Kaunakakai, HI Debt Consolidation in Hawaii

"HAWAII CALLS" REVIVAL A GLORIOUS SHOW: Robert Cazimero, left, was a welcome guest as he joined Bev Noa, Donald P. McDiarmid Jr., Burton White, Queenie Ventura Dowsett, Kanoe Miller, Nina Keali'iwahamana, Aaron ...

If she knew 51/2 years ago what she knows now, she might have prevented her 18-year-old son from committing suicide, says Pua Kaninau-Santos, of Kaunakakai.

The official in charge of Molokai's public schools said this week that he has initiated a study on whether to consolidate elementary schools on the Friendly Isle.

On the heels of Molokai Ranch closing its operations, the community of Maunaloa is preparing for what could be yet another hardship. If the Hawaii state Board of Education (BOE) approves plans making it easier to consolidate small schools in Hawaii, it could lead to the closure of Maunaloa Elementary School.

The potential change comes as the state faces a projected $1.1 billion deficit by the end of 2011. Lawmakers are turning to the BOE to cut as much as $69 million from its 2009 budget. The Hawaii public school system is already $24 million short this fiscal year.

I received a couple of emails from Moloka'i residents last week after my article "Helping Out vs.

To have uniforms or not to have uniforms? That is the question. The Molokai High School Community Council heard a presentation by parent Michelle Tancayo at their monthly meeting last Tuesday about why Tancayo and other parents are in favor of a uniform dress code policy for the High School.

The uniforms would be only tops, and would apply Monday through Thursday, Tancayo explains. Friday would be "Aloha Friday," or a free choice of clothing for students within dress code guidelines. "This would be an opportunity for students to express themselves through their dress, something they have expressed concern about losing," she said. Student input would be taken into consideration when designing several shirt options.

Molokai could be a key component to a future of renewable energy in Hawaii. Last Monday, Governor Lingle announced an agreement that looks to wind power from either Lanai or Molokai to supply up to 400 megawatts of electricity to Oahu via undersea cable.

The agreement focuses on the Renewables for Oahu Project which calls for 1,100 megawatts of additional renewable energy, 700 of which will be implemented within five years. Oahu's current total energy capacity is 1,700 megawatts.

According to the initiative, in order to achieve substantially greater use of wind power on Oahu, where most of the electric power in the State is consumed, it is necessary to transmit the electricity by undersea cable. Initial focus of the plan is to connect a single wind developer from either Molokai or Lanai.

Yes, the elections are over. The big news for the year is now put to rest. By the time you read my column , you will know who our new local government officials are.

This annual list, compiled by the Historic Hawaii Foundation, in cooperation with the State Historic Preservation Division, selects some of Hawaiia s most endangered historic places.

Landfill Closing

Kalaupapa may be the smallest county in the United States, but they are at the forefront of waste management. The Parks Department confirmed at the Kalaupapa town meeting last week that the peninsula landfill will be closing by the end of this year. The closure will go hand in hand with the implementation of a comprehensive recycling and composting project, which will begin operation before Christmas.

Currently, the project is ahead of schedule, according to a representative of the Parks Service. All that is needed for the project to become operational is the equipment, which will be arriving shortly. Positions for the new facility will be announced in mid-November.

Incumbent candidate Colette Machado is running for Office of Hawaiian Affairs (OHA) Moloka`i/Lana`i residency. She has over 20 years of service on public boards and commissions including, State Land Use Commission, Hawaiian Homes Lands Commission, Molokai Island Burial Council and Kahoolawe Island Reserve Commission. She has served as the OHA Trustee for Molokai-Lanai for 12 years. The Molokai Dispatch had a chance to ask Machado a few questions about her 2008 campaign.

What is the most important issue in this election?

Hawaiian Electric Co. is warning about a telephone scam that targets HECO customers.

In a year of eroding economic conditions across the United States-bank failures, government takeover of lending institutions and Congressional bailouts of high-powered firms like AIG, Moloka'i has become the ...

Signs announcing cancelled classes were posted outside the Molokai Educational Center (MEC) last Thursday due to flooding. A drinking fountain ruptured overnight causing up to several inches of water to accumulate.

The facility remained open only for students who needed to complete tests. MEC professor and coordinator Donna Haytko-Paoa and other staff discovered the leak when they arrived to work Thursday morning. By then, water had flowed into surrounding classrooms and hallways.

The main concern was flooding in the computer classroom. There was four inches of water found in the electrical boxes, which are located on the floors.

HILO>> State officials are preparing a new system that would use fines instead of criminal charges to resolve minor infractions of state conservation and environmental protection laws.

The renovation of a Molokaci mental health facility began with $19,000 in county taxpayer dollars.

KAUNAKAKAI, Moloka'i - The Hana Ka Lima drop-in center for people with mental illnesses and addiction issues on Moloka'i will get a $150,000 makeover next weekend, courtesy of the Rotary of Metropolitan ...

The Rotary of Metropolitan Honolulu is taking on its largest single community service project to date with its "Molokai Drop In Center Extreme Makeover" October 3 - 5 at 91 Manako Lane in Kaunakakai, Molokai.

The 2008 calendar is finally edging toward the end of our lengthy national political "season." More negative advertising versus issue debate may precede the Nov.

A Makawao man was taken into custody Tuesday to serve a six-month jail term for his part in a car break-in in Paia earlier this year.