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Nancy Shizuko Yamagata Unemori

Wednesday, July 26th, 2023

Nancy Shizuko Yamagata Unemori

Nancy Shizuko Yamagata Unemori of Kaunakakai, Molokai was born on August 29, 1924 in Kapaa, Kauai, the eldest of 7 children. She passed peacefully on June 4, 2023.

She married Hisashi “Fats” Unemori (deceased), and moved to Molokai in 1958. Together they had 5 children. Alison (Warren) Yasuda, Kevin (Lynne) Unemori, Jeffrey Unemori (deceased), Kathleen (Rod) Wong and Scott Unemori (deceased). She also has six grandchildren and seven great grandchildren. She was a member of the Molokai UE club. Nancy supported her husband’s activities with the Molokai Lions Club along with many other local programs. As a dancer of Na Kupuna O Moana she made many new friends, traveled to different places and enjoyed her fun performances, never imagining the joy she would experience being on stage!…

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Holokai Fun

Wednesday, July 19th, 2023

Holokai Fun

By The Molokai Dispatch Staff

Last weekend’s two-day Molokai Holokai featured homegrown and visiting paddlers in a variety of race events and fun activities on land and sea. Hosted by local nonprofit Youth in Motion, the annual event brings out all ages and abilities to enjoy the sport of paddling in many forms, from outrigger to stand-up, foil and windsurf. 

Friday featured a Maui to Molokai race, a mangrove seed contest, harbor cleanup and a skate jam session. Saturday was packed with a Holo Fun Run, Kamalo downwinder paddle race, keiki and makua races, trash art contest and a ho’olaulea at Molokai Community Health Center with live entertainment, food and craft vendors and cultural workshops.…

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Can Molokai’s Medical Future be Home Grown?

Wednesday, July 19th, 2023

Can Molokai’s Medical Future be Home Grown?

By Jack Kiyonaga, Reporter

Most are familiar with the dire healthcare landscape on Molokai. With the passing of doctors Emmett Aluli and William Thomas in the past year, many Molokai residents were left without permanent primary care physicians. Help has come in the form of interim doctors flown over for relatively short periods. More long-term solutions have manifested in the recently opened Molokai Urgent and Family Care Clinic, operated by Dr. Ka‘ohimanu Dang Akiona with Aluli’s former staff. But the root of the problem remains unsolved: how to have more full-time, community-engaged doctors on Molokai. 

Pono Castanera wants to be one piece of solving that puzzle. …

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Penny Martin Shares Hokule’a Memories on Voyage Anniversary

Wednesday, July 19th, 2023

Penny Martin Shares Hokule’a Memories on Voyage Anniversary

By Catherine Cluett Pactol | Editor

Exactly 47 years ago, Molokai’s Penny Rawlins Martin was sailing aboard Hokule’a on its return leg from Tahiti to Hawaii during its inaugural voyage in 1976. She was 24 years old, one of the youngest on board – and one of only two women selected for that original crew. 

The voyage from Hawaii to Tahiti and back represented proof that early Polynesians could indeed sail across the ocean without the use of modern navigation tools. Instead they used the stars and environmental observations to guide them over the open ocean, nearly 3,000 miles each way.  …

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Artists in Residence

Wednesday, July 19th, 2023

Artists in Residence

MAC News Release

This month, the Molokai Arts Center (MAC) welcomes two Artists in Residence, Dr. Ryan Pratt and Ms. Tansy Xiao. Dr. Ryan Pratt will be working on A Sonic Ecology. Ms. Xiao’s project is entitled Sound Dust.

Ryan is interested in “recording the natural sounds of Molokai, studying them and extrapolating a musical landscape, exploring portraits in audio with ‘endangered’ sounds, reflecting the ecology of the island.” Tansy would like to “create a poetic video essay inspired by Hawaiian traditional music.” She was fascinated by Hawaiian filmmaker Hinaleimoana Wong-Kalu’s work, which was her first encounter to the genre.

Ryan Pratt was introduced to music through his grandmother, a jazz pianist and vocalist.…

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Electric Upgrades for Kalaupapa

Wednesday, July 19th, 2023

By Jack Kiyonaga, Reporter 

Residents of Kalaupapa will soon benefit from essential upgrades to their electrical distribution system, including a comprehensive eicr inspection to ensure safety and efficiency.

Superintendent of the Kalaupapa National Historic Park, Nancy Holman, explained that the Kalaupapa community faces problems with the electric system at least once every couple of months. 

“The components of the system are pretty old,” said Holman, “lots of exposure to the elements down here.” 

The last time the Kalaupapa electric system was upgraded was in 1969. 

“Any project at Kalaupapa is challenging due to logistical restraints such as barge access, transport and lodging for workers, environmental impacts such as salt air, high winds and pests all deteriorate materials quickly, sensitivity for impacts to patient residents, protection of cultural and natural resources, cost… just to name a few,” explained Holman.…

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Molokai Ranch Acquisition

Wednesday, July 19th, 2023

Sust’ainable Molokai News Release 

Interested to learn more and get involved in community ownership of Molokai Ranch? Molokai Heritage Trust will be holding a public meeting to continue the planning of community acquisition of Molokai Ranch once again! This is a community-led project facilitated by Sustʻainable Molokai. 

Please join us on July 20 (Thursday) from 6 to 7:30 p.m. on Zoom. (us02web.zoom.us/j/81270082253) Meeting ID: 812 7008 2253

We apologize for the long hiatus and thank you for your patience as Momi Afelin transitioned out of her position as the community facilitator to focus on her studies. At the same time, we have transitioned Kawaipuna “Puna” Kalipi as the incoming community facilitator.…

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Apply for Made in Maui County Festival

Wednesday, July 19th, 2023

Maui Chamber of Commerce News Release 

The Hawaiian Airlines Made in Maui County Festival, a highly anticipated celebration of local craftsmanship and community pride, reminds local manufacturers and potential vendors to seize the opportunity and apply now for participation in its monumental 10th annual event. With limited space available, this two-day festival offers a platform like no other to showcase products, connect with wholesale buyers, engage with customers, and experience the unwavering support of the Maui County community.

Past attendees of the Hawaiian Airlines Made in Maui County Festival have consistently praised the significant impact this event has had on their business.…

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Mural Erased

Wednesday, July 19th, 2023

Mural Erased

Healing comes in so many ways, the levels are countless as you try to help yourself make any sense of it all. Losing a loved one is a hard one, feeling hopeless about the struggles and disasters in the world is another hard one. We all have a right to ourselves to find ways of coping with grief and my family finds it in art. When we look at art which brings happy memories, the healing continues, day after day until you can smile again. 

Well, my family just lost their dad. God help us, as we are taking it very hard. …

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Disappointing Services

Wednesday, July 19th, 2023

To recap a previous community letter, we, the people of Molokai, used to have a ferry that traveled to/from Maui twice daily, and we used to have services from three different airlines. Since February 2021, our only means of off island travel is via Mokulele Airlines/Southern Airways for medical, business, family, recreation travels.  (And some have access to private boats.)

It’s with great disappointment that Mokulele Airlines has not been dependable in providing reliable and consistent services.  We travel frequently each month for the reasons mentioned above, and we have a corporate account.  Too often our flights have been delayed, changed, or canceled. …

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