The Kaʻū Calendar News Briefs, Hawaiʻi Island

Don Elwing who makes art from local marine debris will come to Na`alehu School on Thursday to create a
group art piece for the school with student help. Kamilo, Men in Black won Elwing first prize at the annual
Trash Art Show in Hilo. It is made from marine debris from Kamilo beach in Ka`u.
See story below. Photo from East Hawai`i Cultural Center

THE ALOHA STATE WON ITS CASE to stop Pres. Donald Trump's Executive Order travel ban that would have barred U.S. entry to visitors from six Muslim majority countries, starting Thursday. The ruling on Wednesday marked the second time that a federal court has stopped such a travel ban enacted by the Trump administration. The ruling not only covers Hawai`i. It covers the entire nation.

Judge Derrick Kahala Watson, himself a Native Hawaiian, who serves the federal court in Honolulu, said that Hawai`i Attorney General Doug Chin and his legal team showed that "irreparable injury" would be likely with such an unconstitutional travel ban. Chin argued that the travel ban would hurt tourism on which the local economy depends. His team also argued that Muslim residents would suffer when their families were barred from visiting.

Hawai`i Attorney Doug Chin and Gov. David Ige after the federal
judge ruled in favor of Hawai'i's opposition to the Trump travel ban.

Chin said in a press conference after the ruling that the federal judge looked at the context of the ban, including comments by Trump and his surrogates regarding their attitude toward immigrants and Muslims during the Trump campaign and after Trump became president.

Trump, while riling up supporters at a Tennessee rally after the court decision, told the crowd: "We're talking about the safety and security of our people....This ruling makes us look weak, which, by the way, we no longer are, believe me... We are going to fight this terrible ruling. We're going to take our case as far as it needs to go, including all the way up to the Supreme Court and we're going to keep our citizens safe."

Gov. David Ige said that "Hawai`i has a proud history of welcoming legal immigrants into our community and really being able to celebrate diversity. We learned a long time ago that when people of diverse backgrounds can work together we can accomplish great things. We do believe that current laws provide a rigorous process of screening visitors to Hawai`i that ensures the safety and well being

Sen. Mazie Hirono and federal Judge Derrick Kahala
Watson, who stopped the Trump travel ban on Wednesday.
The photo is from Watson's confirmation.

of our community. We depend on access to Hawai`i from around the world.... We felt compelled to assure that we will not tolerate discrimination on the basis of national origin or religion because that truly goes against the very essence of what makes Hawai`i a very special place."

Hawai`i was the first state to file a complaint after the second Trump travel ban was announced.

The judge is the only Hawaiian on the federal bench and the fourth in U.S. history. He is a graduate of Kamehameha Schools and Harvard Law School.

Sen. Mazie Hirono released a statement: “Judge Watson's ruling is yet another blow to the President's unconstitutional Muslim Ban. President Trump during the campaign made clear his intention to impose a Muslim ban. He has done so and no amount of spinning can obfuscate his intent. Every time our country has targeted a minority group for discriminatory treatment, we have been very wrong, and this Administration's actions are no different. In finding this Executive Order to be unconstitutional, Judge Watson exemplifies the importance of an independent judiciary.”

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HOME BUSINESSES ON LAND DESIGNATED AGRICULTURE would be allowed without Special Permits, if the Planning Commissions and County Council approve Planning Director Michael Yee's proposal. He hopes to amend the county zoning law. The proposal states: "The purpose of the proposed amendments is to clarify that a Special Permit is not required for a home occupation in a single-family dwelling on lots existing prior to June 4, 1976, in the State Land Use Agricultural District." The measure comes before the Windward Planning Commission at its Thursday, April 6 meeting at the county's Ahupuni Conference Room in Hilo at 9 a.m.

Moa`ula where the Planned Unit Development procedure has been
used to plan subdivision of the Ka`u Coffee farms.
Photo by Geneveve Fyvie

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RULES REGARDING PLANNED UNIT DEVELOPMENT, which allow lots to be smaller than, for example, 20 acres on property zoned Agriculture - 20, are up for approval by the county Planning Commission. Public input is being accepted by the county Planning Department.

A public hearing, review and action of proposed amendments will take place on April 10 at 10:30 a.m. during a joint meeting of the Leeward and Windward Planning Commissions. The PUD, Project Unit Development law, has been used to set up the subdivision of lands where the Ka`u Coffee farmers are growing their famous coffee at Moa`ula and Pear Tree farms.

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MATH AND SCIENCE NIGHT AT NA`ALEHU ELEMENTARY SCHOOL welcomes the community this Thursday, March 16 from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. at the gym. Teachers, staff and students will have fun hands-on activities for 'ohana and will share student work. Join Local marine debris artist Don Elwing to create a group art piece for the school and check out a sampling of his many art pieces made from debris collected from Kamilo Beach. See a model volcanic eruption, make an anemometer to measure the wind, learn about electrical circuits, experiment with makey makey devices, check out sixth grade science fair projects and investigate star constellations and navigation. There will also be free food for all. For questions, contact 939-2413.

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Thursday Night at the Center, Mar 16, 7 – 9 p.m., Volcano Art Center. Susan Scott and Wally Johnson present their book, Hawai`i’s Kolea, the Amazing Transpacific Life of the Pacific Golden-Plover. 967-8222

Ka`u Rural Health Community Association's 19th Annual rural Health Conference is Friday, Mar 17, 8:30 a.m. - 2 p.m. at Pahala Community Center. 928-0101. Free to the community.

St. Patrick’s Day Dinner Buffet, Fri, Mar 17, 5 – 8 p.m., Kilauea Military Camp’s Crater Rim Café in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park. Corned beef & cabbage, lamb stew, shepherd’s pie & more. $19 adults; $10 children 6 – 11 years. Open to authorized patrons and sponsored guests. Park entrance fees apply. 967-8356.

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Kāwā has brackish waters where young fish and birds live, along with visitors enjoying springs
and saltwater. Photo by Julia Neal

NATIVE HAWAIIANS WITH TIES to Kāwā, surfers, fishermen, families who have camped at Kāwā for generations, and representatives of cultural and wildlife conservation groups and County government - these were among the people who gathered at Nā‘ālehu Community Center Wednesday night. They listened to a presentation of a draft of the Kāwā Resources Management Plan, written by a consultancy named Townscape, Inc. and the County of Hawai`i.

Clarissa and Duane Pua suggested the County
talk to more than the 40 interviewed for the
draft plan. Photo by Ann Bosted

Two spokespersons for Townscape, Gabrielle Sham and Angela Fa’anunu, chaired the meeting. They spent most of the session explaining some of the recommendations contained in the Draft Kāwā Resources Management Plan. Sham told The Ka`u Calendar that she thought the meeting went well, and that people had offered comments, which Townscape will have to work through. “We had a lot of new people who contributed ideas, so that was great.”

Sham began the meeting with the question, “How do we protect Kāwā before it is too late?” She and Fa’anunu said that Townscape, hired by the County to produce the 136-page report, interviewed about 40 people, including kūpuna, lineal descendants, fishermen, surfers and many others connected to Kāwā and "the ‘Āina."
Townscape’s plan recommends controlling animal predators that could threaten native species, managing the vegetation and human activities, recognizing the cultural resources, nominating Kāwā as a historic district, designating Kāwā as an area for subsistence fishing, banning bulldozing, and maintaining “the sense of place” at Kāwā for education and entertainment.

The plan also recommends amending the County Charter so that stewardship grants could cover the cost of labor and the cost of educational programs. Townscape’s draft plan was reported to have cost $225,000 and took almost two years to complete. The report was a condition of one of the grants enabling the County to acquire the land.

Sham and Fa’anunu emphasized that it would take a collective effort to reach a common goal to protect and steward Kāwā for the community. They asked for comments from members of the audience, many of whom came from Ka’u places ranging from Wood Valley and Pahala to Wai`ohinu and Ocean View. Sham and Fa’anunu often paraphrased community suggestions on large sheets of paper.

Gabrieela Sham and Angela Fa`anunu co-chaired the
meeting on the future of Kawa. Photo by Ann Bosted

The first topic for community discussion was the County’s Stewardship Grant fund. Ka’u residents questioned why, with so much in the fund, so few grants have been made.
The Stewardship Grants are funded by the Public Access, Open Space and Natural Resources Commission (PONC). In 2012 Hawai’i County voters approved a “Quarter Percent Fund” to maintain properties acquired through the “Two Percent Fund.” Non-profit organizations must apply to the Department of Parks and Recreation (P&R) for “PONC Stewardship Grants” to conserve and manage the County’s open spaces. As of December 1, 2016 the PONC Maintenance Fund had a balance of $1,882,099. Four applications for funds to steward Kāwā are making their way through the system.

Shelley Mahi-Hanai was among the more vocal members of the audience, often raising involved legal objections to the county’s ownership of the land. Sham repeatedly invited Mahi-Hanai to conference after the meeting. Mahi-Hanai has supported Abel Lui in his hard-fought battle to prove his ownership of Kāwā. Lui was evicted from the land by the County in 2012 after living there for many years.

The question of easy access for kūpuna and the handicapped was raised.
A young Ka’u resident replied that although he is fit now, he realized that one day he may be handicapped. He asked the meeting to understand that Kāwā is a sacred place, and not every sacred place should be made accessible to everyone. He admitted that this was “unfortunate” for some, but “no Hawaiian would want a road dozed into this.” Many in the meeting voiced their agreement. “Back in the days, no vehicle came in here,” asserted a resident, to which some in the audience replied “Amen!” One person opined that the community should accept the ‘Āina as it is, and “not change it for our convenience”.
A young man raised the issue of climate change and suggested that the plan take into account the anticipated higher sea levels, and the higher storm surge, which scientists predict for the coming decades.

Community, government, and family members, connected to the oceanfront

land at Kawa converged on a presentation of a draft management plan

on Wednesday. Photo by Ann Bosted

The 100-acre strip of privately owned land in the middle of the county-owned lands along the coast was pointed out as a potential threat to the plan, if the private owners are not supportive of its goals. According to county records, there are 31 owners are on the deed, two of them deceased. The owners have addresses in a plethora of towns on the Big Island and O`ahu, as well as the mainland. The property is zoned “conservation”. The “flag lot” extends from Highway 11 to the coast at Pu’uo Point, and lies to the north of Kāwā Bay.
Sham and Fa’anunu stated that all the private owners are “on board” with the plan. They also pointed out that the state owns 2.13 acres encompassing the Kāwā pond, and 1.147 acres that was a school grant. Other privately owned inholdings are a .65-acre lot and a quarter-acre lot.
Clarissa Pua wanted to know why the pond is "no longer flowing," saying “we depend on that”. Other residents claimed that the invasives in the pond had been holding the sand, but that by removing the vegetation, the sand partly filled the pond and blocked the fresh water inlet. A resident told the meeting, “we used to dive in the pond, but now it is all filled in. Hilea Iki, the stream, is clogged. I see the kūpuna cry when they see how it is now.”
After the meeting, Clarissa Pua and her husband, Duane Pua, shared their thoughts with The Ka’u Calendar. Clarissa said that Duane is descended from King Kamehameha and his ‘ohana grew up in the area. His nephew used to clean out the ponds. Duane agreed that removing foliage let the sand in. “Its going to be hard to remove the sand. The feeder into the pond has been closed since August.”

The Puas said that Townscape and the County should have had “a meeting with all the families and get all the views. Forty people is not enough. There are grand-children and great-grand-children who are connected to the ‘Āina and should be included,” said Duane who added “I don’t mind walking in to Kāwā – I walk in from Punalu’u."
Vice-President of Hawai’i Wildlife Fund, Megan Lamson, who organizes Ka`u Coast Clean-ups, has brought volunteers to clear invasive grasses from the estuary and fishpond since 2014. In a grant application, Lamson (not in attendance at the meeting) wrote: “Hawai`i Wildlife Fund hopes that this restoration work will allow the native reeds (nanaku) and other native coastal vegetation … to repopulate and fill in the streambed and intertidal zones, thereby increasing the available dissolved oxygen in the estuary for aquatic organisms.”
Mahi-Hanai told The Ka’u Calendar that she is concerned about the lack of enforcement of the rights of the heirs, quoting legislation and terms such as “deliberate indifference.” She said she has researched old laws, including those connected with Prince Kuhio in 1919, and has a large binder of printed material. She said she hopes that the County will honor laws dating back to the Hawaiian monarchs.

The County and Townscape have been gathering information and preferences to plan the future of Kāwā through meetings and interviews. The land was purchased in 2008 and 2011. The 785 acres stretch for two thirds of a mile along the coast between Punalu`u and Honu`apu, near mile marker 57. With Honu`apo also in public hands, the county and community partners are managing about 1,000 acres makai of Hwy 11, all lands along the Ka`u Coast that were formerly on the real estate market and formerly up for sale for development. See more on the plan in the Tuesday, March 14 Ka`u News Briefs.

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The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, formerly known as food stamps,
faces steep cuts in the federal budget for 2018, proposed by Pres. Donald Trump. Photo from USDA

THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE would lose $4.7 billion, 21 percent of its annual funding if President Donald Trump's proposed 2018 budget, released Thursday, is approved by Congress. Some of the vulnerable programs run by the U.S.D.A and familiar to rural families in Ka`u include:
Food & Nutrition Service,which subsidizes lunches and breakfasts at local schools SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, formerly known as food stamps) and WIC (food subsidies for Women Infants and Children); Rural Development, Natural Resources Conservation Service; Farm Service Agency; Animal and Plant Health Inspection; Agricultural Marketing Service; Agricultural Research Service, U.S.D.A Forest Service; Food Safety & Inspection Service; Risk Management Agency; National Institute of Food & Agriculture; and the National Agriculture Statistics Service.

The proposed budget will go through Congress for approvals and adjustments.

Ka`u Farmers Union, a member of Hawai`i Farmers Union United and parent organization National Farmers Union, issued a statement entitled President's Budget Shuns Rural America With Deep Cuts to Agriculture and Services to Rural America. National Farmers Union President Roger Johnson writes:

“Family farmers and ranchers are currently enduring the worst farm economy in well over a decade and an inadequate safety net that is hamstrung by $23 billion in budget cuts. The last thing our members need right now is more cuts to agencies and programs that provide incredibly important work, especially in the midst of the current farm crisis. These cuts and the message they send to rural America are deeply disappointing."

Johnson notes that "Trump’s budget blueprint calls for a $4.7 billion cut to USDA, which equates to a 21 percent drop for programs that serve rural and farming communities across the U.S. This huge cut to discretionary spending will put rural development, food safety, conservation and research programs on the chopping block.

“The proposal recommends eliminating the Senior Community Service Employment Program that provides job training for older unemployed Americans. This program serves older Americans across the country, but is critical at addressing the challenges faced by older people in rural America."

The Farmers Union also expressed disappointment in a proposed $2.6 billion cut to the Environmental Protection Agency budget. "This 31 percent drop guts the agency’s ability to provide very important environmental services and pesticide approval. It even limits the administration’s ability to rewrite or remove the unnecessary regulations that the President promised to address. Regulatory relief comes from having a system that works," states the Farmers Union President.

“To this point, the president has put the needs of rural America and agriculture on the backburner, and, in many cases, on the chopping block. We call on Congress to reject these budget cuts and adopt funding levels that ensure the success and vibrancy of farming communities and rural America.”

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PRES. DONALD TRUMP'S BUDGET - "His first blueprint for our country's future – is short on real details, but it's clear that supporting strong local economies, building vibrant communities, or protecting the most vulnerable are not among his priorities," said Ka`u's U.S. Senator Mazie Hirono.

She issued a statement after Trump's proposed federal budget was released on Thursday, saying, "The President would completely eliminate programs that support Hawai`i's affordable housing efforts, clean energy investment, and opportunity for educational advancement and community service. It would end the Essential Air Service program that serves as a lifeline to Kala`upapa, Moloka`i, eliminates the TIGER grant program, which funded improvements to Saddle Road on Hawai`i Island and Pier 29 on O`ahu, and would threaten the Impact Aid program that ensures that every student in Hawai`i's public schools receives a quality education."

Hirono stated that cuts in the proposed budget to the Environmental Protection Agency, and Departments of Health and Human Services, Labor, Housing and Urban Development, and Commerce "will seriously undermine protections for clean air and water, public health, worker safety, and our economy.

"Altogether this budget says one thing—If you're rich and powerful, you'll be fine. Everyone else is left out to dry. Those aren't Hawai`i's values, and they certainly aren't mine. I will fight against these nonsensical and harmful cuts."

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WEIGHING IN ON THE TRAVEL BAN that was shot down by U.S. District Judge Derrick Kahala Watson on Wednesday, U.S. Congresswomen Tulsi Gabbard stated: "Hawaiʻi is a place where people with different ideas, backgrounds, religions, and ethnicities feel welcomed and respected. It's only right that our Attorney General Doug Chin represent those values in working to stop this blanket travel ban from going into effect. This travel ban is bad policy, plain and simple.”
Pres. Donald Trump said he would take his travel ban all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court, claiming it is needed to keep Americans safe.

CONCERNING THE TRUMP PLAN TO REPLACE THE AFFORDABLE CARE ACT, Sen. Brian Schatz tweeted that the U.S. Congressional Budge Office assessment "is clear. At least 24 million will lose health care under #TrumpCare. We can't impose this catastrophe on the American people."

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Ka`u Rural Health Community Association's 19th Annual rural Health Conference is Friday, Mar 17, 8:30 a.m. - 2 p.m. at Pahala Community Center. 928-0101. Free to the community.

St. Patrick’s Day Dinner Buffet, Fri, Mar 17, 5 – 8 p.m., Kilauea Military Camp’s Crater Rim Café in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park. Corned beef & cabbage, lamb stew, shepherd’s pie & more. $19 adults; $10 children 6 – 11 years. Open to authorized patrons and sponsored guests. Park entrance fees apply. 967-8356.

Park Ranger gazes across Nāpau Crater in Hawai`i Volcanoes National

Park where a hike is offered this Saturday. NPS Photo

Wilderness Hike to Nāpau Crater, Sat, Mar 18, 9 a.m., Mauna Ulu parking lot, off Chain of Craters Road in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park. Journey through the wilderness of Kīlauea Volcano’s East Rift Zone on this challenging 14-mile, seven-hour, round-trip interpretive trek. Free; park entrance fees apply. 985-6017

Writing for Inner Exploration& Life Reflection, Sat, March 18, 9:30 a.m. – 4 p.m., Volcano Art Center. With Tom Peek. $75/$65 VAC members. 967-8222

Hula Kahiko, Sat, Mar 18, 10:30 a.m., hula platform near Volcano Art Center Gallery in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park. With Kumu hula Pele Kaio, Unukupukupuku, and the students of Unulau and Papa Hu`elepo. Na Mea Hula with Kumu hula Ab Valencia and members of Hālau Hula Kalehuaki‘eki‘eika‘iu, 11a.m. – 1 p.m., gallery porch.

Teen Alert is one of the many programs represented at Ka`u Rural Health Community Association's
annual meeting on Friday. Photo from Teen Alert

EXPERTS ON HELPING COMMUNITIES, VICTIMS AND PERPETRATORS of drug abuse and domestic violence came to Pahala on Friday with a lot of skills and hope. They participated in the 19th Annual Rural Health Conference and General Membership Meeting of Ka`u Rural Health Community Association. The public meeting was held at Pahala Community Center. Many of the participants wore black tee shirts promoting the word "Respect."
Honorable Chief Circuit Court Judge Ronald Ibara talked about the Drug Court helping to improve the lives of drug users who were going in and out of jail, as if they were in a revolving door. Ibara is known for his idea of "training the entire person," and working with drug court teams to help people stay off drugs, complete drug rehabilitation, establish stable housing, become educated, work, and stay away from the social groups that would help to get them back in trouble.

