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Community

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

Small Business Boost

Wednesday, November 1st, 2023

Small Business Boost

By Jack Kiyonaga, Editor 

Running a small business on Molokai can be challenging – but a business training program has given entrepreneurs a boost to excel. Twelve Molokai residents recently proved they have what it takes, graduating from the Pulauhala program on Oct. 25. 

This first cohort of the Pulauhala program, run by Ho’aka Mana Native Hawaiian Organization, completed 14 workshops as part of their year-long class. 

Pulauhala is an accelerator program whereby participants develop the concepts, brands and logistics behind their business ideas. Graduates from the program ranged from established companies to people just starting out with an idea. Part of the Pulauhala program included taking concrete steps like registering a business name with the Dept.…

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Candid Discussion at the Youth Summit

Wednesday, November 1st, 2023

Candid Discussion at the Youth Summit

By Maria Angst, Community Reporter 

Last Saturday, the students became the teachers at the Molokai Youth Summit. 

This year’s summit featured a panel of students, ages 12 to 18, discussing serious issues affecting today’s youth with the parents of students. 

“The parents really appreciated hearing it from the students. It almost felt like they were hearing it for the first time,” explained Molokai High School (MHS) teacher and one of the organizers of the event, Ric Ornellas.

This year’s theme aimed to communicate a 21st century focus on student learning by addressing social issues such as LGBTQ+ awareness, child abuse, poverty, bullying, drug use, vaping and suicide.…

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Haunted Homestead Brings Halloween Fun

Wednesday, November 1st, 2023

Haunted Homestead Brings Halloween Fun

By Maria Angst, Community Reporter 

This Halloween season, the Adolpho ‘ohana continued their cherished tradition of hosting a Haunted Homestead event for the community. Last Wednesday through Saturday, families gathered at the Adolpho homestead to partake in several nights of Halloween festivities. 

The event featured a mesmerizing light show, exhilarating haunted maze, lively jumping castles, family games, a diverse array of vendors, delectable snacks, and more. Adhering to time slots accommodating over 400 community members, this beloved tradition continues to be a favorite for many on Molokai. 

“This event executed that ‘homestead charm’ perfectly. You can see the maze being built with pallets intricately designed — so well-crafted that I ventured in twice and emerged from two different exits,” said Robert Shizuma, a homesteader who attended with friends and family.…

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20th Anniversary for Country Fair

Wednesday, November 1st, 2023

20th Anniversary for Country Fair

The St. Damien Catholic Church celebrated its 20th annual Country Fair on Oct. 21 at the Mitchell Pauole Center. Featuring foods from baked goods to shrimp plates, the fair also included a well-stocked silent auction, raffle, and games for keiki. Proceeds from the event contribute to the cost of running Molokai’s Catholic parish, helping to fund their community outreach and social ministry programs. 

This year’s fair happened to fall on the same day as the ‘Ohana Fun Fair in Kualapu’u and youth soccer games in Kaunakakai. 

Diane Jensen, one of the organizers for this year’s fair, explained that it can be difficult to coordinate dates across events. …

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Puko’o Fire Station Relocation Moving Forward

Wednesday, November 1st, 2023

Puko’o Fire Station Relocation Moving Forward

A new fire house in ‘Ualapu’e is one step closer to becoming a reality. After years of planning, the East Molokai community gathered last week to discuss one of the final steps before the station’s completion. 

The three-bedroom home intended to serve as the new station is located at 7451 Kamehameha V Highway. Purchased by the county back in 2022 for $300,000, the house was built in 1978, and requires renovations to the home and driveway before it becomes functional. The plan is to use ‘Ualapu’e Tank Access Road as the primary transport lane for the fire trucks, with the driveway serving as backup access. …

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Progress Report on the Molokai History Project

Wednesday, November 1st, 2023

Progress Report on the Molokai History Project

Molokai History Project News Release

The History Project continues to get donations of old photos of long-ago, wonderful times, ulu maikas, a vintage surfboard, a wonderful old box, paintings of churches that no longer exist. It’s an exciting time when someone comes in the door with a treasure they want to share. We have received many memberships, and we now have three new board members. Our next fundraising garage sale will be on Saturday, Nov. 4. Our plan is to have a fundraiser on the first Saturday of every month. If you have anything to donate, please let us know. We have had a lot of visitors, many in no hurry to leave, as they listen to our docents share legends of Molokai including their knowledge of the east end valleys, west end beaches, and all sites in between.…

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Gladys Asako Watanabe

Wednesday, November 1st, 2023

Gladys Asako Watanabe

Gladys Watanabe, 88 of Kaunakakai, Molokai, passed away Sept. 10, 2023. She was born in Wailuku, Maui on June 12, 1935 to Kenichi and Kazue Mabe. She retired as a teacher from Kualapuʻu Elementary School. 

Gladys was predeceased by her husband, Mitsuo. She is survived by her children: son Derek Watanabe (Dung), daughters Terri Jorgensen, Wanda Okemura (Darryl) and Sheri Yamashita (Bruce), five granddaughters, one great-granddaughter and one great- grandson. 

The family would like to thank the staff at Roselani Place, Hale Makua and Hospice Maui. 

Private graveside service will be at Maui Memorial Park, Friday, Nov. 3, at 12:30 p.m. …

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Call for Ceasefire

Wednesday, November 1st, 2023

Hawaii officials representing Molokai, 

As a Molokai resident, and a member of Molokai Veterans Caring for Veterans and Veterans for Peace Hawaii Chapter 113, I’d like to know the reason you haven’t supported any resolutions calling for an immediate ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. This would prevent further loss of Israeli lives, and help halt what many human rights groups are calling genocide against the Palestinian people. You come to Molokai to campaign, you claim to represent our community with aloha, now is the time to prove it. 

As someone who has sold Palestinian olive oil on Molokai since 2018 to help support farmers in the West Bank, and as someone who has witnessed the everyday violence of this apartheid regime and occupation in the West Bank, I call on you to be on the right side of history and stand with the Palestinian people, as Jews here on Molokai, throughout Hawaii, throughout the US, Israel and around the world, are doing. …

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Fun at the Fair

Wednesday, October 25th, 2023

Fun at the Fair

By The Molokai Dispatch Staff

Kualapu’u School held its 10th annual ‘Ohana Fun Fair last Saturday, inviting the community to enjoy a variety of activities for all ages. A Fun Run with firefighters handing out candy, a pumpkin patch for the early birds, horse rides and water slides were just a few of the popular attractions, along with food and craft vendors and local organizations sharing their community initiatives. The school partnered with a trusted and reliable company like Bouncer Depot to provide safe and fun inflatable attractions for the event.…

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Initiative Aims to Bring High-Speed Internet for All

Wednesday, October 25th, 2023

By Jack Kiyonaga, Editor 

Four-hundred million. That’s the amount of money coming from the federal government to the state of Hawaii to support broadband infrastructure and access. Right now, Molokai has an opportunity to utilize this funding, possibly bringing fast, reliable internet to every resident who wants it. With that being said, they might utilize products such as a long range ethernet extender.

“The directive of this program is to connect every resident and to make sure that every resident, regardless if you live off or on the grid, has access to high-speed internet,” explained Sara Lin, the broadband initiative communication specialist for the University of Hawaii.…

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