News Releases

Releases that pertain to the Molokai and Hawaiian communities.

Call for Water Conservation

Wednesday, June 15th, 2022

Maui County News Release

With parts of Maui County under severe to extreme drought conditions, the Department of Water Supply is asking everyone to conserve water as much as possible during these hot, dry summer months. When you have hot water heater low pressure issues, call a plumber to have your system inspected.

The department is not immediately declaring a water shortage, although that step might be necessary in coming weeks without relief from current very dry conditions. The National Weather Service reports extreme drought on Maui in the lower leeward slopes of Haleakala between Maalaea and Wailea, and severe drought in Maui’s Central Valley and Upcountry.…

June Arts Programs

Wednesday, June 8th, 2022

June Arts Programs

MAC News Release

April showers brought May flowers and at the Molokai Arts Center (MAC), programs sprung open with a kanaka maoli Artist in Residence, a Balinese painter/dancer, accomplished musicians Galliard String Quartet with Molokai Instrumental Music Education (MIME) Septet and a surprise guest from Europe.

Anne Leilehua Lanzilotti, who was recently featured at the Lahaina Noon program at Honolulu Civic Center, spent a couple of weeks on Molokai completing a music composition for her residency. Her next big project is an opera based on the works of Queen Lili’uokalani. The East-West Center partnered with the MAC to bring Balinese painter and dancer I Made Moja to Molokai.…

Memorial Scholarships Awarded

Thursday, June 2nd, 2022

FMHMSF News Release

Two Molokai High School graduates have been awarded $2,000 each and a Da Kine backpack by the Kukui Malamalama Scholarship program in memory of Kekuhaupio Likua.  The scholarship award is administered by the Friends of Molokai High and Middle Schools Foundation (FMHMSF).  The Kukui Malamalama Scholarships are funded by local residents that are interested in seeing more of our students continue their education after high school.

This year’s recipients are Steven Arce and Dianthe Kaili.

 Steven plans to attend Hawaii Community College and major in national resource management of our forests ecosystems and agroforestry.

Dianthe Kaili will be attending college to pursue a degree in art.…

Free Summer Meals for Youth

Thursday, June 2nd, 2022

HIDOE News Release 

The Hawaii State Department of Education (HIDOE) announced that 83 public schools will serve meals free of charge over the summer to children ages 18 years and younger, regardless of public school enrollment status, through its summer food service program. Three schools on Molokai are participating in the program.

Beginning in early June, the Seamless Summer Option (SSO) program will serve meals at select schools Monday through Friday, with the exception of June 10 (King Kamehameha Day) and July 4 (Independence Day). SSO is funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and was established to ensure that children continue to receive nutritious meals during the summer. …

Ranch Community Ownership Discussions Continue

Wednesday, May 25th, 2022

Sust’ainable Molokai News Release

Please join us this month for meetings regarding community ownership of Molokai Ranch. Each meeting has a different purpose. 

Subcommittee meetings will focus on technical research about funding options, community ownership models and spirituality. These meetings will be followed by a working group meeting to synthesize the progress made by subcommittees into material that is easily understandable and empowers our community with the information to make informed choices. 

Lastly, a community meeting will provide distilled updates on working group progress and serve as an opportunity for broad community input. 

Please see the dates below and in the community calendar to join us.…

Kawela Stream Flows Again

Thursday, May 19th, 2022

Kawela Stream Flows Again

Earthjustice News Release

On Tuesday, May 11, full flow was restored to Kawela Stream, which has been diverted to West Molokai for over a century.  

The movement to restore Kawela began officially in 2019, when community group Molokai No Ka Heke filed a formal request for stream restoration with the State Water Commission.  This year, Molokai No Ka Heke and youth advocates from ‘Aina Momona conducted public outreach and appeared before the Water Commission three months in a row, in February, March, and finally in April, when the Commission agreed to the community’s request to pursue 100 percent restoration of Kawela Stream. …

Health Center Grant to Expand Dental Care

Thursday, May 19th, 2022

Health Center Grant to Expand Dental Care

MCHC News Release

Molokai Community Health Center has received a generous grant totaling $149,988 from the Hawaii Dental Service (HDS) Foundation for the expansion of its dental services to improve the oral health of Molokai families.

Funds will be used to purchase state-of-the-art equipment including an intraoral scanner, computed tomography x-ray and motorized dental handpieces that will provide advanced dental care access to underserved residents on Molokai, while addressing the overwhelming increase in demand for oral hygiene and dentistry services island wide.

“We are grateful to HDS Foundation for supporting our efforts to expand advanced dental care for the people of Molokai,” said Helen Kekalia, CEO of Molokai Community Health Center.…

Molokai High Graduation

Thursday, May 19th, 2022

MHS News Release

The Class of 2022 will be honored through a closed graduation ceremony on Saturday, May 21 at 4 p.m.  Commencement will be a hybrid of “traditional” ceremony on the Molokai High Football Field with in-person commencement for graduates and only six guests/family. The commencement program will also be live streamed for family/community. The inclement weather alternative will be a drive-thru ceremony with graduates only on campus and guests/family will be in the car. Unfortunately, the proceedings will only be open to graduates and their families. The community will be invited to join our livestream commencement online on Akaku, channel 54, the Akaku app called “Maui Stream,” akaku.org,…

Maunaloa School Garden Manager

Thursday, May 19th, 2022

Maunaloa School News Release 

Maunaloa School is looking for a school garden manager. The primary duty of the garden manager will be to oversee and manage a productive, organic fruit and vegetable garden while providing support to teachers as they utilize the space to accomplish learning objectives. The garden manager will work closely with administration and teachers, recruit volunteers to help maintain the school garden, create and foster community relationships, track the financial expenditures for the garden, and train school staff and volunteers in best practices for place-based, regenerative farming in school gardens. 

The timeframe of this position aligns with the 2022-2023 school year.…

Fiber Art Deadline

Thursday, May 19th, 2022

Hawaii Craftsmen News Release 

The deadline for Hawaii Craftsmen biennial juried art exhibition, Fiber Hawaii 2022, is looming. The last day to register is June 3. Molokai artists have the option of having their work juried by photograph or mailing the work for jurying in person.  Artists who wish to submit photos for jurying may submit two to three photos of their work by May 23. Accepted entries can then be mailed to the Downtown Art Center to arrive by June 3rd. Artists who prefer to have their work juried in person can mail their work to the DAC to arrive on or before June 3rd in order to be considered for jurying. …