Community

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

The Pink Lady Goes Home: Remembering Elizabeth Kahihikolo

Monday, March 5th, 2018

Community Contributed

 

By Father Pat Killilea, St. Francis Church, Kalaupapa

The cortege left St. Francis Church grounds to the strains of an Elvis Presley song and headed up the hill past the movie house toward Staff Row. The procession was led by Kahohulani in her truck, bearing the casket containing the body of our friend and long-time resident, Elizabeth. We passed the burned-out site of the former state kitchen where she had enjoyed many a meal with her friends over the years. Then we passed McVeigh Hall where she had participated in many celebrations. Next we slowed down as we passed her house as well as that of her sister, Gertrude, where her sister had fed all the cats in the neighborhood.…

Mesmerized by Moana’s 

Thursday, February 22nd, 2018

Mesmerized by Moana’s 

Moana’s Hula Halau’s annual fundraiser dinner show once again dazzled a captivated audience under the banyan tree at the Molokai Community Health Center last Saturday night. Now under the guidance of Kumu Raquel Dudoit, the halau has been dancing for more than 60 years, according to founder Kumu Moana Dudoit’s grandniece, Zhantell Dudoit Lindo.

The show featured Moana’s wahine, kane and keiki as well as fire dancers from Po`ohala Productions of Maui. One of the evening’s numbers was a dance honoring Aunty Moana written by musician Kuana Torres. The hula referenced her bus service and described her as the “ambassador of aloha,” said Dudoit Lindo.…

Kualapu`u, MHS Robotics Take Home Awards

Friday, February 16th, 2018

Kualapu`u, MHS Robotics Take Home Awards

Community Contributed

By Edwin Mendija, Robotics Coach

Both Kualapu`u School’s Robotics Team and the Molokai High School VEX Robotics Team competed at the 2018 Hawaii State VEX IQ Championship on Jan. 13-14.

Three teams from Kualapu`u school competed: Team 1037A — Felix Kehano, Matthew McGuire, and Kamau Pali; Team 1037B — Alice Alvarez and Chevy Bush; and Team 1037C — Shazen Bush and Anthony Naia Starkey.

All three teams performed strongly in the qualification rounds, landing them all in the finals which consisted of the top 18 scorers. The finals were nail-bitingly close, as second through fifth place all scored within one point of each other.…

Kealopiko Shirt Supports Kualapu`u Immersion Students

Friday, February 16th, 2018

Kealopiko Shirt Supports Kualapu`u Immersion Students

Each morning, students at Kualapu`u School start the day by joining together in chanting a Hawaiian `oli. The third line of the `oli — “Aia i hea ka `uala Lanikeha e wili ai ka lei kalina” — talks about the Lanikeha varity of uala, or sweet potato, from Ho`olehua. This line will soon have special significance and visual representation on a shirt that will both celebrate February as Hawaiian Language Month and raise money to support Hawaiian language learning at Kualapu`u School.

The T-shirt is the result of a collaboration between Hui Makua, the parent organization of Ke Kula Kaiapuni `o Kualapu`u Hawaiian Immersion program at Kualapu`u, and popular local clothing company Kealopiko.…

Controlled Fire Planned for Kalama`ula

Wednesday, February 14th, 2018

MFD News Release

Maui County Fire Department (MFD) staff will have a controlled fire in Kalama`ula, Molokai, between Feb. 19 and 23. This controlled, or prescribed, fire is done to satisfy national requirements to be certified as a Type 3 Incident Management Team, provide live fire training to fire personnel, and remove hazardous levels of overgrown plant material.

The MFD and Department of Public Works, in consult with the Hawaii Department of Health, Maui Police Department, and the Department of Hawaiian Homelands, will be working together in a multi-agency effort to conduct this exercise.

The live fire training will be conducted between 7:30 a.m.…

Large-Scale Solar Moves Forward

Wednesday, February 14th, 2018

Large-Scale Solar Moves Forward

 

A large-scale solar and battery storage project on Molokai has moved one step closer to reality after an agreement was reached between Maui Electric and Molokai New Energy Partners, a division of Chicago-based renewable energy company Half Moon Ventures. The 2.7-megawatt project would supply 41 percent of the island’s electricity usage. It consists of 37 acres of solar panels on industrial land near Maui Electric’s Pala`au Power Plant and a three megawatt battery energy storage system. If all goes as planned, the project is anticipated to in service by the end of 2019, and would operate under a 22-year contract.…

County Offices to Relocate After Rain Damage

Wednesday, February 14th, 2018

 

Heavy rains on Feb. 5 brought a temporary closure of some county offices in the Mitchell Pauole Center, and this week they will be relocating while repairs are made. Water leaks in the roof necessitated staff to be sent home for the rest of the day on Feb. 5, but the offices reopened the next day, according to county officials, until the relocation is scheduled to begin.

The main Mitchell Pauole hall remains open and unaffected, as well as the Department of Motor Vehicles and Licensing, Council Services and Dept. of Parks and Recreation. However, the offices of Real Property Assessment/Collections, Planning, Water, and Development Services Administration will be closed from Feb.…

Audibel Hearing Center Provides Care on Molokai

Monday, February 12th, 2018

Audibel Hearing Center News Release

One of Stephanie Crabbe’s greatest joys is playing a pivotal role in helping people regain their hearing. “It is life-changing when someone can suddenly hear,” says Stephanie, owner of Audibel Hearing Center, which will be offering visits on Molokai this week.

Stephanie has witnessed amazing transformations — for example: first-time patients who are sad and withdrawn are suddenly elated from recovering the precious sense of hearing. She enjoys seeing how those individuals quickly become more active members of the community, regain lost relationships and just enjoy life more.

Audibel Hearing Center is a family owned clinic that opened in October 2012.…

Students Work to Reduce Energy Usage

Friday, February 9th, 2018

Molokai LIVE News Release

Last month, a group of Molokai Middle School students were trained by Maui Electric staff on the Smart Power for Schools Program. This exciting new program, started by Maui Electric in 2015, allows students to view energy usage in real time at Molokai Middle School and other public schools across the state. Students can look at the peak times that their school uses energy during the day and compare the energy usage with other schools. Using the Power Scope Meter, they are able to determine when power spikes occur to develop energy conservation practices.

The Molokai Middle School students who received this training are Divine Brown, Barbara Simon, Leah Lavoie-Vega, Kathleen Alvarez, Thalia Meyer, Reina Kahue-Cabanting, Owen Svetin, and Isaiah Hanchett-Lopez.…

Community Ownership of Renewable Energy

Friday, February 9th, 2018

Sust`aina ble Molokai News Release

Sust `aina ble Molokai invites the Molokai community to join the Tentou Network for a day of transformative discussion on Molokai’s readiness for community ownership of renewable energy projects  on Feb. 19 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Kulana `Oiwi Halau.

The Tentou network consists of nonprofit organizations from four continents and the Pacific Islands, working in close cooperation with our communities. The founding members of the network are the Samsø Energy Academy in Denmark; the Institute for Sustainable Energy Policies in Japan; the Islands Institute in Maine, USA; the Coalition for Community Energy in Victoria, Australia; and Sust`aina ble Molokai in Hawaii, USA.…