Ka`u Coffee farmer Delvin Navarro
wears the conference themed t-shirt
promoting respect.
Photo by Julia Neal

Ibara brought the program to the Big Island and it has been successful, producing a low recidivism rate. The police officers serving with the drug court are perceived more as case workers, he noted. They encourage and provide structure for persons convicted of drug crimes to solve their problems rather than just sit in jail and go back on the street and resume an unhealthy and dangerous lifestyle.
Danielle Ortiz Padilla, of the Teen Alert Program, stressed the importance of helping teens to gain the strength to make good choices to avoid becoming victims of violence, abuse and drugs. The organization stresses the importance of separating young people from brain damaging drugs such as methamphetamine. Padilla noted that meth does physical damage to the brain that can make it impossible for a person to recover full mental and emotional functions, even after quitting. The damage can lead to impaired thinking and the inability to make the right decisions.
Gary Shimobokura of Laulima, LLC. shared his experience of working with businesses, families and community groups on drug and domestic abuse, as well as sexual violence problems. His programs help youth choose a different Shimobokura has worked with Pa`a Pono Molili`i and its youth camps. His programs help youth to choose a positive path away from bad habits they may have witnesses or experienced as children.
Ed Flores, of the Boys to Men program, talked about the natural ability of athletic coaches to help youth in their overall life development. He said he would meet with Ka`u High School coaches.
Also making presentations were David Nishthal, Education Coordinator of the Sex Abuse Treatment Center; Valerie Mariano, of the Department of the Attorney General Community and Drime Prevention division; and Auntie Jessie Marques, Executive Director of Ka`u Rural Health Community Association.

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MEALS ON WHEELS, which are available homebound persons 60 years and older in Ka`u, are at risk of losing funding under the proposed budget cuts that Pres. Donald Trump has sent to Congress. The meals are available through the Hawai`i County Nutrition Program which also provides meals in group settings at such places as Pahala Senior Center.

The county receives some Meals on Wheels funding through Community Services Block Grants each year - a program Trump's budget eliminates entirely. About 35 percent of Meals On Wheels funding comes from another federal source, through the Older Americans Act, which is also likely to be cut, according to a statement from Meals on Wheels of America. " Ellie Hollander, President of Meals on Wheels, said the budge cuts "would be a devastating blow to our ability to provide much-needed care for millions of vulnerable seniors in America, which in turn saves billions of dollars in reduced health care expenses."

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FILLING JOBS AT THE VETERANS ADMINISTRATION MEDICAL CENTERS is the aim of bipartisan legislation introduced by Reps. Tulsi Gabbard (HI-02) and Mike Bost (IL-12). The bill to address the growing problem of VA medical centers operating without permanent directors unanimously passed the House on Friday as an amendment to VA reform legislation.The bill now moves to the Senate for further consideration.

Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard introduced legislation that passed
Congress on Friday to push for VA jobs to be filled.
Photo from Tulsi Gabbard

"The mission of the VA is to take care of our veterans, and to do so they need strong, accountable leaders who are committed to that mission. In Hawaiʻi and many other states, veterans have gone without a permanent VA health center director for more than a year. Our bipartisan legislation that passed today will direct the VA Secretary to prioritize hiring qualified, accountable leaders to serve our veterans and their families," said Gabbard.
She explained that more than 20 VA medical centers currently lack a permanent director, including some that have not been staffed by a permanent director in almost two years. "In lieu of a permanent director, these facilities have been managed by interim directors who may only serve in that capacity for a short time, with the average tenure of an interim director being 120 days. The revolving door of directors serving in an acting capacity undoubtedly hinders the ability to engage in long-term planning and other functions necessary to improve service delivery to our veterans," said Gabbard.
The VA Health Center Management Stability and Improvement Act, which passed as an amendment to H.R.1367 t would: Require the Secretary of the VA to develop and submit to Congress a plan to hire highly-qualified medical directors for each medical center that lacks a permanent director within 120 days of enactment; identify possible impediments to staffing facilities with permanent directors; and assess the possibility of promoting and training qualified candidates from within the VA for promotion to Senior Executive Service positions.

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Writing for Inner Exploration& Life Reflection, Sat, March 18, 9:30 a.m. – 4 p.m., Volcano Art Center. With Tom Peek. $75/$65 VAC members. 967-8222

Hula Kahiko, Sat, Mar 18, 10:30 a.m., hula platform near Volcano Art Center Gallery in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park. With Kumu hula Pele Kaio, Unukupukupuku, and the students of Unulau and Papa Hu`elepo. Na Mea Hula with Kumu hula Ab Valencia and members of Hālau Hula Kalehuaki‘eki‘eika‘iu, 11a.m. – 1 p.m., gallery porch.

Only Kilauea Volcano and Nyiragongo Volcano in the Congo (shown above) have persistent lava lakes
nine acres or larger. Other persistent lava lakes on the planet range from a volcanic island in Anarctica to volcanoes
in Vanuatu and Ethiopia where the lava lakes are around an acre in size. Photo by Martin Rietze. See martinrietze.com

KILAUEA VOLCANOES SUMMIT ERUPTION in Halemaʻumaʻu Crater began in March of 2008 and has reached its ninth anniversary. This week's Volcano Watch, written by scientists at Hawaiian Volcano Observatory, points out that since the eruption began, countless changes have occurred:

The crater enclosing the lava lake (called the Overlook crater) has enlarged through rockfalls, and explosions have thrown spatter around the crater and onto the rim of Halemaʻumaʻu itself. The lava-lake level has fluctuated, leading to several overflows of lava onto the Halemaʻumaʻu Crater floor.

Sunset view of the Kīlauea summit lava lake showing an active

area of spattering at the right margin. Jagged openings between

cooler crustal plates reveal molten lava. HVO is faintly visible on

the Kīlauea Caldera rim at upper left. USGS photo

The past year has been a notable one for a simple reason: the lake is now frequently visible from public viewing areas. For most of the eruption, the lake has been too far beneath the crater rim to be seen, and only glow was visible from afar. Lava levels rose sharply at the start of 2016, with the lake poised just out of view for the first half of that year.

During the second half 2016, another rise finally brought the lake high enough that it has been commonly visible from Jaggar Overlook inside Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park. The sight of the lake is often incredible, particularly at dawn and dusk, with clear views of the slowly shifting crustal plates and large gas bubbles bursting at spattering areas on the lake margin.
The lake today is also quite large compared with its modest beginning and compared with other lava lakes around the world. The surface area of the lake has been slowly growing since 2008 and in 2016 it increased about 20%. The lake area now is about 39,000 square meters (10 acres).
Only a half dozen or so persistent lava lakes exist on Earth, including those at Erebus Volcano (Antarctica), Erta Ale Volcano (Ethiopia), Nyiragongo Volcano (Democratic Republic of the Congo), and Ambrym Volcano (Vanuatu).

The lava lake in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park has risen
to high levels for excellent viewing. USGS photo

Of these, only Nyiragongo has dimensions comparable to Halemaʻumaʻu. Nyiragongo's lake has been measured between 35,000 and 47,000 square meters (9-12 acres) over the past decade. The other lakes are all under 4000 square meters (1 acre). Halemaʻumaʻu and Nyiragongo are, by a wide margin, the two largest lava lakes on Earth.
The high lava level is not only good for viewing opportunities, but it also facilitates better scientific studies of the lake. HVO scientists and their collaborators have recently completed a number of studies that provide unprecedented insights into lava lake behavior.
For instance, we now know that the lava lake in Halemaʻumaʻu provides a "window" into the deeper magma system in some respects, but at the same time the lake has its own internal dynamics that are superimposed on these deeper signals.
Despite the lake providing a beautiful view and a unique opportunity for scientific study, the lake comes with one major drawback: vog. All of that spattering in the lake releases large amounts of gas, which has to go somewhere. Most often, the gas plume is carried southwest in the trade winds, impacting air quality in the Ka`u district and Kona side of the island. When trade winds break down, other areas of the Island of Hawai`i and even the entire state can be impacted by vog. More information on vog can be found at:http://ivhhn.org/vog/

Telephoto view of Halemaʻumaʻu from Hawai‘i Volcanoes National

Park’s Jaggar Overlook on October 15, 2016. NPS photo by J. Wei

Could the lake rise even higher? It's possible that a slight increase in magma reservoir pressure – possibly from an increase in magma supply from the mantle source – could push the lake level higher leading to further overflows onto the Halemaʻumaʻu Crater floor. If higher levels and overflows are sustained, they would likely lead to the development of a "perched" lava lake – that is, a lava lake contained within steep levees of solidified lava.
What is the overall outlook for the summit eruption? Although the lake has slowly risen over the past year, and the summit has slowly inflated in concert, the majority of monitoring indicators at Halemaʻumaʻu have been relatively steady. Right now, there are no signs of the eruption slowing down.
Halemaʻumaʻu Crater has a long history of lava lake activity, including decades of sustained lava lakes in the 1800s and early 1900s. This record demonstrates that the current eruption has the potential to last for many years. As we approach a decade of continuous lava lake activity, it becomes easier to imagine that the lava lake could be here for quite a while.

Volcano Activity Updates: Kīlauea continues to erupt at its summit and East Rift Zone. This past week, the summit lava lake level varied between about 5 and 23 m (16-75 ft) below the vent rim. The 61g flow was still active, with lava entering the ocean near Kamokuna and small surface breakouts downslope of Puʻu ʻŌʻō on the pali and the coastal plain. The 61g flows do not pose an immediate threat to nearby communities.
Mauna Loa is not erupting. During the past week, small-magnitude earthquakes continued to occur beneath the volcano. GPS measurements continue to show deformation related to inflation of a magma reservoir beneath the summit and upper Southwest Rift Zone. No significant change in the summit fumarole temperature or gas output was noted this past week.
One earthquake was reported felt on the Island of Hawai'i during the past week. On Tuesday, March 14 at 10:01 p.m. HST, a magnitude 3.1 earthquake occurred 12 km (7.5 mi) south of Hawi at a depth of 24 km (15 mi).
Visit the HVO website (http://hvo.wr.usgs.gov) for past Volcano Watch articles, Kīlauea daily eruption updates and other volcano status reports, current volcano photos, recent earthquakes, and more; call (808) 967-8862 for a Kīlauea summary update; email questions to askHVO@usgs.gov.

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RENTAL HOUSING ASSISTANCE FOR POOR FAMILIES would be radically reduced under President Donald Trump's proposed 2018 federal budget. The assistance, which subsidizes rents to landlords depending on family incomes, is a nationwide program with federal grant money locally managed by Hawai`i County. It is often referred to in Hawai`i as "County Housing" and helps many families in Ka`u.
The National Low Income Housing Coalition recently reported a shortage of seven million affordable homes for extremely low-income households throughout the country. Extremely low income people can pay 70 percent of their income for rent and utilities. "Every household that loses its rental voucher is at risk of becoming homeless," said David Reiss, director of academic programs at the Center for Urban Business Entrepreneurship. Writing in The Hill, he stated that years ago the country's Declaration of National Housing Policy set fort the "goal of a decent home and a suitable living environment for every American family." The program, which helps 4.5 million families nationwide, is not only those without housing but also for "the general welfare and security of the nation," says the Declaration of National Housing Policy.

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RESPONDING TO HAWAI`I FEDERAL JUDGE Derrick Kahala Watson's stop to Pres. Donald Trump's recent travel ban of people from six Muslim-majority countries, a Hashtag #BoycottHawaii was born.
Trump supporters urge people to take vacations elsewhere and others celebrate Trump supporters staying away, writing:
"When you realize #BoycottHawaii is something Hawaiians were trying to do since the beginning.." and "Anyone who wants to #BoycottHawaii can slide those plane tickets right over here. Hotel reservations too."

Others: "Got to love the stupidity of the #BoycottHawaii just means more room on the beach for me when I go" and "Fewer narrow-minded bigots littering our beaches and mocking our traditions."

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To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see Facebook. Follow us on Instagram and Twitter.

Make Hū Kukui, Wed, Mar 22, 10 a.m. – 12 p.m., Kīlauea Visitor Center lānai in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park. Help revive the practice of making and playing the traditional Hawaiian top. Free; Park entrance fees apply.

Coffee Talk, Fri, Mar 24, 9:30 – 11 a.m., Kahuku Unit of Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park. A monthly series of talks on various subjects. nps.gov/havo or 985-6011

Exploring Tunnel Books, Sat, Mar 25, 9 a.m. – 12 p.m., Volcano Art Center. Participants take a trip down the rabbit hole with Charlene Asato. $35/$32 VAC members plus $10 material fee. 967-8222

www.kaucalendar.com

Lane Ueda runs the LIHEAP application program each summer in Pahala, Na`alehu and Ocean View.

Photo by Julia Neal

LIHEAP FACES ELIMINATION IN THE FEDERAL BUDGET. The program which helps hundreds of Ka`u's most needy families pay for electricity and gas for their homes, is completely axed in Pres. Donald Trump's 2018 budget proposed to Congress last week. The program has been running since 1981 across the nation and is funded by Congress annually, administered by the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, with grants to local agencies.

Money already approved for the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program in the state of Hawai`i for 2017 totals $4,586,732.

LIHEAP is administered in Ka`u by the Hawai`i County Economic Opportunity Council. Na`alehu school teacher Lane Ueda, of Pahala, spends part of his school break each year assisting low income families with filling out the applications. During summer, the Edmund C. Olson Trust II donates office space to LIHEAP for Pahala. Ocean View Community Center provides space and the Economic Opportunity Council office accepts applications in Na`alehu.

LIHEAP offers two programs: The Energy Crisis Intervention program assists with up to $350 to restore or prevent termination of power to the residence of a household whose electricity or gas has been shut off within 60 days or is about to be terminated within seven days. This is a one-time only payment, which will be deposited directly into the utility account.

The Energy Credit program provides needy households not in crisis with a one-time payment deposited directly into their utility account.

The justification given in the Trump budget proposal is that "LIHEAP is a lower impact program and is unable to demonstrate strong performance outcomes."

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"WE MUST NOT LET HATRED DIVIDE US." That is the message from Congresswoman Tusli Gabbard in a statement yesterday regarding the White House budget. "It's when we care for each other -- choosing inclusion and love over division and hatred -- that this great country is at its greatest. The budget released by the White House puts division over love. From the programs that mothers and seniors rely on, to the environment that is so important to protect; these cuts will inflict more pain and suffering in our country and around the world," assessed Gabbard.

"Programs that many in Hawai`i rely on, like the Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC), will be substantially slashed. Without proper nutrition our children will face increased developmental delays and increased aggression later in life. Meals on Wheels, a program that so many of our elderly rely on everyday, faces a critical blow in funding.

"At a time when compassion and love is needed by so many, we must fight for a federal budget that represents what can help strengthen our country. Those of us that are able to must also step in where the government cuts and shuns. Your help with local non-profits organizations that assist the poor will be needed now more than ever.

"Will you consider donating to Feeding America or a food bank in your home town?"asked the Congresswoman.

Gabbard wrote about an "illuminated path to victory by choosing compassion. It is with our compassion towards each other that we can build a new movement to help achieve the greatness that is the destiny of all humanity, not just a select few."

Jeff from the Bee Boys explains the life of a hive.

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MATH & SCIENCE NIGHT AT NA`ALEHU ELEMENTARY SCHOOL last week drew families to enjoy learning and fun as they explored displays, experiments and activities.
Math & Science Night featured such activities as visiting with a beekeeper from Bee Boys who displayed a transparent hive with bees.

Linda Le teaches about circuits.

Children made constellations with Kealapono Kumu Okimoto and readied to blast off in the Kealapono rocket ship with glow-in-the-dark constellations.
They learned how to decide where to build a house safely on the slopes of an active volcano. They designed and made electrical circuits.
Na`alehu offers pre-kindergarten through sixth grade public school classes under the leadership of Principal Darlene Javar.

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MURDER ON THE NILE, the Agatha Christie mystery, plays on Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m.
and Sundays at 2:30 p.m. at Kilauea Theatre in Kilauea Military Camp through April 2.
The play is sponsored by Kilaura Drama & Entertainment Network and director Suzi Bond. Tickets are $15, $12 for seniors and students and $10 for children under 12 years of age. For reservations and more information, call 982-7334, or email kden73@aol.

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Coffee Talk, Fri, Mar 24, 9:30 – 11 a.m., Kahuku Unit of Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park. A monthly series of talks on various subjects. nps.gov/havo or 985-6011

Exploring Tunnel Books, Sat, Mar 25, 9 a.m. – 12 p.m., Volcano Art Center. Participants take a trip down the rabbit hole with Charlene Asato. $35/$32 VAC members plus $10 material fee. 967-8222

Ecstatic Dance, Sat, Mar 25, 2 – 4 p.m., Volcano Art Center. Participants discover a dynamic way to work out and meditate with Jo Caron. $15 or $20 at the door. 967-8222

Mongolian BBQ,Sat, Mar 25, 5 – 8 p.m., in the Crater Rim Café, located in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. Pick what you want for $.85 per ounce from a array of veggies and proteins. Call 967-8356 for more details. KMC is open to all authorized KMC patrons and sponsored guests. Park entrance fees apply.

Sen. Mazie Hirono testified on Monday during the U.S. Senate hearing concerning the lifetime confirmation of
President Donald Trump's nominee for the U.S. Supreme Court, Judge Neil Gorsuch.

THE SUPREME COURT NOMINATION HEARING IN THE U.S. SENATE on Monday drew testimony from Hawai`i Sen. Mazie Hirono, a member of the Judiciary Committee. She said the hearing for President Donald Trump’s choice of Neil Gorsuch for the lifetime position “is about more than considering a nominee for the Supreme Court. It’s about the future of our country. It’s about the tens of millions of people who work hard every day, play by the rules, but don’t get ahead. It’s about the working poor who are one paycheck away from being on the street. It’s about Muslim Americans who are victims in a renewed wave of hate crimes asking for protection from the courts. It’s about women having the choice of what to do with their bodies- our bodies. It’s about LGBTQ Americans who want the same rights as everyone else.”

Supreme Court nominee Neil
Gorsuch. Photo from Wikipedia

Hirono said she entered "into public service to help these people. And my questions over the coming days will draw on their experience as well as my own. My story might be unique for a United States Senator, but it is a story that is similar to millions of people in our country.” She talked about the time when her mother brought Hirono and her brothers to this country as children from Japan when she was eight years of age. “There were no religious tests to determine who could immigrate to this country. There were no language requirements. You didn’t need any special skills. If President Eisenhower pursued the same policies President Trump would like to, it's very possible I would not be here today.”
Hirono said, “I always knew I wanted to give back to my state and my country but never thought politics would be the path that I would choose. But the Vietnam War opened my eyes to how public service could create social change.” She said she joined campus protests and “questioned why we were sending so many young men to die in a far off country. A small group of us decided that in order for things to change we needed to do much more than protest. Many of us ran for office because we needed to take a seat at the table to be able to fight - help make lives better. That’s why I’m here today.”
She said that thousands of people have contacted her in the last few months, deeply worried about their families, their kids and the future of the country under the Trump administration. Hirono said she has also received concerns about the nomination of Gorsuch to the Supreme Court.
Hirono said that during her meeting with Gorsuch, she was pleased that he said the “purpose of Article Three of the Constitution was to protect the rights of the minority through access to the courts.” She said, however, that in reviewing his decisions she found he “rarely seemed to find in favor of the little guy.” She pointed to a case in which a company fired an employee who faced the choice between operating his vehicle in an unsafe manner or freezing to death in his truck. The judge sided with the company.

She pointed to Gorsuch decisions she interpreted as making it more difficult for families with special needs children "to get the help they needed as the law intended." She said she was troubled by seeing Gorsuch viewing corporations as people, and choosing corporations over individuals who have suffered “real life harm.”
Testified Hirono, “President Trump made it very clear that he had a series if litmus tests for his Supreme Court nominee.” She named: overturning Rowe v Wade, denying women access to health care on the basis of religious freedom and upholding a decision on guns, “which the NRA believes prevents Congress, states or local governments from passing common sense gun safety legislation. Each of these tests would have a profound impact on the lives of every American,” said Hirono.
She said she concludes that Gorsuch meets the Trump litmus tests. She addressed Gorsuch: “In our courtesy meeting, you said to you have a heart. So Judge Gorsuch, we need to know what’s in your heart. We need to understand how you will grapple with the number of important questions the court will be asked to consider in the years ahead. Will the court protect the rights of working people and our middle class or side with corporations who want to dismantle organized labor in America? Will the court uphold the woman’s Constitutional right to choose or upend decades of legal presidents to overturn Roe V Wade? Will the court protect free and fair elections by stopping unfettered campaign spending or allow corporations and the ultra rich to hijack our democracy with dark money? Will the court protect the right to vote for all Americans or allow states to use voter fraud as an excuse to disenfranchise vulnerable communities.? Will the court protect our lands, water, our earth or gut decades of environmental regulations? Will the court protect access to our justice system or slam the courthouse door to all but the wealthiest among us?”
Hirono pointed out that the “Supreme Court does not just interpret our laws. The Supreme Court shapes our society. Will we be just? Will we be fair? Will America be a land of exclusivity for the few or the land of opportunity of the many? Will we be the compassionate and tolerant America that embraced my mother, my brothers and me many decades ago?”
She said the "Supreme Court vacancy isn’t just another position we must fill in our federal judiciary. A Supreme court vacancy is a solemn obligation we must fulfill for our future generations.”

