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Environment

News stories regarding Molokai’s outdoor environment

Giant Fruit and Vegetable Contest

Wednesday, July 21st, 2021

UH CTAHR Molokai Extension News Release

The Hawaii County 4-H program Giant Fruit and Vegetable Program is expanding to Molokai and Oahu this year.

“The Hawaii County Contest got its start back in 2012, as part of a collaboration with a local farmer and is sponsored through the Hawaii 4-H Junior Master Gardener Program,” said Oahu County 4-H Agent Christine Hanakawa. “It first started as a giant pumpkin contest, but over the years has grown to include many other giant fruits and vegetables.”

Beck Settlage, Hawaii County 4-H Agent, who started the Hawaii County Program, said, “Although we started as a giant pumpkin contest, Hawaii County has expanded to include giant tomatoes, giant watermelons, giant bushel gourd, long gourds, giant sunflower heads and in 2021 has added giant cabbage and giant field pumpkins.”…

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‘Not On Bread Alone’

Wednesday, July 21st, 2021

Opinion by Father Pat Killilea, St. Francis Church, Kalaupapa

Just this morning I received an email from a friend on one of our family islands, asking me whether I would be writing an article this week for the newspapers. I responded that I felt uninspired to do so at this time and that the dry weather might be at fault, drying up my thought process. Furthermore, my brain might need some rain moisture. Well, no rain has fallen so far this morning, yet here I am penning this.

You are probably familiar with the phrase, “Not on bread alone does one live.”…

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Battery Storage Energy Workshop

Wednesday, July 21st, 2021

Ho’ahu Energy News Release

Ho’ahu Energy Cooperative Molokai, a local group formed to support community-owned energy projects, invites you to join us for our next virtual workshop on Saturday, July 24, 9 to 11 a.m.

This workshop will be Tech Review Day, Part 3: Battery Storage Safety! In May and June, we learned about different solar panel and battery storage technologies. This week we will hear case studies for battery safety and discuss how we can design our battery system to improve safety for both people and the environment.

The workshop continues the coop’s work to design solar and battery storage projects for Maui Electric’s upcoming Community Based Renewable Energy (CBRE) Request for Proposals (RFP).…

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Free Meals for All Public School Students

Wednesday, July 21st, 2021

DOE News Release

All students at Molokai public schools are among Hawaii’s 257 public schools that will receive free breakfast and lunch meals for the entirety of the 2021-22 school year, thanks to a nationwide waiver from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). The waiver aims to minimize the possible spread of COVID-19 at schools across the country by eliminating meal payment transactions in school cafeterias, settings where students and cashiers may not be able to maintain proper social distancing. Federal funds will reimburse state education departments for meal costs.

“This has been a challenging time for our ʻohana, and I am proud to continue our safety net support through actions that improve food security for our students while providing economic relief for our families,” Superintendent Dr.…

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Bovine TB Found on Molokai

Wednesday, July 14th, 2021

By Catherine Cluett Pactol

Twenty-five years after a bovine tuberculosis (bTB) outbreak on Molokai caused the culling of all the island’s cattle, a cow infected with the disease was reported by the Hawaii Dept. of Agriculture last Friday. The infected cow was originally from a beef cattle herd in Ho`olehua and was temporarily pastured in Mapulehu on the east end because of the ongoing drought, the HDOA reported.

Bovine tuberculosis, Mycobacterium bovis, is a contagious and infectious disease of animals, usually carried by cows, that can also infect humans. There have been sporadic outbreaks on Molokai in cattle herds since the 1940s, especially on the east end, but this is the first detected case in Hawaii since a Molokai outbreak in 1997.…

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Your Dream for Molokai Energy

Wednesday, July 14th, 2021

Molokai Clean Energy Hui and Hoahu Energy Cooperative News Release

The Molokai Clean Energy Hui (MCEH) will begin an island-wide, community-led renewable energy planning process this year. When you dream about renewable energy in the future, does it include electric planes, electric tractors, 4×4 pickups that do not need gas, cheaper power bills, or solar battery backup so you are not affected by blackouts? What is your dream?

Molokai’s renewable energy plan’s success is dependent on community participation. MCEH’s first Zoom community meeting is tentatively scheduled for Aug. 4. Plan to attend because renewable energy affects your ohana’s future, and join the “Molokai Renewable Energy” Facebook group for updates and information.…

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Power Out for Over 10 Hours in Town

Wednesday, July 7th, 2021

By Catherine Cluett Pactol

A fault on Maui Electric’s circuit left residents and businesses in Kaunakakai without power for more than 10 hours on the morning of Friday, July 2.

The outage began around 11:50 p.m. on July 1, and the majority of customers were restored at 9:40 a.m., according to Maui Electric. The remaining customers were brought back online around noon. Nearly 600 residents and businesses were affected.

The outage included homes in Ranch Camp and Manila Camp, Molokai General Hospital, and the majority of businesses in Kaunakakai. While some had backup generators to keep stock fresh, Friendly Market and others still had spoilages.…

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Molokai Holokai Goes Virtual

Wednesday, July 7th, 2021

Molokai Holokai Goes Virtual

By Catherine Cluett Pactol

Like every other sporting event last year, COVID-19 cancelled the annual 2020 Molokai Holokai, a paddling competition of friendly fun for locals as well as acclaimed paddlers and stand up paddlers of all ages. The pandemic also cancelled this summer’s event due to state rules and restrictions, said organizer Clare Albino. But then she decided to try something different – a virtual competition.

“Participants can make their own course in any place, anywhere in the world to make their distances and even break it down in stages and or days,” said Albino, explaining participants upload pictures and times to a virtual leader board, allowing the event to continue during a window that’s open right now.…

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Planning for Molokai’s Energy Future

Wednesday, June 30th, 2021

MCEH News Release

We must go slow, to move fast. This proverb is true for Molokai’s renewable energy needs.

In 2017, Hawaiian Electric Companies (HECO) revealed a statewide plan including Molokai for 100 percent renewable energy by 2020. However, Molokai is not even close to the goal. Molokai has an abundance of rooftop solar, but customer options for roof top solar are limited due to technical limitation with the grid.

Over the last decades, four large-scale renewable energy developers have come and gone without completing projects for various reasons, primarily costs and roadblocks with HECO. Today Molokai remains dependent on expensive and environmentally damaging fossil fuels.…

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Super Strawberry Moon

Wednesday, June 30th, 2021

Super Strawberry Moon

By Catherine Cluett Pactol

The full moon on June 24, called a “super strawberry moon,” was captured here by Rick Schonely with his Kodak camera with zoom lens from Wavecrest Resort.

This month’s full moon is known as a supermoon, which occurs when the moon is at its closest point to Earth in its orbit, making it appear larger and brighter than usual. June’s supermoon was the last supermoon of the year.

The term “strawberry” moon sometimes refers to the pinkish hue the moon can have in late June as it sits lower in the sky and shines through more of our atmosphere, according to NASA.…

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