Quantcast
Channel: The Kaʻū Calendar News Briefs, Hawaiʻi Island
Viewing all 3982 articles
Browse latest View live

Ka`u News Briefs June 23, 2013

0
0
Young fisherman years ago with and ulua in Ka`u. Photo from Hawai`i Fishing News

THE ULUA CHALLENGE brought more credibility to the use of barbless hooks for fishing in the tenth annual tournament held in June. Dean Uyetake became the 2013 Ula Challenge winner with the 93.4-pound ulua (giant trevally), using a barbless hook. The Omilu (blue fin trevally) Division was won by Dane Ramey with a 22.8-pounder. 
      Ka`u fishermen were among those who entered the contest and camped at South Point and other shoreline areas for the tournament, sponsored by S. Tokunaga Store in Hilo.
      The anglers fished for three nights and three and a half days, with the weigh-in at Afook-Chinen Civic Auditorium. Fishing was with rod and reel. Each fish was hooked, fought, and brought to gaff by a single person. Helpers could only shine lights to guide the angler when walking or pulling in a fish. The tournament prohibited using flotation devices like trash bags, plastic bottles, condoms, balloons and kites for hanging lines. Using boogie boards and surfboards was also banned. Fishermen were allowed to “hang bait,” only by using rods and reels. Each fisherman could set up as many as four rods and reels at the same time. Sharks, eels, turtles, rays and mammals did not qualify for the weigh in. Mutilated fish were also disqualified.
      Following Uyetake, second place went to Stephen Bondaug with an 88-pound ulua, third to Franklin Rivera with an 85.1-pounder, fourth to Richard Kaiawe with a 74.1-pounder, fifth to Bobby Akana with a 72.4-pound ulua, sixth to Todd Kaneshiro with a 69.8-pounder, seventh to Scott Yamamoto with a 68.5-pound ulua, eighth to Ka`eo Hunter with a 65.4-pounder, ninth to Jon Hara with a 64.5-pounder and tenth to Marcus Roberts with a 62.5-pound ulua.
Dean Uyetake won the Ulua Challenge with a 93.4-pound fish.
Photo from S. Tokunaga Store
      In the Omilu Division, Ramey was followed by Artis Higashi taking second with a 22.3-pounder. Keahi Akana took third with a 20.8-pound omilu. Justin Loa took fourth with a 19.9-pounder. Tommy Cabanting took fifth with a 17.9-pounder. Gerald Llanes took sixth with a 17.8-pounder. Keola Llanes took seventh with a 17-pounder. Rick Okubo took eighth with a 16.4-pounder, Kurt Nakamura took ninth with a 16.1-pounder and Jordan Ogawa took tenth, pulling in a 15.6-pound ulua.
      A special prize – a wrapped IRW Slider Rod for Barbless Hook – was given to the fisherman with the heaviest ulua caught using barbless hooks, which are being promoted to save fish when they are hooked but break away. The winner was Uyetake, who also won the grand prize for the heaviest fish caught in the Ulua Challenge.
      A statement from the organizers says, “If you are like most fishermen, and fishing is your passion, then the one thing you would want is to catch more fish. Have you ever broken a line on a big strike? Do you ever ask yourself if the fish survived after being hooked? If your answer is yes, what percentage of fish do you think survived? Many responsible fishermen in the islands are making changes to their fishing practices to ensure the fish population will be preserved for our future generations. One change fishermen are taking is the use of barbless hooks.
The winner of the Ulua Challenge
used a barbless hook.
Photo from notonlybowls.com
      “One advantage to using a barbless circle hook versus a barbed circle hook is that it can be less injurious to a fish or any other sea life that is hooked. If the fish breaks off with a barbless hook in its mouth, the hook will probably drop out a lot quicker than if it had a barbed hook in its mouth, causing less stress and less risk for mortality. This in turn will increase the chances that a missed fish would survive to not only reproduce, but to possibly be caught another day. Another advantage of using a barbless hook is that if a protected sea creature such as the monk seal or the green sea turtle is accidentally hooked, the chances of the hook falling out, increasing their survival, is much greater. A third advantage to using a barbless hook is that it makes releasing a fish much easier. There will be less struggle by the fisherman to remove the hook, creating less time for the fish to be out of the water and increasing its chance of survival.
      “And lastly, the use of the barbless hooks by fishermen sends a clear message that we are concerned and responsible stakeholders in fishery.
      “In the old days, circle hooks did not have barbs, yet they were very effective in catching fish, just ask your father or grandfather. The National Marine Fisheries Service has conducted side-by-side research that proved that a barbless circle hook is just as successful in hooking a fish as a barbed circle hook.” About half the fishermen in the Ulua Challenge used the barbless hook.
      A drawing at the weigh-in for the tournament netted a winner for a trip to Las Vegas, and proceeds from the event went to the Boys & Girls Club. Each fisherman paid a $50 entry fee.

Rep. Tulsi Gabbard appeared on This Week with George Stephanopoulos
today. Image from abcnews.com
“I HOLD ON VERY TIGHTLY TO MY SURFBOARD when I’m home and really hold onto the aloha spirit,” Ka`u’s U.S. Representative Tulsi Gabbard said on ABC’s This Week with George Stephanopoulus today. Gabbard was featured in the show’s Sunday Spotlight subtitled From Battlefield to Halls of Congress. “I appreciate having the opportunity to not only be home, but to understand why I’m working in Washington.” 
      Gabbard said that when someone in Hawai`i asked her if she is “fitting in” in Congress, she responded that “not fitting in is actually a good thing.”
      Gabbard, a veteran of the war in Iraq, spoke about her support of plans to integrate women into combat units by 2016. “If you can pull your weight, and if you can do the job, you should be able to do it,” she said. “What we see in the policy change now, that we’re seeing starting to be executed, is just a reflection of what women have already been doing in the military.”
      “Some of the so-called uncivilized parts of what occurs when you are in combat, when you’re at war, that’s the reality that we train for,” Gabbard said. “This is not something new, and it’s not something that any woman who raises her hand to serve in uniform finds as a surprise. We know what we sign up for.”
      Gabbard also discussed military sexual assault. When in Iraq, “we got issued rape whistles so that, you know, as we walk out of our tent or walk out of our hooch, we’ve got our body armor, we’ve got our helmet, our weapon, and we’ve got our rape whistle,” Gabbard explained. “It was an eye-opening experience to have to consider that fact when we’re serving overseas…. We have to do something about this now.”

Ka`u High Trojans football team plays every BIIF team in the
upcoming season. Photo from Ka`u High School
KA`U HIGH SCHOOL TROJANS football and basketball teams will play a different schedule in the 2013-2014 school year. Instead of playing only Division II teams, the Trojans will play each Big Island Interscholastic Federation team in a nine-game schedule followed by the divisional championships. 
      “Every game will count no matter who you play,” BIIF executive director Lyle Crozier told Hawai`i Tribune-Herald sports editor Bill O’Rear. “A lot of coaches wanted the change. They felt by playing everybody in the BIIF it gave them a tougher regular-season schedule and helped them get ready for the state tournament. Now, every game will count and can help you get a better seeding in the BIIF tournament.”
      The Trojans football schedule includes four home games and five away:
  • Konawaena at Ka`u Friday, Aug. 30 
  • Ka`u at Kamehameha Friday, Sept. 6 
  • Ka`u at Kealakehe Saturday, Sept. 14 
  • Hilo at Ka`u Friday, Sept. 20 
  • Kea`au at Ka`u Friday, Sept. 27 
  • Ka`u at Waiakea Friday, Oct. 4 
  • Hawai`i Prep at Ka`u Friday, Oct. 11 
  • Ka`u at Honoka`a Friday, Oct. 18 
  • Ka`u at Kohala Saturday, Oct. 26
Ka`u resident Dick Hershberger portrays Thomas Jaggar this Tuesday and
every other Tuesday. Photo from KDEN
PROGRAMS AT HAWAI`I VOLCANOES NATIONAL PARK on Tuesday feature Ka`u residents.
      Dick Hershberger brings Hawaiian Volcano Observatory founder Thomas Jaggar to life during A Walk into the Past. Programs begin at 10 a.m., 12 p.m. and 2 p.m. at Kilauea Visitor Center and Whitney Vault.
       Megan Lamson, marine biologist and coordinator of coastal cleanup projects sponsored by Hawai`i Wildlife Fund, discusses natural and cultural resources of Ka`u's Wai`ohinu Coast at After Dark in the Park. Topics include plants, pools, petroglyphs and opportunities for volunteer participation. The program begins at 7 p.m. in Kilauea Visitor Center Auditorium. 
      Both programs are free, and park entrance fees apply.

SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS AT PAHALAPLANTATIONCOTTAGES.COM AND KAUCOFFEEMILL.COM. KA`U COFFEE MILL IS OPEN SEVEN DAYS A WEEK.

ALSO SEE KAUCALENDAR.COM AND FACEBOOK.COM/KAUCALENDAR.

Ka`u News Briefs June 24, 2013

0
0
Hawaiian Volcano Observatory has published its latest Geologic Map of the Island of Hawai`i, with surface lava flows
color-coded to reflect age. Map from USGS/HVO
AS PART OF NATIONAL SMALL BUSINESS WEEK, the National Retail Federation named Sen. Brian Schatz one of its “Heroes of Main Street” for his commitment to supporting local retail. This year, in particular, the NRF recognized members of Congress who are seeking to level the playing field between brick and mortar and online retailers.
National Retail Federation has named "Heroes of Main
Street," including Sen. Brian Schatz. Photo from NRF
      “Retail is critical to Hawai`i’s economy, and we’ve got to do everything we can to help local businesses thrive,” Schatz said. “When retail stores in our neighborhoods are doing well, communities and families in Hawai`i prosper. That is why I will do everything I can to encourage business owners to set up shop in our communities, creating jobs and contributing to Hawai`i’s status as the ultimate tourist destination.”
      NRF president and CEO Matthew Shay said, “Today we salute a dedicated group of public servants and advocates for their outstanding support of the retail industry. These ‘heroes’ have all demonstrated a unique understanding and commitment to policies that will ensure a growing and thriving Main Street. NRF is pleased to acknowledge these specific members of Congress for their unmatched leadership on the Marketplace Fairness Act.”
      The National Retail Federation is the world’s largest retail trade association. Retailers operate more than 3.6 million U.S. establishments that support one in four U.S. jobs – 42 million working Americans.

SEN. BRIAN SCHATZ HAS SENT A LETTER to Transportation Security Administration administrator John Pistole requesting that TSA expand the PreCheck program to include interisland flights in the state of Hawai`i.
      PreCheck enables low-risk passengers to move more quickly through checkpoint screening while allowing TSA to focus on passengers considered higher risk. Passengers participating in PreCheck lanes are not required to remove shoes and outerwear or laptops from bags. Expanding the PreCheck program would expedite security screening for Hawai`i’s residents, workers, and tourists traveling to and from the neighbor islands, promoting the state’s tourism industry and strengthening its local economy. Right now, TSA’s PreCheck program is only available at Honolulu Airport and 39 other major cities across the country.
      “Hawai`i has a unique need as an island state for efficient interisland travel, and flights are often necessary for residents to visit family, the doctor, and business associates,” Schatz said. “Between 16,000 and 18,000 passengers travel daily between the four major islands, closely linking air transportation to Hawai`i’s business development and the visitor industry. The easier we make it for people to fly, the more we will open the door to opportunities for economic growth.”
      “Our unique island setting requires many blue collar workers to regularly fly to their jobs on neighbor islands,” said Reggie Castanares, business manager for UA Local 675, Plumbers and Fitters of Hawai`i. “Establishing the PreCheck protocol for neighbor island travel would greatly enhance the daily work experience for the plumbers and fitters of UA Local 675 who begin their work day at an airport.”
      Mark Dunkerley, president and CEO of Hawaiian Airlines, said, “Pre-check lanes for interisland travel would greatly improve the ability of our kama`aina customers to move more quickly and efficiently between different cities in our state. It’s a very important issue for our guests, and we appreciate Sen. Schatz’s support for more pre-check lanes at all of the airports in Hawai`i.”

U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY HAWAIIAN VOLCANO OBSERVATORY has published its most current Geologic Map of the Island of Hawai`i. Visualizing the dynamic three-dimensional geologic history of the island on a two-dimensional sheet of paper is one of the fundamental responsibilities of HVO, and improving the geologic map of Hawai`i Island is an ongoing goal of the observatory. To date, 90 percent of Mauna’s 2,035-square-mile surface, covered by more than 500 individual flows, has been mapped. The ages for 35 percent of the mapped flows, the oldest of which is over 36,700 years old, have been constrained using radiocarbon dating. 
      Geologic maps depict the earth’s surface in terms of rock age, lithology (composition and texture) and structures (volcanic vents, fissures, faults, and cracks). HVO scientists use the maps to understand the events that have shaped the island and improve their ability to forecast hazards, such as lava flows, explosive eruptions and tsunami that will impact Hawai`i in the future.
      Nationally, geologic maps are the most requested scientific product produced by state and federal geological surveys. They help people understand the geologic history of an area, manage natural resources, assess hazards and provide information for informed land-use planning and decisions.
      Geologic Map of the Island of Hawai`i is available online at pubs.usgs.gov/ds/2005/144, the USGS Publications Warehouse pubs.er.usgs.gov and at island bookstores, including those in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park.

THE CONFIRMATION HEARING to determine whether Lehman Brothers becomes the owner of some 5,800 Ka`u acres and sells off sections of the land or keeps it, or whether another party buys the properties, which are bundled as one sale for oceanfront, pasture and coffee parcels, takes place this Thursday at First Circuit Court Building in Honolulu on the fourth floor. Presiding judge is Bert Ayabe. Additional bids will be allowed for the property in foreclosure on land where famous Ka`u coffee grows under the care of more than 30 farmers. It also includes pasture lands mauka of Hwy 11, above Honu`apo, and lands along the Ka`u Coast, including Waikapuna.
     At the auction on May 21, Lehman Brothers bid higher than the only other bidder, Edmund C. Olson, who bid $12 million.

KA`U YOUTH ARE INVITED TO SIGN UP for Volcano Art Center’s Likolehua Summer Art Camp – The Motion of the Ocean. The two-week camp is held Monday through Friday during the weeks of July 8 and 15, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily at VAC’s Ni`aulani Campus in Volcano Village. 
      Kelli Bolger and Meredith Wheelock focus on the science and discovery of water through visual, cultural and performing arts. Camp is appropriate for ages 6 to 12. Fees are $355 or $320 VAC members.
      Financial aid is available, and applications are due this Friday, June 28.
      This program is supported in part by Hawai`i State Foundation on Culture and the Arts through appropriations from the state Legislature or grants from National Endowment for the Arts.
      For more information, call 967-8222.

PROGRAMS AT HAWAI`I VOLCANOES NATIONAL PARK tomorrow feature Ka`u residents.
      A Walk into the Past features Dick Hershberger portraying Hawaiian Volcano Observatory founder Thomas Jaggar. Programs begin at 10 a.m., 12 p.m. and 2 p.m. at Kilauea Visitor Center and Whitney Vault. The program is held every other Tuesday.
       At After Dark in the Park, Megan Lamson, marine biologist and coordinator of coastal cleanup projects sponsored by Hawai`i Wildlife Fund, discusses natural and cultural resources of Ka`u's Wai`ohinu Coast. Topics include plants, pools, petroglyphs and opportunities for volunteer participation. The program begins at 7 p.m. in Kilauea Visitor Center Auditorium.
      Both programs are free, and park entrance fees apply.

Jurassic Park comes to Pahala next Monday and Na`alehu July 10.
Photo from Joe Iacuzzo
JURASSIC PARK COMES TO KA`U NEXT MONTH when Joe Iacuzzo presents programs about the dinosaur mummy at Ka`u libraries. The dinosaur mummy is a fossil with intact body and preserved skin. 
      Iacuzzo visits Pahala Public & School Library on Monday, July 1 and Na`alehu Public Library on Wednesday, July 10. Secrets of the Dinosaur Mummy screens at noon. In the documentary film directed by Iacuzzo, scientists Dr. Bob Bakker, Dave Trexler and Art Andersen uncover secrets of the most complete dinosaur fossil ever discovered. The team travels from Montana to NASA, while the story journeys to the earliest days of dinosaur hunting and 75 million years into the past with computer-generated dinosaurs.
      After the film, Iacuzzo discusses his latest book, The Last Day of the Dinosaur Mummy, at 1 p.m.

SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS AT PAHALAPLANTATIONCOTTAGES.COM AND KAUCOFFEEMILL.COM. KA`U COFFEE MILL IS OPEN SEVEN DAYS A WEEK.

ALSO SEE KAUCALENDAR.COM AND FACEBOOK.COM/KAUCALENDAR.

Ka`u News Briefs June 25, 2013

0
0
Science Camp attendees conduct research in the field. Photo from Michael Richards
LIFE SAVED AT SOUTH POINT: Local resident Jackie Kailiawa recently helped a newcomer in distress who fell off a cliff at South Point near the lighthouse. The newcomer hit his head and wasn’t able to climb on shore. Kailiawa jumped off the point with this boogie board, fins and other gear and paddled to the man, whose name is Jacob, from Montana. Jacob is the father of one, with another baby on the way. Kailiawa, a noted waterman who grew up in Pahala and now lives in Volcano, brought the man back to shore. It is his third save in recent years.
Jackie Kailiawa with his boogie board and the Montana
man sitting on the rocks after the rescue at South Point.
Photo by U`i Makuakane
      A Facebook post by U`i Makuakane says, “Thank God of the gift of life! As we were down at South Point today, a guy that recently moved here from Montana was swept out to sea by the light beacon (lighthouse)! If it wasn’t for a local from Pahala who jumped into the ocean without hesitation and saved this fellow, it would’ve been a devastating day for his family! Very thankful for the locals that risk their lives to save others on a daily basis....”

GOV. NEIL ABERCROMBIE HAS SIGNED Senate Bill 1093, a first step to transform early education in Hawai`i and ensure that all island keiki have access to preschool.
      “In my 2013 State of the State, I described any failure to address early learning development as one of our state’s greatest unfunded liabilities; this bill breaks from the status quo and provides our first down payment on ensuring Hawai`i’s keiki are prepared to enter kindergarten ready to learn,” Abercrombie said. “No other piece of legislation this year was more important. I firmly believe that giving keiki a strong early childhood education foundation is the best, most effective way to empower their success in life.”


      Abercrombie also announced the appointment of GG Weisenfeld, Ed.D, as director of the Executive Office on Early Learning. Weisenfeld will take over for Terry Lock, the state’s former early childhood coordinator, who the governor appointed as director when the office was first established. Lock has accepted a position with the University of Hawai`i at Manoa College of Education, where she will focus on the professional and leadership development of current and future early childhood educators.


      “Terry joined my administration in 2011 and has been a steadfast leader for our youngest citizens,” the governor said. “She and her team have made significant progress and established a strong foundation for early learning and development in Hawai`i, including completing the strategic plan ‘Taking Action for Hawai`i’s Children.’ As we enter this next phase of implementation, it means a great deal to me that Terry recommended GG to lead our efforts forward.”


Gov. Abercrombie is joined by keiki during his signing of the school
readiness bill. Photo from Office of the Governor
      A key component of the governor’s legislative package, SB1093 (enacted as Act 151) establishes the Preschool Open Doors Program as the statewide school readiness program administered by the state Department of Human Services. The new voluntary program will provide access to school readiness services that address children’s physical, cognitive, linguistic, social and emotional development. The program will serve four-year-old children, with priority extended to underserved or at-risk keiki and those who are not eligible to attend public school kindergarten in the school year they turn 5 because their birth date occurs after the kindergarten eligibility date.


      The bill also requires each provider to conduct school readiness assessments, give priority to children from low- and moderate-income families and prepare children for school through either English or Hawaiian language.


      The measure includes appropriations of $720,000 in fiscal year 2013 and $440,000 in fiscal year 2014 to fund three temporary positions and contract services, as well as an additional $6 million for program subsidies in fiscal year 2014.