Kazu Suenobu was known for his generous
gifts of home grown food to many people.
Photo by Peter Volpe

The hearings continue on Tuesday.

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YOSHIKAZU SUENOBU will be honored on Tuesday, March 21 at Na`alehu United Methodist Church with visitation at 9 a.m. and services at 10 a.m. with burial at noon at Hawai`i Veterans Cemetery No 2 in Hilo. He was born on April 20, 1930 in Puna.

Suenobu died peacefully and unexpectedly at home on Feb. 21 at the age of 86. Known as "Kazu," Suenobu was beloved by the Ka`u community as a friendly, generous gentleman and retired science teacher at Ka`u High School who shared the knowledge and abundance of his gardens with many people and volunteered for many activities.

He was married to Joyce, who came to Hawai`i from the mainland as a young teacher after seeing an ad in a teachers magazine for a job here. She met Kazu and they became known for their welcoming attitudes toward strangers in the community, often inviting newcomers to their home for food and festivities, lawn games and sessions of singing and Joyce playing the piano. They joined with other school teachers in the community who helped each other construct log homes for their families in Pahala.

Kazu was known for accompanying Joyce to many church services of different faiths throughout Ka`u where she played the piano. He remained active through his life with church and supporting Ka`u Hospital. He was one of Pahala's regular walking seniors, waving to friends as he exercised almost daily throughout the village.

Suenobu was a Korean War veteran and also taught at the former Waiakea Kai School. He served as a scout master.

Suenobu is survived by his wife Joyce Suenobu, of Pahala; son Andrew Suenobu and his wife Yumiko, of Honolulu; sister Anne Shino of Sandy, Utah and numerous nieces and nephews.

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Make Hū Kukui, Wed, Mar 22, 10 a.m. – 12 p.m., Kīlauea Visitor Center lānai in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park. Help revive the practice of making and playing the traditional Hawaiian top. Free; Park entrance fees apply.

Coffee Talk, Fri, Mar 24, 9:30 – 11 a.m., Kahuku Unit of Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park. A monthly series of talks on various subjects. nps.gov/havo or 985-6011

Exploring Tunnel Books, Sat, Mar 25, 9 a.m. – 12 p.m., Volcano Art Center. Participants take a trip down the rabbit hole with Charlene Asato. $35/$32 VAC members plus $10 material fee. 967-8222

Ecstatic Dance, Sat, Mar 25, 2 – 4 p.m., Volcano Art Center. Participants discover a dynamic way to work out and meditate with Jo Caron. $15 or $20 at the door. 967-8222

Mongolian BBQ, Sat, Mar 25, 5 – 8 p.m., in the Crater Rim Café, located in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. Pick what you want for $.85 per ounce from a array of veggies and proteins. Call 967-8356 for more details. KMC is open to all authorized KMC patrons and sponsored guests. Park entrance fees apply.

www.kaucalendar.com

The new Ka`u District Gym hosted its first regional karate seminar last weekend, under the auspices of
Pahala Dojo and the International Karate League. See story below. Photo from Dr. Cliff Field

THE WASHINGTON POST PICKED UP ON Sen. Mazie Hirono's analysis of Supreme Court nominee Neil Gorsuch. She was one of the last Senators to question him at confirmation hearings in Washington, D.C. on Tuesday. Washington Post reporter Ed O`Keefe pointed out ahead of her questioning Gorsuch that Hirono "is the most-junior Democrat of the Senate Judiciary Committee, meaning she plays clean-up and goes last. But she’s been watching all day – and is frustrated by what she’s heard from Judge Neil Gorsuch."

After Gorsuch repeatedly declined to reveal his personal opinions on actions by President Donald Trump and on such issues as abortion and religious rights, campaign finance and the travel ban, Hirono told The Washington Post, “I think basically his position is – and it’s a safe one – that I will rely on precedent." O'Keefe quoted Hirono saying, "The Supremes can do pretty much what they want and that’s why it’s really important to figure out where his judicial philosophy is, where his values are, unless we just think that judges are just heartless automatons that just apply precedent. We could probably have an algorithm or whatever to figure out what the precedent is.”

The Washington Post noted that "throughout the day, Democrats have failed to level any damaging blows on Gorsuch, leading Republicans to believe that the federal appellate judge will emerge from the confirmation hearing unscathed. And Hirono admitted that her party is struggling to build interest in the hearings."
She told The Washington Post, “I don’t necessarily expect the public’s interest to be piqued by these proceedings and such. They will care when the decisions come down and affect their lives.” She said that Democrats instead are “very focused on the Russian interference in the elections or health-care. I know people are really concerned with what’s going to happen with Medicare and Medicaid. The Supreme Court seems kind of distant. But that doesn’t mean we won’t pursue the lines of questions that we’re going to pursue.”
Hirono said she “would love for the voters back home to become engaged in the vote. Maybe they have other concerns – like they might lose their jobs if they’re a federal employee?” The Washington Post wrote that she was referring to "President Trump’s budget proposal that includes cutting tens of billions of dollars from federal agencies that would lead to job losses at places like the Environmental Protection Agency."

Supreme Court nominee Neil Gorsuch. Image from C-Span

After Hirono questioned Gorsuch, she tweeted: "Judge Gorsuch's actions show that he would fit right in to this Court's pattern of putting corporations before people;" and, "Without clear answers, we are left to divine what Judge Gorsuch would bring to #SCOTUS in terms of judicial philosophy."

The hearing continues on Wednesday. See more at www.washingtonpost.com where the tag line is "Democracy Dies in Darkness."

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DURING A 30-MINUTE QUESTIONING OF SUPREME COURT NOMINEE NEIL GORSUCH, at the end of the 11-hour hearing before the U.S. Senate on Tuesday, Sen. Mazie Hirono told him that he hadn't shared his views on issues. She told Gorsuch that his judicial record and writings, however, show a "steady march toward protecting corporate interest over individual rights. That is not protecting the rights of the minority as you told me in our meeting, which is the purpose of Article III (of the U.S. Constitution)."

Said she hoped that during her questioning that Gorsuch would "provide some reassurances that he would be a judge or justice for all Americans."

Hirono pressed him for his opinion on campaign finance reform and talked about "unfettered" corporate money flowing into campaigns. She posed the scenario of a Russian oligarch providing money to American companies to influence elections.

Gorsuch declined to give his opinion on any possible scenario, but said that Congress has a lot of latitude in legislating campaign funding law. “The Supreme Court has made clear that foreign money in particular is an area where Congress has substantial authority available to them,” Gorsuch told Hirono.

Supreme Court Justice nominee Neil Gorsuch during his marathon Senate hearing Tuesday.
Sen Mazie Hirono questioned him.

When Hirono asked Gorsuch about the Supreme Court decision in Citizens United v. FEC, which eliminated federal restrictions on political spending by organizations, leading to large contributions to Political Action Committees, Gorsuch described "ample room" for further legislation. He said that just because the Supreme Court "struck down one law - that does not mean that every law will be stricken. It does not mean that Congress has no role.”

Hirono also brought up the case of the Japanese American Fred Korematsu, who fought against internment and other mistreatments of Japanese in this country during World War II. The Supreme Court upheld the order to intern Japanese Americans and Hirono asked Gorsuch whether the ruling back then set a precedent for the Supreme Court if it were to deal with President Donald Trump's travel ban. Gorsuch said that the World War II decision would not be a precedent for the travel ban.

Hirono quoted President Trump's negative comments about judges who haven't agreed with him, including Hawai`i federal judge Derrick Kahala Watson who stopped the Trump travel ban. When she asked for Gorsuch to comment, he wouldn't name Trump in particular, but said that "anyone" talking disrespectfully of judges brought him great concern.

Gorsuch also said, "I can't get involved in politics." He stressed the importance of the independence of the judiciary and stated, "Judges have to be tough," and "take arrows from all sides."

The hearing continues on Wednesday.

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KEEPING OUR COMMITMENT TO DISABLED VETERANS ACT has been introduced by Sen. Mazie Hirono, the Democrat from Hawai`i, Republican Sen. Susan Collins, of Maine, and Independent Sen. Angus King, of Maine.
The legislation would to extend an expiring requirement under law that the Department of Veterans Affairs provide nursing care for certain veterans with service-connected disabilities. Without extension by Congress beyond Dec. 31, the VA would no longer be required to provide this coverage. Around 350 Hawai`i veterans at nine public and private facilities across the state depend on VA reimbursement for their nursing home care needs. The closest VA facilities to Ka`u that would be affected is the Yukio Okutsu State Veterans Home in Hilo.

David R. Pettijohn, Administrator of the Yukio Okutsu State Veterans Home, said, “Senator Hirono’s Keeping Our Commitment to Disabled Veterans Act would ensure veterans with 70 percent or greater military service related disabilities would not lose this VA benefit.
"Loss of this VA payment source would create a devastating financial burden for residents currently being served at Yukio Okutsu State Veterans Home. The burden for the care of these veterans would ultimately shift back to the Federal VA or the State Medicaid system. Ultimately it would put the entire State Veterans Home program at risk.”
Hirono noted that “VA coverage of nursing home care has helped hundreds of Hawai`i veterans and their families afford comprehensive services to maintain their quality of life and care for their service-connected conditions."
Said Collins, "We owe it to our veterans to provide them with the high-quality health care they have earned through their service to our country. By extending the authorization for nursing home coverage, our bipartisan legislation would make sure that service-disabled veterans receive the care, resources, and support that they need.”
Dave Riley, National Commander of Disabled American Veterans, said, “Extending this provision would help to ensure continuity and stability for the tens of thousands of veterans who rely on nursing home care every day. These veterans, many who are aging and severely injured or ill, cannot afford disruptions to their established care and treatment."
The Keeping Our Commitment to Disabled Veterans Act is also supported by the Veterans of Foreign Wars and the National Association of State Veterans Homes .
According to VA, around 35,000 veterans nationwide and nearly 350 Hawai`i veterans have received care through this authority in FY2016. During this time period, the total amount spent by VA in Hawai`i on this care is approximately $33 million.

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International Karate League founder Walter Nishioka and Julian Shiroma led a karate seminar at Ka`u
District Gym last weekend. Photo from Dr. Cliff Field

A REGIONAL KARATE SEMINAR graced the new Ka`u District Gymnasium last Saturday, March 18. International Karate League hosted the event along with its Pahala Dojo led by Senseis Cliff and Susan Field. Dojos from around the island participated in the daylong seminar and training. Presiding over the seminar was IKL’s founder Walter Nishioka (Shihan) and Julian Shiroma (Hanshi).

The training covered basic techniques and katas of various difficulty. A portion was also dedicated to learning kumite (sparring) and how to judge and referee kumite matches. The event was also used as an opportunity for Jake Villa, who is a junior black belt in the Pahala Dojo, to successfully pass his test to become a full adult Black Belt.

During and following the training,refreshments were supplied by O Ka`u Kakou and plate lunches were provided by Gary Tamondong and the members of the Pahala Dojo.

The Pahala dojo would like to thank those who provided use of the facility, OKK for providing refreshments, and individuals who donated their time and food to make the event a success.

The Pahala Dojo trains every Tuesday and Friday from 5 p.m. to 7:30 at the Pahala Community Center and new students are welcomed.

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Vendors can sign up for the annual Ka`u Coffee
Festival Ho`olaulea to be held Saturday, May 27.
Photo by Julia Neal

VENDORS FOR THE NINTH ANNUAL KA`U COFFEE FESTIVAL are invited to sign up for the Ho`olaulea to be held on the grounds of Pahala Community Center on Saturday, May 27. Check www.kaucoffeefest.com for a vendor form and the latest information. See more on the Ka`u Coffee Festival events in Wednesday's Ka`u News Briefs.

Coffee Talk, Fri, Mar 24, 9:30 – 11 a.m., Kahuku Unit of Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park. A monthly series of talks on various subjects. nps.gov/havo or 985-6011

Exploring Tunnel Books, Sat, Mar 25, 9 a.m. – 12 p.m., Volcano Art Center. Participants take a trip down the rabbit hole with Charlene Asato. $35/$32 VAC members plus $10 material fee. 967-8222

Ecstatic Dance, Sat, Mar 25, 2 – 4 p.m., Volcano Art Center. Participants discover a dynamic way to work out and meditate with Jo Caron. $15 or $20 at the door. 967-8222

Mongolian BBQ, Sat, Mar 25, 5 – 8 p.m., in the Crater Rim Café, located in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. Pick what you want for $.85 per ounce from a array of veggies and proteins. Call 967-8356 for more details. KMC is open to all authorized KMC patrons and sponsored guests. Park entrance fees apply.

www.kaucalendar.com

Ka`u Coffee Festival kicks off with the Miss Ka`u Coffee Pageant at Ka`u Coffee Mill on May 13.
Photo by Pam Taylor

KA`U COFFEE FESTIVAL ORGANIZERS have announced their ninth year of events. The 2017 calendar begins May 13 with the Miss Ka`u Coffee pageant at Ka`u Coffee Mill, followed by many activities in the district, leading up to the annual all-day Ka`u Coffee Festival Ho`olaulea at Pahala Community Center on Saturday, May 27.

Supported by the Hawai‘i Tourism Authority, the Ka`u Coffee Growers Cooperative, the Edmund C. Olson Trust II, and "a bevy of sponsors and volunteers, the Ka‘u Coffee Festival is designed to celebrate Ka‘u as a premium coffee growing origin and a unique visitor destination," says a statement from organizers. "Many events are free, while others require a nominal fee and reservations. All activities feature the exceptional flavor and aroma of Ka‘u coffee and the remarkable people and special place that produces it," says organizer Chris Manfredi.
Saturday, May 13, the annual Miss Ka‘u Coffee Pageant showcases the crowning of 2017 Miss Ka‘u Coffee and her court. 6 p.m. at the Ka‘u Coffee Mill. $10 admission. Contact 808-928-0606 or trinimarques@yahoo.com.

Ka`u Coffee Recipe Contest at Ka`u Coffee Mill on May 21.
Photo by Julia Neal

Friday, May 19, Pa‘ina & Open House at historic Pahala Plantation House features music, hula, food and house tours 5:30 p.m. – 9:30 p.m. Corner of Maile and Pikake in Pahala. Hosted by Pahala Plantation Cottages, Ka‘u Chamber of Commerce and The Ka‘u Calendar newspaper. Free, donations accepted for Miss Ka‘u Coffee Scholarship Fund. mahalo@aloha.net, 808-928-9811.
Sunday May 21, the Ka‘u Coffee Recipe Contest offers a free, 2 p.m. cooking competition with cash prizes at Ka‘u Coffee Mill. Entries are accepted in pupu, entree and dessert categories and all recipes are made with Ka‘u coffee. Free coffee tasting and meet Miss Ka‘u Coffee. Find contest entry info at www.kaucoffeemill.com or call 808-928-0550.
Monday, May 22, observe the heavens from the summit of Makanau at Ka‘u Star Gazing, 5:30-10 p.m. $35 with refreshments and shuttle transportation departing from Ka‘u Coffee Mill. Sign up at www.kaucoffeemill.com or call 808-928-0550.

Ka`u Mountain Water System Hike on May 24 and 25.
Photo by Jesse Tunison

Wednesday, May 24 and Thursday, May 25, Explore historic flume systems of the sugarcane era and development of hydroelectric power on a Ka‘u Mountain Water System Hike in the Wood Valley rainforest 9 a.m.-2 p.m. Limited to 30, $40 includes lunch. Visit www.kaucoffeemill.com or phone 808-928-0550.
Saturday, May 27, festival fun bubbles over with the free Ka‘u Coffee Festival Ho‘olaule‘a—a full day of live music, hula, food booths, local crafts, keiki activities, educational displays, guided coffee tastings and farm/mill tours headquartered inside and out of the Pahala Community Center, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Talk story with Ka‘u coffee growers and buy their coffee. The Ka‘u Coffee Experience offers Ka‘u coffees prepared using a variety of methods by professionals from 9:30 a.m.-noon and 1 p.m.-3:30 p.m. Farm tours with shuttle transport are 9:30 and 11 a.m., plus 12:30, 2 and 3:30 p.m., $20. Call 808-929-9550 or visit www.kaucoffeefest.com.

Ka`u Coffee farmers like Lorie Obra and Ralph Gaston
present their famous brew to the public.
Photo by Julia Neal

Sunday, May 28, learn about the specialty coffee industry with presentations given by notable coffee experts at the Ka‘u Coffee College at Pahala Community Center. The Ka‘u Coffee College has become known for hosting some of the most renowned industry professionals from around the globe. Free, donations appreciated. Call 808-929-9550 or www.kaucoffeefest.com.
The organizers are reaching beyond Ka`u to invite visitors to the festival events and to explore the district. "During the week visit Ka‘u coffee farms. Enjoy the scenic and historic beauty of Ka‘u, Punalu‘u Black Sand Beach, Honu‘apo fishponds, the cliffs of Ka Lae—the southernmost place in the U.S.—and the nearby Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park. Stay in one of the many accommodations in Ka‘u," says the broadly distributed festival statement. Visit www.kaucoffeefest.com for participating coffee farms and accommodations.
"Founded in coffee traditions dating to the 1800s—Ka‘u coffee burst onto the specialty coffee scene by winning numerous coffee quality awards. These accolades highlight the unique combination of people and place that makes Ka‘u coffee a favorite across the globe. The festival’s mission is to raise awareness of Ka‘u as a world-class, coffee-growing origin," states the festival release.
Ka‘u Coffee Festival vendor and sponsorship opportunities are available. For more information and festival updates, visit www.kaucoffeefest.com, follow Ka‘u Coffee Festival on Facebook and @kaucoffeefest on Twitter, or call 808-929-9550.

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ALLOWING IMPORTATION OF PRESCRIPTION DRUGS FROM CANADA is a bill in Congress that Rep. Tulsi Gabbard asks Ka`u residents to support. A statement from her on Wednesday said, "The fight over health care right now is messy" but allowing in prescription drugs from Canada "will lower prices for prescription drugs and we can all agree that’s a good thing.

"Big pharma has been enriching themselves on the backs of the American people for far too long. According to a former pharmaceutical company pricing official, 'The U.S. is responsible for the majority of profits for most large pharmaceutical companies.' Meanwhile, big pharma spends far more on advertising than they do on research. The Affordable and Safe Prescription Drug Importation Act is an important first step in reigning in this insanity," said a release from the Gabbard team.
She provided a chart comparing drug costs in Canada and the U.S. and a link for constituents to support the Affordable and Safe Prescription Drug Importation Act.

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SEN. MAZIE HIRONO TRIED TO DRAW out Supreme Court nominee Judge Neil Gorsuch's judicial philosophy during the third day of his confirmation hearings on Wednesday. Gorsuch held back and declined to opine.

During the hearing, Hirono said that many of her colleagues across the aisle called the Gorsuch confirmation hearing an endurance test. "The real endurance test," she told Gorsuch, "is about the struggle facing working families, women, people of color, the LBGTQ community, immigrants and native peoples. It's about the struggles that everyday Americans have to face. These are are the people who will be impacted by the decisions you would make on the Supreme Court. These are the people for whom the need for justice is often most urgent. These are the people I'm focused on when I consider your nomination and any nomination to the Supreme Court. It remains to be seen if you would be a justice for all or a justice for some."

