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Community

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

Molokai Fitness: Community Power

Thursday, July 2nd, 2015

Community Contributed

By Ayda Ersoy

First, I want to say Happy 30th Birthday to The Molokai Dispatch! I’m honored and grateful that my articles are a part of it.

This week, I want to talk about the power of a community.

Do you know what’s easier: to change your environment, or to change your mind? Can you change your family or your career easily? I don’t think so. But we can change our minds, and our perception.

I like Wayne Dyer’s book title “Change Your Thoughts, Change Your Life.” I know it’s not easy to do, but it’s not impossible either.…

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Molokai Dispatch Celebrates 30 Years

Wednesday, July 1st, 2015

Thirty years ago, the first issues of The Molokai Dispatch were pasted together with rubber cement, hand delivered to off-island printers, and, granted the weather was good, delivered each Wednesday to Molokai readers.

Over time, operations moved between three locations, five owners, countless writers and interns and three taglines (remember ‘The Coconut Wireless of Molokai?’). Amidst the changes, the Dispatch has emerged as the longest standing—and currently only—newspaper on the island.

Each week, The Molokai Dispatch brings news to the island while upholding a set of values and guidelines aimed toward community empowerment and healthy dialogue through responsible journalism. The Dispatch has developed a focus on youth, culture, history, politics and the environment to best serve the interests of the entire Molokai community.…

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2nd Math Competition Encourages ‘Mathletes’

Friday, June 26th, 2015

2nd Math Competition Encourages ‘Mathletes’

Community Contributed 

By Erik Svetin, MHS Student and Mathlete

A year ago, I started a new annual math competition for Molokai elementary school students. I wanted to share my love and enthusiasm of mathematics with other younger students on island. My goal was to encourage other students to pursue an interest in math and to help them gain confidence with the skills needed to be successful mathematicians at Molokai High School and Molokai Middle School.

I just completed organizing and proctoring the entire competition on May 27. More than 90 students in the fifth and sixth grades from Kaunakakai, Kilohana, Kualapu`u and Maunaloa schools participated in Phase I of the competition.…

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Distance Education

Friday, June 26th, 2015

UHMCM News Release

Earn a certificate, bachelors and even a Master’s degree right here on Molokai!  Courses are available through Distance Education.  Visit the online link hawaii.edu/dl/programs to learn more about Distance Learning Programs offered throughout the University of Hawaii.

Distance learning in many cases provides students greater flexibility.  Distance learning allows you to study around work, family, and social commitments.  If you are interested in building skills, enhancing your career prospects, and obtaining a valuable certificate or degree then distance learning may be the right fit for you.

For questions regarding distance learning through the University of Hawaii, contact Theresa Tamanaha at (808) 553-4490 option 5.…

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Widow/Widower Grief Support Group

Friday, June 26th, 2015

Hospice Hawaii Molokai News Release

When a person experiences the death of a spouse their life is forever changed and the journey can be an emotional roller coaster.  Knowledge about grief can help a person understand the emotions and know what is normal grief and mourning.  The group is for anyone in the Molokai community who has experienced the loss of a spouse.  The new closed support group begins Wednesday July 1, from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. and every Wednesday for 12 weeks at the Hospice Hawaii Office (next to Dave’s ice cream).  A support group is not therapy; it is support.…

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Community Meeting For Proposed Waikolu-Pu`u Ali`i Fence Project

Thursday, June 25th, 2015

DLNR News Release

The Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR), Division of Forestry and Wildlife (DOFAW)  invites the  Molokai community and interested parties to an informational meeting concerning a proposed fencing and management project in the Waikolu Valley and Pu`u Ali`i Natural Area Reserve areas.  The purpose of the proposed project is to protect the natural resources of the Pu`u Ali`i Natural Area Reserve (NAR) while improving hunting opportunities within the Molokai Forest Reserve hunting units.  The fence will help to prevent entry of pigs, goats and deer into the NAR and help to prevent erosion into nearshore waters, protect fisheries and water supplies, and conserve native Hawaiian plants and wildlife.…

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The Power of Kindness

Thursday, June 25th, 2015

The Power of Kindness

Community Contributed

Opinion by Rick Baptiste

Being “kind” benefits everyone especially those that practice the aloha spirit.  There is a multiplication factor in kindness that is powerful.  Whether you are the giver, the receiver, or the observer of kindness there are health benefits for all concerned.  Scientific studies (Uncle Google) says that “kindness” has a positive effect on your immune system with increased production of serotonin in the brain.  Serotonin is the natural calming, mood regulating, anti-anxiety, good vibes neurochemical.  Google also said that in a study of those that volunteered tended to experience fewer aches and pains.

Another study found that acts of kindness cause a domino effect causing each person’s generosity to spread to three to nine people, and then to others. …

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Eyes on the Reef

Thursday, June 25th, 2015

Community Contributed

By Cheryl Corbiell

On June 6, Darla White with DLNR’s Division of Aquatic Resources (DAR) provided the first “Eyes of the Reef” (EOR) skills training on Molokai at Kulana `Oiwi to an enthusiastic crowd of Molokai residents.

The EOR training has been designed to help ocean users such as community members, reef users, fishers, and commercial operators the skills to provide reliable monitoring and reporting on coral bleaching; coral and fish diseases; Crown-of-thorns Sea stars outbreaks, marine alien invasive species, and native species blooms. The participants learned how to detect the early signs of coral in distress.

“Threats to the world’s reefs have increased by over 30 percent, and today, 75 percent of the coral reefs in the world are threatened,” said White. …

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March of the Molokai Mangrove

Thursday, June 25th, 2015

Nene O Molokai News Release

Introduced alien mangrove threatens the long-term sustainability of south shore coastal resources. During 2014 and 2015, Sarah Jenkins and Lily Jenkins conducted a study on the socioeconomic and ecological impacts of introduced Red Mangrove (Rhizophora mangle) on Molokai. The intent was to determine if the mangrove has the potential to reach the fringing reef, and if so, what are the impending socioeconomic and ecological impacts.

Geographic Information System (GIS) techniques were used to interpret aerial imagery, historic maps, and coastal surveys to map seaward migration, analyze ecological effects, and predict the future impact on Molokai’s south shore through benthic habitat modeling.…

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Kalaupapa Nonprofit Earns Awards

Thursday, June 25th, 2015

Ka `Ohana O Kalaupapa News Release

Ka `Ohana O Kalaupapa was presented with two Preservation Awards by the Historic Hawaii Foundation at their annual awards banquet in Honolulu last month.

One of the projects cited was the exhibit, “A Reflection of Kalaupapa: Past, Present and Future” that features 100 photographs and quotes from the people of Kalaupapa and their families. The exhibit is currently on display at the Molokai Museum and Cultural Center in Kalae.

The `Ohana was also recognized for “The Restoration of Family Ties” program that has helped hundreds of families obtain more information about their Kalaupapa ancestors who were sent there because of government policies regarding leprosy or who were kama`aina prior to the establishment of the settlement in 1866.…

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