The Kaʻū Calendar News Briefs, Hawaiʻi Island

Kaʻū youth traveled to the 4-H Livestock Show & Sale in Waimea this past weekend. See the winners, below.
Photos from Becky Settlage, County Extension Agent, 4-H Youth Development/Livestock

U.S. REP. TULSI GABBARD VISITED THE LAVA DAMAGE ZONE on Friday, June 18, where she received updates on the impact of ongoing earthquakes and volcanic eruptions on residents, local businesses and farmers. The congresswoman met victims and flew over the impacted area courtesy of Hawaiʻi Army National Guard's Joint Task Force Commander Brigadier General Ken Hara. On the ground, she toured damaged areas and active fissures with Hawaiʻi County Highways Division Chief Neil Azevedo. He briefed Gabbard on county efforts to ensure residents can safely access neighborhoods, and the work underway to create a lookout site for visitors to see the lava flow.

Tulsi Gabbard visited Hope Services' Transitional Housing
Site in Pāhoa on Monday Photo from Gabbard’s office

Gabbard visited Hope Services' Transitional Housing Site in Pāhoa. There she talked with Gilbert Aguinaldo and Darryl Oliveira, who began the community-led mission to build tiny houses, which will serve as transitional housing to some of the most vulnerable residents in the community who lost their homes and are displaced by the lava flow.

Gabbard also visited the DisasterResourceCenter, where she was briefed by Federal Emergency Management Agency Federal Coordinating Officer Willie Nunn and FEMA personnel on the process for residents to file claims for Individual Assistance. Other federal, state, and county agencies represented to included the U.S. Department of Agriculture, VeteransCenter, Mental Health Services, and more. As of yesterday afternoon, nearly 600 residents had come in to the center since it opened last Friday.

Tulsi Gabbard with Hawaiʻi County
Highways Division Chief Neil Azevedo
Photo from Gabbard’s office

Last week, Gabbard and the Hawaiʻi Congres-sional Dele
gation

Rep. Tulsi Gabbard speaking with one of the workers at
Hope Services' Transitional Housing Site in Pāhoa
on Monday, June 18. Photo from Gabbard’s office

delivered a letter to President Trump, urging him to act swiftly to authorize individual assistance from FEMA for Hawaiʻi Island residents whose homes have been lost or damaged due to the ongoing Kīlauea Volcano eruptions. The President approved the FEMA individual assistance on Friday June 14, authorizing federal funding temporary housing, home repairs and replacements, medical needs, child care, transportation, and more. A fact sheet on FEMA's Individuals and Households Program is available here. Register with FEMA by applying online at DisasterAssistance.govor calling 1-800-621-3362, for TTY 1-800-462-7585, or for 711 or Video Relay Service 1-800-621-3362.

Volcano Livestock 4-H Club member Ua Alencastre-Galimba
won Grand Champion Market Steer. Photo from Becky Settlage,
CountyExtension Agent, 4-H Youth Development/Livestock

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YOUNG FARMERS CELEBRATED A CENTURY OF 4-H IN HAWAIʻI last weekend with the 2018 Hawaiʻi County 4-H Livestock Show & Sale in Waimea. The event drew Kaʻū youth to the north side of the island with their calves, pigs, and other livestock they have raised. Anderson Arena in Waimea, also known as Rocking Chair Ranch, hosted the event. Open to the public, the annual event supports young farmers and ranchers. Friday was for showing rabbits, poultry, and goats. Saturday morning was for showing lambs, hogs, steers, and heifers. Saturday afternoon was for the sale of 4-H animals, including beef steer and heifer, hog, lamb, goat, poultry, and rabbit.

Volcano Livestock 4-H Club member Gavin Galimbawon both Champion
Sr. Beef and Reserve Champion Market Steer. Photo from Becky
Settlage, CountyExtension Agent, 4-H Youth Development/Livestock

The 4-H livestock program provides youths aged 5-18 with hands-on learning opportunities by raising and training livestock. Participants learn humane animal husbandry skills and record-keeping. Students are responsible for the financial planning of their project, plus the daily care, feeding, and training of their project animals.

4-H Livestock Association Chair, Ka‘ū rancher, and state Board of Agriculture member Michelle Galimba said, “The 4-H participants are not only judged on the quality of their animals, but also on their showmanship skills. Each youth demonstrates the ability to effectively present their animal and their project-based knowledge.

Volcano Livestock 4-H Club member Owen Flores won Champion
Jr. Beef Showman. Photo from Becky Settlage, County
Extension Agent, 4-H Youth Development/Livestock

“4-H assists our young people in developing important life skills while working on economically valuable, hands-on projects. We must strongly support agricultural education and experiences for our young people if we are to increase Hawaiʻi’s food sustainability.”

Members of Volcano Livestock 4-H Club won four categories: Ua Alencastre-Galimba, Grand Champion Market Steer; Owen Flores, Champion Jr. Beef Showman; Gavin Galimba both Champion Sr. Beef and Reserve Champion Market Steer.

Members of Country Clovers 4-H Club won two categories: Darsen Nobriga, Grand Champion Market Lamb; Levi Higa, Reserve Champion Heifer.

Hamakua Livestock 4-H Club member Leiana Andrade-Stout
won Grand Champion Heifer. Photo from Becky Settlage,
County Extension Agent, 4-H Youth Development/Livestock

Members of Hamakua Livestock 4-H Club won the remainder of the categories: Nahenahe Rosario, Senior Master Round Robin Showman; Kaylan Gomes, Reserve Champion Market Lamb and Junior Master Round Robin Showman; Maverick Miranda, Reserve Champion Market Hog; Jacob Taylor, Grand Champion Breeding Rabbit; Abigail Andrade, Champion Sr. Sheep Showman; Trey Gomes, Champion Sr. Swine Showman; Leiana Andrade-Stout, Grand Champion Heifer and Reserve Champion Breeding Doe; Kamuela Andrade-Stout, Grand Champion Breeding Doe, Grand Champion Market Hog, Champion Goat Showman, and Champion Jr. Hog Showman.

For more information, contact Michelle Galimba at mgalimba@kuahiwiranch.com
or 808-430-4927. For more pictures of the event, see facebook.com/pg/East-Hawaii-4-H-Hawaii-County-4-H-Livestock-316404270943/photos/?tab=album&album_id=101562
29731215944.

Country Clovers 4-H Club member Levi Higa won Reserve Champion
Heifer. Photo from Becky Settlage, County Extension Agent

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HAWAIʻI IS ONE OF THE MOST INDEPENDENT STATES, according to WalletHub ratings that could be interpreted as both good and bad. The overall WalletHub research aimed at measuring dependency on the government and other people for finances, jobs, and personal vices. Hawaiʻi ranks sixth overall.

Wallet Hub rates people in Hawaiʻi as the most independent in the country in terms of jobs supported by exported goods. That means fewer people’s jobs in the state rely on other countries buying things from the islands. Hawaiʻi correspondingly ranks first in having the lowest amount of state GDP generated by exports to other countries. Hawaiʻi also ranks first – tying with several other states – in having the lowest unemployment rate.

Hawaiʻi residents have the fourth-highest median credit scores. Hawaiʻi ranks fifth in “share of adults who smoke every day.” It ranks eighth in the underemployment rate, which means more people in the state obtain full-time positions when that is their goal. Hawaiʻi ranks 16th in median debt per income. Hawaiʻi’s families rank 22nd in share of adults saving for children’s college education. Hawaiʻi ranks lowest in the country for having the lowest household income, adjusted by cost of living.

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HIGHWAY 11 WAS CLOSED BETWEEN 1 a.m. and 6:30 a.m. Saturday, at mile marker 102, just north of Hoʻokena. Police had opened one lane by 6:30 a.m. The closure was due to a vehicle accident.

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FISSURE 8 FLOWS CLOCKED UP TO 20 MILES PER HOUR on June 18. Fountaining from the fissure reached 200 feet high. Minor overflows from the channel “continue to be a hazard,” said Wes Thelen, seismologist with USGS. Small overflows were observed on the north side of the channel near Pohoiki Road overnight and this morning, but stalled in the afternoon. Another small, sluggish overflow along a section of Luana Street is advancing northwest. Fissures 6, 16, and 18 show minor amounts of activity.

Islandwide, with most of the action near Halemaʻumaʻu, the number of earthquakes in the last 20 days reached 10,104 this evening. A 4.6-magnitude earthquake shook the south flank of Kīlauea on a pali within Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park at 2:24 p.m. Unlike the regular shallow seismic events at Halemaʻumaʻu, the deeper earthquake was felt more broadly into Kaʻū.

Fissure 8 lava fountains, incandescent spots along horizontal line mark
the edge of the lava channel. A tongue of incandescent lava leads
down to the right - a small overflow from the channel margin.
USGS photo

Halemaʻumaʻu’s explosive eruption at 5:05 a.m. today, June 19, sent ash 1,000 feet into the air. The energy release was equivalent to a 5.5-magnitude earthquake. It was the 30th such event. “This continues a trend of lesser and lesser ash emissions that are associated with these types of explosions,” said Thelen. He clarified that magnitude ratings are not the same, compared to typical earthquakes - that the way the energy is being released is different. He said this seismic activity doesn’t “have the same really fast ground motions,” as a typical earthquake. Felt earthquakes drop sharply after each explosive eruption. Thelen said another explosion is expected within a day of seismic activity picking up again. He said the contribution of groundwater to the explosive events is “a pretty hot” topic of debate.

Large blocks within the caldera continue to slump. Summit deflation continues. Thelen said 267 million cubic meters of magma have withdrawn from the summit since the lava lake started to drain. “That is a huge amount of magma that is leaving the system,” he said. There is some consistency in the comparison of lava lake samples and samples at the lower East Rift Zone eruptive fissures, indicating that magma from the lake might be erupting at the fissures. It is also possible it could be being stored. The magma could also “have gotten in line,” waiting to exit the East Rift.

Today is Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park’s 40^th day of two thirds of the park being closed. Leslie Gordon of USGS said questions about public viewing of lava outside the park are best directed to Civil Defense.

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PELE’S HAIR AND SO2 MAY BECOME AN ISSUE IN PĀHOA and possibly into the Hawaiian Acres tonight, June 19, according to the National Weather Service. Winds are expected to push volcanic emissions into the interior of the BigIsland, including over Hilo, northern parts of the island, and wrapping around to the west, says NWS. Tradewinds are expected by Thursday.

Today’s air quality, according to the EPA multi-agency site at response.epa.gov/site/map
_list.aspx?site_id=12766, reported all areas a good-blue, except a sensor in the middle of Leilani Estates, which read at red (danger level) due to SO2 at more than two parts per million, and Mountain View, showing orange (caution level) due to SO2 at just over 0.2 parts per million. Mountain Viewand both VolcanoesNational Park sensors registered moderate SO2, hiso2index.info/, for a good portion of the afternoon. Other island sensors were either offline or in the green. Air Quality Index, airnow.gov/index.cfm?action=airnow.local_state&stateid=12&mapcenter=0&tabs=0, reported all island locations green except Kona, at 73, and Mountain View, at 71.

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WEDNESDAY, JUNE 20

Hawai‘i County Council Meetings, Tue, Jun 19 (Council), Kona. Ka‘ū residents can participate via videoconferencing at Nā‘ālehu State Office Building. Agendas at hawaiicounty.gov

Ocean View Community Association Board Meeting, Wed, June 20, noon-1pm, Ocean View Community Center. 939-7033, ovcahi.org

Rapid Response Workshops for Hawaiʻi Island residents whose employment status or business operations have been affected by the lava flow, held Wednesday, June 20, 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., at Pāhoa Community Center, 15-3022 Kauhale Street, Pāhoa.

Residents can receive information about programs and services regarding Unemployment Insurance, State of Hawaiʻi job vacancies, mental health services, Veterans’ Affairs, housing rental assistance, employment training, emergency food assistance, WIC and medical services. For more information, contact the American Jobs Center Hawaiʻi at 935-6527.

THURSDAY, JUNE 21

Hawai‘i Disability Legal Services, Thu, Jun 21, 9-1pm, Ocean View Community Center. ovcahi.org, 939-7033, ovcahawaii@gmail.com

Hawaiian Civic Club of Ka‘ū, Thu, Jun 21, 6:30pm, United Methodist Church in Nā‘ālehu. Pres. Berkley Yoshida, 747-0197

FRIDAY, JUNE 22

Hawaiʻi Farmers Union United Kaʻū Chapter community meeting Fri, June 22, 5pm, Pāhala Plantation House. “Come chat about agriculture in Kaʻū, local food production, ag related legislation, and make connections with folks in the community. All Kaʻū Farmers and Ranchers are encouraged to attend.” Light pupus available; welcome to bring something to share. Any questions call Raina Whiting, Kaʻū Chapter President, at 464-0799 or rainawhiting@gmail.com.

SATURDAY, JUNE 23

‘Ōhi‘a Lehua, Sun, Jun 24, 9:30-11am, Kahuku Unit of Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park. Learn about vital role of ‘ōhi‘a lehua in native Hawaiian forests, and many forms of ‘ōhi‘a tree and its flower on this free, easy, one-mile walk. nps.gov/HAVO

TUESDAY, JUNE 26

Exploring Your Senses, Tue, Jun 26, 2-3pm, Kahuku Park, H.O.V.E. For ages 6-12 years. Register Jun 18-22. Teresa Anderson, 929-9113, hawaiicounty.gov/pr-recreation

Ka‘ū Food Pantry, Tue, Jun 26, 11:30-1pm, St. Jude's Episcopal Church in Ocean View.

HOVE Road

Maintenance Monthly Meeting, Tue, Jun 26, 10am, RMC Office in Ocean View. hoveroad.com, 929-9910

NEW and UPCOMING

KUMU LEILEHUA YUEN AND MANU JOSIAH TO BE FEATURED at Volcano Art Center’s Hula Kahiko program on Saturday, June 23. The event takes place, from 10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., at the Ni‘aulani Campus of the Volcano Art Center in Volcano Village, due to the ongoing closure of Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park.

Kumu Leilehua Yuen and Manu Josiah perform Hula Kahiko
at Volcano Art Center on June 23.
Photo from Volcano Art Center, by Julie Callahan

Josiah and Yuen are known for their informances, in which they blend storytelling, science, chant, and hula to create a journey through Hawaiian history and culture. Yuen and Josiah “admire each other’s love of and respect for their island home. They live in her family home in Hilo, restoring the medicinal garden that her grandfather tended,” states the event description.
Yuen’s hula lineage is rooted in her grandmother’s teachings and her studies with Hawaiiana expert Auntie Nona Beamer. The powerful natural forces of the Big Island are where Yuen “draws much of her artistic inspiration. Manu also draws strength from the island as he works to preserve his cultural heritage through music and community education.” The Volcano Art Center invites the public to join them in a celebration of traditional chant and hula at Kīlauea during the event.

Kumu Kaho‘okele Crabbe.
Photo from Volcano Art Center

The free event is supported in part by a grant from the Hawaiʻi Tourism Authority, the County of Hawaiʻi Department of Research and Development and individual funding from members of the Volcano Art Center’s ʻohana. For more, visit volcanoartcenter.org.

NĀ MEA HULA, WITH KUMU KAHO‘OKELE CRABBE WITH HALAUOKALANI, is held in conjunction with the aforementioned Hula Kahiko performance at the same location, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Crabbe and members of Hālauolaokalani present a display of all things hula - Nā Mea Hula. They share a variety of instruments, implements and lei styles that play an integral role in the life of the hula practitioner. This free demonstration is hands-on and family friendly. For more, visit volcanoartcenter.org.

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ONGOING

Tropic Care 2018 - providing medical, dental, and eye care for any community member, free of charge, whether they have insurance or not - lasts through June 28, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., at Keaʻau High School gym. First come-first served. Bring any current prescriptions or eye glasses. Long waits are expected; bring water and snacks. Free breakfast and lunch provided to those aged 3 to 18, Monday thru Friday. Food carts may be on site for purchases throughout the event. Questions can be directed to the public health nurse at 808-974-6035, or Adria Maderios, Vice Principal of Keaʻau High School, at 313-3333.

Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park invites kamaʻaina and tourist alike to visit the Kahuku Unit. There are no entry fees, and all programs are free of charge. In addition to regularly scheduled Guided Hikes and the monthly Coffee Talk, Kahuku Unit has added daily Ranger Talks, and cultural demonstrations and activities on weekends.

Visitor Contact Station hosts Ike Hana Noe ʻAu, Cultural Demonstrations and Activities, at 12:30 p.m. every Saturday and Sunday in June, made possible by Hawaiʻi Pacific Parks Association. Make an ͑Ohe Hana Ihu (Nose Flute), Sat, June 23. Make a Mini Feather Kahili, Sun, June 24.

Visitor Contact Station hosts Ranger Talks on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday at 10:30 a.m. and 1 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday at 10:30 a.m.

Guided Hikes begin at 9:30 a.m. every Saturday and Sunday in June. Meet the ranger at the welcome tent. Sat, June 23: Birth of Kahuku. Sun, June 24: ͑Ōhi͑a Lehua.

Artist in Residence Talk, in the Visitor Center on Fri, June 22, at 10 a.m.

In the Visitor Contact Station, Coffee Talk, a monthly, casual get together, is held the last Friday of the month. On June 29 at 9:30 a.m., Hawaiʻi Wildlife Fund will present Removing Trash, Restoring Habitat.

Join in the Cultural Festival, Pu ͑uhonua O Hōnaunau National Historical Park, in Hōnaunau, Sat and Sun, June 23 and 24, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

See the Kahuku Unit Rangers,The Kahuku Cowgirls, in the Na ͑alehu 4th of July Parade Sat, June 30, beginning at 10 a.m.

Libraries Rock Summer Reading Program: Hawai‘i State Public Library System, through July 14, statewide and online. Register and log reading at librarieshawaii.beanstack.org or at a local library. Free. Reading rewards, activities, and programs for children, teens, and adults. 2018 participants have a chance to win a Roundtrip for four to anywhere Alaska Airlines flies.

Park Rangers invite the public to downtown Hilo to learn about the volcanic activity, to get their NPS Passport Book stamped, and to experience the Hawaiian cultural connection to volcanoes. Rangers are providing programs at the Mokupāpapa Discovery Center at 76 Kamehameha Avenue, Tuesday through Saturdays, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission is free.
Two Park Rangers are stationed at the Grand Naniloa Hotel in downtown Hilo, from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., every Sunday and Monday, in the Willie K Crown Room - as long as nothing else is scheduled in the space. The rangers will be doing daily talks at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. about the eruption. They will show the park film that is normally available to visitors to see at the Kilauea Visitor’s Center at the Summit, Born of Fire, Born in the Sea, every half-hour beginning at 9:30 a.m.

Sign Up for the Nāʻālehu Independence Day Parade, to be held June 30. If interested, call Debra McIntosh at 929-9872.

Tūtū and Me Offers Home Visits to those with keiki zero to five years old: home visits to aid with helpful parenting tips and strategies, educational resources, and a compassionate listening ear. Home visits are free, last 1.5 hours, two to four times a month, for a total of 12 visits, and snacks are provided. For info and to register, call Linda Bong 464-9634.

St. Jude's Episcopal Church Calls For More Volunteers for the Saturday community outreach. Especially needed are cooks for the soup served to those in need, and organizers for the hot showers. "Volunteering for St. Jude's Saturday Shower and Soup ministry is an opportunity to serve God in a powerful way," states St. Jude's April newsletter. Volunteer by contacting Dave Breskin at 319-8333.

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The growing Halema‘uma‘u crater viewed to the southeast., with HVO and Jagger Museum sitting on the caldera rim, to the right, where the road bends to the left. Estimated total volume loss is about 260 million cubic meters as of June 15th. See story, below. USGS photo

KEEP FAMILIES TOGETHER and create sustainable solutions to the broken immigration system, urged Rep. Tulsi Gabbard today. In response to the Trump Administration's zero-tolerance policy, which separates children from their parents at the U.S.border, Gabbard joined over 190 Members of Congress in introducing legislation to keep immigrant families together. The Keep Families Together Act, H.R. 6135, “would prevent the Department of Homeland Securityfrom taking children from their parents at the U.S.border, except in extraordinary circumstances such as trafficking, abuse, or neglect,” states the release from Gabbard. She reports that at least 2,342 children have been separated from their parents after crossing the U.S.-Mexico border since May 2018.

Gabbard says, “The Trump Administration's use of children as pawns in the immigration debate is despicable and must end now. While the President signed an Executive Order today (June 20) intended to end the policy of separating children from their parents, this will not solve the serious challenges we face and could create new ones. The fact is we need comprehensive immigration reform now. I joined my colleagues today in introducing the Keep Families Together Act to prevent migrant children from being taken from their parents, and to begin to fix our highly broken immigration system. We must put politics aside, and come together to address this important issue.”

Beatriz Cantelmo, on behalf of Amnesty
International - Hawaiʻi Chapter, spoke out
in favor of the Keep Families Together
Act. Photo from Cantelmo's LinkedIn

Beatriz Cantelmo, on behalf of Amnesty International- Hawaiʻi Chapter, said “We wholeheartedly support the Keep Families Together Act and all of the representatives who are co-sponsoring it. Separating families as they seek asylum together is a blatant violation of human rights and must stop immediately! Many of them have been on the run from deadly violence and persecution and are seeking safety in the U.S.As a democratic and civilized society, the United States has a strong legacy of welcoming immigrants. Asylum seeker rights must continue to be protected by our laws.”

The Keep Families Together Act (H.R. 6135) would:

Keep Families Together: The bill promotes family unity by prohibiting Department of Homeland Security officials from separating children from their parents, except in extraordinary circumstances. In these limited circumstances, separation could not occur unless parental rights have been terminated, a child welfare agency has issued a best interest determination, or the Port Director or the Chief Border Patrol agent of Customs and Border Protection have approved separation due to trafficking indicators or other concerns of risk to the child. It requires an independent child welfare official to review any such separation and return the child if no harm to the child is present. It imposes financial penalties on officials who violate the prohibition on family separation.

Limit Criminal Prosecutions for Asylum Seekers: The majority of the parents separated at the border are being criminally prosecuted for illegal entry or re-entry. This bill restricts the prosecution of parents who are asylum seekers by adopting the recommendation of the DHS Office of Inspector General. The bill delays prosecutions for asylum seekers and creates an affirmative defense for asylum seekers. It also codifies our commitment to the Refugee protocol prohibiting the criminal punishment of those seeking protection from persecution.

Increase Child Welfare Training: The bill requires all CBP officers and agents to complete child welfare training on an annual basis. Port Directors and Chief Border Agents, those who are authorized to make decisions on family separations, must complete an additional 90 minutes of annual child-welfare training.

Establish Public Policy Preference for Family Reunification: The bill establishes a preference for family unity, discourages the separation of siblings, and creates a presumption that detention is not in the best interests of families and children.

Add Procedures for Separated Families: The bill requires DHS to develop policies and procedures allowing parents and children to locate each other and reunite if they have been separated. Such procedures must be public and made available in a language that parents can understand. In cases of separation, it requires DHS to provide parents with a weekly report containing information about a child, and weekly phone communication.

Establish Other Required Measures: In order to inform Congressional oversight and promote public understanding of the use family separation, the bill requires a report on the separation of families every six months.

The Keep Families Together Act is endorsed by the ACLU, Women's Refugee Commission, Third Way, YoungCenter for Immigrant Children's Rights, Indivisible, MomsRising, Legal Aid JusticeCenter, Amnesty International USA, Anti-Defamation League, Center for Gender & Refugee Studies, UnidosUS, The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, National Immigrant JusticeCenter, The Children's Partnership, and more.

Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, in favor of the
Keep Families Together Act.

Immigration reform has been one of Gabbard's top priorities throughout her time in Congress, states the release. In addition to the DREAM Act, she co-sponsored two measures to protect families and children, including the DREAMer Information Protection Act (H.R. 532), which prohibits DHS's Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program from being used for immigration enforcement proceedings and the BRIDGE Act (H.R. 496), which codifies the DACA program. In October, she hosted an immigration-focused telephone townhall to update Hawaiʻi constituents on the status of DACA, and answer questions about education rights for DREAMers, fees for naturalization, qualifications to receive DACA, backlogs on citizenship applications, rules regarding re-entry for foreign-born relatives of U.S. military personnel, and more. A full recording of the event is available here. Most recently, Gabbard sent a letter to the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Homeland Security, urging the subcommittee to limit DHS's ability to separate parents from their children.

Follow Rep. Tulsi Gabbard on social media: Facebook.com/RepTulsiGabbard, Twitter.com/TulsiPress, YouTube.com/TulsiPress, Flickr.com/RepTulsiGabbard.

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“NO END IN SIGHT,” FOR CURRENT KĪLAUEA ERUTPION, says USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory Deputy Scientist in Charge Steve Brantley.
Hawaiʻi News Now reporter Mileka Lincoln

Fissure 8 cone, lava fountain, and channelized lava flow

on the morning overflight of June 19 at 6:10 a.m. Overflows

from the channel are sluggish and move slowly downslope

as they build up the levees. USGS photo

reported Brantley said that what shocks him most is “the significant change to Halemaʻumaʻu Crater, which is now almost unrecognizable as it doubled in size from rim to rim and continues to slump inward as a result of constant intense seismicity and steam explosions.” Brantley said the ongoing activity at Kīlauea’s summit “indicates magma is still draining and being fed into the lower East Rift Zone - which is why (we) can no longer use the two most recent events of 1955 and 1960 as models of what to anticipate.”

Brantley explained, “This eruption has exceeded the volume of either one of those (1955 and 1960) eruptions, and it’s erupting more every day. We’ve exceeded the length of time of the 1960 eruption, but not the 1955 eruption - but I think it looks like we’re on mark for having a longer eruption than both of those, and erupting a considerably larger volume of magma onto the surface before this is all said and done.”

Geologist makes early morning observations of the lava
fountain and channelized flow at Fissure 8 in
Leilani Estates on June 20. USGS photo

The Hawai`i News Now reporter said USGS officials have been asked by residents, why Fissure 8 hasn’t been named like Puʻu ʻŌʻō was. Lincolnrelayed that HVO scientists say “Fissure 8 is probably not done building yet as a cinder cone in either shape and size - and it could also stop at any time with another fissure taking over.”
Brantley explained, “It’s a bit early to think that Fissure 8 will be the only eruption site from now moving forward, given how much magma is still fueling the lower East Rift Zone. However, if the time comes, it will not be the role of USGS to name Fissure 8, but rather input from affected areas and guidance from Native Hawaiian community leaders.”

Fissure 8 fountaining increased up to 200 feet.
Spatter built up the cone to the east and
into the channel. USGS photo

The reporter was at the Pāhoa community meeting last night, June 19, where she said there were fewer residents in attendance than at previous community meetings. She said low attendance could be from “fatigue and weariness that has set in for those who have spent the last seven weeks either displaced or discouraged by the ongoing eruption.”

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FORTY-SEVEN PEOPLE HAVE BEEN CITED FOR LOITERING IN LOWER PUNA since early May, according to Hawai‘i Department of Land & Natural Resources. Officers from the Hawai‘i County Police Department and the DLNR Division of Conservation and Resources Enforcement cited six more people within the past few days “for loitering and refusing to evacuate” in lower Puna.

Police headlights shine on a person walking in a restricted
zone near an eruptive vent. Photo from Big Island Video News

Gov. David Ige issued a supplemental proclamation earlier in June, giving judges the option of imposing fines of up to $5,000 and up to a year in jail for people convicted of being in a closed area. The Governor said there is a need to strengthen enforcement tools in controlling access to dangerous areas.