NA LEO `O HAWAI`I IS SIMULCASTING `Olelo’s pre-recorded and live shows debating the topic of genetically modified organisms through Thursday from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. on Channel 54. 
      Program listings can be found at www.naleo.tv.
Dean Okimoto is on the pro-GMO panel. Photo from ctahr.hawaii.edu 
      `Olelo Community Media has gathered people from both sides of the GMO debate for four nights of signature programming that aims to delve more deeply into this often divisive issue. “The subject of GMOs is clearly one that many people in our community feel passionately about,” says Roy Amemiya, president and CEO of `Olelo. “We hope that GMO Week will help all of us gain a better understanding of both the pros and cons of GMO so that our community can create solutions that are in the best interest of Hawai`i.”
      The shows will also available for online viewing through `OleloNet On Demand at olelo.org.
      GMO Week started yesterday and continues today with pre-recorded shows from panels that convened earlier this month. This evening’s show presents a continuation of what aired yesterday – 30 minutes of programming from the pro-GMO panel, followed by 30 minutes from the anti-GMO panel. Tonight, the order switches, with 30 minutes from the anti-GMO panel first, followed by the pro-GMO panel.
Gary Hooser is on the anti-GMO panel.
      Chad Blair, of Civil Beat, served as the moderator for a pro-GMO panel that featured Dr. Dennis Gonsalves, director of the USDA Pacific Basin Agricultural Research Center in Hilo; Dean Okimoto, owner of Nalo Farms and president of the Hawai`i Farm Bureau; and Adolph Helm, project manager for Dow AgriSciences’ Moloka`i, Hawai`i Mycogen Seeds, and the Seeds and Traits Research and Development Project, as well as a board member of the Hawai`i Crop Improvement Association.
      Beth-Ann Kozlovich, of Hawai`i Public Radio, served as the moderator for the anti-GMO panel. That panel featured Walter Ritte, manager and teacher at Keawenui Fishpond and Learning Center of Moloka`i; Gary Hooser, Kaua`i County councilmember and chair of the Agriculture and Intergovernmental Affairs Committee; and Scott Cooney, an adjunct professor of sustainability at the Shidler College of Business at UH Manoa.
      Tomorrow and Thursday, the public statewide is encouraged to participate in two live discussions on GMOs through live tweets or pre-submitted comments by phone. Questions or comments by phone should be submitted by calling 834-5303 no later than 4 p.m. Thursday. To submit questions via Twitter, use the hashtag #olelogmo. Olelo’s web page on this topic is olelo.org/gmo.
      Questions submitted by the community will be among those discussed by the gathered experts. The pro-GMO position in both live shows will be represented by the individuals who participated in the pre-recorded panel earlier this month.
      For more information, visit olelo.org.

Science Camp attendees explore Hawai`i Island, one of nature's greatest
laboratories, according to camp founder Michael Richards.
Photo from Michael Richards.
LAND AND SEA, THE FIRST SESSION of a new Science Camp, has begun in Ka`u. The session gives teens entering grades 9 through 12 a chance to examine volcanoes, geology, beaches, reefs and the ocean. So far, the campers have been to Punalu`u, The Nature Conservancy preserve and Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park. Today they go to `Imiloa. Home base is Pahala Plantation Cottages. 
      Science Camps of America takes the learning outdoors, offering first-hand experience in environments ranging from beaches and rainforests to volcanoes and snow-covered mountaintops. “The idea is to get teens outside and into the field to truly experience science,” Michael Richards, camp founder and executive director, said. “We need to find new ways to engage students and nurture their interests, and in this particular case, we want to focus on science because we have one of nature’s greatest laboratories in our backyard.” 
      The second session, Air and Space, will be held July 1 to 10 and exposes campers to topics including the atmosphere, weather systems, climate change and innovative technologies that address the ever-changing world.
      Science Camps of America chose the Big Island “for its unique and incredible environment, climate, geology and people,” said Richards. He described this island as “a science lab unto itself, with active volcanoes, one of the tallest mountains in the world, home to incredibly sophisticated astronomy facilities and natural energy laboratories, eleven of thirteen global climate zones and a native cultural heritage of discovery and innovation. This thriving scientific community is a great resource. One of the goals stated in the Hawai`i County General Plan is to ‘promote and develop the island of Hawai`i into a unique scientific and cultural model.’ I look forward to making Science Camps of America a contributor to that goal,” he said.
      Registration fees include meals and transportation to and from Kona or Hilo airports. The organization also offers scholarships to Ka`u youth.
      Find out more at ScienceCampsAmerica.com or 678-619-0974.

Ka`u resident Peter Anderson took this photo of
the supermoon.
A SUPERMOON OCCURRED SUNDAY EVENING when the Moon had its closest encounter with Earth this year, creating the largest full moon of the year. A supermoon is the coincidence of a full moon with the closest approach the Moon makes to the Earth on its elliptical orbit, resulting in the largest apparent size of the lunar disk as seen from Earth. The technical name is the perigee-syzygy of the Earth-Moon-Sun system. 
      Supermoons occur about once every 14 full moons in a full moon cycle. The next supermoon will occur Aug. 10, 2014.

TONIGHT’S AFTER DARK IN THE PARK features Megan Lamson, marine biologist and Hawai`i Wildlife Fund project coordinator, discussing the unique natural and cultural resources of Ka`u’s Wai`ohinu coastline, sharing progress of HWF’s conservation work and presenting opportunities to participate in upcoming volunteer events. The program begins at 7 p.m. at Kilauea Visitor Center in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park. $2 donations support park programs; park entrance fees apply.

SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS AT PAHALAPLANTATIONCOTTAGES.COM AND KAUCOFFEEMILL.COM. KA`U COFFEE MILL IS OPEN SEVEN DAYS A WEEK.

ALSO SEE KAUCALENDAR.COM AND FACEBOOK.COM/KAUCALENDAR.

Ka`u News Briefs June 26, 2013

0
0
DLNR asks boaters to notify authorities if they see a dead whale floating at sea so that it can be taken care of before washing onto shore. This sperm whale found between Honu`apo and South Point in March is not the first to wash
up in the last year. Photo by Geneveve Fyvie
HAWAI`I DEPARTMENT OF LAND AND NATURAL RESOURCES and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Marine Fisheries Service are asking boaters to notify authorities immediately if they see a dead whale floating at sea. Each year, approximately one to four sperm whale carcasses drift ashore in Hawai`i, particularly in May and August, according to DLNR.
      Data also suggests sperm whales are coming into Hawaiian waters from east and north directions, which results in most carcasses landing on the windward side of islands.
      “Early reporting allows us to locate, then tow a floating carcass away from the islands. This is often much easier and less expensive than removing it once it comes aground on a shoreline or reef,” said David Schofield, NOAA’s Regional Marine Mammal Health and Response Program manager. “We know that sperm whales are the deepest diving and one of the largest ranging of all cetaceans, but we still don’t know why we see these stranding peaks in the summer. It could have something to do with migration patterns, but scientists still have a lot to learn.”
      To report a floating whale or any marine mammal incident, call USCG channel 16 or NOAA’s marine mammal hotline at 1-888-256-9840.

Sen. Josh Green
GOV. ABERCROMBIE HAS SIGNED TWO BILLS to improve Hawai`i’s 13-year-old medical marijuana program – the first updates to pass the Legislature since the program began. 
      HB 668 CD1 moves oversight of the program from the Department of Public Safety Narcotics Enforcement Division and to the Department of Health. HB 668 goes into effect Jan. 1, 2015, giving time for the transition between departments to occur.
     SB 642 CD1, co-introduced by Ka`u’s Senators Josh Green and Russell Ruderman, among others, increases the amount of medical marijuana a patient or caregiver can grow and possess. Lawmakers also added a provision requiring that only a patient’s primary care physician can certify them for eligibility, but later clarified that people covered in the federal system and those seeing specialist physicians will still have access to Hawai`i’s medical marijuana program. This measure also takes effect in 2015 – one day later than HB 688.
      Local polling firm QMark Research was commissioned to conduct a statewide, statistically significant poll of 600 Hawai`i voters between Nov. 19 and Dec. 4, 2012.
      Among its findings:
  • 81 percent of Hawai`i voters support access to medical marijuana by sick and dying people under a doctor’s care; 
  • 78 percent of Hawai`i voters support a dispensary system for medical marijuana. 
      Pam Lichty, president of the Drug Policy Action Group, said, “The emergence of legislative champions for medical marijuana like Sens. Will Espero and Josh Green and Rep. Della Au Belatti shows that lawmakers recognize the broad public support among voters. We look forward to working with the 2014 Legislature to establish state-regulated dispensaries and to make additional patient-centered improvements to the Hawai`i program.”

Gov. Abercrombie has signed a bill empowering county fire chiefs to
enforce fire codes. Photo from Office of the Governor
GOV. ABERCROMBIE HAS ALSO ENACTED SIX BILLS relating to issues that range from regulation of Professional Employer Organizations to the Hawai`i State Fire Code. 
      The governor released the following statements regarding these measures passed by the 2013 Hawai`i State Legislature:
      Regarding HB144 (Relating to Professional Employer Organizations): “A result of collaboration involving the industry, state legislators, and this administration, HB144 represents consensus on regulating Professional Employer Organizations, or PEOs, moving forward.”
      Regarding SB1077 (Relating to the Owner-Building Exemption): “SB1077 clarifies the owner-building exemption to ensure that it is used in accordance with its intended purpose. Many owners have been learning too late the risks and responsibilities they are assuming after being advised to obtain an owner-builder permit in order to hire or contract with an unlicensed person. This bill addresses this loophole used by those who have been trying to skirt the law.”
      Regarding HB668 (Relating to Health) and SB642 (Relating to Health): “HB668 rightly frames marijuana as a health issue, and SB642 acknowledges that it is the role of competent physicians and medical personnel to decide the best course of action with regard to the use of any measure to relieve pain or advance healing.”

      Regarding SB682 (Relating to Fire Protection): “The existing fire statute hasn’t been touched in over 30 years. Since then, building occupancies and classifications have changed. This bill further empowers county fire chiefs to enforce the fire code in their counties, which improves safety throughout our state.”
      Regarding SB680 (Relating to Homeland Security): “Long-overdue, this bill modernizes state statutes regarding Civil Defense and homeland security in light of federal changes. It aligns state and federal best practices.”
      Since it may take a few days for the state Legislature to post new acts on its “Acts” webpage, the Office of the Governor provides a list of most recently signed bills at governor.hawaii.gov (click on “Recently Signed Bills”). Bills are removed from this page once they are posted on the Legislature site, capitol.hawaii.gov.

Dr. Linda-Jane Irwin, at right, with HILT representative
Janet Britt. Photo by Tim Britt 
DR. LINDA-JANE IRWIN HAS DONATED a perpetual conservation easement of over 32,000 square feet of her property located along Wright Road in Volcano to Hawaiian Islands Land Trust. This small parcel is part of a larger effort by HILT and community members in Volcano to protect kipuka, or small oases of intact forest canopy in an area that is increasingly being developed. These oases provide green corridors for birds, butterflies and other insects to use while moving around the forest and onto adjacent protected lands such as Hawai`i Volcano National Park, Kahauale`a Natural Area and Ola`a Forest Reserve. Irwin’s donation brings the total number of conservation easements secured by HILT in its Kipuka Mosaic Project to four. 
      Hawaiian Islands Land Trust has been working with a group of landowners to preserve as much of the forest canopy as possible for the use of native birds and other species that move back and forth along the flank of Mauna Loa. The Kipuka Mosaic Project is a grassroots conservation initiative that has brought together many small landowners, professional resource managers and HILT to help ensure the survival of rare flora and fauna, especially native birds, along the southern flanks of the massive Mauna Loa Volcano. Data indicate the presence of native Hawaiian birds including the endangered `apapane and `oma`o, as well as the more common birds such as amakihi, `elepaio and `io, the Hawaiian Hawk. Three large protected areas – Hawai`i Volcano National Park, Kahauale`a Natural Area preserve and the Ola’a Forest Reserve – are divided by huge and partially undeveloped subdivisions that have the potential to fragment the connections between these important protected areas. HILT’s Kipuka Mosaic Project aims to secure numerous conservation easements within these potentially fragmenting subdivisions that will help provide a continuum of habitat for native and endemic flora and fauna.
      Regarding the conservation transaction, Irwin stated, “When I purchased the property next to my home in 2004, I immediately knew that this wonderful native `ohi`a forest should be preserved in perpetuity. Finally, the Hawaiian Islands Land Trust’s Kipuka Mosaic Project has become a reality, and I am delighted to add my parcel to this beautifully conceived idea.”
      Ted Clement, HILT’s executive director, said, “On behalf of the Hawaiian Islands Land Trust, I want to thank Linda-Jane Irwin for helping us create lasting good by adding another perpetual green patch to our conservation quilt.” Hawaiian Islands Land Trust, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and the first nationally accredited land trust in Hawai`i, has conserved over 17,500 acres to date. To learn more, see hilt.org.

AIKIDO AT PAHALA COMMUNITY CENTER is a new class being offered by Alan Moores at 7 p.m. on Mondays and Wednesdays. The family class is for individuals from six years of age through adult. About 14 people have joined, and the instructor said that he will create two classes if the group grows much larger . Moores said Aikido is called “the Art of Peace.” Aikido means “the way of harmony.” The goal is to defend oneself with the least harm to the aggressor. For more information, call Moores at 928-0919 or contact him at artbyalan2011@gmail.com.

LOW-INCOME FAMILES can sign up for assistance in paying their electric bills Friday at the Old Pahala Clubhouse on Maile Street from 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Residents can also sign up Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at the Hawai`i Economic Opportunity Council office in Na`alehu office behind the Community Center.

Hawai`i County Band will again march in Na`alehu's Independence Day
Parade Saturday. Photo by Peter Anderson
NA`ALEHU FOURTH OF JULY CELEBRATION is Saturday. The parade starts at Na`alehu Elementary School at 11 a.m. Before the parade, free pancake breakfast takes place at Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. 
      Following the parade, `O Ka`u Kakou will sponsor keiki activities at Na`alehu Park with a water slide, bouncy apparatus and climbing wall. Free hot dogs and shave ice will also be distributed at the park. Music and kani ka pila will entertain participants. Seniors can enjoy a free lunch at the Na`alehu Community Center, which will be followed by senior bingo and prizes.
      Assembly of God church also offers free hot dogs, chili and a concert after the parade.
      Businesses, organizations, and individuals who wish to participate in the parade or donate can call Debra McIntosh at 929-9872. Two prizes will be awarded for the most creative entry and the most patriotic entry. To be eligible to win, entries must be received by Friday.

SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS AT PAHALAPLANTATIONCOTTAGES.COM AND KAUCOFFEEMILL.COM. KA`U COFFEE MILL IS OPEN SEVEN DAYS A WEEK.

ALSO SEE KAUCALENDAR.COM AND FACEBOOK.COM/KAUCALENDAR.

Ka`u News Briefs June 27, 2013

0
0
Ninety acres at Punalu`u make up one of several parcels in the Mahi`ai Match-up, a statewide business plan contest for
farmers and entrepreneurs looking to establish an agricultural business in Hawai`i.
LEHMAN BROTHERS has taken over ownership of some 5,800 acres in Ka`u in foreclosure proceedings. The property includes oceanfront land at Waikapuna, pastures mauka of Honu`apo, the Moa`ula coffee lands and more pasture near Pahala. It also includes the old Becky’s Bed and Breakfast house in Na`alahu and the next door residence as well as various small land parcels from Pahala to Na`alehu. The final confirmation sale was conducted today at the First Circuit Court Building in Honolulu on the fourth floor. Judge Bert Ayabe presided over entertaining additional bids for the property in foreclosure, but no one came forward. On hand was Edmund C. Olson, who says he is interested in purchasing the coffee lands portion of the properties at Moa`ula, and representatives of The Nature Conservancy, who are interested in the coastal lands of Waikapuna. Also on hand was realtor Charlie Anderson representing E.W. Moody who owns a large swath of property south of Honu`apo and Chris Manfredi who managed Waikapuna, Moa`ulu and pasturelands that changed hands in the auction.
Various properties were bundled in the sale of some 5,800 Ka`u acres.
      The various properties were bundled in the sale, preventing bidders from acquiring individual parcels of their particular interest.
      Much of the land foreclosed upon is used for cattle ranching. More than 300 acres is the location of most of the famous Ka`u Coffee orchards under the care of more than 30 farmers whose leases have expired after having been set up in this new local economy through the old plantation that shut down and sold off the land, through government programs and through their own hard work.
      The foreclosure was against WWW Hawai`i Holdings, which borrowed more than $45 million against the 5,800 acres from Lehman Brothers and owed some $60 million with interest due.
      During the foreclosure auction on May 21, Lehman Brothers Holdings bid higher than the only other bidder,  Olson, who offered $12 million. Lehman, which bid $12.246 million, was allowed to use credit against the money owed by WWWK Hawai`i Holdings, in order to take ownership of the property.
      Gloria Camba, president of Ka`u Coffee Growers Cooperative, said that the farmers hope to keep the land, whether through long-term leases or fundraising and purchase that would allow the farmers land security for their successful enterprise.

Rodney Takaki and his grandson, Skyler Torres, captured
 the state record and perhaps the world record with this
151-pound sailfish. Photo by Lisa Edwards
A KA`U FISHERMAN HAS BROKEN the record for the largest sailfish caught, and the record may be worldwide, according to the International Game Fish Association. 
      Fishing captain Rodney Takaki and his grandson, Skyler Torres, both of Pahala, recently caught a 151-pound sailfish, capturing the state record; the previous record was 119-pounds. The gigantic fish was caught using a hand line on Saturday, May 4, with Takaki launching out of Punalu`u on a 1973 18-foot boat. Ben Wong, of TV’s Let’s Go Fishing, said he will air the accomplishment on his show.
      According to records kept online for the International Game Fish Association at wrec.igfa.org, Takaki’s fish may also be a world-record holder. IGFA lists the current world record at 141 pounds, caught in Luanda, Angola in 1994.

KA`U AGRICULTURAL WATER COOPERATIVE SURVEYING of old tunnels and water distribution routes will begin in July. The group has been working for about a decade on restoring plantation water sources for agriculture between Kapapala Ranch, Wood Valley, and above Pahala, across lands, including Makanau and Hilea, as well as property above Na`alehu and to Wai`ohinu.
      Old sugar plantation tunnels and waterline routes will be surveyed by the Sam Hirota company, of O`ahu, which is sending a crew to begin its work in July. Millions of dollars of funding were approved by the state Legislature for the irrigation project being managed by the state Department of Agriculture.
      The crew will survey water tunnels built by the plantations a century ago on what is now state land. The purpose during plantation days was to carry sugar cane by water in flumes from the fields to the mill. Renovations will put the water in pipes to create a new agricultural irrigation system, the cooperative promises. Hirota will survey from the tunnel openings to the end of state land, along with access from public roads to the irrigation system.
      The Hirota crew plans to meet with representatives of each water system area to understand what needs to be surveyed. The first trip will concentrate on the Keaiwa system, up Wood Valley Road, with the remaining systems to be surveyed in following visits.
Surveying of old tunnels and KAWCD water distribution routes begins
next month. Photo from state Department of Agriculture
      During the last Ka`u Agricultural Water Cooperative District Board of Directors meeting on June 20, ranchers, farmers and orchard and coffee growers represented areas where there are sources for irrigation and ranch water for livestock. Ha`ao Springs/Mountain House Agricultural Water Cooperative was represented by Mel Davis, Kapapala Ranch was represented by Lani Petrie, and Wood Valley Water and Farm Cooperative was represented by Jeff McCall. Eight members of the steering committee also represented these and other areas.
      Petrie reported that a landslide outside the Makakupu tunnel has made access between the tunnel entrances dangerous. While the legal access is along the pipeline from the Kapapala side, the other tunnel entrance will need to be accessed from the Wood Valley side, she said.
      McCall reported that Melanie Bondera met with the Wood Valley board to discuss conflict resolution training for water co-op members. She and Lori Beach will work with the board on training and interviewing the membership.
      Regarding Ha`ao Springs/Mountain House Agricultural Water Cooperative, an agreement is being sought with Kahua Ranch. Petrie said that she has been talking with Tim Richards about allowing access. A field trip with Ralph Kaapana was proposed to show Kahua the good intentions of the water cooperative.
      Regarding Moa`ula, where the famous Ka`u coffee is grown, a waterline has been installed down to the main cane haul road. Work on the incorporation documents is continuing.
      Regarding Hilea, cattleman Tyler Johansen met with Melanie Bondera to begin work on the documents.
      The water cooperative board of directors has set the next meeting for Wednesday, July 24 at 4 p.m. at Royal Hawaiian Orchards Macadamia Field Office on the corner of Pikake and Maile Streets in Pahala. The public is invited. For more information, call McCall at 937-1056.

MORE FOOTBALL PLAYERS ARE NEEDED for Ka`u High School to launch a season this fall. 
      Athletic director Kalei Namohala said, “We will need to have more than 30 players attending daily by Aug. 5. If we do not have more than 30, we will not have football. The forfeiture rate for football is $1,500 per game. So we will need to declare by the 5th.” Summer conditioning is ongoing Mondays through Fridays, from 3:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. Contact Coach DuWayne Ke. Those trying out can meet at the weight room at Ka`u High School. The official day of tryouts is July 22. In order to participate in tryouts and conditioning, students will need a current physical and participation form. All student athletes will have to see the athletic director for concussion baseline testing during tryouts, Namohala said.
      Football coaches are head coach Kainoa Ke, defensive coach Brian Dopp and offensive coach Greg Rush.

