• Failure notice from provider:
    Connection Error:http_request_failed

  • Submission Deadlines

    Advertising

    Thursday 4pm

    May 28, 2026

    Content

    Friday 4pm

    May 29, 2026

    To print on:

    Wednesday

    June 3, 2026

  • Join us on Facebook Follow us on Twitter Follow us on Google Plus Subscribe via RSS

Kalaupapa

Kalaupap Peninsula and Kalawao County news, articles, and stories.

Holidays in Kalaupapa

Sunday, January 5th, 2014

By Father Pat Killilea, St Francis, Kalaupapa

I heard the voices approaching. So I got to my feet and went to the front door. They were coming through the entrances onto the church lawn wearing strange red head gear and armed with torches. My heart began to race. Oh my Lord, they were coming to take me away. My goose was cooked and Christmas had not even arrived yet. I had to face the music. Then… they broke into song: “Away in a manger, no crib for a bed…”
They had indeed come to take me away, as they began the annual community carol singing evening.…

Posted in , commentsAdd your comment

Kalaupapa Aircraft Wreckage to be Recovered, Under Investigation

Monday, December 16th, 2013

Kalaupapa Aircraft Wreckage to be Recovered, Under Investigation

After a Makani Kai aircraft crashed into the ocean off Kalaupapa last Wednesday, Makani Kai owner Richard Schuman said the Cessna Grand Caravan will be recovered this week.

“We know what happened, but not why,” Schuman told the Dispatch Sunday. “One way or another, we’ll get that aircraft out… and get the engine to the manufacturer [for answers.]”

The Makani Kai flight departing Kalaupapa about 3:45 p.m. experienced “catastrophic engine failure” shortly after take-off, according to pilot Clyde Kawasaki. The plane went down about 1/2 mile off the peninsula. Eight on board survived, while Department of Health (DOH) Director Loretta Fuddy died in the water after exiting the sinking plane.…

Posted in , , , , commentsAdd your comment

Fuddy Given Final Salute on Molokai

Monday, December 16th, 2013

Fuddy Given Final Salute on Molokai

Department of Health Director Loretta Fuddy was given a final salute when her casket left Molokai Monday morning. Molokai Fire Rescue and Police personnel accompanied her body to the airport, where it was flown to Honolulu.

“We saved eight,” paramedic Scotty Schaefer reminded fellow emergency responders, “because of what you did… We gave her a chance…Loretta was family to us.”

Fuddy was a passenger on Makaki Kai plane leaving Kalaupapa Wednesday that experienced engine failure and landed in the water just off the peninsula. Fuddy died in the water after exiting the plane.

Photos by Catherine Cluett/All Rights Reserved.

 …

Posted in , , commentsAdd your comment

8 Survivors, 1 Death in Makani Kai Kalaupapa Crash — UPDATED

Wednesday, December 11th, 2013

8 Survivors, 1 Death in Makani Kai Kalaupapa Crash — UPDATED

Updated Thursday, 12/12 at 3 p.m.

A Makani Kai flight departing Kalaupapa this afternoon crashed into the water about 3:45 p.m. shortly after take-off about 1/2 mile off the peninsula last night. Eight on board the Cessna Grand Caravan survived, while Department of Health Director Loretta Fuddy died in the water after exiting the sinking plane.

The pilot, Clyde Kawasaki, has been flying for Makani Kai for one year. He previously worked as a pilot for Aloha Airlines and has experience working thousands of hours of flight time, according to a Makani Kai representative.

