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Obon Festival Returns

Wednesday, August 2nd, 2023

Obon Festival Returns

By Jack Kiyonaga | Reporter 

Beneath tanzaku adorned with the names of the dead and set to the staccato of taiko drums, Molokai’s Guzeiji Soto Mission celebrated the Obon Festival for the first time since 2019. 

Obon Festival, or Bon, is a Japanese holiday marking the return of deceased ancestors’ spirits to the land of the living. Bon dances became popular statewide as Japanese immigrants arrived in Hawaii around the turn of the 20th century. Molokai’s Guzeiji Soto Mission was founded in 1927 and is one of only nine Soto Missions in Hawaii. 

Saturday’s celebration was preceded by Buddhist services at Kapa’akea cemetery and the temple itself.…

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Last of the Librarians? Let’s Hope Not

Wednesday, August 2nd, 2023

Last of the Librarians? Let’s Hope Not

By Jack Kiyonaga | Reporter 

Five years ago, a group of Molokai librarians representing school, private and public libraries came together to address a growing drift on Molokai. Part of a statewide trend, Molokai had shed full-time, certified librarians from most of its schools.  With no bookstores on-island, Molokai’s librarians have had the task of inspiring and supplying the next generation of readers. This responsibility has fallen on the shoulders of a select few. They call themselves the Molokai Library Services Cadre (MLSC). 

Diane Mokuau is the librarian at Molokai High School, winner of the 2021 School Librarian of the Year Award, and president of the MLSC. …

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Kamakani Farms: Salt, Chickens, Tomatoes—and Wind

Wednesday, August 2nd, 2023

Kamakani Farms: Salt, Chickens, Tomatoes—and Wind

by Paul Hanley | Community Reporter 

“I didn’t want to do conventional farming,” says Cameron Hiro, who operates Kamakani Farms in Hoolehua with his wife Jacqueline and their ohana. A fourth-generation homesteader, Hiro resides on agriculture lands where his mother Janice and her late husband, Cameron’s stepfather Joseph Pele, and other family members once grew vegetables.

Though Cameron didn’t want to farm he stayed in the food industry. After high school, he studied restaurant, culinary and catering management, which led to a 35-year career in cooking, catering, and event management. In 2017, he and his brothers Raymond Hiro and John Pele became owners of Hiro’s Ohana Grill at Hotel Molokai.…

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Free Mobile Market Delivery for EBT/SNAP Customers

Wednesday, August 2nd, 2023

Sustʻāinable Molokai News Release

Sustʻāinable Molokai’s Mobile Market is proud to announce free mobile delivery for EBT/SNAP customers as part of the Da Bux Program. With no minimum purchase required, this new service aims to make healthy and fresh produce more accessible to the Molokai community. 

Customers can order online and receive their groceries at their doorstep, with free delivery available for EBT/SNAP recipients. Visit MolokaiMobileMarket.com to purchase fresh, locally-grown, and produced food. Our online store opens weekly from Sunday at 3 p.m. to Tuesday at 12 p.m. Order pickups are on Thursday and deliveries are every Friday.

The Da Bux Program is designed to support Molokai’s local food system by increasing access to healthy food options for all members of the community.…

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A Whale of an Opportunity

Wednesday, August 2nd, 2023

A Whale of an Opportunity

By The Molokai Dispatch Staff

A life-sized inflatable humpback whale named Kamakai visited Molokai last weekend through NOAA’s Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary. The kohola, or humpback whale, offered keiki the opportunity to explore the species’ biology, along with participating in educational activities, marine arts and crafts and movie showings of “Humpback Whale.”…

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School Science Education Grants Available

Wednesday, August 2nd, 2023

Bayer Fund News Release

Applications for the 2023 Bayer Fund – Hawaii Science Education Grant are now available to eligible public schools interested in obtaining a grant to support their science curricula.

Since 2005, this Bayer Fund grant program has awarded over $357,000 to public schools in Hawaii for programs, tools, supplies and equipment to enhance their students’ science education. All public schools serving students at the intermediate, high school and college grade levels on the islands of Oahu, Maui and Molokai are eligible to apply.

To be considered for the next grant period, completed applications plus supporting documentation must be received by Friday, Sept.…

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Molokai First Aid Class

Wednesday, August 2nd, 2023

Maui County Red Cross News Release

A handful of Molokai residents and Red Cross volunteers got certified or recertified to practice adult and child CPR and first aid during a class held last Thursday. The class was taught on Molokai by Gordon Gillis of Maui, owner of Safety Services Hawaii, a company that provides community and workplace health training and consulting. 

Participants of the classes became certified in the most recent Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) techniques as well as how to use an automated external defibrillator (AED), basic emergency first aid, and Naloxone administration. The certification is good for two years, and four Red Cross Molokai volunteers became recertified.…

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Admission Deadline Extended

Wednesday, August 2nd, 2023

UHMCM News Release

Want to enroll in college classes on Molokai? You’re in luck. The admissions application deadline has been extended to Aug. 8. Apply online at maui.hawaii.edu/apply or schedule an appointment with the Educational Opportunity Center by calling (808) 553-4490 x 2. Classes start on Monday, Aug. 21. Come visit our campus anytime, Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.…

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Veterans Urged to Apply for Toxic Exposure Benefits

Wednesday, August 2nd, 2023

Congressman Ed Case News Release

U.S. Congressman Ed Case urges Molokai veterans and their survivors who may be eligible for Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) health care benefits under the historic PACT Act of August 2022, and who have not yet applied for PACT Act benefits, to file or at least complete and submit an intent to file before Wednesday, Aug. 9 to preserve eligibility for retroactive benefits back to the law’s enactment.

The Sergeant First Class (SFC) Heath Robinson Honoring our Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics (PACT) Act is one of the largest VA health care and benefit expansions ever.…

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Grant For Energy Savings

Wednesday, August 2nd, 2023

Hawaii Energy News Release 

Molokai nonprofits, small businesses and restaurants can receive grants of up to $6,000 for eligible energy efficiency projects through the EmPOWER Grant program. Applications will be available beginning Aug. 1 and must be submitted by Sept. 29. Organizations may apply for a grant of up to $6,000, depending on the equipment type, which may cover up to 100 percent of eligible project costs.

EmPOWER Grant funding may be used to cover the following expenses of energy efficiency projects: new energy efficient equipment, including HVAC systems, window film, ENERGY STAR® certified commercial kitchen appliances, and refrigeration technologies like motor controls and adding doors and anti-sweat controls to open cases; parts, accessories and other materials necessary for installation; labor for old equipment removal, site preparation and installation of energy efficiency measure(s); shipping costs for equipment and materials; taxes for the preceding items.…

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