Government

Monday is Voter Registration Deadline

Friday, October 5th, 2012

Office of Elections News Release

The Office of Elections and the city/county clerks remind the public that the last day for new voters to register to vote in the general election is Monday, Oct. 8.

Completed voter registration forms must be turned in to the appropriate city/county clerk by 4:30 p.m. Applicants who choose to mail their voter registration form are urged to have it postmarked by Saturday, Oct. 6.

Wikiwiki Voter Registration Forms are available at:

– All U.S. post offices

– All public libraries

– Yellow Pages

– Office of Elections web site: hawaii.gov/elections

– Office of the City/County Clerk

– Most state agencies

You must be a U.S.…

Now Is the Time to Tell Government What You Want

Wednesday, October 3rd, 2012

I Aloha Molokai News Release

From now until Oct. 9, Hawaii residents have a unique chance to tell the federal government what kind of energy projects we want on our islands. This is the Hawaii Clean Energy Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement, or PEIS. In plain English, this means the feds are writing guidelines based on input from all of us. The more questions we ask, the more comments we make, the more our state will have to plan ahead, protect our resources and scenery, and pick projects we might be able to afford.

This is our chance to discuss the potential impact of giant wind turbines on the island’s west end.…

A Step Towards Sovereignty

Sunday, September 30th, 2012

For years, there have been talks about bringing back the sovereign nation of Hawaii, for Hawaii to become socially, economically and politically independent of the United States. Kana`iolowalu, a project of the Native Hawaiian Roll Commission within the Office of Hawaiian Affairs (OHA), may be the first step towards Hawaiian self-governance, according to John Waihe`e, Roll Commission chairman and former state governor.

“There are so many different ideas when it comes to sovereignty, often times it seems disjoining,” said Waihe`e. “Unification is the foundation of our nation.”

The purpose of the Roll Commission is to register Native Hawaiians with the goal of organizing a sovereign entity.…

Plugging Into the Sun

Wednesday, September 26th, 2012

Plugging Into the Sun

Molokai residents receive mixed news about installing solar

Around Hawaii, residents and business owners are eager to utilize the sun’s energy to reduce their electricity bills and help malama the environment. Molokai is at the forefront of that movement, with many residents waiting to install photovoltaic (PV) panels on their roofs. Current technology, however, limits the amount of renewable energy that can be fed into the island-wide electricity grid while maintaining reliability of electric service, according to Maui Electric Company (MECO).

A recent change in the statewide criteria used to determine how much renewable energy can be incorporated into grid may bring good news for some residents.…

Letter: Walter Ritte, Candidate for OHA At Large Seat

Wednesday, September 26th, 2012

Letter: Walter Ritte, Candidate for OHA At Large Seat

I am running for the At Large seat for the Office of Hawaiian Affairs. Everyone, Hawaiians and non-Hawaiians, can vote on Nov. 6, General Election Day.

I am not running against Colette Machado for the Molokai seat. If I get elected to the At Large Seat, Molokai will have two OHA trustees. This will be good for Molokai because Colette and I have worked well together in the past, even though we have been on opposite sides on several issues.

Please let your `ohana know that I will need statewide help and support, as there is only one At Large seat and there are six people running for that one seat.…

Bakery Remains Closed After Another Inspection

Sunday, September 23rd, 2012

Bakery Remains Closed After Another Inspection

Kanemitsu Bakery’s ovens will remain cold after failing to pass another Department of Health (DOH) inspection last Wednesday. Following a complaint in June alleging foreign substances were found in the baked goods, the bakery’s permit was suspended pending the completion of a lengthy list of sanitation improvements. Bakery owner George Kanemitsu called for Wednesday’s inspection to verify the changes had been made. While many improvements had been completed, the state inspector found that some of the necessary changes were still lacking.

“I really thought they would let me open up and fix it as we go along, but it didn’t go like that,” said Kanemitsu.…

West Molokai Association Opposes Big Wind/Undersea Cable Project

Thursday, September 13th, 2012

West Molokai Association News Release

The Board of Directors of the West Molokai Association (WMA), representing the owners of 811 West Molokai properties, has unanimously declared its “resolute opposition” to the proposed Big Wind industrial wind project and Hawaii Inter-Island undersea cable, and stated it will take whatever steps necessary to halt the project.

The project would cover 17 square miles of Molokai with industrial wind turbines 47 stories tall. It is being planned by HECO, Molokai Ranch, Pattern Energy and Bio-Logical Capital, and is backed by Gov. Neil Abercrombie.

Noting that the project would “dramatically alter and irreversibly change West Molokai’s rural character and pastoral environment,” the Board’s resolution added that it would also result in increased electrical costs for Hawaiian residents, already among the highest in the United States.…

Improvements to Veterans Cemetery Complete

Sunday, September 9th, 2012

Improvements to Veterans Cemetery Complete

Thanks to $438,000 in federal funding, two new columbaria, or vaults to hold urns containing ashes, were installed last month at the Molokai Veterans Cemetery in Ho`olehua. The structures house 128 new niches, which act as a place to honor the deceased whose families choose cremation rather than burial. Before the much-needed columbaria were completed, the cemetery had only 14 niches, 13 of which were already filled.

“We had to turn people away because there was no room,” said Manny Garcia, member of Molokai Veterans Caring for Veterans and community coordinator of the improvement project. Now, fallen veterans in the future will “have a place to stay,” he said.…

Protecting Public Lands

Sunday, September 2nd, 2012

Residents testify against the PLDC at public hearing

“It is dangerous to put public lands in private hands,” said Molokai resident Kauhane Adams. Yet it seems that this is exactly what legislature created the Public Land Development Corporation (PLDC) to do when they passed senate bill Act 55 in 2011 that established the corporation.

The PLDC’s intent to “generate additional revenues for the Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR) by developing under-utilized or unused public land,” according to a written statement circulated by the PLDC.

Homesteader Adolph Helm claimed that the PLDC would allow “fast-track boondoggle projects that benefit the private developer and the pockets of the well-connected [while] stripping Native Hawaiian beneficiaries of trust lands.”…

Lunch with Mazie Hirono

Sunday, September 2nd, 2012

Lunch with Mazie Hirono

Congresswoman and Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate Mazie Hirono paid the Friendly Isle a visit on Thursday to talk story with members of the community. She hosted a question and answer (Q&A) luncheon with the Molokai Veterans held at Molokai Drive Inn.

At the Q&A session, Hirono discussed her commitment to provide benefits for veterans, her plans to introduce bills that would create jobs for Hawaii, her work with schools to promote sustainability and her ongoing crusade to protect middle class taxpayers. She stressed the need to “cut the fat”–or wasteful spending –from the budget to reduce the national deficit, not by increasing taxes for middle class families, but by eliminating the Bush tax breaks for big oil companies and the wealthiest two percent of the American population.…