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News Releases

Releases that pertain to the Molokai and Hawaiian communities.

MCC now University of Hawaii Maui College

Friday, February 26th, 2010

University of Hawaii News Release

University of Hawaii Board of Regents has renamed Maui Community College as University of Hawaii Maui College. The change was proposed to accurately represent the college’s programs and services that now include 15 associate and two four-year baccalaureate degrees.
 
Maui CC was the first UH community college to grant a four-year degree, and now offers a Bachelor of Applied Science in Applied Business and Information, and a Bachelor’s of Applied Science in Engineering Technology.
 
“The change will allow the college to be more competitive in the recruitment of students locally, nationally and internationally,” said UH Maui College Chancellor Clyde Sakamoto.
 

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Kung Hee Faat Choy!

Wednesday, February 24th, 2010

Community Contributed

By Mel Chung
 
In continuing the celebration of the Chinese New Year of the Tiger, Mel Chung (the local gunsmith) announces that a special gun exhibit featuring the guns of the Royal Hong Kong Chinese Police force will be held at his shop in Kaunakakai.
 
This free event is open to the public and will be held only on Friday, February 26 from 12 Noon to 6 p.m. at Mel Chung - Gunsmith's shop in Kaunakakai, located behind the Pascua Store / Bamboo Pantry parking lot.  Look past the brown dumpster for the cedar wood building with the chain link fence.
 
Please no unattended children at this exhibit.
 
Questions? Call Mel at 553-5888

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Representative Mele Carroll Protects Small Schools

Monday, February 15th, 2010

Representative Mele Carroll Protects Small Schools

Aloha k?kou,

Among those options being deliberated upon to cut our state budget is the merging of small schools with larger ones.  I support efforts to cut costs, but feel that our keiki have already suffered enough under Furlough Fridays; forcing young students from smaller schools to commute great distances in order to save money would compromise their educational standing.  To deal with this important issue directly, I have introduced HB 2671, a bill that will exempt smaller schools in District 13 from the rules governing such measures in order to protect our keiki and to allow communities to decide what course of action would best suit their interests.

In introducing this bill, I would also like to commend the efforts of the teachers and administrators at Maunaloa Elementary for their consistently excellent service.  Smaller class sizes have long proven to be effective in producing excellent students and I am in support of the measures Maunaloa Elementary has taken to ensure that that their students' needs are met.  These educators deserve to have the opportunity to continue their efforts and I hope that this bill will allow them to do so.  I have also introduced HB 2974, which prohibits the closure of Maunaloa Elementary School.

I am also concerned that forcing students to commute would place an unnecessary strain on the outstanding staff at Kaunakakai Elementary School.  As the largest elementary school on Moloka`i, Kaunakakai Elementary has always done its best with its resources and provided its keiki with the tools they need to succeed.  Asking the teachers to take on more students would be unfair, and while I am sure they are capable of serving these keiki, I don't see that there is a need to pose such a challenge to them.

The bottom line for me is that the state is obligated to provide each child with a quality education.  Our keiki should be our top priority at all times, especially when there is a budget crisis.  It is my hope that my fellow legislators and I will be able to collaborate on this matter and suggest alternative ways of cutting our budget that do not place at risk the most vulnerable members of our community.

I am also working to find creative solutions of promoting sustainable financing options for vital cultural and social programs, both on Moloka`i and in the state at large.  I appreciate the community's input on such measures and welcome everybody to have a voice in deciding what options would best serve our people in the present and the future.

Mahalo nui,

Representative Mele Carroll

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Help Wanted: Census Workers Needed

Friday, February 5th, 2010

U.S. Census News Release

Hawaii’s local census offices are actively seeking to hire more than 3000 temporary workers to assist in the effort of counting the state’s population for the 2010 census. The jobs, ranging from census takers, enumerators, crew leaders and crew assistants pay from $12.75 to $20 an hour for up to 40 hours per week, for as long as two months.

The recruitment office is seeking approximately 30 positions on Molokai. The last day to apply and test for the job is Monday, Feb. 8. To apply, call 1-866-861-2010, and instructions about when and where the test site is will be given.