Last week three people cited at LavaTreeState Park pleaded no contest to their charges, says DLNR. Two of them were fined $500 each and the third person will serve 50 hours of community service in lieu of a fine, DLNR says.

The officer who cited two people on June 19 said they were wearing respirators and that they were enticed by social media postings which continue to show others illegally entering the evacuation zone to photograph or tape active lava flows, says DLNR. DOCARE officers report many of the people cited claim they did not know they were in a closed area, even though in many cases they walked past barricades or used unmanned back roads to get around checkpoints.

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PROPOSED NĀʻĀLEHU AND PĀHALA WASTEWATER TREATMENT PLANT LOCATIONS AND DESIGNS ARE NOT FINALIZED. The projects were addressed in a release from the Mayor’s Office on June 19. The release states the EPA is requiring County of Hawaiʻi to close Large Capacity Cesspools in Pāhala and Nāʻālehu. Specifics about technology and sites are not finalized. Required environmental studies have not yet been completed. Department of Environmental Management Director William Kucharski stresses that “Preliminary designs for these potential sites were prepared to elicit comments, commence dialogue and satisfy obligations in the EPA Administrative Order and Consent.”

The release says DEM “is working to find the best replacement technology and a suitable location for a new wastewater treatment plant. The current proposed technology is an environment-friendly option that fully complies with regulatory requirements that help protect our precious ground and ocean water quality. It is a low- energy natural process that will treat wastewater in lagoons and then in a subsurface wetland, after which the treated water will be used for irrigation of native tree groves introduced specifically for this purpose. This process will be low maintenance and monitored to ensure quality control.”

Keiki playing on he field at Nāʻālehu Elementary School. The present site of the proposed wastewater treatment plant is right next to the school. Photo from Darlene Javar's Twitter

The release says the search for suitable sites is a complex process. “There are several factors that need to be considered,” says the release, “such as potential impacts to significant archaeological and cultural resources, soil quality, the presence of drinking water wells, and other environmental factors. Location also impacts ratepayers.”

The release says public input “is factored into project planning, including site selection.” DEM has begun community outreach programs in Nāʻālehu and Pāhala “to share current project information, answer questions, and listen to people’s reactions. In these outreach activities, the project team continually stresses that it is early in the formal review process.”

Interviews and talk story sessions were held in Nāʻālehu in early April. About a hundred people participated. They expressed strong concerns about the site that was presented at these gatherings, next to Nāʻālehu Elementary School. To date, over 30 sites have been evaluated and the site selection process continues.

“No property may be purchased before an Environmental Assessment / Impact Statement has been fully completed,” Kucharski said. The EA/EIS process provides opportunities for community review and comments, says the release. A proposed final draft EA has not yet been published for the Nāʻālehu project.

“DEM will conduct a second round of community outreach as the Department prepares and finalizes the required environmental studies. Mahalo for your continued interest and patience as DEM explores the best solutions to meet the wastewater needs of the Nāʻālehu community,” says the release.

For more information, contact Rana Rodillas at (808) 961-8615. records.hawaiicounty.gov/Weblink/1/doc/93809/Page1.aspx

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VACATION RENTAL BILL STILL UNDECIDED: Hawai‘i County Council has again postponed any decision making on Bill 108 until July. The bill proposes county code changes, to define “where short-term vacation rentals would be allowed, establishes regulations for their use, and provides a way for an owner or operator to obtain a nonconforming use certificate that would allow them to operate in a non-permitted district.” Council members did not interact with any testifiers, many of whom disagree with all or part of the changes proposed.

See public Ka‘ū events, meetings, entertainment.

See Ka‘ū exercise, meditation, daily, and weekly events.

Print edition of The Ka‘ū Calendar is free to 5,500 mailboxes

throughout Ka‘ū, from Miloli‘i through Volcano, and free on

stands throughout the district. Read online at kaucalendar.com
and facebook.com/kaucalendar.

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THURSDAY, JUNE 21

Hawai‘i Disability Legal Services, Thu, Jun 21, 9-1pm, Ocean View Community Center. ovcahi.org, 939-7033, ovcahawaii@gmail.com

Hawaiian Civic Club of Ka‘ū, Thu, Jun 21, 6:30pm, United Methodist Church in Nā‘ālehu. Pres. Berkley Yoshida, 747-0197

FRIDAY, JUNE 22
Hawaiʻi Farmers Union United Kaʻū Chapter community meeting Fri, June 22, 5pm, Pāhala Plantation House. “Come chat about agriculture in Kaʻū, local food production, ag related legislation, and make connections with folks in the community. All Kaʻū Farmers and Ranchers are encouraged to attend.” Light pupus available; welcome to bring something to share. Any questions call Raina Whiting, Kaʻū Chapter President, at 464-0799 or rainawhiting@gmail.com.

SATURDAY, JUNE 23
Ocean View Skateboard Sessions, Saturday, June 23, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., Kukuhu Park basketball courts. All ages are welcome to “show the need for a real community skatepark for the youth of Ocean View.” Parents must register minors from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m. and sign a waiver. A $1 million liability insurance policy has been provided by the Surfrider Foundation, said Organizer Travis Aicorn. The sponsor is Pueo Skate, LLC. Pack a lunch and bring water. For more information, call Aicorn at 808-494-5192 or contact him through grindcurbs@yahoo.com.

Birth of Kahuku, Sat, Jun 23, 9:30-11:30am, Kahuku Unit of Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park. Explore rich geologic history of Kahuku on this easy-to-moderate hike that traverses the vast 1868 lava flow, with different volcano features and formations. Learn about the Hawaiian hotspot and the creation of Kahuku. nps.gov/HAVO

SUNDAY, JUNE 24
‘Ōhi‘a Lehua, Sun, Jun 24, 9:30-11am, Kahuku Unit of Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park. Learn about vital role of ‘ōhi‘a lehua in native Hawaiian forests, and many forms of ‘ōhi‘a tree and its flower on this free, easy, one-mile walk. nps.gov/HAVO

TUESDAY, JUNE 26

Exploring Your Senses, Tue, Jun 26, 2-3pm, Kahuku Park, H.O.V.E. For ages 6-12 years. Register Jun 18-22. Teresa Anderson, 929-9113, hawaiicounty.gov/pr-recreation

Ka‘ū Food Pantry, Tue, Jun 26, 11:30-1pm, St. Jude's Episcopal Church in Ocean View.

HOVE Road

Maintenance Monthly Meeting, Tue, Jun 26, 10am, RMC Office in Ocean View. hoveroad.com, 929-9910

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 27

Kōkua Kupuna Project, Wed, Jun 27, 9-11am, St. Jude's Episcopal Church, Ocean View. Seniors 60 years and older encouraged to attend, ask questions, and inquire about services offered through Legal Aid Society of Hawai‘i - referral required from Hawai‘i County Office of Aging at 961-8626 for free legal services. Under 60, call 1-800-499-4302. More info: tahisha.despontes@legalaidhawaii.org, 329-3910 ext. 925. legalaidhawaii.org

THURSDAY, JUNE 28

Kona Vet Center visits to Ocean View Community Center are Suspended until further notice. Veterans may call 329-0574 for VA benefit information. ovcahi.org

Ka‘ū Community Children's Council, Thu, Jun 28, 12:30-1:30pm, Punalu‘u Bake Shop. Monthly meeting provides local forum for all community members to come together as equal partners to discuss and positively affect multiple systems' issues for the benefit of all students, families, and communities. Chad Domingo, text 808-381-2584, domingoc1975@yahoo.com

Volcano Friends Feeding Friends, Thu, Jun 28, 4-6pm, Cooper Center, Volcano Village. Free community dinner for all. Additional packaged goods to take home for those in need. Donations and volunteers encouraged. 967-7800

NEW and UPCOMING

Ready with her skateboard at the Kahuku

county park. Photo from Kevin Aicorn

OCEAN VIEW SKATEBOARD SESSIONS will be held on Saturday, June 23, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., at the county’s Kukuhu Park basketball courts. Organizer Travis Aicorn said that all ages are welcome to “show the need for a real community skatepark for the youth of Ocean View.”
Aicorn said that parents must register minors from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m. and sign a waiver. A $1 million liability insurance policy has been provided by the Surfrider Foundation, he said. The sponsor is Pueo Skate, LLC.
Organizers ask that families pack a lunch and bring water. For more information, call Aicorn at 808-494-5192 or contact him through grindcurbs@yahoo.com.

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THE RETURN OF AFTER DARK …NEAR THE PARK at the VolcanoArtCenter’s Ni‘aulani Campus, Tuesday, June 26, 7 p.m. Free. Sealed with Aloha: Hawaiian Monk Seals and Hawai‘i, presented by Tara Spiegel “and the dedicated staff of Ke Kai Ola (The Healing Sea),” says the release. “This amazing facility, operated by the MarineMammalCenter, has grown to include science-based rehabilitation techniques, a highly trained stranding response network and much more. Learn how these heroes of hope heal and rehabilitate endangered Hawaiian monk seals.”

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ONGOING

Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park invites kamaʻaina and tourist alike to visit the Kahuku Unit. There are no entry fees, and all programs are free of charge. In addition to regularly scheduled Guided Hikes and the monthly Coffee Talk, Kahuku Unit has added daily Ranger Talks, and cultural demonstrations and activities on weekends.

Artist in Residence Talk, in the Visitor Center on Fri, June 22, at 10 a.m.
Visitor Contact Station hosts Ike Hana Noe ʻAu, Cultural Demonstrations and Activities, at 12:30 p.m. every Saturday and Sunday in June, made possible by Hawaiʻi Pacific Parks Association. Make an ͑Ohe Hana Ihu (Nose Flute), Sat, June 23. Make a Mini Feather Kahili, Sun, June 24.

Visitor Contact Station hosts Ranger Talks on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday at 10:30 a.m. and 1 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday at 10:30 a.m.

Guided Hikes begin at 9:30 a.m. every Saturday and Sunday in June. Meet the ranger at the welcome tent. Sat, June 23: Birth of Kahuku. Sun, June 24: ͑Ōhi͑a Lehua.

Join in the Cultural Festival, Pu ͑uhonua O Hōnaunau National Historical Park, in Hōnaunau, Sat and Sun, June 23 and 24, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

See the Kahuku Unit Rangers,The Kahuku Cowgirls, in the Na ͑alehu 4th of July Parade Sat, June 30, beginning at 10 a.m.

Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program will take sign-ups in Kaʻū, through June 29.
In Nā’ālehu, it will take place at the Hawai‘i County Economic Opportunity Council office, back of Senior Center, Wed-Fri, 8-1pm, 929-9263.
In Ocean View, it will take place at Ocean View Community Center, Mon and Tue, 8-4:30pm.
In Pāhala, it will take place at the Edmund Olson Trust Office, Tue and Wed, 8:30-12:30pm. See more for eligibility requirements and application.

Libraries Rock Summer Reading Program: Hawai‘i State Public Library System, through July 14, statewide and online. Register and log reading at librarieshawaii.beanstack.org or at a local library. Free. Reading rewards, activities, and programs for children, teens, and adults. 2018 participants have a chance to win a Roundtrip for four to anywhere Alaska Airlines flies.

Park Rangers invite the public to downtown Hilo to learn about the volcanic activity, to get their NPS Passport Book stamped, and to experience the Hawaiian cultural connection to volcanoes. Rangers are providing programs at the Mokupāpapa Discovery Center at 76 Kamehameha Avenue, Tuesday through Saturdays, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission is free.
Two Park Rangers are stationed at the Grand Naniloa Hotel in downtown Hilo, from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., every Sunday and Monday, in the Willie K Crown Room - as long as nothing else is scheduled in the space. The rangers will be doing daily talks at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. about the eruption. They will show the park film that is normally available to visitors to see at the Kilauea Visitor’s Center at the Summit, Born of Fire, Born in the Sea, every half-hour beginning at 9:30 a.m.

Sign Up for the Nāʻālehu Independence Day Parade, to be held June 30. If interested, call Debra McIntosh at 929-9872.

Volcano Forest Runs Registration Open through Friday, August 17, at 6 p.m. Half marathon $85, 10K $45, 5K $30. Registration increases August 1: half marathon to $95, 10K to $55, and 5K to $35. Race is run from Cooper Center on Wright Road in Volcano Village on Saturday, August 18.

5th annual Ka‘ū Coffee Trail Run registration open. Race day Sat, Sept 22, 7 a.m.; begins and ends at Ka‘ū Coffee Mill. Register online before Mon, July 9: 5K, $25/person; 10K, $35/person; and 1/2 Marathon, $45/person. From July 9 to Aug 11: $30/person, $40/person, and $45/person, respectively. From Aug 13 to Sept 20: $35/person, $45/person, and $55/person. Race day registration ends Sat, Sept 22, at 6:30 a.m. Event organizers, ‘O Ka‘ū Kākou; start location, Ka‘ū Coffee Mill.

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USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory scientists today lowered the alert level for Mauna Loa, the largest active volcano on Earth. In this 1985 aerial photo, Mauna Loa looms above Kīlauea's summit caldera at left center and nearly obscures Hualalai in the far distant upper right. Photo from USGS

THE MAUNA LOA VOLCANIC ERUPTION ALERT LEVEL DROPPED TO NORMAL/GREEN from Advisory/Yellow, as of Thursday, June 21. Hawaiian Volcano Observatory networks have recorded near background levels of seismicity and ground motion for at least the last six months, states a release from HVO. These observations indicate that the volcano is no longer at an elevated level of activity. HVO continues to monitor the volcano closely and will report any significant changes.

A geologists monitors the 1984 eruption of Mauna Loa.
Photo by Christina Neal, USGS

From 2014 through much of 2017, HVO seismic stations recorded variable, but overall elevated, rates of shallow, small-magnitude earthquakes beneath Mauna Loa's summit, upper Southwest Rift Zone, and west flank, states the release. During that same time period, HVO measured ground deformation consistent with input of magma into the volcano's shallow magma storage system.

The volcano alert level was raised to Advisory and the aviation color code to Yellow in September 2015. It was noted that the increase in alert level did not mean an eruption was imminent or that progression to an eruption was certain. This episode of unrest lasted several years without progressing to an eruption, similar to the period of unrest from 2004 to 2009.
Since late 2017, rates of earthquake occurrence and of ground motion related to inflation of shallow magma reservoirs have slowed to near background levels. Seismicity has continued to be low during the current activity on Kīlauea volcano. Recent motions recorded by GPS instruments on Mauna Loa are due to the M6.9 Kīlauea south flank earthquake on May 4 and subsidence at the summit Kīlauea Volcano, according to HVO. None of the activity on Kīlauea volcano has produced a detectable effect on Mauna Loa’s magmatic system.

Mauna Loa is quieter and hikeable for experienced explorers,
with permits from Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park. USGS photo

In the history of Mauna Loa, the largest active volcano on Earth, eruptions typically start at the summit. Within minutes to months of eruption onset, about half of the eruptions migrate into either the Northeast or Southwest Rift Zones. Since 1843, the volcano has erupted 33 times, with intervals between eruptions ranging from months to decades. Mauna Loa last erupted 34 years ago, in 1984. Mauna Loa eruptions tend to produce voluminous, fast-moving lava flows that can impact communities on the east and west sides of the Island of Hawaiʻi. Since the mid-19th century, the city of Hilo in east Hawaiʻi has been threatened by seven Mauna Loa lava flows. Mauna Loa lava flows have reached the south and west coasts of the island eight times: 1859, 1868, 1887, 1926, 1919, and three times in 1950.
HVO will suspend weekly updates on Mauna Loa and instead issue them monthly. Should volcanic activity change significantly, an update will be issued. Regularly scheduled updates are posted at hvo.wr.usgs.gov. Stay informed about Mauna Loa by following volcano updates and tracking current monitoring data on the HVO web page at hvo.wr.usgs.gov/activity/maunaloastatus.php or by signing up to receive updates by email at this site at volcanoes.usgs.gov/vns.

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HAWAIIAN VOLCANO OBSERVATORY has removed equipment from its headquarters on the edge of Halemaʻumaʻu, as crater walls fall in. The crater has more than doubled in size at the summit of Kīlauea Volcano.

With the Overlook Crater parking lot at Halemaʻumaʻu falling into

the crater, the road goes to the crater's edge. USGS Photo

A gas and ash emission from a collapse event occurred at Kīlauea's summit at 1:14 p.m. today, registering as a magnitude-5.3. The gas plume had little ash in it and wafted no more than 1,000 ft above the ground. Inward slumping of the rim and walls of Halemaʻumaʻu continues in response to ongoing subsidence at the summit.

Helicopter assisted work this week revealed that once-popular Overlook Crater parking lot, which has been closed since 2008, is no longer there. The parking lot fell into the crater as more of the Kīlauea Crater floor slides into Halema‘uma‘u. Crater Rim Drive road now ends at the edge of Halema‘uma‘u instead of the parking lot.

Even with all the activity, sulfur dioxide emissions from the volcano's summit have dropped to levels that are about half those measured prior to the onset of the current episode of eruptive activity. This gas and minor amounts of ash are being transported downwind, with small bursts of ash and gas accompanying intermittent explosive activity.

For forecasts of where ash would fall under forecast wind conditions, consult the Ash3D model output here: volcanoes.usgs.gov/observatories/hvo/ash_information.html

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A ONE QUARTER PERCENT GENERAL EXCISE TAX INCREASE FAILED TO PASS the County Council this week. Council members voted four ayes and five no's concerning the measure that would raise the sales tax on this island only from 4 percent to 4.25 percent. Council member Maile David voted aye. Council member Dru Kanuha voted nay.

Sen. Russell Ruderman spoke out in
favor of a GE tax increase, which
failed to pass a Hawaiʻi County
Council vote this week.

During testimony before the vote, Sen. Russell Ruderman spoke out in favor of passing both a permanent half percent and the short-term quarter percent GE tax increase: “I think we need to pass a long-term GE tax increase in this county. I understand how hard it is to pass a tax increase – and you will have opposition.” Ruderman said increases were made on Oʻahu and Kauaʻi, and that “Maui is rich,” with property tax. “That leaves the Big Island as the outlier in this; we’re the only ones that are not providing for our future budget needs, if we don’t pass this.

“If this were a family, looking at this budget, we’d have to take Granny off her medication. We’d have to tell Junior to quit playing soccer. We’d have to quit buying healthy foods – maybe skip vacations. We’d have to face the reality of what not having enough money does. The county has to do that, also.” He spoke about the county possibly furloughing workers, stopping some services, and closing some offices, if it can't find away for more income, especially with the high cost of current volcano disaster.

Ruderman said the GE tax is sometimes called regressive, but that other taxes are more so. He said the effect of “a broke county” on the poor is “much more regressive,” from not having “proper police or fire services, without adequate roads, without a public transportation system to get to work and back."

Failure to pass the GE tax increase “will echo for decades,” said Ruderman.
Mayor Harry Kim proposed the .5 percent GE tax hike to modernize the public transportation system, instead of using other county money, which would help with the volcano crisis.

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Ocean View's air monitoring indicator dot is grey, representing
a lack of information being made available to the public and to
emergency service personnel. Map from hiso2index.info

THIEVES STOLE CELLULAR TOWER EQUIPMENT IN OCEAN VIEW, shutting down much of the mobile phone and air monitoring in both Ocean View and Ranchos, according to several reports to The Kaʻū Calendar. One business owner reported that between 4 a.m. and 7:30 a.m. on Tuesday, June 19, parties unknown stole copper wires, batteries, and other equipment from a cellular tower that services Ocean View and Ranchos.

Due to the theft, the state Department of Health SO2 monitor, hiso2index.info, is unable to broadcast SO2 levels for Ocean View. Air Quality Now, which reports particulate and overall air quality, and the EPA air quality site, are also down. That leaves Air Visual, stationed in Ranchos, as the only reporting for air quality in the area.

One business owner said that cell tower operators “don’t know if they’re going to be replacing the equipment because we don’t have any way of protecting them from doing it again.” She said the event marks the eighth time thieves have attacked the cell tower. “AT&T was compromised the day after Christmas, 2017. That’s how quickly: six months later, they come back.”

Information about the thefts was posted on Facebook, to private groups for HOVEresidents.

See public Ka‘ū events, meetings, entertainment.

See Ka‘ū exercise, meditation, daily, and weekly events.

Print edition of The Ka‘ū Calendar is free to 5,500 mailboxes

throughout Ka‘ū, from Miloli‘i through Volcano, and free on

stands throughout the district. Read online at kaucalendar.com
and facebook.com/kaucalendar.

To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see Facebook. Follow us on Instagram and Twitter. See our online calendars and our latest print edition at kaucalendar.com.

SATURDAY, JUNE 23

Ocean View Skateboard Sessions, Saturday, June 23, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., Kukuhu Park basketball courts. All ages are welcome to “show the need for a real community skatepark for the youth of Ocean View.” Parents must register minors from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m. and sign a waiver. A $1 million liability insurance policy has been provided by the Surfrider Foundation, said Organizer Travis Aicorn. The sponsor is Pueo Skate, LLC. Pack a lunch and bring water. For more information, call Aicorn at 808-494-5192 or contact him through grindcurbs@yahoo.com.

TUESDAY, JUNE 26

Exploring Your Senses, Tue, Jun 26, 2-3pm, Kahuku Park, H.O.V.E. For ages 6-12 years. Register Jun 18-22. Teresa Anderson, 929-9113, hawaiicounty.gov/pr-recreation

Ka‘ū Food Pantry, Tue, Jun 26, 11:30-1pm, St. Jude's Episcopal Church in Ocean View.

HOVE Road

Maintenance Monthly Meeting, Tue, Jun 26, 10am, RMC Office in Ocean View. hoveroad.com, 929-9910

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 27

THURSDAY, JUNE 28

Kona Vet Center visits to Ocean View Community Center are Suspended until further notice. Veterans may call 329-0574 for VA benefit information. ovcahi.org

NEW and UPCOMING

Cooper Center, in Volcano Village, serves a free dinner the last
Thursday of the month. See thecoopercenter.org

COOPER CENTER OFFERS A FREE COMMUNITY DINNER FOR ALL: Volcano Friends Feeding Friends, is offered on Thursday, June 28, from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. The Cooper Center is located in Volcano Village.
Additional packaged goods to take home are available for those in need. Donations and volunteers encouraged. For more, call 967-7800, thecoopercenter.org.

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EXPLORING YOUR SENSES, A FREE PROGRAM FOR KEIKI AGES 6 TO 12, takes place Tuesday, June 26, from 2 p.m. to 3 p.m., at Kahuku Park in Hawaiian Ocean View Estates. Register through Friday, June 22. For more, contact Hawai‘i County Parks and Recreation Technician Teresa Anderson at 929-9113 or visit hawaiicounty.gov/pr-recreation/.

To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see Facebook. Follow us on Instagram and Twitter. See our online calendars and our latest print edition at kaucalendar.com.

ONGOING

Visitor Contact Station hosts Ranger Talks on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday at 10:30 a.m. and 1 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday at 10:30 a.m.

Artist in Residence Talk, in the Visitor Center on Fri, June 22, at 10 a.m.
Guided Hikes begin at 9:30 a.m. every Saturday and Sunday in June. Meet the ranger at the welcome tent. Sat, June 23: Birth of Kahuku. Sun, June 24: ͑Ōhi͑a Lehua.

Join in the Cultural Festival, Pu ͑uhonua O Hōnaunau National Historical Park, in Hōnaunau, Sat and Sun, June 23 and 24, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

See the Kahuku Unit Rangers,The Kahuku Cowgirls, in the Na ͑alehu 4th of July Parade Sat, June 30, beginning at 10 a.m.

Beef laulau, made for the ʻĀina Pono State Farm to School Program, which will expand to Kaʻū, allowing school
cafeterias to contract with local farmers and ranchers for food. Photo from ʻĀina Pono.

A FOOD REVOLUTION CALLED ‘Āina Pono Hawai‘i State Farm to School Program is offered to Kaʻū through a new grant from the federal government. Launched in 2015 by the Office of the Lieutenant Governor, the program is getting national attention and federal dollars that will allow it to expand from a few schools, to all public schools in Hawaiʻi. Sen Mazie Hirono and Lt. Gov. Doug Chin pushed for the federal funding, and the Kohala Center is a partner in rolling out the program.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture Food and Nutrition Service today awarded a $100,000 grant to the ‘Āina Pono Hawai‘i State Farm to School Program to bring more healthy, nutritious, fresh, and local food to school cafeterias in Hawai‘i. The state Department of Education cafeteria staff will be trained to prepare locally sourced, scratch cooked meals, and local farmers, ranchers, and distributors

will be trained on how to contract with the DOE.

The other Trojans, from Miloliʻi, tried out the Farm to School Program
last school year. The Kaʻū Trojans will be offered the program this
coming school year. Above, the Trojans meet with Sen. Mazie Hirono
and Lt. Gove Doug Chin. Photo from Lt. Governor's Office

“This recognition validates the ‘Āina Pono Hawai‘i State Farm to School Program and all the hard work by our state, public and private partners,” said Lt. Governor Doug Chin. “I’ve been pushing for more federal attention and dollars for our amazing farm to school program while ensuring procurement issues were being properly addressed to allow HIDOE to buy more local products.”

With help from public and private stakeholders, the state started the farm to school program in a few schools. The new federal grant will give the state the resources to plan and implement the ‘Āina Pono Hawai‘i State Farm to School Program into all 256 public schools.

The program, implemented by the HIDOE School Food Services Branch, is currently underway at Kohala schools on the Big Island and three schools in Mililani on O‘ahu. “Students have spoken, and their demand for fresh, locally produced meals is spreading across the state,” said DOE Superintendent Christina Kishimoto. “I thank Lt. Governor Doug Chin, my food services team, and the many community partners who’ve come together to transform the way school meals are being prepared. This is a significant milestone.” See more at ʻĀina Pono.

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“THESE ARE NOT NORMAL TIMES,” said Sen. Mazie Hirono, presenting the Senate Democratic Address today. “Every day we face a fresh outrage from Donald Trump and his administration. On issue after issue, Donald Trump creates a crisis, blames others for what’s happening, and uses the ensuing chaos to demand a legislative solution that often harms even more people.

“Democrats are calling on President Trump to use his executive authority to reunite the 2,400 separated children with their parents. We are calling on him to resolve many other problems his executive order created. And we are calling on his administration to stop its sabotage of our health care system, and work with us on a bipartisan basis to protect and improve our health care system.”

Sen. Mazie Hirono gives the Democratic Message for the week.

Regarding immigration, Hirono said, “Last month, Donald Trump instituted his zero tolerance policy on people crossing the border, and the consequences have been severe. Children have been ripped away from their parents, placed into mass detention, deprived of adequate legal counsel, and isolated from everyone they’ve ever known.
“After millions of people rose up in sorrow and anger over what was happening, Donald Trump did what he always does. He blamed Democrats for a mess he created, and proceeded to use these children as leverage to seek legislation that would enshrine the President’s hatred and fear of immigrants into law.
“What’s happening to these children and the President’s antipathy toward immigrants speak to me personally. I came to this country when I was 7 years old with my mom and older brother. Mom was escaping an abusive marriage to start a new life for us. Mom worked at low paying jobs for long hours. My 9-year-old brother and I were latchkey kids. We waited at the bus stop every night for mom to come home from work.
“I’ve been thinking a lot about what it would have been like if my mother had been taken away from us. I know we would have been devastated. That’s what the President is doing to these kids – some 2,400 who have been and are being traumatized by his actions. He apparently views them as collateral damage in furtherance of his policy of prosecuting every single one of their parents.
“It’s critically important that these children be reunited with their parents as soon as possible.
Rather than taking responsibility for unnecessarily traumatizing thousands of children, he – as usual – continues to blame others.”
On health care, said Hirono, Trump “follows a similar pattern. Over the past year, the Trump administration has led a concerted campaign to undermine our country’s health care system and deprive millions of Americans access to quality, affordable health care. They eliminated cost sharing reduction payments that help millions of Americans afford their care. They eliminated the health coverage requirement. These changes will increase premiums and make health care unaffordable for the people who need it most.

