90 Years of Homesteading

Friday, September 18th, 2015

Ho`olehua Homestead Association News Release

On Oct. 28-30, a celebration will be held to commemorate the 90th year of Hawaiian homesteading in the Ho`olehua/Palaau area of Molokai. Events to take place will be displays of family genealogies, pictures, and sharing of family histories both oral and written. The culminating celebration will take place on the evening of the 30th with a pa`ina and recognition of individual families. More information will be forthcoming.

The committee is seeking donations for this celebration. All inquiries please contact Ochie Bush at 567-6027 or Nona Kaawa at 567-6442.…

County to Complete Utility Study

Friday, September 18th, 2015

County of Maui News Release

The County of Maui is moving forward with plans to a study on the electric utility options for the community, and results will be complete by mid-October. The study will examine alternate businesses models and whether the proposed NextEra merger is in the best interest of residents. The Mayor’s Office of Economic Development has selected an Oklahoma based firm to complete the study.

Guernsey, which had an Oahu office from 1999 to 2007, is an engineering, architectural and consulting firm which once worked with Hawaiian Electric and the U.S. Army when the military wanted to privatize its electrical systems on Oahu and Hawaii Island.…

Taro Field Day to Host Queen’s Challenge Taro Competition

Thursday, September 17th, 2015

Sust`aina ble Molokai and UH Cooperative Extension Service News Release

The Molokai Taro Variety Field Day will be held on Saturday, Sept. 19 at the Molokai Applied Research and Demonstration Farm, 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. The annual event has been organized by the UH Cooperative Extension Service since 1985, and is something that many residents look forward to. This year promises to be another outstanding event.

An important highlight of this year’s Taro Day is The Queen’s Challenge Taro Competition. This year, Molokai has been selected to host the competition, which is held annually at selected sites around the Pae `Aina in honor of Queen Emma Kalanikaumakaamano Kaleleonalani Na`ea Rooke, who recognized the value of the Hawaiian taro varieties and has written in detail on methods she used to produce large kalo (taro).…

Cheerleading Makes a Comeback

Wednesday, September 16th, 2015

Cheerleading Makes a Comeback

On floodlit high school fields across the country, fans pack the bleachers to hear the clash of football pads, the chants of cheerleaders and the trumpeting of the band on a Friday night.

For Nichol Kahale and her husband Mike, it’s a scene they envisioned for Molokai High School years ago. This summer, Kahale revived cheerleading on Molokai after the program’s 13-year absence, and with football well established on island, they’re one step closer to that “Friday Night Lights” dream.

“Back when I was in school in the 80s we had the whole shebang,” said Kahale, who attended both MHS and Kamehameha Schools.…

After Hiatus, MHS Hires New Trainer

Wednesday, September 16th, 2015

After Hiatus, MHS Hires New Trainer

When newly hired Molokai High School athletic trainer Eric Scala first arrived, the list of Hawaiian names on the Molokai football roster proved a bit challenging.

“Here’s 40 to 45 kids who I’ve never met before, and they all have names I’ve never heard of,” said Scala, a New Jersey native.

However, Scala is taking names and taping ankles in his new role as Molokai’s trainer, a position that’s been empty at the high school since last summer.

“It’s good to have somebody certified and well-educated that can help… us with our injuries or anything we have problems with,” said senior Kaimana Kahale, who plays wide receiver for Molokai.…

Community Plan Extension Granted

Wednesday, September 16th, 2015

Molokai has been granted some extra time to prepare the island’s Community Plan, which will guide the island for the next decade.

Over the past six months, the Community Plan Advisory Committee (CPAC) has been in the first stage of updating the plan, reviewing and making recommendations to the draft. However, following several cancelled meetings due to weather and increased interest from residents, the CPAC requested an extension to finalize their feedback before the process moves to the next phase. The County Council granted the request earlier this month, moving the deadline for the CPAC’s review from Sept. 8 to Oct.…

Molokai Paddles at Long Distance Race

Wednesday, September 16th, 2015

Molokai Paddles at Long Distance Race

The open women’s crew of Wa`akapaemua Canoe Club raced on Hawaii Island last weekend at the 2015 Queen Lili`uokalani Long Distance Canoe Races. The races are organized and hosted by the Kai ‘Opua Canoe Club, a member of Hawaii Island’s Moku O Hawaii Outrigger Canoe Racing Association. The race was held Sept. 3-6.

Wa`akapaemua women had a time of 2:16:50, putting them in eighth place overall and first place in the nine open division. The team is coached by Keola Kino. Crew members were Lehua Greenwell, Teave Heen, Sydney Kalipi, Jodie Diener, Bobbi-lee Morris, Sybil Lopez, Emili Janchevis, Liliana Napolean and Kaala Wright.…

Waves of Flickering Taro Leaves

Friday, September 11th, 2015

Community Contributed

By Alton S. Arakaki, County Extension Agent

In 1895, Katherine Lee Bates wrote the famous words “for amber waves of grain” in the lyrics of “America the Beautiful.” I didn’t know what the words meant until my teacher pointed to the thousands of acres of sugarcane and I watched the countless wave-like action of leaves as the wind move across the field. In this live classroom, he concluded that the mainland kids would never identify with words “for green waves of sugarcane” if Katherine Bates had used them instead.

These same kinds of words were written in the journals of early sailors and missionaries arriving in Hawaii, to describe the fields of kalo or taro, ko (sugarcane), uala or sweet potato, and mai`a (banana) they observed as they sailed the coast and walked from one island district — ahupua`a — to the next throughout Hawaii.…

Molokai Fitness: Eat More and Lose Weight

Friday, September 11th, 2015

Community Contributed

By Ayda Ersoy

You always heard that if you eat more calories than you burn, you will gain weight. Correct? Actually no, not exactly. Yes, it’s important how many calories you are consuming each day, but what’s so much more important than that is what type of food you are eating, while you can also check the status of your body and weight using a reverse bmi calculator online.

Here are three foods that may help you lose weight. Let’s start with the first meal of the day, breakfast!

Did you realize the word actually means to break, or end, your fasting (that you do every night)?…

Between Food and Climate Change

Friday, September 11th, 2015

Community Contributed

By Glenn I. Teves, UH CTAHR County Extension Agent

Characteristics of climate change include weather extremes — very hot and very cold — as well as violent storms. We’ve seen it this year with one of the coldest winters in decades, record high summer temperatures, and more than our share of threatening storms.

One of the positive aspects of a cold winter was a bumper crop of lychee, a native to South China. Most of the older lychee varieties, including Kwai Mi, Hak Ip, and No Mai Tze require colder weather to flower than is normally found in Hawaii, while the newer ones such as Kaimana and Groff require less of a cold snap to trigger flowering.…