Sen. Mazie Hirono questioning Judge Neil Gorsuch during his confirmation hearing Wednesday,
alongside Sen. Richard Blumenthal

Hirono continued to ask Gorsuch for his personal feelings about issues: "Over the last few days you have often told us about what counts and what does not in terms of what a justice should do and how we should assess your nomination. When other senators and I have asked about your opinions... "you have told us to look at your whole record. When we asked about decisions where you seemed to adopt strange interpretations that narrowed laws meant to protect worker safety, you said you are a judge and don't take sides. And that if a statute was too limited, Congress should do better."

She gave examples of decisions for him to explain, including "a decision that left thousands of women being without health care" when a company said religious beliefs prevented it from offering family planning health services.

Hirono also said it was particularly important to know Gorsuch's judicial philosophy since President Donald Trump said he wanted a justice who "would adhere to a broad view of the Second Amendment and would overturn Roe v Wade for him, automatically." Gorsuch refused to comment on Trump and throughout the three days of hearings, insisted he was his own man and would make decisions independent of the President.

Hirono pressed Gorsuch, saying he knows that judicial philosophy matters. "Of course it does," she said. "That is why we are so focused on understanding your judicial philosophy and getting beyond platitudes about the judicial role. That is why this confirmation process matters. This is serious business," stated Hirono.

She pointed out that Gorsuch asked the Senate confirmation committee over and over again to focus on his whole record as a judge and not certain cases, "or certain of your writings and books or articles and emails." She said Republican colleagues suggested that it is "unfair to look at those things to discern how you would approach cases if confirmed. Some have even gone so far as to conflate the questions we are raising about your record in the courts in our advise and consent responsibility with Donald Trump's abhorrent attacks on federal judges." She noted that Trump repeated his attack on Judge Derrick Kahala Watson - the Hawaiian judge who ruled to stop the nationwide travel ban - during a Tuesday night $30 million fundraiser for congressional Republicans.

Hirono said she is particularly concerned with voting rights and pointed to the landmark 2013 Shelby County case that eliminated a Voting Rights Act provision that required federal clearance for certain states that had practiced discrimination to change voting laws and practices. She asked for Gorsuch's opinion and he declined. He said there were other remedies, including Congressional legislation.

Judge Neil Gorsuch, responding to Hawai`i Senator Mazie Hirono's questioning during his
Senate confirmation hearing Wednesday.

Regarding the voting rights case, Hirono contended that the Supreme Court got it wrong and Congress got it right. "The real life impact of the Shelby county decision was that 13 states passed laws that could be deemed voter suppression laws including - the first state was Texas, which intentionally passed a discriminatory law."

Said Hirono, "We learned in that decision that it matters a great deal for our rights what is the judicial philosophy or .....core beliefs of the judges to serve on the Supreme Court. If judicial philosophy developed through life experiences, education, etc. - and that judges should apply instead precedent, why would we have so many five to four decisions in critical cases?"

Hirono concluded her questioning by saying, "Judge Gorsuch, I wish I could say that this hearing has been illuminating by what was said by you. Instead, I'm left to judge your nomination largely by what you refused to say."

The testimony of Gorsuch was completed Wednesday, the Senate committee will hear statements on his behalf Thursday and his confirmation vote is expected April 3.

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Coffee Talk, Fri, Mar 24, 9:30 – 11 a.m., Kahuku Unit of Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park. A monthly series of talks on various subjects. nps.gov/havo or 985-6011

Exploring Tunnel Books, Sat, Mar 25, 9 a.m. – 12 p.m., Volcano Art Center. Participants take a trip down the rabbit hole with Charlene Asato. $35/$32 VAC members plus $10 material fee. 967-8222

Ecstatic Dance, Sat, Mar 25, 2 – 4 p.m., Volcano Art Center. Participants discover a dynamic way to work out and meditate with Jo Caron. $15 or $20 at the door. 967-8222

Mongolian BBQ, Sat, Mar 25, 5 – 8 p.m., in the Crater Rim Café, located in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. Pick what you want for $.85 per ounce from an array of veggies and proteins. Call 967-8356 for more details. KMC is open to all authorized KMC patrons and sponsored guests. Park entrance fees apply.

www.kaucalendar.com

A 4.4 earthquake struck in the Hilina Pali area of Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park on Thursday.
Photo from HVNP

A MAGNITUDE 4.4 EARTHQUAKE struck the Hilina Pali area at 10:27 a.m. on Thursday beneath the south flank of Kīlauea Volcano in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park. The U.S. Geological Survey's Hawaiian Volcano Observatory reported that the non-damaging temblor was widely felt across the island. It was located about 3 miles WSW of Kaena Point and 12 miles south of Volcano, at a depth of 3.4 mies. A map showing the location is posted on HVO's website at http://hvo.wr.usgs.gov/seismic/volcweb/earthquakes/. The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center reported no tsunami threat. There was one minor (M2.6) foreshock and several minor aftershocks following the earthquake.

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Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard said that money spent on prosecuting and
incarcerating citizens for marijuana crimes uses funding needed to improve
prisons and conduct rehabilitation programs.
Photo from Tulsi Gabbard

ENDING FEDERAL MARIJUANA PROHIBITION ACT (HR1227) is the latest bill introduced to Congress by Rep. Tulsi Gabbard. The measure would take marijuana off the federal controlled substances list. Gabbard co-sponsored the bill this week with Republican Congressman Tom Garrett, of Virginia. Garrett is a former prosecutor. Like Gabbard, he is an Army veteran.
Gabbard pointed to contradiction between federal and state laws. She noted that Hawai`i recently legalized dispensaries to grow, process and dispense medical marijuana, but federal law prohibits banks and credit unions from offering any type of financial services to businesses and individuals whose financial transactions have anything to do with marijuana. She said that recently formed Hawai`i state-licensed medical marijuana businesses and their employees can't open a bank account and have to hold thousands, if not millions, of dollars to conduct business.
In Ka`u, holders of licenses for growing marijuana under the new state law have been arriving to look at possible locations and talking to landowners about leasing and buying property for their new agricultural ventures.

Federal law prohibits financial institutions form handling loans, accounts
or any transactions with owners of marijuana businesses, even if
allowed by the state of Hawai`i. Photo from Wikipedia

Gabbard noted that Hawai`i is one of 28 states allowing medical use of marijuana and called for removing it from Schedule 1 under the United States Controlled Substances Act. The Act defines illegal drugs, such as heroin, based on their high potential for abuse, a lack of accepted medical use, and lack of safety, even under medical supervision. The removal of marijuana from the Schedule 1 list would be based on state-accepted medical use, said Gabbard, who also contended that marijuana "has been proven time and time again to be far less dangerous than alcohol, both for individual consumers and the people around them."
Gabbard said that FBI reports show that in 2011 alone, an individual in the United States was arrested for marijuana use, sale or possession every 42 seconds, mostly in poor and minority communities. “Our current laws are turning everyday Americans into criminals, sending them to jail, ruining their lives, tearing apart families, and wasting huge amounts of taxpayer dollars to arrest, prosecute, and incarcerate people for marijuana use.
"Over the years, we've spent hundreds of billions of dollars locking people up for nonviolent marijuana offenses, creating strain within our criminal justice system, clogging court calendars and
resulting in further overcrowding our prisons," said Gabbard. She recently visited Hawai`i prisons and saw "crumbling infrastructure, extreme overcrowding and facilities in dire need of upgrade. She pointed to "the shortage of services that are actually needed to help rehabilitate people and reduce our recidivism rate."

The vast agricultural lands of Ka`u have drawn the attention of some
prospective marijuana growers recently licensed by the state.
Photo by Julia Neal

Gabbard said, "Whether you personally think that marijuana use is good or bad, whether you would choose to use marijuana or not, the question is, 'Should we really be sending people to jail and turning them into criminals for it?' The answer is no. The fiscal impact, the social impact of our current policy are having devastating ripple effects on individuals and our communities and are only continuing to perpetuate the problem."

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OLDER CITIZENS OPPOSE AGE TAX IN ANY NEW HEALTH CARE BILL, according to the AARP with its 38 million members across the nation and many hundreds in Ka`u. One proposal in the American Health Care Act now before Congress would allow insurers to charge Americans 50 to 65 years of age five times more than younger people. Current law limits insurers to upping premiums for older Americans to three times the cost charged to younger people.
AARP hired both Republican and Democrat polling firms that found that "the vast majority of older Americans, including those who voted for President Donald Trump, are opposed to the 'age tax.'" The poll also found that the majority, including Trump supporters, believe Congress should keep Medicaid funding where it is now and let Medicare negotiate prescription drug prices, rather than provide vouchers.

“Older Americans want affordable health care, including less-expensive prescription drugs and continued protections for the most vulnerable,” said AARP Executive Vice President Nancy LeaMond. “When Americans over age 50 look at the details of the House health care reform plan, they don’t like what they see. They don’t want big insurance and drug companies to reap massive profits at their expense.”

The legislation that was scheduled for a vote on Thursday, but delayed in the House of Representatives, was opposed by AARP, which stated, "AARP has urged all members of Congress to vote 'no' to the proposed bill, and has vowed to make it an 'accountability' vote —meaning the association will let its nearly 38 million members know how their representatives voted."

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THE FUTURE OF THE FINANCES OF KA`U HOSPITAL and many other rural medical facilities throughout the country are in question as Congress works on the American Health Care Act, designed to replace the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare). Health insurance and health care are in play.
With voting in Congress planned, then delayed, the American Medical Association, comprised of physicians across the country, posted an Action Alert on its website, prompting patients and doctors to "Urge Congress to protect patients currently insured, enable low and moderate income people to secure adequate coverage and maintain Medicaid and other safety net programs."

Ka`u Hospital is one of many rural hospitals whose finances could be
impacted by new health care legislation. Photo by Julia Neal

In January, the AMA wrote to Congress and President Donald Trump's administration asking them "to lay out for the American people, in reasonable detail, what will replace current policies. Patients and other stakeholders should be able to clearly compare current policy to new proposals so they can make informed decisions about whether it represents a step forward in the ongoing process of health reform." The AMA offered to work with government "to continue the process of improving our health care system and ensuring that all Americans have access to high quality, affordable health care coverage."
An opinion piece by Howard Bauchner, MD, Editor of the Journal of the American Medical Association, is entitled Health Care in the United States A Right or a Privilege?" Until this question is debated and answered, predicts the author, "it may not be possible to reach consensus on the ultimate goal of further health care reform. Without agreeing to the goal, measuring success will be nearly impossible."

The American Dental Association also sent out an alert to urge Congress to maintain Early and Periodic Screening, Diagnostic and Treatment for children through Medicaid; allow states to continue to provide adult dental benefits in Medicaid; and increase transparency in dental insurance plans.
The American Hospital Association, American Nurses Association and many other health care organizations are asking citizens to give their opinions to Congress and for Congress to take its time with new legislation for the health care system.

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Joyce Suenobu

THE KA`U HOSPITAL CHARITABLE FOUNDATION has shared a letter from the late Kazu Suenobu, written when he made a donation to Ka`u Hospital's Garden Lanai project to provide outdoor space and activity for long-term care residents. Wrote Suenobu, “This proposed raised bed garden area with roses and other flowers will be a wonderful addition to the Ka`u Hospital. A rose plant is like a pretty woman. To keep her happy she needs lots of loving care and attention."
Suenobu, a lifelong gardener, also shared his method of caring for roses: "To make a rose bush thrive you need to: Plant it in a fertile ground with good drainage. (Roses don’t like wet feet). Don’t tell the 'Chinese rose beetles.' To control [them], dust with pyrethrum, a plant derivative that is non-toxic to animals. Shelter from the strong Ka`u wind. Plant in a sunny area. Water generously when needed. Enjoy!" He noted that his wife Joyce’s favorite rose is a long-stemmed fragrant red rose."
Donations can be made for the project and to the foundation. See https://www.kauhospital.org/kau-hospital-charitable-foundation.html

Exploring Tunnel Books, Sat, Mar 25, 9 a.m. – 12 p.m., Volcano Art Center. Participants take a trip down the rabbit hole with Charlene Asato. $35/$32 VAC members plus $10 material fee. 967-8222

Ecstatic Dance, Sat, Mar 25, 2 – 4 p.m., Volcano Art Center. Participants discover a dynamic way to work out and meditate with Jo Caron. $15 or $20 at the door. 967-8222

www.kaucalendar.com

Explosive eruptions, like this one from Halema`uma`u on May 23, 1924, produce downwind ash that can become
rich soil if abundant enough. In Ka`u, it's called Pahala ash and also helped channel water to old sugar
plantation tunnels. See story below. Photo from USGS

CELEBRATING THE SURVIVAL OF OBAMACARE on Friday after Republicans pulled President Donald Trump's American Health Care Act from the vote in the U.S. House of Representatives, Sen. Mazie Hirono tweeted, "Today was a victory for the #resistance, but it's only the first of many battles to come. Stay vigilant, keep calling us. #Trumpcare."

She released the following statement: "For the past few weeks, Republicans have been fighting with each other to see how many people they can kick off insurance rolls, and how they can raise health care costs for our kupuna, working families, and women in order to provide more tax cuts for the wealthy. Today, after seven years of vowing to repeal the Affordable Care Act, the crowning achievement in a crusade to serve Republicans' radical anti-government agenda – passing Trumpcare – failed.

"This is a good day for the people in Hawai`i and across the country who have benefitted from the Affordable Care Act, but we must remain vigilant. I'll continue to stand strong and speak out against the President and his Congressional cronies' efforts to roll back the progress we've made."
Before the bill was pulled, Rep. Tulsi Gabbard tweeted, "With changes in the #AHCA one thing remains clear - corporations get tax cuts while people who need care the most suffer. We must do better."
AARP, which opposed the bill and decried it as an “age tax”on older Americans, applauded the decision to pull it. “The leadership’s decision to withdraw the bill from consideration proves that the voices of Americans are very powerful. This harmful legislation would have added an age tax on older Americans and put vulnerable populations at risk,” said AARP Executive Vice President Nancy LeaMond.

Since debate on the AHCA began, AARP had been urging all House members to vote against the legislation because it would have raised insurance costs on older Americans.
AARP also said the AHCA would have done nothing to lower prescription drug prices and instead would have given tax breaks to pharmaceutical and insurance companies.
A report by the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office estimated that under the AHCA, 14 million Americans would have lost health coverage next year, and a total of 24 million would have lost coverage over the next decade. For older Americans in particular, this legislation "would have dealt a serious financial blow," said AARP in a statement. Its Public Policy Institute found that the AHCA could have raised premiums on Americans between 50 and 64 years old by as much as $8,400 a year. The CBO found that for a 64-year-old earning $26,500 a year, health care premiums would have risen by almost $13,000 a year.
"While the bill would have harmed older Americans, it would have provided generous benefits to special interests. The bill included tax breaks worth $200 billion for insurance companies, drugmakers and other industries," said the AARP statement.

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BARACK OBAMA RELEASED A STATEMENT ON OBAMACARE on Thursday, the seventh anniversary of its enactment as the Affordable Care Act:

"When I took office, millions of Americans were locked out of our health care system. So, just as leaders in both parties had tried to do since the days of Teddy Roosevelt, we took up the cause of health reform. It was a long battle, carried out in Congressional hearings and in the public square for more than a year. But ultimately, after a century of talk, decades of trying, and a year of bipartisan debate, our generation was the one that succeeded. We finally declared that in America, health care is not a privilege for a few, but a right for everybody.

Barack Obama signed the Affordable Care Act seven years ago
March 23. The former President released a statement on its
progress on Thursday. Photo from Wikipidea

"The result was the Affordable Care Act, which I signed into law seven years ago today. Thanks to this law, more than twenty million Americans have gained the security and peace of mind of health insurance. Thanks to this law, more than ninety percent of Americans are insured – the highest rate in our history.
"Thanks to this law, the days when women could be charged more than men and Americans with pre-existing conditions could be denied coverage altogether are relics of the past. Seniors have bigger discounts on their prescription drugs. Young people can stay on their parents’ plans until they turn 26 years old. And Americans who already had insurance received an upgrade as well – from free preventive care, like mammograms and vaccines, to improvements in the quality of care in hospitals that has averted nearly 100,000 deaths so far.

Mazie Hirono and Barack Obama worked on the
evolution and preservation of the Affordable
Care Act. Photo from Mazie Hirono

"All of that is thanks to the Affordable Care Act. And all the while, since the law passed, the pace of health care inflation has slowed dramatically. Prices are still rising, just as they have every year for decades – but under this law, they’ve been rising at the slowest rate in fifty years. Families who get coverage through their employer are paying, on average, thousands of dollars less per year than if costs kept rising as fast as they were before the law. And reality continues to discredit the false claim that this law is in a “death spiral,” because while it's true that some premiums have risen, the vast majority of Marketplace enrollees have experienced no average premium hike at all. And so long as the law is properly administered, this market will remain stable. Likewise, this law is no “job-killer,” because America’s businesses went on a record-breaking streak of job growth in the seven years since I signed it.
"So the reality is clear: America is stronger because of the Affordable Care Act. There will always be work to do to reduce costs, stabilize markets, improve quality, and help the millions of Americans who remain uninsured in states that have so far refused to expand Medicaid. I’ve always said we should build on this law, just as Americans of both parties worked to improve Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid over the years. So if Republicans are serious about lowering costs while expanding coverage to those who need it, and if they’re prepared to work with Democrats and objective evaluators in finding solutions that accomplish those goals – that’s something we all should welcome. But we should start from the baseline that any changes will make our health care system better, not worse for hardworking Americans. That should always be our priority.
"The Affordable Care Act is law only because millions of Americans mobilized, and organized, and decided that this fight was about more than health care – it was about the character of our country. It was about whether the wealthiest nation on Earth would make sure that neither illness nor twist of fate would rob us of everything we’ve worked so hard to build. It was about whether we look out for one another, as neighbors, and fellow citizens, who care about each other’s success. This fight is still about all that today. And Americans who love their country still have the power to change it."

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Interior of a water tunnel though ash layers in Ka'ū.

Water collects near the tunnel entrance and is transported by PVC

pipe for agricultural use. USGS Photo

PAHALA ASH FROM THE VOLCANOES AND ITS ROLL IN OLD PLANTATION WATER TUNNELS are subjects of this week's Volcano Watch by scientists at Hawaiian Volcano Observatory. The article is entitled Volcanic Explosions Provide the Foundation for Agriculture:
"Around Pāhala are several ash layers composed of fine-grained volcanic deposits, generally called "soil." The ashes are a mixture of altered glass, rare vitric (glassy) shards, Pele's hair, pumice, and olivine crystals. They are derived from pristine ash-fall deposits, weathered and reworked ash, and sediments. Ancient soil horizons are present in some localities.
"In dry areas, these ashy soils are friable, in some places dense and compact, but in most cases, they are sandy, loose, and dusty. In higher-rainfall areas, the ash appears clay-like. The clay was important to the sugar industry, not only as a growing medium, but also as a control on groundwater circulation in the region.

Pahala ash is the bed for diversified agriculture in Ka`u.
Photo by Geneveve Fyvie

"Collectively, these ash deposits were, in many ways, the underpinnings of the Ka'ū sugar cane industry. The soils formed from these ashes sustained cane growth on relatively young flows, especially on the southeastern part of the Big Island. Volcanic ash has been interlayered with the agricultural development of the Pāhala to Nā'ālehu region of the Big Island since the beginning of the plantation era.
"The weathered ash, which has transformed to clay, is semi-permeable and alters the flow of groundwater. Rain that falls on lava flows trickles through the flows until it encounters a weathered ash layer. Because the ash acts as a barrier, the water flows across the top of the ash in the form of underground streams.
"Hydrologists hired by plantations came to recognize that the ash beds were mostly impervious to water and would cause the rainfall to move horizontally. The ash layers mantled the existing topography, and water migrated to the low spots. Exploiting this fact, they constructed tunnels at the contact between the overlying flow and the underlying ash bed. The tunnels were built along the contour of the slope to intersect as many subterranean streams as possible.
"Since it is easier to excavate ash than lava rock, most of the tunnels were dug within the ash layers. Due to the impervious nature of the ash, workers were careful, in their excavations, to keep the floor of the tunnel intact; otherwise, the floor had to be lined with concrete. Sometimes, where more than one ash horizon was stacked upon another, workers purposefully penetrated the overlying layers to harvest additional water.