NINETY ACRES OF LAND AT PUNALU`U make up one of several parcels in the Mahi`ai Match-up, a statewide agricultural business plan contest for farmers and entrepreneurs looking to establish an agricultural business in Hawai‘i. Winners receive an agricultural lease from Kamehameha Schools with rent waived for up to five years and a cash prize from Ke Ali`i Pauahi Foundation to help make their winning agricultural business plan a reality.
      After year five, contingent on the winners successfully implementing their plans per milestones to be mutually agreed upon by lessee and KS, the land will be leased for a longer term at normal KS agricultural lease rates.
      Registration deadline is Monday, July 1.
      See more at pauahi.org/mahiaimatchup.

TOMORROW IS THE LAST DAY that low-income families can sign up for assistance in paying their electric bills at the Old Pahala Clubhouse on Maile Street from 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Residents can also sign up Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at the Hawai`i Economic Opportunity Council office in Na`alehu office behind the Community Center.

At Na`alehu Farmers Market on Saturday, the public
can sign a sheet thanking U.S. troops.
Image from Peter Anderson
TOMORROW IS THE LAST DAY TO SIGN UP to participate in the Na`alehu Fourth of July Parade and be eligible to win prizes. Two prizes will be awarded for the most creative entry and the most patriotic entry. Those who decide to join the parade after tomorrow will not be eligible for prizes, said organizer Debra McIntosh. 
      Businesses, organizations, and individuals who wish to participate in the parade or donate can call McIntosh at 929-9872.
      The parade starts at Na`alehu Elementary School at 11 a.m. Saturday. Before the parade, free pancake breakfast takes place at Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m.
      Following the parade, `O Ka`u Kakou will sponsor keiki activities at Na`alehu Park with a water slide, bouncy apparatus and climbing wall.
      Free hot dogs and shave ice will also be distributed at the park. Music and kani ka pila will entertain participants. Seniors can enjoy a free lunch at the Na`alehu Community Center, which will be followed by senior bingo and prizes.
      Assembly of God Church also offers free hot dogs, chili and a concert after the parade.
      There will also be a Support Our Troops  booth at Na`alehu Farmers Market Saturday.
      “Anyone can stop by and sign a sheet thanking our troops at Pohakuloa Training Center for their dedication to our safety,” said organizer Peter Anderson. “There is no obligation attached to signing the sheet; its purpose is just a simple thank you to our servicemen and women.”

Financial aid is available for Likolehua Summer Art Camp.
Photo from Volcano Art Cetner
SPOTS ARE STILL AVAILABLE FOR LIKOLEHUA SUMMER ART CAMP, which starts July 8 at Volcano Art Center and runs for two weeks, Monday through Friday. “This fun and creative camp is a great opportunity for keiki on the Big Island,” said VAC’s Britten Traughber. “Join creative instructors in an exciting camp that focuses on visual, cultural and performing arts for ages 6 through 12.” Fees are $355 or $320 for VAC members. 
       Financial aid is available; applications are due tomorrow. Call 967-8222 to register or for more information.

SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS AT PAHALAPLANTATIONCOTTAGES.COM AND KAUCOFFEEMILL.COM. KA`U COFFEE MILL IS OPEN SEVEN DAYS A WEEK.

ALSO SEE KAUCALENDAR.COM AND FACEBOOK.COM/KAUCALENDAR.

Ka`u News Briefs June 28, 2013

0
0
Rodeo July 6 and 7 will tear up the arena in Na`alehu. Photo by William Neal
TRANSFER OF COFFEE LANDS, SHORELINE PROPERTY AND PASTURE from WWK Hawai`i Holdings to Lehman Brothers is expected to take place within 35 days after Judge Bert Ayabe files the final papers on the foreclosure auction of the property, which concluded yesterday. George Van Buren, who was assigned to manage the property until the foreclosure is completed, said that any tenants on the land with questions on their status can call him at 808-522-0420. The 5,800 acres includes Moa`ula and Pear Tree coffee lands where the famous Ka`u coffee is grown. It also includes thousands of acres in pasture.
Transfer of ownership of Ka`u acreage is expected to happen within 35
days after the judge files final papers on foreclosure of the property.
    WWK Hawai`i Holdings, according to Pacific Business News, had planned a high-end subdivision of farmlands, but was caught up in the financial collapse after borrowing some $45 million from Lehman. Lehman, after reorganizing following its own bankruptcy, foreclosed on WWK Hawai`i Holdings earlier this year. The Nature Conservancy has shown interest in the Waikapuna portion of the property, and Edmund C. Olson said he is interested in the coffee lands to help support the coffee mill he built on Wood Valley Road.

A WASTE-TO-ENERGY FACILITY AS AN OPTION for dealing with Hawai`i County’s trash could be “on the ground” by the end of Mayor Billy Kenoi’s term, according to a story by Nancy Cook Lauer, of West Hawai`i Today. “Our goal is to have in the next 3 1/2 years a long-term solution on the ground and implemented,” he told the reporter. 
      Bobby Jean Leithead Todd, who Kenoi recently appointed as director of Environmental Management, thinks options to issue of what to do with trash will take longer to implement and she told the Environmental Management Committee that she is working on plans to extend the life of the Hilo landfill. According to the story, previous estimates said the landfill could be unusable in less than five years, but Leithead Todd is considering a sliver-fill design on the north-facing slope that could allow it to remain open for another 10 to 12 years.
      A concern mentioned by Leithead Todd is that Hawai`i County doesn’t produce enough garbage to sustain a waste-to-energy incinerator. While the county produces about 419 tons of trash per day, experts say the minimum amount needed to make waste-to-energy cost-effective is 500 tons per day.
      See more at westhawaiitoday.com.

A bill signed by Gov. Abercrombie makes clean energy improvements
more affordable and accessible. Photo from Office of the Governor
AS OUTLINED IN HIS 2013 STATE OF THE STATE address, Gov. Neil Abercrombie has signed Senate Bill 1087, which establishes a green infrastructure financing program for Hawai`i. The Green Energy Market Securitization program is designed to make clean energy improvements more affordable and accessible to underserved community members. 
      “This new measure allows us to bring clean energy improvements within reach for a broader segment of the community,” Abercrombie said. “More of Hawai`i’s residents will be able to take advantage of green devices that will ultimately lower electricity bills and contribute to the state’s clean energy growth.”
      Senate Bill 1087 creates the framework for a financing structure to fund this clean-energy financing program. Under GEMS, Hawai`i’s underserved markets, including low- and moderate-income homeowners, renters and nonprofits will be able to finance the purchase and installation of energy saving devices without the typically high upfront costs. Payment for the devices would be made over time through one’s electricity bill and paid for with the energy savings. The state’s Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism will facilitate the GEMS financing program via Hawai`i State Energy Office.
      “GEMS promotes the democratization of clean energy,” explained DBEDT director Richard Lim, who was the legislation’s architect. “We are taking a proven rate-reduction bond structure and using it in an innovative way to provide low-cost financing to utility customers.”
      The next step for GEMS is for DBEDT to file financing order and program order applications for review by the Public Utilities Commission. GEMS is targeted for implementation in 2014.

Funds will fight the coffee berry borer.
A BILL TO COMBAT THE COFFEE BERRY BORER is now law. Gov. Neil Abercrombie signed the bill that appropriates $250,000 in matching funds for each of the next two fiscal years for the Department of Agriculture to research and develop methods for the prevention and treatment of coffee berry borer infestations. It also appropriates $300,000 in matching funds for the 2013-2014 fiscal year for the department to fund efforts to control and mitigate the damage from coffee berry borer infestation. 
      The governor also signed other bills to help ag in Ka`u and the rest of the state. One expands livestock feed subsidies to include milking goats, goats raised for meat, sheep, lambs, fish, and crustaceans. It appropriates $1.5 million to the state Department of Agriculture for livestock feed subsidies and the Livestock Revitalization Program.

      SB993 expands the state’s Agricultural Loan Program by adding farm innovation loan programs and expanding the definition of a new farmer.

      SB586 provides certain building code and permit exemptions for nonresidential buildings and structures, including indigenous Hawaiian hale, on commercial farms and ranches located outside urban districts.
      SB757 appropriates $75,000 to the state Department of Education for the Future Farmers of America to educate and support youth in agricultural careers.
      “Part of Hawai`i’s history and way of life, our agriculture industry keeps money in the local economy and supports thriving rural communities,” Abercrombie said.

THE AMERICAN ACADEMY OF OPHTHALMOLOGY reminds everyone to care for their eyes this summer and wear sunglasses.
Sunglasses can protect eyes from damage by UV rays.
      “It’s important for people to realize the damage of daily sun exposure and what it does to your eyes,” Dr. Christopher Tortora, M.D., medical director of the Hawaiian Eye Center and Dry Eye Clinic, said. “The effects of ultraviolet rays on the eyes tend to go unnoticed but accumulate over time causing serious vision related diseases.”
      UV radiation from sunlight can burn the surface of the eyes directly or indirectly from reflections off the sand, water and pavement. Exposure to the sun is hazardous anytime of the day — even in overcast conditions — with UV radiation most severe from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
      UV exposure can lead to cataracts, macular degeneration, skin cancer around the eyes, and pterygium – an unsightly, noncancerous growth on the surface of the eye that can impair vision.
      Nearly 24.5 million Americans over the age of 40 have cataracts, according to estimates in the 2012 Fifth Edition of Vision Problems in the U.S. from Prevent Blindness America and the National Eye Institute. In Hawai`i alone, almost 115,000 people suffer from the disease.
      Wearing a proper pair of sunglasses is the best way to prevent future eye-related diseases. No matter the style or cost, choose ones with labels that indicate 100 percent protection from both UVA and UVB rays. Sunglasses labeled “UV 400” are also a good choice as they block all light rays with wavelengths up to 400 nanometers, which includes UVA and UVB rays. Wrap-around sunglasses that extend around the temples and a hat will help to further block indirect, reflected sunlight.
      “Wearing sunglasses is such an easy preventative measure that will help your vision now and in the future,” Dr. Tortora said. “I highly recommend that everyone from children to adults wear sunglasses year-round whenever they go outside.”
      To learn more about a variety of eye health issues, see HawaiianEye.com and Facebook.com/HawaiianEyeCenter.

Na`alehu Independence Day Parade
takes place tomorrrow.
TODAY IS THE LAST DAY TO SIGN UP to participate in tomorrow’s Na`alehu Fourth of July Parade and be eligible to win prizes. Two prizes will be awarded for the most creative entry and the most patriotic entry. Those who decide to join the parade after today will not be eligible for prizes, said organizer Debra McIntosh.
      Businesses, organizations and individuals who wish to participate in the parade or donate can call McIntosh at 929-9872.
      The parade starts at Na`alehu Elementary School at 11 a.m. tomorrow.
      Other activities at tomorrow’s celebration include:
  • free pancake breakfast, 8 a.m. – 10 a.m., Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints; 
  • activities after the parade, Na`alehu Park: 
    • water slide, bouncy apparatus and climbing wall; 
    • free hot dogs and shave ice; 
    • music and kani ka pila; 
  • free lunch and bingo for seniors, Na`alehu Community Center; 
  • free hot dogs, chili and a concert after the parade, Assembly of God Church 
  • Support Our Troops booth, where the public can sign a message of thanks, Na`alehu Farmers Market.

Installation of informative signs at the overlook on Hwy 11 in Ocean
View will be discussed at Ka`u Scenic Byway committee meeting,
open to the public. Photo from hawaiiscenicbyways.org
THE PUBLIC IS WELCOME TO ATTEND Monday’s meeting of the Ka`u Scenic Byway committee. Topics on the agenda include installation of informational signage at Ocean View overlook, the long-term corridor management plan and Na`alehu Theater. 
      The committee is looking for ideas on what to do about the theater, which continues to deteriorate. According to organizer Dennis Elwell, the committee has asked elected officials for help, and Sen. Russell Ruderman is trying to contact owners and lessees of the theater to see what can be done.
      For more information, contact Elwell at 929-7236 or delwell@hawaii.rr.com.

KA`U ROPING & RIDING CLUB IS PREPARING for its annual Fourth of July Rodeo, which will be held Saturday and Sunday, July 6 and 7. Tickets are $6 and are being sold by rodeo queens. The location is the rodeo arena and grounds in Na`alehu. Many traditional events popular at Hawaiian rodeos will be held, including Po Wai U. 

SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS AT PAHALAPLANTATIONCOTTAGES.COM AND KAUCOFFEEMILL.COM. KA`U COFFEE MILL IS OPEN SEVEN DAYS A WEEK.

ALSO SEE KAUCALENDAR.COM AND FACEBOOK.COM/KAUCALENDAR.

Ka`u News Briefs June 29, 2013

0
0
A virtual visit to Hawai`i's famous volcanoes will soon be available online thanks to Google's Street View. Above,
Chris Fiock, of Street View Operations, shows Rob Pacheco, of Hawai`i Forest & Trail, and Jaci Matsuo, of HVCB,
how to use the Trekker in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park. Photo from google-latlong.blogspot.com
A VIRTUAL VISIT TO HAWAI`I’S FAMOUS VOLCANOES will soon be available online, thanks to Google’s Street View. A local trail guide company will be borrowing the Internet company’s backpack cameras in order to capture panoramic images of Hawai`i Island hiking trails.
      The photos taken of Hawai`i Island will be loaded onto Google Maps as well as the Hawai`i Visitors and Convention Bureau website, gohawaii.com.
      Hawai`i Forest & Trail hikers will walk along more than 20 state and national park trails by September, loading the images online by the end of the year or early 2014.
      Hawai`i Visitors and Convention Bureau has already planned to expand the project to other Hawai`i islands.
      Google has an open petition for explorers worldwide aiming at expanding its Street View service of unexplored areas of the Earth.
      The company announced that third-party organizations can borrow its Street View Trekker backpack in an effort to contribute imagery to help Google “build the very best map of the world.”
      See more at google-latlong.blogspot.com.

HELE-ON BUS FARES GO UP MONDAY. General fare is $2 per ride. Students through college with current I.D., senior citizens 60 years and above with a valid I.D. and disabled persons with disability pass I.D. or pass issued by County Mass Transit Department pay $1 per ride. Children under age 5 ride for free. 
      Discounts are available to general riders by buying a sheet of 10 tickets for $15 or a monthly pass for $60. Qualifying students, seniors and disabled individuals pay $7.50 for 10 tickets or $45 for monthly passes.
      For more information, call 961-8744 or see heleon.org/bus-fare-information.

DUE DATE FOR COUNTY PROPERTY TAX exemption applications is Monday, July 1. Homeowners, totally disabled veterans, persons affected by Hansen’s Disease and persons who are blind, deaf and/or totally disabled are eligible.
      Applications must be submitted by the deadline for the homeowner exemption to be effective Jan. 1, 2014. All other program exemptions are effective immediately.
      Those already enrolled in the programs do need to re-apply. However, changes of address, personal status or other qualifying circumstances must be reported to the county’s Real Property Tax Office within 30 days after the change.
      For more information, call Real Property Tax Offices in Hilo at 961-8201 or Kona at 323-4880 or see www.hawaiipropertytax.com.

Spearfishing with SCUBA has been banned in West Hawai`i Fisheries
Management Area that extends from South Point to Upolu Point.
SCUBA SPEARFISHING HAS BEEN BANNED in the West Hawai`i Fisheries Management Area by Hawai`i Board of Land & Natural Resources. The area extends from South Point to Upolu Point in North Kohala. 
      The new rule states that no person shall “engage in or attempt to engage in SCUBA spearfishing, possess both SCUBA gear and a spear at the same time, or possess SCUBA gear and any specimen of speared aquatic life at the same time.”
      West Hawai`i is the only area in the state to ban the practice. Other areas where it is also banned include Australia and Palau.
      The rule, along with others in the package, now goes to the state attorney general for final review, then to the governor for signature. It then go to the lieutenant governor’s office for filing and will take effect 10 days after filing.
      DLNR Chairman William Aila, Jr. opposed the rule. “This has been a long process which has involved many community members,” he said. “We thank everyone who testified today and shared their opinions and positions. I was disappointed with the outcome because I believe we need more scientific data before taking a step that will affect fishers’ lives, increase fishing pressure in nearshore waters, and which may have unintended consequences.”
      The Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands banned SCUBA-spear fishing in 2002. Its Division of Fish & Wildlife researcher Michael Trianni said that that scuba spear fishing “has probably been the single most important cause of the decline of the Napoleon wrasse worldwide.” The Mariana fishery has come back, and it is a famous place for using SCUBA to see underwater marine life, without spearguns.

Federal law may pre-empt Hawai`i's law forbidding possession, sale, trade
and distribution of shark fins. Photo from hokulea.org
A FEDERAL LAW PROHIBITING CUTTING the fins of a shark at sea may conflict with a Hawai`i state law. Hawai`i banned the possession, sale, trade and distribution of shark fins three years ago, but federal allows finning of sharks as long it is done on land. 
      The federal law also prohibits people from possessing, transferring and landing shark fins, including the tail, that are not “naturally attached to the corresponding carcass.” In addition, it prohibits any person from landing a shark carcass without its corresponding fins being “naturally attached.”
      “We must preserve the strong position the Hawai`i State Legislature took in May 2010 when Hawai`i became the first state in the nation to make it illegal to possess, sell or distribute shark fins in the state,” said Gov. Neil Abercrombie. “This model legislation symbolizes Hawai`i’s concern for the welfare of all creatures.
      We oppose federal pre-emption of the Hawai`i law. Our law is working as intended. We have educated fishers and restaurants, and they are complying.”
      William Aila, Jr., chair of the state Department of Land and Natural Resources, also opposed federal pre-emption of the state law.

Joe Iacuzzo, here with a tyrannosaurus rex fossil, brings Jurassic Park to
Pahala Library Monday. Photo from Joe Iacuzzo
JURASSIC PARK COMES TO PAHALA Public & School Library Monday when Joe Iacuzzo presents a program about the dinosaur mummy, a fossil with intact body and preserved skin. 
      Secrets of the Dinosaur Mummy screens at noon. In the documentary film co-produced by Iacuzzo, scientists Dr. Bob Bakker, Dave Trexler and Art Andersen uncover secrets of the most complete dinosaur fossil ever discovered. The team travels from Montana to NASA, while the story journeys to the earliest days of dinosaur hunting and 75 million years into the past with computer-generated dinosaurs.
      After the film, Iacuzzo discusses his latest book, The Last Day of the Dinosaur Mummy, at 1 p.m.
      Iacuzzo also presents the program at Na`alehu Public Library on Wednesday, June 10.
      More information is available at dinosaurmummy.org.

KA`U SCENIC BYWAY COMMITTEE meets Monday at 5 p.m. at Na`alehu Methodist Church. The public is invited to hear about topics on the agenda including installation of informational signage at Ocean View overlook, the long-term corridor management plan and Na`alehu Theater.
      The committee is looking for ideas on what to do about the theater, which continues to deteriorate. According to organizer Dennis Elwell, the committee has asked elected officials for help, and Sen. Russell Ruderman is trying to contact owners and lessees of the theater to see what can be done.
      For more information, contact Elwell at 929-7236 or delwell@hawaii.rr.com.
Rodeo comes to Na`alehu July 6 and 7 with wahine, kane and keiki roping and riding events. Photo by Richard Taylor

KA`U ROPING & RIDING ASSOCIATION holds its annual Fourth of July Rodeo next Saturday and Sunday, July 6 and 7. Tickets are $6 and are being sold by rodeo queens. The location is the rodeo arena and grounds in Na`alehu. Many traditional events popular at Hawaiian rodeos will be held, including Po Wai U.

SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS AT PAHALAPLANTATIONCOTTAGES.COM AND KAUCOFFEEMILL.COM. KA`U COFFEE MILL IS OPEN SEVEN DAYS A WEEK.

ALSO SEE KAUCALENDAR.COM AND FACEBOOK.COM/KAUCALENDAR.

