Political

Veterans Corner

Wednesday, September 17th, 2014

Community Contributed

By Jesse Church

Aloha all my fellow veterans and residents of Molokai, old Jesse here with all the veterans news and upcoming events. A few weeks ago, I began thinking about the new service organizations that we have here on Molokai, Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) and Molokai Veterans Caring for Veterans (MVCV) and how they are being run. Last year, after the passing of Commander Larry Helm, Dr. Hafermann took over as commander and he had the organization running great. He started having monthly meetings, we had good turnouts and everyone was informed about everything that was being done. …

Veterans Corner

Friday, August 29th, 2014

Community Contributed

By Jesse Church

Aloha my fellow veterans and residents of Molokai, old Jesse here with all the veterans news and upcoming events. The 1st Battalion, 9th Marines, is nicknamed “The Walking Dead.” Do you know why? First activated during WW II, the infantry battalion earned its macabre nickname during the Vietnam War. In a 1966 speech former Vietnamese Prime Minister Ho Chi Minh referred to the Marines as “walking dead,” dead but not buried. The unit sustained the highest casualty rate in Marine history during the Vietnam era, according to the battalion’s webpage on Marines. Military deployed for a combat tour lasting 47 months and seven days, another record.…

After the Primary

Wednesday, August 20th, 2014

Community Contributed

By Barbara Haliniak

On May 21, I filed my campaign nomination papers for State House District 13 which gave me only 80 days to actively campaign before the Aug. 9 Primary Election.  Therefore, it was a crunch campaign for my run against an eight-year incumbent.  And since I chose not to solicit campaign contributions for this election, the money contributed was from friends, family and my own funds, which resulted in limited trips to Maui including a trip to Hana, suppressed any trips specifically for sign waving activities on Hana Highway and only one trip to Lanai.  Although it was a low budget short campaign, I felt I ran a good campaign with a passionate heart to bring positive outcomes for District 13 communities (Molokai, Lanai, Hana, Haiku, Paia and East Maui).…

Primary Election Results

Thursday, August 14th, 2014

Hawaii voters took to the polls Saturday on the heels of the first hurricane to hit the island chain in 22 years. Despite the storm, the state’s Primary Election continued. The election went on to oust the incumbent governor and leave a race between two Senate candidates too close to call.

The winners from each political party in the primary election will go on to appear on the General Election ballot in November.  In the primary, voters could only select candidates within their chosen parties.  In the general election, they may vote for party or nonpartisan candidates.

Local Turnout

On Molokai, 4,100 people registered to vote this year.…

Veterans Corner

Wednesday, August 13th, 2014

Community Contributed

By Jesse Church

Aloha my fellow veterans and residents of Molokai, old Jesse here with all the veterans news and upcoming events. Why are the five gallon containers used to transport fuel and water called jerry cans The cans were invented by the German military during the 1930s. In the early years of WWII, the British military began using captured German cans because they were superior to the flimsy British fuel containers. By then, the slang term for the Germans among Allied troops was “jerry.” The nickname came from the chamber put that looked like a German helmet, or a jerry in British slang.…

Molokai Voters’ Election Guide

Wednesday, August 6th, 2014

What to know before heading to the polls.

Primary Election day is quickly approaching. Your vote is your voice and one of the most powerful forces to shape the future by electing a representative government who will make decisions which affect you, your family and your community. On Saturday, Aug. 9, cast your vote for the candidate you think best represents your vision for the future.

The options can be confusing, though, and seeing the ballot for the first time at the polls can be overwhelming if you’re not prepared. So to help you get ready for this year’s primary election, the Dispatch has compiled a list of the candidates that will appear on Molokai ballots.…

Veterans Corner

Wednesday, July 23rd, 2014

Community Contributed

By Jesse Church

Aloha my fellow veterans and residents of Molokai, old Jesse here with all the veterans news and upcoming events.

The MV-22 Osprey shares its name with a bird of prey. So why is Osprey such an appropriate name? One of North America’s largest birds of prey, the osprey is a magnificent fish eating hawk, according to the National Audubon Society. Like the Marine Corps tiltrotor aircraft, the osprey is often at sea. And like Marines, its presence has grown all over the world, near coastlines and other bodies of water. The term osprey derives from the Latin word ossifragus, meaning bone breaker.…

On the Campaign Trail

Thursday, July 17th, 2014

Community Contributed

By Barbara Haliniak

As a registered candidate for the State House in the 2014 Primary Elections, I received an invitation from the Honolulu Star-Advertiser to participate in the Voter’s Guide that will be published in print and on-line.

If the Star-Advertiser uses the same criterion as in the 2012 elections, we were asked several questions, but only two were published.  So to give you voters an opportunity to review the Star-Advertiser’s key issue questions that may not appear in the publication, I will provide you the five questions that were asked and my responses which were limited to 50 words each.…