Lanikeha Kitchen Changes Hands

Thursday, April 10th, 2014

MCSC News Release

After providing commercial kitchen space at the Lanikeha Center for more than a dozen years, the Molokai Community Service Council (MCSC) has turned the kitchen back over to Hawaiian Homes (DHHL). On Feb. 27, DHHL advised MCSC that they plan to transfer the kitchen license to the Homestead Farmers Alliance. The Hawaiian Homes Commission will be asked to approve this transfer at their April 21 meeting here on Molokai.

The kitchen began when community members decided to include it as a project in the 1998 federal Enterprise Community (EC) competition. After Molokai won an EC award, county, state, and federal agencies provided funding to help DHHL establish a kitchen in the newly-planned Lanikeha Center.…

Tagging Kioea: Learning about Molokai’s Rare Shorebirds

Thursday, April 10th, 2014

Tagging Kioea: Learning about Molokai’s Rare Shorebirds

Wildlife biologist Dan Ruthrauff stood for 12 hours in Kaunakakai’s Koheo Wetland — blinded by wind and blowing sand — waiting for one of the world’s rarest shorebirds to show up. In his hand, he held a string that, when pulled, would harmlessly close a net over an unsuspecting bristle-thighed curlew — a pencil-legged, long-beaked, speckled brown bird known in Hawaii as the kioea.

Ruthrauff, a biologist with the United States Geological Survey (USGS) at the Alaska Science Center, was one of three wildlife scientists waiting patiently to capture kioea last week. Their goal was to place color-coded tags on their legs, along with geolocators that will provide tracking data on the birds’ migration routes between Alaska and the Pacific Islands, before gently releasing the birds.…

Molokai Says Goodbye to Island Air

Sunday, April 6th, 2014

Molokai Says Goodbye to Island Air

On April 1, Island Air took off from Molokai for the last time after the company announced last month that it would end its service to the island. Terry Cole is an air traffic controller on Molokai and snapped this shot from the tower.

“There were quite a few cars parked on the hill waving goodbye, and the pilot expressed his sadness about not coming back,” she said.

Island Air CEO Paul Casey told the Dispatch that the company waited until it was “sure that the residents of Molokai had adequate service” before deciding to “redeploy our aircraft to another route that needs more capacity.”…

Fostering Future Engineers

Sunday, April 6th, 2014

Fostering Future Engineers

Clustered around gummy bears, lasers, lenses, and bridge fragments, fifth and sixth graders from across the island dove into the world of science, technology, engineering, and math, or STEM, at Kaunakakai Elementary School’s first ever Engineering Exploration Expo last Friday. Students explored STEM career paths and discovered hands-on learning through interactive experiments and presentations by the state’s best in the field.

Each fall, the Maui Economic Development Board (MEDB) hosts a huge exploration event for middle and high school students at the Air Force’s Advanced Maui Optical and Space Surveillance Technologies (AMOS) Conference on Maui, according to Mapu Quitazol, program manager of MEDB’s Women in Technology Project.…

Molokai Basketball All-Stars

Thursday, April 3rd, 2014

Molokai Basketball All-Stars

Seven Molokai basketball players were named by The Maui News as some of the top players in the Maui Interscholastic League Division II. The honorary list is compiled by the newspaper every year, after selections are made by MIL coaches. This year, Molokai High sophomore guard Hepuakea Falealii was picked as The Maui News MIL Player of the Year for her division.

Among the four others joining her on the girls all-star first team is Molokai senior forward Ilana Meyer.

On the all-star second team is senior Tiara English and junior Lehiwa Pedro, and their Molokai teammate Taylor Keliihoomalu was given honorable mention.…

Rhinoceros Beetle Huge Threat

Thursday, April 3rd, 2014

Community Contributed

By Glenn I. Teves, County Extension Agent, UH CTAHR

It moved around undetected for almost two years before it was found through a routine survey by University of Hawaii and USDA Plant Protection and Quarantine (USDA-PPQ) officials. The Coconut Rhinoceros Beetle (CRB) is one of the largest beetles to invade Hawaii and was discovered in an area surrounding Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam. By that time, it was found in a one mile radius around the base. Red flags were raised in 2007 when it was first found in Guam, an island half the size of Molokai where a major U.S.…

Friends of Molokai High and Middle Schools Walk in Charity Walk

Thursday, April 3rd, 2014

FMHMSF News Release

Calling all friends and alumni of Molokai High and Molokai Middle Schools!  Put on your walking shoes and help Friends of Molokai High and Middle Schools Foundation (FMHMSF) raise money during this year’s charity walk.

The Molokai Visitor Industry Charity Walk begins at 7 a.m. on Saturday, May 3.  If you’re interested in helping FMHMSF raise money, please contact Ron or Camie Kimball, Lori Kaiama, Kuulei Pico, Kelley Dudoit, Bobo Alcon, Robert Ribao, or Lisa Takata for an official walker registration form.

Some of the events and programs that Friends of Molokai High and Middle Schools Foundation has supported were Uplink, Molokai High School Athletics, Molokai High School Student Activities, MHS Green and White Carnival, MHS College and Career Fair, and MHS Future Fest.…

The Importance of the ‘Aha Moku System

Thursday, April 3rd, 2014

Community Contributed

Opinion by members of the Kawela Moku

This represents individual mana`o from members of the Kawela Moku, and is not intended to speak for the Aha Kiole as a whole.

Hawaii Mowat on historical perspective

In the past century, the health of Hawaii’s ecosystem has severely declined. With the change of powers, came the change of the way we did things in Hawaii. Agriculture, development, invasive species, etc. has wreaked havoc on Hawaii’s natural resources and it seems as if the western way of land management does not work for Hawaii so the ancient yet sophisticated system must be revived.…

Romulo “Mario” C. Casino, Jr.

Wednesday, April 2nd, 2014

Romulo “Mario” C. Casino, Jr.

Romulo “Mario” C. Casino, Jr., 58, of Wailuku, passed away on March 23, 2014 at Maui Memorial Medical Center. He was born October 2, 1955 in Santa Maria, Ilocos Sur, Philippines.

Services will be on Saturday, April 5, 2014 at Molokai Baptist Church, Kaunakakai, with visitation starting at 9 am. Services begin at 11 am followed by burial at Kapakea Cemetery. Norman’s Mortuary assisted with arrangements.

“Mario” had a passion for life. He loved his family, friends, tennis, and watching sports. He and his wife were active in Filipino Community. They often highlighted as the lead solo couple dancers at many of the Fil-Am events.…

Celebrating Kuhio

Wednesday, April 2nd, 2014

Celebrating Kuhio

The Lanikeha Community Center transformed into a hearty birthday celebration as local vendors, music and entertainment attracted homesteaders and non-homesteaders alike to celebrate the man who led the 1921 Hawaiian Homes Act and the island where his efforts were first put into practice.

“Without the land, who are we?” said Colette Machado, Molokai chairperson of the Office of Hawaiian Affairs (OHA). “We would be homeless if we didn’t have a land base or homestead. That’s how significant Prince Jonah Kuhio Kalaniana`ole was.”

Next in line for the throne when the Kingdom of Hawaii was overthrown in 1894, Kuhio was elected as Hawaii’s congressional delegate, advocating for Hawaiian Homes and rehabilitating his people.…