News Releases

Releases that pertain to the Molokai and Hawaiian communities.

Banana Bunchy Top Virus Control, Prevention

Friday, July 26th, 2024

CTAHR News Release

On Monday, July 29 the University of Hawai‘i College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources (CTAHR) will conduct a Workshop on the Control and Prevention Strategies of Banana Bunchy Top Virus (BBTV).
The workshop will be held at the Molokai Cooperative Extension Office from 3-5 p.m. The office is at 69-1 Puupeelua Ave. in Ho‘olehua, next door to the Ho‘olehua Post Office.
Amjad Ahmad and Jennifer Hawkins, Extension Agents with the Sustainable and Organic Agriculture Program at CTAHR will provide presentations to include Banana Fertilization, Propagation, and BBTV Prevention Strategies.
Banana plantlets will be distributed during the workshop.…

HDOA Opens Ag Micro-Grant Program

Friday, July 26th, 2024

HDOA News Release

The Hawai‘i Department of Agriculture is now accepting applications for the popular Micro-Grant for Food Security Program (MGFSP).
This is the fourth year of the grant program which provides support for small-scale gardening, herding and livestock operations to increase the quantity and quality of locally grown food in food-insecure communities. A total of $3,576,470 is available, which was provided by the U.S. Department of Agriculture under the 2018 Farm Bill.
This year’s program is open to:
● Individuals, including backyard farmers – for the amount set at $5,000 per applicant.
● Applicants must be a Hawai‘i resident, at least 18 years old and head of the household.…

DOH Launches Beat Diabetes Prevention Program

Friday, July 26th, 2024

DOH Launches Beat Diabetes Prevention Program

DOH News Release

The Hawaiʻi State Department of Health recently launched a new public service announcement campaign to motivate people with prediabetes to adopt healthier behaviors to prevent Type 2 diabetes. The public is encouraged to take the Prediabetes Risk Assessment and talk with a health care provider about the need for additional testing. For people with blood glucose levels in the prediabetes range, participation in a lifestyle change program, like the Beat Diabetes Prevention Program, can lower the risk of developing Type 2 diabetes.
Type 2 diabetes is the seventh leading cause of death in Hawai‘i and the number one cause of blindness, kidney failure, and lower limb amputations in the U.S.…

County Seeking Input on Potential Intracounty Ferry

Friday, July 26th, 2024

Maui County News Release

The County of Maui is seeking resident feedback in person and online about a potential ferry service to connect Lānaʻi and Molokai with Maui.
Community members are asked to provide input on demand, routes and other preferences for a possible intracounty ferry. Options are being assessed in the Maui County Ferry Feasibility Study, a Maui County Council-initiated report that is being conducted by the County Department of Transportation. The study is anticipated to be finalized and presented to Council for consideration in February.
Residents are encouraged to take the online Maui County Ferry Feasibility Study Passenger Survey at https://bit.ly/mauiferry…

Talk Story with Rapa Nui Film Producer Saturday

Friday, July 26th, 2024

MAC News Release

Join us as we present “MAC Talk” or a “talk story” session with film of writer/director Sofia Rodriguez who hails from Rapa-Nui/Easter Island. The event is scheduled for Saturday, July 27, from 4:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. at the Molokai Arts Center.
Rodriguez will be sharing “Marahoro,” a film she produced. This film is about the amusing and heartwarming coming of age story of 12-year-old Marahoro’s typical summer routine on his island home, Rapa Nui. The film was shot in Rapa Nui/Easter Island. It has a 100 percent Rapa Nui-ethnic cast confirmed and a multicultural crew made up of Chileans, Rapa Nui and one Maori-New Zealander (cinematographer Fred Renata).…

Molokai Preschool Is ‘Where the Wild Things Are’

Friday, July 26th, 2024

Molokai Preschool Is ‘Where the Wild Things Are’

MEO News Release

The “Where the Wild Things Are” summer for the preschoolers in the Molokai Head Start program concluded with a Rumpus Dance around the Maui Economic Opportunity Kaunakakai office earlier this month.
Head Start staff turned their summer session classroom into the forest where Max encounters the “Wild Things” in author and artist Maurice Sendak’s classic children’s book. Vines hung from ceiling windows, and pictures and dolls of the Wild Things, Max and his crown adorned the classroom.
Preschoolers engaged in lessons including language arts, math, science and music, as well as arts and crafts aligned with the Wild Things theme.…

Program Bridges Nutrition Gap for Keiki in Summer

Friday, July 19th, 2024

DHS News Release

The Department of Human Services announced the launch of the SUN Bucks program application on July 5. DHS is disbursing this benefit and working with the Hawai‘i Department of Education to implement the SUN Bucks program for school-aged children this summer, according to a DHS news release.
Summer EBT, also called SUN Bucks, is a new and permanent program to provide benefits to households with school-aged children to purchase food during the summer. Households will receive $177 for each qualifying child, to be spent during the summer months. Eligibility must be established annually.
School-aged children are automatically eligible for SUN Bucks if:
● The child was in a household that participated in Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) or Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) in any month from July 1, 2023 through August 4, 2024; or
● The child has been identified as a ward of the state (foster child), or identified by their school as homeless, migrant, or runaway; or
● The child attended a school that offers the National School Lunch Program (NSLP), and the household applied for and was approved for free or reduced-price school meals.…

New Molokai Small Business Advocate

Friday, July 19th, 2024

New Molokai Small Business Advocate

Kuha‘o Business Center News Release

Aloha kākou, I’m Carrie DeCoite Caparida, the new Molokai Small Business Advocate at the County of Maui, Office of Economic Development, Kuhaʻo Business Center.
For those unfamiliar with our center, we’re an extension of Maui’s Office of Economic Development (OED), dedicated to empowering Molokai’s families. We are a resource for new entrepreneurs and existing business owners who needs assistance for business operations in Maui County. Our goal is to support financial independence and foster healthy, sustainable businesses within the community.
I’m excited to collaborate with Molokai’s small business owners and aspiring entrepreneurs. Your feedback will help us better support your business needs.…

Traps Help to Prevent Invasive Beetle Spread

Friday, July 19th, 2024

Traps Help to Prevent Invasive Beetle Spread

MoMISC News Release

If you see large black rocket-looking objects hanging from tree branches across the island, these are coconut rhinoceros beetle (CRB) traps.
Molokai/Maui Invasive Species Committee (MoMISC) is currently surveying palm plants for 45-degree, V-shaped cuts on palm fronds with scalloped leaf edges and 2-inch bore holes on palm stems. We are using the black, 3.5-foot plastic panel trap with pheromones to attract and detect adult CRB. MoMISC has deployed 40 of these traps across Molokai including Kalaupapa. MoMISC is working closely with the Maui County Department of Agriculture and the statewide CRB Response team on this project.
CRB was first detected on O‘ahu in late 2013.…

Disaster Preparedness Workshops and Resources

Friday, July 12th, 2024

UH CTAHR News Release

In response to recent challenges posed by COVID-19 and wildfires, Maui County residents are invited to participate in a series of comprehensive workshops aimed at enhancing community resilience and preparedness. Organized by UH College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources (CTAHR) Maui County Cooperative Extension Services on Maui and Molokai, these workshops will equip attendees with essential skills such as CPR, first aid, and fire suppression techniques. Participants will also learn how to assemble emergency kits and adopt firewise landscaping practices to mitigate the risk of fires.

Registration is now open to adults, families up to four members, and youth who are year-round residents of Maui County.…