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.…

A Decade of Environmental Leadership

Thursday, August 22nd, 2013

A Decade of Environmental Leadership

As a child, Uncle Mac Poepoe fondly remembers fishing down at Mo`omomi Beach with family and friends, but as time passed, he began seeing the area increasingly populated with unfamiliar boats and people, over-fishing in its waters.

“I said, ‘Hey we’ve got to do something about this because if this continues, we’re not going to have many fish left for ourselves,’” said Poepoe.

He came together with a group of Molokai fishermen and community members who decided they needed more public input as to how environmental resources are managed.

Nearly 20 years later, his efforts have spread statewide. With the help of Kua`aina Ulu `Auamo (KUA)—formerly known as the Hawaiian Community Stewardship Network—a community-based management network formed incorporating more than 25 communities statewide dedicated to restore and sustain their environmental heritage.…

Molokai Girl Excels in Neuroscience

Thursday, August 22nd, 2013

Molokai Girl Excels in Neuroscience

Community Contributed

By Robin and Dano Gorsich

Molokai girl Makalele Gorsich graduated with honors from UH Hilo on May 11.  She earned a BA in Psychology and an Educational Certificate in Early Childhood Elementary Education.  In four years at the University she achieved a cumulative grade point average of 4.0.  In her Junior and Senior years she was named as a UH Presidential Scholar, the only member of her graduating class to receive this honor.  This May she received the Outstanding Psychology Student of the Year Award, the first time this award had been bestowed in a number of years.

Makalele is the daughter of Robin and Daniel Gorsich of Waialua Valley, Molokai. …

Talk Story with Sen. Schatz

Thursday, August 22nd, 2013

Talk Story with Sen. Schatz

Last week, U.S. Senator Brian Schatz made a visit to Molokai and talked story with business owners, farmers, advocates and residents. Schatz is former Hawaii Lt. Governor, and was elected by Gov. Abercrombie to serve out Daniel Inouye’s term until the 2014 special election, for which he is running. As a senator, Schatz sits on three Senate committees: Commerce, Energy and Natural Resources, and Indian Affairs. Here are some excerpted questions and answers — some from a conversation with the Dispatch and others from community members.

Question (Q): What do you love about Molokai?
Schatz’s answer (A): It’s the sense of people depending on each other and real aloha.…

MECO Scheduled Kaluakoi Outages

Thursday, August 22nd, 2013

MECO News Release

Maui Electric Company (MECO) is scheduling an electricity outage for the Kaluakoi subdivision in west Molokai this Friday, Aug. 23, from 5:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. The planned outage is part of an improvement project to install new equipment in that area.

As part of this project, periodic outages will be scheduled through October to replace several switchgears. A combination of electrical disconnect switches, fuses or circuit breakers used to control, protect and isolate electrical equipment, switchgears provide continued reliability of the electrical supply.

Should there be any questions or concerns, please contact Maui Electric directly at 1-877-871-8461.…

Impaired Driving Enforcement

Wednesday, August 21st, 2013

Maui Police Department News Release

The Maui Police Department will be participating with the nationwide Impaired Driving National Enforcement crackdown from August 16 to September 2, 2013. Police will set up intoxication checkpoints at unannounced locations and times during this two week period. Intoxication checkpoints will be set up county wide, which will include Hana, Lanai and Molokai.

People are encouraged to drive sober. Those that will be consuming alcoholic beverages are reminded not to drive and to use a designated driver or find an alternate mode of transportation. This guideline serves as a useful reference for promoting safety and responsibility on the roads.…