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Community

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

MHS Sports Update

Thursday, February 6th, 2025

MHS Sports Update

By The Molokai Dispatch Staff

Despite last week’s storm, the Molokai High School (MHS) wrestling team was able to make the trip over to Lahainaluna for a round-robin tournament. The Farmers had a strong showing for both the girls and boys. For the girls, Hila’i Kapuni and Masina Borden-Phillips came aways with first place in their divisions, and Stephanie Gandeza and Jazlyn Boswell finished in second place.

For the boys, Reyn Raguindin, Kolby Dudoit and Aiden Augustiro all took home first place, with Kingston Montizor and Jona Dudoit taking second place. With these scores, the Farmers were able to place third overall as a team in both the boys and girls divisions.…

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2024 Visitor Numbers Show Continued Decline

Thursday, February 6th, 2025

By Jack Kiyonaga, Editor

Visitor numbers and expenditures on Molokai have fallen over the past year, continuing the downward trend seen since 2019. The Hawaii Dept. of Business, Economic Development and Tourism (DBEDT) recently released their data for visitor statistics to Hawaii for December 2024, and 2024 as a whole. While tourism has increased statewide by 0.3 percent, totaling at 9,689,113, Molokai’s visitor numbers decreased by over 10 percent in 2024, totalling 29,844. Likewise, visitor expenditures on Molokai fell nearly 12 percent in 2024, down to about $30 million from $34 million in 2023.

Molokai averaged 468 visitors per day in 2024, down from 496 in 2023, and the lowest in the state.…

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Celebrating Lunar New Year and the Year of the Snake

Thursday, February 6th, 2025

Celebrating Lunar New Year and the Year of the Snake

By Jack Kiyonaga, Editor

Last Friday, Molokai residents celebrated the Lunar New Year at the Molokai Public Library, where they took part in traditions like Chinese paper cutting and lantern crafting. Dr. Sun Hui Hung from the University of Hawaii’s outreach college was scheduled to perform at the library but was unable to make the event due to the inclement weather.

Hung, who practices a musical synthesis of Chinese and Hawaiian styles, often plays Hawaiian songs accompanied by slack-key, steel guitar and her own Chinese instrument: the erhu.

In Hung’s own description, she creates “Hawaiian music with a Chinese spirit.”

“It makes for a really interesting combination,” she said.…

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Winter Storm Surges Across Molokai

Thursday, February 6th, 2025

Winter Storm Surges Across Molokai

By Jack Kiyonaga, Editor

The biggest storm of the winter so far blew into Molokai on Thursday, Jan. 30, dumping two to four inches of rain across the island and whipping along with winds over 50 miles per hour.

“It was the most significant storm [of the winter] so far,” explained Joseph Clark, meteorologist for the National Weather Service. “It’s been such a quiet winter.”

The storm was actually not produced by a Kona low, explained Clark. Kona lows have a lot more cold air than this storm did, are more unstable and sit on a region for a longer period of time.…

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Nonprofits Encouraged to Renew or Join as Members

Friday, January 31st, 2025

Maui Nonprofit Directors Association News Release

The Maui Nonprofit Directors Association (MNPDA) is excited to announce open enrollment for new and returning members! MNPDA offers an unparalleled opportunity for nonprofit leaders to connect, collaborate, and enhance their organization’s impact on the Maui community.

MNPDA’s mission is to empower nonprofit agency leaders of Maui, Molokai, and Lanai by providing support to enhance their leadership skills and drive meaningful change in our communities.

Membership is open to the top-level paid or unpaid administrators of Maui, Molokai, or Lanai-based nonprofit organizations, or the next-in-line administrator for the top leadership post. As a member of MNPDA, you gain access to a range of valuable benefits, including networking with fellow nonprofit executive directors, opportunities to share resources and discover new ones, collaborations on projects vital to Maui’s nonprofit community, timely updates on federal, state, and county policies, specialized training and professional development opportunities, participation in an emerging mentorship program for nonprofit leaders.…

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New Exhibit at the Molokai History Project

Friday, January 31st, 2025

Molokai History Project News Release

The Molokai History Project is excited about a new exhibit to be dedicated to showcasing the rich history of fishing, farming, hunting, and feeding our community. To bring this story to life, we invite you to join us and participate in sharing your experiences and history as we tell this rich part of the story of Molokai.

We are seeking artifacts like tools, equipment, and items used in fishing, farming, and hunting; photos of historical images of community members at work or celebrating their harvests; memorabilia, personal stories, documents, and items that highlight how these traditions shaped our community.…

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New Film Highlights Kawela Restoration Project 

Friday, January 31st, 2025

New Film Highlights Kawela Restoration Project 

By Jack Kiyonaga, Editor

A new short film, “I Ola Ka ‘Aina,” looks at the culmination of more than 20 years of land restoration work in Kawela aimed at protecting Molokai’s reefs. Created by Matt Yamashita, the 15-minute film documents the efforts of The Nature Conservancy, U.S. Geological Survey, Molokai residents and more to solve the problem of erosion runoff in Kawela.

Lying at the base of Molokai’s southern coast, is the largest fringing coral reef in the U.S. For years, it has been the recipient of thousands of tons of erosion annually – resulting in murky, sediment-suffused water detrimental to the health of the coral reef and larger ecosystem.…

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Girls Basketball on to States

Friday, January 31st, 2025

Girls Basketball on to States

By The Molokai Dispatch Staff

After defeating Haleakala Waldorf in a close 24-20 win, Molokai High School (MHS) girls basketball took on the number one ranked Lanai Pine Lasses in the Maui Interscholastic League DII finals. Ultimately, the Lady Farmers fell in an extremely tight game, with a final score of 26-23 in the favor of the Pine Lasses. Molokai’s Leila Hooper-Phifer led the Lady Farmers’ offense with 14 points. With the finals appearance, the Lady Farmers clinched a spot in the state tournament, which will take place from Feb. 5 to Feb. 8 in Honolulu.

Molokai girls soccer played in a historic match on Saturday, Jan.…

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Mango Theater Will Bring Movies Back to Molokai

Friday, January 31st, 2025

Mango Theater Will Bring Movies Back to Molokai

By Catherine Cluett Pactol, Reporter 

For the first time in nearly 20 years, Molokai residents will be able to eat popcorn, sit in a theater seat and watch a movie on the big screen without traveling off island. The Mango Theater in Kaunakakai is anticipated to open next month, bringing with it much excitement for Molokai residents. 

“We’re hoping that it’s going to be a good thing, that it will be well received, and that it’ll be seen as a really positive thing for the island,” said Brad Ellis, who owns the theater with his wife, Grace Chen-Ellis. 

The single-screen theater has padded black walls, Molokai art, a laser projector for the big screen and seating for 45 people.…

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Mokulele Not in the Clear Yet

Friday, January 31st, 2025

By Jack Kiyonaga, Editor

While Mokulele has resumed commercial flights to Molokai, residents are still dealing with prolonged delays, flight cancellations and a frustrating lack of communication from the airline. In a recent interview with KHON news, Ed Sniffen from the Hawaii Dept. of Transportation explained that Mokulele is only at about 50 percent flight capacity right now and that it will take approximately six weeks before Mokulele flights are back to normal.

Currently, Molokai community members and representatives are heading efforts to try to bring better flight service to the island. Molokai’s Tylor Tanaka is helping lead this process by collecting hard data on flight delays and cancellations experienced by residents.…

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