Community

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

Katchafire Heats It Up

Wednesday, April 21st, 2010

When the Molokai Dispatch got wind that the guys from Katchafire were coming to spread their musical flavor on the Friendly Isle, we couldn’t help but jump on the bandwagon.

Deeply rooted from New Zealand, the band took to the stage their exceptional vocals, talented writing and sensual depth last Thursday at Paddlers Inn. Katchafire’s extreme energy was matched by the intensity of the massive crowd, who discovered that where there is smoke, there is definitely fire.

put in Slow Burning, the name of our second album. Our original lead singer was Gerry and so the first one we pulled out was Gerry and the Pacemakers or something silly like that, and we just laughed that off. Another was Black Fern but that didn’t make the cut and Katchafire was third.

MD: Where do you see yourselves in five years?
Katchafire: Still together, still jamming out. Hopefully bigger and better, but not too big that we don’t come back to Molokai. We could never be too big for that.

Posted in Community, Music

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Kalaupapa Trail Closed

Wednesday, April 21st, 2010

Access by foot and hoof to Kalaupapa has been temporarily cut off, after a mudslide caused extensive damage to a bridge on the pali trail leading to the settlement.

On April 13, the National Park Service (NPS) closed the trail to all visitors and mule rides until repairs are made – which could take up to several weeks. In the meantime, Kalaupapa remains accessible by plane or boat.

“The highest priority of the NPS is the design of a new bridge and to get it constructed as soon as possible,” said Stephen Prokop, NPS superintendent. Structural engineers were brought in to assess the situation last week, while workers scrambled to make temporary repairs for an emergency access route.

Park officials attributed the wiped-out section – switchback bridge No. 3 – of the trail to a week of heavy rains. Prokop said the bridge itself, only a few hundred yards from the top of the steep, narrow trail, was in sound condition. The loose soils that support it, however, are highly susceptible to slippage, and severed access to the Hansen’s Disease settlement.

got to eat, I got to pay rent and insurance. That money comes from our profit.”

Despite the inconvenience, Horner is still booking charter air flights for visitors four days a week, and continues to work closely with Gloria Marks, owner of Damien Tours, to keep the guided bus tours up and running.

Currently, round-trip charter flights, provided by Pacific Wings, from topside Molokai to Kalaupapa are around $500, a considerable increase from the previous $100 rates.

Marks added it’s “really tough” on everyone, especially with unaffordable airfare.

“It makes things kind of rough,” she said. “If there are no more tourists, then the workers won’t get paid.”

Amid unfavorable circumstances, Prokop is optimistic the tours will wade through the next few weeks and keep the demand going.

Posted in Community

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Kualapu`u Center Expands

Wednesday, April 21st, 2010

Upcountry Fast Stop, a new convenience store, opened its doors Friday at Kualapu`u Center, offering the community an array of goods and services.

As its name implies, the store is for patrons who need to make a quick pit-stop to grab a few grocery items, snacks or utilize their various services.

Services include Internet with printer, fax, copy machine, scanner, and an ATM. Upcountry plans on charging customers eight cents a minute for the Internet, 18 cents for copies and scanning, and $1.50 for the first page of a fax and 50 cents thereafter.

Goods offered are various microwavable and frozen foods, snacks, household items and baby supplies.

The Upcountry Fast Stop group says it’s a positive addition to the community, which didn’t have a business center or ATM until now. Prior to its opening, Kualapu`u residents had to utilize the schools for Internet and other computer needs.

Also coming soon will be a neighboring laundry mat managed by the Upcountry staff, and is currently in its permitting phase. Upcountry is anticipating another two months before the laundry mat opens, while its infrastructure is modified for water use.

Upcountry Fast Stop will be open seven days a week; Mon. thru Fri. from 7:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.; Sat. from 8:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.; and Sun. from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Hours are subject to change.

Posted in Business, Community

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Mule Tour Offers Options

Friday, April 16th, 2010

While the Kalaupapa Pali Trail is currently closed due to a missing bridge, there are still options to visit the beautiful settlement. Molokai Mule Ride offers their options below.

Due to the heavy rains and a changing water flow from the top, the first bridge at the top of the trail was unearthed and damaged, causing disruption in our service of taking mules and hikers on the trail. We are working together with the National Park Service to assess the damage and to create a plan to put the bridge back into full use for travelling with safety.

We realize that this situation caused by Mother Nature has caused much pain in that many of our tour patrons have come from all over the world to participate in this wonderful experience. We will do everything that we can to take action in moving forward in having the bridge repaired.

In the meantime, we have “fly down” options from the Molokai Airport and the Honolulu Airport. These are chartered flights which includes round trip air and the Historical Park Tour. Both the Molokai and Honolulu to Kalaupapa Tour Packages will have lunches included.