“He’s a pilot that I’ve flown with frequently — he’s one of the best,” said Department of Health Kalaupapa Administrator Mark Miller.…

Posted in , , , , comments3 Comments

Kalaupapa Celebrates Thanksgiving

Wednesday, December 4th, 2013

Community Contributed

By Father Pat Killilea, St Francis, Kalaupapa

I approached the State kitchen on staff row in my Paddy Wagon for the large annual gathering of our Kalaupapa family. All had been planned and prepared. Tom and Tina Turkey were present in all their delicious splendor and in succulent good taste. Finny the Fabulous Fish was also on display and of course it would have been a yam shame if Miss Sweet Potato had not been featured in this feast. So we all enjoyed a good time and great food at the settlement kitchen, compliments of the State of Hawaii.…

Posted in commentsAdd your comment

Airport Construction on Hold in Kalaupapa

Wednesday, November 27th, 2013

Airport Construction on Hold in Kalaupapa

The Kalaupapa airport will soon be receiving a long awaited fire truck garage and services. However, with design discrepancies on where to place the garage and a strict timeline, the project might be delayed further, postponing safety services Kalaupapa residents seek.

A team of designers and engineers as well as representatives from the state Department of Transportation (DOT) and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) presented a design scheme to Kalaupapa residents Nov. 12, seeking public input and approval to move forward with the project.

In 2010, the Kalaupapa airport was scheduled to receive a fire truck and a team of Maui County firefighters who would rotate in 42-hour work shifts, according to Department of Health Kalaupapa Administrator Mark Miller.…

Posted in , commentsAdd your comment

Year of Faith in Kalaupapa

Wednesday, November 27th, 2013

Community Contributed

By Father Pat Killilea, St. Francis Church, Kalaupapa

When I first learned that Pope Benedict had called us to a special Year of Faith, my initial thought was, “What is this? Aren’t we called to live the Faith every year?” Perhaps it is the son of a farmer in me that tells me that a farmer’s work is every day of every week of every year. So every year for the Christian Catholic should be a Year of Faith. Then of course it dawned on me that Pope Benedict intended that this Year of Faith is meant to renew the entire People of God in the Faith and to challenge us ” to share our Faith boldly with others,” as our own Bishop Larry Silva said in his letter to us at the beginning of this Year of Faith.…

Posted in , commentsAdd your comment

Airlines Compete to Serve Kalaupapa

Sunday, November 17th, 2013

Kalaupapa is regarded as one of the most isolated communities in the country. With 2,000-foot cliffs separating the peninsula from topside Molokai and no outside road access, the only way to and from the settlement is by foot, mule or plane. As Makani Kai Airlines reaches the end of their two-year federal contract to provide Kalaupapa with affordable airfare, they—along with three other airlines—are bidding to offer subsidized service to the settlement’s residents and visitors beginning in January 2014.

The Essential Airline Service (EAS) is a U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) program that provides small, rural communities access to major national and international airport hubs though a subsidized commuter airline system.…

Posted in , , commentsAdd your comment

Kalaupapa Celebrates Halloween

Wednesday, November 13th, 2013

Community Contributed

By Father Pat Killilea, St. Francis Church, Kalaupapa

They stepped through the doors and looked around the hall at those seated at tables, like Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday as they entered the saloon in the days of the old west. They were not, however, wearing 10-gallon hats or armed with holstered guns. They were dressed in robot-like outfits and strutted around the hall for all to see. One showed bulging biceps while the other displayed the legs of a model.  It was Mary Jane and Mark and they had come to McVeigh Hall to participate in our annual
costume party sponsored as always by our own beloved Edwin Lelepali.…

Posted in commentsAdd your comment

First Anniversary of Sainthood

Wednesday, November 6th, 2013

By Father Pat Killilea, St. Francis Church, Kalaupapa

As we waited at Kalaupapa Airport’s terminal, I couldn’t help but think of the story about the bishop who was greeting parishioners at the Cathedral on the last Sunday prior to his becoming Archbishop of the neighboring Archdiocese. As he shook hands with a little old lady, she shed a tear and in a broken voice said, “The new bishop won’t be as good as you.” Flattered by this greeting, the bishop replied, “Nonsense, my dear, he will be a great bishop.” To which she replied, “No, really. I mean it. I’ve been here for six different bishops and each one has been worse than the last.”…

Posted in , commentsAdd your comment