Kanemitsu Bakery Permit Reinstated, Open Tonight

Friday, November 16th, 2012

Kanemitsu Bakery Permit Reinstated, Open Tonight

Kanemitsu Bakery, after having been closed for five months, will be open in time for Thanksgiving this year. The bakery’s permit was reinstated today after the facility passed a Department of Health (DOH) inspection this morning.

Bakery manager Blossom Poepoe said staff will begin baking immediately, with the famed hot bread opening tonight starting at 8:30 p.m.

Inspectors visited the bakery Wednesday and found a few minor sanitation deficiencies, which contractors worked yesterday to correct.

“The improvement is tremendous [since the permit was suspended],” said Peter Oshiro, DOH environmental health program manager, who flew in for the Wednesday inspection.

While most of the violations had been corrected, DOH inspector Dean Kagawa said today he would reinstate the permit based on the understanding that several aspects of the facility, including the floors and some areas of the ceiling, would continue to be repaired.…

Honorary Mayors of Kaunakakai

Wednesday, November 14th, 2012

Honorary Mayors of Kaunakakai

Honoring kupuna is one of the age-old traditions that’s part of Molokai’s cultural DNA. One way residents have recognized the service of kupuna is through the election of an Honorary Mayor of Kaunakakai. The tradition has evolved over the past century –it’s been hosted by a variety of organizations, passed down in many versions of oral history and has even been memorialized in a nationally-known song.

Probably the best-known Honorary Mayor was Mitchell “Papa” Pauole in the mid-1900s, a well-loved Molokai resident who embodied the aloha spirit, greeted visitors at the airport, and served the community in many capacities. But the tradition of Honorary Mayor began long before Papa Pauole, according to Halawa resident and cultural practitioner Pilipo Solatorio.…

Aha Kiole Community Findings Revisited

Wednesday, November 14th, 2012

Community Contributed

(printed in two parts)

By the Aha Kiole o Molokai

American Safari Cruises (ASC) will begin visiting Molokai again beginning this month. In the March 14, 2012 issue of the Dispatch, the Aha Kiole presented its findings from a public survey and moku meetings on ASC and the cruise tour industry on Molokai. The results indicated that the community was interested both in protecting Molokai’s ocean resources and small town character, as well as allowing for some commerce for our island vendors. Residents indicated a desire for management to bring a satisfactory outcome for both vendors and local ocean users.…

New Address System Helps Emergency Response

Sunday, November 11th, 2012

In the small community of Molokai, where driving directions are usually given in relation to trees, landmarks and neighboring family names, identifying numerical street addresses can sometimes seem unnecessary. However, inconsistencies between Highway Contract Route (HCR) delivery addresses used by the U.S. Postal Service and the physical address assigned by the County of Maui have caused some confusion, as well as delays for emergency response personnel like police and firefighters. Thus, by June of 2014, the HCR delivery service, denoted by “HC01” box addresses, that starts in Kaunakakai and extends east must be changed to county-assigned street addresses. The change will affect 235 residences on Molokai.…

Shopping for Healthcare

Sunday, November 11th, 2012

Online web portal ‘one-stop shop’ for health insurance

Health insurance can be complicated, confusing and often, costly. Statistics show that many Native Hawaiians lack any kind of healthcare maintenance or prevention plan, which may cause damage both physically and financially, as those who file taxes must pay a penalty for not having health insurance. Enter Hawaii Health Connector (HHC), the local version of an initiative in each state established in 2011 as part of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act –better known as ObamaCare. The goal is to provide an outlet for easy, accessible and affordable healthcare for everyone in Hawaii.…

Tobacco Documentary to Screen on Molokai Saturday

Friday, November 9th, 2012

Adrienne Jules Foundation News Release

Tobacco education in Hawaii is getting added inspiration with special screenings of the documentary film “Addiction Incorporated,” a lauded documentary about the duplicity of the tobacco industry. The film is showing around Hawaii this week, including at Kulana Oiwi on Saturday, Nov. 10. The showings are in preparation for the nation-wide anti-smoking campaign on Nov. 15, the Great American Smokeout, when smokers are asked to stop smoking for at least one day.

The documentary film has won critical acclaim for its riveting, true story of the tobacco industry’s lies and its attempt to silence the scientist who blew the whistle on them and testified at the Congressional hearing.…

Pathways for Youth Training

Wednesday, November 7th, 2012

Mental Health America of Hawaii News Release

In 2011, Hawaii’s youth ranked second highest in the nation for high school students who have made a suicide plan, and highest in the nation for middle school students who have made a suicide plan.  Native Hawaiians are at higher risk than other students. As a community, what can we do to better understand the risks facing these youth? And, more importantly, what are our resources?

On Tuesday, Nov. 13, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., training on Molokai for service providers for parents and community members who care about the youth of Molokai is being hosted by the Molokai Community Health Center (MCHC).…

Get Savvy with Social Media

Wednesday, November 7th, 2012

High Tech Maui News Release

There’s a lot of social media activity around Hawaii these days.  Usage of social networks such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Google+ are at an all-time high.  On Nov. 16 and 17, local businesses are invited to attend two Social Media workshops to be held on Molokai.  The workshops are being offered by High Tech Maui, a program of the Maui Economic Development Board.  Both workshops will take place at the University of Hawaii Maui College –Molokai Education Center in Room 107.  Snacks and drinks will be provided.

The first workshop, Social Media Boot Camp for your business, will be on Friday, Nov.…

Sen. Inouye Makes Kalaupapa Visit

Wednesday, November 7th, 2012

Sen. Inouye Makes Kalaupapa Visit

NPS News Release 

Kalaupapa National Historical Park residents and staff were honored to host Hawaii Sen. Daniel K. Inouye for the rededication of Paschoal Hall on Oct. 29. Held in the community of Kalaupapa, Mr. and Mrs. Inouye traveled from Oahu to re-open Paschoal Hall and spend the day talking story with patient residents and kokua.

Sen. Inouye has long been a champion for the Kalaupapa settlement. In 1998, he was successful in obtaining funding for the first phase of the massive, four phase project to stabilize and refurbish Paschoal Hall. The hall was built in 1916 in response to the residents’ desire for more extensive social activities.…

St. Marianne Relic Visits Molokai

Wednesday, November 7th, 2012

St. Marianne Relic Visits Molokai

The newly canonized St. Marianne Cope “came home” last week, in the words of many Molokai parishioners, as her relic visited the island where she served Hansen’s disease patients in Kalaupapa for 30 years. Accompanied by Catholic dignitaries, bishops and Franciscan sisters, the relic — a bone fragment of St. Marianne — made several stops on Molokai last Friday. Prayer services were held at Our Lady of Seven Sorrows and St. Joseph’s chapels on the east end, with a mass at St. Damien Church in Kaunakakai followed by time for personal veneration.

“Today is a very special moment in our history as we welcome St.…