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Community

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

Molokai Heritage Trust Moving Forward

Friday, July 26th, 2024

Molokai Heritage Trust Moving Forward

The Molokai Heritage Trust (MHT) is more than halfway through its membership drive and community information sessions. About 20 people attended a meeting at Mitchell Pau‘ole Center July 15 — the third of 10 planned meetings. By the closing of this issue, three additional meetings were held on the island.
“We are hoping this is going to be the beginning of a monumental moment for Molokai,” said Zhantell Dudoit Lindo, a founding member of the trust.
Ultimately, MHT wants to purchase more than 55,000 acres of land — about a third of the island — owned by Molokai Ranch. The trust would then manage the lands through an elected Board of Directors.…

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Keiki Clean Up Beaches at the Wharf, Canoe Club

Friday, July 26th, 2024

Keiki Clean Up Beaches at the Wharf, Canoe Club

A three-prong partnership brought together several dozens of keiki to a beach cleanup at Kaunakakai Wharf and at the Molokai Canoe Club Friday morning, gathering about 50 pounds of trash and 100 pounds of invasive red mangrove seedlings.
“This is our second year hosting the beach cleanup with Molokai Holokai,” said Sonja Angst, marketing communications manager at the nonprofit organization Sust‘āinable Molokai.
Angst said about 75 children from Maui County’s Summer PALS program, plus a handful of other keiki from the community showed up at the wharf for the cleanup. The children filled three large bags – two filled with snapped mangrove seedlings and another filled with trash picked up on the shoreline.…

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2024 Molokai Holokai Ho‘olaule‘a

Friday, July 26th, 2024

2024 Molokai Holokai Ho‘olaule‘a

More than 220 waterman and waterwomen took on the challenge to race across 27 miles over the Pailolo Channel, starting on Maui’s Fleming Beach and arriving at Kaunakakai Wharf on Molokai July 19. The Maui to Molokai Challenge officially kicked off the 2024 Molokai Holokai Ho‘olaue‘a – two days of sports competitions, live music, gathering, cultural workshops and environmental education.

“Molokai Holokai is really a community event,” said Clare Albino, one of the organizers together with Kelly A‘awa. “It’s really to inspire our youth.”

The Maui to Molokai Challenge was first held in 2003. In 2010, Molokai added a 10-mile race from Kamalo to Kaunakakai.…

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Molokai Man Found Guilty in 2022 Murder

Friday, July 19th, 2024

Molokai Man Found Guilty in 2022 Murder

By The Molokai Dispatch Staff

Mariano Garces, 61, of Molokai, was found guilty in the 2022 death of 43-year-old Aime Kaholoa‘a in November 2022 at his house in Kaunakakai.
It took a jury about five hours on July 3 to issue the verdict of murder in the second degree.
Court records showed a history of domestic violence in their relationship. About a year before her death, Kaholoa‘a had filed a petition for a temporary restraining order against Garces for domestic abuse.
Garces faces life in prison with the possibility of parole at his sentencing, scheduled for Sept. 26.…

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Program Bridges Nutrition Gap for Keiki in Summer

Friday, July 19th, 2024

DHS News Release

The Department of Human Services announced the launch of the SUN Bucks program application on July 5. DHS is disbursing this benefit and working with the Hawai‘i Department of Education to implement the SUN Bucks program for school-aged children this summer, according to a DHS news release.
Summer EBT, also called SUN Bucks, is a new and permanent program to provide benefits to households with school-aged children to purchase food during the summer. Households will receive $177 for each qualifying child, to be spent during the summer months. Eligibility must be established annually.
School-aged children are automatically eligible for SUN Bucks if:
● The child was in a household that participated in Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) or Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) in any month from July 1, 2023 through August 4, 2024; or
● The child has been identified as a ward of the state (foster child), or identified by their school as homeless, migrant, or runaway; or
● The child attended a school that offers the National School Lunch Program (NSLP), and the household applied for and was approved for free or reduced-price school meals.…

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July Golf Ace

Friday, July 19th, 2024

July Golf Ace

Community Contributed
By: Rick Schonely

Charles “Kawai” Puaa-Spencer is the July Ace winner for the Hui O Kukui Golf Club. Puaa-Spencer, firefighter and bus driver extraordinaire and one of the famous Spencer Twins with brother Kamoana, shot 44-46 for a gross total of 90 and with his 28 handicap his 62 net score earned him the victory. Congratulations Kawai!
The Hui O Kukui Golf Club would like to thank the staff and management of the iconic Ironwood Hills golf course for perpetuating the game of golf on Molokai.…

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New Molokai Small Business Advocate

Friday, July 19th, 2024

New Molokai Small Business Advocate

Kuha‘o Business Center News Release

Aloha kākou, I’m Carrie DeCoite Caparida, the new Molokai Small Business Advocate at the County of Maui, Office of Economic Development, Kuhaʻo Business Center.
For those unfamiliar with our center, we’re an extension of Maui’s Office of Economic Development (OED), dedicated to empowering Molokai’s families. We are a resource for new entrepreneurs and existing business owners who needs assistance for business operations in Maui County. Our goal is to support financial independence and foster healthy, sustainable businesses within the community.
I’m excited to collaborate with Molokai’s small business owners and aspiring entrepreneurs. Your feedback will help us better support your business needs.…

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Traps Help to Prevent Invasive Beetle Spread

Friday, July 19th, 2024

Traps Help to Prevent Invasive Beetle Spread

MoMISC News Release

If you see large black rocket-looking objects hanging from tree branches across the island, these are coconut rhinoceros beetle (CRB) traps.
Molokai/Maui Invasive Species Committee (MoMISC) is currently surveying palm plants for 45-degree, V-shaped cuts on palm fronds with scalloped leaf edges and 2-inch bore holes on palm stems. We are using the black, 3.5-foot plastic panel trap with pheromones to attract and detect adult CRB. MoMISC has deployed 40 of these traps across Molokai including Kalaupapa. MoMISC is working closely with the Maui County Department of Agriculture and the statewide CRB Response team on this project.
CRB was first detected on O‘ahu in late 2013.…

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10th Annual Keiki Fishing Tournament

Friday, July 19th, 2024

10th Annual Keiki Fishing Tournament

There was a time when Robert Kalawe Jr. got so good a hooking the biggest fish that he wasn’t allowed to enter fishing tournaments on Molokai anymore. So he decided to open his own fishing tournament. The irony, however, is that he wasn’t allowed to participate even in his own tournament – it was only for the keiki.
“I used to watch all the kids and they used to enjoy all the action, so I created something for the kids to give back to the community,” said Kalawe, explaining he started the Annual Keiki Fishing Tournament back in 2011, but this year’s is the 10th edition because of a hiatus during the COVID-19 pandemic.…

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Molokai Writer Places in National Poetry Contest

Friday, July 19th, 2024

Molokai Writer Places in National Poetry Contest

For those who enjoy literature about Molokai, the name Kirby Wright might be familiar. The Punahou grad spent his summers with his grandmother, Brownie Gilman, at her property on Molokai’s east end called Hale Kawaikapu. Wright has written several novels set on Molokai including “Molokai Nui Ahina” and “The Queen of Molokai.”

Now, Wright has been awarded second place out of over 500 entries in the 2024 Foley Prize competition, sponsored by America Magazine, for his poem titled “Gaza.”

“I was inspired by my need to do something to call attention to the Gaza genocide,” Wright said.

Wright’s poetry has been recognized previously, including by the San Francisco Browning Society for his monologue to Queen Lili‘uokalani.…

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