Community

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

Funds for Student-Led Environmental Solutions

Sunday, September 9th, 2018

Kupu News Release

Molokai students who want to help their schools or communities go green now have a chance to earn funding to back their big ideas. Conservation and education nonprofit Kupu, in partnership with Kokua Hawaii Foundation, is launching its third annual Hawaii Youth Sustainability Challenge mini-grant program, which supports student-led environmental initiatives.

Applications are now open and due Oct. 19. Students in grades 6-12 from public, private, and charter schools statewide are encouraged to apply.

“We are so excited to host another Hawaii Youth Sustainability Challenge mini-grant opportunity,” says Kupu CEO John Leong. “Not only is this a great experience for Hawaii’s next generation of eco-preneurs and eco-engineers, but it’s also a win for the community at large.…

MHS Robotics Takes Lead as Champs

Sunday, September 9th, 2018

MHS Robotics Takes Lead as Champs

Community Contributed

By Coach Edwin Mendija

Molokai High School Robotics competed at and won the 2018 East Oahu VEX Robotics Tournament on Aug. 18. The tournament was hosted by Sacred Hearts Academy and featured the top robotics teams in the State of Hawaii, including this past season’s State Champions.

Team 1037A (Randall Cabreros and Maria Angst) went undefeated throughout the qualification rounds and ended up also sweeping the quarter, semi, and finals rounds with their partners from Pearl City High School to take the first State and National Championship qualifying tournament of the 2018-2019 VEX Robotics season. With their strong performance, they were also given the “Amaze Award,” an award given to a team with an amazing, well-rounded and top-performing robot.…

Local Produce 50 Percent Off for EBT Customers

Friday, September 7th, 2018

Sust’aina ble Molokai News Release

Sustʻaina ble Molokai’s Mobile Market began their “EBT Double Bucks Program” on Sept. 1!

Does your family receive SNAP/EBT benefits? Are you interested in eating more fresh, healthy, local produce? Then you should check out Sustʻaina ble Molokai’s Mobile Market at sustainablemolokai.org/mobile-market/.

The main goals of the program are to improve healthy food access and support local farmers. Buying local means that more food dollars stay in the local economy, which has a positive ripple effect for Molokai.

Here’s how our EBT Double Bucks Program works: Shop for fresh fruits and vegetable with the Sustʻaina ble Molokai Mobile Market, pay with your EBT card, and receive 50 percent off your purchase when you pick up your order.…

Taking Aim at Molokai Archery Tournament

Wednesday, August 22nd, 2018

Taking Aim at Molokai Archery Tournament

 

Molokai Bowhunters Archery Club hit its mark last Saturday as members hosted their 20th annual state tournament at the Kalae Bow Range. The event attracts more than 50 shooters from around the state and mainland each year.

The range consists of more than 10 acres of wooded, hilly terrain, with trails leading to marked targets of varying distances. Shooters compete in a variety of categories based on their bow type, such as freestyle, traditional or bowhunter. It’s an activity for all ages — one of the day’s youngest shooters was 4 years old, while the master seniors category featured archers age 70 and up.…

Football Opens Season with Win

Thursday, August 16th, 2018

The Molokai Eight-Man football team traveled to Hawaii Island last weekend and got a hard fought 14-8 win over the Pahoa Daggers. The Farmers (1-0) held the Daggers (0-1) to just one TD under the lights at Keeau High School field.

Head Coach Mike Kahale was pleased with his teams play.

“It was a hard fought defensive battle and when Pahoa scored first we needed to keep our composure and stick to the game plan,” he said. “We made some adjustments at half time, but more than anything we just needed the boys to settle in, play their assignments and execute.”…

Primary Election Results

Thursday, August 16th, 2018

 

Molokai voters joined residents around the state last Saturday in casting their ballot in the Primary Election. Some also voted early through walk-in voting or mailed ballots. Results largely favored incumbents, or those currently holding the seat.

Statewide, incumbent governor David Ige won the Democratic race with 50.2 percent of the votes over challenger Colleen Hanabusa with 43.4 percent. Ige will be facing Republican Primary winner Andrea Tupola, who received 53.0 percent of her party’s vote, in the General Election. Democratic Lieutenant Governor candidate Josh Green earned a spot on the November ballot with 30.2 percent of his party’s votes.…

Two More Monk Seals Dead

Wednesday, August 1st, 2018

 

The deaths of two young male Hawaiian monk seals on Molokai in June are being investigated by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). This comes after a young female was killed at Mo’omomi in May, with injuries showing human-inflicted trauma as the cause of her death. 

An unidentified juvenile male was found dead at  Paka’a beach on Molokai’s west end on June 25. The other young male, identified as RJ26, was born at Kalaupapa last year and found dead on June 18 on the east end near mile marker 22. NOAA’s Jolene Lau said no other details could be released at this time, pending the investigation.…

Molokai Getting WiFi Hotspots

Wednesday, July 25th, 2018

Kalaupapa settlement now has 10 free public WiFi hotspots, with locations also coming to Kaunakakai, the Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs (DCCA) has announced. The hotspots will provide one hours of free service per day per device, provided by Spectrum. The Molokai hotspots are among at least 1,000 hotspots that were required as part of the agreement of transfer of Oceanic Time Warner Cable to Charter Communications, known as Spectrum.

The Kalaupapa WiFi hotspots are part of the first wave of public hotspots now active or underway on Molokai, Maui, Kauai and Oahu. Kaunakakai’s hotspots are scheduled for installation this fall, according to the DCCA, though they did not say where they will be located or how many are planned.…

Lanikeha Re-Opens with a Facelift

Wednesday, July 25th, 2018

Lanikeha Re-Opens with a Facelift

 

With a mission to help homestead farmers reach their full potential, Lanikeha Community Center in Ho’olehua has reopened its doors with renovations that represent a dream.

“We began this dream a few years ago, we stayed on that mission… and what people said was a mission impossible, is mission accomplished,” said Rosie Davis, legal authorized representative of the Molokai Homestead Farmers Alliance (MHFA). “Our journey continues and it’s just getting better. We’re so proud of where we were… and where we’re going. [This facility] strengthens the community, it strengthens our homesteaders.”

The $1.7 million renovation project by the MHFA, which manages the facility, was paid for by state Grant in Aid funds.…

Drawing a Seabird Map

Wednesday, July 11th, 2018

Drawing a Seabird Map

 

Molokai’s high elevation forests are full of secrets, surprises and rare, native species. Thought to be extinct on Molokai until recently, the endangered Newell’s shearwater, or ‘A’o, is a seabird that may also nest deep in the shelter of Molokai’s forest.

Right now, though, no one knows for sure.

Molokai is home to many native and endangered seabird species but biologists aren’t sure how many or where many of them are nesting. A new mapping project seeks to shed light on the state’s seabird population and represents the first comprehensive survey of Hawaii seabirds to date. Anticipated to last three years, the project is kicking off on Molokai this summer.…