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Search Results for: New Beginnings

Molokai Dispatch Celebrates 30 Years

Wednesday, July 1st, 2015

Thirty years ago, the first issues of The Molokai Dispatch were pasted together with rubber cement, hand delivered to off-island printers, and, granted the weather was good, delivered each Wednesday to Molokai readers.

Over time, operations moved between three locations, five owners, countless writers and interns and three taglines (remember ‘The Coconut Wireless of Molokai?’). Amidst the changes, the Dispatch has emerged as the longest standing—and currently only—newspaper on the island.

Each week, The Molokai Dispatch brings news to the island while upholding a set of values and guidelines aimed toward community empowerment and healthy dialogue through responsible journalism. The Dispatch has developed a focus on youth, culture, history, politics and the environment to best serve the interests of the entire Molokai community.…

Rebuilding a Tradition

Wednesday, April 1st, 2015

Rebuilding a Tradition

When Sheldon Wright builds walls, his main focus is to listen. He hefts a rock in his hands, flips it, spins it, lets it fall and hears the clack as it hits the stack of rocks in front of him. To construct walls the way Wright does—the same way ancient Hawaiians did hundreds of years ago—he has to tune into the tools of his trade.

“The rocks speak to me,” said Wright. “They tell me where they want to go.”

Wright is carrying on the Hawaiian tradition of dry stack masonry in which the rocks are placed in an interlocking fashion that requires no mortar, he said.…

Kupu A`e: From Garage to Storefront

Wednesday, November 26th, 2014

Kupu A`e: From Garage to Storefront

Sitting in her brand-new work studio, local business owner and artist Kala`e Tangonan talks about the Hawaiian mamo. The long-beaked bird, which ali`i prized for its feathers, went extinct more than 100 years ago, a fact that both saddens and inspires Tangonan.

“I thought, ‘I’m gonna make me a mamo,’” Tangonan said, gazing at a line of hanging pareos freshly silkscreened with her hand-drawn mamo. “People can wear him and he can come back alive.”

The desire to weave cultural heritage into art is reflected in the motto of the new business that Tangonan shares with her younger sister Leimana Ritte-Camara and friend Miki`ala Pescaia.…

Veterans Corner

Wednesday, November 12th, 2014

Community Contributed

By Jesse Church

Aloha my fellow veterans and residents of Molokai, old Jesse here with all the veterans news and upcoming events. This Tuesday, Nov. 11, is the 76th anniversary of Veterans Day, when the American people come together as a nation to remember and say thank you to all living veterans for their sacrifices in both peace time and in time of war. On behalf of all my fellow residents of Molokai and myself, we send a sincere thank you to all American veterans for their service, mahalo.

The legislative battles that were fought on this day are often forgotten, and the beginnings of Veterans Day when it was called Armistice Day for 12 years, until 1938.…

Hawaii’s Finest Celebrates Five Years

Wednesday, September 10th, 2014

Hawaii’s Finest Celebrates Five Years

Hawaii’s Finest Clothing has come a long way since its humble beginnings on Molokai. For Paulele Alcon, what began as a T-shirt for his cousin’s bachelor party turned into one of the most successful local clothing businesses in the state, he said. With two retail locations under his belt, Alcon decided to give thanks to the community that supported him all along.

To celebrate a milestone of five years in business, Alcon returned to Molokai, the birthplace of both himself and his company. He hosted a free anniversary concert at One Alii Park Friday night featuring Molokai’s Roots Mafia, Just Cuz,  Melia Kalawe and Katchafire, the band that played at Hawaii’s Finest first concert.…

Hawaiian Airlines Welcomed Back

Thursday, March 20th, 2014

Hawaiian Airlines Welcomed Back

As Hawaiian Airlines officially launched its new service, `Ohana by Hawaiian, to Molokai last week, hundreds of residents and officials celebrated an occasion that for many, felt like a homecoming for the company.

“Molokai has been part of our ohana for the last 85 years,” said Mark Dunkerley, Hawaiian Airlines (HA) president and CEO. “For the last 10 years, we have not been able to operate here, but every single one of those days in between we’ve been working on plans to bring this wonderful day to fruition. It’s great to be back and have had such tremendous support from this community.”…

Zachary Helm: A Career of Building Services

Thursday, February 6th, 2014

Zachary Helm: A Career of Building Services

After spending more than 30 years building dozens of programs and facilities while serving as the island’s first Department of Parks and Recreation District Supervisor, Zachary Helm has retired. From Kilohana to Maunaloa, softball leagues to youth programs, community centers to playgrounds, Helm has left a huge mark on Molokai during his career.

Among his biggest accomplishments, Helm counts the building of a $1.4 million baseyard for the Molokai Department of Parks and Rec at Duke Maliu Park, which now houses a maintenance shop, vehicle and equipment storage, office space and a staff area. Before its completion in 2010, the department has no centralized headquarters and lacked adequate storage.…

Hawaii’s Golden Age of Orchids

Sunday, September 1st, 2013

Hawaii’s Golden Age of Orchids

Community Contributed

By Glenn I. Teves, UH County Extension Agent

The first orchids made their way to Hawaii around the mid-1800s via Asia, and by the end of the 19th century, wealthy individuals and even Hawaiian royalty maintained orchid collections. Soon, the average Hawaii resident learned they could grow orchids without effort in the perfect climate.

In late 1945, members of the 442nd Infantry returned home from Europe as decorated heroes, and these Nisei or first generation Hawaii-born of Japanese ancestry took up the growing of orchids as a hobby. Many were self-taught, and took orchid production to another level as they learned new technology.…

The Future of Pu`u Opala

Wednesday, August 28th, 2013

Community Contributed

By Glenn I. Teves, UH County Extension Agent

We have the beginnings of new mountain range forming on the south side of Molokai. Pu`u Opala or Garbage Mountain is composed mostly of our rubbish with some soil added for stability. Already several stories high, who knows how high it will be when it finally goes dormant. The question is how many more mountains will be formed in the process to add to the South Molokai mountains? That decision lies mostly with us, the creators of this mountain.

There are ways to slow the growth of the mountain, including recycling to minimize what is being thrown away, hauling the green waste out of the land fill, and finding value in the things that we throw away.…

Moana Dudoit: A legacy of love, culture and ohana

Monday, March 25th, 2013

Moana Dudoit: A legacy of love, culture and ohana

“One of the best friends I ever had.” “Always helped everyone.” “A legacy of unconditional love.” “Always dreamed big.” “Spiritually strong.” These are just a few of the ways one of Molokai’s most beloved kumu hula, Aunty Moana Dudoit, is described by family and friends.

For more than 40 years, Dudoit’s halau has taught and supported about 300 people ranging in age from 4 to 90-something. Traveling around the world to share the aloha spirit, Hawaiian culture and love of family, Dudoit has touched not only those on her native island of Molokai, but also those on the mainland, and in Japan, Europe and the South Pacific.…