Seeking asylum, locked up without parents. Photo from Psychology Today

“And, in the latest outrage, earlier this month, the Trump administration refused to defend the Affordable Care Act in a Texas lawsuit to undo one of the law’s key protections, arguing that people with pre-existing conditions – one in four in our country – should not be guaranteed health insurance. The President wants to take us back to a time when an insurance company could deny you coverage because you had diabetes, asthma, heart disease, cancer, or any other pre-existing condition.
“When I was diagnosed with kidney cancer last year, I was fortunate; I had health insurance that allowed me to focus on fighting my illness – not how I was going to pay for treatment. I now join the millions of people in our country with a pre-existing condition.
“Our stories do not matter to this President or this administration. But they matter to millions of us and to our families.
“Democrats are calling on President Trump to use his executive authority to reunite the 2,400 separated children with their parents. We are calling on him to resolve many other problems his executive order created. And we are calling on his administration to stop its sabotage of our health care system and work with us on a bipartisan basis to protect and improve it.
“These are not normal times, but we can’t afford to be discouraged. Resisting this president and his administration requires each of us to step up, raise our voices, and fight back.
“It’s an honor to fight alongside you. Mahalo nui loa.”
Hirono's address is available on audio and video.

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Eerily glowing cracks are shown where heat and steam continue
to come up through Hwy 130. Black and white thermal photo
from ops.punatraffic.com

A NEW EVACUATION ROUTE ACROSS LAND OWNED BY EDMUND C. OLSON AND OTHER PRIVATE PROPERTY OWNERS IN LOWER PUNA is planned. It would serve people who live in Black Sands, Opihikau, Kamaili, Kehena, Kaimu, Kalapana and other neighborhoods. The route would circumvent Highway 130, where steam vents and cracks in the road appeared near mile 14 after the 6.9 magnitude earthquake on May 4.
To keep the traffic moving, road workers installed steel plates over the cracks, but the steam vents are still active and the road could become impassible.

The alternate route would intersect with Highway 130 at the Black Sand Subdivision, run through multiple private lots, and connect with South Kaohe Homestead Road. Should Highway 130 close, this would allow residents in lower Puna a way out, without taking the newly opened emergency-only route of Chain of Craters Road, which goes through Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park, and past the active Halemaʻumaʻu Crater.

There are cameras, both visual and thermal, showing areas of Hwy 130 covered in steel plates, available at ops.punatraffic.com. A camera was installed in 2014 during a different volcanic event from Puʻu ʻŌʻō, by Hawaiʻi Department of Transportation.

Hawaiʻi County Civil Defense says Highway 130 from Pāhoa to Kalapana Road is open only to residents with official credentials.

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Twitter. See our online calendars and our latest print edition at kaucalendar.com.

THE PUNA LAVA FLOW IS MUCH MORE SERIOUS “than anyone here has grasped,” according to Sen. Russell Ruderman.
He testified during the County Council meeting on raising the General Excise tax to help with county expenses during the volcano disaster.
He supported a long-term .5 percent hike in the 4 percent General Excise tax. The County Council considered a .25 percent increase, which he also supported. However, the .25 percent increase failed at Tuesday's meeting.
Ruderman said, "It’s not just the loss of land – it’s not just the loss of homes. Most of the people who lost their home also lost their way of living. They lost their job on a farm. They lost their home business. Maybe they lost their vacation rental, or their cleaning job at a vacation rental, or maybe they worked in town – where the entire town of Pāhoa is about to go out of business.

“We’re losing our tourism. These are long-term, massive effects that affect much more than just 5,000 people in lower Puna.

“And on a personal note… I just want to say, personally, that none of you guys understand what’s going on out there. It’s really, really, really hard. It’s tormenting. Our physical world is tearing apart. And the result is, it’s torn apart people’s lives in a very serious way.

“It’s not going to be easy to recover from this. It’s going to be a massive effort.”

See public Ka‘ū events, meetings, entertainment.

See Ka‘ū exercise, meditation, daily, and weekly events.

Print edition of The Ka‘ū Calendar is free to 5,500 mailboxes

throughout Ka‘ū, from Miloli‘i through Volcano, and free on

stands throughout the district. Read online at kaucalendar.com
and facebook.com/kaucalendar.

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SATURDAY, JUNE 23

SUNDAY, JUNE 24
‘Ōhi‘a Lehua, Sun, Jun 24, 9:30-11am, Kahuku Unit of Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park. Learn about vital role of ‘ōhi‘a lehua in native Hawaiian forests, and many forms of ‘ōhi‘a tree and its flower on this free, easy, one-mile walk. nps.gov/HAVO

TUESDAY, JUNE 26

Exploring Your Senses, Tue, Jun 26, 2-3pm, Kahuku Park, H.O.V.E. For ages 6-12 years. Register Jun 18-22. Teresa Anderson, 929-9113, hawaiicounty.gov/pr-recreation

Ka‘ū Food Pantry, Tue, Jun 26, 11:30-1pm, St. Jude's Episcopal Church in Ocean View.

HOVE Road

Maintenance Monthly Meeting, Tue, Jun 26, 10am, RMC Office in Ocean View. hoveroad.com, 929-9910

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 27

THURSDAY, JUNE 28

Kona Vet Center visits to Ocean View Community Center are Suspended until further notice. Veterans may call 329-0574 for VA benefit information. ovcahi.org

FRIDAY, JUNE 29

4th of July Picnic at Discovery Harbour Community Hall, Wed, July 4, 2 p.m., hosted by Discovery Harbour Community Association. Registration open until Friday, June 29. Menu is Sloppy Joes, Salad, and an Ice Cream Bar; bring beverages. $6 per person, paid at Discovery Harbour office, open Mon-Wed-Fri, 8 a.m. to noon. Details, call 929-9576. See discoveryharbour.net.

Coffee Talk, Fri, Jun 29, 9:30-11am, Kahuku Park, Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park. Join park rangers in informal conversation on a variety of topics. Ka‘ū coffee, tea, and pastries available for purchase. Free. nps.gov/HAVO

Mystery Bag Game, Fri, Jun 29, 2-3pm, Kahuku Park, H.O.V.E. For ages 6-12 years. Register Jun 25-29. Teresa Anderson, 929-9113, hawaiicounty.gov/pr-recreation

NEW and UPCOMING

A 4TH OF JULY PICNIC AT DISCOVERY HARBOUR COMMUNITY HALL, has been announced by Discovery Harbour Community Association, with registration open until Friday, June 29.

The event, planned for Wednesday, July 4, at 2 p.m., offers Sloppy Joes, Salad, and an Ice Cream Bar. Attendees are asked to bring their own beverages. Registration is $6 per person and should be paid at the Discovery Harbour office, open Monday, Wednesday, Friday, from 8 a.m. to noon. For more details, call 929-9576. See discoveryharbour.net.

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ONGOING
Tropic Care 2018 - providing medical, dental, and eye care for any community member, free of charge, whether they have insurance or not - lasts daily through June 28, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., at Keaʻau High School gym. First come-first served. Bring any current prescriptions or eye glasses. Long waits are expected; bring water and snacks. Free breakfast and lunch provided to those aged 3 to 18, Monday thru Friday. Food carts may be on site for purchases throughout the event. Questions can be directed to the public health nurse at 808-974-6035, or Adria Maderios, Vice Principal of Keaʻau High School, at 313-3333.

Visitor Contact Station hosts Ranger Talks on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday at 10:30 a.m. and 1 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday at 10:30 a.m.

Join in the Cultural Festival, Pu ͑uhonua O Hōnaunau National Historical Park, in Hōnaunau, Sat and Sun, June 23 and 24, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

See the Kahuku Unit Rangers,The Kahuku Cowgirls, in the Na ͑alehu 4th of July Parade Sat, June 30, beginning at 10 a.m.

5th annual Ka‘ū Coffee Trail Run registration open. Race day Sat, Sept 22, 7 a.m.; begins and ends at Ka‘ū Coffee Mill. Register online before Mon, July 9: 5K, $25/person; 10K, $35/person; and 1/2 Marathon, $45/person. From July 9 to Aug 11: $30/person, $40/person, and $45/person, respectively. From Aug 13 to Sept 20: $35/person, $45/person, and $55/person. Race day registration ends Sat, Sept 22, at 6:30 a.m. Event organizers, ‘O Ka‘ū Kākou; start location, Ka‘ū Coffee Mill.

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From shaded to open forests and scattered trees, to bare lava, the Kamehameha Schools land that is largely in
Kaʻū mauka of Kapapala and Volcano has become a dedicated safe harbor for endangered species.
Photo from DLNR

KAMEHAMEHA SCHOOLS WILL CONTINUE TO PROTECT 32,207 ACRES ON THE SLOPES OF MAUNA LOA. The land, including Kīlauea-Keauhou forest, is home to 32 federally endangered species. Kamehameha Schools signed the safe harbor agreement Friday with the state Department of Land and Natural Resources, and U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. The safe harbor contract is for 50 years, the largest of its kind in the nation. Three parties will cooperate in managing the habitats for the endangered species on the property near Volcano Village.

Gov. David Ige and representatives of Kamehameha Schools, the DLNR,
and U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service agree to cooperate in managing
32,207 acres for 32 endangered species. Photo from Gov. David Ige

Gov. David Ige held a ceremony in his office Friday to celebrate the commitment. He said, “This Safe Harbor Agreement encourages landowners to improve their habitat and restore their forests for endangered species to flourish. It establishes a baseline for existing levels of endangered species, allowing landowners to adopt more environmentally friendly land management practices without penalizing them if endangered species move into the area. I thank Kamehameha Schools for leading the way for Hawai‘i landowners to restore native landscapes.”
Kamehameha Schools Ecologist Nāmaka Whitehead said that Hawaiians are Hawaiians because of the ‘āina. “Healthy, functioning native ecosystems are the foundation of Hawaiian cultural identity and well-being. Stewarding our ʻāina to be more resilient ensures that future generations will continue to have a relationship with the native species and ecological processes that make us who we are. I Hawaiʻi no nā Hawaiʻi i ka ʻāina. Our ʻāina, Hawaiʻi, is what makes us Hawaiian.”

The endangered Hawaiian hoary bat lives in the safe harbor forests. Listen to its sounds at SoundsHawaiian.
Photo and sounds from David Kuhn

DLNR Chair Suzanne Case remarked, “This pact allows Kamehameha Schools to make landscape changes that improve the current ranges of the species, increase their populations, and reestablish wild populations. Just as important, the agreement will reduce habitat fragmentation and connect a network of protected and managed state, federal, and private lands within the south-central region of
Hawaiʻi Island.”

A few of the 32 endangered species that live in the new safe harbor
lands, to be managed by Kamehameha Schools, state Department of
Land & Natural Resources, and U.S. Fish & Wildlife.
Photos from Kamehameha Schools

Three Mountain Alliance coordinator Colleen Cole said, “We are excited about finalization of this important Safe Harbor Agreement. Three Mountain Alliance Members, including Kamehameha Schools, have worked together for decades to protect and manage the native ecosystems of this area which encompasses tens of thousands of acres, all managed for conservation of our natural resources. This agreement ensures the hard work of the partnership will continue long
into the future.”
The seven endangered animal species are: akepa and ‘akiapola‘au (two species of Hawaiian honeycreeper), ‘io (Hawaiian hawk), nene (Hawaiian goose), ‘alalā (Hawaiian crow), and ‘ope‘ape‘a (Hawaiian hoary bat). The threatened ‘i‘iwi (scarlet honeycreeper) is also included in the agreement, along with 25 endangered plant species.

The save harbor near Volcano and up Mauna Loa includes bare
lava (red), forest with closed canopy (dark green), forest with open
canopy (light green), scattered trees (mustard) and very scattered
trees (yellow). Map from Kamehameha Schools

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HOW MAUNA LOA WENT FROM ADVISORY ALERT TO NORMAL is explained in Volcano Watch this week, written by U.S. Geological Survey’s Hawaiian Volcano Observatory scientists and colleagues:

For more than six months, earthquakes at Mauna Loa have diminished and deformation has slowed, indicating that the volcano is no longer at an elevated level of unrest. Yesterday, June 21, HVO lowered the alert level from Advisory to Normal, and lowered the color code from Yellow to Green. This means Mauna Loa is now considered to be at a normal, background level of activity. More information about alert levels is available at volcanoes.usgs.gov/vhp/about_alerts.html.

The previous alert level and color code were raised three years ago, in response to an increasing trend in earthquakes and ground deformation. Beginning in 2013, earthquakes became more frequent at Mauna Loa and were clustered mostly in the uppermost Southwest Rift Zone, summit area, and west flank. By mid-2014, continuously recording GPS stations and satellite interferometry (InSAR) were showing outward motion of the volcano – an indication that magma was filling the shallow reservoirs beneath the caldera and upper Southwest Rift Zone.

For the next several years, HVO seismic stations continued to record variable, but overall elevated, rates of shallow, small-magnitude earthquakes beneath Mauna Loa's summit, upper Southwest Rift Zone, and west flank. During that same time period, ground deformation was consistent with input of magma into the volcano's shallow magma storage system.

When it became clear that the heightened level of activity was persisting, HVO raised the alert level and color code of Mauna Loa to Advisory/Yellow in September 2015. It was noted at the time that the increase in alert level did not mean that an eruption was imminent or that progression to an eruption was certain. Indeed, this episode of unrest lasted several years without progressing to an eruption, similar to a period of unrest from 2004 to 2009.

Starting in late 2017 and continuing to present, seismicity and deformation rates have declined to levels observed before 2014. Given the months-long decrease in activity, HVO lowered Mauna Loa from Advisory/Yellow to Normal/Green.

View of cinder cones in the Northeast Rift Zone near the summit of

Mauna Loa. View to the north-northeast with Mauna Kea in the

background. Mauna Loa has erupted 33 times since 1843, most recently

erupting in 1975 and 1984. Photo from Matt Patrick, USGS

Declaring the end of unrest is often difficult. Activity can wax and wane at volcanoes, and observatories make an effort not to switch between advisory levels without careful consideration of data trends. Periods of unrest that do not lead to an eruption are fairly common at Mauna Loa. Between 2004 and 2009, for example, the volcano went through a period of increased activity that eventually slowed. Mauna Loa may again start to show signs of unrest, at which point HVO may raise the alert and color code levels again.

Scientists expect that future eruptions at Mauna Loa will be preceded by increases in seismicity and deformation as magma makes its way to the surface to erupt. Changes in technology and experience gained in monitoring Kīlauea have resulted in dramatic improvements in the monitoring network since the most recent eruption of Mauna Loain 1984. These include enhanced seismic instrumentation, a dense GPS network, and the use of space-based techniques such as InSAR. This allows HVO to track the small signs of unrest in ways not possible in the past. If anything were to happen at Mauna Loa, HVO scientists would know as soon as possible, through daily checks of geophysical data and automated alarms, despite having their current focus mainly on the eruptions at Kīlauea.

Many people have wondered what affect the current activity at Kīlaueahas had on neighboring Mauna Loa. The M6.9 earthquake on May 4 was caused by slip of the south flank of Kīlaueatoward the ocean. This large earthquake pulled the ground surface all over the island of Hawaiʻi, including Mauna Loa, slightly to the southeast, with areas closest to the earthquake epicenter moving the most. Further, the rapid deflation of magma reservoirs beneath Kīlauea’s summit is currently pulling the ground towards that area and this slow motion is evident at GPS stations on Mauna Loa, especially on its southeast flank. None of the activity on Kīlauea has had any discernible effect on Mauna Loa’s magmatic system.

Aerial view, looking to the northwest, shows Pu‘u
Pohaku‘ohanalei on Mauna Loa. This cone is near the
1984 fissure on the volcano's Northeast Rift Zone. USGS photo

Given Mauna Loa’s active past, residents should still be prepared for when Mauna Loa does erupt next. Information for readying our island community for whatever Mauna Loa has in store can be found at volcanoes.usgs.gov/vhp/
preparedness.html.

Visit the HVO website hvo.wr.usgs.govfor 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 Kīlaueasummary update; email questions to askHVO@usgs.gov.

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OCEAN VIEW CELLULAR SERVICE AND AIR QUALITY REPORTING ARE BACK UP for most people in the HOVE/Ranchos area. Most reports of no cellular service in the Ocean View area stopped around Friday mid-day. Air quality reporting was also up again by Friday.

No official reports – just chatting on Facebook Ocean View HOVE Community Bulletin Board & Watch Group (you must be a member to read or comment) or in public – have an explanation for the loss of service or the resumption of service. Some people reported getting cellular service back as early as Tuesday afternoon. Some people report service is still intermittent. Some say the restoration of service is because surrounding towers are picking up the slack.

The theft of equipment from the “Reef” tower in Ocean View was supposed to be responsible for the outage, but at the time The Kaʻū Calendar reported on it, there was no official response or ETA on fixing the issue. The 100-foot tall “Reef” tower will eventually be replaced with a higher-tech 150-foot high tower, per an article on insidetowers.com, https://insidetowers.com/new-tower-to-be-built-in-hawaiian-ocean-view-estates/.

According to Verizon and AT&T customer service personnel on Thursday, there was no outage reported; other residents who called into those or other cellular phone carriers between Tuesday morning and Friday mid-day were told the same.

EPA site shows most of Hawaiʻi Island to have good air today. Map from EPA

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AIR QUALITY IN KAʻŪ today, June 23, was blue (good), reports the EPA site. Two sensors – one just southwest of Halemaʻumaʻu, one right next to Fissure 8 – are orange (caution). All other sensors around the island are either blue or not working.

SO2 levels, hiso2index.info, report green all over the island all day. Both Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park sensors have been down since early on June 21.

Air QualityIndex, as of 4 p.m., reports Pāhala at 38 (green), Ocean View at 87 (yellow), and Kona at 70 (yellow). Hiloand Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park sensors not reporting.

Hawaiʻi Volcano Observatory reports that a collapse/explosion event occurred at approximately 4:34 p.m. The energy released from the event is equivalent to a magnitude 5.3 on the Richter scale and resulted in a small ash plume, barely visible on the webcam.

Civil Defense reports total homes destroyed is 637, and the area covered by lava is 6,144 acres.

See public Ka‘ū events, meetings, entertainment.

See Ka‘ū exercise, meditation, daily, and weekly events.

Print edition of The Ka‘ū Calendar is free to 5,500 mailboxes

throughout Ka‘ū, from Miloli‘i through Volcano, and free on

stands throughout the district. Read online at kaucalendar.com
and facebook.com/kaucalendar.

To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see Facebook. Follow us on Instagram and Twitter. See our online calendars and our latest print edition at kaucalendar.com.

TUESDAY, JUNE 26

Exploring Your Senses, Tue, Jun 26, 2-3pm, Kahuku Park, H.O.V.E. For ages 6-12 years. Register Jun 18-22. Teresa Anderson, 929-9113, hawaiicounty.gov/pr-recreation

Ka‘ū Food Pantry, Tue, Jun 26, 11:30-1pm, St. Jude's Episcopal Church in Ocean View.

HOVE Road

Maintenance Monthly Meeting, Tue, Jun 26, 10am, RMC Office in Ocean View. hoveroad.com, 929-9910

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 27

THURSDAY, JUNE 28

Kona Vet Center visits to Ocean View Community Center are Suspended until further notice. Veterans may call 329-0574 for VA benefit information. ovcahi.org

FRIDAY, JUNE 29

Mystery Bag Game, Fri, Jun 29, 2-3pm, Kahuku Park, H.O.V.E. For ages 6-12 years. Register Jun 25-29. Teresa Anderson, 929-9113, hawaiicounty.gov/pr-recreation

SATURDAY, JUNE 30

Nā‘ālehu Independence Day Parade, Sat, Jun 30, Hwy 11, Nā‘ālehu. Sign-ups open. Call Debra McIntosh, 929-9872.

Birds of Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park: The Hawaiʻi Nei Invitational Exhibition, Daily, Jun 30-Aug 12, 9-5pm, Volcano Art Center's Niʻaulani Campus, Hale Hoʻomana at 19-4074 Old Volcano Road. Special opening reception with 8 participating artists held Sat, Jun 30, 5-7pm, Free. volcanoartcenter.org

Soft Pastel Still Life w/Patti Pease Johnson, Sat, Jun 30, 9-noon, Volcano Art Center's Niʻaulani Campus, Hale Hoʻomana at 19-4074 Old Volcano Road. $45/VAC Member, $50/non-Member, plus $10 supply fee. Beginner and intermediate artists welcome. volcanoartcenter.org, 967-8222

16-111 Opukahala St

NEW and UPCOMING

IMUA PUNA, A FUNDRAISER TO BENEFIT PUNA residents affected by the eruption, starts at 3 p.m. on Sat, June 30, and goes ‘til 10pm, at 16-111 Opukahala St, Keaʻau. A minimum $5 suggested “love” donation is requested per person at the door. Evacuees enter and eat for free. Food and drinks available to purchase. No outside drinks allowed. Door prizes and “Plenty Aloha” are offered at the event.

Music entertainment will be switch up hourly, starting at 3 p.m.: JPGS, Body N Soul, Girls’ Night Out, DD & the High Rollers, Terrapin Station, Soultown, and Lightning Harry Dupio (Na Hoku Winner). Special guests: Unity & the Band of Angels, and Tina Baugh Garber.

Sponsored by PunaCommunityMedicalCenter, Island Naturals Market & Deli, Laulima Pahoa, Ochidland Neighbors, Mainstreet Pahoa Association, and community volunteers.

“Share your manaʻo at a multi-band music-dance concert to malama and kokua those displaced by Tutu Pele's journey to the ocean,” says the poster. See Facebook.

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REGISTRATION IS OPEN FOR 25TH ANNUAL HAWAI‘I CONSERVATION CONFERENCE, Ulu Ka Lāiā I Ke Kumu: From a Strong Foundation Grows an Abundant Future, which takes place Friday through Sunday, July 24 to 26, at the Hawai‘i Convention Center in Honolulu.

“The Hawaiʻi Conservation Conference allows a diverse group of scientists, policymakers, conservation practitioners, educators, students and community members from Hawaiʻi and the Pacific to converge and discuss conservation. It’s a time to connect, share and inspire, all with the common goal of caring for our natural resources,” says the event description.
Several registration options are available, from one to three days and with discounts given to students, groups, small non-profits, and K-12 educators; prices range starts at $50. To register, and for more details, visit hawaiiconservation.org/conference/2018-register/.

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ONGOING

Disaster Recovery Center, jointly operated by Hawaiʻi County, the State of Hawaiʻi, and FEMA, is open daily from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. at Keaʻau High School Gym. Buses run from 7:30 a.m. and 9 p.m. to and from Keaʻau Armory every 20 minutes and Pāhoa Community Center Shelter every hour. See the full bus schedule on the Civil Defense Website at HawaiiCounty.gov/Active-Alerts. For a list of the information applicants need to bring to the DRC, or to register online, go to DisasterAssistance.gov.

Visitor Contact Station hosts Ranger Talks on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday at 10:30 a.m. and 1 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday at 10:30 a.m.

Artist in Residence Talk, in the Visitor Center on Fri, June 22, at 10 a.m.
Guided Hikes begin at 9:30 a.m. every Saturday and Sunday in June and July. Meet the ranger at the welcome tent. Sun, June 24: ͑Ōhi͑a Lehua.

Join in the Cultural Festival, Pu ͑uhonua O Hōnaunau National Historical Park, in Hōnaunau, Sun, June 24, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

See the Kahuku Unit Rangers,The Kahuku Cowgirls, in the Na ͑alehu 4th of July Parade Sat, June 30, beginning at 10 a.m.

Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program will take sign-ups in Kaʻū, through June 29.

In Nā’ālehu, it will take place at the Hawai‘i County Economic Opportunity Council office, back of Senior Center, Wed-Fri, 8-1pm, 929-9263.
In Ocean View, it will take place at Ocean View Community Center, Mon and Tue, 8-4:30pm.
In Pāhala, it will take place at the Edmund Olson Trust Office, Tue and Wed, 8:30-12:30pm. See more for eligibility requirements and application.

Tūtū and Me Offers Home Visits to those with keiki zero to five years old: home visits to aid with helpful parenting tips and strategies, educational resources, and a compassionate listening ear. Home visits are free, last 1.5 hours, two to four times a month, for a total of 12 visits, and snacks are provided. For info and to register, call Linda Bong 464-9634.

St. Jude's Episcopal Church Calls For More Volunteers for the Saturday community outreach. Especially needed are cooks for the soup served to those in need, and organizers for the hot showers. "Volunteering for St. Jude's Saturday Shower and Soup ministry is an opportunity to serve God in a powerful way," states St. Jude's April newsletter. Volunteer by contacting Dave Breskin at 319-8333.

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A full court, live performances, live music, and vibrant costumes celebrated Voyaging to Hawaiʻi, held at Nāʻālehu Elementary School gym towards the end of the school year. See story below. Photos from Nohea Kaʻawa

A DROP IN TOURISM AND HOW TO BRING IT BACK, following the volcano disaster, is the subject of a Big Island Video News story this evening. David Corrigan and Sherry Bracken report on the Island of Hawaiʻi Visitors Bureau's projection earlier this year, predicting that this island would host 1,974,464 visitors, an increase of 12 percent. These visitors would spend $2.71 billion, an increase of 13 percent. The number of visitor days on the island would be more than 14 million, an increase of 10 percent. Visitor expenditures per day would also rise. Some 1,331,727 direct seats flying into Kona and 60,603 flying into Hilo were also projected - another hefty increase. Ross Birch, executive director of the Visitors Bureau, said that more visitors would create higher prices for hotel rooms and more income to the island.

Ross Birch, Executive Director of Island of Hawaiʻi
Visitors Bureau, predicted double digit increases in tourism
until the volcano event. Photo from Big Island Video News

After the volcanic activity began, Birch said there is no reason for visitors to refrain from coming to the island. However, the cancellation of cruise ships calling on Kona and Hilo, and cancellation of accommodations reservations through summer, were having an impact.

With most of the state's most visited destination - Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park - mostly closed during this volcanic activity, public officials are talking about encouraging a lava experience. In addition to helicopter rides and tour boats, the creation of safe viewing sites on the ground are being discussed by county, state, and federal government.

Kīlauea Lodge office manager Janet Coney says visitors
cancel, misunderstanding that the lava is affecting a small
part of the island. Photo from Big Island Video News

Meanwhile, Volcano village business is hardest hit. Kīlauea Lodge office manager Janet Coney told Big Island Video News, "Many visitors calling to cancel have the vision that the island is getting covered by lava or ash, and there is a lot of misunderstanding." She called for better education of visitors regarding the area the lava has covered in relation to the entire island. She said the loss of businesses first hits the hospitality industry, but the losses trickle down and will eventually impact the mom and pop operations, as people lose income from their jobs. See the video at bigislandvideonews.com.

VOYAGING TO HAWAIʻI WAS CELEBRATED BY NĀʻĀLEHU ELEMENTARY SCHOOL toward the end of the school year, with vibrant costumes, live performances and music, and a full court of student island representatives.

Princess Alexus Bivings and Prince
Christian Ogle represented
Kahoʻolawe, in gray.

