KAUNAKAKAI, HAWAI'I:  By a slim majority, the Moloka'i Enterprise Community board, Ke Aupuni Lōkahi, Inc., has decided not to hold public elections to replace two board vacancies.  The EC board is required by federal law to have 55% of its members elected to their seats.  The organization's bylaws require annual elections.  This year's election was slated to be held in January or February of 2008, when the terms of office for two of the board members expired.  Four residents had announced their candidacies for the two vacant seats. 

An urgent correction; the Read Aloud series on our calender that was listed at Kaunakakai on May 7, should instead be at its usual location at Kualapu`u at 5:45 p.m. on May 7.

DLNR TO HOLD PUBLIC MEETING ON JET SKI USE AROUND MOLOKAI

HONOLULU – The Department of Land and Natural Resources will hold an informal public meeting on Molokai on Thursday, May 8 from 2 to 3 p.m. at the Mitchell Pauole Community Center conference room to hear from community members regarding the use of jet skis (also known as personal watercraft or PWCs) around Molokai.

Keiki make the 80th year of Lei Day one to remember.

By Brandon Roberts

“All leis are special, and we all have a favorite lei we like to wear close to our hearts,” Kumu Manuwai Peters said. Elaborating further he said that lei is a metaphor for the ones we love and hold dear in our lives. When a lei is created and presented, it is a gift that holds the mana and aloha from the maker, and is proudly displayed with this spirit.

The Molokai High School (MHS) theme for the 2008 Lei Day is; He Lei Pili i ka Pu'uwai (a lei close to one's heart). Each class gave song, hula and ho`okupu to this year’s Queen Pulamalani Hanaoka, and the packed gym. The junior class shared a tearful mahalo for the classmates that passed away this year.

Controversial Senate Bill 2646 passed the Senate last Thursday in a 14-10 vote. Supporters claim the bill is designed to preserve important agricultural lands and promote agricultural production. But opponents say the bill is a major “Gift to Landowners” that paves the way for development through expedited land reclassification, tax credits, and other incentives.

The bill now awaits the Governor’s approval which would put it into effect in July.

SB 2646 has drawn particular criticism for its reclassification incentive which allows landowners to swap classification of 15% of its acreage from agricultural to urban, rural, or conservation as long as they designate 85% of their acreage to “important-ag.”

A 2008 Senate report states that the bill’s explicit intent is “to create incentives that balance the State's interest and desire for the designation of important-ag with the landowners' need and desire for more development opportunities.”

In our continuing series with 'O Hina i ka Malama, the Hawaiian Language Immersion Program at Molokai High School, students play Friendly Isle planners. This is their mana`o on what ideas or creative businesses they believe would best benefit or sustain Molokai.

Ku`uleialoha Kahana-Kalua, 17

Makemake au e hahai holoholona me ka pilikia `ole. 'O kela wale no ko'u makemake. Mahalo.

Well, being a Molokai resident since I was born, I don't want anything to change; leave it as is. But what I like to do is be able to hunt legally all over the island. To bring back what we had before.

Water Working Group nears report completion.

By Brandon Roberts

After lengthy discussion on the future of the Island’s water policy, the Molokai Water Working Group (MWWG) gave a hana hou to complete their initial water report revision at the April 30 meeting. All that remains is to approve and attach the group’s new recommendations for the finalized document due in June.

Creating a special management designation for surface water was a prevailing recommendation to ensure conservation of all Molokai waters. Currently, there is only a special management designation for underground water. The MWWG report will advise the State Commission on Water Resource Management, and eventually be implemented into the County General Plan.