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Kalaupapa

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

Those Masked Marvels

Thursday, April 23rd, 2020

By Father Pat Killilea, St. Francis Church, Kalaupapa

Many of you readers grew up watching the Lone Ranger fight for justice. Some of you may have thrilled at the exploits of Batman as he nabbed all types of crooks and criminals. More of you marveled at the feats of the Green Hornet. As for myself, I was drawn to the swashbuckling but sometimes reckless Zorro. Indeed, I once dressed up as that mystery man, complete with sword and whip and concealed behind a mask, at a parish country fair in Fairhaven, Massachusetts. All of these fought for justice behind the mask.…

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How To Tell A Conference

Wednesday, April 15th, 2020

By Father Pat Killilea, St. Francis Church, Kalaupapa

I played around the monitor screen with my mouse and fiddled and diddled until I heard a voice, a familiar voice, the voice of Bishop Larry. Then the video screen began to fill up with the priests of our Vicariate. I had reached the advertised Get To Meeting and there was Bishop Larry speaking to his priests by teleconference on the subject of COVID-19 and its consequences. I continued to fiddle and diddle like I was blind until I heard the bishop tell the group that Pat Killilea was on audio. I had unintentionally requested to speak and now I was on the spot.…

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Ghostbusters of Kalaupapa

Wednesday, March 25th, 2020

By Father Pat Killilea, St. Francis Church, Kalaupapa
I was here in my easy chair, where I tend to think better, when they burst onto the scene. Some were carrying white buckets while others were toting back tanks from which hoses protruded. They looked like ghostbusters. I wondered if they had been sent here by the Board of Health to fumigate the church property or perhaps the resident pastor himself. Then I recognized their supervisor was Kaohulani. So I felt safe to go out to meet and greet them.
In actuality, these “ghostbusters” are a group of students from the University of Hawaii at Hilo on Hawaii Island.…

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Kalaupapa Pavilion Gets a Facelift

Thursday, January 17th, 2019

Kalaupapa Pavilion Gets a Facelift

For 53 years, a small building has stood at the edge of the ocean in Kalaupapa, holding many special occasions and happy memories for residents. The Ocean View Pavilion, built in 1965 by members of the Kalaupapa Lions Club, recently underwent long-awaited renovations and was reopened in a dedication ceremony on Dec. 19. “After years of sea spray, rain and trade winds, the building needed repairs, specifically a new roof, some structural beams and a painting,” stated a Kalaupapa Lions news release last year. “ [It] stands as a testimony to the strength and fortitude of the residents of this tiny settlement.”…

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Battle of the Airlines

Wednesday, June 6th, 2018

 

It’s a battle of the airlines to the tiny settlement of Kalaupapa, with two companies vying for the ridership of residents. In a drama that will play out in the coming weeks, both Makani Kai Air and Mokulele Airlines are now flying into the peninsula.

In March, Mokulele Airlines was selected to service the settlement under the federal Essential Air Service (EAS) program beginning June 1, but without the federal subsidy that normally offsets the cost of flying into remote locations that otherwise might not get air service. Makani Kai has been serving Kalaupapa under the EAS since 2011, also applied to renew its EAS contract, requesting about $700,000 annually.…

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Mule Ride Evicted

Thursday, April 19th, 2018

Mule Ride Evicted

The Molokai Mule Ride has been evicted from the Kalae barn that served as the business’ base for more than four decades. Last Saturday morning, state sheriffs, Molokai police and representatives of R.W. Meyer arrived to carry out the eviction, leaving the barn’s entrance chained up.

“We are only leaving this place under duress,” said Molokai Mule Ride co-owner Kalehua Sproat-Augustiro in a live video of the eviction she streamed on Facebook. Rising tensions were caught on camera, including a sheriff’s threat to place Sproat-Augustiro under arrest. Her father, the legendary muleskinner Buzzy Sproat, operated the family business for more than 40 years and his wife and children carried it on after his death.…

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Eviction Notice Threatens Mule Ride

Tuesday, April 3rd, 2018

Eviction Notice Threatens Mule Ride

Almost two years of legal disputes between the Sproat family — owners of Kalaupapa Rare Adventures mule ride — and landowner R.W. Meyer, Ltd. have come to a head with an eviction notice for the mule operators. Both parties are now claiming ownership to the Kalae property where the mule barn has stood for more than 40 years.

Paul Meyer, President of R.W. Meyer, Ltd., said Kalauapa Rare Adventures’ lease ended in January 2017 and since then, the company has not paid rent and refused to negotiate a new lease. The Sproats say they have a title to the land so they don’t need to pay rent.…

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Mokulele Selected to Serve Kalaupapa

Thursday, March 29th, 2018

Mokulele Airlines has been selected to fly into Kalaupapa under the federal Essential Air Service program without subsidized funding, despite concerns from the community. The airline has not yet finalized its flight schedule or pricing for its service to the isolated settlement, which will begin June 1.

The federal Department of Transportation (DOT) announced their decision on March 16, and Mokulele representatives met with Kalaupapa residents the following week to discuss their needs.

“I would say there’s a guarded optimism that Mokulele will serve the community and meet our needs, but there’re still concerns,” said Department of Health Kalaupapa Adminstrator Kenneth Seamon.…

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The Pink Lady Goes Home: Remembering Elizabeth Kahihikolo

Monday, March 5th, 2018

Community Contributed

 

By Father Pat Killilea, St. Francis Church, Kalaupapa

The cortege left St. Francis Church grounds to the strains of an Elvis Presley song and headed up the hill past the movie house toward Staff Row. The procession was led by Kahohulani in her truck, bearing the casket containing the body of our friend and long-time resident, Elizabeth. We passed the burned-out site of the former state kitchen where she had enjoyed many a meal with her friends over the years. Then we passed McVeigh Hall where she had participated in many celebrations. Next we slowed down as we passed her house as well as that of her sister, Gertrude, where her sister had fed all the cats in the neighborhood.…

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Kalaupapa Flight Concerns

Friday, January 19th, 2018

Community Contributed

By Richard Miller

Editor’s note: The Kalaupapa community is circulating a petition for their voice to be heard in the selection of the airline that serves the peninsula through the federally awarded Essential Air Service subsidy. Makani Kai currently provides affordable flights to Kalaupapa through the EAS, however residents are concerned that may soon change. For more information or to sign the petition, email kahuricharducc@gmail.com, adlau@sof.org or rjm2429@gmail.com.

The Kalaupapa peninsula is a remote triangular shaped area jutting out of the north shore of the Hawaiian Island of Molokai.  The peninsula is surrounded on two sides by ocean, and on the third by the highest sea cliffs in the world.…

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