The presentation, looking back to the discovery of the Hawaiian Islands by Polynesians and the multicultural community that followed, welcomed student body, staff, parents, and guests into the Nāʻālehu Elementary School gym. The gym was decorated in greenery and lehua, and attendees were seated to the sounds of music provided by the Tavares Family.

Princess McKenzy Curtis and Prince
Shaun Jhoryel-Galarse represented
Niʻiahu, in white.

MCs Yzrra Sheane Blanco, Kalesha Hashimoto, Sunny Zook, and school year 2018-19 Student Body President Pablo Maddison opened the presentation. Next, Principal Darlene Javar addressed the gathering.

Princess Zaela Malia
Kainoa-Haili-Brarawis
and Prince Rico Rivera
represented Lanaʻi,
in orange.

Maika Akamu, Buck Ka-ne-kala, Timmy Sadao, and Kaui Young blew conch shells. Fifth graders Trinity Sheldon-Baji, Jolynn Lorace, Elits Long, Leiahi Kaʻawa, Delisa Breithaupt, Pablo Maddison, Sherwin Agapoa, and Malcolm Miller-Kaulana presented an oli.

Princess Taijah Beck and Prince Tryston
Saragosa represented Molokaʻi, in green.

The Royal Court made a formal entry. Each Princess and Prince represented an outlying Island and were draped in its signature color. Princess Alexus Bivings and Prince Christian Ogle represented Kahoʻolawe, in gray. Princess McKenzy Curtis and Prince Shaun Jhoryel-Galarse represented Niʻiahu, in white. Princess Zaela Malia Kainoa-Haili-Brarawis and Prince Rico Rivera represented Lanaʻi, in orange.
Princess Taijah Beck and Prince Tryston Saragosa represented Molokaʻi, in green. Princess Tialiana

Princess Neilybtha Paul and Prince Keaka
McDonnell represented Maui, in pink.

Medieros-

Princess Chloe Velez and Prince Jackry
Boktok represented Oʻahu, in yellow.

Aukai and Prince Iokepa Niʻiahu represented Kauaʻi, in purple. Princess Chloe Velez and Prince Jackry Boktok represented Oʻahu, in yellow. Princess Neilybtha Paul and Prince Keaka McDonnell represented Maui, in pink. Draped in red, two more students represented Hawaiʻi Island.

The entrance of King Joesph Akui and Queen Kaelyn Medeiros-

Princess Tialiana Medieros-
Aukai and Prince Iokepa
Niʻiahu represented
Kauaʻi, in purple.

Shibuya was accompanied by two Ladies-in-Waiting, Rosiena Joseph and Rosebella Mote; Kahili Bearers Jolie Abner and Joseph Jeadrik; and Spearsmen Nicoli Makuakane and Ridonson Maddison.

Draped in red, two more students
represented Hawaiʻi Island.

Following the presentation of the royals, each grade and staff member presented their talent. Pre-Kindergarten performed Nui Coconut Island Tree. Kindergarten performed Taʻaroa. Grades K and 1 performed Hilo Hanakahi. Grade 1 performed Hokuleʻa Haku. Grade 2 performed We Know the Way. Grade 3 performed Ka Huakaʻi Pele.
Nāʻālehu Staff performed Hanalei Moon. Grade 4 performed Poi Haka. Grade 5 performed Kaʻū Nui. Grade 6 performed Ia ‘Oe E Ka La, followed by the Royal Court. The Queen’s Court performed Lai Hoʻoheno.

Nāʻālehu Elementary School celebrated Voyaging to Hawaiʻi
with vibrant costumes, live music, and a full
court of student island representatives.

The performances ended with Hawaiʻi Ponoʻi. Voyaging to Hawaiʻi also celebrated May Day.

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VOLCANO RAINFOREST RUNS WILL TAKE OFF AT 4,000 FEET. The event, in its ninth year, gives participants an opportunity to run at a 4,000 foot elevation. The races will be in VolcanoVillage Saturday, Aug. 18, with a Half Marathon, 10K, and 5K. Race organizer Sharon Pfaff said, “You are guaranteed of being in one of the most unique and beautiful places on earth, running in the enchanting native rain forests of Hawaiʻi.”

Ninth Annual Volcano Rain Forest Runs in
Volcano Village begin at 4,000 feet elevation.
Photo from Volcano Rain Forest Runs

All runs start and finish at CooperCenter on

Wright Road

. The Half Marathon begins at 7 a.m. followed by the 5K at 7:45 a.m., 10K at 8 a.m. and Keiki Run at 10 a.m. The registration fees go up on Aug. 1, which is also the deadline for participant names to be printed on the Volcano Rain Forest Runs towel, which will be for sale at the event.

There is no race day registration for the Half Marathon but 10K and 5K participants can register race morning at the Cooper Center Start Line from 5:30 a.m. to 6:30 a.m. T- shirts are not guaranteed for late registrations.

Packet Pick Up and Late Registration is Friday Aug. 17 at CooperCenter from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. Volunteers and racers can help decorate the Finish Line. Keiki, ages 1-7, can register for the free 100 or 200 yard dash online or race morning until 9:30 a.m. Keiki runs begin at 10 a.m. All entrants will receive a ribbon and other goodies, as everyone is a winner under the sponsorship of Kilauea Lodge.

Volcano Rotary Club will serve a BBQ Grill Lunch on race day from 9 a.m. until noon, for $10. Race day features entertainment for everyone with craft booths, food booths, music, Taiko Drums, and more. “It’s a great family fun day,” said the race organizer.

Photo from Eigth Annual Volcano Rain Forest Runs.
Photo from Volcano Rain Forest Runs

Volcano Rain Forest Half Marathon is the final event for the Big Island Half Marathon Triple Crown Series. All participants will have completed the Hilo, Kona and Volcano Half Marathons. The small elite group who complete three years of the series will earn The Triple Crown Award.

With parking limited within VolcanoVillage, race organizers recommend coming early and car pooling. Parking is available at Volcano Store and Thai Thai Restaurant. Parking lots are located on

Old Volcano Road

and within walking distance of CooperCenter.

Old

Volcano Road

through the village will close to vehicle traffic from 6:30 a.m. to 8:30 a.m.

Race organizers urge everyone to check out the maps for the events, as all participants are responsible for knowing their race route. “If you’re not running or walking in one of the races, volunteer and have a great time supporting those that do,” said a statement from Volcano Rain Forest Runs.

For more information, maps, FAQ’s and to register, see www.volcanorainforestruns.com or call 808-967-8240.

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PIZZA BRADDAHS LANDS WITH WINGS, in Waiʻōhinu. The food truck opened its windows on Wednesday, June 20 in the parking lot of Kauahaʻao Congregational Church - along Hwy 11, on the corner of Pinao Street and Kamaoa Road. Residents of the area, some having worked up an appetite on their walk over, eagerly awaited freshly baked pizzas and chicken wings, while they spoke in excitement about the much-needed new business, mere months after the closing of Waiʻōhinu's only gas station and convenience stop, Wong Yuen Store.

Pizza Bruddahs food truck, owned and run by the Waitley family,
now serves hungry folk in Waiʻōhinu. Photo by Geneveve Fyvie

Judy and Jason Waitley, along with their children, own and operate Pizza Braddahs. Judy said they “chose to open the food truck in Waiʻōhinu because we wanted to bring something different to the community.” The Waitleys moved to Kaʻū in Feburary 2018 from Idaho. Judy said their favorite thing about Kaʻū is “the amazing people in the community that have welcomed us with open arms.” Jason added that he loves the “atmosphere and friendliness of the community,” and believes the food truck to be a “good way to get to know the community.”
When asked what they look forward to most in their Ka‘ū future, Jason responded with, “Growing a positive vibe and planting our roots,” to which Judy added, “for future generations of Waitley’s.”

Pizza Bruddahs hand-drawn logo.
Photo from Pizza Bruddahs' Facebook

Before moving to Hawaiʻi, the family owned and operated a music and homeschooling supply store, and a homestyle and American comfort food restaurant in Northern Idaho, said the Waitley’s. Prior to opening Pizza Braddahs, they made and sold home-baked goods, such as muffins and breads - with gluten free options - at the Nā‘ālehu Farmers’ Market, in front of Ace Hardware.
Pizza Braddahs will launch a Keiki Reading Rewards program this fall, after school resumes. The aim is to encourage literacy in all keiki, 6th grade and under, in the Kaʻū district, including homeschoolers and preschoolers. Participants will read at least 1.5 hours per week to earn their monthly reward: a slice of pizza and a drink. Pizza Braddahs wants “to be able to give back to the community in as many ways as possible, and supporting our keiki is just one of the many ways we plan to do so,” said Judy.

Pizza Bruddahs' pizza.
Photo from Pizza Bruddahs' Facebook

The food truck business is looking for musicians from around the island who would like to showcase their talents on Saturdays from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. “We want to offer opportunities in which our community can come together, enjoy each others company, and of course chow down on great food and listen to great music,” said Judy. She added that their family believes “the more that our community comes together, even for nights like this, the stronger our community becomes. So for us, it is all about bringing people together; music and food are great ways to do that!”

Pizza Braddahs is open Wednesday through Saturday, 11:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m., and Sunday, 12:30 p.m. to 5 p.m. As an aextra convenience to those living within a five-mile radius of the Church, Pizza Braddahs can deliver. In addition to choose-your-own toppings on 16” pizzas, pizza by the slice, mild or spicy BBQ wings, and hot Buffalo wings, the food truck also offers gluten free pizzas, vegan cheese, canned sodas and juice, and bottled water. For delivery, or to perform on Saturdays, call 756-8280 during business hours. See their Facebook at facebook.com/Pizza-Braddahs-164001504290293.

See public Ka‘ū events, meetings, entertainment.

See Ka‘ū exercise, meditation, daily, and weekly events.

Print edition of The Ka‘ū Calendar is free to 5,500 mailboxes

throughout Ka‘ū, from Miloli‘i through Volcano, and free on

stands throughout the district. Read online at kaucalendar.com
and facebook.com/kaucalendar.

To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see Facebook. Follow us on Instagram and Twitter. See our online calendars and our latest print edition at kaucalendar.com.

TUESDAY, JUNE 26

Exploring Your Senses, Tue, Jun 26, 2-3pm, Kahuku Park, H.O.V.E. For ages 6-12 years. Register Jun 18-22. Teresa Anderson, 929-9113, hawaiicounty.gov/pr-recreation

Ka‘ū Food Pantry, Tue, Jun 26, 11:30-1pm, St. Jude's Episcopal Church in Ocean View.

HOVE Road

Maintenance Monthly Meeting, Tue, Jun 26, 10am, RMC Office in Ocean View. hoveroad.com, 929-9910

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 27

THURSDAY, JUNE 28

Kona Vet Center visits to Ocean View Community Center are Suspended until further notice. Veterans may call 329-0574 for VA benefit information. ovcahi.org

FRIDAY, JUNE 29

Mystery Bag Game, Fri, Jun 29, 2-3pm, Kahuku Park, H.O.V.E. For ages 6-12 years. Register Jun 25-29. Teresa Anderson, 929-9113, hawaiicounty.gov/pr-recreation

SATURDAY, JUNE 30

Nā‘ālehu Independence Day Parade, Sat, Jun 30, Hwy 11, Nā‘ālehu. Sign-ups open. Call Debra McIntosh, 929-9872

Birds of Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park: The Hawaiʻi Nei Invitational Exhibition, Daily, Jun 30-Aug 12, 9-5pm, Volcano Art Center's Niʻaulani Campus, Hale Hoʻomana at 19-4074 Old Volcano Road. Special opening reception with 8 participating artists held Sat, Jun 30, 5-7pm, Free. volcanoartcenter.org

Grow Me the Money: Record-Keeping Principles and Best Practices for farmers and food producers, Sat, Jun 30, 3-6pm, Kaʻū District Gym. Free; registration required. Contact Megan Blazak, 887-6411, or koha.la/growmoney

Imua Puna, Sat, June 30, 3-10pm, 16-111 Opukahala St, Keaʻau. $5 suggested donation; evacuees enter and eat free. Food and drink to ourchase. Live entertainment. “Share your manaʻo at a multi-band music-dance concert to malama and kokua those displaced by Tutu Pele's journey to the ocean.” See facebook.com/kevin.carpenter84/videos/10212545972867861/
SUNDAY, JULY 1

Pu‘u o Lokuana, Sun, July 1, 9:30 - 11 a.m., Kahuku Unit of Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park. Short, moderately difficult, 0.4-mile hike to the top of the grassy cinder cone, Pu‘u o Lokuana. Learn about the formation and various uses of this hill over time and enjoy a breathtaking view of lower Kaʻū. Free. nps.gov/HAVO

Ham Radio Potluck Picnic, Sun, July 1, noon-2pm, Manukā State Park. Anyone interested in learning about ham radio is welcome to attend. Sponsored by South Point Amateur Radio Club and Amateur Radio Emergency Service. View sites.google.com/site/southpointarc or sites.google.com/view/southhawaiiares/home. Rick Ward, 938-3058

‘Ike Hana No‘eau, Experience the Skillful Work, every Sat and Sun in July: 1, 7, 8, 14, 15, 21, 22, 28, and 29; 12:30pm, Kahuku Unit of Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park. Hawaiian cultural demonstrations and hands-on activities. Free. Check nps.gov/havo/planyourvisit/cultural-programs.htm for details.

NEW and UPCOMING

Keiki volunteers Leiahi and Kaiko‘o Ka‘awa, along with many others,
helped remove plastic debris from the Ka‘ū Coast on Saturday, June 23,
with Hawai‘i Wildlife Fund at Kamilo. Photo by Nohea Ka‘awa

HAWAI‘I WILDLIFE FUND OFFERS VOLUNTEERS MORE OPPORTUNITIES to help restore ecosystems on the Ka‘ū Coast.

On Monday, July 2, volunteers will help restore an estuary in Ka‘ū with a short hike to access the site. On Saturday, July 7, volunteers will remove trash and debris from Pā‘ula, below Nā‘ālehu, with Ala Kahakai Trails Association and friends; space is limited. For meeting times and locations, email Megan Lamson at kahakai.cleanups@gmail.com in advance. These events are subject to change; registration is required.

Volunteer with Hawai‘i Wildlife Fund to help restore parts of
the Ka‘ū Coast at upcoming events. Photo by Nohea Ka‘awa

Hawai‘i Wildlife Fund will also make a special Coffee Talk presentation Removing Trash, Restoring Habitat on Friday, June 29, from 9:30 a.m. to 11 a.m., at the Kahuku Unit of Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park.
For more about Hawai‘i Wildlife Fund, visit wildhawaii.org.

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ONGOING

Tropic Care 2018 - providing medical, dental, and eye care for any community member, free of charge, whether they have insurance or not - lasts through June 28, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., at Keaʻau High School gym. First come-first served. Bring any current prescriptions or eye glasses. Long waits are expected; bring water and snacks. Free breakfast and lunch provided to those aged 3 to 18, Monday thru Friday. Food carts may be on site for purchases throughout the event. Questions can be directed to the public health nurse at 808-974-6035, or Adria Maderios, Vice Principal of Keaʻau High School, at 313-3333.

Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program will take sign-ups in Kaʻū, through June 29.
In Nā’ālehu, it will take place at the Hawai‘i County Economic Opportunity Council office, back of Senior Center, Wed-Fri, 8-1pm, 929-9263.
In Ocean View, it will take place at Ocean View Community Center, Mon and Tue, 8-4:30pm.
In Pāhala, it will take place at the Edmund Olson Trust Office, Tue and Wed, 8:30-12:30pm. See more for eligibility requirements and application.

Sign Up for the Nāʻālehu Independence Day Parade, to be held June 30. If interested, call Debra McIntosh at 929-9872.

Visitor Contact Station hosts Ranger Talks on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday at 10:30 a.m. and 1 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday at 10:30 a.m.

Artist in Residence Talk, in the Visitor Center on Fri, June 22, at 10 a.m.
Guided Hikes begin at 9:30 a.m. every Saturday and Sunday in June and July. Meet the ranger at the welcome tent.

See the Kahuku Unit Rangers,The Kahuku Cowgirls, in the Na ͑alehu 4th of July Parade Sat, June 30, beginning at 10 a.m.

Park Rangers invite the public to downtown Hilo to learn about the volcanic activity, to get their NPS Passport Book stamped, and to experience the Hawaiian cultural connection to volcanoes. Rangers are providing programs at the Mokupāpapa Discovery Center at 76 Kamehameha Avenue, Tuesday through Saturdays, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission is free.
Two Park Rangers are stationed at the Grand Naniloa Hotel in downtown Hilo, from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., every Sunday and Monday, in the Willie K Crown Room - as long as nothing else is scheduled in the space. The rangers will be doing daily talks at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. about the eruption. They will show the park film that is normally available to visitors to see at the Kilauea Visitor’s Center at the Summit, Born of Fire, Born in the Sea, every half-hour beginning at 9:30 a.m.

Tūtū and Me Offers Home Visits to those with keiki zero to five years old: home visits to aid with helpful parenting tips and strategies, educational resources, and a compassionate listening ear. Home visits are free, last 1.5 hours, two to four times a month, for a total of 12 visits, and snacks are provided. For info and to register, call Linda Bong 464-9634.

5th annual Ka‘ū Coffee Trail Run registration open. Race day Sat, Sept 22, 7 a.m.; begins and ends at Ka‘ū Coffee Mill. Register online before Mon, July 9: 5K, $25/person; 10K, $35/person; and 1/2 Marathon, $45/person. From July 9 to Aug 11: $30/person, $40/person, and $45/person, respectively. From Aug 13 to Sept 20: $35/person, $45/person, and $55/person. Race day registration ends Sat, Sept 22, at 6:30 a.m. Event organizers, ‘O Ka‘ū Kākou; start location, Ka‘ū Coffee Mill.

Volcano Forest Runs Registration Open through Friday, August 17, at 6 p.m. Half marathon $85, 10K $45, 5K $30. Registration increases August 1: half marathon to $95, 10K to $55, and 5K to $35. Race is run from Cooper Center on Wright Road in Volcano Village on Saturday, August 18.

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Bay Clinic's Mobile Health Unit starts servicing Volcano this Thursday and every last Thursday, from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.,
at Cooper Center on Wright Road. Photo from Bay Clinic

BAY CLINIC'S MOBILE HEALTH UNIT will offer medical services starting this Thursday and the last Thursday of every month, from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m., at Cooper Center on Wright Road in Volcano Village. To receive services on the Mobile Health Unit, one must call ahead of time to make an appointment and to become established as Bay Clinic Inc. patient.
Medical services offered include: preventative care, treatment of routine illnesses, urgent care, immunizations and vaccinations, management of chronic diseases, annual physicals, and physicals for work and school. QUEST eligibility and enrollment assistance are also included.
Dental services will be offered on a different day and are yet to be announced. These services will include: screenings, comprehensive exams, recalls, cleanings, emergency dental treatment, and management of pain, infections, and fractures.

Cooper Center will host Bay Clinic's Mobile Medical Unit
beginning this Thursday. Photo from Cooper Center

The first medical service visit to Volcano, this Thursday, June 28, will be followed by another one, Thursday, July 26. Call 333-3600 to schedule an appointment. A valid picture ID is required for registration. To be eligible
for discounted medical costs, patients must provide proof of income at the time of visits. See Cooper Center June newsletter for details. thecoopercenter.org;
bayclinic.org.

Bay Clinic recently stopped services in Ocean View at St. Jude's Episcopal Church. Patients can receive medical services at Bay Clinic, Inc.'s Kaʻū Family Health & Dental Center. Call 333-3600 for appointments.

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BAY CLINIC ENCOURAGES PEOPLE IN KAʻŪ SUFFERING RESPIRATORY ISSUES due to ash or vog to come in for services. The contact number for Bay Clinic, Inc.'s Ka'ū Family Health & Dental Center appointments is 333-3600. The organization also has health centers in Hilo, Keaʻau, and Pāhoa.

Bay Clinic in Na`alehu is accepting patients served by the mobile
unit that is no longer going to Ocean View. The mobile unit begins
service in Volcano this Thursday. Photo from Bay Clinic

Available are nebulized medical treatments for Asthma, COPD, or other respiratory system difficulties, as well as supplemental oxygen. This includes ongoing management of respiratory conditions that are being exacerbated by Kīlauea eruption events.
A Bay Clinic statement says that "anyone living or working near the Kīlauea Eruption impact area should have an N95 mask. One N95 mask will be provided free to Bay Clinic patients" at any of its health centers, with one health mask provided per appointment while supplies last. See bayclinic.org.

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LARGE PARCELS OF AG LAND SUBDIVIDED INTO GENTLEMAN FARMS would be a possible outcome of a bill that passed the Hawaiʻi legislature this year, according to Gov. David Ige. He said it will lead him to veto Senate Bill 2524 on Tuesday. In a veto statement issued today, Ige said a “gentleman” farm is a use that is inconsistent with state land use policy and with the administration’s goal of doubling local food production by 2020." SB2524 would have allowed

Gov. David Ige said today his goal is to double local food production by 2020. He plans to veto a bill, he said,
that could lead to subdividing large parcels of ag land into "gentleman" farms. Photo from Earth Matters

residential use of sheds or other structures on agricultural lands if permitted under county ordinances, said the statement from the governor's office. Proponents of the bill said it could help with farm worker housing.

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RELATING TO THE TRANSIENT ACCOMMODATIONS TAX, Gov. David Ige said he will veto a measure, Senate Bill 2699, that attempts to include resort fees in gross rental proceedings subject to the TAT. He said, "This measure creates an extensive and ambiguous expansion of the TAT. The vague language could subject restaurants, spas, and other businesses located in hotels to add the TAT to their services. Currently, the Department of Taxation imposes the TAT on mandatory resort fees. The additional taxes imposed by this measure would result in significant increases in accommodation costs for our residents and visitors staying in Hawai‘i hotel properties."

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PROTECT VOTING RIGHTS IS THE MESSAGE in Sen. Mazie Hirono's statement today. She marks the fifth anniversary of the Supreme Court’s decision to "destroy key provisions of the Voting Rights Act in Shelby County v. Holder, and objects to today’s ruling to further restrict voting rights in Abbot v. Perez."

Hirono said: “Since Shelby County gutted the Voting Rights Act five years ago, many states have tried to roll back voter protections. Today’s shameful decision in Abbot v. Perez allows Texas to implement racially discriminatory districts and represents another step backwards for voting rights. Congress must act immediately to undo Shelby County and protect the fundamental right of all Americans to have their vote counted.”

Hirono is a cosponsor of Sen. Patrick Leahy’s Voting Rights Advancement Act, which would restore the protections eroded by the Supreme Court in Shelby County v. Holder, said a statement from her office.

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THE VOLCANO COMMUNITY IS INVITED TO A MEETING THIS THURSDAY to meet with representatives from Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park and the U.S. Geological Survey Hawaiian Volcano Observatory. The community meeting will address the ongoing seismic and collapse/explosion activity at the summit of Kīlauea, and the continued closure of the Kīlauea section of Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park. It takes place Thursday, June 28, at 6:30 p.m., at Cooper Center in Volcano Village, 19-4030 Wright Road.

This panorama of Kīlauea's summit caldera was made about 10 a.m. today, June 25, from the Keanakākoʻi overlook on the south side of the caldera. Halema‘uma‘u is visible, steaming to the left, and the ongoing ground cracking is visible in the
center of the image. USGS photo

HALEMAʻUMAʻU COLLAPSE EXPLOSIONS, as walls of the crater fall down, have become more ash poor in recent days. Hawaiian Volcano Observatory reported Sunday evening that a 4:12 p.m. event, after approximately 17 hours of elevated seismicity, produced an "ash-poor steam plume that went undetected by the weather radar." Visual observations suggested the plume rose less than 2,000 ft. above the caldera before drifting downwind to the southwest. The energy released by the event was equivalent to a magnitude 5.3 earthquake. Seismicity dropped abruptly from a high of 25-35 earthquakes per hour (many in the magnitude 2-3 range) prior to the collapse explosion down to less than 10 per hour afterwards. Within 3 hours seismicity began to creep up again, averaging about 30 earthquakes per hour by dawn today. Inward slumping of the rim and walls of Halemaʻumaʻu continues in response to ongoing subsidence at the summit.
Today, June 25, the collapse/explosion event at Kīlauea summit occurred at approximately 5:03 p.m. The energy released from the event was equivalent to a magnitude 5.3 on the Richter scale. "The event resulted in a small plume made of mostly steam and little ash," reported HVO.

The S02 levels from Halemaʻumaʻu remain about half of what they were before the recent volcanic activity began.

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THE NATURE CONSERVANCY IS SEEKING A PAID INTERN to work from October 2018 through August 2019 for its Hawai‘i Island Terrestrial Program, which stewards native forest preserves in Ka‘ū and South Kona.

Benefits offered include: a $1,600 monthly living allowance (before taxes); a $5,920 education award towards higher education; health care and childcare benefits (if eligible); and receiving an entry-level conservation career experience.

Applicants must be at least 17 years old by the program start date, October 2018, and possess or be working towards a high school diploma or equivalent. Applications must also have their own housing and transportation, a drivers license, and be able to pass a criminal history check.

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THIS IS THE LAST WEEK FOR LIHEAP: The Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program will take sign-ups in Kaʻū, through Friday, June 29. In Pāhala, it will take place at the Edmund Olson Trust Office, Tuesday and Wednesday, 8:30-12:30 p.m. Sign up at Ocean View Community Center, Tuesday, 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m. In Nā’ālehu, sign up at Hawai‘i County Economic Opportunity Council office, back of Senior Center, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. See more for eligibility requirements and application. Call 929-9263.

To read comments, add your own, and like
this story, see Facebook. Follow us on Instagram and Twitter. See our online calendars and our latest print edition at kaucalendar.com.

THIS IS THE LAST WEEK FOR TROPIC CARE: The U.S. military service of providing medical, dental, and eye care for any community member, free of charge, whether they have insurance or not - wraps up Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, June 28, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., at Keaʻau High School gym. First come-first served. Bring any current prescriptions or eye glasses. Long waits are expected; bring water and snacks. Free breakfast and lunch provided to those ages 3 to 18. Food carts may be on site for purchases throughout the event. Questions can be directed to the public health nurse at 808-974-6035, or Adria Maderios, Vice Principal of Keaʻau High School, at 313-3333.

See public Ka‘ū events, meetings, entertainment.

See Ka‘ū exercise, meditation, daily, and weekly events.

Print edition of The Ka‘ū Calendar is free to 5,500 mailboxes

throughout Ka‘ū, from Miloli‘i through Volcano, and free on

stands throughout the district. Read online at kaucalendar.com
and facebook.com/kaucalendar.

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TUESDAY, JUNE 26

Exploring Your Senses, Tue, Jun 26, 2-3pm, Kahuku Park, H.O.V.E. For ages 6-12 years. Register Jun 18-22. Teresa Anderson, 929-9113, hawaiicounty.gov/pr-recreation

Ka‘ū Food Pantry, Tue, Jun 26, 11:30-1pm, St. Jude's Episcopal Church in Ocean View.

