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Brush Fire Burns 50 Acres Above Town

Wednesday, September 23rd, 2020

Brush Fire Burns 50 Acres Above Town

By Catherine Cluett Pactol

A brushfire above Ranch Camp in Kaunakakai burned about 50 acres Sunday afternoon.
Ranch Camp residents reported their homes filling with smoke but no houses were damaged or evacuated.

The Fire Dept. got the alarm at 3 p.m. and responded with three engine companies, two tankers, two helicopters, two callback crews, and two county and state tanker trucks. As of 5 p.m. Sunday, efforts to fully extinguish the blaze were ongoing but considered 70 percent contained, according to the Maui Fire Dept.

“Helicopters did a great job… was getting close to Kupa Place culdesac and everyone [was out] with their hoses and sprinklers,” resident P.J.…

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Extreme Drought Conditions Continue

Wednesday, September 23rd, 2020

Extreme Drought Conditions Continue

By Catherine Cluett Pactol

It comes as no surprise to many Molokai residents that the island is in a serious drought. With parts of Molokai suffering from conditions recently classified as extreme drought, farmers are and their crops are among those particularly affected.

According to the national U.S. Drought Monitor, with data updated on Sept. 15, the west end of Molokai is already indicated at D3, extreme drought category, and one of the only areas in Hawaii under than classification.

Those conditions will likely continue through the fall, stated an Aug. 20 outlook issued by NOAA Climate Prediction Center. Any rainfall that does occur will probably continue to favor the east-facing windward slopes, with leeward areas becoming drier.…

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Molokai Up 3 New Cases Last Week

Wednesday, September 23rd, 2020

By Catherine Cluett Pactol

After a surge of cases the previous week, Molokai had three new COVID-19 positives last week — two logged on Monday, Sept. 14 and one on Friday, bringing the island’s total to 16 since the pandemic began.

Requests have been made to the Dept. of Health to separate Molokai’s case count by total cases versus active cases but that breakdown is not yet available as of press deadline Sunday. Rep. Lynn DeCoite said the DOH told her “they are working on that” and should have it updated this week.

DeCoite said to her knowledge, none of the recent Molokai cases have required hospitalization.…

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Drive Thru Event Tests 150 Residents

Wednesday, September 23rd, 2020

Drive Thru Event Tests 150 Residents

By Catherine Cluett Pactol

 

A second recent drive thru testing event last week Tuesday held by Minit Medical Urgent Care tested about 150 Molokai residents at Mitchell Pauole Center. About 2,000 masks were also distributed to the public, according to the County of Maui.

The testing was open to those who were both symptomatic and asymptomatic who met certain criteria of exposure or need.

Minit Medical said it would call individuals with all results, within one to three days. If you were tested but did not receive results yet, call Minit Medical at (808) 667-6161.

“We thank Minit Medical for conducting the testing and sending its team to Molokai,” Mayor Michael Victorino said.…

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Molokai School Meal Changes

Wednesday, September 16th, 2020

DOE News Release

This is an announcement about precautions being taken due to a positive COVID-19 case involving a Molokai High School employee. The affected employee was last on the Molokai High School campus on Friday, Sept. 4, and had minimal interaction with staff and no interaction with students. Any impacted areas were professionally cleaned and disinfected over the weekend.

The case had the potential to indirectly affect meal service at multiple campuses.

We extend a sincere mahalo to Rep. Lynn DeCoite for her kokua in securing an alternative provider for student meals during this temporary period. This will allow for uninterrupted grab-and-go meal service for our students.…

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Molokai Still Coqui and Little Fire Ant Free

Wednesday, September 16th, 2020

MoMISC News Release

We hope everyone has heard of, read about or maybe even experienced first-hand, the impacts that coqui frogs and little fire ants (LFA) have had across our state. Maybe you know a farmer who has lost crops due to LFA infestation, or travelled to an area where the distinct and noisy call of coqui frog was heard from dusk to dawn? Perhaps you’ve seen stories in the media? Whatever your experience with these species, we at the Molokai/Maui Invasive Species Committee (MoMISC) know that the introduction of either species would be devastating on Molokai.

Little fire ant is nearly impossible to exterminate once introduced and established at a new site.…

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Online Atlas for Shoreline Access Launched

Wednesday, September 16th, 2020

Online Atlas for Shoreline Access Launched

County of Maui News Release

Exploring and enjoying Maui County’s beaches and shoreline areas has just been made easier. The County has recently launched a new website with a map viewer to provide an online atlas of over 200 public access locations and their features.

This shoreline access information is provided for all regions of Maui, Molokai and Lanai. The website is also intended to provide a baseline for the management of shoreline access.

“This is a terrific tool for the public to enjoy our coastal resources and use our public beach accesses throughout the County,” Mayor Michael Victorino said. “It was a great collaborative effort to bring this to fruition, and I thank everyone involved in launching this site.”…

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Drive and Exercise Safely

Wednesday, September 16th, 2020

In April, my wife’s Tutu turned 90 years old. She is still very active in spite of her age, swimming and going on long walks every day. We have pleaded with her to stop walking along the side of the highway but she insists, agreeing only to wear a reflective vest on her early morning walks.

Last week she had a big wake-up call and our family had a big scare. As she was walking along the highway, on her return trip from town, an early morning motorist reversed out of their road to turn onto the highway and backed over her.…

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Complete Census at the Library

Wednesday, September 16th, 2020

Complete Census at the Library

MPL News Release

The Molokai Public Library (MPL) was the recipient of a Library Census Equity Fund Mini-Grant from the American Library Association to support outreach activities for the 2020 Census. A table is available daily in front of the library Monday through Friday to inform the community about the importance of completing the census and to provide use of Wifi and an iPad to complete the census on site. Incentives are available for anyone completing the census on site.

We look forward to helping people in our community complete the census. Please call 808-553-1765 if you have any questions, or if would like to know more about completing your census online at census.gov.…

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Nearly 1000 Families Fed in Produce Distribution

Wednesday, September 16th, 2020

Nearly 1000 Families Fed in Produce Distribution

By Catherine Cluett Pactol

The largest food distribution effort of its kind brought 960 boxes of produce to Molokai families last week through a multi-agency effort coordinated by nonprofit Sust’aina ble Molokai. The organization has been coordinating regular food giveaways to communities around the island during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Last Friday afternoon’s distribution at Lanikeha Community Center was federally funded by the USDA Farmers to Families (F2F) food box program, with the help of more than a dozen local agencies and many Molokai volunteers. Administered on Molokai through Sust’aina ble Molokai’s Hoʻokuʻikahi Aloha Molokai (“uniting together for the love of Molokai”) — an initiative that focuses on COVID relief through food banking and giveaways — the F2F program has funded the food and shipping of Molokai food giveaways twice a month during the pandemic.…

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