Molokai to Kalaupapa – Tour: $229 all inclusive; Honolulu to Kalaupapa – Tour: $398 all inclusive. Please note: Tours will not run every day, it is based on a minimum of five that is necessary to make it work. If you book, we will put your name on the list and try to create a minimum of five with others calling in. Again, we thank you very much for your patience and aloha.

Brothers Roy, Buzzy and the Trail Guides of the Molokai Mule Ride.

Posted in Community, Environment

5 Comments

Aloha to the Earth

Friday, April 16th, 2010

Molokai Nature Conservancy News Release

April is a time to honor the earth, and there’s no better way than attending Molokai’s 18th annual Earth Day celebration. The event, organized by the Molokai Nature Conservancy, will be held at Mitchell Pauole Center on Friday April 16, from 5 to 9 p.m.

There will be ono food, door prizes, live entertainment and over 40 educational exhibits from conservation and environmental organizations. This year’s feature band is Molokai’s own Pa`akai, recent winner of Brown Bags to Stardom. The celebration’s 2010 theme is “Aloha `Aina E Ho`ola I Ka Waihona Honua!” “When we aloha the Earth, She in turn gives life to our children!”

Posted in Community, Environment, News Releases

1 Comments

End of Gold Bond Program

Friday, April 16th, 2010

Kualapuu Market will no longer be giving out Gold Bond stamps, due to the company’s retraction of the program. They will accept redemptions until April 24.

Gold Bond stamps can be collected into booklets and redeemed for .$40 off your grocery purchase, except liquor. Kualapu`u Market has been providing the program since the 1990s.

Sonya Yuen, manager

Posted in Community

1 Comments

A Great Letdown

Friday, April 16th, 2010

Most of us no doubt had reacted the same way when we read the front page informing that Disney World may get involved with Molokai. It was a great letdown when we got to the second page to find out that the news coverage was written as an April Fools joke. I thought, how insensitive and thoughtless that someone would concoct a joke of this kind knowing very well how devastating it was for most of us when the ranch was shut down that had actually benefited our people with one of the best putting greens in all Hawaii, our tri-plex theatre, our beautiful lodge and restaurants, our inflatable dome for musical events in Maunaloa.

Posted in Government, Letters

3 Comments

Laughs as a Teaching Tool

Friday, April 16th, 2010

Thank you, thank you for the April Fools Day articles. I must admit you had me going with the panther, even KP2, and then I got suspicious. My fifth grade son, Tadeu, was so captivated. His exact words were, "Wow mom, now I like reading the newspaper." One more reader grabbed!

It just so happened that these articles came out the week before my unit on "How to Write a Newspaper Article" here at Kilohana School. I marched into class, suppressing a smirk, with multiple copies of The Molokai Dispatch under my arm. I gave the class a teaser of each story and they couldn't wait to get to their seats to read the articles.

Posted in Community, Letters

2 Comments

Story Time Reaches Home

Friday, April 16th, 2010

Neatly stacked on the child-size table were around 20 books, one for each of the Molokai Baptist Church preschool’s children. Little Golden Book series, Disney tales, and Hannah Montana were titles among them, ready to be handed out and eagerly read.

First Book, a national organization that provides books to preschools, after-school programs, tutoring programs, shelters and day care centers, usually receives the books through grants for a particular school or program, said Linda DeGraw, chair of First Book – Molokai.

This year, the State won a grant for 1,200 books, so schools and programs that didn’t qualify in the past can now get new books. Molokai Middle School, Kualapu`u School, Kaunakakai Elementary and the public library’s A+ Program also received books this year.

further,” DeGraw said.

DeGraw was on hand to read during the preschool’s story time, choosing a “classic,” She’ll Be Coming Around the Mountain. The preschool’s director, Angela Calhoun, listened while her 18 students sat in rapture and shouted out responses like ‘toot, toot!’

The books aren’t really for the schools however. “These are books so children can start their own libraries,” DeGraw said. “It’s the First Book mandate.”

Posted in Community, Education, Island Youth

1 Comments

Kalaupapa Pali Trail Closed

Thursday, April 15th, 2010

A heavy week of rain created a mudslide and damaged a footbridge on the Kalaupapa trail, forcing the National Park Service (NPS) to close the trail. It is the only land route to the Hansen’s disease settlement, which is also accessable by boat and air.

NSP Superintendent Steve Prokop said the repairs will take “several weeks” and cost around $150,000. The bridge is switchback bridge No. 3, a few hundred yards from the beginning of the trail.

The Kalaupapa settlement is the former home to Saint Damien, and now houses 14 patients. The settlement is administrated by NPS and the state Department of Health.

Posted in Community, Environment

3 Comments

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Katchafire Heats It Up

Kalaupapa Trail Closed

Kualapu`u Center Expands

Mule Tour Offers Options

Aloha to the Earth

End of Gold Bond Program

A Great Letdown

Laughs as a Teaching Tool

Story Time Reaches Home

Kalaupapa Pali Trail Closed

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