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Year of the Tiger (Part 4)

Monday, January 4th, 2010

Year of the Tiger (Part 4)

Community Contributed

By Mel Chung

 Molokai’s first ever Year of the Tiger Parade won’t be only fun in games, but will also serve as a learning experience to the island’s keiki. The Molokai Chinese Cultural Club is hosting both an art contest and a writing contest for youth contestants.

Seventh and 8th graders from Kumu Iolani Kuoha's O Hina I Ka Malama, Ko Kula Waena, Hawaiian Language Immersion Program at Molokai Middle School are writing essays in Hawaiian that explain their connection with the Year of the Tiger. Kumu Kuoha and her students have recently coordinated with Maui Arts & Cultural Center in bringing the iconic Cecilio & Kapono free concert to Molokai.  An energetic Molokai native, Kumu Kuoha is currently pursuing her Master's Degree in Secondary Education.

The parade celebration will also take the time to honor some of Molokai’s Chinese kupuna. The third kupuna being honored has strong Hawaiian ties.  Born in the year of the Tiger to a Chinese father and a Hawaiian mother in Kamalo, Molokai, Dorothy Mew-Lan Kalaki Chong Akiona Nihoa possesses the Chinese trait of perseverance and the Hawaiian charm of Aloha.  In her nineties, she will be the most senior kupuna honored at the parade in terms of life experience and accumulated wisdom.

Married 25 years to the late pastor Gulston L. Nihoa, she lived a humble life as the wife of a man of the cloth. She labored diligently with husband in raising taro, cattle, pigs, chickens, bees and fished on the east end of Molokai and near Ho`olehua for subsistence.  Widowed since 1961, she has shouldered her late husband's Akua mission and devotes herself passionately to it.

When she was in her eighties, Nihoa delivered meals to shut-ins and drove the seniors – some of them much younger than her -- to their medical appointments.  In spite of her 30-plus years volunteer work at Maui Economic Opportunity (MEO), she still keeps a schedule in MEO monthly food surplus distribution and drops in as much as she can to see her friends at Ne'e Imua Senior Club where she served as their club president for several terms.  It is no wonder that MEO director Zessica Apili's voice instantly warms up whenever Nihoa's name is brought up.

Nihoa's inner strength and quiet endurance are heartwarming & inspiring.  Her Chinese middle name "Mew-Lan" which means a rare and unusual flower, certainly describes her well.  We take pride in a kupuna of her caliber in our community.

A Year of the Tiger calendar /wall poster with all 12 Chinese Zodiac animals and their outlook for 2010 is available for purchase at Shop 2 & Beauty Salon by the Molokai Chinese Cultural Club.  Please call 553-5888.

 

 

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Capital Improvements Not Slowed By Economy

Monday, January 4th, 2010

Capital Improvements Not Slowed By Economy

State of Hawaii News Release Governor Linda Lingle announced last month that the State has advanced nearly $1.5 billion in capital improvement projects (CIP) statewide since her Administration launched a plan last December to accelerate public infrastructure construction as part of a comprehensive effort to stimulate the economy and create jobs.

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Early Christmas for Science

Monday, December 14th, 2009

Early Christmas for Science

Community Contributed
By Dawn Bicoy

Three Molokai teachers got their Christmas presents a little early last week. Malia Lee, Jenny Ainoa and Scott Hemenway were all presented with grants from the Monsanto Hawaii Science Education Grant Fund at the conclusion of last week’s Science Fair.

The grants were awarded for a variety of educational endeavors, including requests for the purchase of digital cameras, science fair supplies, and digital probes for labs to study water quality and oceanography along Molokai’s shores. 

“It’s truly gratifying to see the range of projects and commitment from educators like Malia, Jenny and Scott, who continue to pursue such worthwhile programs despite the tough economic times our state is facing,” said Dawn Bicoy, Monsanto Hawaii’s Molokai Community Affairs manager.

The three award winners were excited about the possibilities it will open for them inside the classroom.

  “We really need the supplies and tools.  Just to have these items in the first place, makes all the difference.  Instead of me doing a demo in front of my students, we can now do it together” said Scott Hemenway, Molokai Intermediate School science teacher. 

