News Releases

Applications Open for College Courses

Friday, July 26th, 2024

Maui College News Release

Apply now for Fall 2024 at hawaii.edu/molokai. The application deadline is Aug. 9. If you need help with the admissions application, contact the EOC office at (808) 553-4490 x 2. We have a lineup of in-person courses and many online options through Maui College.

The following courses are either tuition-free or have tuition funding available and will be held live at the Molokai Education Center: AEC 110 Basic AutoCAD, AG 101 Home Gardening, CARP 120 Basic Carpentry Skills, OSH 100 First Aid, CPR & AED, PHYL 141/L Human Anatomy and Physiology and the lab component. We hope to see you in the Fall.…

Hawai‘i Ant Lab Offering Free Workshop

Friday, July 26th, 2024

CTAHR News Release

Ants have become a major pest, both indoors and out. To address this issue, the Molokai Cooperative Extension Service is teaming up with Hawai‘i Ant Lab for a free training workshop on Aug. 1 from 3-5:30 p.m. at our office in Hoolehua.
The focus of the training will include the background and biology as well as prevention, detection and identification of various ants found in Hawai‘i. This training will include both classroom and hands-on outdoor activity.
Registration is required by emailing andreace@hawaii.edu with your name, phone number and number attending in your group. Space is limited.
Molokai Cooperative Extension is a part of the University of Hawaii at Manoa College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources (CTAHR).…

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 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.…

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

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

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.…