HOVE Road

Maintenance Monthly Meeting, Tue, Jun 26, 10am, RMC Office in Ocean View. hoveroad.com, 929-9910

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 27

THURSDAY, JUNE 28

Kona Vet Center visits to Ocean View Community Center are Suspended until further notice. Veterans may call 329-0574 for VA benefit information. ovcahi.org

FRIDAY, JUNE 29

Mystery Bag Game, Fri, Jun 29, 2-3pm, Kahuku Park, H.O.V.E. For ages 6-12 years. Register Jun 25-29. Teresa Anderson, 929-9113, hawaiicounty.gov/pr-recreation

SATURDAY, JUNE 30

Nā‘ālehu Independence Day Parade, Sat, Jun 30, Hwy 11, Nā‘ālehu. Sign-ups open. Call Debra McIntosh, 929-9872

Imua Puna, Sat, June 30, 3-10pm,

16-111 Opukahala St

, Keaʻau. $5 suggested donation; evacuees enter and eat free. Food and drink to ourchase. Live entertainment. “Share your manaʻo at a multi-band music-dance concert to malama and kokua those displaced by Tutu Pele's journey to the ocean.” See facebook.com/kevin.carpenter84
/videos/10212545972867861/

SUNDAY, JULY 1
Pu‘u o Lokuana, Sun, July 1, 9:30 - 11 a.m., Kahuku Unit of Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park. Short, moderately difficult, 0.4-mile hike to the top of the grassy cinder cone, Pu‘u o Lokuana. Learn about the formation and various uses of this hill over time and enjoy a breathtaking view of lower Kaʻū. Free. nps.gov/HAVO

‘Ike Hana No‘eau, Experience the Skillful Work, every Sat and Sun in July: 1, 7, 8, 14, 15, 21, 22, 28, and 29; 12:30pm, Kahuku Unit of Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park. Hawaiian cultural demonstrations and hands-on activities. Free. Check nps.gov/havo/planyourvisit/cultural-programs.htm for details.

MONDAY, JULY 2

Hawai‘i Wildlife Fund Ka‘ū Estuary Restoration Workday, Mon, July 2, contact in advance for meet up time. Requires a short hike to access site. Pending volcanic activity/air quality. Space limited. Free; donations appreciated. kahakai.cleanups@gmail.com, wildhawaii.org

Ka‘ū Homeschool Co–op Group, Mon, July 2, 16, and 30, 1pm, Ocean View Community Center. A parent-led homeschool activity/social group building community in Ka‘ū. Laura Roberts, 406-249-3351

Ocean View Volunteer Fire Department Meeting, Mon, July 2, 4-6pm, Ocean View Community Center. 939-7033, ovcahi.org

NEW and UPCOMING

SEALED WITH ALOHA: HAWAIIAN MONK SEALS AND HAWAI‘I, a Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park After Dark in the Park program that has been moved to the Volcano Art Center Auditorium in Volcano Village due to the parks current closure is offered Tuesday, June 26, at 7 p.m.
Now called After Dark Near the Park, the talk features Tara Spiegel and staff of Ke Kai Ola (The Healing Sea) hospital in Kona, which is dedicated to caring for injured, ill, and orphaned monk seals, and returning them to the wild. Attendees will hear the story of how Ke Kai Ola of the Marine Mammal Center has grown to include a science-based rehabilitation program, a highly trained stranding response network, and coordinated community efforts and partnerships, says the event flyer.
The program is co-sponsored by Friends of Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park. Free; suggested $2 donations help support park programs.

HAWAI‘I WILDLIFE FUND OFFERS VOLUNTEERS MORE OPPORTUNITIES to help restore ecosystems on the Ka‘ū Coast.
On Monday, July 2, volunteers will help restore an estuary in Ka‘ū with a short hike to access the site. On Saturday, July 7, volunteers will remove trash and debris from Pā‘ula, below Nā‘ālehu, with Ala Kahakai Trails Association and friends; space is limited. For meeting times and locations, email Megan Lamson at kahakai.cleanups@gmail.com in advance. These events are subject to change; registration is required.
For more about Hawai‘i Wildlife Fund, visit wildhawaii.org.

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ONGOING

Sign Up for the Nāʻālehu Independence Day Parade, to be held Saturday, June 30. If interested, call Debra McIntosh at 929-9872.

Visitor Contact Station hosts Ranger Talks on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday at 10:30 a.m. and 1 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday at 10:30 a.m.

Guided Hikes begin at 9:30 a.m. every Saturday and Sunday in June and July. Meet the ranger at the welcome tent.

In the Visitor Contact Station, Coffee Talk, a monthly, casual get together, is held the last Friday of the month, 9:30-11 a.m. On June 29, Hawaiʻi Wildlife Fund will present Removing Trash, Restoring Habitat. On July 27,

See the Kahuku Unit Rangers, The Kahuku Cowgirls, in the Nā ͑ālehu 4th of July Parade Saturday, June 30, beginning at 10 a.m.

Two Park Rangers are stationed at the Grand Naniloa Hotel in downtown Hilo, from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., every Sunday and Monday, in the Willie K Crown Room - as long as nothing else is scheduled in the space. The rangers will be doing daily talks at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. about the eruption. They will show the park film that is normally available to visitors to see at the Kilauea Visitor’s Center at the Summit, Born of Fire, Born in the Sea, every half-hour beginning at 9:30 a.m.

Tūtū and Me Offers Home Visits to those with keiki zero to five years old: home visits to aid with helpful parenting tips and strategies, educational resources, and a compassionate listening ear. Home visits are free, last 1.5 hours, two to four times a month, for a total of 12 visits, and snacks are provided. For info and to register, call Linda Bong 464-9634.

5th annual Ka‘ū Coffee Trail Run registration open. Race day Sat, Sept 22, 7 a.m.; begins and ends at Ka‘ū Coffee Mill. Register online before Mon, July 9: 5K, $25/person; 10K, $35/person; and 1/2 Marathon, $45/person. From July 9 to Aug 11: $30/person, $40/person, and $45/person, respectively. From Aug 13 to Sept 20: $35/person, $45/person, and $55/person. Race day registration ends Sat, Sept 22, at 6:30 a.m. Event organizers, ‘O Ka‘ū Kākou; start location, Ka‘ū Coffee Mill.

Volcano Forest Runs Registration Open through Friday, August 17, at 6 p.m. Half marathon $85, 10K $45, 5K $30. Registration increases August 1: half marathon to $95, 10K to $55, and 5K to $35. Race is run from Cooper Center on Wright Road in Volcano Village on Saturday, August 18.

See dramatic changes to Halemaʻumaʻu crater and Kīlauea caldera in a USGS flyover video from June 24.
See story below on possible benefits to air quality due to the absence of the lava lake. Photo from USGS

REACTION TO THE U.S. SUPREME COURT UPHOLDING THE TRUMP TRAVEL BAN was swift this afternoon, coming from Hawaiʻi's governor and congressional delegation.
Gov. David Ige said, “Many of Hawaiʻi’s families vividly remember experiencing unjust discrimination on the basis of race and national origin. Our state will continue to be a check on this president’s irrational fear of travelers from predominantly Muslim countries. Sadly, the Supreme Court’s decision does not reflect the American values of inclusion, freedom, and opportunity. And it does not reflect the Aloha Spirit that Hawaiʻi exemplifies.”
Sen. Mazie Hirono wrote, “Today is a dark day for our country. Every time our country has singled out a minority group for discriminatory treatment, we have been proven very, very wrong. The Supreme Court’s decision in Trump v. Hawaii will be no different. By ignoring the President’s clear intent to discriminate against Muslims, the Court handed the President unfettered power to continue to target minorities.”
The Supreme Court ruling today was five to four, with the majority stating that the President of the United States has the constitutional right to protect the U.S. citizenry by banning certain people from entering the country. Hawaiʻi was one of the states that sent its Attorney General to U.S. federal court to lift the ban, claiming discrimination against Muslims. Hawaiʻi won, but the Trump administration took the case to the Supreme Court to uphold its ban.

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Recent explosive events haven't produced significant ash plumes from the Kīlauea summit, but downwind, some
ashfall can be experienced when previously erupted ash is remobilized, according to USGS scientists.
On authorized permission from Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park, Hawaiian Volcano Observatory's
Unmanned Aircraft Systems crew is conducting gas measurements and snapped this photograph from
Chain of Craters Road. It shows a plume of remobilized ash on he horizon, rising from the Ka‘ū Desert
and blowing to the southwest. USGS photo

AIR QUALITY IN KAʻŪ MAY BE HEADED FOR IMPROVEMENT if recent trends continue. Halemaʻumaʻu, with its lava lake gone, is emitting lower amounts of S02 than before the current eruption. Its collapsive events - when its crater walls fall in - are throwing up less ash than eruptions in May, and the ash travels shorter distances, impacting fewer communities. No major ash falls have been reported in Kaʻū in recent weeks. However, ash is blowing into the region when the winds blow strong and pick it up from the Kaʻū Desert.
Before the current volcanic activity, Kīlauea summit was releasing 3,000 to 6,000 tons of S02 per day when Halemaʻuma‘u's lava lake was filled. Recently, emissions have been half the levels of those before the recent volcanic activity began.
With the ash plumes that earlier rose to tens of thousands of feet now only reaching lower altitudes, HVO lowered the aviation alert level to orange, though the volcano is still at a warning level.
Like Halemaʻumaʻu, Puʻu ʻŌʻō's lava retreated into the volcano, dramatically reducing emissions. Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō was releasing 200 to 300 tons of SO2 per day before the current event.
In lower Puna, East Rift Zone amounts of SO2 have been declining since the Fissure 8 emissions peaked around 25,000 tons per day last week, according to Mike Zoeller of the Center for the Study of Active Volcanoes at University of Hawaiʻi-Hilo. The S02 had reached a “very high number” of 15,000 tons per day as of May 22, reported Wendy Stovall of USGS.

Timelapse of the lower East Rift Zone flows, May 16 to June 25, created
from Hawaiian Volcano Observatory's map updates. Map from USGS

Air Quality Index at 2 p.m. had Pāhala at 35 (green), 65 at Ocean View (yellow), and 54 at Kona (yellow). SO2 levels at 2:30 p.m. were good (green) in Ocean View, and Kona. Pāhala hadn’t reported since 12:45 p.m., at which time it was moderate (yellow). The EPA site showed good (blue) at Nāʻālehu, Pāhala, Ocean View, and Kona, with a few locations in and around Kīlauea's summit showing caution (orange).

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LAVA CONTINUES TO ADD LAND TO THE COAST of lower Puna, moving south of Kapoho Bay and Vacationland toward Ahala Nui Beach Park. The lava is entering the ocean along a 2 mile stretch and has covered 6,145 acres, according to Hawaiʻi County Civil Defense. Fissure 8 is creating land at about 15m per day, and is about one kilometer north of Ahala Nui Beach Park. Mike Zoeller of the Center for the Study of Active Volcanoes at University of Hawaiʻi-Hilo said Fissure 8 continues to spew lava, which then travels about 14km to the ocean. No significant overflows are threatening any communities at this time, reports Civil Defense.

See video https://volcanoes.usgs.gov/observatories/hvo/multimedia_uploads/multimediaFile-2319.mp4of the lava maps from May 15 through June 25.

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A GE tax increase of .25 percent, which would go straight to
Hawaiʻi County, would help bolster public transportation
on the island. Photo from Hele On

THE FAILED HIKE IN THE GE TAX COULD BE RECONSIDERED. A request will be taken up this Friday, July 29, at a special County Council meeting. Bill 159 would levy an additional .25 percent on the 4 percent General Excise tax for goods and services purchased in Hawaiʻi County. The 4 percent goes to the state and the .25 percent would go directly to Hawaiʻi County for transportation improvements. The tax would go into effect on Jan. 1, 2019, and be repealed Dec. 31, 2020, unless extended by ordinance. It would permanently sunset no later than 2031. The council voted against the tax hike during its last meeting, with some council members saying they wanted a .5 percent hike and others testifying against any tax hike. Mayor Harry Kim proposed the hike in the wake of the extra burden on the county budget during the lava disaster in Puna and beyond.

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Michelle Galimba, Kaʻū’s new County Charter

Commissioner. Photo from Agricultural
Leadership Foundation of Hawaiʻi

RANCHER MICHELLE GALIMBA has been nominated by Mayor Harry Kim to represent Kaʻū on the County Charter Commission. Galimba served on the Kaʻū Community Development Plan advisory board, and is a member of the the state Board of Agriculture. She has volunteered for numerous community initiatives and assists with 4-H and her family's Kuahiwi Ranch in Kaʻū.

Others nominated from their districts are Douglass Shipman Adams (Hilo); William Carthage Bergin (Kohala); Paul K. Hamano (Hilo); Kevin D. Hopkins (Hilo); Bobby Jean Akane Leithead Todd (Hilo); Sarah H. Rice (Kona); Christopher John Imiloa Roehrig (Hamakua); Marcia A. K. Saquing (Hilo); Donna Mae Springer (Puna); and Jennifer Leilani Zelko- Schlueter (Hilo). The nominations will be taken up by the County Council for confirmation this Friday.

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THE ACTION FOR DENTAL HEALTH CARE ACT was introduced by Sen. Mazie Hirono and Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) on Monday. It would reauthorize initiatives that increase access to oral health treatment and prevention services, particularly for underserved communities.

A statement from Hirono's office says that “Children in Hawaiʻi have the highest prevalence of tooth decay in the nation, and many Hawaiʻi residents seek care at hospital emergency departments for untreated and preventable dental conditions. A 2015 report by the Hawaiʻi state Department of Health showed significant oral health disparities in Hawaiʻi’s residents relating to income, education, ethnicity, and geographic location.”

Sen. Mazie Hirono is part of a new oral health bill,
submitted yesterday, June 25.

Said Hirono, “Children and families in

Hawaiʻi continue to face barriers in accessing necessary dental care – particularly in rural and underserved communities. This bill would increase resources for communities across Hawaiʻi to establish regular dental care and increase the number of dental providers. Oral health is an essential component of overall health and it's critically important for all people in Hawaiito have access to oral health services.”

Dr. Robert Baysa, President of the Hawaii Dental Association, weighed in: “Oral health is an essential component of overall health and it’s critically important for all people in Hawaiʻi to have access to oral health services.” Senators Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA), and Tim Scott (R-SC) also cosponsored the Action for Dental Health Act.

Tooth brushing is part of good oral
health, according to the ADA.
Photo by Cate Brooks

The legislation would: Reauthorize oral health promotion and disease prevention activities at the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention, such as school-based dental sealant programs and support for recruiting dental providers; establish an Action for Dental Health Program to improve oral health education and reduce barriers to oral health care; and reauthorize and expand a grant program through the Health Resources and Services Administration that helps states increase their oral health workforce and provide needed dental care, particularly in underserved communities.

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SPECIAL OLYMPICS TEAM FOR KAʻŪ IS ORGANIZING and PāhalaBallParkcould be the location of future winter season Bocce Ball games starting mid-August, with practice beginning early July, says Lupo Paupore, of Pāhala. Paupore says that, at the moment, the majority of those who have shown interest in becoming involved, both volunteers and athletes alike, are located closer to Pāhala than Nāʻālehu or Waiʻōhinu, but she would be willing to change the practice/tournament location if more volunteers or athletes from West Kaʻū joined.

Anyone interested in helping to organize a Special Olympics team

for Kaʻū can contact Lupo Paupore at 928-6153.
Photo by Lupo Paupore

The tournament season would only last about eight weeks altogether, says Paupore. She says that since this is the beginning of a new delegation, with there currently only being two other delegations on island - Kona and Hilo - she is looking for anyone interested in participating, from athletes, to volunteers who directly assist the athletes in games to those who are willing to pass out water or cheer the team on from the sidelines. Anyone interested in being a volunteer assistant coach is also welcome to join the group. To participate as an athlete in the Special Olympics, individuals must have an intellectual disability and must be older than 8 years of age.

Participation is free, though if the group grows large, some fundraising maybe be necessary eventually, says Paupore. She added that being a part of this group will be a “marvelous way to get to know their community,” particularly for those who feel isolated from others by their intellectual disability. Paupore says that through helping her own daughter in the spring season Special Olympic games earlier this year, she was amazed at the changes she saw in her. From being shy and quiet around strangers to sharing that “I won a gold medal” with an airline attendant on the way home from the state games on Oʻahu. “Volunteering to help people with intellectual disabilities is manna for the soul,” says Paupore.

To join or find out more, contact Paupore at 928-6153 or email her at lpaupore@outlook.com.

See public Ka‘ū events, meetings, entertainment.

See Ka‘ū exercise, meditation, daily, and weekly events.

Print edition of The Ka‘ū Calendar is free to 5,500 mailboxes

throughout Ka‘ū, from Miloli‘i through Volcano, and free on

stands throughout the district. Read online at kaucalendar.com
and facebook.com/kaucalendar.

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WEDNESDAY, JUNE 27

THURSDAY, JUNE 28

Kona Vet Center visits to Ocean View Community Center are Suspended until further notice. Veterans may call 329-0574 for VA benefit information. ovcahi.org

FRIDAY, JUNE 29

Mystery Bag Game, Fri, Jun 29, 2-3pm, Kahuku Park, H.O.V.E. For ages 6-12 years. Register Jun 25-29. Teresa Anderson, 929-9113, hawaiicounty.gov/pr-recreation

SATURDAY, JUNE 30

Nā‘ālehu Independence Day Parade, Sat, Jun 30, Hwy 11, Nā‘ālehu. Sign-ups open. Call Debra McIntosh, 929-9872

16-111 Opukahala St

MONDAY, JULY 2

Ocean View Volunteer Fire Department Meeting, Mon, July 2, 4-6pm, Ocean View Community Center. 939-7033, ovcahi.org

TUESDAY, JULY 3

Discovery Harbour Volunteer Fire Dept. Meeting, Tue, July 3, 4-6pm, July 17, 4:30-6:30pm, Discovery Harbour Community Hall. 929-9576, discoveryharbour.net

Ka‘ū Coffee Growers Meeting, Tue, July 3, 6-8pm, Pāhala Community Center.

NEW and UPCOMING

THE 34TH ANNUAL VOLCANO VILLAGE FOURTH OF JULY PARADE AND FESTIVAL has been announced by event sponsors Cooper Center Council, Volcano Community Association and Friends of Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park, toting “family fun, keiki games, food, crafts, entertainment.”
This particular Independence Day event is always held on July 4, with this year being no different. The parade starts at 9 a.m. at Volcano Post Office, continues through the village along Old Volcano Road and ends at Cooper Center on Wright Road. In addition to being family friendly, this event is open to dogs - being that they are friendly, picked-up after and remain on a leash while in attendance.
During the Craft Fair portion of the event at Cooper Center, the summer musical cast for Kīlauea Drama & Entertainment Network’s Oliver will perform, as will Da Boni and Doug Duo with Da Digital Menehunes, and Christy Lassiter.
Attendance is free and no registration is required. Those hoping to be a part of the parade, must visit volcanocommunity.org to download an entry form, which must then be filled out and emailed to vcainfo@yahoo.com; for more about the parade, contact Meghan Jerolaman of Volcano Community Association at 333-7588. Those seeking to be vendors at the Craft Fair portion of the event, must reserve their place by contacting Tara Holmes of Cooper Center at 464-3625 (from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.) or idoaloha@gmail.com. Visit thecoopercenter.org for application forms.

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REGISTER KEIKI AGES 6-12 FOR A MYSTERY BAG GAME at Hawai’i County Department of Parks and Recreation’s Kahuku Park in Hawaiian Ocean View Estates through Friday, June 29. The program takes place from 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. on Friday, June 29. To register or for more information, call Technician Teresa Anderson at 929-9113. See hawaiicounty.gov/pr-recreation/.

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TWO SCIENCE CAMPS WILL BE HOSTED AT PĀHALA PLANTATION COTTAGES this summer, says Science Camps of America, a non-profit corporation. Both camps are available to teens, ages 13 to 17, going into grades 9 through 12.

Land & Sea Camp starts Friday, June 29, with the last day on Sunday, July 8. In this camp, teens engage with: geology, oceanography, biology and zoology. Students will learn about: structure of Earth, plate tectonics, volcanics, erosion, ocean structure, ocean currents and tides, beaches and near-shore environments, marine life, Hawaiian history and culture, and Polynesian voyaging while gaining or refining hiking and camping skills

Air and Space Camp starts Monday, July 9, and continues through July 18. In this camp, teens learn about: solar system formation, the moon, the planets, space exploration, structure of the atmosphere, weather, carbon cycle, climate, Hawaiian history and culture, and Polynesian voyaging, while gaining or refining hiking and camping skills.
The registration fee for each camp session is $2,395 and includes ground transportation for the six to seven field trip days, food, etc.; however, financial aid is available. For more details and to register, visit scicamp.org.

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ONGOING

The internship is offered through Kupu Hawai‘i. Those interested are asked to fill out an online application at kupuhawaii.org under Conservation Leaders Program by Saturday, June 30; http://www.kupuhawaii.org/conservation/. For more, call The Nature Conservancy at 443-5401 or call Kupu Hawai‘i at 808-735-1221.

Tropic Care 2018 - providing medical, dental, and eye care for any community member, free of charge, whether they have insurance or not - lasts through Thursday, June 28, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., at Keaʻau High School gym. First come-first served. Bring any current prescriptions or eye glasses. Long waits are expected; bring water and snacks. Free breakfast and lunch provided to those aged 3 to 18, Monday thru Friday. Food carts may be on site for purchases throughout the event. Questions can be directed to the public health nurse at 808-974-6035, or Adria Maderios, Vice Principal of Keaʻau High School, at 313-3333.

Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program will take sign-ups in Kaʻū, through Friday, June 29.
In Nā’ālehu, it will take place at the Hawai‘i County Economic Opportunity Council office, back of Senior Center, Wed-Fri, 8-1pm, 929-9263.
In Ocean View, it will take place at Ocean View Community Center, Mon and Tue, 8-4:30pm.
In Pāhala, it will take place at the Edmund Olson Trust Office, Tue and Wed, 8:30-12:30pm. See more for eligibility requirements and application.

Sign Up for the Nāʻālehu Independence Day Parade, to be held Saturday, June 30. If interested, call Debra McIntosh at 929-9872.

Disaster Recovery Center, jointly operated by Hawaiʻi County, the State of Hawaiʻi, and FEMA, is open daily from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. at Keaʻau High School Gym. Buses run from 7:30 a.m. and 9 p.m. to and from Keaʻau Armory every 20 minutes and Pāhoa Community Center Shelter every hour. See the full bus schedule on the Civil Defense Website at HawaiiCounty.gov/Active-Alerts. For a list of the information applicants need to bring to the DRC, or to register online, go to DisasterAssistance.gov.

Libraries Rock Summer Reading Program: Hawai‘i State Public Library System, through Saturday, July 14, statewide and online. Register and log reading at librarieshawaii.beanstack.org or at a local library. Free. Reading rewards, activities, and programs for children, teens, and adults. 2018 participants have a chance to win a Roundtrip for four to anywhere Alaska Airlines flies.

Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park invites kamaʻaina and tourist alike to visit the Kahuku Unit. There are no entry fees, and all programs are free of charge. In addition to regularly scheduled Guided Hikes and the monthly Coffee Talk, Kahuku Unit has added daily Ranger Talks, and cultural demonstrations and activities on weekends.

Visitor Contact Station hosts Ike Hana Noe ʻAu, Cultural Demonstrations and Activities, at 12:30 p.m. every Saturday and Sunday in June and July, made possible by Hawaiʻi Pacific Parks Association. June 30, Hū: make a traditional Hawaiian spinning top with kukui nut, a favorite of nā keiki (children). July 1, ‘Ulana Niu; weave fun, whimsical items from coconut palm leaves.

Visitor Contact Station hosts Ranger Talks on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday at 10:30 a.m. and 1 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday at 10:30 a.m.

Guided Hikes begin at 9:30 a.m. every Saturday and Sunday in June and July. Meet the ranger at the welcome tent. Sunday, July 1, Pu‘u o Lokuana: This short 0.4-mile hike to the top of the grassy cinder cone is ideal for families. Learn about the formation and various uses of this hill over time and enjoy a breathtaking view of lower Ka‘ū.

See the Kahuku Unit Rangers, The Kahuku Cowgirls, in the Nā ͑ālehu 4th of July Parade Saturday, June 30, beginning at 10 a.m.
Kahuku events are posted to the park website, nps.gov/havo/planyourvisit/kahuku-hikes.htm.

5th annual Ka‘ū Coffee Trail Run registration open. Race day Sat, Sept 22, 7 a.m.; begins and ends at Ka‘ū Coffee Mill. Register online before Mon, July 9: 5K, $25/person; 10K, $35/person; and 1/2 Marathon, $45/person. From July 9 to Aug 11: $30/person, $40/person, and $45/person, respectively. From Aug 13 to Sept 20: $35/person, $45/person, and $55/person. Race day registration ends Sat, Sept 22, at 6:30 a.m. Event organizers, ‘O Ka‘ū Kākou; start location, Ka‘ū Coffee Mill.

Volcano Forest Runs Registration Open through Friday, August 17, at 6 p.m. Half marathon $85, 10K $45, 5K $30. Registration increases August 1: half marathon to $95, 10K to $55, and 5K to $35. Race is run from Cooper Center on Wright Road in Volcano Village on Saturday, August 18.

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Independence Day Parade is this Saturday, June 30, in Nāʻālehu along Hwy 11, beginning at 11 a.m.
Photo by Julia Neal

THE MAMAKI TEA FARM IN WOOD VALLEY, owned by Texas outfits Mamaki Tea, Inc. and Mamaki of Hawaiʻi, Inc., is going on the auction block on Monday, July 9. The foreclosure suit is filed by Southwest Capital Funding, Ltd. of Texas, showing a debt at $721,343 in principal plus $50,000 in late fees and interest.

The Shaka Tea company bought māmaki from the
Wood Valley tea farm to be auctioned off.
Photo from Shaka Tea

The property, also known as Wood Valley Ranch, and previously owned by Bob Romer, a contractor from Kona who restored the home and also grew māmaki tea, comes with a five-bedroom house, apartment, and outbuildings including a māmaki warehouse that is climate controlled. Koa trees and pasture also grace the 24.8 acre property. Commissioner for the sale is Rick Robinson.

In January of 2017, māmaki tea grown at the farm in Wood Valley was mentioned in the governor's state of the state address, with introduction of the founders of Shaka Tea, which was sourcing the māmaki from the farm.

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Easier crossing at Moaʻula Stream for
the farmers of the famous Kaʻū Coffee.
Photo by Trini Marques

MOAʻULA GULCH RECEIVED PAVING this week to create a safer entrance to the famous Kaʻū Coffee farms. The bridge to the farms washed out more than 15 years ago, when Hwy 11 bridges were also destroyed during a fierce storm that isolated Pāhala for days.

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THE SECOND ANNUAL PIG HUNT HOSTED BY KAʻŪ MULTICULTURAL SOCIETY will be held Saturday, July 21, at the parking lot adjacent to 96-3258 Maile Street, near the old Radio Station Building in Pāhala. The location for the home base of the event is provided by the Edmund C. Olson Trust.
The scale for the weigh-ins for the wild pigs will be open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Food booths and a variety of

A packing contest is part of the fun at the second annual
Kaʻū Multicultural Society pig hunt July 21.
Photo by Guy Sesson

contests are featured, including Over-All Pua‘a prize for heaviest pig; Heaviest Boar/Laho‘ole; Heaviest Sow; Biggest Tusk; The Packing Contest, in which the hunter runs while carrying the pig; and the Smoke Meat Contest. Contact Kalani Vierra at 938-2005, Darlyne Vierra at 640-8740, or Liz Kuluwaimaka at 339-0289.

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THE KAʻŪ HIGH AND PĀHALA ELEMENTRY SCHOOL ALUMNI & FRIENDS REUNION will be the seventeenth annual potluck community celebration on Sunday, Sept. 2, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., at Pāhala Community Center.