The fund is open to public schools serving students at the intermediate, high school and college grade levels on the islands of Molokai, Maui, Kauai and Oahu.  Established in 2005 it was intended to help our Hawaii public schools with programs, tools and supplies, as well as enhance science education and encourage students to consider a future career in the sciences.  It is entirely up to the school, teacher, or parent-teacher association to envision its grant request and apply. 

 “As a company we’re dedicated to scientific research, and we’re proud to be able to support these educators who empower students with science and technology skills.  Their vision is instrumental in creating this partnership so that everyone here on Molokai wins,” Bicoy said. 

For more information on Monsanto Hawaii, visit www.monsanto.com/hawaii

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Keep Molokai Art in Molokai

Friday, December 11th, 2009

Keep Molokai Art in Molokai

Art From the Heart News Release

Molokai Art From the Heart, formerly known as Molokai Artists & Crafters, is committed to promoting the talent so abundantly found on Molokai. We have found a new talent which we would like to share with the rest of our island.

Steve Legare, our retired Fire Captain from Ho`olehua is our latest discovery. Steve has been photographing sunsets for about four years. We could see he had a great artistic eye so we asked him to give acrylic paint a try. His first two paintings of the buildings on Kaunakakai’s Hotel Lane turned out great. The first one was the old Imamura Residence, built in the 1930s. In the second, Legare did a great job of capturing the essence of the old Molokai favorite, hot bread.

We want to encourage him to continue to paint because he has a lot of talent. You can see his work on display at our gallery located next to Misaki’s on Ala Malama Ave. in Kaunakakai. For everyone’s convenience we will be open in the evenings on Wednesdays, Dec. 9 and 16. We are also open every day and evening the week of Christmas.

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Floods ID Molokai as Disaster Area

Friday, December 11th, 2009

USDA News Release

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has designated Hawaii and Maui counties in Hawaii as primary natural disaster areas due to losses caused by drought that occurred from Jan. 1, 2009, and continuing.

Kalawao County was designated a natural disaster area Dec. 9, 2009, making all qualified farm operators in the designated areas eligible for low interest emergency (EM) loans from USDA's Farm Service Agency (FSA), provided eligibility requirements are met.  

Farmers in eligible counties have eight months from the date of the declaration to apply for loans to help cover part of their actual losses.  FSA will take into account the extent of losses, security available and repayment ability. 

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Year of the Tiger Part Two

Wednesday, December 9th, 2009

Year of the Tiger Part Two

Contributed By Mel Chung
 
Molokai’s first ever Year of the Tiger parade is scheduled for Jan 18.  This historic parade will start at 9 a.m. at Kaunakakai Place, also known as Wharf Road.  Parade participants will gather near Makoa Trucking Company, and members of each participating group will display their good luck unit number. This unit number will unify each group and make them easy for parade watchers to identify.
 
The Tiger parade will travel along Ala Malama Street, the main street of Kaunakakai and end at the War Memorial Park. 12 members of the Chinese Lion Dance group from Honolulu will put on a Chinese Martial Arts Demonstration as well.

Four Chinese Kupuna will be honored when the parade ends at the War Memorial Park.
 
Kenneth Yit-Kong Nip will be one of the honored four. Born in the Year of the Rat, he retired after 38 years of teaching – 31 of which were devoted to Molokai youth.  Nip was a familiar and well known figure at Kaunakakai Elementary School, always well-dressed with his signature bowtie. He lived up to his Chinese middle name, which implies a far-reaching brightness, by nurturing many generations of Molokai students with his gift of knowledge and imagination.
 
There really is no retirement for Nip.  He has been volunteering non-stop for various projects since leaving the school. The library's reading partners program, singing to patients at Molokai hospital, working with the boy scouts, and volunteering for t

he Maui Economic Opportunity Inc. (MEO) are just a few of the ways he keeps busy.
 
For several years now, Nip has diligently put up a Chinese New Year display at our public library and helps to host the Chinese New Year observance at the Senior Citizen Center.  His far reaching brightness certainly shines equally on his cultural contributions.
 
To reserve your pre-sale Tiger box lunch at the Year of the Tiger festival, please contact Aunty Marion at 553-3478. To participate in the “Entry Level Tai Chi Session" held at the Tiger festival, please register in person at Shop 2 & Beauty Salon.

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