A Natural Cleanse

Sunday, November 25th, 2012

A Natural Cleanse

Molokai Soaps of Hawaii uses natural, local ingredients

Think about a bar of soap. What probably jumps to mind is a hard, waxy block stamped with a generic brand that you bought in a pack from the grocery store. If you’ve ever bathed with a bar of handcrafted soap produced by Molokai Soaps of Hawaii, however, you’d have a different definition.

Master soaper Patricia Hammond is renowned for her artisanal approach, crafting all-natural products sourced from local ingredients. Her creations not only delight the senses but also promote a sense of well-being. Each meticulously crafted bar of soap bears the hallmark “Molokai” and is accompanied by a note detailing its creation process.…

Molokai Volleyball Player Earns Honors

Sunday, November 25th, 2012

Molokai Volleyball Player Earns Honors

Linfield College News Release

Linfield Volleyball’s top offensive weapon Kailana Ritte-Camara, a sophomore from Molokai, has been named to the 2012 All-Northwest Conference Volleyball Second Team. The honor was announced last week following a vote of the league’s coaches.

The sophomore outside hitter led the Wildcats with 2.73 kills per set, totaling 259 for the year. She ranked 11th in the conference in that category, while also adding 27 assists, 27 service aces, 298 digs and 27 total blocks.

Ritte-Camara registered double-digit kills 15 times during the 2012 season, including a season high of 17 against Willamette. Starting all 24 matches, she ranked third on the club in digs per set (3.65) and second in service aces (27).…

Molokai Mom on a Mission: Fugitive Dust Storm

Sunday, November 25th, 2012

Community Contributed

Opinion by Mercy Ritte

Friday, Nov. 9th at 12:46 p.m. marked the largest, most disturbing, fugitive dust “storm” ever seen in Ho`olehua. According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), fugitive dust is dust generated from open sources such as unpaved roads and agricultural tilling operations.

On this particular day, the prevailing trades had picked up, blowing over Monsanto’s recently disturbed and exposed land, lifting massive amounts of dust into the air and sending it miles and miles across the landscape, beginning from the Kualapu`u reservoir to Mahana stretch near the airport. I had never seen anything like it before.…

Molokai Robotics Bring Home the Gold

Wednesday, November 21st, 2012

Molokai Robotics Bring Home the Gold

Molokai robotics students were rewarded for their hard work with a first place finish at the First Lego League district tournament on Maui, Nov. 10. The Molokai Middle School team, the Molokai Golden Eyes — Noah Keanini, Erik Svetin, Caele Manley, Kaitlin DeRouin, Lily Jenkins, and Katy Domingo — were named the Maui County Grand Champions in the competition, pictured here. This year’s theme for competitors was

“Senior Solutions,” and students were challenged to invent technological innovations to improve the quality of life for the elderly. The Molokai Golden Eyes, coached by Kawika Gonzales and Jenn Whitted, will compete in the state championship on Dec.…

Kalaupapa Eradicates Deer Hazard

Wednesday, November 21st, 2012

While axis deer have become part of leading a subsistent lifestyle on Molokai, their presence has caused some problems for residents down at Kalaupapa, including damage to coastal vegetation and gardens as well as posing safety issues at the airport and on the road. This week, the National Park Service (NPS) held a two-day deer hunt to eradicate an estimated 20 to 40 axis deer from the settlement.

The process started early Monday morning with the help of 15 to 20 people to help push, or navigate, the deer from the coastal, airport and settlement areas. They were herded to a holding pen in the settlement and then be dispatched using a rifle.…

The American Sugar Company and its Kaunakakai Wells

Wednesday, November 21st, 2012

The American Sugar Company and its Kaunakakai Wells

Community Contributed

By Arleone Dibben-Young

Eager to begin a sugar plantation after the Feb. 2, 1898 sale of the Molokai Ranch to the new Molokai Ranch Company, director Alfred W. Carter hired the McCandless Brothers partnership to drill test wells in Kaunakakai. Arriving on the Wilder steamer Helene in Kaunakakai with a crew of men and a complete artesian well drilling boring outfit on April 22, 1898, “Kimo” J. S. McCandless immediately commenced setting up the equipment three-quarters of a mile up Kaunakakai Gulch from the ocean.

Two wells were drilled 40 feet apart and 80 to 90 feet deep with an 8-inch casing and were completed by July, then used to irrigate 80 acres of cane planted on the flats below where Manilla Camp stands today.…

New Athletic Trainer on Molokai

Wednesday, November 21st, 2012

For nearly the past two years, Molokai High School (MHS) athletes have been competing at a disadvantage –they’ve been without an athletic trainer. However, the Farmers got a new athletic trainer this month who will tend to their injuries and ensure they are able to play at their physical best.

Deborah Thompson, a California native, moved to Molokai and officially began work as MHS’ athletic trainer on Nov. 1. She brings 30 years of experience as an athletic trainer, working at both the high school and college level. She has also worked as an orthopedic technician and assistant surgeon in California for 12 years.…

Ka `Ohana O Kalaupapa Gets OHA Grant for Outreach

Wednesday, November 21st, 2012

Ka `Ohana O Kalaupapa Gets OHA Grant for Outreach

Community Contributed

By Valerie Monson, Ka `Ohana O Kalaupapa

For many families with ties to Kalaupapa, finding their ancestors who lived in the settlement is like piecing together a puzzle, and many youth today are left in the dark about Kalaupapa’s history. Thanks to a $53,665 grant from the Office of Hawaiian Affairs awarded to organization Ka `Ohana O Kalaupapa, school outreach and the restoration of family ties programs will become possible.

“The ‘Ohana thanks OHA for having confidence in us to help teachers include the history of Kalaupapa in their classrooms and to continue our efforts to assist descendants of the people of Kalaupapa obtain information about their kupuna,” said Clarence “Boogie” Kahilihiwa, President of the `Ohana and a resident of Kalaupapa for more than 50 years.…

Molokai Elects a New Honorary Mayor

Sunday, November 18th, 2012

Molokai Elects a New Honorary Mayor

Molokai residents put in their two cents for who they felt should become the new Honorary Mayor of Kaunakakai last Saturday, and elected Glenn Davis. Community members voted for kupuna nominees by placing pennies in the bucket of their favorite kupuna at a festival called Ho`olokahi e Mahalo Molokai, organized to celebrate the aloha spirit and service of individuals and nonprofits.

“It’s a great privilege, and I’ll continue to be a nice and helpful guy,” said Davis. He is known on Molokai for helping elderly residents with their groceries, volunteering to pump gas at Hayaku Gas N Go for tourists and locals alike and delivering Molokai Dispatch newspapers around town every week.…

Honoring Veterans’ Sacrifice

Sunday, November 18th, 2012

Honoring Veterans’ Sacrifice

Molokai veterans and community members gathered last Monday at the new Veterans Center to honor and remember those who have served. The Veterans Day event, held for the first time at the soon-to-be-completed facility, featured a variety of speakers, food and music, and walk-throughs of the center.

Veterans Caring for Veterans Commander Larry Helm said the new center, which will include a museum, office and meeting spaces and a commercial kitchen, is scheduled to be finished early next year.

“This building is for us, but mainly for young vets coming home from Iraq and Afghanistan,” said Helm. “Today we honor those who have passed — they’re going to be with us when we open [the center.]…