In 2011, Edmund Olson, Glenn Panglao and John Cross celebrated
on of the first water restoration projects from old plantation tunnels.
Photo by Julia Neal

"In the plantation era, a great amount of effort and capital was invested in creating a series of water tunnels to capture groundwater. The tunnels have such names as Mountain House, Clark, Noguchi, Fukuda, Weda, 'Alili, Makakupu, Plantation Spring, and Moa'ula Gulch. Each supplied between 80,000 to 1,200,000 gallons of water per month.
"The plantations were very pleased to have water for irrigation, but with annual rainfalls of 100-130 inches of rain per year, the water could be used for other purposes. In the early days of the plantation, from 1880 to 1948, bundles of sugar cane were floated to mills through flumes. In its heyday, the Nā'ālehu sugar company had over 70 miles of permanent flumes floating cane to two mills—one at Honu'apo and the other at Nā'ālehu!
"After 1948, roads and trucks were used to transport cane and the flume system was abandoned. Although the water was not used for the transport of cane, it remained a community resource for potable water and agricultural purposes.
"Today, water from the Mountain House tunnel and Ha`ao Springs is still used by the community. In addition, the Olson Trust is trying to obtain the necessary permits to use the water from tunnels closer to Wood Valley to generate electricity and irrigate crops."

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MURDER ON THE NILE continues this weekend and next weekend at Kilauea Theatre in Volcano. The Agatha Christie murder mystery takes place on a paddleboat steamer going down the Nile in Africa. Director is Suzi Bond. The cast is led by Hayley Pereira and Stephen Bond as Kay and Simon Mostyn, with Stephanie Becher as Jacqueline, and Ray Ryan as Canon Pennefather. Supporting characters are Lezleigh Bignami as Aunt Helen, Erin Smith as Christina, Mark Rawlings as Smith, Barbara Johnson as Louise and Steve Peyton as Dr. Bessner. Also appearing in the show are Lowden Borgens, Carol Denecker and Roch Jones.

Performances through April 2 are Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 2:30 p.m. Tickets prices are $15 general, $12 seniors and students and $10 for children 12 and under. Tickets are available at Kilauea General Store, Kea'au Natural Foods, the Most Irresistible Shop in Hilo and at the door. For reservations and more information call 982-7344 or email kden73@aol.com.

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Exploring Tunnel Books, Sat, Mar 25, 9 a.m. – 12 p.m., Volcano Art Center. Participants take a trip down the rabbit hole with Charlene Asato. $35/$32 VAC members plus $10 material fee. 967-8222

Ecstatic Dance, Sat, Mar 25, 2 – 4 p.m., Volcano Art Center. Participants discover a dynamic way to work out and meditate with Jo Caron. $15 or $20 at the door. 967-8222

Mongolian BBQ, Sat, Mar 25, 5 – 8 p.m., in the Crater Rim Café, located in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. Pick what you want for $.85 per ounce from an array of veggies and proteins. Call 967-8356 for more details. KMC is open to all authorized KMC patrons and sponsored guests. Park entrance fees apply.

The last 2017 Ocean Count of humpback whales was held in Ka`u and around the state on Saturday, sponsored
by Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary.
File Photo by Danielle Cholewiak/NOAA

FINAL HAWAIIAN ISLANDS HUMPBACK WHALE NATIONAL MARINE SANCTUARY OCEAN COUNT for 2017 drew more than 380 volunteers to 48 sites along the shores of Ka`u and around the state on Saturday morning. Humpback whales are sensing summer coming on and starting to make their way north for the season after wintering in Hawai`i where they breed, give birth and nurse their calves each year.

Humpback females breed, give birth and nurse their calves in
Hawaiian waters each winter. Photo from NOAA

Cindy Among-Serrao, the Ocean Count Project Coordinator, said that during the count from 8 a.m. until noon, 85 whale sightings were recorded during one 8:35 a.m. to 8:45 a.m. time slot, the most during any period of the day. Volunteers not only counted but recorded whale and other marine life activity.
"It was a nice sunny day with the occasional cloud cover which was great for volunteers but whale viewing conditions were not so favorable due to the presence of gusty winds and choppy waters," said Among-Serrao.
Statewide more than 1500 volunteers participated during three Sanctuary Ocean Count days in January, February and March, the peek, time for whales living in Hawaiian waters before they take off to Alaska and Japan for the summer with their calves born and nursed in Hawai`i. The largest number of whales in one day in Ka`u and Volcano were seen at Ka Lae - South Point and at Ka`ena Point - the bottom of Chain of Craters Road.
Ocean Count serves to promote public awareness about humpback whales, the sanctuary, and shore-based whale watching opportunities. The count is conducted three times per year during the peak whale season and provides a snapshot of humpback whales sightings from the shoreline. Participants tally humpback whale sightings and document the animals' surface behaviors during the survey. See http://hawaiihumpbackwhale.noaa.gov.

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WHAT'S NEXT IN IMPROVING HEALTH CARE? Though the Affordable Care Act still in place, Rep. Tulsi Gabbard said there is much to do to improve health care delivery, particularly in rural areas like Ka`u. Gabbard said that she was happy to report that the proposed American Health Care Act, slated to replace the ACA, was pulled from the U.S. House of Representatives floor Friday "due to lack of support. It's a terrible bill that was basically written by insurance and pharmaceutical corporations on the backs of the most needy and vulnerable. There are serious problems with our health care system that must be addressed, but this bill was not the solution - it would have just made things worse. This is not the end. We must continue to work for a healthcare system that puts the health and well being of people first."

She noted that Medicare and Medicaid "help provide access to quality healthcare for nearly 130 million Americans, including close to 570,000 people in Hawai`i." She pointed to her sponsorship of the Medicare Premium Fairness Act "to prevent premium and deductible increases for those enrolled in Medicare, and the Improving Access to Medicare Coverage Act to help ensure those who are the most in need continue to have access to quality and affordable care." She said she is also working to increase the Medicare reimbursement rate to help expand health care access and retain physicians in rural communities like Ka`u. She also reviewed other efforts toward improving health care:

KA`U'S MARSHALLESE COMMUNITY is underserved in health care and Gabbard vowed to help restore federal funding for health care promised to Compacts of Free Association migrants. In 1996, Congress passed a law that made migrants from Micronesia, Palau, and the Marshall Islands ineligible for federal Medicaid dollars, despite an earlier commitment from the U.S. after it used the islands for nuclear weapons testing between 1946 and 1962. Many families had to evacuate their home islands after the U.S. established the Pacific Proving Grounds and conducted 105 atmospheric and underwater nuclear tests. Generations later, many of the islands remain contaminated by nuclear fallout and the descendants of those who lived there can still not return to their ancestral islands.
A number of Marshallese families live in Ka`u, particularly in Ocean View. Many of them work

Marshallese students who attend Ka`u schools. with family members
working in the coffee industry and construction, are underserved with
health care, promised to them by the U.S. government.
Photo by Julia Neal

in the coffee and construction industries with some children entering public school without English skills.
"Without federal dollars, Hawai‘i has borne the cost of care for COFA migrants, which has strained our state’s resources," said Gabbard. "Each year, Hawai‘i spends an estimated $30 to $40 million to provide health care to these families. Gabbard introduced the Restore Medicaid to Compact of Free Association Migrants Act "to right this wrong, require the federal government to fulfill its obligations, honor our COFA, and share the cost of providing health care," she said.

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KA`U HOSPITAL IS A CRITICAL ACCESS HOSPITAL, always under threat of losing funding. Gabbard said, "People from every island deserve access to the highest quality of health care." She said she visited rural hospitals and saw the "remote locations, lack of funding, and staff shortages." She proposed to help "solve these challenges and create greater access to care in our rural and underserved communities." Gabbard also cosponsored the CONNECT for Health Act to remove Medicare barriers to tele-health and remote patient monitoring services.

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VETERANS HEALTH CARE will continue to be another concern, said Gabbard. "While veterans have been experiencing delays and obstacles in receiving VA healthcare for decades, in 2014, our country's failure to fulfill its promise to our veterans was starkly exposed. At the Department of Veterans Affairs, veterans faced wait times of 90 days or more to see a doctor. Hawaiʻi veterans experienced the worst wait times in the country, averaging 145 days—almost five months—just to see a primary care physician for the first time."

Better health care for veterans is the aim of several bills
before the U.S. Congress. Photo from www.filipiknow.net

She referred to her bill called the Access to Care and Treatment Now for Veterans Act to allow veterans not getting timely healthcare from the VA to get care from non-VA medical providers. This policy was ultimately included in the Veterans Access, Choice, and Accountability Act that became law at the end of 2014. She said she promises to do more to eliminate the unacceptable wait times veterans still face today.
She also passed an amendment in the FY16 National Defense Authorization Act to provide military retirees living more than 100 miles from a military treatment facility the option to re-enroll in TRICARE Prime. The amendment reversed a 2013 policy that eliminated this access and created barriers for veterans. She recently cosponsored legislation to require that management positions be filled at VA medical facilities.

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UNIVERSITY CLASSES OFFERED IN THE HAWAIIAN LANGUAGE is a goal of Sen. Kai Kahele, whose family is from Miloli`i and father Gil Kahele served as a state Senator from the district that included Ka`u. Kai Kahele, who represents Hilo, authored a bill in the state Senate that made it through the double deferral filing deadline on Thursday.
Senate Bill 848, House Draft 2 would authorize an Olelo Hawai`i pilot project at any of the ten University of Hawai`i campuses. "The na`au (core) of the bill is the opportunity to provide the pursuit of higher education at our state university through the medium of Hawaiian language," he said. Kahele said the implementation will take time, with initial focus on general education core requirement. He described the plan as "great for the University of Hawai`i and the hundreds if not thousands of keiki across the K-12 Hawaiian language immersion schools." See the bill and comment at SB848 SD2 HD2.

Senator Kai Kahele, whose family comes from Miloli`i, is proposing
University of Hawai`i core courses to be taught in the Hawaiian
language. Photo by Kai Kahele

Kahele said he is also concerned about rising tuition at the U.H. main campus, with the cost averaging $11,000 per year. Even though a bargain compared to some other state universities, he noted that fewer students have registered each year since 2009 and that overall cost of living and tuition can be less expensive on the mainland. "Higher education is slowly becoming out of their reach," he said, referring to the local student enrollment.
He noted that since 2009, annual state support of the university has dropped by $32 million.

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Hawaiian Hoary Bats, Tue, Mar 28, 7 p.m., Kīlauea Visitor Center Auditorium in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park. USGS bat biologist and researcher Corinna Pinzari reveals recent research and examines ‘ōpe‘ape‘a’s current status and distribution. Free; park entrance feed apply.

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The community is invited to a meeting on the Preservation Plan for the Hawaiian hula site, ʻImakakāloa Heiau.
The gathering will be held this Saturday, April 1 at 12:30 p.m. at Pahala Community Center. See Plan,
Archaeological Inventory Survey and Protocol Guide at www.edithkanakaolefoundation.org.
See story below. Photo from Edith Kanaka`ole Foundation

OCEAN VIEW COMMUNITY ASSOCIATION has applied to the Hawai`i Legislature for a Grant-in-Aid, which, if approved, would pay for a new roof for the community center. The existing metal roof was installed by volunteers in 1979. Although the roof has been patched numerous times, it urgently needs to be replaced before leaking water causes more damage to other parts of the building.
According to Hawai’i Revised Statutes, Chapter 42F, Grants-in-Aid are awarded for either capital improvements or operating funds to support programs. OVCA is asking for a grant of $40,000 to replace the roof.
The application is reviewed by the Senate Ways and Means Committee, chaired by Jill Tokuda, and the House Finance Committee, chaired by Sylvia Luke.
On Saturday, OVCA President Ron Gall and OVCA Vide-president Dave Anderson made a joint personal presentation in Waimea, limited to ten minutes, to members of both committees in the Legislature.

A row of tall, carefully crafted 'Ohi'a posts, stand in proud testament

to skill of volunteers who built Ocean View Community Center

in 1979. Trademark columns support the Community Center's

upper lanai. The two-story meeting place is home to many community

events, medical programs, social services resources, political talk

stories, meals and gatherings. Photo by Ann Bosted

“I think it went pretty well,” commented Gall, “they all seemed familiar with the Ocean View situation and I felt we got a positive reaction. We gave them a photo book showing the poor state of the metal roof. We just have to wait and see.”
The State of Hawai`i website lists about 46 grants awarded last year. They range from $ 1.7 million to $35,000. Gov. David Ige has the final decision as he can withhold funds even if the grant is awarded.
As part of the application process, OVCA provided, in advance of the presentation, a summary of its background, stating that OVCA has “served the community’s needs as a place to talk story, meet our neighbors and learn about issues important to our community. The OVCA sponsors community forums, activities and events important to the Ka’u District related to Health, Education, Social Services and Community Services.”

Under the section devoted to the building's contributions to health, OVCA’s application lists: “Department of Veterans Affairs medical, mental health and benefits assistance; Public Health nurse services; Dengue Fever briefings; Medical insurance enrollment; and other medical service.”
Educational contributions are explained by “Early Head Start; kindergarten registration; family reading night; school parent-teacher conferences; farmer and field worker briefings.”
OVCA lists the social services facilitated in the community center as “Legal Aid services; Epic `Ohana services to Hawai’i’s at risk children and youth; Project Vision free vision screening and glasses; Imua Ka’u family and community training.”

Looking down on Ocean View's Community Center, which was

largely built by town volunteers in 1979, is the center's iconic metal

roof with "Aloha Ocean View" in large letters next to a red flower.

The OVCA Board has applied for a state Grant in Aid to raise

$40,000 for a new roof. Photo by Ann Bosted

Community services provided by OVCA include: “free community dinner once a week; free Thanksgiving Day dinner; venue for three local churches; Neighborhood Watch monthly meetings; CERT training and meetings; Volunteer Fire Department training and meetings; free spay and neuter clinics; and adopt-a-Highway program."

“For our politicos,” the OVCA application states, “we host meet and greets for Hawai`i County Council members and state Representatives. The Community Center is a Hawai'i County polling site for local and national elections.”
The purpose of replacing the roof is, according to the application, “to preserve the building’s integrity and continue to provide a safe and dry environment for use by the Ocean View community and for services in the Ka’u District."

To help take care of the facility and pay for expensive insurance or Ocean View Community Center, OVCA is urging an expansion of its membership and for all current members to renew.

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THE HULA HEIAU MAKAI OF KA`ALAIKI ROAD, the old sugar cane haul road between Pahala and Na`alehu, is the subject of a public meeting this Saturday, April 1 at 12:30 at Pahala Community Center. The Edith Kanakaʻole Foundation, which is working with the Edmund C. Olson Trust to steward the historic site, will explain its Restoration Plan and Protocol Guide. Preservation Plan for ʻĪmakakāloa Heiau at Kaʻalāiki, Kaʻū, Hawaiʻi Island was written by Konrad K. Mossman, Matthew R. Clark, Dr. Peter R. Mills and Dr. Huihui Kanalehe-Mossman.

An aerial view of ʻĪmakakāloa Heiau
Photo from Edith Kanaka`ole Foundation

According to the Foundation, "KaʻūImakakāloa Heiau is one of the few documented hula heiau in the pae ʻāina of Hawaiʻi. Little is known of the practices and protocol used at heiau hula. The Edith Kanakaʻole Foundation is conducting research in this area in collaboration with hula practitioners, other cultural practitioners, the community, Office of Hawaiian Affairs, the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo Heritage Management Program, State Historic Preservation Division, and private land owners in the area.

Goals stated by the Edith Kanakaʻole Foundation, are: "To mālama this heiau in perpetuity; to complete an archaeological inventory survey; to design a preservation plan for this heiau; to restore the heiau to be utilized in hula practice by 2018; to research and design hula protocol; to teach protocol to practitioners and community; to study alignments with other heiau and puʻu and to inspire similar initiatives throughout Hawaiʻi."

North corner of ʻĪmakakāloa Heiau. Photo by K. Mossman

The Foundation states that three documents have been generated "to move the ʻĪmakakāloa Heiau restoration project forward. They are available online: Archaeological Inventory Survey of the Heiau and the two acre area surrounding it; Preservation Plan for restoration of the Heiau, and a Protocol Guide "to help orient and prepare volunteers and visitors prior to entering the site."

According to the Foundation, "These three documents were a collaborative effort involving cultural practitioners, non-profit organizations, government agencies, the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo and the Kaʻū community." The Foundation explains that the Archaeological Inventory Survey documents the site as it exists today as well as compiles historical, ethnohistorical, and archaeological background of the area. The Preservaiton Plan outlines how this site will be restored to maintain the authenticity of the site as well as to follow cultural protocol in the process. The Protocol Guide is a means of "disseminating proper etiquette and protocol to the masses. Within this guide, oli and mele are offered and discussed, these mele include traditional compositions as well as newly composed mele. We offer these documents for the purposes of demonstrating the steps taken in the work of mālama heiau to help other similar initiatives."

See more on the Edith Kanaka`ole Foundation at www.edithkanakaolefoundation.org.

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Prince Kuhio

PRINCE KUHIO DAY is Sunday, March 26 with the state holiday on Monday to celebrate the birthday of Prince Jonah Kūhiō Kalanianaʻole Piʻikoi on March 26, 1871. He was an heir to the throne of the Kingdom of Hawai`i, a territorial delegate to the U.S. Congress and authored the first Hawai`i Statehood bill in 1919. He also won passage of the Hawaiian Homes Act to create the Hawaiian Homes Commission and set aside 200,000 acres for the benefit of Native Hawaiians.

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Hawaiian Hoary Bats, Tue, Mar 28, 7 p.m., Kīlauea Visitor Center Auditorium in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park. USGS bat biologist and researcher Corinna Pinzari reveals recent research and examines ‘ōpe‘ape‘a’s current status and distribution. Free; park entrance feed apply.

Coffee Talk, Fri, Mar 31, 9:30 – 11 a.m., spotlights Footprints in the Ka`u Desert. Kahuku Unit of Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park. A monthly series of talks on various subjects. nps.gov/havo or 985-6011

www.kaucalendar.com

Ope`ape: The Hawaiian Bat is the subject of the talk at Kilauea visitor Center

Auditorium in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park on Tuesday at 7 p.m.

See story below. Photo from HVNP

One of more than 30 species of box jellyfish, Chironex

fleckeri. Photo by Robert Hartwick/Courtesy of UH

THE BEST JELLYFISH STING TREATMENTS are as counter-intuitive as the stings are harmful. Reputable medical websites repeatedly mimic each other and unwittingly disseminate unproven remedies – such as rinsing with sea water, or applying ice or scraping the tentacles off the victim’s skin with a credit card. It’s vinegar, not sea water; plucking, not scraping; and heat, not cold that are helpful, according to a new study by University of Hawai`i researchers. They found that many “remedies,” readily available to anyone who Googles “how to treat a jellyfish sting,” will only exacerbate an already serious problem.
Angela Yanagihara, assistant research professor at UH Mānoa Pacific Biosciences Research Center and John A. Burns School of Medicine, told University of Hawai`i: “We put those methods to the test in the lab and found they actually make stings much, much worse.”
Box jellies are among the deadliest animals in the oceans, responsible for more deaths every year than sharks. Even mild stings cause severe pain and can leave horrible scars. The stings are caused by tiny capsules called cnidae, which contain a coiled tubule and venom. Upon contact with a victim, the tubule is discharged in a harpoon-like fashion, either entangling or piercing the skin of the animal it contacts.

