Community

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

Molokai Youth Place in Naish Paddle Championships

Wednesday, August 1st, 2012

Molokai Youth Place in Naish Paddle Championships

Community Contributed

By Clare Seeger Mawae

A year has gone by since two Molokai kids showed up at Maliko Gulch as the youngest contestants at 9 and 11 years old to take on a prestigious long distance course when they joined an International fleet of Stand Up paddlers. Sunday, July 22 was the seventh annual Naish Paddle Championships, a 9.5 mile stand up paddle (SUP) race from Maliko Gulch to Kahului Harbor on Maui. Josie, age 12, and Alex Mawae, 10, returned once again this year — still the youngest contestants.

Josie had to take a time out from paddling due to a broken finger but insisted on racing despite no training.…

Songs of Praise

Wednesday, August 1st, 2012

Songs of Praise

Hundreds gathered to share in the third annual Molokai Summer Praise Concert, held at Kaunakakai Ball Field on Friday. The concert featured four musical groups from off-island, including 2010 Na Hoku Award winners Barrett and Tara Awai.

The event, put on by a committee comprised of seven different churches on Molokai, was a free event for families, and offered free food, music and games for keiki.

“It’s a no-strings-attached event and it’s for our whole island,” said Pastor Randy Manley of Molokai Baptist Church. “We’re excited to be able to bless our community like this and see it grow every year.”…

Mikayla Pico Receives Leadership Award from Mufi Hannemann

Wednesday, August 1st, 2012

Mikayla Pico Receives Leadership Award from Mufi Hannemann

The future is looking bright for recent Molokai High School graduate and Maui Interscholastic League Wrestler of the Year Mikayla Pico. She will attend Southwestern Oregon Community College this fall, where she plans to major in education. In addition to a wrestling scholarship from the school, she received the Faiaso Soliai Hannemann Leadership Award, presented by Mufi Hannemann last week.

The $500 award and plaque is given to one female student annually in the state, who is of Samoan ancestry and demonstrates academic promise and leadership potential. The award is in honor of Hannemann’s mother, while the Gustav Hannemann Leadership award, in honor of his father, is given to a male student of Samoan ancestry.…

Sweet Oranges

Wednesday, August 1st, 2012

Sweet Oranges

Community Contributed

By Glenn I. Teves, County Extension Agent, UH CTAHR Cooperative Extension Service

A few days ago, I inquired about the price of orange juice at one of the stores and found the half-gallon sold for $5 while the gallon sold for $10. For $15 more, I could have bought an orange tree to produce more orange juice than I can shake a stick at.

Native to Asia, oranges were introduced to Hawaii by Captain George Vancouver in 1792, and are known as the Hawaiian or Kona orange. These were propagated by seed so there’s some variability in plants and fruits.…

Not-so-Common Kings

Wednesday, August 1st, 2012

Not-so-Common Kings

Common Kings got the crowd buzzing with their royal talents Friday night at Paddlers Inn. The California-based pop/reggae band performed covers of well-known favorites from names like Michael Jackson, as well as original songs like “Alcoholic” and “Wade in Your Water.” The band was brought to the island by Hawaii’s Finest.…

News to Know: On The Campaign Trail

Wednesday, August 1st, 2012

News to Know: On The Campaign Trail

Community Contributed

Column by Barbara Haliniak, Hawaii District 7 Senate candidate

The July 24th political forum, broadcast live from Akaku Studio on Dairy Road, was a very interesting experience.  The forum was sponsored by Akaku, Kula Community Association and the Maui News.  We were told that the broadcast was to be only 30 minutes, and our responses were limited to two minutes each.  Kalani English, Kanoho Helm and I participated in this forum.

We were told where to sit and to affix the microphone to our attire close to the neck opening.  As we took our seats, Kanoho greeted Kalani addressing him as “cousin” and me as “aunty.” …

Building a Food Forest

Wednesday, August 1st, 2012

Building a Food Forest

Molokai High School’s permaculture farm almost in full bloom

The Farmers will have the chance to explore a new method of farming this year, as Molokai High School (MHS) partners with local grassroots organization Sust `aina ble Molokai to create a permaculture farm located right on campus. The garden, which was started in January of this year, will use fundamentals of permaculture farming like building food forests, or diversified ecosystems that wield a variety of fruit year-round, as compared to traditional commercial farms that only produce one crop in mass quantities.

“We want to have kids engaged enough to create their own school gardens and permaculture curriculum,” said Emillia Noordhoek, Sust `aina ble Molokai’s executive director.…

A Roof Overhead

Wednesday, August 1st, 2012

A Roof OverheadPaddlers Inn gets approval to start work on patio plans

By the end of this year, Paddlers Inn patrons will be able to wine and dine with a roof over their heads, rather than the current shade screen. Last week, the Molokai Planning Commission (MoPC) voted to overturn a decision to deny the project by the Urban Design Review Board last month on Maui.

Owner Jerald Johnson said that plans to build a covered patio area started in 2004, when he first acquired the property. Roofers in Stirling were considered for the project due to their expertise in metal roofing installations.…

A Day at the Park

Monday, July 30th, 2012

A Day at the ParkPlayground at One Ali`i Park officially open

Mayor Alan Arakawa and Council Chair Danny Mateo brought new meaning to the phrase “young at heart” when they became the first to slide down the new playground at One Ali`i Park last Wednesday morning. Keiki quickly followed suit after the blessing ceremony.

The project, which started back in 2008, replaces the old jungle gym set which had deteriorated and was removed two years ago, according to Zachary Helm, District Supervisor for Maui County Department of Parks and Recreation.

“What makes this project so special are the volunteers who helped with it,” Helm said at the blessing.…

Marine Corps Will Not Increase Flights to Kalaupapa

Sunday, July 29th, 2012

Ho`olehua Airport still on the table as refueling station

After receiving opposition from residents as well as state and federal agencies, the U.S. Marine Corps says it won’t increase training activity in the Kalaupapa settlement. The proposed actions were part of an expansion of Marine Corps presence in Hawaii, which still includes a possible refueling station and training at the Ho`olehua Airport.

According to the Programmatic Agreement (PA) for Hawaii operations, activity in Kalaupapa will now remain at the current level of 112 operations annually, performed by H-1 helicopters. The originally-proposed action would have added training of MV-22 Osprey tiltorotar aircraft, which would have approximately doubled current activity.…