Community

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

Realtors Donate PPE to Kilohana School

Wednesday, October 28th, 2020

Realtors Donate PPE to Kilohana School

Hawaii REALTORS News Release

Hawaii REALTORS®, a leading statewide professional trade organization for the real estate industry, donated PPE to schools throughout the state in early October as part of REALTOR® Action Day (RAD).

The values of commitment, discipline, and community action aren’t just for one-day events—they echo through every smart real estate investment. Professionals who succeed in this space know that success isn’t built on luck, but on consistency and foresight. The same precision that guides a savvy investor through market shifts also keeps a surfer balanced on unpredictable waves. It’s not a coincidence that many in the real estate world draw inspiration from the ocean—there’s a rhythm to both, and learning it can lead to long-term gains.…

Molokai’s 1st Little Free Library Open

Wednesday, October 28th, 2020

Molokai’s 1st Little Free Library Open

Kawela Plantation Homeowners Assn News Release

Just past mile marker 4.5, at the entrance to Kawela Plantation II, you will find Molokai’s first Little Free Library. A global phenomenon, the small, front-yard book exchanges number more than 100,000 around the world in over 100 countries. Now, with the support of the Kawela Plantation Homeowners Association, Molokai’s new Little Free Library will join the movement to share books, bring people together and create communities of readers.

“Our Little Free Library doesn’t just belong to us, it belongs to Molokai,” say Kawela Plantation residents, who introduced the idea of installing the library. “It’s our hope that this Little Free Library will bring a little more joy, a little more connection and a whole lot more books to our community.”…

Playing the Blame Game

Wednesday, October 28th, 2020

By Father Pat Killilea, St. Francis Church, Kalaupapa

According to the story, it was the end of the school day and I was walking home for some milk and biscuits (cookies). As I arrived at the now familiar country crossroads, I must have been excited that school was over for the day because I bent down, picked up a stone and tossed it onto the galvanized roof of Mrs. McGuire’s roadside shed. The following Sunday after Mass, my mother was approached by Mrs. McGuire who complained to her that I had thrown a stone at her shed on my way home from school.…

Festival of Hope Provides for Families

Wednesday, October 28th, 2020

Festival of Hope Provides for Families

CFS News Release

Child and Family Service (CFS) hosted the Festival of Hope for Families, a walk-up event offering local individuals and families support resources, services, and food gift certificates from Oct. 12-16. Part of a series of statewide events, Molokai’s Festival of Hope for Families helped provide needed supplies, resources, and family-friendly activities to those in need during the pandemic crisis.

This family-focused festival followed social distancing guidelines and required that all attendees follow safety guidelines when walking up to the Child and Family Service Molokai Office where groceries, food gift certificates, Community Resource Kits, PPE items and advice, and education resources were distributed.…

Wet Winter Likely to Bring Drought Relief

Wednesday, October 28th, 2020

By Catherine Cluett Pactol

As the western half of Molokai continues to experience extreme drought conditions, weather forecasters are predicting above average rainfall to bring some relief this wet season.

Kevin Kodama of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)’s Honolulu office said though many parts of the state began the summer drought-free due to extra wet conditions early this year, parts of Maui County, including Molokai, were an exception to that. Maui County had a drier-than-normal wet season last winter, worsening the current drought conditions.

“[Maui County] got a head start as far as drought,” Kodama said. “By the end of September, they ended up with the worst drought conditions across the state.…

COVID Spreads to Lanai, State Prepares for Vaccines

Wednesday, October 28th, 2020

By Catherine Cluett Pactol

There are no new recent COVID-19 cases on Molokai, with the island’s total remaining at 19. However, Lanai, which had previously been COVID-free, had 49 confirmed cases last week, 15 of which are students at Lanai High and Elementary School, as of last Friday.

The source of the cases is unclear. Dept. of Health identified a couple of large social gatherings on Lanai that likely contributed to the outbreak. Some are also attributed to household transmission. One case had a history of travel to Oahu, but there is no clear tie to the other cases, according to DOH.…

$1M in Small Business Mortgage and Rent Relief

Wednesday, October 28th, 2020

County of Maui News Release

Mayor Michael Victorino announced Wednesday the launch of a $1 million Small Business Mortgage and Relief direct payment program to provide a lifeline for businesses struggling to survive COVID-19 impacts. The County of Maui is partnering with the Maui Chamber of Commerce, which is administering the mortgage and rent relief program.

“Commercial rent and mortgage relief is a top priority for most businesses,” Mayor Victorino said. “This CARES Act funding provides a lifeline to help businesses survive the COVID-19 pandemic and recession. Small businesses are the backbone of our economy, providing goods and services to our community and jobs that keep food on the table for local families.…

Workshop for Renewable Energy Cooperative

Wednesday, October 21st, 2020

Shake Energy News Release

On Saturday, Oct. 24, from 9 to 11 a.m., Shake Energy will host another virtual public meeting to further our progress on designing renewable energy projects on Molokai to be locally owned and operated. This follows in a series of community workshops hosted on Molokai about Community-Based Renewable Energy (CBRE). These meetings are held regularly every two weeks to continue the effort to formalize this energy cooperative and design the projects it will own and operate.

At the meeting this weekend, we will be hosting interviews from energy development companies that are interested in partnering with us to submit our bids to Hawaiian Electricʻs Request for Proposals (RFP) for Phase II CBRE projects on Molokai.…

What Happened to the MHS Farm?

Wednesday, October 21st, 2020

Many Molokai High graduates who loved FFA, The Molokai Farm, and the Ag curriculum at MHS have been and are still surprised, if not exasperated, that the High School administration, the Hawaii Department of Education, and the citizens of Molokai would let the program just die, go away and literally be plowed and grassed over, seemingly with no remorse or need.

Those of us who are grads, who were in this great program in the 50s and 60s, and who have since moved or passed away do not know what really brought about the end of Molokai High Ag Program. So we do not really know who, how or what budgets got cut, but the abandonment of the Ag Program was short sighted and a great loss for the Island.…

True Conservative Values

Wednesday, October 21st, 2020

To me, voting only because stimulus, stimulus checks, unemployment, etc. are the wrong reasons to vote. $1200 checks and unemployments helps a lot but it can never make us happy. It’s just like giving candy to a bunch of kids, only temporary. Money is not everything. The things we value the most are our families, our neighbors, our communities especially in small islands like Molokai and Lanai.

One little disruption to our essential services like the suspension of ‘Ohana flights affects our residents. People will soon be without work and people especially our kupuna or those are wheel chair bound will have difficulty getting to their medical appointments.…