Ka`u News Briefs June 30, 2013

0
0
Hawaiian Civic Club members celebrate Independence Day and hand out lei as they walk through Na`alehu village. Photo by Julia Neal
Mayor Billy Kenoi and daughter at yesterday's
parade in Na`alehu. Photo by Julia Neal
INDEPENDENCE DAY CELEBRATIONS started early in Ka`u yesterday with the annual Fourth of July Parade. Mayor Billy Kenoi, Rep. Richard Onishi and County Council member Brenda Ford joined in, along with the Hawai`i County Band.
     Miss Ka`u Coffee Tiare Lee Shibuya, along with representatives of community organizations, businesses, agencies and churches, traveled under the shade of the monkeypod trees through the village along Hwy 11. Led by the flags and honor guards from Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park, participants included the Hawaiian Civic Club, Summer Fun, county fire departments, emergency medical services, HMSA, a line of classic cars, and horses and riders bedecked with lei. Also represented were local businesses, from South Side Shaka’s to Ka`u Auto Repair, Pacific Quest and Punalu`u Bake Shop.   
     The parade was organized by the Lee, Crystal, Debra and Harry McIntosh family, who rescued the parade several years ago when volunteering for the event waned. 
      A press release sent out the day before the event by  `O Ka`u Kakou announced that the organization was hosting the event. The `O Ka`u Kakou statement also described Ka`u:  “This region, with its tribal origins and sugar plantation history, has a rich background in commercial fishing and cattle
State Rep. Richard Onishi walks in Na`alehu Parade.
Photo by Julia Neal
ranching, then in the early 1970s started the production of Ka`u Coffee. Its newest achievements of recent are in solar and wind power residential integrations, as well as vegetable and fish hydroponic systems. As communities change, `O Ka`u Kakou still holds strong to the values of old and strives to work with all people of Ka`u through partnerships with individuals, families and businesses.”    
     After the parade, `O Ka`u Kakou president Wayne Kawachi and his crew handed out shave ice and hotdogs. The organization sponsored bingo for seniors and a bouncy house and other games for keiki.
    The `O Ka`u Kakou statement listed sponsors as “County Hawai`i, Hawai`i Federal Credit Union, Punalu`u Bakery, Island Market, Wiki Wiki Mart/76 Gas Station, Ocean View Kohala Gas, Ocean View Coffee Grind, Ocean View Auto Parts, Lee McIntosh, Crystal McIntosh, the Ka`u Multi-Cultural Society, `O Ka`u Kakou, Inc., Keoki Kahumoku and many more.” See more photos of parade participants and their community stories in this week's Ka`u News Briefs.
County Council member Brenda Ford comes to Ka`u.
Photo by Julia Neal
A FOURTH AXIS DEER HAS BEEN KILLED IN KA`U. After three deer were illegally introduced to a Ka`u ranch in 2009, Big Island Invasive Species Committee has been hiring hunters to eradicate them. A fourth deer indicates that the deer are creating offspring. According to a story in Hawai`i Tribune-Herald, BIISC believes the most recently killed deer was too young to have been flown over four years ago. 
      “Right now we’re not trying to give out a firm number on how many deer are on the island,” Springer Kaye, BIISC manager, told report Tom Callis. “We expect there are more deer.”
      Helicopter flights to search for deer are being provided free by Thomas Hauptman, who illegally flew the deer from Maui to Ka`u, as part of a court order. See more at hawaiitribune-herald.com.

TWO ALALA, ALSO KNOWN AS HAWAIIAN CROWS, at Keauhou Bird Conservation Center represent the first chicks of this critically endangered species to be successfully raised by a parent in more than 25 years. Hatched April 30 and May 1 on the Big Island, the chicks have passed an important survival marker – fledging. Newly feathered and beginning to fly, the birds represent a species that is extinct in the wild and is being managed through a collaborative effort as the Hawai`i Endangered Bird Conservation Program.
Alala, or Hawaiian crow. Photo from David Ledig/FWS
      For just over six weeks, the chicks were cared for by their mother, enabling them to rapidly develop from small, naked and blind nestlings into fully feathered youngsters, almost the size of an adult.
      On June 13, both chicks took the bold step of jumping out of their nest.
      “It has been nerve-racking watching these chicks on camera. We had no idea whether Po Mahina would be a good mother. Fortunately her maternal instincts kicked in straight away, and we are absolutely delighted that the chicks have successfully fledged,” said Rosanna Leighton, research coordinator at KBCC. “We also have another female raising a chick a few weeks younger, still in the nest.”
      The last alala were recorded in their Hawaiian forest natural habitat in 2002, where they were threatened by habitat destruction, introduced predators and avian disease.
      HEBCP has been working with the species in captivity since 1993, bringing the population from a low of only 20 individuals to more than 110.
      Until this year, artificial incubation and hand-rearing were used as a strategy to maximize breeding success. “In the early days of the program, we needed to artificially incubate and hand-rear each chick to try to ensure that every one survived,” said Richard Switzer, associate director of applied animal ecology at San Diego Zoo Institute for Conservation Research. “With the population over 100 individuals, we are able to take the risk of letting these birds do everything on their own.”
Ten day old Alala chicks of Po Mahina, who became a good mother.
      In addition to the successful rearing of the two youngsters, researchers are celebrating the fact that they have been able to learn more about this rare bird’s natural parenting behavior.
      “By recording the behavior on camera, we have learned a great deal about a process that has never been documented before,” said Lisa Komarczyk, senior research associate at KBCC. “The valuable data collected will help us to monitor and manage wild nests, perhaps even rescuing compromised chicks, which will play a vital role in the recovery of the wild population.”
      HEBCP is a field program of San Diego Zoo Institute for Conservation Research, in partnership with the state Division of Forestry and Wildlife and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
      Planning and preparation efforts are currently underway to restore alala back into its vital niche within the forest ecosystem on the Big Island. It is hoped that the first re-introduction activities will begin in fall 2014.
      San Diego Zoo Global Wildlife Conservancy is dedicated to bringing endangered species back from the brink of extinction. The Conservancy makes possible the wildlife conservation efforts, representing both plants and animals, of the San Diego Zoo, San Diego Zoo Safari Park, San Diego Zoo Institute for Conservation Research and international field programs in more than 35 countries.
      Find out more at 
www.fws.gov
 or www.sandiegozoo.org.

TOMORROW IS THE REGISTRATION DEADLINE for the Mahi`ai Match-up, a statewide agricultural business plan contest for farmers and entrepreneurs looking to establish an agricultural business in Hawai‘i. Ninety acres of land at Punalu`u make up one of several parcels in the contest.
      Winners receive an agricultural lease from Kamehameha Schools with rent waived for up to five years and a cash prize from Ke Ali`i Pauahi Foundation to help make their winning agricultural business plan a reality.
      After year five, contingent on the winners successfully implementing their plans per milestones to be mutually agreed upon by the lessee and KS, the land will be leased for a longer term at normal KS agricultural lease rates. See more at pauahi.org/mahiaimatchup.

The dinosaur mummy is the subject of a program
tomorrow at PahalaPublic & School Library.
Photo by Joe Iacuzzo
JOE IACUZZO PRESENTS A PROGRAM about the dinosaur mummy, a fossil with intact body and preserved skin, at Pahala Public & School Library tomorrow. Secrets of the Dinosaur Mummy screens at noon. In the documentary film co-produced by Iacuzzo, scientists Dr. Bob Bakker, Dave Trexler and Art Andersen uncover secrets of the most complete dinosaur fossil ever discovered. The team travels from Montana to NASA, while the story journeys to the earliest days of dinosaur hunting and 75 million years into the past with computer-generated dinosaurs.
      After the film, Iacuzzo discusses his latest book, The Last Day of the Dinosaur Mummy, at 1 p.m.
      Iacuzzo also presents the program at Na`alehu Public Library on Wednesday, June 10.  More information is available at dinosaurmummy.org.

KA`U SCENIC BYWAY COMMITTEE encourages public participation at its meeting tomorrow at 5 p.m. at Na`alehu Methodist Church. Topics on the agenda including installation of informational signage at Ocean View overlook, the long-term corridor management plan and Na`alehu Theater.
      For more information, contact Elwell at 929-7236 or delwell@hawaii.rr.com.

SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS AT PAHALAPLANTATIONCOTTAGES.COM AND KAUCOFFEEMILL.COM. KA`U COFFEE MILL IS OPEN SEVEN DAYS A WEEK.

ALSO SEE KAUCALENDAR.COM AND FACEBOOK.COM/KAUCALENDAR.

Ka`u News Briefs July 1, 2013

0
0
John Masters of Ka`u Auto Repair won Most Patriotic in the parade competition for Independence Day last weekend.
Photo by Julia Neal
KA`U AUTO REPAIR won the Most Patriotic category at Na`alehu Fourth of July Parade on Saturday. They won a $20 gift certificate to Punalu`u Bake Shop, a $25 gift certificate from Kahala Gas Ocean View, a bag of coffee from Ka`u Coffee Mill, a bag of Paradise Meadows Macadamia Nuts, a bag of Miranda Coffee from Lee McIntosh and two Bug Gard sprays from Crystal McIntosh of Avon. See more results in tomorrow’s Ka`u News Briefs.

Girl Scouts rode in the Kama`aina Choo-Coo during Na`alehu's
Independence Day Parade. Photo by Julia Neal
TEAMS FOR SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT are being implemented by Hawai`i Department of Education as a new approach to raise performance levels of students. Instead of spending money on management consultants, the DOE is moving toward using teams of specialists with specific knowledge of local schools. 
      During the upcoming school year, the program will begin its pre-implementation phase, DOE deputy superintendent Ronn Nozoe told Alia Wong, of Civil Beat. During this phase, consultants will still be used, as they have been since 2005.
      The change is part of DOE’s application for partial exemption from No Child Left Behind law.
      To comply with NCLB and receive federal funding, DOE has been contracting with consultants “with a demonstrated record of effectiveness to operate the school,” but Hawai`i student performance has continued to trail behind the national average, the Civil Beat story says. “The key to our success is internal capacity,” Nozoe told Wong.
      See more at civilbeat.com.

Robert Williams shared his patriotism during the
parade in Na`alehu. Photo by Peter Anderson
SEVERAL NEW LAWS GO INTO EFFECT TODAY. A car safety law prohibits use of hand-held cell phones and other electronic devices while driving. Hands-free devices can still be used, except by drivers under 18 years of age. 
      With updates to Hula Mae Single Family Mortgage Loan Program, more homebuyers can now qualify for below-market interest rates. They also add down payment, closing cost and other assistance as program features and make various housekeeping and conforming amendments.
      Another law raises film tax credits from 20 percent to 25 percent on Hawai`i Island and other Neighbor Islands. It also extends the credits to 2019 in order to broaden the state’s economy from tourism and the military.

BUS FARES IN HAWAI`I COUNTY increase today. General fare is $2 per ride. Students through college with current I.D., senior citizens 60 years and above with a valid I.D. and disabled persons with disability pass I.D. or pass issued by County Mass Transit Department pay $1 per ride. Children under age 5 ride for free.
      Discounts are available to general riders by buying a sheet of 10 tickets for $15 or a monthly pass for $60. Qualifying students, seniors and disabled individuals pay $7.50 for 10 tickets or $45 for monthly passes.
      For more information, call 961-8744 or see heleon.org/bus-fare-information.

A SPECIAL MEETING ABOUT PROHIBITING GMOs is scheduled by Hawai`i County Public Safety and Mass Transit Committee tomorrow at 9 a.m. at West Hawai`i Civic Center in Kona. The committee considers a bill prohibiting the propagation, cultivation, raising, growing, sale or distribution of transgenic organisms.
      The bill grants exemptions to GMO crops already growing in Hawai`i County, including papaya and corn, while setting up a system of registration, signage, and buffer zones for all GMO crops given the exemption.
      The bill also specifies penalties for those who knowingly violate the article. Fines would be $1,000 for each location in violation and $500 per day for those who do not timely obey any order of violation, such as confiscation or removal. Administrative and abatement costs would also be the responsibility of the violator.
      The entire text of the bill is available at hawaiicounty.gov.
      Ka`u residents can participate and offer testimony at Ocean View Community Center’s videoconferencing facility.

Southside Volleyball teams are competing in Reno, Nevada. Photo by Katherine Okamura
SOUTHSIDE VOLLEYBALL 14-year-old boys won 14 straight games and today earned the gold medal in the 2013 Boys Junior National Championship in Reno, Nevada. Southside defeated Pennsylvania in the championship match. Southside beat teams from places like Chicago, Pittsburgh, and Outrigger from Honolulu with names like the Panthers, AZ Fear and Team Rockstar. 
      The tournament runs through July 3. Southside is a Ka`u-based volleyball training and competition group. Members of the team of 14-year-olds are Addie Enriques, Avery Enriques, Nai`ia Makuakane and Kameron Moses. Members of the 16s team are Brian Gascon, Emmett Enriques and Kai Enriques. Head coach is Guy Enriques. The 16-year-olds were also undefeated as of this morning and are still aiming for the championship.

Ken Charon offers drawing classes this month. Photo by Marsha Hee
ARTIST KEN CHARON TEACHES how to gain inspiration from the natural environment of Kilauea in a series of free instructional outings this month. The offerings are scheduled on Wednesdays, July 3, 10, 17 and 24. The 1.5-hour classes meet on the porch of Volcano Art Center Gallery in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park. They are open to park visitors and island residents over eight years of age. 
      Charon covers basic drawing techniques and other helpful tips before leading participants to a scenic location around the caldera to witness the creative forces of Kilauea and develop the ability to capture its unique natural beauty. Charon invites those who have attended this popular offering in the past to return for a new and enriching experience. He likes to switch locations to keep things exciting and inspiring.
      Charon is one of the founding members East Hawai`i’s artist cooperative, Stairway to ART, above Reuben’s Mexican Restaurant in downtown Hilo. The venue displays work of their cooperating members promoting freedom of artistic expression as well as private art lessons and mentoring for art students of all ages.
      Sign-up is on a first-come, first-served basis the day of the class; arrival prior to the 10:30 a.m. start time is suggested. Participants bring a sketchpad, pencils, eraser, sharpener and a folding chair or mat for sitting, if necessary, and dress for both warm sun and chilly rain, as the weather is unpredictable. This offering is free; park entrance fees apply.
      For more information, call 967-8222 or see volcanoartcenter.org.

A silent auction hosted by Friends of Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park
Thursday benefits three organizations. Photo from FHVNP
VOLCANO VILLAGE’S FOURTH OF JULY PARADE starts at 9 a.m. Thursday at the post office and continues down Old Volcano Road, where it turns left on Wright Road and heads to Cooper Center. To join the parade, contact Jim Mitchell at 253-441-0863 or Sher Glass at 967-8553. 
      Festivities continue at Cooper Center with craft and food booths, entertainment, a silent auction and games for children.
      For craft or food booths, contact Barbara Toles at 769-3903 or Donna Stickel at 985-7140.
      To sign up to perform during the festivities, call Kathy Baybayan at 982-7387.
      Volunteers who would like to help with the keiki games can contact Mary Brewer at 985-9595.

A SILENT AUCTION TAKES PLACE THURSDAY, July 4 from 9 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. after Volcano Village’s Fourth of July parade. Held at Cooper Center on Wright Road, the auction benefits Friends of Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park, Volcano Community Association and Cooper Center.
      This year, the auction has over 200 items up for bid including fine art, vacation packages, jewelry, helicopter tours and much more.

SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS AT PAHALAPLANTATIONCOTTAGES.COM AND KAUCOFFEEMILL.COM. KA`U COFFEE MILL IS OPEN SEVEN DAYS A WEEK.

ALSO SEE KAUCALENDAR.COM AND FACEBOOK.COM/KAUCALENDAR.

Ka`u News Briefs July 2, 2013

0
0
Ka`u residents gathered signatures on a message of thanks for our troops during Na`alehu's Independence Day
celebration. From left are Robert Williams, Peter Anderson, Roy Kochis, Art Cecil, Donna Cecil, Judith Ball,
Audrey Anderson and Richard Ball. Photo courtesy of Peter Anderson
RESCUED SWIMMER JACOB SELMAN has issued a mahalo to the people who recently saved his life at South Point. The Montana man wrote on The Ka`u Calendar facebook page, “Thank you so very much to all the people that helped to save my life. Especially, thank you, Jackie (Kailiawa). I don’t think I would have made it much longer. I’m doing much better now, and I’m forever indebted to Jackie and all the local folks who cared and risked their own safety to save my life. I’m sorry for all the trouble.”
Jacob Selman, sitting on the rocks, has sent a message
thanking those who helped rescue him, including
Jackie Kailiawa, with boogie board.
 Photo by U`i Makuakane
      Selman was swept out to sea at South Point, and waterman  Kailiawa, who grew up in Pahala and now lives in Volcano, dove in and rescued him in dangerous conditions. 
      Messages from Ka`u and beyond call Kailiawa a hero. Kau`i Makuakane-Gouveia wrote, “What an amazing individual!” Thomas Pasquale wrote, “A true Hero!” Chris Kawaauhau wrote, “Awesome job Jackie.” Ronnie Akaka said, “No kidding, Good job.” Valerie and Roger Leong posted “Awesome cousin!” Jade Ah Ho wrote, “God sent these wonderful Samaritans!” Tom Young, of VolcanoPC, offered Kailiawa a free computer tune-up and said, “Thanks for being there in a time of need.” See more on the June 25 Ka`u Calendar facebook page and kaunewsbriefs.blogspot.com postings.
      There are many heroes in Ka`u. Please send the stories of local heroes to mahalo@aloha.net to be published in The Ka`u Calendar newspaper and in the daily Ka`u News Briefs.

Ka`u Coffee Stands Tall is the headline of
Hawai`i Business magazine's SmallBiz
section this month.
KA`U COFFEE EARNED THE FRONT PAGE of the SmallBiz section of Hawai`i Business magazine for July. One headline is Ka`u Coffee Stands Tall and sports a full-page photo of Chris Manfredi riding a horse in Ka`u, the caption describing him as managing partner at Ka`u Farm & Ranch Co. and president of Ka`u Local Products and noting that he “brokered a 2011 deal that placed Ka`u coffee in 250 Starbucks outlets in the U.S., Canada and Japan that sell the ultra-pemium Starbucks Reserve coffees.” 
      The other headline calls Ka`u the Cinderella of Hawai`i Coffee and notes that Ka`u coffee’s success took almost two decades of hard work. The article focuses mainly on Lorie and Rusty Obra, describing them as “unlikely coffee farmers. They had emigrated from the Philippines to New Jersey in 1972 to begin their careers, Rusty as a chemist and Lorie as a medical technologist.” The article tells of their success and Lorie continuing the building of the Ka`u coffee brand after Rusty’s death.
      Writer John Stickler details the history of C. Brewer shutting down its sugar company and investors coming in, with businessman and philanthropist Edmund C. Olson and a separate group, to which Manfredi belonged, buying thousands of acres of land here. The story talks about Olson building Ka`u Coffee Mill. The story also mentions award-winning Ka`u coffee farmers Willie Tabios, Marlon Biason, Manuel Marques, Bull and Jamie Kailiawa and Trini and Francis Marques as well as Lee Segawa, roaster at Ka`u Coffee Mill. See more business stories at hawaiibusiness.com.

“SUBJECT TO THE PUBLIC UTILITIES COMMISSION’S approval of the `Aina Koa Pono biofuel contract, generating units at Keahole Power Plant will be converted to firing biodiesel,” states Hawaiian Electric Companies’ 2013 Integrated Resource Planning Report and Action Plan, released Friday. “Biofuels are an integral part of HELCO’s renewable energy strategy to actively seek and incorporate a diverse portfolio of new renewable resources” to meet or exceed Renewable Portfolio Standards.
      The report says, “Biofuels, produced from local energy crops, have the following benefits: creates new jobs in Hawai`i, retains the billions of dollars that are spent on imported oil in the state, increases Hawai`i’s energy security, invigorates Hawai`i’s agriculture industry, supports the state’s goal of diversifying Hawai`i’s economy by encouraging the development of local agriculture, reduces greenhouse gas emissions, and provides a local fuel alternative for marine, land, and aviation transportation.
      “Another important consideration is that biofuels can be used to generate renewable energy for existing conventional generating units which provide essential grid services, including load following, frequency response, voltage control, and on-line operating and spinning reserves.”
     HELCO expects the Keahole Power Plant to begin burning biofuels in 2018 in several select runs, according to the report.
      The entire report is available at hawaiianelectric.com.

GOV. NEIL ABERCROMBIE HAS ENACTED LEGISLATION that strengthens laws protecting the rights of women and children throughout Hawai`i.


      “I commend the Hawai`i Women’s Legislative Caucus, Commission on the Status of Women, and women’s advocates for their dedicated efforts in support of these measures, which address a wide variety of issues ranging from protections for domestic workers, to human trafficking, to recognition of the societal and health benefits of breastfeeding,” Abercrombie said. “Many of these bills, now enacted as law, are the result of members of the community getting involved in the legislative process to protect the rights and safety of women and children.”

