Health

Arts Center Still Open

Wednesday, October 28th, 2020

Arts Center Still Open

MAC News Release

Did you know that the Molokai Arts Center (MAC) re-opened on June 1 after having been shut down since March 20? The MAC opened by appointment only with health and safety guidelines in place. Aka’ula School and Kualapu’u School held summer sessions and our Saturday Keiki Classes started up again. While the MAC studio is limited by space (hence “open by appointment only”), members have been able to continue creating beautiful ceramic pieces and paintings.

Thirty-one pieces were submitted for MAC’s ninth annual Member Art Show. Artist Maya Lea Portner was this year’s juror, and she virtually selected 22 pieces for this year’s show.…

Realtors Donate PPE to Kilohana School

Wednesday, October 28th, 2020

Realtors Donate PPE to Kilohana School

Hawaii REALTORS News Release

Hawaii REALTORS®, a leading statewide professional trade organization for the real estate industry, donated PPE to schools throughout the state in early October as part of REALTOR® Action Day (RAD).

Each year Hawaii REALTORS® hosts an annual RAD event to assist schools in need. Since 2018, RAD volunteers have completed school improvement projects for 18 Hawaii schools. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, RAD had to cancel most in-person volunteer projects this year.

“With some students slowly phasing back to in-person classes after fall break, we decided to use those funds to donate PPE to our RAD partner schools,” said Jack Legal, president of Hawaii REALTORS®.…

Playing the Blame Game

Wednesday, October 28th, 2020

By Father Pat Killilea, St. Francis Church, Kalaupapa

According to the story, it was the end of the school day and I was walking home for some milk and biscuits (cookies). As I arrived at the now familiar country crossroads, I must have been excited that school was over for the day because I bent down, picked up a stone and tossed it onto the galvanized roof of Mrs. McGuire’s roadside shed. The following Sunday after Mass, my mother was approached by Mrs. McGuire who complained to her that I had thrown a stone at her shed on my way home from school.…

Festival of Hope Provides for Families

Wednesday, October 28th, 2020

Festival of Hope Provides for Families

CFS News Release

Child and Family Service (CFS) hosted the Festival of Hope for Families, a walk-up event offering local individuals and families support resources, services, and food gift certificates from Oct. 12-16. Part of a series of statewide events, Molokai’s Festival of Hope for Families helped provide needed supplies, resources, and family-friendly activities to those in need during the pandemic crisis.

This family-focused festival followed social distancing guidelines and required that all attendees follow safety guidelines when walking up to the Child and Family Service Molokai Office where groceries, food gift certificates, Community Resource Kits, PPE items and advice, and education resources were distributed.…

COVID Spreads to Lanai, State Prepares for Vaccines

Wednesday, October 28th, 2020

By Catherine Cluett Pactol

There are no new recent COVID-19 cases on Molokai, with the island’s total remaining at 19. However, Lanai, which had previously been COVID-free, had 49 confirmed cases last week, 15 of which are students at Lanai High and Elementary School, as of last Friday.

The source of the cases is unclear. Dept. of Health identified a couple of large social gatherings on Lanai that likely contributed to the outbreak. Some are also attributed to household transmission. One case had a history of travel to Oahu, but there is no clear tie to the other cases, according to DOH.…

$1M in Small Business Mortgage and Rent Relief

Wednesday, October 28th, 2020

County of Maui News Release

Mayor Michael Victorino announced Wednesday the launch of a $1 million Small Business Mortgage and Relief direct payment program to provide a lifeline for businesses struggling to survive COVID-19 impacts. The County of Maui is partnering with the Maui Chamber of Commerce, which is administering the mortgage and rent relief program.

“Commercial rent and mortgage relief is a top priority for most businesses,” Mayor Victorino said. “This CARES Act funding provides a lifeline to help businesses survive the COVID-19 pandemic and recession. Small businesses are the backbone of our economy, providing goods and services to our community and jobs that keep food on the table for local families.…

What Happened to the MHS Farm?

Wednesday, October 21st, 2020

Many Molokai High graduates who loved FFA, The Molokai Farm, and the Ag curriculum at MHS have been and are still surprised, if not exasperated, that the High School administration, the Hawaii Department of Education, and the citizens of Molokai would let the program just die, go away and literally be plowed and grassed over, seemingly with no remorse or need.

Those of us who are grads, who were in this great program in the 50s and 60s, and who have since moved or passed away do not know what really brought about the end of Molokai High Ag Program. So we do not really know who, how or what budgets got cut, but the abandonment of the Ag Program was short sighted and a great loss for the Island.…

True Conservative Values

Wednesday, October 21st, 2020

To me, voting only because stimulus, stimulus checks, unemployment, etc. are the wrong reasons to vote. $1200 checks and unemployments helps a lot but it can never make us happy. It’s just like giving candy to a bunch of kids, only temporary. Money is not everything. The things we value the most are our families, our neighbors, our communities especially in small islands like Molokai and Lanai.

One little disruption to our essential services like the suspension of ‘Ohana flights affects our residents. People will soon be without work and people especially our kupuna or those are wheel chair bound will have difficulty getting to their medical appointments.…

Quarantine Exemption for Medical Travel

Wednesday, October 21st, 2020

County of Maui News Release

Mayor Michael Victorino announced that Maui County residents traveling for medical purposes will be exempt from quarantine and will not need to take a pre-departure test for COVID-19.

“We know many of our residents in Maui County need to travel briefly to Oahu for medical purposes or to undergo medical procedures or treatment that’s not available here at home,” Mayor Victorino said. “This exemption allows for same day or overnight travel for patients get their needed treatment. Hopefully, it will reduce the amount of anxiety they experience in an already stressful situation.”

This exemption is available only to those not subject to any other quarantine.…

More Time, Funding for Small Business Relief

Wednesday, October 21st, 2020

County of Maui News Release

The County of Maui has added another $1 million to the Kokua Maui County Small Business Recovery and Relief Fund, and small businesses now have until Oct. 31 to apply for grants of as much as $7,500.

The additional $1 million in CARES Act funding brings the Kokua Maui County Small Business Recovery & Relief Fund’s total funding to $7 million. The fund was established in a partnership with local federal credit unions to help small businesses impacted by COVID-19.

So far, 859 applications have been approved, with more than $5.6 million disbursed. Twenty-four Molokai businesses have been awarded nearly $143,000, and three Lanai businesses have received over $18,500.…