James Yamaki, one of the faithful
organizers of the annual school
reunion. Photo by Julia Neal

Bring a favorite dish to share. Hear the music of the band Shootz and many more, with hula and other entertainment, and food for everyone. The theme is Home of the Children, Honor, Love & True Devotion. The celebration is open to the entire community, and is sponsored by all alumni of Pāhala Elementary and Kaʻū High School.

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TŪTŪ & ME TRAVELING PRESCHOOL AND HOME VISITING PROGRAMS are free. Partners In Development Foundation is accepting applications for families with keiki, birth to five years old. Orientation for families enrolled in the traveling preschool at Pāhala and Nāʻālehu sites begins Wednesday, Aug. 1, and Thursday, Aug. 2. Regular programs begin the following week. Families are encouraged to sign-up sooner than later as space is limited for the traveling preschool.

At Tūtu & Me Traveling Preschool, a caregiver or parent attends each class with their keiki (up to three attending keiki per adult), and is responsible for supervising and guiding them through activity stations. Each class begins and ends with circle time. Healthy snacks for keiki are provided at site. The program also offers families the opportunity to take a field trip with the class, once a month, to locations around town and the island. Each week, families are encouraged to borrow reading material from the programs Keiki Lending Library and Caregiver Resource Library. Each child is assigned a new backpack filed with educational resources and toys to borrow and play with on a monthly basis.

Families enrolled to attend the Nāʻālehu site, meet at the Nāʻālehu Community Center on Mondays and Wednesdays, from 8:45 a.m. to 10:45 a.m. Families enrolled to attend the Pāhala site, meet at the Pāhala Community Center on Tuesdays and Thursdays, from 8:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. To enroll at either site, fill out and return an enrollment form at pidfoundation.org or contact Hawaiʻi South Site Manager Betty Clark at 929-8571 or eclark@pidfoundation.org.

The Home Visiting Program, ongoing throughout the year, offers more flexibility by working with the family's schedule. This program gives families the opportunity to further ease keiki and caregivers into the preschool learning environment by having a visiting teacher bring educational toys, snacks, and activities to the home while providing caregivers a compassionate listening ear, helpful parenting tips and strategies, and educational resources.

Home visits are one and a half hours in length, meeting two to four times a month, for a total of twelve visits. Families can participate in the Home Visiting Program with or without enrollment at the Nāʻālehu and Pāhala site programs. To enroll in the Home Visiting Program, contact Linda Bong at 464-9634 or lbong@pidfoundation.org.

All Tūtū & Me programs incorporate Hawaiian values and some Hawaiian language. For more, visit pidfountation.org.

See public Ka‘ū events, meetings, entertainment.

See Ka‘ū exercise, meditation, daily, and weekly events.

Print edition of The Ka‘ū Calendar is free to 5,500 mailboxes

throughout Ka‘ū, from Miloli‘i through Volcano, and free on

stands throughout the district. Read online at kaucalendar.com
and facebook.com/kaucalendar.

To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see Facebook. Follow us on Instagram and Twitter. See our online calendars and our latest print edition at kaucalendar.com.

THURSDAY, JUNE 28

Kona Vet Center visits to Ocean View Community Center are Suspended until further notice. Veterans may call 329-0574 for VA benefit information. ovcahi.org

FRIDAY, JUNE 29

Mystery Bag Game, Fri, Jun 29, 2-3pm, Kahuku Park, H.O.V.E. For ages 6-12 years. Register Jun 25-29. Teresa Anderson, 929-9113, hawaiicounty.gov/pr-recreation

SATURDAY, JUNE 30

Nā‘ālehu Independence Day Parade, Sat, Jun 30, Hwy 11, Nā‘ālehu. Sign-ups open. Call Debra McIntosh, 929-9872

16-111 Opukahala St

MONDAY, JULY 2

Ocean View Volunteer Fire Department Meeting, Mon, July 2, 4-6pm, Ocean View Community Center. 939-7033, ovcahi.org

TUESDAY, JULY 3

Discovery Harbour Volunteer Fire Dept. Meeting, Tue, July 3, 4-6pm, July 17, 4:30-6:30pm, Discovery Harbour Community Hall. 929-9576, discoveryharbour.net

Ka‘ū Coffee Growers Meeting, Tue, July 3, 6-8pm, Pāhala Community Center.

WEDNESDAY, JULY 4

4th of July Parade, Craft Fair, Wed, July 4, 9-1:30pm, Volcano Village. Free. Parade starts at Post Office, down

Old Volcano Rd

, ends at Cooper Center on Wright Rd. Activities, food, and entertainment. Summer musical Oliver! cast, Da Boni and Doug Duo, Da Digital Menehunes, and Christy Lassiter will perform. Silent auction in main room. Leashed dogs allowed. Provided by Cooper Center Council, Volcano Community Association, and Friends of Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park. To be in parade, download entry form at volcanocommunity.org and email to vcainfo@yahoo.com. Vendors call Tara Holmes, 464-3625 (8-5pm) or email idoaloha@gmail.com. thecoopercenter.org

4th of July Picnic, Wed, July 4, 2pm, Discovery Harbour Community Center. $6, bring your own beverage. Register by Friday, June 29, by calling Discovery Harbour on Friday, June 29, between 8am and noon.

NEW and UPCOMING

Community involvement is key to creating a sculptural
quilt from 5” pieces of wood. Photo from VAC

COMMUNITY INVITED TO CREATE MONUMENTAL SCULPTURAL QUILT as part of Art in the Everyday. The Community Quilt Project is a sculptural installation project, led by visiting artist Laura Phelps Rogers and Volcano Art Center, engaging the community to respond to the art of the everyday through upcycling or with mixed media interpretations. Participants are encouraged to use materials from their everyday lives: cardboard, magazines, plastic objects, office supplies, newspaper, etc. The project ends in a large collaborative work through community participation and workshops. No art experience is required, though artists are encouraged to participate.

Through community involvement and participation, Rogers hopes to construct a monumental sculptural quilt built out of round wood 5” pieces. The artist has provided blank pieces and asks each participant to create something on the blank out of every day objects or their take on the everyday through their artistic medium - the only restrictions being weight, 4 oz., and that all natural materials be sealed.

The initial assembly workshop day takes place from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday, July 7, with an additional assembly workshop taking place on Wednesday, Oct. 10 - both at Volcano Art Center's Niʻaulani Campus in Volcano Village.

A $10 donation to Volcano Art Center is asked of participants, who can obtain a blank piece prior to assembly days by picking up a packet at the Volcano Art Center Administration Office or at the Wailoa Art Center in Hilo. Participants can also request a blank piece be mailed, which requires an additional $1.50 for return postage. Direct questions about the project to lauraphelpsrogers@hotmail.com. For more, visit volcanoartcenter.org or call 967-8222.

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ONGOING

Tropic Care 2018 - providing medical, dental, and eye care for any community member, free of charge, whether they have insurance or not - lasts through Thursday, June 28, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., at Keaʻau High School gym. First come-first served. Bring any current prescriptions or eye glasses. Long waits are expected; bring water and snacks. Free breakfast and lunch provided to those aged 3 to 18, Monday thru Friday. Food carts may be on site for purchases throughout the event. Questions can be directed to the public health nurse at 808-974-6035, or Adria Maderios, Vice Principal of Keaʻau High School, at 313-3333.

Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program will take sign-ups in Kaʻū, through Friday, June 29.
In Nā’ālehu, it will take place at the Hawai‘i County Economic Opportunity Council office, back of Senior Center, Wed-Fri, 8-1pm, 929-9263.
In Ocean View, it will take place at Ocean View Community Center, Mon and Tue, 8-4:30pm.

In Pāhala, it will take place at the Edmund Olson Trust Office, Tue and Wed, 8:30-12:30pm. See more for eligibility requirements and application.

Sign Up for the Nāʻālehu Independence Day Parade, to be held Saturday, June 30. If interested, call Debra McIntosh at 929-9872.

Visitor Contact Station hosts Ranger Talks on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday at 10:30 a.m. and 1 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday at 10:30 a.m.

Two Park Rangers are stationed at the Grand Naniloa Hotel in downtown Hilo, from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., every Sunday and Monday, in the Willie K Crown Room - as long as nothing else is scheduled in the space. The rangers will be doing daily talks at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. about the eruption. They will show the park film that is normally available to visitors to see at the Kilauea Visitor’s Center at the Summit, Born of Fire, Born in the Sea, every half-hour beginning at 9:30 a.m.

Kona Vet Center visits to Ocean View Community Center are Suspended until further notice. Veterans may call 329-0574 for VA benefit information. ovcahi.org

Tūtū and Me Offers Home Visits to those with keiki zero to five years old: home visits to aid with helpful parenting tips and strategies, educational resources, and a compassionate listening ear. Home visits are free, last 1.5 hours, two to four times a month, for a total of 12 visits, and snacks are provided. For info and to register, call Linda Bong 464-9634.

5th annual Ka‘ū Coffee Trail Run registration open. Race day Sat, Sept 22, 7 a.m.; begins and ends at Ka‘ū Coffee Mill. Register online before Mon, July 9: 5K, $25/person; 10K, $35/person; and 1/2 Marathon, $45/person. From July 9 to Aug 11: $30/person, $40/person, and $45/person, respectively. From Aug 13 to Sept 20: $35/person, $45/person, and $55/person. Race day registration ends Sat, Sept 22, at 6:30 a.m. Event organizers, ‘O Ka‘ū Kākou; start location, Ka‘ū Coffee Mill.

Volcano Forest Runs Registration Open through Friday, August 17, at 6 p.m. Half marathon $85, 10K $45, 5K $30. Registration increases August 1: half marathon to $95, 10K to $55, and 5K to $35. Race is run from Cooper Center on Wright Road in Volcano Village on Saturday, August 18.

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Volcano-impacted farms, like those seen above, would receive more assistance under the U.S. Senate version
of the Farm Bill, which goes to conference committee. See story below. Photo from Big Island Video News

CHANGE WAS THE WORD on the edge of Kīlauea Caldera on Wednesday, when Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park and Hawaiian Volcanoes Observatory held a press conference looking over Halemaʻumaʻu Crater, the former home of the famous lava lake.
Under a clear blue sky above a gaping gray crater of ash and rock, HVO''s Chief Scientist Tina Neal said it’s “Bittersweet to be here today.” She talked about the park closure around the crater, and HVO pulling staff and equipment out of its headquarters on the edge of the caldera. She referred to Kīlauea lava destroying homes and displacing residents. “With the profound impacts to the people going on in lower Puna and in Volcano and the rest of the island, it’s just time to think about how somber that component of what’s going on, is now.”

Neal said, “Change is really the fundamental process going on right now. Change is what volcanoes do. Kīlauea Volcano has been in a constant state of change, and indeed what we’re seeing today has happened before. It’s unprecedented in our modern observational period,” but again, she proclaimed, “Change is what volcanoes do.”
Neal said that “despite there being this profound sense of loss” with partial closure of the park and destruction in lower Puna, “it’s also for our scientists a very inspirational time because of the change. And if you think back to the founding of HVO more than a hundred years ago, it was put here because of the rapid pace of change at Kīlauea and how active Kīlauea Volcano was.” HVO’s founder, Dr. Thomas Jaggar, “recognized that this was a perfect place to establish a laboratory to study volcanic processes, so that we would better understand how they can potentially impact society and give us the ability to warn people ahead of time and allow us to live safely with volcanoes.” She said that HVO scientists, “even though we are dealing with the disruption, are really engaged scientifically, trying to figure out what is happening, to give the best guidance to the National Park and other emergency authorities – and, indeed, the public - so they can make good decisions about their own safety.”

HVO Chief Scientist Tina Neal
Photo from Big Island Video News

Neal pointed to the unmanned aerial vehicles team that has been working at Halemaʻumaʻu for more than a month to obtain UAV footage of the very hazardous area. She said HVO is bringing new tools to the table, and that “Dr. Jaggar would be very approving of it - to allow us to gain the knowledge to better understand what’s going on.”

Kyle Anderson, a research geophysicist with the U.S. Geological Survey, explained that magma is rising up beneath the summit of Kīlauea from its supply region, passing through the summit storage reservoir system, and then migrating down the rift zone where it’s either stored or erupted. “Because the rate of magma exiting the summit storage system - the summit reservoir - is so much greater than the rate at which magma is supplied to that reservoir - the summit magma reservoir is deflating - you can think of that a bit like air being let out of a balloon. That’s causing subsidence, cracking, and deformation across a broad and widening region of Kīlauea Caldera,” he said. Anderson said that “the rates of subsidence in some places, particularly close to Halemaʻumaʻu Crater, are very large, as much as 30 feet or more per day.” The deformation, the slumping, he said, is “happening episodically,” over recent weeks about once a day. He noted that earlier in the eruption, this slumping gave rise to vigorous ash plumes and the ejection of ballistic fragments to the region surrounding the crater. “More recently, that has not been true. Very little ash is being emitted currently, but these slumping events are producing large earthquakes which are felt very strongly in the Kīlauea Summit region. Magma is exiting the summit storage system rapidly. Rock, which composes the floor of the caldera, is slumping downwards and inward to replace magma, which is being evacuated towards the rift zone, Anderson said. He noted that the bottom of the crater is about 1,000 feet below the old caldera floor.

Deep cracks have popped up all around the edges of Kīlauea

Caldera, as Halema ʻuma ʻu crater subsides after the

loss of its lava lake. Photo from Big Island Video News

Hawaiian Volcanoes Observatory has reported that the SO2 readings are at least half of what they were during the days of the Halemaʻumaʻu lava lake, giving hope that Kaʻū air may soon be
cleaner than it's been in many years.

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VOLCANO-IMPACTED FARMERS would be able to retroactively apply for coverage under the Non-insured Crop Assistance Program in the bipartisan 2018 U.S. Senate Farm Bill. Sen. Mazie Hirono pushed for the measure for the Farm Bill, which sets policy and funding levels for agriculture and nutrition programs through 2023. It was approved on Wednesday by the Senate with a 86-11 vote. The bill must now move to a conference committee to reconcile differences with the House Farm Bill passed last week.
“The ongoing volcanic activity on Hawai'i Island has had a devastating impact on local agricultural producers. The provision I successfully included in this year’s farm bill will provide much needed relief to our agricultural community," said Hirono. “This Senate Farm Bill supports many programs that are critical to Hawai'i farmers and growers.
The NAP Program provides assistance to producers of non-insurable crops – including papaya, leafy greens, floriculture, and aquaculture – in the event that natural disasters destroy crops, reduce yields, or prevent planting.
Those affected by the volcanic activity will be able to access up to $125,000 in assistance even if they had not previously signed up for NAP coverage for the 2018 crop year. The underlying bill also establishes a payment limit of $125,000 for catastrophic coverage and $300,000 for additional coverage within NAP for future policies.

Scales of the Macadamia Felted coccid, a disease to be studied with

funding in the 2018 Farm Bill. Photo from University of Hawai`i

The Farm Bill also includes the Macadamia Tree Health Initiative, a bill introduced earlier this Congress by Hirono, which makes researching and developing management strategies to combat the macadamia felted coccid, an invasive pest threatening Hawai'i’s macadamia nut industry, a high priority at the U.S. Department of Agriculture .
Hirono also teamed up with Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) to include a floor amendment to provide small grants for individuals, food banks, K-12 schools, colleges and universities, and other nonprofit organizations to promote food security and the

availability of fresh food for local communities throughout Hawai'i.

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Dina Shisler, surrounded by toys and emergency supplies,

supplied to every Nāʻālehu school student a flashlight, whistle,

and survival blanket. Photo from Dina Shisler

EVERY STUDENT OF NĀʻĀLAHU SCHOOL RECEIVED AN EMERGENCY TOGO BAG, made by a group of women quilters. On May 30, volunteer Dina Shisler, of DiscoveryHarbour, delivered them. “Each bag contained some fun things - but most importantly each had a whistle, flashlight, and a survival blanket,” she said. The students welcomed her warmly. “If hugs were money, I would have been a millionaire at the end of the day,” she said, promising to provide emergency togos for additional students when they start school.

She thanked Kalae Quilters as well as County Council member Maile David, who helped pay for supplies; ʻO Kaʻū Kākou; Discount Fabric Warehouse’s Bill Miller; J. Hara in Kurtistown; police officers officers Dane Shybiuyo and Clayton Tayaman; Carol and Earl Spradling; and Ed and Marvel Rau. Shisler said she would be happy to help other volunteer groups to produce the emergency bags for keiki in their own communities.

See public Ka‘ū events, meetings, entertainment.

See Ka‘ū exercise, meditation, daily, and weekly events.

Print edition of The Ka‘ū Calendar is free to 5,500 mailboxes

throughout Ka‘ū, from Miloli‘i through Volcano, and free on

stands throughout the district. Read online at kaucalendar.com
and facebook.com/kaucalendar.

To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see Facebook. Follow us on Instagram and Twitter. See our online calendars and our latest print edition at kaucalendar.com.

FRIDAY, JUNE 29
Coffee Talk, Fri, Jun 29, 9:30-11am, Kahuku Park, Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park. Join park rangers in informal conversation on a variety of topics. Ka‘ū coffee, tea, and pastries available for purchase. Free. nps.gov/HAVO

Mystery Bag Game, Fri, Jun 29, 2-3pm, Kahuku Park, H.O.V.E. For ages 6-12 years. Register Jun 25-29. Teresa Anderson, 929-9113, hawaiicounty.gov/pr-recreation

SATURDAY, JUNE 30

Nā‘ālehu Independence Day Parade, Sat, Jun 30, Hwy 11, Nā‘ālehu. Sign-ups open. Call Debra McIntosh, 929-9872

16-111 Opukahala St

MONDAY, JULY 2

Ocean View Volunteer Fire Department Meeting, Mon, July 2, 4-6pm, Ocean View Community Center. 939-7033, ovcahi.org

TUESDAY, JULY 3

Discovery Harbour Volunteer Fire Dept. Meeting, Tue, July 3, 4-6pm, July 17, 4:30-6:30pm, Discovery Harbour Community Hall. 929-9576, discoveryharbour.net

Ka‘ū Coffee Growers Meeting, Tue, July 3, 6-8pm, Pāhala Community Center.

WEDNESDAY, JULY 4

4th of July Parade, Craft Fair, Wed, July 4, 9-1:30pm, Volcano Village. Free. Parade starts at Post Office, down

Old Volcano Rd

THURSDAY, JULY 5

Hula Voices w/Kumu Manaiakalani Kalua, Thu, July 5, 5-6pm, Volcano Art Center’s Ni‘aulani Campus, Volcano Village. Talk story session moderated by Desiree Moana Cruz. 967-8222, volcanoartcenter.org

Ocean View Neighborhood Watch Meeting, Thu, July 5, 6-7pm, Ocean View Community Center. 939-7033, ovcahi.org

‘O Ka‘ū Kākou Meeting, Thu, July 5, 6:30pm, Aspen Center. okaukakou.org

NEW and UPCOMING

Paniolo wrangles a steer at Nāʻālehu Fourth of July Rodeo.
Photo by Julia Neal

Bull riding is a highlight of the annual Fourth of July Rodeo.

Photo by Julia Neal

Fourth of July Rodeo at Nāʻālehu Rodeo Grounds will be held Saturday, July 7 and Sunday, July 8. Sponsored by Kaʻū Roping & Riding Association, the two days of action will include competition for keiki, wahine and kane. Slack Roping begins Saturday at 8 a.m. Cowboy Church is on Sunday at 10 a.m. Rodeo starts at 12 p.m. both days, with Al Cabral calling the show.
Events include Open Team Roping, Kane/Wahine Dally Team Roping, Team 90s, Double Mugging, Kane/Wahine Ribbon Mugging, Wahine Mugging, Tie Down Roping, Wahine Break Away, Po‘o Wai U, and Bull Riding.
Dummy Roping, Goat Undecorating, Calf Riding, and Youth Barrel Racing events are set for youngsters. Food, crafts, and t-shirt booths will be on hand.

To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see Facebook. Follow us on Instagram and Twitter. See our online calendars and our latest print edition at kaucalendar.com.

ONGOING

Paid Intern sought by The Nature Conservancy, to work from October 2018 through August 2019 with their Hawai‘i Island Terrestrial Program, which has native forest preserves located in Ka‘ū and South Kona.
The internship is offered through Kupu Hawai‘i. Those interested are asked to fill out an online application at kupuhawaii.org under Conservation Leaders Program by Saturday, June 30; kupuhawaii.org/conservation. For more, call The Nature Conservancy at 443-5401 or call Kupu Hawai‘i at 808-735-1221.

Sign Up for the Nāʻālehu Independence Day Parade, to be held Saturday, June 30. If interested, call Debra McIntosh at 929-9872.

Visitor Contact Station hosts Ranger Talks on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday at 10:30 a.m. and 1 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday at 10:30 a.m.

Park Rangers invite the public to downtown Hilo to learn about the volcanic activity, to get their NPS Passport Book stamped, and to experience the Hawaiian cultural connection to volcanoes. Rangers are providing programs at the Mokupāpapa Discovery Center at 76 Kamehameha Avenue, Tuesday through Saturdays, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission is free.
Two Park Rangers are stationed at the Grand Naniloa Hotel in downtown Hilo, from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., every Sunday and Monday, in the Willie K Crown Room - as long as nothing else is scheduled in the space. The rangers will be doing daily talks at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. about the eruption. They will show the park film that is normally available to visitors to see at the Kilauea Visitor’s Center at the Summit, Born of Fire, Born in the Sea, every half-hour beginning at 9:30 a.m.

Kona Vet Center visits to Ocean View Community Center are Suspended until further notice. Veterans may call 329-0574 for VA benefit information. ovcahi.org

Tūtū and Me Offers Home Visits to those with keiki zero to five years old: home visits to aid with helpful parenting tips and strategies, educational resources, and a compassionate listening ear. Home visits are free, last 1.5 hours, two to four times a month, for a total of 12 visits, and snacks are provided. For info and to register, call Linda Bong 464-9634.

5th annual Ka‘ū Coffee Trail Run registration open. Race day Sat, Sept 22, 7 a.m.; begins and ends at Ka‘ū Coffee Mill. Register online before Mon, July 9: 5K, $25/person; 10K, $35/person; and 1/2 Marathon, $45/person. From July 9 to Aug 11: $30/person, $40/person, and $45/person, respectively. From Aug 13 to Sept 20: $35/person, $45/person, and $55/person. Race day registration ends Sat, Sept 22, at 6:30 a.m. Event organizers, ‘O Ka‘ū Kākou; start location, Ka‘ū Coffee Mill.

Volcano Forest Runs Registration Open through Friday, August 17, at 6 p.m. Half marathon $85, 10K $45, 5K $30. Registration increases August 1: half marathon to $95, 10K to $55, and 5K to $35. Race is run from Cooper Center on Wright Road in Volcano Village on Saturday, August 18.

To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see Facebook. Follow us on Instagram and Twitter. See our online calendars and our latest print edition at kaucalendar.com.

The County Marching Band is a regular at Nāʻālehu's Independence Day Parade, tomorrow at 11 a.m. on Hwy 11,
followed by OKK's Summer Fun Fest. Photo by Julia Neal

THE GENERAL EXCISE TAX WILL INCREASE TO 4.25 PERCENT ON JAN. 1. The County Council voted 7-2 today to add a surcharge of .25 percent onto the statewide 4 percent GE. According to the county administration, the extra tax money will fund an improved public transportation system in Hawaiʻi County, generating $20 million a year until it expires at the end of 2020.
Council member Maile David, who had called for a public hearing on the matter, voted for the .25 percent tax hike, saying the county needs more income, given a $5 million budget shortfall. She said that she would have voted for a heftier surcharge - .5 percent - to help underserved communities. However, with the volcanic disaster, she said, the .25 percent would put less of a burden on people paying the GE taxes.
Council member Dru Kanuha, who is running for the state Senate to represent West Kaʻū, voted against any tax hike, saying he worried about oversight, how the money would be managed.

Former County Council member Brenda Ford, who is running for state Senate against Kanuha, sent a message to the council opposing the tax hike. “The entire Island community is under enough financial, physical, and emotional stress without the Council increasing that stress with additional taxes. As everyone acknowledges, the GET increase is a regressive tax hitting the poorest people the hardest. Have some mercy for our people.” Ford also said that raising taxes for transportation and using existing transportation budget for other purposes is “a shell game.” She said it could threaten the county's ability to secure money to buy new buses and bus parts. “Mass Transit has been a disaster for years and no Administration has fixed it - not even in good financial times!”
Council member Jen Ruggles, who represents upper Puna, also opposed the hike. She said during council meetings that the extra taxation would hurt poor people who are already suffering from the volcanic disaster. She said the county's stabilization and disaster and emergency funds could cover the county's expenses for the ongoing disaster.
Lower Puna council member Eileen O'Hara called for the hike, saying the county needs more money to help the disaster victims, as well as an improved bus system to help the needy.

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HAWAIʻI FARMERS IMPACTED BY ONGOING VOLCANIC ACTIVITY should have maximum assistance possible, said the Hawaiʻi Congressional Delegation in a letter today to Undersecretary of Agriculture for Farm and Foreign Agricultural Services Bill Northey.

Papaya farmers are hard hit by the volcano disaster.
Photo from Makuʻu Farmers Market

“Hawaiʻi is unlike any other state. The majority of our farms are small and diversified with specialty crops, and Hawaiʻi remains an underserved state for crop insurance. For farmers who have lost their homes, their crops, their land, and their farming infrastructure valued up to millions of dollars, assistance is absolutely critical if they are to remain in agriculture,” the Delegation wrote. “Hawaiʻi farmers have lost so much. If we want to ensure that they remain in agriculture and continue to provide locally grown food for our families, specialty crops that add millions to our economy, and increase Hawaiʻi’s food sustainability, we must provide them with every available assistance.”

The letter spelled out the need: “The volcanic activity, which continues to this day, includes the lava flow, volcanic ash, acid rain, high levels of sulfur dioxide, and volcanic gas emissions (“vog”). The President has approved a Major Disaster Declaration for Hawaiʻi County (FEMA-4366-DR). Thus far, lava has covered 6,164 acres and destroyed over 650 homes in the Puna area of Hawaiʻi Island. Farms which grow or cultivate papayas, orchids, and cut flowers have been covered by lava or are no longer accessible. According to the 2012 Census of Agriculture, Hawaiʻi Island has 83 percent of Hawaiʻi’s papaya acreage and 78 percent of Hawaiʻi’s floriculture

Kaʻū Coffee Farmers are determining any damage

from ash falls and S02 during the volcanic activity.

Photo from Hawaiʻi Coffee Association

square footage. Preliminary estimates suggest that up to 50 percent of Hawaiʻi’s cut flower industry is destroyed. Coffee and macadamia nuts are already showing the effects of acid rain, and losses could be extensive.

“Farmers have not just lost their farms and homes; they have been displaced from their land as the volcanic activity has permanently altered the landscape. They will need to find new parcels and start over again. It will be well over a year before they are able to harvest their first crop. For producers of orchids, it could take three to four years to reestablish the crop to production levels achieved prior to the disaster.”

The letter is signed by Sen. Mazie Hirono, Sen. Brian Schatz, Rep. Tulsi Gabbard and Rep. Colleen Hanabusa.

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WHAT CAUSES THE COLLAPSE/EXPLOSION EVENTS at Kīlauea’s summit? That’s the question answered in this week’s Volcano Watchhvo.wr.usgs.gov/volcanowatch, a weekly article and activity update written by U.S. Geological Survey`s Hawaiian Volcano Observatory scientists and colleagues:

At the summit of Kīlauea Volcano, Halemaʻumaʻu has changed dramatically since early May. As the crater walls and inner caldera slump inward, the depth of Halemaʻumaʻu has more than tripled, and the diameter has more than doubled. Before May, about 10 earthquakes per day were typical at the summit. As of late June, there are about 600 earthquakes located in the same region on a daily basis. Many of these earthquakes are strong enough to be felt, and some can be damaging. These earthquakes are understandably causing concern, especially in VolcanoVillage and surrounding subdivisions.

