Back to School Brings Big Changes

Thursday, August 29th, 2013

Back to School Brings Big Changes

The school bell has rung, the 2013-14 school year is underway, and several changes are in effect for Molokai’s K-12.

Strive HI Scores

Last week, the state Department of Education (DOE) published school Strive HI scores, part of the new Strive HI Performance Strategy implemented this school year.

In May 2013, the DOE received federal approval to waive national No Child Left Behind (NCLB) criteria in order to better fit the needs of Hawaii schools.

The strategy holds schools accountable to achieve multiple standards to measure progress and college and career preparedness. It then places schools on a grading scale each year based on performance, achievement growth, graduation rate, and absences.…

Fall Sports Gear Up

Wednesday, August 28th, 2013

Fall Sports Gear Up

The Molokai High School (MHS) Farmers are lacing up as fall sports return for another season. Record-breaking roster numbers, new competition, and more tournaments hosted on Molokai create high hopes and expectations for the green and white.

Girls Volleyball

Girls Volleyball is in full swing as they’ve just competed in their volleyball classic last weekend. According to Hoku Haliniak, MHS athletic director, This is the first tournament of its kind on Molokai.

Four teams from Oahu including Henry J. Kaiser High School, Waialua High School, and two teams from President Theodore Roosevelt High School gathered at The Barn Friday. Molokai finished the first day with a 4-4 record, which continued Saturday morning, according to Hoku Haliniak, MHS athletic director.…

County Budget Decisions

Wednesday, August 28th, 2013

Maui County News Release

It’s that time of year when the County of Maui makes big budget decisions. Come out and add your input to what’s important to fund this year. Mayor Alan Arakawa is encouraging all community members to participate in the Community Budget Meetings for Fiscal Year 2015, which will be held around the county next month.

The budget meeting on Molokai will be held on Tuesday, Oct. 10 at 5:45 p.m. for the CDBG hearing and 6 p.m. for the budget meeting at the Mitchell Pauole Center.

“Feedback from these meetings provides valuable direction to for us,” said Mayor Arakawa.…

Bringing Electric Vehicles to Molokai

Wednesday, August 28th, 2013

Maui Electric Vehicle Alliance News Release

Molokai residents know all too well about high gas prices.  The island has some of the highest in the nation.  Electric vehicles – cars that can plug in to the electricity grid for some or all of their power – promise relief from these high costs.  Plus, they offer a sustainable and energy-independent way to get around the island, reinforcing the island ethic of caring for the environment.

A few Molokai residents have managed to purchase electric vehicles, taking advantage of a current price war among the automakers and new lease deals that remove high upfront costs. …

The Future of Pu`u Opala

Wednesday, August 28th, 2013

Community Contributed

By Glenn I. Teves, UH County Extension Agent

We have the beginnings of new mountain range forming on the south side of Molokai. Pu`u Opala or Garbage Mountain is composed mostly of our rubbish with some soil added for stability. Already several stories high, who knows how high it will be when it finally goes dormant. The question is how many more mountains will be formed in the process to add to the South Molokai mountains? That decision lies mostly with us, the creators of this mountain.

There are ways to slow the growth of the mountain, including recycling to minimize what is being thrown away, hauling the green waste out of the land fill, and finding value in the things that we throw away.…

Back to School and Swimming

Thursday, August 22nd, 2013

Back to School and Swimming

Maui Dolphins Molokai Chapter News Release

At the end of the day, when Cooke Memorial Pool closes at 4:30 p.m., the Molokai Chapter of Maui Dolphins Swim Club (MDSC) gets in the water.  From 4:30 to 6:30 p.m., Monday through Thursday, swimmers from 5 years old and up enjoy private, structured pool time with coaching.

Membership ranges from Kindergarten to Masters-age swimmers, all with the opportunity to compete in sanctioned USA Swimming meets.  This fall is a great time to join – school is in session, and healthy students and parents both perform better throughout the day.  Family membership comes with discounted rates; discounted insurance rates are available.…

Funding for Improved Kalaupapa Waste Management

Thursday, August 22nd, 2013

KNHP News Release

Joseph Kahee, Pa`oneakai Lee-Namakaeha and Ryan Mahiai, employees of the Solid Waste Facility of Kalaupapa National Historical Park (KNHP), were awarded one of 33 grants across the country in the amount of $12,500. The funding was through the Horace M. Albright-Conrad L. Wirth Grant Program at the National Park Foundation, the official charity of America’s national parks. The Albright Wirth Grant Program supports a wide range of innovative projects that give National Park Service employees the opportunity to pursue personal and professional training experiences.

This group grant was used to implement a comprehensive “greening” plan for KNHP. One of the core components of the plan was to lay the groundwork for an integrated solid waste management system in Kalaupapa.…

Lono’s Newest Album

Thursday, August 22nd, 2013

Lono’s Newest Album

Community Contributed

By Aunty Hanai Makuahine

Lono has done it again!  In this new CD, “He Mele Nei,” the seventh in his Old Style series, Lono continues his journey along the path of preserving Hawaii’s traditional music, and once again we are blessed to travel that path with him.  The reverence and passion that master musician Lono has for his music clearly comes through.  As we accompany him while listening to Old Style VII, we are totally transfixed by his latest gift to us.

Lono is a dedicated artist — dedicated to his music, to maintaining the Hawaiian way, to showing respect and aloha for the kupuna who have greatly influenced his life and his music, and to preserving both vocally and instrumentally the Hawaiian heritage of aumakua and legends and stories of Hawaiian culture. …

Affordable Housing in Manila Camp

Thursday, August 22nd, 2013

A new apartment complex proposed for Manila Camp is in its initial planning stages and seeks to fulfill a need for affordable housing in central Molokai. The Chopra Hale apartments would consist of 16 units and occupy 1.04 acres located at 190 Makaena Place, according to project manager Luigi Manera.

The proposal was presented to the Molokai Planning Commission last week and commissioners voiced several concerns about its impact on the community. Some questioned the project’s goal itself.

Currently, the closest affordable housing options are in Kilohana and Maunaloa, Manera said. The apartments will provide more affordable housing closer to town; however Commissioner Billy Buchanan recommended that a study be conducted to ensure the apartment rates are reasonably priced for Molokai.…

Safeguarding Kalaupapa’s Past

Thursday, August 22nd, 2013

Safeguarding Kalaupapa’s Past

The Kalaupapa peninsula’s long history of isolation makes it one of the most pristine cultural resources left in Hawaii, according to the National Park Service (NPS). Its 10,700-acre authorized park boundary keeps the landscape raw and untouchable from modern land developers but its overgrowth of invasive vegetation threatens to eat away the traces of ancient Hawaiian residents 1,000 years ago.

Though Kalaupapa is most commonly known for its Hansen’s disease residents that were exiled there in 1866 and the geographic and societal segregation that took place over 100 years, the peninsula hosted a dense Hawaiian population nearly 900 years prior. Their residency left a diverse wealth of sites, features and artifacts that researchers can use to reconstruct the past.…