 The governor also signed bills that extend the voluntary foster care age to 21 as well as keep keiki safe from a parent who has been convicted of a sexual assault.

 “SB529 not only shields the child from a convicted sex offender, it also protects the survivor from being further victimized,” Abercrombie said. “Through SB1340, which extends the voluntary foster care age to 21, we are sending a message to former foster youth that we will continue to support their transition to adulthood, independence and self-sufficiency. Doing so lays the foundation for long-term positive outcomes for youth when they leave foster care. It will also result in substantial cost savings in future government services.”

Donna and Art Cecil sign the message of thanks that
is to be delivered to troops at PTA.
Photo by Peter Anderson
NINETY-FIVE PEOPLE SHOWED THEIR support of U.S. military troops by signing a message of thanks during Na`alehu’s Independence Day celebration. Organizer Peter Anderson said he and other Ka`u residents gathered the signatures at a booth and by circulating the message through the crowd. The message read, “ We appreciate your service and the support your family has given to make your service possible. As a sign of gratitude, we have placed our signatures in this binder.” 
      The message will be delivered to troops at Pohakuloa Training Center, Anderson said.
      See more coverage of Na`alehu’s Independence Day celebration in this week’s Ka`u News Briefs.

KEN CHARON TEACHES HOW TO GAIN inspiration from the natural environment of Kilauea tomorrow and each Wednesday during July at 10:30 a.m. Participants meet on the porch of Volcano Art Center Gallery in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park. The 1.5-hour classes are open to park visitors and island residents over eight years of age. Sign-up is on a first-come, first-served basis the day of the class. They are free, and park entrance fees apply.
      For more information, call 967-8222 or see volcanoartcenter.org.

VOLCANO VILLAGE’S FOURTH OF JULY celebration takes place Thursday, with the parade starting at 9 a.m. The parade begins at the post office and goes to Cooper Center on Wright Road, where festivities continue with craft and food booths, entertainment, a silent auction and games for children.

Paul and Jane Field removing invasive Kahili ginger.
NPS Photo from Jessica Ferracane
KILAUEA MILITARY CAMP’S CRATER RIM CAFÉ in Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park offers a Fourth of July buffet Thursday from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. Menu includes local-style fried chicken, barbecue pork ribs, buttered corn on the cob, salad bar, rice, homemade biscuits and honey, ice cream and coffee, tea or a fountain drink. Price is $16.50 for adults $16.50 and $8.50 for children 6 – 11. KMC is open to authorized patrons and sponsored guests, and park entrance fees apply. 967-8356 

STEWARDSHIP AT THE SUMMIT takes place Friday from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. Volunteers meet at Kilauea Visitor Center in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park to cut invasive Kahili ginger along park trails. Call 985-6172 for more information.

ROCK ‘N’ ROLL DANCE PARTY is set for Friday at 7 p.m. at Volcano Art Center’s Ni`aulani Campus in Volcano Village. Liz Miller, Cookie, Michael Miller, Peggy Stanton and Maj Balej offer a night of fun. Tickets are $10 or $9 for VAC members. For more information, see volcanoartcenter.org or call 967-8222.

SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS AT PAHALAPLANTATIONCOTTAGES.COM AND KAUCOFFEEMILL.COM. KA`U COFFEE MILL IS OPEN SEVEN DAYS A WEEK.

ALSO SEE KAUCALENDAR.COM AND FACEBOOK.COM/KAUCALENDAR.

Ka`u News Briefs July 3, 2013

0
0
Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park rangers rappelled nearly 200 feet into this remote pit crater to "rescue" seeds and
cutting from four extremely rare plants. NPS Photo by Mark Wasser
IT’S NOT ALWAYS LOST OR INJURED HIKERS who get rescued by park rangers. 
      Rangers from Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park rappelled nearly 200 feet into a remote pit crater last week to “rescue” seeds and cuttings from four extremely rare Hawaiian plants in the national park. The park will use the seeds and cuttings to help re-establish these species.
      During the mission, seeds and cuttings from haha, Cyanea stictophylla, a federally endangered shrub found only on Hawai`i Island, were carefully collected. This plant is extremely rare, and in 1996, only 20 plants were estimated to survive in the wild.
Ranger Jon Maka`ike collects seeds from haha.
Photo from NPS
      Seeds and cuttings from other rare species collected included a species related to haha, Cyanea pilosa, an odorless Hawaiian mint, Phyllostegia sp., and a native shrub in the African violet family, ha`iwale, Cyrtandra lysiosepala.
      Although 4,000-foot elevation and steep, sheer walls of the forested pit crater aid in protecting its ecology, those conditions make it challenging to retrieve cuttings and seeds. Two specialized teams from the national park, the Natural Resources Management rappel team and the Search and Rescue team, descended into the crater, retrieved the seeds and cuttings, and returned safely to the surface – a 12-hour mission.
      Joining rangers were members of Hawai`i County Fire Department and Pohakuloa Training Area’s fire management team. This enabled the project ample contingency resources in the event of an incident, and fostered interagency cooperation that will be seeds in themselves for future mutual assistance.

AS A RESULT OF CONTINUED MODERATION of bunker fuel prices, Matson has announced it is lowering its fuel surcharge for its Hawai`i service by two percentage points, from 36.5 percent to 34.5 percent, effective this Sunday.
      “This marks the third consecutive decrease in 2013 of our Hawai`i fuel surcharge,” said Dave Hoppes, senior vice president of ocean services. “For most customers, this downward adjustment represents a reduction in shipping costs ranging from $45 to $80 per container. We continue to be encouraged by the recent moderation in bunker fuel prices, and remain focused on diligently exploring ways in which we can maximize fuel efficiency for our fleet. Matson has made a practice of giving 30 days notice for upward rate adjustments, but passes on downward adjustments to our customers as soon as possible. We will continue to monitor fuel costs and adjust the surcharge accordingly.”
      Matson’s last adjustment to its fuel surcharge was a decrease of 3.5 percentage points effective April 28.  See more at 
matson.com.

GOV. NEIL ABERCROMBIE HAS SIGNED one bill relating to tax deductions resulting from donations to charitable organizations and two bills related to law enforcement.
      HB430 exempts charitable deductions from the itemized state income tax deduction caps.
      “With the state economy and revenue picture greatly improved since I took office, we now have an opportunity to further support nonprofit and charitable organizations in their efforts for the greater good,” Abercrombie said. “The measure is a result of a partnership between charitable organizations, the Legislature and the Administration.”
      SB69 closes a loophole regarding fingerprint, photograph and background checks for those bringing firearms into Hawai`i, providing consistency with firearms obtained locally.
      SB2 amends the offenses of terroristic threatening in the first degree and robbery in the first degree to include the use of simulated firearms.  “These bills assist law enforcement in their duty to serve the public and keep people safe,” Abercrombie said.

Sen. Mazie Hirono is profiled at www.makers.com.
IN A VIDEO ON A WEBSITE CALLED MAKERS.COM, Hawai`i’s U.S. Sen. Mazie Hirono shares her story “of immigrating to America with her single mother from Japan, learning English and discovering her knack for politics, first as a campaign manager and eventually as the first Asian-American woman elected to the Senate.”
      The website also gives a biography of Hirono:
      “Hirono was born in the Fukushima Prefecture of Japan and spent her early years on her grandparents’ rice farm. She immigrated to Hawai`i with her mother at the age of eight, without knowing a word of English. 
      “Hirono eventually put herself through the University of Hawai`i at Manoa, earning a B.A. in psychology, then law school at Georgetown University. 
      “Hirono is the first Asian-American woman, the first Buddhist and the first woman from Hawai`i to be elected to the United States Senate. 
      “After ten years of running other people’s campaigns, Hirono decided it was time to run for office herself. She served in the Hawai`i House of Representatives from 1981 to 1995 and as lieutenant governor of Hawai`i from 1994 to 2002. In 2006, Hirono won the U.S. House of Representative seat for Hawai`I’s 2nd congressional district, which she re-won for three terms. 
      “In May 2011, Hirono announced her candidacy for open Hawai`i U.S. Senate seat. With 63 percent of the vote, Hirono became the first Asian-born immigrant elected to the Senate.”  
      Others featured on the website include Nobel Prize-winning biologist Elizabeth Blackburn, Author and activist Rita Mae Brown, Star Trek actress and NASA recruiter Nichelle Nichols and vice-presidential nominee Geraldine Ferraro.

Miss Ka`u Coffee Tiare-Lee Shibuya rode in Na`alehu's parade last Saturday and will also ride in Volcano Village's Fourth of July
Parade tomorrow. Photo by Julia Neal
MISS KA`U COFFEE TIARE-LEE SHIBUYA will represent the Ka`u coffee industry tomorrow at the Fourth of July parade in Volcano. She will be riding in the Corvette convertible donated by Aikane Plantation Coffee. The driver will be police officer Duane Shibuya, the father of Miss Ka`u Coffee. The coffee queen rode in the Na`alehu Independence Day parade last weekend and has been visiting churches and community groups as Miss Ka`u Coffee. She plans to be at the starting line of the Volcano Rain Forest Runs on Aug 17. Other venues include Kamehameha School and the Heart Walk. Last weekend Dexter Lee, of Pahala, drove her in his classic 50s Corvette convertible. The Volcano Fourth of July Parade starts at 9 a.m. and is followed by festivities at Cooper Center on Wright Road. 

KILAUEA MILITARY CAMP’S CRATER RIM CAFÉ in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park offers a Fourth of July buffet tomorrow from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. Menu includes local-style fried chicken, barbecue pork ribs, buttered corn on the cob, salad bar, rice, homemade biscuits and honey, ice cream and coffee, tea or a fountain drink. Price is $16.50 for adults $16.50 and $8.50 for children 6 – 11. KMC is open to authorized patrons and sponsored guests, and park entrance fees apply. 967-8356

VOLUNTEERS ARE WELCOME TO JOIN Stewardship at the Summit Friday from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. Participants meet at Kilauea Visitor Center in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park to cut invasive Kahili ginger along park trails. Call 985-6172 for more information.

Fourth of July Rodeo happens this weekend in Na`alehu.
ROCK ‘N’ ROLL DANCE PARTY takes place for Friday at 7 p.m. at Volcano Art Center’s Ni`aulani Campus in Volcano Village. Liz Miller, Cookie, Michael Miller, Peggy Stanton and Maj Balej offer a night of fun. Tickets are $10 or $9 for VAC members. For more information, see volcanoartcenter.org or call 967-8222. 

KA`U ROPING & RIDING ASSOCIATION’S Fourth of July Rodeo will be held at Na`alehu Arena this Saturday and Sunday. Events include Open Dally, Kane-Wahine Dally, Team 90s, Double Mugging, Ribbon Mugging, Wahine Mugging, Rescue Race, where riders race to the other end of the arena and pick up a partner who rides behind them, Po Y U, Tie Down Roping, Wahine Barrels, Youth Barrels, Senior Dummy Roping, Dummy Roping for the Keiki, Goat Undecorating, Mutton Busting and Junior Bulls.
      There will be a food booth, and tickets are $6. Rodeo Queens are selling tickets. Slack roping begins at 8 a.m. Sunday finals are at 11 a.m.

SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS AT PAHALAPLANTATIONCOTTAGES.COM AND KAUCOFFEEMILL.COM. KA`U COFFEE MILL IS OPEN SEVEN DAYS A WEEK.

ALSO SEE KAUCALENDAR.COM AND FACEBOOK.COM/KAUCALENDAR.

Ka`u News Briefs July 4, 2013

0
0
KAHU-FM Radio station volunteers marched in a Fourth of July Parade in Volcano in 2011. Photo by Julia Neal

KA`U COMMUNITY RADIO is likely to experience a rebirth as one of the Hawai`i Public Radio stations, broadcasting from Honolulu around the state. According to Michael Titterton, president and general manager, HPR “is prepared to become the licensee of KAHU-FM (Pahala). HPR will pay the current licensee, Ka`u Community Radio (KCR) $20,000 on closing.” He said that HPR’s Washington, D.C. attorney has drawn up the appropriate papers and that KAHU manager Christine Kaehuaea has initiated the transfer with the FCC. 
      In a letter to Kaehuaea, Titterton wrote that, “although HPR plans to completely re-equip the broadcast equipment of KAHU, it is HPR’s intention to provide broadcast service as soon as possible to the community of license, once the license transfer is complete, using the equipment as currently installed, in order to provide both programming and Civil Defense access to this completely terrain-shielded (and otherwise radio-less) area.
      “The program service provided will be that of HPR-2, currently heard over KIPO (Honolulu), KIPM (Wailuku), KIPH (Hana), and KHPH (Kailua-Kona).”
Volunteers and contractors using Civil Defense money moved equipment
in October 2011 to a communications tower to provide a broader reach
for KAHU-FM Radio. Photo by Julia Neal
      When asked whether local programming would be possible, Titterton said that the long-range plan is for local origin programs to be broadcast from various communities around the state, but establishing them could take five to ten years.
      KAHU offered local talent and community members the opportunity to broadcast music, interviews and news to Pahala and beyond. Over its several years of operations, the radio station took in grants, donations and underwriting, with at least one local resident donating more than $40,000.
       Most of its staff volunteered, including Bobby and Phoebe Gomes, The Ka`u Calendar newspaper staff, Demetrius Oliveira, Harry Evangelista, Bobby Tucker, Kahea Dolan, Nadine Ebert and Mike Munnerlyn, who donated his construction and repair skills as well as broadcasting sporting events from Ka`u High School. Camille Marie Rupe, Leonida Hill, Joannie Shellhorn, JWayne Ryker, Manny Pascua, Papa Joe Demoruelle, Shammah Haynes, Kala Kaluna, Shanell Leilani Dedman, Adam Zaki, Dean Nagasako, Mika Mulkey, Alan Sebastian and Denise “The Deeva” were among the other broadcasters. Other volunteers helped put up the radio tower on Maile Street in Pahala, build out the studio and make upgrades and repairs.
      Much of the equipment purchased with local donations, grants, loans and Civil Defense funding has been sold, and KAHU went dark months ago, leaving Pahala and surrounding areas – as far as the radio signal reached – without Civil Defense and local origination programming. The state Civil Defense office provided more than $70,000 to help the station reach more of Ka`u, but equipment was taken off the communications tower near the cane road between Pahala and Na`alehu when radio station management was unable to pay the monthly bill. Hawaiian Electric Co. followed up by turning off the electricity.
      Kaehuaea made numerous appeals for more funding but said she faced more than $80,000 in debt. Many are local small businesses waiting to be paid through the $20,000 of income from selling the Ka`u Community Radio license.

Maile David and Brenda Ford both received public funding to run for
County Council last year. Photo by Charles Tobias
THE TEST PROGRAM THAT PROVIDES PUBLIC FUNDING to Hawai`i County Council candidates may not be available during next year’s elections, reports Nancy Cook Lauer in West Hawai`i Today. According to the story, the fund has less that $3.1 million and is required by state law to have $3.5 million in order to be usable. 
      In last year’s election for Ka`u’s County Council seat, Brenda Ford and Maile David each qualified for $48,893 in public funding for the primary and general elections, the most of all candidates running for Council islandwide.
      While the public funding came from $3 donations checked off on state tax returns, the amounts for each district varied. District 6 had the most funding, which is based on the amount of private money raised for Council campaigns before public funding started. In one election, Guy Enriques raised a large sum for his County Council campaign, more than any other candidate around the island, leading to the big publicly funded money pot for Ka`u Council District candidates.
Brenda Ford waves to onlookers at last year's Volcano Fourth of July
Parade. Photo by David Howard Donald
      Gary Kam, general counsel for Hawai`i Campaign Spending Commission, told Cook Lauer that partial public funding is available through another program based on the number of registered voters in each district. It provides less money but lets candidates raise private funds, as well.
      See more at westhawaiitoday.com.

AFTER HEARING TESTIMONY FROM HUNDREDS of people for two straight days at meetings on Tuesday and Wednesday, Hawai`i County Council has delayed voting on a bill banning GMOs on Hawai`i Island.
      Ka`u’s Council member Brenda Ford, chair of the Public Safety and Mass Transit Committee, which held the meetings, said, “It is time for us to deliberate, and this is what we’re going to do.”
      Kohala Council member Margaret Wille said she plans to propose amendments, including removal of a requirement for buffer zones for existing GMO crops, which are exempted from the ban. Wille also said she wants to exempt floral crops from the ban.

VOLUNTEERS CUT INVASIVE KAHILI GINGER along park trails in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park tomorrow from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. Participants meet at Kilauea Visitor Center. Call 985-6172 for more information.

Volcano Art Center hosts a Rock 'n' Roll Dance Party tomorrow.
Photo from VAC
ROCK ‘N’ ROLL DANCE PARTY takes place for tomorrow at 7 p.m. at Volcano Art Center’s Ni`aulani Campus in Volcano Village. Liz Miller, Cookie, Michael Miller, Peggy Stanton and Maj Balej offer a night of fun. Tickets are $10 or $9 for VAC members. For more information, see volcanoartcenter.org or call 967-8222. 

KA`U ROPING & RIDING ASSOCIATION’S Fourth of July Rodeo will be held at Na`alehu Arena this Saturday and Sunday. Events include Open Dally, Kane-Wahine Dally, Team 90s, Double Mugging, Ribbon Mugging, Wahine Mugging, Rescue Race, where riders race to the other end of the arena and pick up a partner who rides behind them, Po Y U, Tie Down Roping, Wahine Barrels, Youth Barrels, Senior Dummy Roping, Dummy Roping for the Keiki, Goat Undecorating, Mutton Busting and Junior Bulls.
      There will be a food booth, and tickets are $6. Rodeo Queens are selling tickets. Slack roping begins at 8 a.m. Sunday finals are at 11 a.m.

THE COMMUNITY BOOKSTORE AT KAUAHA`AO CHURCH in Wai`ohinu is open the first Saturday of each month, as well as each Wednesday, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Call 938-0411 for more information.

KILAUEA MILITARY CAMP’S LAVA LOUNGE in Hawai`I Volcanoes National Park host a Country Dance Party with DJ Tiki Saturday at 6 p.m. KMC is open to authorized patrons and sponsored guests. Park entrance fees apply. For more information, call 967-8365 after 4 p.m.

SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS AT PAHALAPLANTATIONCOTTAGES.COM AND KAUCOFFEEMILL.COM. KA`U COFFEE MILL IS OPEN SEVEN DAYS A WEEK.

ALSO SEE KAUCALENDAR.COM AND FACEBOOK.COM/KAUCALENDAR.

Ka`u News Briefs July 5, 2013

0
0
Miss Ka`u Coffee Tiare-Lee Shibuya waves to the public during Volcano's Fourth of July Parade yesterday, riding
Aikane Plantation Coffee's Corvette driven by police officer Dane Shibuya. Photo by David Boyle
GOV. NEIL ABERCROMBIE HAS MADE INTERIM APPOINTMENTS to the state Board of Education.
Patricia Halagao
Amy Asselbaye
      Amy Asselbaye fills the board’s O`ahu seat. Asselbaye previously served as a congressional aide to Abercrombie and at the state Capitol.
      She recently resigned as U.S. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard’s Hawai`i-based chief of staff to devote more time to her position as director of strategic and community development at the Waianae Coast Comprehensive Health Center, reports Nanea Kalani, of Honolulu Star-Advertiser.
      Patricia Halagao was named to an at-large seat. Halagao is an associate professor in curriculum studies at UH-Manoa’s College of Education.  The appointed members must be approved by the state Senate.
      See more at staradvertiser.com.

Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park personnel dressed as native species in
Volcano's Fourth of July Parade. Photo by David Boyle
COMPUTERIZING MEDICAL RECORDS has given Ka`u Hospital and its sister health institutions Hilo Hospital and Hale Ho`olaulea Hamakua a head start on complying with the new national health care reform law, according to an Associated Press story being carried by newspapers across the country.
     Hospitals and physicians are required to computerize all medical records by January 2015. Ka`u Hospital and its sisters, Hilo Medical Center and Hale Hoola Hamakua computerized in 2010, along with 11 outpatient clinics, earning them $3 million in early adopter incentives, the Hawaii Tribune-Herald reported.
      “The conversion process took four years and cost $20 million,” the AP story reported. According to the story, “About 65 percent of physicians across the Big Island have implemented their own electronic medical records systems, East Hawai`i Regional CEO Howard Ainsley said in an interview last month. “Getting 100 percent compliance could be difficult, he said. Some doctors are near retirement and aren’t comfortable with technology,” he said.
Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park personnel promoted their plan to fence
areas to protect native species. Photo by David Boyle
      Ainsley told Hawai`i Tribune Herald: “What is concerning, not only for the Big Island but the whole state, is that there are doctors who will be frustrated with some of these new requirements and they will look to leave medicine."
      The rest of the state’s public hospitals are further behind in their conversion process, the stories reported.
      See more at hawaiitribune-herald.com.

