Hui O Kukui monthly Ace tournament was held on Saturday, Aug. 1 at Ironwood Hills Golf Course. The winner was The Molokai Dispatch’s own Sports Reporter Rick Schonely. Schonely shot 40-43 for a gross total of 83 and with his 14 handicap his net 69 finished in first place.

“I would like to thank Ironwoods Hills and all of the Molokai golfers that I play with that have helped me to become a better person and a better golfer,” he said. “We enjoy competing against each other but the best part is having fun and getting good exercise.…

Posted in , commentsAdd your comment

WiFi, Services for Molokai Undergrads

Wednesday, August 5th, 2020

Maui Media Lab News Release

We will be making Maui Media Lab’s East End production facilities just down the road from Keawanui fishpond available for one cohort of undergrads on the East End of Molokai that won’t be able to travel to colleges and universities on the mainland this upcoming semester.

All classes and workshops will be held outside on our deck and in our gardens, picnic style, and with socially distanced cohorts. Our wireless network will be made available to undergrads that need network access to connect to their remote classes. We will also provide access to our laser and inkjet printers as well as our mobile multi-track audio recording and digital video production facilities as requested, all properly socially distanced.…

Posted in , , commentsAdd your comment

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.…

Posted in , , commentsAdd your comment

Vote, Vote, Vote

Wednesday, August 5th, 2020

Congratulations to all of you. Good luck to all of you. That’s aloha. Whatever happens, water under the bridge. We move forward and support each other for the good, better of our District 13.
Always remember Molokai is our home, families, community, generations. Action, action, action. Lynn DeCoite always lead by example to take care her District 13 community, she serves with honor, respect and honesty for six years, another six more years of honesty, care. It’s your generations. Also Lynn DeCoite has many others valuable talents and gifts. She has lots of love, care, respect for the land, survival of our life.…

Posted in , , , commentsAdd your comment