Dr. Angela Yanagihara collects Hawaiian box jellyfish

at 3 a.m. Photo courtesy of UH

Yanagihara, aided by Christie Wilcox, a postdoctoral fellow at JABSOM, looked at the best ways to respond to stings from two box jelly species, the Hawaiian box jelly Alatina and the largest box jelly in the world, the Australian box jelly Chironex fleckeri.
They examined how different ways of removing tentacles—rinsing with vinegar or seawater, scraping with a credit card or simply plucking them off—affected the amount of venom injected during a sting using a human tissue model designed by Yanagihara. They also looked at whether treating with ice packs or hot packs lessens damage from the venom.
The team found that some of the most commonly recommended actions, including rinsing with seawater, scraping the tentacles and applying ice, dramatically increased the severity of the stings.
“Less than one percent of stinging cells on a tentacle actually fire when you’re first stung,” explained Wilcox. “So anything you do that moves the tentacles, or the unfired 99 percent of stinging cell capsules around, has the potential to increase the amount of venom injected into you by many fold.”
The team found that rinsing with vinegar—which irreversibly prevents the unfired stinging cells from firing—or even simply plucking tentacles off with tweezers led to less venom injection. And after the sting, applying heat actively decreased venom activity.
Applying ice not only didn’t help with stings from Hawaiian box jelly, it enhanced the venom’s activity to make stings cause more than twice the damage.
Yanagihara explained: “Heat not ice will act as a “treatment” by inactivating venom already in the skin. These venoms are all highly heat sensitive. Safe hot water 110-115 degrees F (43-45 degrees C) applied for 45 minutes massively inactivated the venom already injected.

Jelly fish at the Sting No More laboratory. Photo from stingnomore.com

“Authoritative web articles are constantly bombarding the public with invalidated and frankly bad advice for how to treat a jelly sting,” commented Yanagihara, “I really worry that emergency responders and public health decision makers might rely on these unscientific articles. It’s not too strong to point out that in some cases, ignorance can cost lives.”
For those who can find it, the team found the best way to treat a jelly sting was the combination of Sting No More™ Spray and Cream, a venom-inhibiting product duo developed by Yanagihara with Hawaiʻi Community Foundation, National Institutes of Health and Department of Defense funding.
In response to a comment posted to the UH News website, Yahagihara wrote: “Vinegar is not a “remedy” or “treatment”; it does not enter the skin or effect venom already in the body. While this has gotten muddled in the popular lay press and on-line, the purpose of vinegar has always been to accomplish part one of a two part first aid approach which is to prevent additional stinging by

Vinegar doesn't cure the sting but it prevents the cells from
continuing to sting. Image from www.perfscience.com

undischarged cnidae left on the skin after tentacle contact. Anytime a jellyfish tentacle contacts human skin thousands of undischarged cnidae (stinging cell capsules) are left on the skin. These are microscopic and invisible to the naked eye but can be seen under the microscope after taking a sticky tape lift. Vinegar causes the collagen capsule to swell preventing the structural apparatus from firing. Sea water – while sounding innocuous, is not a good choice to remove cnidae. It is not effective in washing the cnidae off of the skin. It simply moves the sticky stinging capsules around without inactivating these “time bomb” venom injecting capsules. Later they will fire increasing the over all area of the sting.
“It’s all too easy to find bad advice on treating jelly stings on the internet,” said Wilcox. But she also noted that such bad advice isn’t solely the fault of the sites that provide it. “Even in the peer-reviewed literature, there are a lot of examples of recommendations that are made in passing in discussion sections without any direct evidence to back them up, and then those just keep getting repeated and cited over and over even though they’re not based on rigorous, empirical scientific evidence.”

Sting No More was developed in cooperation
with University of Hawai`i.

The team expects these statistically powered findings will prompt online medical sites, government agencies, and the broader medical community to re-evaluate the advice they provide on treating jelly stings. International collaborators and colleagues have joined in this effort and are conducting similar studies around the world using this Yanagihara-Wilcox sting model to test locally prevalent jellyfish species in a similar push to develop evidence-based medical practices.
Sting No More™ (Alatalab Solutions, LLC) was developed under a Department of Defense grant that aimed to rapidly and effectively treat stings in U.S. Special Operations Command combat divers. With the intention of supporting the development of technologies and therapies of benefit to people, the funding required a commercialization plan for resulting products. All testing of the new commercial product, in the current study was performed under an approved University of Hawaiʻi Conflict of Interest plan. This product demonstrates the strongly pro-innovation culture at UH dedicated to bringing to the public sector technologies that have been developed with federal and state research dollars.

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A NO VOTE FOR JUDGE NEIL GORSUCH in his confirmation for U.S. Supreme Court Justice is promised by Hawai`i Senator Mazie Hirono. She is a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee and explained her opposition today:

“The real focus and the real heart of this decision lies in the struggles that working families, women, differently-abled, people of color, the LGBTQ community, immigrants, students, seniors, and our native peoples face every day,” Senator Hirono said. “These are the everyday Americans who will be impacted by the decisions a Justice Gorsuch would make.

Hawaiian bat.
Photo by Corrina Pinzari /USGS

“The central question for me in looking at Judge Gorsuch and his record, in listening carefully through three days of hearings is whether he would be a Justice for all, or only a Justice for some. I do not believe Judge Gorsuch meets this test.

“I will oppose his nomination, and I will oppose it every step of the way. I urge my colleagues to do the same. This is simply too important for the future of America and its values.”
Hirono discussed her decision to oppose Judge Gorsuch with CNN’s Wolf Blitzer.

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Hawaiian Hoary Bats, Tue, Mar 28, 7 p.m., Kīlauea Visitor Center Auditorium in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park. USGS bat biologist and researcher Corinna Pinzari reveals recent research into bat biology, monitoring and ecology and examines ‘ōpe‘ape‘a’s current status and distribution. ‘Ōpe‘ape‘a (Hawaiian hoary bats) are the only true native terrestrial mammals in Hawai‘i. Free; park entrance feed apply.

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Mauna Loa Baseline Atmospheric Observatory recorded an increase in carbon dioxide for 2015 and 2016
that reached an unprecedented level in the 59 years of recording at the observatory.
Photo by LCDR Eric Johnson/NOAA

THE ROLLBACK OF CLIMATE CHANGE INITIATIVES AND ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTIONS on Tuesday drew strong response to the Executive Orders of President Donald Trump from Hawai`i Senators Mazie Hirono and Brian Schatz:
Said Hirono: “This executive order is clear proof that this Administration is not committed to an ‘all of the above’ energy strategy. The President continues to promote alternative facts over empirical scientific evidence of climate change and unravel the clean and renewable energy progress that we have made over the past eight years.
“While the President can afford to live in this alternate universe, Hawai`i and other island communities are forced to grapple with the reality of climate change. Our coral reefs are dying because of historically high ocean temperatures. By 2100, Hawai`i’s sea levels will rise by more than three feet. We owe it to our keiki to listen to our climate scientists, and build upon, not erase, the progress we’ve made.”

Climate change monitoring day and night at Mauna Loa Observatory revealed that carbon dioxide levels rose at a record
pace for second straight year in 2016. Photo by Forrest Mims III

Schatz tweeted: “Good news is that the clean energy revolution cannot be stopped. Bad news is this administration just doesn't get it.” He also pointed to the quick response from two governors on the mainland whose combined states make up the sixth largest economy on the planet. In a joint statement, Gov. Jerry Brown of California and Gov. Andrew Cuomo of New York wrote:
“Dismantling the Clean Power plan and other critical climate programs is profoundly misguided and shockingly ignores basic science. With this move, the Administration will endanger public health, our environment and our economic prosperity.
“Climate change is real and will not be wished away be rhetoric or denial. We stand together with a majority of the American people in supporting bold actions to protect our communities from the dire consequences of climate change.

“Together, California and New York represent approximately 60 million people, nearly one in five Americans – and 20 percent of the nation’s gross domestic product. With or without Washington, we will work with our partners throughout the world to aggressively fight climate change and protect our future.”
To sign the Executive Order, Trump took coal miners with him to the Environmental Protection Agency headquarters in Washington, D.C. on Tuesday and claimed he could bring back jobs by allowing new coal mining on federal lands and dashing coal mining restrictions against polluting streams, rivers, ponds and lakes. He announced to coal miners, "You're going back to work."

Mauna Loa Observatory is a premier atmospheric research facility, continuously monitoring and collecting data related to atmospheric change since the 1950's. Undisturbed air, remote location, and minimal influences of vegetation and human activity are ideal for monitoring constituents in the atmosphere that can cause climate change. The observatory is part of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) - Earth System Research Laboratory (ESRL) - Global Monitoring Division (GMD).

The Executive Order led to further debate on the decline of coal mining, with economists saying that mechanization in remaining coal mines is reducing the number of jobs. There is also a decline in the use of coal in favor of less expensive gas, oil, solar, wind and hydroelectric, making coal an energy source of the past.
The Executive Order also eliminated a number of Barack Obama's Executive Orders dealing with climate change, including requiring federal agencies to consider climate change impact when analyzing environmental permits, and including a requirement to address "social cost of carbon," when making decisions on pollution. Trump's orders could make it nearly impossible for the U.S. to live up to the Paris climate accord, which the U.S. signed along with 193 other countries to reduce emissions in order to address climate change. Those countries range from Afghanistan to Australia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, the Cook Islands and Egypt to the countries of the European Union, Israel, Jamaica, Japan, both Koreas, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Thailand, and United Kingdom. See the complete list at Paris Agreement.

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CARBON DIOXIDE LEVELS ROSE ON MAUNA LOA TO A RECORD LEVEL IN 2016. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Baseline Atmospheric Observatory measured an increase of 3 parts per million to 405.1 parts per million (ppm), an increase that matched the record observed in 2015. NOAA released the findings earlier this month from Mauna Loa, which is considered one of the premier observatories in the world with some of the best conditions for gathering scientific data.
According to the NOAA statement, "The two-year, 6-ppm surge in the greenhouse gas between 2015 and 2017 is unprecedented in the observatory’s 59-year record. And, it was a record fifth consecutive year that carbon dioxide (CO2) rose by 2 ppm or greater, reported Dr. Pieter Tans, lead scientist of NOAA's Global Greenhouse Gas Reference Network."
Tans has reported over the years that there is now more carbon in the atmosphere than there was two million years ago. When announcing the new record, Tans stated, “The rate of CO2 growth over the last decade is 100 to 200 times faster than what the Earth experienced during the transition from the last Ice Age. This is a real shock to the atmosphere.” Globally averaged CO2 levels passed 400 ppm in 2015 — a 43-percent increase over pre-industrial levels. In February 2017, CO2 levels at Mauna Loa had already climbed to 406.42 ppm.
NOAA has measured CO2 on site at the Mauna Loa observatory since 1974. To ensure accuracy, air samples from the mountaintop research site in Hawai`i are shipped to NOAA’s Earth System Research Laboratory in Boulder, Colorado, for verification. The Scripps Institution of Oceanography, which first began sampling CO2 at Mauna Loa in 1956, also takes independent measurements onsite.

Mauna Loa monitoring has been recording the elements of the atmosphere for 59 years.
Photo by Forrest Mims III

Emissions from fossil-fuel consumption have remained at historically high levels since 2011 and are the primary reason atmospheric CO2 levels are increasing at a dramatic rate, Tans said. This high growth rate of CO2 is also being observed at some 40 other sites in NOAA’s Global Greenhouse Gas Reference Network.

NOAA explained the greenhouse effect with the following statement: "Carbon dioxide is one of several gases that are primarily responsible for trapping heat in the atmosphere. This “greenhouse effect” maintains temperatures suitable for life on Earth. Increasing CO2 levels trap additional heat in the atmosphere and the oceans, contributing to rising global average temperatures.
"Atmospheric CO2 averaged about 280 ppm between about 10,000 years ago and the start of the Industrial Revolution around 1760."
Interested persons are able to track CO2 concentrations at Mauna Loa and other global locations online.

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KA`U UNITY CELEBRATION aims to bring together young talented members of the Ka`u community to perform on Saturday, April 29 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at t Ka`u District Gym. youth in grades K-12 are invited to showcase their talents by signing up at the Ka`u District Gym. The event is organized by a consortium of local community groups BISAC, County of Hawai`i Dept. of Parks & Recreation - Pahala, Hi-Pal and Pahala Boys & Girls Club, along with Chloe Gan, Monique Hughes, Daryl Moreira, Dexsilyn Navarro, Brennen Nishimura, and Kevin Sun. Partnering to put on the event are O Ka`u Kakou, Catholic Charities of Hawai`i and Imua Ka`u. Educational booths, entertainment, food and prizes are on the agenda. Youth who want to sign up to participate with their talent and displays can call 928-3102.

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MURDER ON THE NILE - Performances Kilauea Theatre are through April 2 on Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 2:30 p.m. Tickets prices are $15 general, $12 seniors and students and $10 for children 12 and under. Tickets are available at Kilauea General Store, Kea'au Natural Foods, the Most Irresistible Shop in Hilo and at the door. For reservations and more information call 982-7344 or email kden73@aol.com.

Lava Ocean Tours and other operators of boats taking visitors past the Kamokuna entry of lava into the ocean
are asking the Coast Guard to reduce the new restricted area that keeps them atleast 984 feet offshore the entry.
Photo from Lava Ocean Tours

HAWAI`I FEDERAL JUDGE DERRICK KAHALA WATSON put a preliminary injunction on President Donald Trump's travel ban on Wednesday, allowing continued arrival of refugees and residents from six Muslim-majority countries. The judge turned a temporary restraining order issued earlier this month to prevent the ban, into a preliminary injunction after hearing new arguments from Hawai`i Attorney General Doug Chin.

Chin opened his arguments Wednesday by saying, "We do not fault President Trump for being politically incorrect. We fault him for being constitutionally incorrect." Chin talked about Hawai`i's dependence on tourism and compared the ban to a "neon sign flashing 'Muslim ban, Muslim ban.'"

Derrick Kahala Watson is a graduate of Kamehameha
Schools, Harvard College and Harvard Law School

Trump's federal attorney chad Readler argued that Hawai`i's contention that the ban affects students and tourism is generalized and has no effect on Hawai`i. He also asked the judge to allow the U.S. to resume the portion of the ban that would keep out refugees. Watson rejected the arguments, allowing refugees, and others with visas from the six Muslim-majority countries, to continue to arrive.
When the Trump attorney said that since 2010 only 20 refugees from the Muslim countries have resettled in Hawai`i, the judge asked, "Is this a mathematical exercise that 20 isn't enough? What do I make of that?" When Trump's attorney noted that 20 is a small number, Watson replied "In whose judgment?"
The preliminary injunction covers the entire United States as the case moves forward toward a permanent solution.
After the decision, the Hawai`i Attorney General tweeted: "While we understand that the President may appeal, we believe the court’s well-reasoned decision will be affirmed.”
Amnesty International executive director Margaret Huang issued a statement, saying,"The courts have once again clearly rejected the Muslim ban. Like the previous travel ban, the new order is indefensibly discriminatory. President Trump must abandon this failed agenda and immediately revoke the ban."

Hawai`i Attorney General Doug Chin and Gov. David Ige explain
Hawai`i's role in the Trump's travel ban case.

The Hawai`i Attorney General's filings argued the discriminatory intent of the President, including quotes from Trump. After the judge earlier rejected Trump's first ban, Trump came up with his second ban and said, "This is a watered down version of the first one. This is a watered down version. And let me tell you something, I think we ought to go back to the fist one and go all the way, which is what I wanted to do in the first place."
In another display of discrimination, the AG quoted Trump as saying that is was "very hard" to assimilate Muslims into Western culture.
Stated the AG, "These discriminatory and unlawful provisions of the Executive Order have no place in Hawai`i."

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Mufi Hanneman, CEO of

Hawai`i Lodging and

Tourism Association

Photo by Julia Neal

PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP'S TRAVEL BAN HURTS TOURISM TO HAWAI`I AND ALL THE U.S., according to Hawai`i Attorney General Doug Chin and numerous travel business analysts. In a press conference earlier this month, Chin said the ban causes a "chilling effect." He said, "There are already reports that due to these executive orders and travel bans, people are less inclined to travel to the United States."
Mufi Hanneman, President and CEO of Hawai`i Lodging and Tourism Association, and founder of the Punalu`u Sweetbread bakery and visitor stop in Ka`u, said the ban, "flies in the face of the spirit of aloha, a key reason people come to Hawai`i." About a third of the state's nearly nine million visitors a year come from foreign countries.
Travel Wire News reported Wednesday that the travel ban and "an inhospitable political climate cold punch an $18 billion hole in tourism by international visitors over the next two years" nationwide. TWN reported that "Foreign tourism is a $250 billion-a-year business in the Untied states, and Trump's original and revised executive orders temporarily banning travel from majority Muslim countries - put on hold by federal courts - have dampened interest worldwide in visiting the United States."
A decline in airline bookings followed travel bans announced by the Trump administration on Jan. 27 and March 6, with a decline in hotel bookings as well, reported TIN.
Tourism Economics estimated that 4.3 million fewer international travelers will come to the U.S. in 2017 because of the bans. Adam Sacks, president of Tourism Economics, told USA Today that “’America first’ rhetoric, which was pronounced during the campaign and Trump’s inauguration speech, is finding consistent expression in policy. On multiple fronts — diplomacy, trade, border control, visa policy — international markets are receiving a message that America is no longer a welcoming destination.”
"The U.S. has put an unwelcome mat at our front door," said travel research executive Henry Harteveld. See more at www.travelwirenews.com

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Kamokuna ocean entry lava flow on February 24, 2017. Photo by J Wei/NPS

LAVA FLOW TOUR BOATS MUST STAY AT LEAST 984 FEET AWAY from the Kamokuna lava entry into the ocean, according to rules issued on Tuesday by the U.S. Coast Guard. Captains and owners of boats sailing closer can face an $88,000 fine and Class D felony. The Kamokuna Lava Delta Safety Zone was established to extend in all directions upon the ocean surface from lava coming out of the coastal cliffs in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park.
The Coast Guard lists risks, including the possibility of a collapse of the growing lava bench hanging out over the ocean. Along with the unstable seacliff, the lava emits toxic gasses and shrapnel.
Boat captains say they have invested hundreds of thousands of dollars in new vessels to accommodate the growing visitor interest in the lava. They say that equipment would sit idle with their customers unable to see the lava from nearly 1,000 feet offshore. They are asking the Coast Guard to reconsider the new safety zone.
A May 8 public meeting had been set to discuss safety but the Coast Guard announced that the safety zone was needed immediately due to the instability of the cliffs and other risks.
Hawai`i Volcano National Park's website on Wednesday, provided warnings for hikers and bikers to the area: "As a strong caution to visitors viewing the ocean entry (where lava meets the sea), there are additional significant hazards besides walking on uneven surfaces and around unstable, extremely steep sea cliffs. Venturing too close to an ocean entry on land or the ocean exposes you to flying debris created by the explosive interaction between lava and water. Also, the new land created is unstable because it is built on unconsolidated lava fragments and sand. This loose material can easily be eroded away by surf, causing the new land to become unsupported and slide into the sea. In several instances, such collapses, once started, have also incorporated parts of the older sea cliff. This occurred most recently on December 31. Additionally, the interaction of lava with the ocean creates a corrosive seawater plume laden with hydrochloric acid and fine volcanic particles that can irritate the skin, eyes, and lungs."
See fact sheets for additional information: http://pubs.usgs.gov/fs/2000/fs152-00/

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Coffee Talk, Fri, Mar 31, 9:30 – 11 a.m., spotlights Footprints in the Ka`u Desert. Kahuku Unit of Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park. A monthly series of talks on various subjects. nps.gov/havo or 985-6011
Murder on the Nile - Performances Kilauea Theatre are through April 2 on Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 2:30 p.m. Tickets prices are $15 general, $12 seniors and students and $10 for children 12 and under. Tickets are available at Kilauea General Store, Kea'au Natural Foods, the Most Irresistible Shop in Hilo and at the door. For reservations and more information call 982-7344 or email kden73@aol.com.

www.kaucalendar.com

Nā‘ālehu sixth-graders do the “dab” dance move with teachers Nellie Davis and Amber Keohuloa and
PREPARES coordinator Kathy Bertram during their Spring Break trip to Alaska, representing Ka`u.
See story below.

UBER LAUNCHED IN KA`U with local drivers on Wednesday. With Uber drivers based in Ka`u, wait time is short for local rides and longer journeys to the far-away airports in Hilo and Kona.