PRIVATIZING KA`U AND THE OTHER 13 state-affiliated hospitals in Hawai`i has apparently led to controversy between management and the board of Hawai`i Health Systems Corp., which has ousted its chief executive officer Bruce Anderson. “HHSC board chairman Avery Chumbley confirmed the board has taken action to remove Anderson as president and CEO," according to a story in the Honolulu Star Advertiser. Chumbley is acting CEO.
      Anderson is former director of the state Department of Health. He became HHSC chair in March 2011.
      “Anderson was at odds with the board over a controversial move to privatize part of the HHSC system with Banner Health, according to sources involved with HHSC who asked not to be identified because the information hasn’t been publicly released,” Kristen Consillio reported.
      “HHSC also has faced scrutiny because the cost to convert to electronic medical records at its 14 public hospitals will likely exceed $100 million over five years, nearly double earlier projections,” the newspaper stated.
    However, West Ka`u state Sen. Josh Green stated that Anderson had improved the hospitals and was doing a good job.

Participants at Science Camps based at Pahala Plantation Cottages helped
prepare sea turtles for release during Turtle Independence Day.
Photo from Michael Richards
STUDENTS ATTENDING SCIENCE CAMPS based at Pahala Plantation Cottages helped prepare five sea turtles for their release during Mauna Lani Resort’s Turtle Independence Day yesterday.
      Sea Life Park on O`ahu sends three- to five-month-old turtles from its captive breeding program to the resort, where they live in ponds until they are grown enough to be released.
      “This event is all about education — not only in Hawai`i but all over the world,” Mauna Lani Resort marketing manager Susan Bredo told John De Groote, of Stephens Media. “People come through and leave with stories and memories that they will share back home.”
      “It’s great for the kids, and it helps people see the culture of Hawaii,” said Pii Laeha, who manages the resort’s turtle program. “The bigger picture is that we are trying to raise awareness not only about the turtles, but our environment in general.”
      The released turtles are tagged and tracked.
      More than 200 turtles have been released into the wild since the program began, Laeha said.
      See more at hawaiitribune-herald.com.
      For more information about Science Camps, see sciencecampsamerica.com.

Keoki Kahumoku and students performed as they marched in Volcano's
Fourth of July Parade. Photo by David Boyle
HAWAI`I POLICE DEPARTMENT IS PARTICIPATING in a backpack drive for children who cannot afford to buy them. Persons interested in helping children in need can drop off backpacks at Ka`u police station between July 8 and Aug. 30.
      “I again ask anyone who has backpacks their child is no longer using to donate them to this worthy cause,” said Police Chief Harry Kubojiri. “In past years your generosity has proven that the aloha spirit is alive and well when it comes to opening our hearts to children in need.”
      This is the fifth consecutive year the Police Department has worked in partnership with HOPE Services Hawai`i (formerly known as Office of Social Ministry) and From Kids For Kids in the collection and distribution of these items.
      Backpacks have been identified as the most requested non-food item for charities in Hawai`i. The donated backpacks will be distributed to children at women’s shelters, homeless shelters and transitional housing facilities around the Big Island.
      Hope Services Hawai`i provides a continuum of homeless and transitional programs from outreach to emergency shelters, including permanent supportive housing placements.
      From Kids For Kids was founded in 2006 by Big Island resident Nani Welch-Keliihoomalu, then 10, who was responsible for distributing backpacks containing books, clothing, art and school supplies.

Volcano School of the Arts and Sciences supporters surround the school's
float in Volcano's Fourth of July Parade. Photo by David Boyle
KA`U ROPING & RIDING ASSOCIATION’S Fourth of July Rodeo will be held at Na`alehu Arena tomorrow and Sunday. Events include Open Dally, Kane-Wahine Dally, Team 90s, Double Mugging, Ribbon Mugging, Wahine Mugging, Rescue Race, where riders race to the other end of the arena and pick up a partner who rides behind them, Po Y U, Tie Down Roping, Wahine Barrels, Youth Barrels, Senior Dummy Roping, Dummy Roping for the Keiki, Goat Undecorating, Mutton Busting and Junior Bulls.
      Tickets are $6. Rodeo Queens are selling tickets. Slack roping begins at 8 a.m., and finals are Sunday at 11 a.m.

THE COMMUNITY BOOKSTORE AT KAUAHA`AO CHURCH in Wai`ohinu is open tomorrow and the first Saturday of each month, as well as each Wednesday, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Call 938-0411 for more information.

It's rodeo time in Na`alehu this weekend. Photo by Julia Neal
COUNTRY DANCE PARTY WITH DJ TIKI takes place at Kilauea Military Camp’s Lava Lounge in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park tomorrow at 6 p.m. KMC is open to authorized patrons and sponsored guests. Park entrance fees apply. For more information, call 967-8365 after 4 p.m.

PEOPLE AND LANDS OF KAHUKU, a guided, 2.5-mile, moderately difficult hike over rugged terrain focuses on the human of Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park’ Kahuku Unit. The hike is scheduled for Sunday from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Call 985-6011 for more information.

SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS AT PAHALAPLANTATIONCOTTAGES.COM AND KAUCOFFEEMILL.COM. KA`U COFFEE MILL IS OPEN SEVEN DAYS A WEEK.

ALSO SEE KAUCALENDAR.COM AND FACEBOOK.COM/KAUCALENDAR.

Saturday, July 6, 2013

0
0
Bobby Gomes, right, welcomed youth to sing and play music at KAHU Radio which offered local origination programming. The
license is being sold for $20,000 to Hawai`i Public Radio which could restore some locally produced shows in years to come.
Photo by Julia Neal
KAHU RADIO FOUNDER Wendell Kaehuaea said yesterday that he wants to thank everyone who volunteered and donated to the operation of the station, which is being sold to Hawai'i Public Radio. HPR is paying $20,000 for the license through an agreement with its current manager Christine Kaehuaea.
      According to Wendell Kaehuaea, KAHU FM started with a $25,000 grant from the Office of Hawaiian Affairs, written by Vicki Fiege, plus a $28,500 loan from the non-profit Haola. Wendell Kaehuaea took training in northern California at KMUD community radio and organized many volunteers for programming originating in Ka'u, ranging from Hawaiian to Reggae, rock and gospel to news and community affairs, as well as a Filipino language show. Many community members, from those working on health care and education, to farmers, entertainers, and politician stopped in for interviews. The station’s location, the historic bank building on Maile Street in Pahala, was the site of many community fundraisers while the station was operational.
KAHU founder Wendell Kaehuaea at a communications
tower in Ka`u where KAHU was broadcast.
Photo by Julia Neal
      For funding, the station received a $70,000 grant, written by Ken Okimoto, from state  Civil Defense, more than $40,000 from a local donor and numerous donations from dollars to hundreds and thousands of dollars from individuals. Underwriting for the station's news program at $750 a month was provided by the Edmund C. Olson Trust with daily news provided free by The Ka'u Calendar newspaper.
      Wendell Kaehuaea said he hopes that the $20,000 from selling the license and any income for selling off equipment will go to help pay off debt to local businesses owed money. As manager, Christine Kaeuaea is allowed to sell the station's assets on behalf of Ka`u Community Radio. The station recently went off the air when Hawaiian Electric Light Co. pulled the plug for unpaid bills.
       Once the transfer of the license from Ka`u Community Radio is approved by the FCC, Hawai'i Public Radio plans to broadcast HPR 2 with Hawaiian music and programming, from O'ahu, plus Civil Defense messages to cover the south end of Hawai`i Island. Local origin programming is in HPR's plans and could evolve over the next five to ten years.
      Volunteer hosts of the programs over the past several years included: Bobby and Phoebe Gomes, The Ka`u Calendar newspaper staff, Demetrius Oliveira, Harry Evangelista, Bobby Tucker, Kahea Dolan, Nadine Ebert, Camille Rupe, Leo Hill, Shamha, Papa Joe Demoruelle, Kala Girl, Dean Nagasako, Alan Sebastian, Denise “The Deeva," Manny Pascua, Jarred Yates, Donna Pabre, Robert James and Cy Fernandez.
       Local building contracor Mike Munnerlyn donated his construction and repair skills as well as broadcasting sporting events from Ka`u High School. Many others donated carpentry, electrician, heavy equipment and media skills to start the station. Vinney Le donated hundreds of hours of technical support.

GAY RIGHTS SUPPORTERS FROM KA`U headed into Hilo this morning to celebrate Gay Pride Day, proclaimed by Mayor Billy Kenoi. On the agenda is a parade through downtown Hilo and a festival at the Mo`oheau Park. The grand marshall is Richard Koob, co-founder of Kalani Honua Oceanside Retreat in Puna. The alcohol-free event concludes at 4 p.m. and includes drag kings and queens, and music from rock to folk. Organizers note that the first-ever gay pride parade in Hilo follows the recent Supreme Court decision that is expected to allow gay marriage, eventually, in every state.

HIGHER PAY AND MORE POLICE OFFICERS in Ka`u are in the future. The additional police officers are in the fiscal budget for 2013-2014 and the higher pay was announced yesterday, after negotiations concluded between the State of Hawai`i Organization of Police Officers and the counties, who settled for a 16.8 percent raise over four years. The pay hike is the first in two years and came through binding arbitration. The police union SHOPO represents 2,800 police officers statewide.

A BRUSH FIRE AT MILE MARKER 71 along Hwy 11 in Ka`u yesterday drew the Ocean View Fire Department. The fire caused the traffic to use one lane until the flames were doused. The fire still smoldered this morning and Hawa`i Volcanoes National Park firefighters and county fire crews responded. By 1 p.m., more than 5,000 gallons of water had been used in attempts to kill the smoldering fire.
Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park firefighters Al Aviles, Andrew Lee and Manny
Uribe at the park's Kahuku and county boundary. Photo from HVNP
HAWAI`I ISLAND BEACON COMMUNITY reports “significant achievements in the use of innovative technology to improve the quality of patient care in Hawai`i County.” The Beacon Community came to Ka`u and supported various health education and health care projects.
      Three years ago Beacon entered into a $16.1 million cooperative agreement with the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology. “As one of the most rural and geographically isolated of the 17 Beacon Communities and in the face of unique challenges – geographic distances, diverse populations, and limited health care resources – HIBC is making improvements toward better health, better care and lower costs,” the recent press release states.
      “According to HIBC’s database, 84 percent of primary care providers have adopted certified electronic health records in Hawai`i County. Use of certified Electronic Health Records qualify primary care providers on the island for financial incentives from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid through achievement of the first stage of Meaningful Use of their EHR software.
      The Beacon Community facilitated the first functioning regional health information exchange (HIE) on Hawaii Island. “These achievements have laid the foundation for readiness to operate in a changing health care environment,” said Susan B. Hunt, M.H.A., project director and CEO of HIBC. “Our providers on Hawaii Island are among the nation’s early adopters of best practices in health IT supported care delivery transformation.
      Nineteen primary care practices serving approximately 20,000 patients on island achieved Patient Centered Medical Home status. To achieve this status, they completed a 12-month training program offered through TransforMED, a subsidiary of the American Academy of Family Physicians and were supported in this effort through the partnership of HIBC, the National Kidney Foundation of Hawaii and the Hawaii Medical Service Association (HMSA).
      Beacon Community partners include Bay Clinic, Hamakua Health Center, West Hawaii Community Health Center, Hilo Medical Center, Kona Community Hospital, North Hawaii Community Hospital, the National Kidney Foundation of Hawaii, Hui Malama Ola Na Oiwi, and Hawai`i Island Care Coordination Services.
      The Beacon Community’s federal cooperative agreement officially ends Sept. 30. “However, a great deal of interest remains in continuing the work that has been started by the participants in the project. HIBC stakeholders have committed to continuing to collaborate on further health care improvements for Hawaii Island,” the statement reports.

FOURTH OF JULY RODEO begins today and continues on Sunday at the Na`alehu arena, makai of Hwy 11 in the center of town. The two-day event includes the traditional Po Wai U, the presentation of rodeo queens and many events for wahine, kane and keiki. Finals are Sunday at 11 a.m. with slack roping beginning at 8 a.m. Food is offered both days. Tickets are $6 and the event is sponsored by Ka`u Roping and Riding Association.

THE PROPAGATION OF TEA could become the subject of a learning center and farm for Ka`u residents who want to grow for home and commercial use. Eva Lee, founder of Tea Hawai`i & Co. and Executive Director of Tea Grower, will coordinate the effort, sponsored by the Kohala Center. Those interested in coming to a preliminary meeting can contact her at teahawaii@gmail.com or 967-7637.
Eva Lee's tea ceremony place in Volcano. Photo from Eva Lee

HI-5 CONTAINER REDEPTION CENTER hours at Hawai’i County recycling and transfer stations will change beginning Monday, July 15, following a reduction in funding for the program by the state Department of Health. There are no redemption centers open each week in Ka`u.  The following redemption centers will have new hours: Hilo on Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday, 8a.m. to 4:30 p.m.; Waimea on Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m; Kealakehe: Monday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and Keauhou: Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
      Certified redemption center hours at all other recycling and transfer stations will remain the same. All certified redemption centers are closed for lunch from 1 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. For more, visit hawaiizerowaste.org or contact Chris Thayer at 323-4412 or cthayer@hawaiicounty.gov.

SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS AT PAHALAPLANTATIONCOTTAGES.COM AND KAUCOFFEEMILL.COM. KA`U COFFEE MILL IS OPEN SEVEN DAYS A WEEK.

ALSO SEE KAUCALENDAR.COM AND FACEBOOK.COM/KAUCALENDAR.



Sunday July 7, 2013

0
0

KAHU Radio station on Maile Street in Pahala was the scene of many community fundraisers during its operation.
At this event, founder Wendell Kaehuaea asked for donations for Civil Defense equipment. Photo by Julia Neal
KA`U COMMUNITY RADIO manager Christine Kaehuaea is selling off more of the station’s assets. In addition to the license which is being sold for $20,000 to Hawai`i Public Radio, she is selling off equipment described in an email circulated online. Among the items is the Crown 2,000-kilowatt FM transmitter, valued at $16,280, for which she is seeking $8,500 or best offer. Other items include a Crown 600-watt “T” transmitter for $7,500 and a Shively Antenna, 2-bay full wavelength, for $4,250. An Audio Arts Console R55e is for sale for $3,525, and a Sage Digital Endec for $1,950.
One Journey raised money at a KAHU function to go to O`ahu for the high
school Brown Bags to Stardom music contest and won the
statewide event. Photo by Julia Neal
      Also on her for-sale list are a Crown Broadcast Equipment FM 2000PS FM Power Supply for $1,500, a cabinet with racking fans and thermostat for $1,475 and 71 feet of 7/8-inch cable for $725. There are many other items from chairs to desk to cables, pipe and anchors for the radio tower. Kaehuaea is offering free delivery between Ocean View and Hilo. The cost of gas or $40 will be charged for delivery on Hawai`i Island, beyond Hilo and Ocean View, she states in her email.
      “Your purchase will be helping us fulfill our obligations with our vendors. We appreciate you,” she states in the email that she signed as Station General Manager & Owner, KAHU 91.7 FM, and as President/Director of Ka`u Community Radio, Inc.
      Wendell Kaehuaea, the only other person now named as an officer of the Ka`u Community Radio organization, said he hopes the income from the equipment and license will go to pay off debt owed to local businesses hired to work on building, setting up and maintaining the radio station or for services while KAHU was on the air. The station shut down recently when Hawai`i Electric Light Co. turned off the power.
      To purchase equipment or for more information on the transition of the station to Hawai`i Public Radio, contact Christine Kaehuaea at 925-895-9098 or kahufm@yahoo.com.

Paying minimum wage or by the amount of
coffee picked is addressed in a coffer farmer
petition. Photo by Geneveve Fyvie
COFFEE FARMERS are signing a petition, hoping to continue the practice of paying pickers by volume instead of by the hour. 
      The petition says that “Hawai`i is unique as the only state that grows coffee. Its coffee pickers are primarily local individuals who pick the ripe coffee beans over a period of months – as the coffee beans ripen. They are paid on the amount of coffee picked, not on how many hours it takes. To require ‘minimum wages’ and ‘overtime requirements’ will be the demise of the coffee industry. Coffee picking abilities and hours per day vary substantially based on the pickers’ abilities and availability.
      “We, the following Petitioners, support a change in the State and Federal laws to clearly exempt seasonal coffee pickers, who pick by hand and are paid piece-rate by the pound, from the Federal Wage and Hour Employment Security Laws and Regulations.
      Petitions are due by July 15. The petition drive is organized by Friends of Kona Coffee, c/o Virginia Isbell, PO Box 926, Kealakekua, HI 96750.

COUNTY OF HAWAI`I HAS SUBMITTED QUESTIONS to the Public Utilities Commission regarding Hawaiian Electric Co.’s testimony on the proposed contract to purchase biofuel from `Aina Koa Pono. AKP plans to use feedstock from Ka`u to refine biofuel at a facility above Pahala.
      The county questions HECO president Robert Alm about his testimony regarding economics of the `Aina Koa Pono project.
      Regarding Alm’s statement that “Hawai`i’s most important economic enterprise right now is to pursue energy independence,” the county asks Alm to comment on whether the “important economic issue now in mid-2013 is reducing electricity rates to enable economic growth, vitality, survivability (for some) and financial independence for all?”
      Regarding Alm’s statement that “it is also important to note that unlike other sources of renewable energy that require the construction of new facilities or plants, biofuels can be utilized in the Hawaiian Electric Companies’ existing generating units, which often require little to no changes to operate on biofuel,” the county asks, “Would HECO/HELCO sign a statement that any modifications needed to Keahole Power Plant (or any other power plants using AKP Biodiesel) to receive the fuel and burn the fuel, or clean-up the fuel, never be borne by the ratepayer?”
      Hawai`i County asks Alm to explain the economic theory that underlies his statement that “keeping energy expenditures at home” grows a “sustainable economy,” and “to provide justification for the theory within classical economics, including verification whether this style of mercantilist approach has historically proven to make people within an economy better or worse off?
      “Further, please cite peer-reviewed studies to justify this assertion that modern-day application of mercantilist, import substitution policies improves the well-being of people, especially in light of the extensive body of literature discrediting import substitution policies and the resultant impoverishment of populations who have been subject to them.”
      “Is it your position that the AKP2 price has become a fair price, because it is lower than the AKP1 price?” the county asks.
      Regarding Alm’s statement that “a diversified portfolio is prudent and in the public’s interest,” Hawai`i County asks:
  • Does HECO/HELCO believe it is prudent to commit for twenty years such a large percentage of Hawai`i Island’s biodiesel demand to such an unproven technology, especially when your statement seems to indicate that HECO/HELCO has its own doubts whether AKP will be able to deliver the expected amount of biodiesel? 
  • Many experts might also have their doubts, so it is prudent to ask what the Utilities’ contingency plan is if AKP is incapable of delivering contracted quantities of on-spec biodiesel.”
      This and other testimony is available at puc.hawaii.gov. Docket number is 2012-0185.

Sen. Josh Green
KA`U RESIDENTS ARE INVITED TO A FREE KIDNEY SCREENING, co-hosted by west Ka`u state Senator Josh Green, who is a physician, and the National Kidney Foundation of Hawai`i. The screening is Wednesday, July 10 and includes Kidney Early Detection Screening (KEDS) from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at West Hawai`i Civic Center, Building G. Free health services will include blood pressure checks, a blood glucose assessment to check for diabetes, urinalysis to screen for kidney disease and a health consultation. For most accurate results, it is best not to eat for eight hours before the tests (optional), advised the senator. 
      Questions about the event and pre-registration can be directed to project partner Kim Oyama at kim@kidneyhi.org.

KA`U ROPING & RIDING ASSOCIATION wraps up its rodeo today at Na`alehu Arena with many events for wahine, kane and keiki. Tickets are $6.

KA`U RESIDENT DICK HERSHBERGER brings Hawaiian Volcano Observatory founder Thomas Jaggar to life Tuesday at 10 a.m., 12 p.m. and 2 p.m. The free programs begin at Kilauea Visitor Center and continue at Whitney Vault by Volcano House in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park. Park entrance fees apply.