Halemaʻumaʻu crater from June 28, 4:55 a.m., six minutes

after the most recent collapse/explosion.

Light is from the moon. NPS photo

What is causing these earthquakes? The short answer is that the rigid rock of the caldera floor is responding to the steady withdrawal of magma from a shallow reservoir beneath the summit. As magma drains into the East Rift Zone - traveling about 40 km (26 mi) underground, to erupt from fissures in the Leilani Estates subdivision - it slowly pulls away support of the rock above it. Small earthquakes occur as the crater floor sags. The collapse/explosion event is triggered when the caldera floor can no longer support its own weight and drops downward. Large collapses can produce an explosion and ash plume that rises above the crater.

An example of this is the most recent event that occurred on June 28 at 4:49 a.m. An ash-poor plume rose about 300 m (1000 ft) above the ground and drifted to the southwest. The energy released by the event was equivalent to a M5.3 earthquake. Since May 16, scientists have observed intervals between collapse/explosion events as short at 8 hours and as long as 64 hours. The average is about 28 hours, which is why they seem to happen on an almost daily basis.

Analyses of data from tiltmeters, GPS stations, seismometers, gas measurements, and satellite and visual observations are ongoing, and several hypotheses could explain the processes occurring at the summit. A leading concept is that incremental collapses beneath the caldera act as a piston dropping on top of a depressurized magmatic system (see figure, below). This collapse process culminates in a large earthquake that may be strong enough to be felt by residents in the area. It also can produce an explosion in which gas drives ash into the atmosphere. After a large collapse/explosion event, the stress on the faults around Halemaʻumaʻu is temporarily reduced, resulting in fewer earthquakes. Several hours later, as magma continues to drain out of the summit, stress increases on the faults around Halemaʻumaʻu and earthquake rates increase and grow to a constant level that continues for several hours before the next collapse/explosion event.

A generalized graphic of how a collapse/explosion event sequence can occur. The upper graphic represents a cross-section of the crater filled with rock rubble and the lower graphic is an example of a typical number of earthquakes observed during a particular phase of the collapse/explosion cycle. Initially, the piston is supported by the magma reservoir. It is stable and there is very low seismicity. Second, as magma drains, stress on the faults increases and there is an earthquake swarm on the caldera ring faults. Third, the piston collapses down from its own weight. A large collapse earthquake occurs and a plume can result. Graphic credit: Brian Shiro, seismologist at USGS HVO

The collapse/explosion events generate plumes that have become progressively more ash-poor and now rise only a few thousand feet above the crater. This is in contrast to the eruptive sequence from May 16-26, when the vent within Halemaʻumaʻu crater was open, so ash plumes could rise into the air during each collapse/explosion event, like the event on May 17 that sent an ash plume to 30,000 feet. But by May 29, rock rubble from the crater rim and walls had filled the vent and a portion of the conduit that comprises the shallow magma reservoir may have partially collapsed, blocking the path for most of the ash to escape.

Since June 21, nearby residents have reported feeling stronger, more intense shaking from the collapse/explosion events. Why do they feel stronger when the location and magnitude are about the same? It is possible that another partial collapse of the shallow magma reservoir occurred, also changing subsurface geometry. This changed the character of the seismic waves, which now have more high frequencies (shorter wavelengths) that people may feel more intensely. An analogy is a home theater or car stereo. Imagine the sound set at a constant volume - like the consistent earthquake magnitude - but then change the dials to increase the treble while lowering the bass slightly. The total energy is the same, but it's being expressed in different frequencies. This is why, over time, people may be reporting that they are feeling these events more widely and intensely.

Map of the lower East Rift Zone eruption, with active fissures red,

inactive fissures in green, active flow area shaded in orange,

active flow danger areas orange dots.

Map from hawaiicountygis.maps.argis.com

One of the most frequently asked questions is when will this end? The response is not so straightforward. The summit continues to subside as magma moves from the shallow reservoir beneath the Kīlauea summit into the lower East Rift Zone. As this process continues, Halemaʻumaʻu will continue to respond with collapse/explosion events. If strong shaking is felt, remember to drop, cover, and hold on until it stops. Be sure to quake-proof homes, schools, and businesses. Look here for tips: shakeout.org/hawaii/resources. Also, please help the USGS by reporting if you feel an earthquake at earthquake.usgs.gov/dyfi.

Visit the HVO website, hvo.wr.usgs.govfor past Volcano Watch articles, Kīlauea daily eruption updates and other volcano status reports, current volcano photos, recent earthquakes, and more; email questions to askHVO@usgs.gov.

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AIR QUALITY IN KAʻŪ MAY IMPROVE for most of the weekend, as trade winds die down, according to the National Weather Service. Scattered showers should come in later in the day Sunday to help clear the air, and winds should pick up by Monday.

At 6 p.m., the EPA site showedNā‘ālehu as blue (good), and Pahala, Kona, and several more sensor sites as down; Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park central sensor was down. One sensor WSW of the summit showed as orange (caution). Orange was also the status of one operational sensor in lower Puna, directly south of Fissure 8. SO2 levels were last reported at noon, with all locations showing green (good). Air Quality Index was down at 6 p.m.

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‘O KA‘Ū KĀKOU’S ANNUAL SUMMER FUN FEST at Nā‘ālehu Park will be held tomorrow, Saturday, June 30. The organization is also sponsoring the Nā‘ālehu Independence Day Parade, which begins 11 a.m. at Nā‘ālehu Elementary School and ends at the Nā‘ālehu Hongwanji Mission.
At noon, ‘O Ka‘ū Kākou provides “water slides, and bounce castles, etc. plus hot dogs, watermelon, and shave ice for the keiki in the park. We will be having Senior Bingo and a nice lunch at the community center for our Seniors,” says Nadine Ebert of ‘O Ka‘ū Kākou. Attendees, food and activities at Summer Fun Fest is free of charge. The event is open to the public with no registration required.
Those wanting to participate in the parade, volunteer, or donate are asked to contact Debra McIntosh at 929-9872. For more, visit okaukakou.org.

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Participate in a workshop creating Soft Pastel Life pieces
under the direction of Patti Pease Johnson.
Photo from volcanoartcenter.org

SOFT PASTEL LIFE WITH BIG ISLAND ARTIST/INSTRUCTOR PATTI PEASE JOHNSON workshop to take place tomorrow, Saturday, June 30, from 9 a.m. to noon, has been announced by Volcano Art Center at their Niʻaulani Campus location in Volcano Village. Johnson’s artwork can be found at in collections around the world and at galleries and shops throughout the state.
The class description on volcanoartcenter.org says Johnson can help participants “gain confidence and techniques of this centuries-old medium.” Using her signature rotational proven method for success, she will supply materials along with instruction, guidance and inspiration for the process, as well as some handy tips for future projects, says the description.
Students will first learn about types of pastels, different papers, fixing and mounting paper on backing, and will then use newsprint to keep the flow of arm movements loose. Participants form shapes next and then move into colors on pastel paper and finish by completing a 10 x12” project. The description totes that students will grow their knowledge of composition, color and correcting problems.
The cost of the class is $45 per Volcano Art Center Member, and $50 per non-Member, plus a $10 supply fee. Beginner and intermediate artists are welcome. Register online at volcanoartcenter.org or call 967-8222.

See public Ka‘ū events, meetings, entertainment.

See Ka‘ū exercise, meditation, daily, and weekly events.

Print edition of The Ka‘ū Calendar is free to 5,500 mailboxes

throughout Ka‘ū, from Miloli‘i through Volcano, and free on

stands throughout the district. Read online at kaucalendar.com
and facebook.com/kaucalendar.

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SATURDAY, JUNE 30
Nā‘ālehu Independence Day Parade, Sat, June 30, Hwy 11, Nā‘ālehu. Sign-ups open. Call Debra McIntosh, 929-9872

Soft Pastel Still Life w/Patti Pease Johnson, Sat, June 30, 9-noon, Volcano Art Center's Niʻaulani Campus, Hale Hoʻomana at 19-4074 Old Volcano Road. $45/VAC Member, $50/non-Member, plus $10 supply fee. Beginner and intermediate artists welcome. volcanoartcenter.org, 967-8222

Birds of Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park: The Hawaiʻi Nei Invitational Exhibition, Daily, June 30-Aug 12, 9-5pm, Volcano Art Center's Niʻaulani Campus, Hale Hoʻomana at 19-4074 Old Volcano Road. Special opening reception with 8 participating artists held Sat, June 30, 5-7pm, Free. volcanoartcenter.org

Grow Me the Money: Record-Keeping Principles and Best Practices for farmers and food producers, Sat, Jun 30, 3-6pm, Kaʻū District Gym. Free; registration required. Contact Megan Blazak, 887-6411, or koha.la/growmoney

Imua Puna, Sat, June 30, 3-10pm, 16-111 Opukahala St, Keaʻau. $5 suggested donation; evacuees enter and eat free. Food and drink to ourchase. Live entertainment. “Share your manaʻo at a multi-band music-dance concert to malama and kokua those displaced by Tutu Pele's journey to the ocean.” See facebook.com/kevin.carpenter84/videos/10212545972867861/

SUNDAY, JULY 1
Pu‘u o Lokuana, Sun, July 1, 9:30 - 11 a.m., Kahuku Unit of Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park. Short, moderately difficult, 0.4-mile hike to the top of the grassy cinder cone, Pu‘u o Lokuana. Learn about the formation and various uses of this hill over time and enjoy a breathtaking view of lower Kaʻū. Free. nps.gov/HAVO

Ham Radio Potluck Picnic, Sun, July 1, noon-2pm, Manukā State Park. Anyone interested in learning about ham radio is welcome to attend. Sponsored by South Point Amateur Radio Club and Amateur Radio Emergency Service. View sites.google.com/site/southpointarc or sites.google.com/view/southhawaiiares/home. Rick Ward, 938-3058

‘Ike Hana No‘eau, Experience the Skillful Work, every Sat and Sun in July: 1, 7, 8, 14, 15, 21, 22, 28, and 29; 12:30pm, Kahuku Unit of Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park. Hawaiian cultural demonstrations and hands-on activities. Free. Check nps.gov/havo/planyourvisit/cultural-programs.htm for details.

MONDAY, JULY 2
Hawai‘i Wildlife Fund Ka‘ū Estuary Restoration Workday, Mon, July 2, contact in advance for meet-up time. Requires a short hike to access site. Pending volcanic activity/air quality. Space limited. Free; donations appreciated. kahakai.cleanups@gmail.com, wildhawaii.org

Ka‘ū Homeschool Co-op Group, Mon, July 2, 16, and 30, 1pm, Ocean View Community Center. A parent-led homeschool activity/social group building community in Ka‘ū. Laura Roberts, 406-249-3351

Ocean View Volunteer Fire Department Meeting, Mon, July 2, 4-6pm, Ocean View Community Center. 939-7033, ovcahi.org

TUESDAY, JULY 3
Discovery Harbour Volunteer Fire Dept. Meeting, Tue, July 3, 4-6pm, July 17, 4:30-6:30pm, Discovery Harbour Community Hall. 929-9576, discoveryharbour.net

Ka‘ū Coffee Growers Meeting, Tue, July 3, 6-8pm, Pāhala Community Center.

WEDNESDAY, JULY 4
4th of July Parade, Craft Fair, Wed, July 4, 9-1:30pm, Volcano Village. Free. Parade starts at Post Office, down Old Volcano Rd, ends at Cooper Center on Wright Rd. Activities, food, and entertainment. Summer musical Oliver! cast, Da Boni and Doug Duo, Da Digital Menehunes, and Christy Lassiter will perform. Silent auction in main room. Leashed dogs allowed. Provided by Cooper Center Council, Volcano Community Association, and Friends of Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park. To be in parade, download entry form at volcanocommunity.org and email to vcainfo@yahoo.com. Vendors call Tara Holmes, 464-3625 (8-5pm) or email idoaloha@gmail.com. thecoopercenter.org

THURSDAY, JULY 5
Hula Voices w/Kumu Manaiakalani Kalua, Thu, July 5, 5-6pm, Volcano Art Center’s Ni‘aulani Campus, Volcano Village. Talk story session moderated by Desiree Moana Cruz. 967-8222, volcanoartcenter.org

Ocean View Neighborhood Watch Meeting, Thu, July 5, 6-7pm, Ocean View Community Center. 939-7033, ovcahi.org

‘O Ka‘ū Kākou Meeting, Thu, July 5, 6:30pm, Aspen Center. okaukakou.org

FRIDAY, JULY 6
Spaghetti Dinner, Fri, July 6, 5:30pm, St. Jude’s Episcopal Church, Ocean View. Single plate, $8, 2 for $15, family for $20. Tickets available at door. 939-7555, stjudeshawaii.org

Free Community Dance, Fri, July 6 and 13, 7-10pm, Cooper Center, Volcano Village. Minors allowed with supervision only. Alcohol-free event. Variety of music. Coffee, tea, water, and snacks provided. Free admission; donations appreciated. 967-7800, thecoopercenter.org

NEW and UPCOMING

THE COOPER CENTER ANNOUNCES A FREE COMMUNITY DANCE to take place on Monday, July 2, from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. at their location in Volcano Village on Wright Road.
Many kinds of music will be featured at the event: rhythm & blues, classic rock and roll, 80’s dance hits, world beat, oldies and even some latin boogaloo. Coffee, tea, water, & snacks provided. The event is alcohol free, and requires minors be attended with supervision.
Free Community Dances at Cooper Center are held on the second Friday of each month, with the following dance planned for Friday, July 13. For more, visit thecoopercenter.org.

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ST. JUDE’S EPISCOPAL CHURCH IN OCEAN VIEW HOSTS A SPAGHETTI DINNER on Friday, July 6, starting at 5:30 p.m. The dinner is open to all with tickets available at the door: $8 for one, $15 for two, and $20 per family. For more details, call 939-7555 or visit stjudeshawaii.org.

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ONGOING

Sign Up for the Nāʻālehu Independence Day Parade, to be held Saturday, June 30. If interested, call Debra McIntosh at 929-9872.

4th of July Parade, Craft Fair, Wed, July 4, 9-1:30pm, Volcano Village. Free. Parade starts at Post Office, down Old Volcano Rd, ends at Cooper Center on Wright Rd. Activities, food, and entertainment. Summer musical Oliver! cast, Da Boni and Doug Duo, Da Digital Menehunes, and Christy Lassiter will perform. Silent auction in main room. Leashed dogs allowed. Provided by Cooper Center Council, Volcano Community Association, and Friends of Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park. To be in parade, download entry form at volcanocommunity.org and email to vcainfo@yahoo.com. Vendors call Tara Holmes, 464-3625 (8-5pm) or email idoaloha@gmail.com. thecoopercenter.org

The internship is offered through Kupu Hawai‘i. Those interested are asked to fill out an online application at kupuhawaii.org under Conservation Leaders Program as soon as possible, as spaces are limited; http://www.kupuhawaii.org/conservation/. For more, call The Nature Conservancy at 443-5401 or call Kupu Hawai‘i at 808-735-1221.

Visitor Contact Station hosts Ranger Talks on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday at 10:30 a.m. and 1 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday at 10:30 a.m.
Guided Hikes begin at 9:30 a.m. every Saturday and Sunday in June and July. Meet the ranger at the welcome tent. Sunday, July 1, Pu‘u o Lokuana: This short 0.4-mile hike to the top of the grassy cinder cone is ideal for families. Learn about the formation and various uses of this hill over time and enjoy a breathtaking view of lower Ka‘ū.

5th annual Ka‘ū Coffee Trail Run registration open. Race day Sat, Sept 22, 7 a.m.; begins and ends at Ka‘ū Coffee Mill. Register online before Mon, July 9: 5K, $25/person; 10K, $35/person; and 1/2 Marathon, $45/person. From July 9 to Aug 11: $30/person, $40/person, and $45/person, respectively. From Aug 13 to Sept 20: $35/person, $45/person, and $55/person. Race day registration ends Sat, Sept 22, at 6:30 a.m. Event organizers, ‘O Ka‘ū Kākou; start location, Ka‘ū Coffee Mill.

Volcano Forest Runs Registration Open through Friday, August 17, at 6 p.m. Half marathon $85, 10K $45, 5K $30. Registration increases August 1: half marathon to $95, 10K to $55, and 5K to $35. Race is run from Cooper Center on Wright Road in Volcano Village on Saturday, August 18.

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Pa`u rider Kaluhea Salmo graced the Independence Day Parade in Na`alehu on Saturday. She represented Lana`i,
wearing orange. Photo by Geneveve Fyvie

INDEPENDENCE DAY RODE into Na`alehu Saturday with Ka‘ū women on horseback representing each island. The Pa‘u rider tradition dates back to the early 1800s, with the introduction of horses into the Hawaiian Islands. Ali‘i, women of royalty, enjoyed riding and wore long skirts to protect their legs.

Alohalyn Beck, in green, represented Moloka`i. Photo by Geneveve Fyvie

In the early 1900s the tradition grew to women riding astride in parades, their costumes more elegant and of colors and lei to represent each Hawaiian island. The tradition remains among Ka‘ū women.
In the Na`alehu parade, Lorilee Lorenzo represented the island of Hawai`i, wearing red. Alohalyn Beck wore green to represent Moloka`i. Raylyn Goveia, in purple, represented Kaua‘i. Kaluhea Salmo represented Lana`i, wearing orange. Merle Beck, in gray, represented Kaho`olawe. Elaine Togami represented Ni‘ihau, its color white. Kircia Derasin, in yellow, represented O‘ahu. Kehani Souza, in pink, represented Maui.
The parade was sponsored by O Ka‘ū Kakou, followed by entertainment and bingo at the park and community center.
On July 4th, a community parade will be held in Volcano Villlage.
See more on the parade in Sunday's Ka`u News Briefs.

Raylyn Goveia, in purple, represented Kaua`i. Photo by Geneveve Fyvie

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IN SUPPORT OF THE .25 PERCENT SURCHARGE ON THE 4 PERCENT GENERAL EXCISE TAX, Mayor Harry Kim spoke at the County Council meeting on Friday
before the measure passed. It goes into effect Jan. 1 and lasts through the end of 2020.
Kim told the County Council that he wished that the increase would be .5 percent "so we could make further strides." He said .25 percent surcharge will help the county maintain and increase services in the wake of the volcanic disaster that has destroyed at least 668 homes and many farms. Not only does the county need to help these people with homes and their businesses, he said, the county faces the loss of tax income from the lands where houses and businesses were destroyed.

He said that without the tax increase, many services will have to be cut back. The county was facing a $5 million shortfall before the volcano activity became a disaster. "Five million is gonna be a scratch," he said.

Merle Beck, in gray, represented
Kaho`olawe. Photo by Kehau Ke

Among expenditures that the mayor would like to make, but lacked the budget, is helping papaya and noni farmers with a primitive road to reach their farms so they can harvest existing crops and try to save their orchards cut off by lava flow. He said building an access road - a kitty cat road of just simple bulldozing - would cost $600,000 and the county doesn't have the money.
He said he wants to help homeless people and he addressed the loss to business in Volcano, where the economy is dependent on visitors to Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park. Most of the park is shut down and Volcano Village businesses have suffered up to 50, 80 and 90 percent losses in income, he said.
The mayor also addressed criticism that that hiking the taxes would hurt the poor more than others. He said that people with money pay much more in taxes than poor people and that much of the money collected is directed at programs for the poor.

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at kaucalendar.com.

MICROHOMES FOR DISPLACED LOWER PUNA RESIDENTS were blessed today in Pāhoa. The micro-homes project was constructed in 30 days, through the support of the community, county, state, and National Guard, noted Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, who attended the opening.

Elaine Togami represented Ni`ihau, colo of Ni`ihau shells.
Photo by Geneveve Fyvie

The housing village opened 20 units that will provide transitional shelter for seniors and disabled individuals who have lost their homes to Kīlauea’s lava flow. The village will include an office, storage space, and a covered community pavilion on an acre of land owned by the Catholic Diocese of Honolulu.
In her comments, the congresswoman recognized Gilbert Aguinaldo who came up with the idea, former county Civil Defense Director Darryl Oliveira who helped with the logistics, Brandee Menino of Hope Services Hawaiʻi, and the Hawaiʻi Army National Guard 230^th Engineer Company. She praised the businesses, workers, and volunteers "who came together in the spirit of aloha" to build the project. The congresswoman also visited a future transitional housing site for families being organized by Ikaika Marzo, which aims to start by constructing 50 temporary units.

Lorilee Lorenzo represented the island of Hawai`i, wearing red.
Photo by Geneveve Fyvie

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"WE CAN'T BE LOCKING UP CHILDREN AND SEPARATING FAMILIES," said Sen. Mazie Hirono today when she joined hundreds of activists at the Hawaiʻi State Capitol to protest the Trump administration’s family separation and detention policies. The rally was one of over 700 held across the country.

“Today, people are coming together all across the country to say that we can’t be locking up children and separating families, Hirono said. Donald Trump created this crisis through his own actions, blamed others for what’s happening, and used the ensuing chaos to demand a legislative solution that harms even more people. It’s up to each of us, and to the millions of Americans outraged by his actions to stand up, fight back, and demand action.”

Kircia Derasin, in yellow, represented O`ahu. Photo by Geneveve Fyvie

Hirono is an original cosponsor of Sen. Dianne Feinstein’s Keep Families Together Act to prohibit the Department of Homeland Security from separating immigrant families. Earlier this year, Hirono introduced the Fair Day in Court for Kids Act, which would provide unaccompanied children with access to legal representation when they appear in removal proceedings before an immigration judge.

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THE PUBLIC SERVICE FREEDOM TO NEGOTIATE ACT was introduced this week after the Supreme Court ruling that could threaten membership of public unions. A statement from 50 Democrat and Republican U.S. Senate and House of Representative members, said, "The Public Service Freedom to Negotiate Act will ensure public will ensure public sector employees across the country have the legal right to form and join a union and to bargain collectively "through representatives of their own choosing over wages, hours, and other terms and conditions of employment. Public employers are also required to recognize their employees’ union and to commit to any agreements in a written contract. The bill reaffirms that it is the policy of the United States to encourage collective bargaining as a way of promoting stable, cooperative relationships between public employees and their employers."

Kehani Souza, in pink, represented Maui. Photo by Geneveve Fyvie

Hirono wrote, “The Supreme Court’s decision in Janus is just the latest blow in a decades-long attack on unions and their ability to lift American families into the middle class. Far-right groups like the Koch Brothers will continue this assault because they know that when public-sector employees are able to organize they stand as a powerful force to fight for American workers. We need to pass the Public Service Freedom to Negotiate Act to protect and strengthen the fundamental the ability of unions to organize and collectively bargain for fair wages and working conditions that are critical to public-sector employees.”

To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see Facebook. Follow us on Instagram and Twitter. See our online calendars and our latest print edition at kaucalendar.com.

See public Ka‘ū events, meetings, entertainment.

See Ka‘ū exercise, meditation, daily, and weekly events.

Print edition of The Ka‘ū Calendar is free to 5,500 mailboxes

throughout Ka‘ū, from Miloli‘i through Volcano, and free on

stands throughout the district. Read online at kaucalendar.com
and facebook.com/kaucalendar.

SUNDAY, JULY 1

Ham Radio Potluck Picnic, Sun, July 1, noon-2pm, Manukā State Park. Anyone interested in learning about ham radio is welcome to attend. Sponsored by South Point Amateur Radio Club and Amateur Radio Emergency Service. View sites.google.com/site/southpointarc
or sites.google.com/view/southhawaii
ares/home. Rick Ward, 938-3058

MONDAY, JULY 2

Hawai‘i Wildlife Fund Ka‘ū Estuary Restoration Workday, Mon, July 2, contact in advance for meet-up time. Requires a short hike to access site. Pending volcanic activity/air quality. Space limited. Free; donations appreciated. kahakai.cleanups
@gmail.com, wildhawaii.org

Ka‘ū Homeschool Co-op Group, Mon, July 2, 16, and 30, 1pm, Ocean View Community Center. A parent-led homeschool activity/social group building community in Ka‘ū. Laura Roberts, 406-249-3351

Ocean View Volunteer Fire Department Meeting, Mon, July 2, 4-6pm, Ocean View Community Center. 939-7033, ovcahi.org

TUESDAY, JULY 3

Discovery Harbour Volunteer Fire Dept. Meeting, Tue, July 3, 4-6pm, July 17, 4:30-6:30pm, Discovery Harbour Community Hall. 929-9576, discoveryharbour.net

Ka‘ū Coffee Growers Meeting, Tue, July 3, 6-8pm, Pāhala Community Center.

WEDNESDAY, JULY 4

4th of July Parade, Craft Fair, Wed, July 4, 9-1:30pm, Volcano Village. Free. Parade starts at Post Office, down Old Volcano Rd, ends at Cooper Center on Wright Rd. Activities, food, and entertainment. Summer musical Oliver! cast, Da Boni and Doug Duo, Da Digital Menehunes, and Christy Lassiter will perform. Silent auction in main room. Leashed dogs allowed. Provided by Cooper Center Council, Volcano Community Association, and Friends of Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park. To be in parade, download entry form at volcanocommunity.org and email to vcainfo@yahoo.com. Vendors call Tara Holmes, 464-3625 (8-5pm) or email idoaloha@gmail.com. thecoopercenter.org

THURSDAY, JULY 5

Ocean View Neighborhood Watch Meeting, Thu, July 5, 6-7pm, Ocean View Community Center. 939-7033, ovcahi.org

‘O Ka‘ū Kākou Meeting, Thu, July 5, 6:30pm, Aspen Center. okaukakou.org

FRIDAY, JULY 6

Spaghetti Dinner, Fri, July 6, 5:30pm, St. Jude’s Episcopal Church, Ocean View. Single plate, $8, 2 for $15, family for $20. Tickets available at door. 939-7555, stjudeshawaii.org

Free Community Dance, Fri, July 6 and 13, 7-10pm, Cooper Center, Volcano Village. Minors allowed with supervision only. Alcohol-free event. Variety of music. Coffee, tea, water, and snacks provided. Free admission; donations appreciated. 967-7800, thecoopercenter.org

SATURDAY, JULY 7

Hawai‘i Wildlife Fund Pā‘ula Cleanup Event w/Ala Kahakai Trails Association and friends, Sat, July 7. Contact in advance for meet up time at Wai‘ōhinu Park. Pending volcanic activity/air quality. Space limited. Free; donations appreciated. kahakai.cleanups@gmail.com, wildhawaii.org

Ka‘ū Roping & Riding Association’s 41st Annual 4th of July Buckle Rodeo, Sat & Sun, July 7 & 8, slack starts 8am, show starts noon, rodeo grounds behind Nā‘ālehu Park. Tickets available at gate, $8/person. Pre-sale tickets available $7/person around town from Rodeo Queen contestants. Ralph or Tammy, 929-8079

Palm Trail, Sat and Sun, July 7 and 29, 9:30-12:30pm, Kahuku Unit of Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park. Moderately difficult, 2.6-mile loop traverses scenic pastures along an ancient cinder cone, with some of the best panoramic views Kahuku has to offer. nps.gov/HAVO

Art in the Everyday Community Quilt Project - Assembly Workshop, Sat, July 7, 10-4pm, Volcano Art Center’s Ni‘aulani Campus, Volcano Village. Visiting Artist Laura Phelps Rogers leads project, with more to come throughout year. A social engagement public work, in which Rogers hopes to construct monumental sculptural quilt built of round wood 5” pieces - each blank and designed by community participants. Pick up blank piece and packet at Volcano Art Center’s Administration Office or at Wailoa Art Center. $10 donation. 967-8222, volcanoartcenter.org

Two Day Oil Painting Workshop w/Vicki Penney-Rohner, Sat-Sun, July 7-8, 10-4pm, Volcano Art Center’s Ni‘aulani Campus, Volcano Village. Beginners and Intermediate students welcome. Learn to create form using values and light. Class also explores painting water. $90/VAC Member, $100/non-Member. See volcanoartcenter.org for list of supplies needed.