Uber drivers will also provide rides to and from local parties to which one may not want to drive. Uber service is islandwide.
Contacting Uber for a ride is accomplished through an app that customers download through www.uber.com or itunes. Anyone with questions can contact a local Uber driver at kamahinahawaii@gmail.com.

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HAWAI`I DECLARED ITSELF HO`OKIPA, the welcoming state, through a resolution introduced by a Hawai`i Island legislator and passed by the state House of Representatives this week. Penned by Rep. Joy San Bueanaventura, of Puna, House Resolution 76 cites the Tenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, guaranteeing state sovereignty and protection from unreasonable demands to enforce federal government directives.

Buenaventura, in her second term in the state House, is an attorney, mathematician, former judge and former professor of business at University of Hawai`i - Hilo.

Rep. Joy San Buenaventura penned
the new Ho`okipa Resolution declaring
Hawai`i as the welcoming state.

Her Ho`okipa Resolution does not automatically make Hawai`i one of the sanctuary jurisdictions where President Donald Trump has threatened to cancel federal funding for refusing to cooperate in some federal immigration enforcement matters. However, the Ho`okipa Resolution could be interpreted as creating “sanctuary,” said one of Hawai`i’s few Republican state legislators, Gene Ward, of O`ahu. He said federal funding could be threatened. He called it “sticking our finger in the eye of the Trump administration.”
The introduction to the resolution points to Hawai`i’s state motto, Ua mau ke ea 'o ka ‘āina i ka pono, which means, "The life of the land is perpetuated in righteousness." The resolution says the motto “reminds us that our deepest community values compel us to welcome the visitor and care for the wanderer in our midst.”

The resolution describes the Hawaiian value of Ho'okipa, and says this “open-hearted hospitality calls us to welcome the visitor and the stranger alike, and to unselfishly extend to others the best that we have to give.” HR76 declares that “Hawai`i is justifiably proud of its diverse immigrant heritage, which has woven the many people of this State into a rich tapestry of races, ancestral groups,

The motto on the state seal "reminds us that our deepest
community values compel us to welcome the visitor and
care for the wanderer in our midst," says the Ho`okipa
Resolution authored by Rep. Joy San Buenaventura.

religions, cultures, and languages from all over the world.” It points out that “Hawai`i's unique spirit of inclusiveness allows its diverse people to live in relative harmony because of our respect and aloha for each other and our commitment to peace and justice.”
The Ho`okipa Resolution says, “our state and county governments cultivate a culture of inclusion when they ensure that all people in our communities receive equal protection under the law and respectful treatment, without regard to their race, national origin, ancestry, or citizenship status.”
HR76 turns to the federal government and its new practices: “Hawai`i's inclusionary and peaceful culture is now threatened by inflammatory rhetoric and harsh federal policies that vilify immigrants, divide communities and families, and create fear and suspicion among different racial, ethnic, and ancestral groups.”
The Ho`okipa Resolution puts forth that the U.S. Constitution “provides that the federal government may not commandeer state and local officials by demanding that they enforce federal laws and regulatory programs” and guarantees that “each state, and municipality within each state has the sovereign power to choose how they allocate their resources and cannot be forced to carry out the federal government’s agenda.”

HR76 contends that “local law enforcement agencies should not be required to bear the immense financial burden of enforcing federal immigration laws.” It requests that the “State of Hawai`i and its political subdivisions recognize that immigration is a federal function and that local law enforcement agencies should decline to work with federal immigration agencies.”
The Ho`okipa Resolution asks that the State of Hawai`i and its political subdivisions refrain from expending state and county funds and from entering into “any agreements under section 287(g) of the Immigration and Nationality Act or any similar agreement with the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), or by engaging in any other law enforcement activities that collaborate with ICE or any other federal law enforcement agency in connection with the deportation of undocumented immigrants who have not been convicted of committing a violent crime.”

Testimony supporting the resolution came from many organizations, including the Filipino-Amercian Citizens League, Filipino-American Advocacy Network, Japanese American Citizens League, Imua Alliance, American Civil Liberties

Union, Hawai`i J20+, Young Progressives Demanding Action, Planned Parenthood Votes Northwest and Hawai`i, Aloha Dream Team, Hawai`i Friends of Civil Rights, Muslim Association of Hawai`i, Nursing Advocates & Mentors, as well as church leaders, professors, students, attorneys and many other individuals.
One petition asked that Hawai`i bccome an official Sanctuary State and Honolulu a Sanctuary City.
See testimony at http://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/measure_indiv.aspx?billtype=HR&billnumber=76&year=2017

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NA`ALHUU SIXTH GRADERS HEADED NORTH TO ALASKA during Spring Break. Seven from Nā‘ālehu Elementary represented Ka‘ū thanks to Preparing Responsive Educators using the Place-based Authentic Research in Earth Systems Program, affiliated with Alaska Pacific University.

Sixth-graders Ariel Cohen, Jaydah Pilanca-Emmsley, Smith James,

Madison Okimoto, Hulali Baji, Jessa Mae Tamayo and Candace

Keohuloa (front) share Hawaiian implements with Alaskan peers.

Nā‘ālehu sixth grade teachers Amber Keohuloa and Nellie Davis both participated in the program which, according to the PREPARES website, “seeks to expand, implement, and conduct research on a framework for providing indigenous students with the skills and knowledge needed for science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) careers.” In doing so, PREPARES supports teachers with curriculum to help students learn about effects of climate change on Hawaiʻi and Alaska.
This year’s participation included a cultural exchange with Nā‘ālehu students meeting with their Alaskan peers in person. Student participant Candace Keohuloa recalled watching native Alaskans share dances about hunting seals for food and clothing as one of her favorite memories of the trip. Another trip highlight included learning about the Iditarod and meeting dog sledder Mary Shields, said Jaydah Pilanca-Emmsley. Jessa Mae Tamayo, of Nā‘ālehu, said Shields even let them pet her dog sledding team of huskies and shared racing stories.

Nā‘ālehu elementary students experience real Alaskan snow for the first time

during an educational exchange with Alaskan students over Spring Break.

For most, it was also the first time in a cold climate with falling snow. Both Madison Okimoto and Smith James recalled going to an ice park filled with ice sculptures and trying their hands at sledding as most memorable. However, for sixth-grader Ariel Cohen, night sky phenomena would be unforgettable. “My favorite memory was when I first walked outside and I saw the green stripe where the Northern Lights were, and cried happy tears,” she said. Hulali Baji also attended as the seventh member of the NES student team.

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Murder on the Nile - Performances Kilauea Theatre are through April 2 on Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 2:30 p.m. Tickets prices are $15 general, $12 seniors and students and $10 for children 12 and under. Tickets are available at Kilauea General Store, Kea'au Natural Foods, the Most Irresistible Shop in Hilo and at the door. For reservations and more information call 982-7344 or email kden73@aol.com.

www.kaucalendar.com

Volcano School of Arts & Sciences students warn, "Slow Down, This is Not a Racetrack," and "No Speeding" at the
usually sleepy corner of Pikake and Kamane Streets in Pahala, The busstop becomes busy when keiki are going to
and from school . Photo by Julia Neal

HEADING TO THE SUPREME COURT is a possibility for the block on President Donald Trump's travel ban, issued this week by Hawai`i federal Judge Derrick Kahala Watson. The Trump administration attorneys appealed Watson's ruling to the Fourth Circuit Court in Richmond, Virginia on Friday. If the Fourth Circuit rules in Trump's favor, the matter would likely go to the U.S. Supreme Court.

The Trump administration claims that the Executive Order to freeze the U.S. immigration program and bar travelers from six Muslim-majority countries is allowed under the President's duty to protect the U.S. citizenry.

Hawai`i Attorney General Doug Chin who argued for the State of Hawai`i against the ban told the Associated Press on Thursday that the Hawai`i federal court considered the many statements made by Trump and his surrogates concerning immigrants and Muslims during his campaign and presidency, showing an intent to discriminate.

The Hawai`i judge stated in his ruling, “The court will not crawl into a corner, pull the shutters closed, and pretend it has not seen what it has.” The federal court in Virginia is expected to hear arguments on May 8.

While a ruling in favor of Trump won't automatically allow the President to proceed with his travel ban, it would cause a split in authority between federal courts with the different rulings. These are often resolved by the U.S. Supreme Court.

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Volcano School of Arts & Sciences students
educates those old enough to drive.
Photo by Julia Neal

THE HULA HEIAU MAKAI OF KA`ALAIKI ROAD, the old sugar cane haul road between Pahala and Na`alehu, is the subject of a public meeting Saturday, April 1 at 12:30 p.m. at Pahala Community Center.

The Edith Kanakaʻole Foundation, which is working with the Edmund C. Olson Trust II to steward the historic site, will explain its Preservation Plan and Protocol Guide.

Public input is invited. The plan and other documents.can be accessed at the Edith Kanaka`ole Foundation website at www.edithkanakaolefoundation.org.

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YOUNG STUDENTS AND POLICE OFFICERS joined together to hold signs at the corner of Pikake and Kamane Streets in Pahala on Friday morning to implore the public to drive slowly and look out for pedestrians. The keiki and police stood near the main Pahala bus stop where many children board vans and buses to go to and from Volcano School of the Arts & Sciences. Many people also board buses there to go to work, go to town and to attend University of Hawai`i in Hilo and Hawai`i Community College.

Police officers who joined the keiki in holding signs were Sheldon Salmo, Clayton Tyamen, Aron Tomota, douglas Phillips and Jon Carvahlo. They said they are happy to hold signs with students and help them learn to be vocal citizens.

Ka`u police officers joined keiki on Friday morning to hold signs and remind drivers to slow down,
Photo by Julia Neal

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THE 2017 JAZZ IN THE FOREST series continues with performances on Saturday, April 8 at the Volcano Art Center campus, featuring Jeannine Guillory with Jean Pierre Thoma & the Jazztones. The Jazz in the Forest concert series "offers an extraordinary opportunity to hear the highest caliber jazz – anywhere – up close and personal," said Thoma.

An acclaimed vocalist in Hawai‘i, Guillory “has a background in Jazz, Reggae, Pop, Rhythm and Blues that lends to a strong, versatile sound and energy that gets her audience and peers alike to stand up and applaud her amazing voice and on-stage presence,” said Thoma.

Jeannine Guillory brings her diverse background to
Jazz in the Forest at Volcano Art Center.

Guillory has studied Jazz and classical music as well as musical theater. She most recently played the part of Sheila Bryant in A Chorus Line. Guillory has performed at venues throughout Europe, South America and the United states. Stage performances include the renowned Montreux Jazz Festival in Switzerland and the Big Island Jazz Festival. She is a former vocalist with the internationally known reggae/jazz group Groundation, which continues to tour the globe.
Guillory is currently a popular mainstream vocalist with Pacific Fusion and Island Express throughout Kailua-Kona and along the Kohala Coast.

Jean Pierre Thoma is a world-traveled professional musician on flute, saxophone clarinet and piano, with experience throughout America, France, Japan, India and Israel. He holds two master’s degrees in music and has been a public and private school teacher as well as member of numerous jazz and classical ensembles, such as the Maui and Marin Symphonies. He is the leader of the Jazztones: Raga Jazz (with Sarangi, synth guitar and bass): a member of Royal Kona Harp Ensemble (three harps, two flutes and winds): Volcano Trio (two flutes and piano): performer at Holy Cross Church in choir and as instrumentalist; and pianist at restaurants and charity performances at Hospice and Life Care Centers. Now a music teacher in Hilo at the Pacific Academy of Music and the Kukuau Studio, he lives in Hilo.

John Pierre Thoma

Bassist Matt Spencer is a long time professional musician and multi-instrumentalist who has enjoyed a dynamic career primarily as a freelance musician, touring, recording and writing music with many different groups in many different styles. Playing bass, guitar and percussion, he covers a wide range of musical vocabulary from jazz to African, Brazilian to funk, and salsa to spiritual. Spencer has led his own 10-piece salsa band, was musical director for the Cleo Parker Robinson dance company, toured with the Motet, Tony Furtado, and Kyle Hollingsworth, worked as a studio musician in LA and worked as a dance accompanist for many dance schools around the country. He integrates the consciousness of spiritual awareness into the technique and knowledge of the art of music.
Guitarist Fred Hee is originally from Honolulu and now lives in Volcano. He began playing at age 17 while at Punahou School and has been active ever since in America, Canada and the Bahamas, including traveling with Solid Gold and playing in Hawai‘i with numerous groups. His activities following his education in computer science have led him to an interesting career with the telescopes of Hawai‘i. The Wine and Beer Room at Volcano Art Center campus will be open for attendees to enjoy before and after the concert. And as usual, an area has been set aside for dancing, so attendees don’t have to stay in their seats when the band starts to swing.
Two shows are offered, with a matinee at 4:30 p.m. and an evening performance at 7 p.m. Tickets for the matinee show are $18 for VAC members and $20 for non-members. Ticket holders will be able to purchase Volcano Red Ale and Mauna Kea Pale Ale from Mehana Brewing Company, as well as wine before each performance. Pupus by ʻŌhelo Café will also be available for sale.
Tickets are available for sale online at volcanoartcenter.org, at VAC’s Administration Office in Volcano Village and VAC Gallery in Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park. The last day to purchase tickets online or at VAC Gallery is Friday, April 7. After that, tickets will be sold at the door if they are not sold out. Tickets will be held at will call on the day of the show or may be picked up any day before the show at VAC’s Administrative Office from 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.

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Murder on the Nile - Performances Kilauea Theatre are through April 2 on Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 2:30 p.m. Tickets prices are $15 general, $12 seniors and students and $10 for children 12 and under. Tickets are available at Kilauea General Store, Kea'au Natural Foods, the Most Irresistible Shop in Hilo and at the door. For reservations and more information call 982-7344 or email kden73@aol.com.

Ānuenue, Sat, April 1 – May 14, 9 a.m. – 5 p.m., Volcano Art Center’s Gallery in Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park. Glass and silk paintings by Hugh Jenkins, Stephanie Ross & Clytie Mead. Opening day reception, 5 p.m. Free; park entrances fees apply.

y’ART Sale, Sat, April 1, 9 a.m. – 2 p.m., Volcano Art Center in Volcano Village. VAC and Volcano Rotary hold a gigantic rummage sale. 967-8222

Edibles Wild Plants, Sun, April 2, 9 a.m. – 2 p.m., Volcano Art Center in Volcano Village. Zach Mermel offers a hands-on foray for foragers and foodies. $40/$30 VAC members plus $15 transportation fee. 967-8222

Pu‘u o Lokuana, Sun, April 2, 9:30 – 10:30 a.m., Kahuku Unit of Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park. Participants learn about formation and various uses of this grassy cinder cone and enjoy a breathtaking view of lower Ka‘ū on this free, moderately difficult 0.4-mile hike to the top.

Ham Radio Operators Potluck Picnic, Sun, April 2, Manukā Park. All American Radio Emergency Service members, anyone interested in learning how to operate a ham radio and families are invited to attend. Dennis Smith, 989-3028

Celtic Harp & Story, Mon, April 3, 11 a.m., Nā‘ālehu Public Library. Patrick Ball shares his knowledge & talents. 939-2442

Painting with Peggy, Mon, April 3, 12 – 3 p.m., Volcano Art Center in Volcano Village. $20/$15 VAC members. Participants learn to approach their painting process with a new awareness and understanding of color dynamics and composition.

Volunteer Fire Department Meeting, Mon, April 3, 4 p.m., Ocean View Community Center. 939-7033

www.kaucalendar.com

A dedication ceremony for `Imakakoloa Hei`u high above the ocean between Pahala and Na`alehu.
Image from Edith Kanakaloe Foundation film.

THE HEIAU HULA BETWEEN PAHALA AND NA`ALEHU drew nearly two dozen people to a public meeting at Pahala Community Center on Saturday. The Edith Kanakaole Foundation presented a draft preservation plan and protocol guide for the heiau to the community and invites community members to weigh in with suggestions and comments during the next month. On hand to explain were three of the authors of the plan, Huihui Kanahele-Mossman, PhD, Kala Mossman and Matthew R. Clark.
The plan is one of a number of projects being carried out by the foundation. It is called ʻImakakāloa Heiau, Elevating Hula Culture.
A film on the plan for ʻImakakāloa Heiau was presented to the public. It showed a ceremony held at the heiau in 2014. Such a ceremony had not been performed in 100 years and was dedicated to the god Laka, said the film's narrator.
The presenters at the meeting Saturday explained that the heiau is only one one of a handful of known heiau hula in existence, the other major heiau hula being on the northwestern shore of Kaua`i at Ke`e.

Protocol is an important part of the restoration plan for the
`Imakakoloa Heiau Hula.
Photo from Edith Kanakaole Foundation film.

Restoration of the ancient ʻImakakāloa Heiau is under the guidance of Hālau o Kekuhi headed by Kumu Hula Nalani Kanakaole in collaboration with the Edith Kanakaole Foundation, the Ka`u Community, Olson Trust, Office of Hawaiian Affairs, State Historic Preservation Division Agency of the state Department of Land & Natural Resources, University of Hawai`i at Hilo Heritage Management Program, and cultural practitioners.
The film states that the purpose of the restoration is to "elevate hula practice, to reconnect native Hawaiian practitioners to their environment and to reclaim a practice that was born and nurtured by the ancestors."

Hula practitioners have gone to Imakakaloa Heiau.
Photo from Editth Kanakaole Foundation

The dedication ceremony for ʻImakakāloa in 2014 began with offerings of awa to the surrounding heiau, Ke`eku at Kawa by the sea and at Kohaikalani in the uplands at Makanau.
The ceremony included pohaku, four stones placed on each corner of the restoration site at ʻImakakāloa.
The presenters at Saturday's meeting talked about the importance of the view planes from the heiau, historic trails connecting ʻImakakāloa with Makanau and the relationship with the heiau hula on Kaua`i.
Current work on the heiau includes mowing and bringing out weeds from the heiau. Once the restoration plan is approved, local volunteer groups will be able to help with restoration. Halau hula are also expected to be able to travel to the heiau for ceremony and workshops, as soon as 2018.
Public input is invited by phone, email, text and mail. The plan and other documents can be accessed at www.edithkanakaolefoundation.com. See the film on the restoration on the ʻImakakāloa Heiau facebook page.

Edmund C. Olson and Dr. Huihui Kanahele Mossman,
who are working together to preserve the heiau hula.
Photo from Edith Kanakaole Foundation film

Provide input to the Edith Kanakaole Foundation by calling 961-5242, sending to 1500 Kalaniana`ole Ave, Hilo, HI 96720-4914, faxing 961-4781 and emailing kala@edithkanakaolefoundation.org.

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POLICE NABBED SUSPECTS IN OCEAN VIEW on Thursday, recovering a stolen vehicle and arresting two after an alleged shoplifting incident at a supermarket. A 24-year-old male and his 26-year-old girlfriend are in custody.

According to Officer Aron Tomota, Ocean View’s Community Policing Officer, shortly before noon on Thursday, Ka`u police officers were called to an Ocean View grocery store, after a store employee recognized a male customer who appeared to have allegedly concealed merchandise in his back pack. The alleged suspect was already familiar to police.

Before the officers arrived on the scene, the male suspect allegedly left the area in a black Honda Civic, a car that was allegedly stolen the day before. Police were informed that the male suspect was a passenger in the vehicle, while his girlfriend was reported to be the driver.

Tomota said that police officers searched the immediate vicinity, found the Honda, and were able to identify the the female driver and her passenger, as the suspect and his girlfriend. As police tried to pull over the stolen vehicle, the female disobeyed the lawful order to pull over and stop, and began to speed away. The police judged that a chase could be unsafe for the public, but continued looking for the suspects in the Hawaiian Ocean View Estates subdivision, according to Tomata.

As the police found the Honda for the second time, the male suspect was seen leaving the vehicle and then jumping into the driver’s seat, and then driving away. By then the number of police officers involved had increased from three to five. Police searched for the vehicle and found it at a house with which police are familiar. The 24-year-old male suspect and his 26-year-old girlfriend, were both arrested.