Hawai`i Wildlife Fund sponsors a Ka`u Coast cleanup Saturday.
Photo from HWF
THE NEXT KA`U COASTAL CLEANUP is this Saturday, July 13 at `Onikinalu Bay, just north of Mahana Bay – Green Sands Beach. Hawai`i Wildlife Fund volunteers have room for a handful of helpers in their vehicles but are always recruiting more. “Many hands make light work!” said Wildlife Fund organizer Megan Lamson. The group could use more four-wheel-drive vehicles. Pam Longobardi of the Drifter’s Project and Boyan Slat of the Ocean Cleanup are helping with the cleanup. 
      Participants meet at 7:45 a.m. Saturday at Wai`ohinu Park to caravan and carpool to the cleanup site. Bring sturdy footwear, bag lunch, snacks, re-fillable water bottle, sun/wind protection and gloves and buckets if available. Hawai`i Wildlife Fund will provide extra gloves, some buckets, trash bags, water refills, first-aid kit and a composting lua.
      If enough people RSVP, the organization will rent a van. Volunteers are asked to RSVP to kahakai.cleanups@gmail.com as soon as possible.

KA`U HIGH SCHOOL CLASS OF 1973 is getting ready for its 40-year class reunion at Pahala Community Center Aug. 17 from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. The potluck family event features live entertainment. Any questions, contact Darlene Vierra at 640-8740.

SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS AT PAHALAPLANTATIONCOTTAGES.COM AND KAUCOFFEEMILL.COM. KA`U COFFEE MILL IS OPEN SEVEN DAYS A WEEK.

ALSO SEE KAUCALENDAR.COM AND FACEBOOK.COM/KAUCALENDAR.

Ka`u News Briefs July 8, 2013

0
0
A contestant wrangles a cow at Ka`u Roping & Riding Association's Fourth of July Rodeo held at Na`alehu Arena
Saturday and Sunday. Photo by Julia Neal
THE PANIOLO TRADITION of ranchers and other rodeo riders gathering together with families filled the Na`alehu Arena grounds over the weekend with events designed for keiki, wahine and kane. Junior bull riding and keiki riding sheep in the mutton busting event entertained the crowds, along with grown-up competition, including roping, mugging and showing off horses trained to herd and round up cattle. The annual Fourth of July Rodeo is sponsored by the Ka`u Roping & Riding Association. See results in upcoming Ka`u News Briefs.

SOUTHSIDE BOYS VOLLEYBALL TEAM members returned victorious late last week to the Big Island, with Mayor Billy Kenoi and Sen. Gil Kahele among a thousand people who greeted them at Hilo Airport. The Boys 14-year-old team won the 2013 United States Association of Volleyball National Championship for their age category in Reno, Nevada. Ka`u members of the team are Addie Enriques, Avery Enriques, Nai`ia Makuakane and Kameron Moses. The 16-years-old team took seventh out of 68 teams in the national competition. Ka`u members are Brian Gascon, Emmett Enriques and Kai Enriques.
Southside Boys 14 at Hilo Airport after winning the 2013 U.S.
Association of Volleyball National Championship.
Photo from Southside Volleyball
      Hilo Airport Fire Chief Nawai Chartrand welcomed the returning teams with a Water Lei, as firefighters turned water canons onto United Airlines Flight 1004 as it taxied to a stop, bringing home the winners.
      The public greeted the team with cheers, applause, hugs, lei and an air horn.
      The mayor awarded each team member a certificate of congratulations stating, “The magnitude of your accomplishment is awesome!” Kahele noted his connection with volleyball as his own son Keali`i Kahele played volleyball in his youth and becoming a star at University of Hawai`i at Manoa. Gov. Neil Abercrombie sent his eastside representative Wendy Botelho-Cortez to present to each player a Certificate of Special Recognition.
      Sam Thomas, who coached the team along with Guy Enriques, announced that the last timeout taken during the final match was in order to tell the players that they were about to win a national championship for the Island of Hawai`i and the state of Hawai`i. He also related how it was more than just about volleyball, recalling that before and after each match, the team made a special effort to clean up discarded beverage containers and other trash left by the other teams who played on the court and how this was very important to the team.

NATIVE HAWAIIANS MAY FIND IT EASIER to qualify for benefits under a new state law which allows more ways to prove ancestry. The Native Hawaiian Roll Commission, called Kana`iolowalu, will be able to use state Department of Health, Kamehameha Schools and Department of Hawaiian Home Lands and other agency records to determine ancestry. 
      To date, there are under 15,000 on the list being comprised to help form a Hawaiian parallel government similar to those formed by Native American Indian tribes on the mainland.
      A deadline to sign up has been set for January of 2014.

COUNTY OF HAWAI`I HAS SUBMITTED QUESTIONS regarding Hawaiian Electric Co.’s testimony on the proposed contract to purchase biofuel from `Aina Koa Pono. AKP plans to use feedstock from Ka`u to refine biofuel at a facility it would build along Wood Valley Road above Pahala. Hawai`i County questions HECO about its position regarding externalities, or positive and negative impacts of the project.
Robert Alm
      Regarding HECO executive vice president Robert Alm’s statement that externalities of a project “are often intangible and difficult to quantify,” the county asks, “Are you saying that … only certain externalities – such as those cited immediately after this statement – should be considered by the Commission?” Alm had listed direct economic benefit to the state, energy security from locally produced feedstock, alignment with the state’s energy policy and lower greenhouse gas emissions as examples of externalities to consider.
      Regarding a similar statement from manager of HECO’s Fuels Department Cecily Barnes that the utilities “have not quantified any negative externalities, and it is difficult to determine the impact, if any, they will have,” Hawai`i County asks: “Are you saying that it is not worth considering negative externalities, since their impact is difficult to determine?
      “You list several negative externalities prior to this statement. Are these the only negative externalities you believe should be considered? If not, could you please provide a full (list) of all externalities you identified as being important?”
      Barnes had testified that “potential negative externalities include: fuel spills or leaks associated with fuel storage or transportation of the biodiesel; social issues, such as traffic congestion; and, land use, such as roadway damage and noise.”
      Hawai`i County states that, “although negative externalities are always difficult to determine, sometimes useful estimates can help provide some perspective. For example, you cite the possibility of fuel spills or leaks as a few. Suppose there is a biodiesel leak in one or more of the four 300-thousand-gallon fuel storage facilities contractually required to be located at the AKP facility (say, from an earthquake), would you be able to compare the estimated clean-up costs to, for example, the promised community benefits package?”
Cecily Barnes
      County of Hawai`i had previously raised the issue of decommissioning the AKP facility if it goes bankrupt. The county asks: “How would these costs compare to the community benefits package?
      “Please quantify the cost of remediation or decommissioning of the AKP facility, and who would be required to cover that cost?
      “Please describe what would be involved in such remediation or decommission process to restore the town of Pahala to its original condition.”
      Regarding statements by Alm and Barnes that assessment of many externalities “more directly associated within the AKP Project itself … is more appropriately addressed in the Project permitting process, or in an environmental impact statement or environmental assessment process if so required,” the county asks, “Are you asserting that the Commission is not to consider either positive or negative externalities of the AKP project? Please be clear whether HELCO is asserting that Commission has no role in evaluating either positive or negative externalities.
      “Is it HECO/HELCO’s position that the Commission should not concern itself with externalities of the AKP project, but that the Commission should concern itself only with the AKP contract?”
      Barnes had testified, “Benefits of locally produced biofuels include the creation of new agricultural and manufacturing jobs, a reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, increased energy security and independence, and the shifting of a portion of our significant expenditures on Imported fossil fuels to locally produced biofuel.”
      County of Hawai`i asks: “Are these the only externalities that you believe should be considered?
      “Do you believe there will be no other agricultural or manufacturing jobs created if the AKP project does not proceed?
      “On what basis do you assert there will be a reduction in GHG emissions? Please provide detailed GHG emissions evaluation based on actual AKP feedstocks and actual AKP processes (including all inputs)?
      “Can you please elaborate on why you believe AKP will contribute to increased energy security and independence, given the many identified risks of on-island fuel production and physical barriers to attaining energy independence?
      “You imply there is an advantage to having ‘significant expenditures’ go toward locally produced biofuel, but can you please elaborate where those ‘significant expenditures’ would go – to whom, how much to investors and technology providers, to management versus workers of AKP, the Island economy, etc.?”
      See more in future Ka`u News Briefs.
      This and other testimony is available at puc.hawaii.gov. Docket number is 2012-0185.

A STAFF MEMBER FROM U.S. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard’s office meets with constituents and assists with casework and other issues Wednesday from 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at Pahala Public & School Library. The Tulsi in Your Town program takes place in Pahala on the second Wednesday of each month. Call 987-5698 for more information.

Jurassic Park comes to Na`alehu Public Library
Wednesday. Photo from Joe Iacuzzo
JURASSIC PARK COMES TO NA`ALEHU Public Library Wednesday when Joe Iacuzzo presents the documentary film Secrets of the Dinosaur Mummy at noon. Iacuzzo discusses his latest book, Last Day of the Dinosaur Mummy, at 1 p.m. For more information, call 939-2442. 

VOLUNTEERS ARE INVITED TO SIGN UP for Saturday’s Ka`u Coast Cleanup at `Onikinalu Bay near Green Sands Beach. Contact coordinator Megan Lamson, of Hawai`i Wildlife Fund, at kahakai.cleanups@gmail.com or 769-7629.

SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS AT PAHALAPLANTATIONCOTTAGES.COM AND KAUCOFFEEMILL.COM. KA`U COFFEE MILL IS OPEN SEVEN DAYS A WEEK.

ALSO SEE KAUCALENDAR.COM AND FACEBOOK.COM/KAUCALENDAR.

Ka`u News Briefs July 9, 2013

0
0
Pepe Miranda with Ka`u Coffee Growers Cooperative members on July 4 at Lorie Obra's Moa`ula Farm, training to
hold back the coffee berry borer. Photo by Ralph Gaston
KA`U FARMERS AND BACKYARD COFFEE GROWERS are able to receive benefits of federal and state grant assistance to help hold back the coffee berry borer pest that threatens to devastate Ka`u Coffee the way it severely damaged Kona Coffee. Pepe Miranda, who runs the program operated by Synergistic Hawai`i Agricultural Council, said that a person with even one coffee tree can qualify for help in identifying and quantifying the pests as well as application of a fungus that kills the coffee berry borer. 
      Miranda said the goal is to exterminate the coffee berry borer on all lands in Ka`u, even abandoned coffee farms, which could become breeding grounds for the tiny beetles that could infest the working farms.
Help is available to anyone fighting the coffee berry borer.
      Miranda has trained and provided assistance since December. He said the help includes providing the Beauveria bassiana fungus in the form of Botanigard, as well as Wide Spread, a soapy chemical that helps spread the fungus on the coffee tree. The amount of Botanigard distributed to farmers is one quart per 800 trees or a fraction of that amount. Coffee tree owners are encouraged to adopt an Integrated pest Management Program that involves counting any affected coffee cherries and keeping good records that can be used to analyze progress in fighting the borers.
      On July 4, Miranda came to Ka`u to work with the Ka`u Coffee Farmers and Palehua Cooperatives at Pear Tree and Moa`ula coffee farms. He said that income of each grower is not involved in qualifying for the Botaniguard. Coffee tree owners do not have to be members of the cooperative to qualify. Miranda said the goal of the grant is education, mitigation, prevention and compiling a database.
      To sign up, call Rod Yonemura, of Synergistic Hawai`i Agriculture Council, at 345-4217 or Miranda at 443-7100.
      Gov. Neil Abercrombie signed a bill in late June to provide $250,000 a year over two years to the state Department of Agriculture for research and another $300,000 to control and mitigate the coffee berry borer.

Sen. David Ige
STATE SEN. DAVID IGE HAS ANNOUNCED his candidacy for governor of Hawai`i, according to a report on KITV this morning. He is challenging fellow Democratic Gov. Neil Abercrombie. 
      “The citizens of Hawai`i continue to face serious issues,” Ige said. “We need to strengthen and diversify our economy, improve education, and re-engineer government to better serve the people. It is time for real and enduring solutions to ensure that we are taking the right steps to create opportunities for our children and future generations, but government cannot do this alone. It takes people who are committed and engaged, and a leader who listens and works together to find solutions. Throughout my career in the Legislature, I worked in this way, bringing people together to identify common goals, find solutions, and build trust in our government. As governor of the state of Hawai`i, I will work with our communities in that same way to move our state forward.”

LIFE OF THE LAND HAS SUBMITTED QUESTIONS regarding Hawaiian Electric Co.’s testimony on the proposed contract to purchase biofuel from `Aina Koa Pono. AKP plans to use feedstock from Ka`u to refine biofuel at a facility above Pahala.
      Life of the Land questions HECO about the proposal for O`ahu electric rates to go up to pay for the biofuel produced and used on Hawai`i Island.
      “HECO has asked the Commission for a Waiver from Competitive Bidding to negotiate five wind and solar contracts for on-island renewable energy projects,” Life of the Land states. “Under Protective Order, please identify the projects and their parameters.
      “Please provide detailed cost analysis of these five projects in comparison with the costs proposed for the `Aina Koa Pono proposal.
      “Is there sufficient renewable energy resources on O`ahu so that HECO can meet its renewable energy requirements on its own?
      “Please provide all documentation, analysis, etc., on why HECO ratepayers should pay a premium for the `Aina Koa Pono proposal when they can save money on the five waiver projects.
      “If the cheapest renewable energy resources are on O`ahu, wouldn’t it make sense to only install new renewable energy projects on O`ahu and to allow all islands to share in those reduced prices?
      “A HECO employee was quoted in Civil Beat as saying that the five waiver projects should put downward pressure on other renewable energy developers. Does this include any current proposals before the PUC?”
      Regarding possible Environmental Assessments or Environmental Impact Statements, Life of the Land says, “As you know, the chair of the Commission, in a previous life re: Superferry, noted that any EIS had to precede all permit approval, and that obviously includes the Commission. Are you stating that if the State Department of Transportation determines there is a need for an EIS, then the preparation of the EIS should occur after a Commission ruling on the reasonableness of the Project?”
      Regarding HECO’s statement that assessment of possible positive or negative impacts of the AKP project “is more appropriately addressed in the Project permitting process or in an EIS or EA process if so required, Life of the Land asks, “When did the company change its position from analyzing externalities in an IRP docket prior to an Application to waiting until the permitting process after the Application has been approved by the Commission?”
      See more in upcoming Ka`u News Briefs.
      This and other testimony is available at puc.hawaii.gov. Docket number is 2012-0185.

APPLICATIONS ARE BEING ACCEPTED for free or reduced-price school meals during the upcoming school year.
      An online application is available at ezmealapp.com.
      DOE is also sending application forms to all parents and guardians, who can fill them out and return them to schools where their children are enrolled.
      The Department of Education has revised income eligibility levels for the program.
      School begins Monday, Aug. 5.

Ocean View Community Center offers videoconferencing of tomorrow's
County Council meeting.
HAWAI`I COUNTY COUNCIL MEETS TOMORROW at 9 a.m. at Council Chambers in Hilo. On the agenda are Mayor Billy Kenoi’s appointments of Bobby Jean Leithead Todd as director of Environmental Management and Duane Kanuha as director of Planning. 
      Ka`u residents can participate and provide testimony at Ocean View Community Center’s videoconferencing site.
      Agenda is available at hawaiicounty.gov.

A STAFF MEMBER FROM U.S. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard’s office meets with constituents and assists with casework and other issues tomorrow from 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at Pahala Public & School Library. The Tulsi in Your Town program takes place in Pahala on the second Wednesday of each month. Call 987-5698 for more information.

Joe Iacuzzo, here with Samson, a tyrannosaurus rex fossil, brings Jurassic
Park to Na`alehu Public Library tomorrow. Photo from Joe Iacuzzo
THE DOCUMENTARY FILM SECRETS OF THE DINOSAUR MUMMY screens tomorrow at noon at Na`alehu Public Library. After the film, Joe Iacuzzo discusses his latest book, Last Day of the Dinosaur Mummy, at 1 p.m. For more information, call 939-2442. 

TICKETS ARE ON SALE FOR PUNA CHICKS. “Puna Princess” Sherri Carden, “Puna Tita” Angie Libadisos and Tanya Anne, VAC’s Chief Entertainment Officer, present the night of comedy Saturday, July 20 at 7 p.m. at Volcano Art Center’s Ni`aulani Campus in Volcano Village. Call 967-8222 or visit volcanoartcenter.org.

SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS AT PAHALAPLANTATIONCOTTAGES.COM AND KAUCOFFEEMILL.COM. KA`U COFFEE MILL IS OPEN SEVEN DAYS A WEEK.

ALSO SEE KAUCALENDAR.COM AND FACEBOOK.COM/KAUCALENDAR.

Ka`u News Briefs July 10, 2013

0
0

Results of Ka`u Roping & Riding Association's Fourth of July Rodeo are in. Photo by Julia Neal
“A BILL AIMED AT CURBING THE INVASIVE ALBIZIA tree in East Hawai`i has residents of other areas worrying about an overreaching county government that could clear occupied lots of unpopular plants and bill the owners, placing a lien against their property if they don’t pay,” reports a story in this morning’s West Hawai`i Today by Nancy Cook Lauer. 
      “The county already has a similar ordinance for refuse and undergrowth on unoccupied lots. Bill 64 would add unsafe flora to the list and extend removal to occupied lots. It also lets an adjacent property owner make the initial complaint to the mayor, rather than a majority of adults in a 500-foot radius of the offending property, as is current county code.”
      The West Hawai`i Today story reports that the Hawai`i County Council’s Environmental Management Committee delayed passing the bill yesterday, in order to add amendments to reduce its impact.
Albizia trees tower over young coffee trees in Moa`ula.
Photo by Geneveve Fyvie
      Testifying from Ocean View, Gil Robinson warned that the bill could be “opening a can of worms.” According to West Hawai`i Today, he said that “feuding neighbors could engage the county. I just would rather have these issues stay a civil court matter.”
      Cook Lauer noted that Ka`u state Sen. Russell Ruderman wrote a successful resolution in the 2013 Legislature that directs the state Invasive Species Council to work with multiple agencies to eradicate albizia. The Big Island Invasive Species Committee also supports the proposed county law that would allow government to clear the unwanted vegetation.
      According to the West Hawai`i Today report, “South Kona/Ka`u Councilwoman Brenda Ford recounted a recent uproar in her district when the state Department of Transportation started cutting jacaranda trees along Napo`opo`o Road. She said she’s not familiar with albizia trees, but she dislikes them already.”
      Ford said she is concerned, however, about the impact of the legislation on the county budget, should the county have no way to collect money from property owners where trees have been cut without foreclosing on the properties, the story reports.
      See more at westhawaiitoday.com.

VETOING BILLS was on Gov. Neil Abercrombie’s agenda recently, striking down House Bill 654, which would have included members of professional health organizations on the Center of Nursing Advisory Board. He vetoed HB 763, which would have changed the composition and quorum of the Hawai`i State Building Code Council and revised the state Building Code. Abercrombie also vetoed HB 988, which would have amended the Environmental Response Revolving Fund to include funding for a standby operations center for oil or fuel disasters.
      The total of bills signed into law from the 2013 Legislature is 269. “We will look back at 2013 as the year that launched truly transformative measures that will have lasting positive impacts on the future of our state,” said the governor.

Young paniolo learn the ropes at Na`alehu Rodeo Arena.
Photo by Julia Neal
THE ANNUAL FOURTH OF JULY RODEO at Na`alehu Arena drew hundreds of paniolo and other enthusiasts to the two-day event sponsored by Ka`u Roping & Riding Association. Rodeo Queen was Jacie Umemoto, and princess was Aysha Kaupu. Here are the results for the competition held July 6 and 7:
     Open Dally Team Roping - First: Boots Kaapana and Gilbert Smith; Second: Danny Joseph and Mike Smith; Third: Travis Gomes and Chris Awa; Fourth: David Joseph and Danny Joseph; 
     Kane Wahine - First: Brandy Gomes and Joshua Gomes; Second: Brian Dimattos and Cookie Kawamoto; Third: Cienna Joseph and Westin Joseph;
Jaycie Pakele, daughter of Valerie and Michael Pakele, of
Pahala, was rodeo queen. She is eight years old and will be
attending third grade this fall.
     Team 90s - First: Cookie Kawamoto and David Joseph; Second: David Joseph and Bob Hamilton; 
     Double Mugging - First: Billy Benevides and Dayson Perreria; Second: Boots Kaapana and Kawehe Garo; Third: Troy Mandoloniz and Danny Joseph; 
     Ribbon Mugging - First: Billy Benevides and Kepa Benevides; Second: Evan Manoa and Boots Kaapana; Third: Troy Mandaloniz and Boots Kaapana; 
     Wahine Mugging - First: Raisha Karratti and Cheyenne Fuerte; Shannon Carmichael and Makayla Awa; Third: Chelsey Fuerte and Nysa Kaniho;
     Rescue Race - First: AJ Midallia and Hoku Aiwohi; 
     Po`i Wai U - First: Billy Benevides; 
     Tie Down Roping - First: Evan Manoa; 
     Wahine Barrels - First: Cheyenne Fuerte; Second: Tanyalee Castillo; Third: Kamaluhia Garcia; 
     Youth Barrels - First: Trisyn Kalawaia; Second: Khevain Nobriga, Third: Lenaia Andrade; 
     Senior Dummy Roping - First: Mac Castillo; 
     Dummy Roping Ages Four and Under - First: Kolh Pascual;
     Five to eight in Dummy Roping - First: Cash Prettyman; Second: Derick Souza; Third: Chance Miranda;
Ka`u Roping and Riding held a successful Fourth of July Rodeo last weekend.
Photo by Julia Neal
    Goat Undecorating Ages Four and Under- First: Kolh Pascual; Second Teani Souza; 
     Goat Undecorating Ages Five to Eight  - First: Jamin Medeiros; Second: Khevain Medeiros; Third: Clancy Aku; 
     Mutton Busting - First: Laakea Ke; Second: Nicolai Makuakane; 
     Junior Bulls - First: Trisyn Kalawaia;
     Anyone wanting to help sponsor rodeos in Na`alehu so the organizers can provide winning buckles and other awards can contact Tammy Kaapana at 929-8079 or 854-7917.