Tomota told The Ka’u Calendar that the male suspect is in custody for shoplifting and unauthorized control of a propelled vehicle. The female suspect is in custody for unauthorized control of a propelled vehicle, driving without a valid driver’s license, no motor vehicle no-fault insurance, resisting an order to stop, and for a bench warrant. Both suspects are held for investigation. The stolen vehicle was recovered by police and is held for investigation before it can be returned to its owner.

Tomota, who has been the Community Policing Officer for Ocean View since mid-December, thanks community members for their assistance. He agreed that police were able to apprehend these victims thanks to a good tip, the fact that they know the area and were familiar with the suspects. Extensive training also helped the police outwit the suspects, he said.

“With our combined efforts and partnerships, we will continue to work to provide a safe environment, making the Big Island of Hawai`i a safe place to live, visit and conduct business,” stated Tomota.

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Edibles Wild Plants, Sun, April 2, 9 a.m. – 2 p.m., Volcano Art Center in Volcano Village. Zach Mermel offers a hands-on foray for foragers and foodies. $40/$30 VAC members plus $15 transportation fee. 967-8222

Pu‘u o Lokuana, Sun, April 2, 9:30 – 10:30 a.m., Kahuku Unit of Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park. Participants learn about formation and various uses of this grassy cinder cone and enjoy a breathtaking view of lower Ka‘ū on this free, moderately difficult 0.4-mile hike to the top.

Ham Radio Operators Potluck Picnic, Sun, April 2, Manukā Park. All American Radio Emergency Service members, anyone interested in learning how to operate a ham radio and families are invited to attend. Dennis Smith, 989-3028

Celtic Harp & Story, Mon, April 3, 11 a.m., Nā‘ālehu Public Library. Patrick Ball shares his knowledge & talents. 939-2442

Painting with Peggy, Mon, April 3, 12 – 3 p.m., Volcano Art Center in Volcano Village. $20/$15 VAC members. Participants learn to approach their painting process with a new awareness and understanding of color dynamics and composition.

Volunteer Fire Department Meeting, Mon, April 3, 4 p.m., Ocean View Community Center. 939-7033

Kamehame is the hawksbill turtle preserve, makai of Pahala, managed by The Nature Conservancy.
John Replogle will give an update on TNC's work in Ka`u and beyond at Na`alehu Library on Tuesday at 3 p.m.
Photo by David Rayner

KA`U STATE REP. RICHARD CREAGAN has penned a resolution asking to fund the John. A. Burns School of Medicine at University of Hawai`i to study the risk that spraying the insecticide chlorpyrifos, for agriculture, could pose to pregnant women and their offspring. The research would be done on Hawa`i Island, Kaua`i and O`ahu.

The insecticide with trade names like Dursban, Lorsban, Bolton, Nufos Cobalt, Hatchet, David Gray's and Warhawk, kills spiders, mites, termites and other insects by acting on their nervous systems. With studies showing that exposure during pregnancy damages mental development in children, the insecticide was banned nationwide for home use in 2001, but outdoor spraying was allowed to continue. In agriculture, it is used on bananas, citrus, corn and many other crops.

Creagan, a physician, pointed to studies showing that exposure to high levels of chlorpyrifos is linked to biochemical and brain abnormalities. At particular risk, he said, are fetuses, babies and toddlers with rapidly developing brains and nervous systems. He said that studies are necessary since the impact of the insecticide on young brains and nervous systems may seem subtle at first but have long lasting damaging impacts to cognitive abilities.

The resolution comes after the new U.S. Environmental Protection Agency chief Scott Pruitt, last Wednesday, turned down his agency's request to ban chlorpyrifos in the spraying of all food crops nationwide. The recommendation to ban it came after a decade study and scientific review by the EPA. A petition brought the issue to the EPA from Natural Resources Defense Council and Pesticide Action Network. Both want the chemical banned.

Earlier this session at the 2017 Hawai`i Legislature, Creagan, who chairs the House Agriculture Committee, introduced a bill that would ban chlorpyrifos throughout Hawai`i. It failed to go to hearing after the Hawai`i Farm Bureau Federation and others asked the legislature to hold off until the EPA made its decision. Creagan said the bill for a ban could be resurrected during the next legislature. Department of Agriculture Chair Scott Enright and Senate Agriculture Chair Mike Gabbard have indicated support for the ban.

Creagan has also proposed requiring more reporting from farmers who use restricted-use pesticides.

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"A DISAPPOINTING DECISION" is what Rep. Tulsi Gabbard is calling the decision by Congress last week "to strike down key FCC provisions that would have restricted internet service providers from selling users’ private information without their permission." She states that because of this repeal, "advertisers and large corporations can continue purchasing private online data from ISPs, without your approval, in an effort to further increase their profits."
Whether it’s the mass collection of innocent American’s data, or corporate profiteering off of our personal information, the losers in all of this are the American people.
"Upholding our Constitution should not be a partisan issue, and some of my more independently-minded Republican colleagues have expressed similar concerns by voting against this repeal. But there weren’t enough willing to take a stand for the people against corporate profit."
Gabbard said that "The world is changing rapidly, and that is especially true online. The internet presents new challenges to our constitutional right to privacy, as threats posed to cybersecurity put critical information like one’s personal finances and spending habits at risk. "The Congresswoman is asking constituents from Ka`u to sign a "petition to tell Congress t o stop attacking our right to privacy to boost corporate profits."

Gabbard contends that the Fourth Amendment "protects us from unreasonable searches and seizures, and it guarantees the security of our personal property. "

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Jennifer Gutowski is the new Director of the VA's Pacific Islands
Health Care System with facilitiesin Hawai`i. VA photo

THE VETERANS' ADMINISTRATION'S PACIFIC ISLANDS HEALTH CARE SYSTEM has a new director, after a year of the post being vacant, reports Sen. Mazie Hirono, a member of the U.S. Senate's Veterans' Affairs Committee.

Hirono applauded the appointment of Jennifer Gutowski and the response of the new Department of Veterans Affairs Secretary Dr. David Shulkin for quickly filling the post. When Hirono interviewed Shulkin before his confirmation hearing, she urged him to make it a priority to fill the position.

VA Secretary David Shulkin

"Hawai`i veterans have been waiting over a year for the VA to name a permanent Health System Director," said Hirono. "Ms. Gutowski will need to hit the ground running to fill the gaps, including improving communication with Hawai`i's veterans community and addressing construction delays for facilities throughout the state."

During the absence of a Pacific director, Hirono requested that the VA Inspector General conduct an inspection of VAPIHCS and asked the region for monthly updates on Hawai`i VA projects.
In response to a request by Hirono, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Office of the Inspector General released an inspection report in September 2016 on a six-point plan the VA Pacific Islands Health Care System undertook to improve patient wait times for VA medical services. Click here to read the full report. Hirono sent a letter to the VA requesting formal updates for the veterans community on the status of VA projects across Hawai`i.
"I look forward to working with Ms. Gutowski to ensure the health care needs of Hawaii's veterans are met," said Hirono.

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Ashfall on the snow from the eruption of the Bogoslof Volcano in Alaska, photo taken on March 8.
Photo by Andy Dietrick/ Alaska Volcano Observatory

HOT LAVA AND COLD WATER interacting where lava flows into the Pacific Ocean is common not only on Hawai`i Island but also on another volcanic island. This week's Volcano Watch, written by the scientists of Hawaiian Volcano Observatory, focuses on Bogoslof Volcano, Alaska: Ongoing Eruption through the Bering Sea. Bogoslof was also the subject of study and a 1907 visit by HVO's founder Thomas Jaggar.

HVO scientists suggest: "Let’s go north to Alaska where scientists have been tracking an intermittent eruption of lava through water surrounding a small, island volcano in the southern Bering Sea. On Dec. 21, 2016, the volcano burst to life sending clouds of ash and water vapor towering into the sky. Pilots were the first to see the eruption, calling in reports to air traffic control. Soon, scientists with the Alaska Volcano Observatory and the National Weather Service saw the eruption cloud on satellite imagery. Using information about winds aloft, warnings of the forecast ash cloud path went out to airlines.

Adding land at Bogoslof Volcano in the Bering Sea. Images from HVO

"This volcano is called Bogoslof, a Russian name given in 1796 to a small cluster of volcanic rocks about 60 miles west of the city of Unalaska, a major fishing community in the Aleutian Islands. These islets are the summit of a submarine volcano that peeks just above the ocean surface.

"The 2016-2017 series of events so far have included more than 30 explosions lasting minutes to hours have alternating with periods of quiet. Early explosions were ice-rich reflecting large amounts of seawater incorporated into the eruption clouds. Sulfur dioxide from one of these explosions was tracked by satellite as far away as Nebraska! By late January 2017, eruption clouds became enriched in ash as the eruptive vent became more isolated from seawater. Winds took an eruption cloud over Unalaska where residents experienced a dusting of ash.

"The intermittent eruption dramatically changed the shape of the island as explosion debris accumulated above sea level only to be eroded by wave action in subsequent days. What had been an oasis for countless seabirds, sea-lions, and (Pacific Northern) fur seals – part of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge – is now an ash-covered moonscape surrounding a turbid (and acidic) lagoon.

"Bogoslof Volcano is far from Hawai`i but not far from our institutional history. In 1907, Hawaiian Volcano Observatory founder Thomas A. Jaggar sailed to this very island volcano in Alaska on an expedition from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Their objectives, to explore Alaska’s volcanoes and search for mineral deposits, led to a report on the evolution of Bogoslof published in the Bulletin of the American Geographical Society in July 1908.

Thomas Jaggar, famous for founding Hawaiian Volcano Observatory, also visited Bogoslof Volcano in the
Bering Sea.

"Jaggar was a keen observer and his notes on Bogoslof chronicle the record of eruptive activity summarized by mariners in the century leading up to 1907. Using these data and observations from his own several hours exploring the island, Jaggar compiled a sequence of maps of the changing island in a manner very similar to Alaska Volcano Observatory geologists today.

"He also surmised the mechanism of Bogoslof eruptions and found similarities in the extrusive lava formations with those he had seen at Mount Pelee in the Caribbean in 1902. And, he noted evidence of uplift of the island and pondered its significance.

"Ever the visionary, Jaggar used his trip to renew his call for the establishment of earth observatories to study volcanoes, earthquakes, and other earth processes. He was convinced that careful and systematic study of these phenomena was critical to living safely on our planet. 'Exploration, experiment, extended local observation, and permanent observatories are all needed for accumulating data concerning this old earth, which is pushing up and down its shorelines in a hundred places not yet explored, but known to geologists, and building other Bogoslofs.'

"Such a network of volcano observatories exists today for much of the world. Jaggar would no doubt be pleased to see the array of modern technology used by the Alaska Volcano Observatory to issue warnings of each explosion. Satellites in earth orbit peer down at the volcano multiple times per day providing scientists a bird’s eye view of what is happening (weather permitting!) The World Wide Lightning Location Network (http://wwlln.net/) provides automated alerts – within minutes - of lightning near Bogoslof that often coincides with explosions of ash. And, infrasound or pressure waves from explosions are detected on seismic and infrasound sensors at nearby Okmok and Makushin volcanoes.

Learn more about the ongoing eruption at Bogoslof by following the Alaska Volcano Observatory at www.avo.alaska.edu.

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Celtic Harp & Story, Mon, April 3, 11 a.m., Nā‘ālehu Public Library. Patrick Ball shares his knowledge & talents. 939-2442

Painting with Peggy, Mon, April 3, 12 – 3 p.m., Volcano Art Center in Volcano Village. $20/$15 VAC members. Participants learn to approach their painting process with a new awareness and understanding of color dynamics and composition.

Volunteer Fire Department Meeting, Mon, April 3, 4 p.m., Ocean View Community Center. 939-7033

Hawai‘i County Council Meetings, Tue/Wed, April 4 and 5. Ka‘ū residents can participate via videoconferencing at Nā‘ālehu State Office Building. See hawaiicounty.gov for agendas and live-streamed and archived meetings.

Claudia Bruhin. Photo from Volcano Art Center

Nature Conservancy Update, Tue, April 4 at 3 p.m., Nā‘ālehu Public Library. John Replogle informs the public. 939-2442

Ka‘ū Coffee Growers Meeting, Tue, April 4, 6 – 8 p.m., Pāhala Community Center.

Endangered Marine Wildlife: Threats & Mitigation Measures, Tue, April 4, 7 p.m., Kīlauea Visitor Center Auditorium in Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park. Susannah Welch of the Marine Wildlife Program shares innovative ways to protect species, including promotion of barbless hooks and their usefulness in sustaining Hawai‘i’s fisheries. Free; park entrance fees apply.

An Evening with Claudia Bruhin, Tue, April 4, 7 – 9 p.m., Volcano Art Center in Volcano Village. La Meridiana Int’l School for Ceramic Arts administrator shows a photographic retrospective on the center’s evolution. Free; donations accepted. 967-8222

Sen. Mazie Hirono spoke at a We Object rally over the weekend in opposition to the Trump Supreme Court

appointment. Photo from Senator Hirono

KA`U'S U.S. SENATOR, MAZIE HIRONO, VOTED NO on the confirmation of Judge Neil Gorsuch to the U.S. Supreme Court on Monday, following her participation in a weekend We Object rally against the appointment. Before the Senate Judiciary Committee voted to send the nomination to the full Senate, with 11 Republicans in support and 9 Democrats in opposition, Hirono gave testimony:
"Over the past two months, Donald Trump has nominated a parade of extreme and unqualified people to important government positions. We have an Education Secretary who doesn't even believe in public education, a Treasury Secretary who profited from the 2008 mortgage crisis and an Environmental Protection Administration administrator who seems not to believe in environmental protection."
She said that when Trump nominated Gorsuch, "you could almost hear an audible gasp of relief. President Trump didn't nominate a member of his family. He didn't nominate a television personality. He nominated a Columbia and Harvard educated lawyer with ten years of experience on the Circuit Court. But we can not and should not evaluate Judge Gorsuch on the basis of, I have to say, of the very low bar that President Trump has established for his nominees."

Sen. Mazie Hirono has been one of the more strident questioners
of Judge Neil Gorsuch during his confirmation hearings.

Hirono contended that "Paper credentials are not enough. This is for the highest court of the land, a lifetime appointment, a court that makes decisions that impacts all of our lives. ....We should not give Judge Gorsuch a pass just because he has these credentials. Judge Gorsuch's nomination is the product of a years-long campaign by extreme right wing organizations to continue to transform the Supreme Court in their image."
She said that Trump "wanted someone who would overturn Roe V Wade (banning abortion), prioritize the religious freedom of a corporation over the rights of its employees and uphold an expansive view of the Second Amendment (objecting to gun control)." She said that "right wing groups" have spent over $10 million in the last six weeks to support the Gorsuch nomination.
It is expected that Democrats will have enough votes to filibuster the nomination on the Senate floor, but that Republicans will change the rules to allow a simple majority vote instead of the traditional 60 votes to approve Gorsuch to Supreme Court, possibly by the end of this week.

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Miss Ka`u Coffee Candidates and Pageant Director Trini Marques O(center) in 2016.
Photo by Michael Worthington

YOUNG LADIES CAN ENTER THE MISS KA`U COFFEE SCHOLARSHIP PAGEANTS, ages three to 24, by April 10. The Miss Ka`u Coffee, the Jr. Miss Ka`u Coffee, the Miss Ka`u Coffee Peaberry and the Miss Ka`u Coffee Flower pageants will be held on Saturday, May 13 at Ka`u Coffee Mill.

Miss Ka`u Coffee contenders must be between 16 and 24 years of age and single. They will compete in the categories of Career Outfit, Talent, Evening Gown, Swimsuit and Interview.

Jr. Miss Ka`u Coffee contenders must be between 11 and 15 year of age and will compete in the categories of Hobby outfit, Talent, Evening Gown and Interview.

Miss Ka`u Coffee Peaberry contenders must be between six and ten years of age and compete in categories of Character Outfit, Talent, Evening Gown and Interview.

Miss Ka`u Coffee Flower contenders must be between 3 and 5 years of age and compete in categories of Character Outfit and Evening Gown.

To enter the pageants by April 10, call Pageant Director Trinidad Marques at 928-0606.

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Ka`u Trojan boys have lost only once this season. Volleyball home games
are Thursday, April 13, and Saturday, April 15.
Photo by Pam Taylor

KA`U HIGH IS STANDING OUT IN BOYS VOLLEYBALL this season, with the varsity team experiencing only one loss.
Ka‘ū traveled to Parker School in Waimea on March 24 to win 25-10, 25-19 and 25-12 with the varsity team. JV also beat Parker, 25-11 and 25-21.
Trojans traveled to Honoka‘a on March 19 and won 25-18, 25-9 and 26-24.
Ka‘ū High beat Ehunui 25-14, 25-14 and 25-11 on March 15.
On March 8, Ka‘ū received Parker School at the Pāhala campus and beat the JV team 25-14 and 25-23. Trojans also beat Parker varsity 25-15, 25-14 and 25-8.
When Hawai‘i Preparatory Academy traveled to Ka‘ū on March 4, Hawai‘i Prep won with the JV games 25-23, 11-15 and 15-10. Hawai‘i Prep also took home the varsity win, with 25-15-, 25-16 and 25-5.
When Honoka‘a came to Ka‘ū on March 1, the Trojans stood their ground, winning the JV games 25-17 and 25-9. Trojan varsity won with 25-27, 25-22, 26-24 and 27-25.
Upcoming home games are on Thursday, April 13 and Saturday, April 15.

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KA`U HIGH GIRLS SOFTBALL TEAM saw some tough play in March. On March 29, Trojan girls welcomed Hawai‘i Preparatory Academy to home turf. Lead pitcher Sheri Lynn Freitas accomplished three strikeouts. Analei Emmsley posted two runs batted in, two homeruns and two singles. Reishalynnn Jara hit a triple and a double. Lei Chun hit two singles. Chauna Lisa Valez hit two doubles and a single. Kanani Petrill-Abrojin hit a single and Alysha GustafsonSavella hit a single, double and triple. Hawai‘i Preparatory won the game 19- 15. In March, Ka‘ū also lost to Honoka‘a, 16-4, Konawaena 22-4, and Waiakea 17-7.

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Artist Don Elwing collaborated with
Na`alehu students on an artwork for
their school.

OCEAN VIEW MARINE ARTIST Don Elwing is the featured solo artist at P.O.R.T.A.L. Gallery, specializing in environmental-themed art in Pāhoa, for the month of April. Elwing will also be live at Pāhoa's Second Saturday Art walk on April 8 on Main Street.
At the end of March, Elwing set up a portable art gallery at Pāhoa Elementary with 30 pieces of what he termed "awareness art" for all grades to view and created 3 art pieces of an ‘alalā, an ‘ōhi‘a lehua and a volcano, with three 4th grade classes. Elwing also set up an art gallery of his work at Nā'ālehu Math and Science Night in March and guided attendees to collaborate on an art piece for the school. Using pieces of net and rope that washed up on the shore of Kamilo beach, sisters Rylan and Roxie Casteneda added the last pieces, turning rubbish into a ʻōhi‘a lehua work of art, which Elwing donated to the school.

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Hawai‘i County Council Meetings, Tue/Wed, April 4 and 5. Ka‘ū residents can participate via videoconferencing at Nā‘ālehu State Office Building. See hawaiicounty.gov for agendas and live-streamed and archived meetings.

www.kaucalendar.com

Nature Conservancy Update, Tue, April 4 at 3 p.m., Nā‘ālehu Public Library. John Replogle informs the public. 939-2442

Ka‘ū Coffee Growers Meeting, Tue, April 4, 6 – 8 p.m., Pāhala Community Center.

Endangered Marine Wildlife: Threats & Mitigation Measures, Tue, April 4, 7 p.m., Kīlauea Visitor Center Auditorium in Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park. Susannah Welch of the Marine Wildlife Program shares innovative ways to protect species, including promotion of barbless hooks and their usefulness in sustaining Hawai‘i’s fisheries. Free; park entrance fees apply.

An Evening with Claudia Bruhin, Tue, April 4, 7 – 9 p.m., Volcano Art Center in Volcano Village. La Meridiana Int’l School for Ceramic Arts administrator shows a photographic retrospective on the center’s evolution. Free; donations accepted. 967-8222

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