Jeffrey Ono
HAWAI`I STATE CONSUMER ADVOCATE asks for clarification of several points in Hawaiian Electric Co.’s testimony on the proposed contract to purchase biofuel from `Aina Koa Pono. AKP plans to use feedstock from Ka`u to refine biofuel at a facility above Pahala. 
     According to the Consumer Advocate, the company indicated a final fuel forecast would be prepared after the Annual Energy Outlook 2013 Final Release is issued. The full AEO 2013 report was released in April 2013.
     The Consumer Advocate asks the utilities to provide the final forecast and to clarify which forecast is referred to in the companies’ rebuttal testimony. If not already discussed elsewhere, please discuss whether the companies have refreshed any of their analyses previously provided in the proceeding as a result of the Final Release. If so, please provide a copy of each of those updated schedules, workpapers, and/or calculations.
     Regarding the utilities’ statement that the proposed contract “represents the lowest cost biodiesel available today,” the Consumer Advocate asks for a copy of the analysis that supports this statement. “If not already provided, please provide a copy of market data for Hawai`i and the nation that identifies the actual price of comparable biodiesel over the last 12 months as well as forecasted prices over the life of the proposed contract. If a forecast over the life of the proposed contract is not available, please provide a copy of the forecasts for comparable diesel for at least the next five years.”
     “The companies indicate that the proposed contract is consistent with HELCO’s third major integrated resource plan,” The Consumer Advocate states. “On June 28, 2013, the companies released their most recent integrated resource plan. Please update the companies’ assessment of whether the proposed contract is consistent with its most recent integrated resource preferred plan. 
     “In HELCO’s most recent integrated resource preferred plan, it appears that HELCO will be repowering the Waiau hydro plant to increase the capacity, entering a power purchase agreement for a new 25 MW geothermal, and deploying demand response programs. Please provide an updated analysis that demonstrates that, if the proposed contract is approved and HELCO is able to implement its preferred integrated resource plan on a timely basis, HELCO will be able to consume the entire volume of biodiesel expected to be produced by AKP.”
     See more in future Ka`u News Briefs.
     This and other testimony is available at puc.hawaii.gov. Docket number is 2012-0185.

KDEN PRESENTS DISNEY’S THEATRICAL PRODUCTION Beauty and the Beast at Kilauea Military Camp Theater in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park. Showtimes are 7:30 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays and 2:30 p.m. Sundays from July 12 to July 28. Tickets are available at Kilauea General Store, Kea`au Natural Foods, Paradise Plants, The Most Irresistible Shop and by calling 982-7344. Prices are $15 general, $12 students/seniors and $10 children. 

BEFORE BEAUTY AND THE BEAST, casual dinner is served at Kilauea Military Camp’s Crater Rim Café in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park. KMC is open to authorized patrons and sponsored guests. Park entrance fees apply. 967-8371

VOLUNTEERS ARE INVITED TO SIGN UP for Saturday’s Ka`u Coast Cleanup at `Onikinalu Bay near Green Sands Beach. Contact coordinator Megan Lamson, of Hawai`i Wildlife Fund, at kahakai.cleanups@gmail.com or 769-7629.

SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS AT PAHALAPLANTATIONCOTTAGES.COM AND KAUCOFFEEMILL.COM. KA`U COFFEE MILL IS OPEN SEVEN DAYS A WEEK.

ALSO SEE KAUCALENDAR.COM AND FACEBOOK.COM/KAUCALENDAR.

Thursday, July 11, 2013

0
0
Revolusun representative Mark Duda said that the issue of fairness to non-solar users needs to be studied. Photo from Revolusun
WHO PAYS FOR PAVEMENT, if most people wind up buying electric vehicles, leaving little state and county income from gasoline taxes that goes to building roads and highways? This and other questions are evolving in journalism and among policy makers as Hawai`i develops more energy from non-fossil fuel sources. Both online journal Civil Beat and community organization Life of the Land released facts and commentary on the subject this morning.
      Civil Beat poses the question, “is your solar system driving up costs for the rest of Hawai`i’s electric customers?" Writer Sophie Cocke reports that Hawaiian Electric Co. says that cost is going up for those without solar. “The utility says it’s time to talk about whether solar system owners need to pay the utility more to help cover its operating costs.” The Civil Beat story reports HECO vice president for energy resources and operations, Scott Seu, saying “Today, the costs are not fairly allocated to all customers."
      The article reports the utility concluding that “As more people switch to solar to escape electricity rates that are three times the national average, the rest of HECO’s customers could see their rates go up. That’s because there will be fewer ratepayers left on the grid to cover HECO’s fixed costs.”
      According to the Civil Beat story, “People are opting out of escalating rates,” said Seu. “It is mostly people that can afford to opt out. So you have a situation where the people who are stranded are going to be increasingly burdened with carrying the (utility’s costs).”
      However, Mark Duda, of Honolulu-based RevoluSun, said the situation has to be studied to determine if rates would go up for those depending on the utilities for power, the Civil Beat story says.
      It also reports Earthjustice attorney Isaac Moriwake, who is also a member of HECO’s energy advisory group, saying that changing to solar reduces fuel and transmission costs, which could wind up reducing rates for the rest of customers.
      According to Civil Beat, Moriwake said that “HECO needs to move away from a business model where it generates the power and distributes it over a transmission system it owns. The utility needs to find a way for other power generators — like individual rooftop solar — to fit more easily into the overall energy picture.” Raising fees for solar customers would be a Public Utilities Commission and state Legislature decision, the story points out.
      Life of the Land released a statement this morning saying: “The issue of fairness and of justice is critical and must be dealt with.
      “Picture a highway system where there are a few electric vehicles owners that do not pay for highway upkeep. No problem. Then picture a system where half of the vehicles are electric and only the non-electric vehicle customers are paying for the upkeep of the highways. Fair?? Certainly not !! 
Road repairs are supported by gasoline tax income which would be reduced if people
buy more electric vehicles. Photo from state Department of Transportation
      “Now picture the electric grid. The peak electricity use is from 5-8 p.m. The utility has to have all of its vast generation power available for that time slot. Along come one or two solar customers who add power to the grid during the day and remove it in the evening.
      “Their meter runs backwards when they are giving electricity to the grid and forward when they take electricity from the grid. The two transactions cancel each other out. No problem, right?
      “Now picture 1000s or 10,000s of customers who are decreasing electricity sales by using the grid as a battery. The remaining customers must pay all of the upkeep for the grid. Fair?? Certainly not !!
      “This can be very unfair to those without the economic means to install solar.”
      There are three solutions, states Life of the Land:  Ignore the problem and/or try to take advantage of it; restructure the program to deal with the fairness issue through time of use rates where transfers to the utility of daytime solar is at a lower rate; and removing electricity from the grid in the evening hours is at a higher rate;  and develop a totally new paradigm. See more at www.civilbeat.com and www.lifeofthelandhawaii.org.

GEOGRAPHICALLY DISADVANTAGED FARMERS AND RANCHERS in Hawai`i can sign up for up to $8,000 each in reimbursements for certain transportation costs. U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced that USDA will issue approximately $1.996 million in fiscal year 2012 payments through a program that assists farmers and producers outside the contiguous United States who paid to transport either an agricultural commodity or an input used to produce an agricultural commodity. The sign-up period for the FY 2013 program begins on July 22. 
Ka`u farmers can receive reimbursements for transporting inputs for growing crops
 and for transportation for exporting the final product. Photo by Geneveve Fyvie
       “All farmers and ranchers face challenges but U.S. farmers and ranchers who are not on the mainland have a real competitive disadvantage when it’s time to move their products to market,” Vilsack said. “These payments help them offset some of their increased transportation cost, which not only helps the producers but also benefits consumers who have access to increased varieties of nutritious food for the family table.” 
       Authorized by the 2008 Farm Bill and extended for FY 2013 by the American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012, the Reimbursement Transportation Cost Payment Program for Geographically Disadvantaged Farmers and Ranchers provides payments intended to offset a portion of the higher costs of transporting agricultural inputs and commodities over long distances. The program assists farmers and ranchers in Hawaii, Guam, American Samoa, Commonwealth of Northern Mariana Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Republic of the Marshall Islands and Republic of Palau. Producers in Alaska, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands are also eligible to participate in the program.
       Reimbursement of Transportation Costs Payment Program benefits are calculated based on the costs incurred by the producer for transportation of the agricultural commodity or inputs during a fiscal year, subject to an $8,000 per producer cap. Payments to geographically disadvantaged farmers and ranchers for FY 2012 began June 28; however, because total claims exceeded available funding, a payment factor of 0.7662762 was applied to program payments for all applicants.
      Farm Service Agency’s Hawai`i and the Pacific Basin State Executive Director, Diane Ley noted, “In FY 2012, there were 362 producers in the region that chose to participate, with payments totaling $797,821.92. Producers are encouraged to save their business receipts as signup for FY 2013 will begin on July 22, 2013, and end on Sept. 9.”
      For benefits, applicants must file their RTCP application Form FSA-218, in their administrative county FSA office no later than Sept. 9. An electronic version of Form FSA-218 can be found by visiting the FSA website at www.fsa.usda.gov and clicking on the “Forms” tab at the top of the web page. Applicants will have until Nov. 4 to provide supporting documentation of actual costs of transporting agricultural inputs and commodities in Fiscal Year 2013 (Oct. 1, 2012 – Sept. 30, 2013) to the FSA county office.
      For more information on the RTCP program, farmers and ranchers in eligible areas can call their local FSA county office or go online at www.fsa.usda.gov/pricesupport or view the 2013 RTCP Fact Sheet at http://www.fsa.usda.gov/Internet/FSA_File/rtcp_2013.pdf

BEAUTY AND THE BEAST is live theater this weekend Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 2:30 p.m. from July 12 through 28. The venue is Kilauea Military Camp Theater in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park. KEDEN is the sponsor and tickets are available at Kilauea General Store, Kea`au Natural Foods, Paradise Plants, The Most Irresistible Shop and by calling 982-7344. Prices are $15 general, $12 students/seniors and $10 children.
BEFORE THE PLAY, Beauty and the Beast, a casual dinner is served at Kilauea Military Camp’s Crater Rim Café in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park. KMC is open to authorized patrons and sponsored guests. Park entrance fees apply. 967-8371

SATURDAY’S COASTAL CLEANUP at `Onikinalu Bay near Green Sands Beach is still open for volunteers. Contact coordinator Megan Lamson, of Hawai`i Wildlife Fund, at kahakai.cleanups@gmail.com or 769-7629. 

SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS ATPAHALAPLANTATIONCOTTAGES.COM ANDKAUCOFFEEMILL.COM. KA`U COFFEE MILL IS OPEN SEVEN DAYS A WEEK.

ALSO SEE KAUCALENDAR.COM AND FACEBOOK.COM/KAUCALENDAR.

Friday, July 12,, 2013

0
0

Hula is a major focus of the Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park Annual Cultural Festival tomorrow in Volcano. Photo by William Neal
FIGHTING THE COFFEE BERRY BORER is receiving immediate help through Ka`u’s U.S. Senator, Mazie Hirono and the United States Department of Agriculture. Yesterday, Hirono and the USDA unveiled a major federal initiative to fight the coffee berry borer that has been ravaging Kona coffee farms for almost three years and threatens to take down Ka`u if it not pushed back.
      The project, a new arm of the USDA’s integrated pest management program, will be a scientifically-based approach to fighting the invasive species, said a statement from Hirono’s office. In the immediate term, USDA will spend $1 million to set-up the Hawai`i operation. 

“This new initiative to fight the coffee berry borer is great news for Hawai`i and our economy, and I am very pleased that the USDA has recognized the threat of this highly destructive invasive species,” said Hirono. “Our state produces some of the world’s best coffee, and coffee is an important export from our state. But the livelihood of Hawai`i Island coffee growers is increasingly being threatened by the coffee berry borer, as many farmers are forced to abandon large portions of their yields due to infestation each year.
      “That’s why I originally urged the USDA to set up this initiative and have been working closely with the department to begin its implementation. USDA, the Hawai`i Department of Agriculture and the University of Hawai`i will collectively work to help coffee farmers combat and contain this invasive species.”


The war is on against the coffee berry borer with the help of federal funding.
      U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack wrote to Hirono: “USDA shares your concerns about the agricultural and economic impacts of this noxious pest. As such, I am pleased to announce the USDA’s Agricultural Research Service has funded an Area Wide Integrated Pest Management program to aid in controlling the coffee berry borer in the United States.”


      Members of the Hawai`i congressional delegation worked for more funding for a possible program in the Farm Bill being considered in Congress. Ahead of USDA’s agreement to fund a program, Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard introduced a successful amendment which was included in the Farm Bill in the U.S. House of Representatives that authorized funding for a USDA program. Congresswoman Colleen Hanabusa cosponsored the measure. Hirono introduced a similar measure in the Senate that was cosponsored by Sen. Brian Schatz.

“The coffee berry borer has been a destructive force striking at the heart of Hawai‘i’s multi-million dollar coffee industry,” said Gabbard. “In just two years, our treasured Kona coffee industry suffered more than $9 million in market losses, representing a roughly 25 percent revenue decrease. The economic impact has been deeply felt by coffee farms, most of which are small family farms, and coffee processors are being forced to lay off workers or reduce hours.”
      The program will be tasked with distributing effective treatments to local farmers and educating them on the most effective treatment practices, researching the genetic makeup of the coffee berry borer to find its weakness and disposing of infected plants. In his letter, Vilsack explained that the new USDA initiative will coordinate with local coffee farmers, the University of Hawai`i and the Hawai`i

Department of Agriculture to use the following techniques to fight the borer: Distribute the most effective repellents to farmers and training them on how to best use these treatments; research new types of pest controls that could be more effective in killing the beetles; create a plant sanitation program that decreases the opportunities for borer to reproduce and spread; study the borer to find how the species is similar or different that other agricultural pest in order to develop better methods for controlling the pest.
     Hawai`i Island is home to more than 700 small coffee farms. In 2011, coffee farmers in Hawai`i produced more than 8 million pounds of coffee, valued at more than $30 million.

 The borer is an insect native to Central Africa that lives, feeds and reproduces in both immature and mature coffee berries. This damage can have a significant negative impact on the quality and quantity of coffee crop yields. As a direct result of the coffee berry borer, many farmers in 2012 have expressed concerns that their yields were in jeopardy. Recent reports have found infestation rates of up to 80 percent for some Hawai`i farms.


NURSE PRACTITIONER DEBRA KETTLESON is moving from Ka`u Hospital Rural Health Clinic to a cardiology clinic at Hilo Medical Center, and the name of her replacement is expected to be released later today. “We are really sorry to see Debra Kettleson leave,” said Ka`u Hospital Administrator Merilyn Harris.
Debra Kettleson honored for a decade of service at Ka`u Hospital
 Rural Health Clinic. She joins a cardiac clinic in Hilo.
    “When Ka’u Hospital opened a rural health clinic in 2003 after Dr. Margaret Kitazawa left, Deb was there at the beginning setting up operations and scrounging for equipment and supplies,” Harris recalled. “Over the years, as physicians have come and gone, Deb has been the mainstay of the clinic as well as a loving provider for many of our long-term care residents. She has a very large panel of patients who have grown to appreciate her for her clinical expertise as well as her sense of humor and willingness to always go the extra mile for them.
      “For the past decade Deb has commuted three hours a day in order to work here. When the opportunity came up for her to work in the Cardiology clinic at Hilo Medical Center, five minutes from her home, all we could be is happy for her - even if it is so sad for us!
      Donna Kekoa, the Ka`u Clinic receptionist, said she is especially sorry to see Kettleson leave Ka`u. “Deb has given her all to the community with a compassionate and caring heart to those whom she served at the clinic. As a co-worker, our supervisor, she has been very supportive of all our work here. To me, she has been a mentor and I hope to follow her lead.”  Kettleson’s replacement is expected to be announced late today.

ABOUT THREE MILLION DOLLARS A YEAR will be the cost of police officer pay raises for Hawai`i County, according to a statement from Mayor Billy Keno’s office. According to a story by John Burnett in the Hawai`i Tribune Herald this morning, the mayor’s spokesman Kevin Dayton said the county will “have to find the money within the current year’s budget.”
The additional money is needed to comply with the recently negotiated State of Hawai`i Organization of Police Officers contract with the counties around the state that will give police officers a 16.8 percent raise over four years. There are 471 union police officer in this county. Dayton said the $3 million will include salaries, wages and benefits, the Tribune Herald story reported. See more at www.hawaiitribune-herald.com.

THE BIG ISLAND’S NEW SENATE SEAT, which resulted in Ka`u having two instead of one state senator will stand. A lawsuit brought by O`ahu residents who lost a senate seat through reapportionment was dismissed yesterday by a federal court. The latest U.S. census showed the Big Island’s population growth and justification to add a state senator. However, O`ahu plaintiffs testified that military personnel, their dependents and students living on O`ahu, who do not call O`ahu home, should have also been counted in the reapportionment population count, which would have left O`ahu with the senator. The O`ahu group may appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court, said its attorney Robert Thomas.

BEAUTY AND THE BEAST is live theater this weekend Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 2:30 p.m. from July 12 through 28. The venue is Kilauea Military Camp Theater in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park. KEDEN is the sponsor and tickets are available at Kilauea General Store, Kea`au Natural Foods, Paradise Plants, The Most Irresistible Shop and by calling 982-7344. Prices are $15 general, $12 students/seniors and $10 children.

BEFORE THE PLAY, Beauty and the Beast, a casual dinner is served at Kilauea Military Camp’s Crater Rim Café in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park. KMC is open to authorized patrons and sponsored guests. Park entrance fees apply. 967-8371 .

Artwork for tomorrow's 33rd annual Cultural Festival at Hawai`i Volcanoes
National Park is by Dietrich Varez
THE 33RD ANNUAL CULTURAL FESTIVAL for Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park will be held tomorrow, July 13 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The free fee day is focut on interpretation at Kahua Hula at Ka`auea – the hula platform near Volcano Art Center inside the park. The theme is Ka`ike o ke Keiki: I ka nana a `ike; I ka ho`olohe no a maopopo; I ka hana no a ‘ike, which means: the learning of the childe; by observing, one learns; in listening, one commits to memory; by practice one masters the skill.
     Enjoy hula kahiko and music with keiki o Halau o Kekuyi, Halau Ulumamo o Hilo Pliu, Hual Halau Ke `olu Mkani o Mauna Loa, Leabert Linsey and Diana Aki.
      Watch skille practitioners demonstrate art and leant to beat kapa, weave lauhala hats, sew a feather lei, create a native garden and use plants as medicine.
      Play Hawaiian games, weave a coconut basket and lauhala bracelet, Make a feather kahili and traditional le. Tast taro, sweet potato, sugar cane and breadfruit.

SATURDAY’S COASTAL CLEANUP at `Onikinalu Bay near Green Sands Beach is still open for volunteers. Contact coordinator Megan Lamson, of Hawai`i Wildlife Fund, at kahakai.cleanups@gmail.com or 769-7629.

SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS ATPAHALAPLANTATIONCOTTAGES.COM ANDKAUCOFFEEMILL.COM. KA`U COFFEE MILL IS OPEN SEVEN DAYS A WEEK.

Viewing all 3982 articles
Browse latest View live




Latest Images