NEW and UPCOMING

Visitor Contact Station hosts Ranger Talks on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday at 10:30 a.m. and 1 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday at 10:30 a.m.

Park Rangers invite the public to downtown Hilo to learn about the volcanic activity, to get their NPS Passport Book stamped, and to experience the Hawaiian cultural connection to volcanoes. Rangers are providing programs at the Mokupāpapa Discovery Center at 76 Kamehameha Avenue, Tuesday through Saturdays, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission is free.
Two Park Rangers are stationed at the Grand Naniloa Hotel in downtown Hilo, from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., every Sunday and Monday, in the Willie K Crown Room - as long as nothing else is scheduled in the space. The rangers will be doing daily talks at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. about the eruption. They will show the park film that is normally available to visitors to see at the Kilauea Visitor’s Center at the Summit, Born of Fire, Born in the Sea, every half-hour beginning at 9:30 a.m.

Kona Vet Center visits to Ocean View Community Center are Suspended until further notice. Veterans may call 329-0574 for VA benefit information. ovcahi.org

Tūtū and Me Offers Home Visits to those with keiki zero to five years old: home visits to aid with helpful parenting tips and strategies, educational resources, and a compassionate listening ear. Home visits are free, last 1.5 hours, two to four times a month, for a total of 12 visits, and snacks are provided. For info and to register, call Linda Bong 464-9634.

5th annual Ka‘ū Coffee Trail Run registration open. Race day Sat, Sept 22, 7 a.m.; begins and ends at Ka‘ū Coffee Mill. Register online before Mon, July 9: 5K, $25/person; 10K, $35/person; and 1/2 Marathon, $45/person. From July 9 to Aug 11: $30/person, $40/person, and $45/person, respectively. From Aug 13 to Sept 20: $35/person, $45/person, and $55/person. Race day registration ends Sat, Sept 22, at 6:30 a.m. Event organizers, ‘O Ka‘ū Kākou; start location, Ka‘ū Coffee Mill.

Volcano Forest Runs Registration Open through Friday, August 17, at 6 p.m. Half marathon $85, 10K $45, 5K $30. Registration increases August 1: half marathon to $95, 10K to $55, and 5K to $35. Race is run from Cooper Center on Wright Road in Volcano Village on Saturday, August 18.

To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see Facebook. Follow us on Instagram and Twitter. See our online calendars and our latest print edition at kaucalendar.com.

Most Colorful Float award went to Nāʻālehu Methodist Church at the Independence Day Parade, sponsored
by ʻO Kaʻū Kakou, on Saturday. See more photos below and in Monday's Kaʻū News Briefs.
Photo by Richard Taylor

FOURTH OF JULY FIREWORKS will be in public aerial displays and neighborhoods, and the rules are important to follow, said Hawaiʻi County Fire Chief Darren Rosario. He noted the public aerial fireworks venues for July 4: Hilo Bay Barge display at 8 p.m.; Kona Bay Barge display at 8 p.m.; and Queens’ Marketplace in Waikoloa at 8 p.m.

The crew from Nāʻālehu Methodist Church who came up
with the Most Colorful float. Photo by Lee McIntosh

Permits for home and neighborhood use of fireworks are available through this Wednesday, July 4, at 8 p.m. at: Phantom Fireworks Tents in Hilo, at Prince Kuhio Plaza parking lot off Ohuohu Street and Walmart; and at Kona Commons Shopping Center Parking lot.

Permits are also available at the Fire Administration offices in the Hilo County Building, 25 Aupuni St., on Monday, July 2, and Tuesday, July 3, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.; and the Fire Administration offices in Kona at West Hawaiʻi Civic Center, 74-5044 Keohokalole Hwy, Building E, 2nd floor, Monday, July 2, and Tuesday, July 3, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Each permit costs $25 and entitles the holder to purchase up to 5,000 individual firecrackers. Permits are for persons 18 years of age or older and are non-transferable, and non-refundable. Permits are not required for novelties and paperless firecrackers.

Firecrackers, with a valid permit, and consumer fireworks are allowed to be set off

during the hours of 1 p.m. to 9 p.m. July 4th only.

The Most Patriotic Float, entered by Thy Word Ministries.
Photo by Geneveve Fyvie

The Fire Chief said that it is unlawful to buy, sell, possess, or set off any Aerial Luminary Device such as Sky Lanterns and Hawaiʻi Lanterns. Any person in possession of any Aerial Luminary Device, who would like to dispose of it with amnesty, can contact the

Fire Department at 932-2911.

Rosario reminded the public that it is illegal for anyone to: Remove the powder or pyrotechnic contents from any firework; throw any firework from a vehicle; set off any firework at anytime not within the time period allowed; within 1,000 feet of any operating hospital, nursing home, home for the elderly or animal hospital; in or on any school building or property; on any highway, alley, street, sidewalk or other public way; in any park, or within 1,000 feet of a church during the periods when services are held.

The fire chief also said that it is illegal for any person to offer for sale, sell, or give any firework to minors, and for any minor to possess, sell, set off, ignite, or otherwise cause to explode any firework, except under the immediate supervision of an adult.

The team from Thy Word Ministry who built the Most
Patriotic Float. Photo by Lee McIntosh

To prevent injuries and fires, the Hawaiʻi Fire Department asks everyone to: Have a water hose connected to a water source or a fire extinguisher readily available. Wet down surrounding brush prior to setting off firework. Provide adult supervision for children playing with fireworks. "Even the smallest of firework can cause serious and sometimes fatal injuries," said the fire chief.

Fireworks should be set off in a safe area away from dry grass, buildings, vehicles, and flammable materials.

The fire department urges that used fireworks be soaked in water prior to disposal.

The Fire Department will conduct collection of un-used and unwanted firework following the 4th of July holiday. Anyone interested in disposing of fireworks can call the Fire Prevention Bureau at 932-2911 for pick-up and drop-off locations.

Miss Kaʻū Coffee Reishalyn Kekoa Jara and sister Miss
Peaberry Jacylin Kekoa Jara. Photo by Trini Marques

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MISS KAʻŪ COFFEE COURT brought its passion to the Independence Day parade Saturday in Nāʻālehu. Sister members of the court, Miss Kaʻū Coffee Reishalyn Keko Jara and Miss Peaberry Jacylin Kekoa Jara, wore their gowns and crowns.

First Flower Kysha Kaʻupu-Manini.
Photo by Trini Marques

Miss Kaʻū Coffee is representing the industry at events throughout the district and beyond. In addition to the parade, sponsored by ʻO Kaʻū Kākou, Miss Kaʻū Coffee reigned over the kickoff event for the Kaʻū Coffee Festival at Pāhala Plantation House, the Kaʻū Coffee Recipe Contest at Kaʻū Coffee Mill, and the Kaʻū Coffee Festival's annual Hoʻolaulea at Pāhala Community Center.

Jr. Miss Kaʻū Coffee Cristina
Kawewehi. Photo by Trini Marques

Karlee Fukunaga Camba, a member
of the Miss Kaʻū Coffee court will run
for Miss Teen Hawaiʻi Island next
Saturday in Hilo. Photo by Julia Neal

She will also represent Kaʻū Coffee in the July 4 parade in Volcano this week, and reign over the annual Kaʻū Coffee Trail Run in September. Jr. Miss Kaʻū Coffee, Miss Peaberry and Miss Kaʻū Coffee Flower and princesses often join Miss Kaʻū Coffee at community events.
Another member of the Kaʻū Coffee Court, Karlee Fukunaga Camba, will represent Kaʻū at the annual Miss Hawaiʻi Island Teen USA pageant in Hilo this Saturday, July 7, at 6 p.m., at the DoubleTree by Hilton Naniloa Hotel, in the Willie K. Crown Room. Tickets are available at R&G store in Pāhala.
See more on the Independence Day Parade in the Monday Kaʻū News Briefs.

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THE ROLE OF SUPER DELEGATES in the Democratic Party is substantially scaled back after an effort by Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, who has long opposed them. Super delegates are hundreds of Democratic Party officials who are allowed to vote for any presidential candidate in the Democratic nomination process, without directly representing any Democratic voters.

Bernie Sanders' loss of the Democratic Pary nomination
in 2016 with backing from Rep. Tulsi Gabbard led to
scaling back super delegate powers.
Image from politifact.com

The Democratic National Committee's Rules Committee voted 21 to 1 last week to prohibit officeholders, Democratic National Committee members and other party officials from casting votes on the first ballot in nominating the Democratic presidential nominee.

A letter from Gabbard, former Cook County Commissioner Chuy Garcia, and former Howard Dean campaign manager Joe Trippi said that the super delegate system "undermines representative democracy and means that the electorate is not necessarily decisive in determining who will be the Democratic nominees for president and vice president." The letter is also signed by liberal advocacy groups MoveOn.org, Democracy for America, and the Progressive Change Campaign Committee, as NDN think tank, and others.

Gabbard opposed super delegates during the last presidential campaign, as did 2016 presidential candidate Bernie Sanders, for whom she campaigned. Sanders said the new rules are a positive step in getting rid of super delegates. He and Gabbard said super delegates contributed to his loss of the Democratic Party nomination.

To read comments, add your own, and like
this story, see Facebook. Follow us on Instagram and Twitter. See our online calendars and our latest print edition at kaucalendar.com.

See public Ka‘ū events, meetings, entertainment.

See Ka‘ū exercise, meditation, daily, and weekly events.

Print edition of The Ka‘ū Calendar is free to 5,500 mailboxes

throughout Ka‘ū, from Miloli‘i through Volcano, and free on

stands throughout the district. Read online at kaucalendar.com
and facebook.com/kaucalendar.

MONDAY, JULY 2

Ka‘ū Homeschool Co-op Group, Mon, July 2, 16, and 30, 1pm, Ocean View Community Center. A parent-led homeschool activity/social group building community in Ka‘ū. Laura Roberts, 406-249-3351

Ocean View Volunteer Fire Department Meeting, Mon, July 2, 4-6pm, Ocean View Community Center. 939-7033, ovcahi.org

TUESDAY, JULY 3

Discovery Harbour Volunteer Fire Dept. Meeting, Tue, July 3, 4-6pm, July 17, 4:30-6:30pm, Discovery Harbour Community Hall. 929-9576, discoveryharbour.net

Ka‘ū Coffee Growers Meeting, Tue, July 3, 6-8pm, Pāhala Community Center.

WEDNESDAY, JULY 4

THURSDAY, JULY 5

Ocean View Neighborhood Watch Meeting, Thu, July 5, 6-7pm, Ocean View Community Center. 939-7033, ovcahi.org

‘O Ka‘ū Kākou Meeting, Thu, July 5, 6:30pm, Aspen Center. okaukakou.org

FRIDAY, JULY 6

Spaghetti Dinner, Fri, July 6, 5:30pm, St. Jude’s Episcopal Church, Ocean View. Single plate, $8, 2 for $15, family for $20. Tickets available at door. 939-7555, stjudeshawaii.org

SATURDAY, JULY 7

ONGOING

Two Park Rangers are stationed at the Grand Naniloa Hotel in downtown Hilo, from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., every Sunday and Monday, in the Willie K Crown Room - as long as nothing else is scheduled in the space. The rangers will be doing daily talks at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. about the eruption. They will show the park film that is normally available to visitors to see at the Kilauea Visitor’s Center at the Summit, Born of Fire, Born in the Sea, every half-hour beginning at 9:30 a.m.

Kona Vet Center visits to Ocean View Community Center are Suspended until further notice. Veterans may call 329-0574 for VA benefit information. ovcahi.org

Tūtū and Me Offers Home Visits to those with keiki zero to five years old: home visits to aid with helpful parenting tips and strategies, educational resources, and a compassionate listening ear. Home visits are free, last 1.5 hours, two to four times a month, for a total of 12 visits, and snacks are provided. For info and to register, call Linda Bong 464-9634.

5th annual Ka‘ū Coffee Trail Run registration open. Race day Sat, Sept 22, 7 a.m.; begins and ends at Ka‘ū Coffee Mill. Register online before Mon, July 9: 5K, $25/person; 10K, $35/person; and 1/2 Marathon, $45/person. From July 9 to Aug 11: $30/person, $40/person, and $45/person, respectively. From Aug 13 to Sept 20: $35/person, $45/person, and $55/person. Race day registration ends Sat, Sept 22, at 6:30 a.m. Event organizers, ‘O Ka‘ū Kākou; start location, Ka‘ū Coffee Mill.

Volcano Forest Runs Registration Open through Friday, August 17, at 6 p.m. Half marathon $85, 10K $45, 5K $30. Registration increases August 1: half marathon to $95, 10K to $55, and 5K to $35. Race is run from Cooper Center on Wright Road in Volcano Village on Saturday, August 18.

To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see Facebook. Follow us on Instagram and Twitter. See our online calendars and our latest print edition at kaucalendar.com.

Kaʻū Auto Repair hauls a crashed car every year to the Nāʻālehu Independence Day Parade to remind everyone
to avoid drinking and driving on July 4. See message from the Chief of Police below. See more of last Saturday's
parade photos in Tuesday's Ka`u News Briefs. Photo by Geneveve Fyvie

MORE OPTIONS FOR NĀʻĀLEHU WASTEWATER TREATMENT SITE are under study by the County of Hawaiʻi. The Environmental Protection Agency gave the county an extension to secure property other than the proposed site next to Nāʻālehu School, which met opposition at community meetings. Sites under consideration include two mauka of Hwy 11 owned by Royal Hawaiian Coffee & Tea, the company that also owns Kaʻū Valley Farms. However, the site would require the extra cost of pumping effluent uphill to the property.
Another site under consideration is makai of the town, below the rodeo grounds on Kaʻū Mahi land, between the village and the communications tower.

Site 30 is under consideration for the new Nāʻālehu wastewater treatment plant. Site 26 is next to the school
which drew opposition, and sites 31 and 32 would require pumping the effluent uphill.
Map from County of Hawai`i

The county is required to build a new treatment system to replace old gang cesspools in Nāʻālehu, which are illegal. The county took over the cesspools for old sugar plantation housing after the sugar plantation left Kaʻū. However, it would face fines if it doesn't shut down the cesspools.
In a letter to the EPA, county Environmental Management Director William Kucharski asked for more time to purchase an appropriate site, extending the deadline from June 27 of this year to June 20, 2020. The EPA gave the permission.

Engine H Charlie rolls through Nāʻālehu for Independence Day
Parade. Photo by Geneveve Fyvie

Kucharski wrote that the extension is needed to complete Environmental Assessments and/or
Environmental Impact Statements before acquiring the site. He noted that the county considered 32 locations. Regarding property next to the school, he said, opposition to that location became apparent at community meetings and interviews and two of the four owners chose not to sell the property.
"While it was reported that there was general agreement with the treatment technology, there was also community opposition to the proposed sit for the Waste Water Treatment Plant," wrote Kucharski.
According to the letter, the county is moving to determine the feasibility of at least one of the newly considered properties - reportedly, the one below the rodeo grounds. The evaluation includes geotechnical borings, a drainage study, and Phase Environmental Site Assessment.

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Medics and fire department crews joined the Independence Day parade
in Nāʻālehu last Saturday. Photo by Geneveve Fyvie

A JULY 4 SAFETY MESSAGE FROM POLICE CHIEF PAUL FERREIRA warns everyone about drunken driving: "In Hawaiʻi, we love to celebrate the 4th of July with family, friends, food, and fireworks. But all too often the festivities turn tragic on our roads. This iconic American holiday is also one of the deadliest holidays of the year due to drunk-driving crashes.
"According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration over the 2016 Fourth of July holiday, 6 p.m., July 2 to 5:59 a.m., July 6: 188 people were killed in crashes involving at least one driver or motorcycle operator with a blood alcohol concentration of .08 or higher. This is a 28 percent increase from 2015 when there were 146 fatalities.
"Nearly half of those who died were in a vehicle crash involving at least one driver or motorcycle operator with a BAC of .15 or higher – almost twice the legal limit.

Police Chief Paul Ferreira

"This July 4th, the Hawaiʻi Police Department wants all of us to keep Hawaiʻi free from drunk driving. If you plan on attending a celebration where there is alcohol, make a plan to get home without drinking and driving. If you are planning the party, help your guests plan for a sober ride home. Remember: Buzzed Driving Is Drunk Driving," wrote the Chief of Police.

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WITNESSES IN WORDS: The Literature of Kīlauea: Early Western Visitors. For eons, witnesses to the workings of Kīlauea have given voice in moʻolelo, oli, mele… in journals, scientific observations, fiction, newspaper articles, essays, letters, poetry, and memoirs. Accounts vary with era, culture, gender, personality and purpose, yet each view tells us a bit more about Kīlauea, a place that stirs the mind and spirit of every human who encounters these immense forces shaping the planet.

On Thursday evening, July 12, from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. at Volcano Center’s Niʻaulani Campus in Volcano Village, the words of the first Western visitors to Kīlauea will be brought to life through dramatic readings and reenactments of their encounters with this volcano.
Among the presenters depicting these 1800's visitors are Mike Nelson, Volcano Art Center Director, reading Rev. William Ellis who, in 1823, was the first Western man to describe Kīlauea. Pamela Frierson, author of The Burning Island, reminds us of the cultural perspectives these 1800's visitors packed with them. Tom Peek, author of the Volcano-based novel Daughters Of Fire, presents vivid 1840's accounts by evangelist preacher and keen volcano observer, Titus Coan. Jackie Pualani Johnson, well-known for her enactments of women prominent in Hawaiʻi's story, becomes Isabella Bird, telling of her 1873 journey to Kīlauea, and the Volcano Art Center's Fia Mattice reads her translation of Swedish Prince Oscar's journal, in which he describes his 1884 Kīlauea visit, adding this new account to Kīlauea's dramatically unfolding story.

Literature of Kīlauea series begins on Thursday, July 12.
Photo by Jesse Tunison, Volcano Art Center

The Literature of Kīlauea Program Series was developed months before the current eruptive phase. "In the light of the volcano's current activity, hearing of Kīlauea in its many manifestations becomes even more vivid and essential," says a statement from Volcano Art Center. "Join us for the first program of this series -- a rich and entertaining evening revealing the ever-expanding saga of Kīlauea." The program is free; however, donations are suggested and welcome.

Volcano Art Center is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization created in 1974 whose mission is to promote, develop and perpetuate the artistic, cultural and environmental heritage of Hawaiʻi through the arts and education.

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Video, https://volcanoes.usgs.gov/vsc/movies/movie_174002.html,
of fiery whirlwinds over Fissure 8's lava river, flinging
molten lava dozens of feet. Video from USGS

FIERY WHIRLWINDS THROW LAVA DEBRIS from the lava river in lower Puna, reports Robert Ballard of the National Weather Service. During a press confrence today, he said Fissure 8’s lava channel, which flows to the ocean, is creating miniature, short-lived, localized tornadoes of molten lava debris - caused by strong updrafts from the heat of the lava coming into contact with the cooler surrounding air temperature. See the video. Ballard said similar events occur over the laze plume – when the plume is very vigorous, and trade winds have died down – producing short-lived water spouts or weak whirlwinds. He said the occasional lighting produced in the laze plume is likely static discharge, and likely not dangerous outside the plume.

A lava block, called a lava boat, is captured in the lava river
by a USGS photographer. USGS photo

Heat from lava is also contributing to weather in lower Puna, including rain and much lightening. More than 1,200 lightening strikes were recorded from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. today in lower Puna. Ballard likened the lava influenced weather to what happens in the Western part of the mainland during wildfires, with pyrocumulus or pyrocumulonimbus clouds rising high into the atmosphere, today's clouds reaching some 45,000 feet. Ballard said his guess is that the rainfall is “more acidic,” in areas of high SO2.
Another scene in the lava river are lava blocks, called lava boats. They are large pieces of lava that fall off the channel wall or the Fissure 8 cone and move toward the ocean in the lava river.

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Video, https://volcanoes.usgs.gov/vsc/movies/movie_174003.html,
shows plants in the foreground vigorously shaking, followed by
a slow, thin plume rising from the crater. Video from USGS

VIDEO OF A COLLAPSE EXPLOSION AT KĪLAUEASUMMIT CAPTURED intense ground shaking and an ash plume on June 30. Brian Shiro, seismologist with USGS HVO, said the ash plume was minor. See video.

The collapse explosion at the summit at 1:24 a.m.this morning, July 2, produced a plume up to 1,200ft above ground level, with shaking equivalent to a 5.3-magnitude earthquake.

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Ocean entry lava still produces a heavy laze plume, while under the
waves, the lava has traveled about .25 miles. Photo from USGS

KAPOHO LAVA DELTA IS MORE THAN 500 ACRES, reports Mike Zoeller of USGS. The geologist at the Center for the Study of Active Volcanoes at University of Hawai'i-Hilo said the delta is expanding slightly both north and south. The lava continues to spread out from the channel into the Vacationland and KapohoBeachlots, he said.

Zoeller said some preliminary sonar data from June 27 “suggests that several flow lobes, extending under the ocean, have advanced to depths of abut 100m below sea level – possibly deeper – within 400m (about .25 mi) of the delta edge.” Fissure 22 is spattering up to 80m above the cone there, said Zoeller, and producing a sluggish flow within a few hundred meters of the cone.

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In bright green, the north-south Hwy 130 will open to all
traffic tomorrow at 8 a.m. Map from hawaiicountygis

HIGHWAY 130 REOPENS IN LOWER PUNA TO ALL TRAFFIC, tomorrow, July 3, at 8 a.m., announced Civil Defense this morning. McKenzie State Recreation Area and the new lava flow areas remain closed. Vacation rentals as well as all businesses in the Kalapana area can resume normal operations. Kamaili Road will be open to residents only. Highway 137 will be open from Highway 130 north to Opihikao road. “There is no immediate danger,” Civil Defense said, “but persons in the area are reminded to be on the alert for changing conditions and to monitor Civil Defense messages.”

Mike Zoeller of USGS confirms scientists have been monitoring SO2 emissions and temperature readings from the cracks along the highway since they formed, and that “no real change has been observed in several weeks.”

See public Ka‘ū events, meetings, entertainment.

See Ka‘ū exercise, meditation, daily, and weekly events.

Print edition of The Ka‘ū Calendar is free to 5,500 mailboxes

throughout Ka‘ū, from Miloli‘i through Volcano, and free on

stands throughout the district. Read online at kaucalendar.com
and facebook.com/kaucalendar.

To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see Facebook. Follow us on Instagram and Twitter. See our online calendars and our latest print edition at kaucalendar.com.

TUESDAY, JULY 3

Discovery Harbour Volunteer Fire Dept. Meeting, Tue, July 3, 4-6pm, July 17, 4:30-6:30pm, Discovery Harbour Community Hall. 929-9576, discoveryharbour.net

Ka‘ū Coffee Growers Meeting, Tue, July 3, 6-8pm, Pāhala Community Center.

WEDNESDAY, JULY 4

THURSDAY, JULY 5

Ocean View Neighborhood Watch Meeting, Thu, July 5, 6-7pm, Ocean View Community Center. 939-7033, ovcahi.org

‘O Ka‘ū Kākou Meeting, Thu, July 5, 6:30pm, Aspen Center. okaukakou.org

FRIDAY, JULY 6

Spaghetti Dinner, Fri, July 6, 5:30pm, St. Jude’s Episcopal Church, Ocean View. Single plate, $8, 2 for $15, family for $20. Tickets available at door. 939-7555, stjudeshawaii.org

SATURDAY, JULY 7

SUNDAY, JULY 8

‘Ōhi‘a Lehua, Sun, July 8, 9:30-11am, Kahuku Unit of Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park. Learn about vital role of ‘ōhi‘a lehua in native Hawaiian forests, and many forms of ‘ōhi‘a tree and its flower, on this free, easy, one-mile walk. nps.gov/HAVO

MONDAY, JULY 9

Air and Space Camp, Science Camps of America, July 9-18, based at Pāhala Plantation Cottages with field trips all around island. For local teens ages 13-17, entering grades 9-12. Topics: Solar system, moon, planets, space exploration, structure of atmosphere, weather, carbon cycle, climate, Hawaiian history and culture, Polynesian voyaging, hiking and camping skills. $2,395 per student, includes ground transportation, meals, etc. Financial Aid available. scicamp.org

Richard Creagan Talk Story, Mon, July 9, 6-9pm, Ocean View Community Center. Current State Representative for District 5 and candidate. He is a Ka‘ū resident, farmer, and a physician. 939-7033

NEW and UPCOMING

Nose to Nose by Vicki Penney-Rohner.
Photo from volcanoartcenter.org

A TWO DAY OIL PAINTING WORKSHOP WITH VICKI PENNEY-ROHNER takes place on Saturday and Sunday, July 7 and 8, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., at Volcano Art Center’s Ni‘aulani Campus in Volcano Village. The class welcomes beginners and intermediate students.
The event description on volcanoartcenter.org states that, through taking the class, students will “let go of those nagging anxieties when using new colors and gain new confidence in your composition.” Adding that by understanding medium and using tools effectively, students will get the results they want, the description claims that this 2-day class will give students a better command of the medium.
Students learn to mix colors, use different mediums to achieve various effects, and learn to “layer color to bring depth and luminous richness to their work,” says the description. Throughout the two days, students will learn to create form using values and light, and recognize, understand and apply the elements of design and composition to improve their work. Students work with a pallet knife as well as brushes. The lesson also explores painting water.

Ancient Outrigger by Vicki Penney-Rohner.
Photo from volcanoartcenter.org

Penney-Rohner has taught art for fifteen years. Her work is in the State of Hawai‘i’s permanent collection, has been featured in magazines and won numerous awards throughout the U.S. She is currently the Artist-in-Residence at the Fairmont Orchid and teaches weekly classes there.
Students are responsible for bringing their own supplies and are invited to bring unfinished work from previous workshops. A complete supply list can be found online. The class fee is $90 per Volcano Art Center Member or $100 per non-Member. Register online or call 967-8222.

To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see Facebook. Follow us on Instagram and Twitter. See our online calendars and our latest print edition at kaucalendar.com.

ONGOING

In the Visitor Contact Station, Coffee Talk, a monthly, casual get together, is held the last Friday of the month, 9:30-11 a.m.

Kahuku events are posted to the park website, nps.gov/havo/planyourvisit/kahuku-hikes.htm.

Park Rangers invite the public to downtown Hilo to learn about the volcanic activity, to get their NPS Passport Book stamped, and to experience the Hawaiian cultural connection to volcanoes. Rangers are providing programs at the Mokupāpapa Discovery Center at 76 Kamehameha Avenue, Tuesday through Saturdays, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission is free.
Two Park Rangers are stationed at the Grand Naniloa Hotel in downtown Hilo, from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., every Sunday and Monday, in the Willie K Crown Room - as long as nothing else is scheduled in the space. The rangers will be doing daily talks at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. about the eruption. They will show the park film that is normally available to visitors to see at the Kilauea Visitor’s Center at the Summit, Born of Fire, Born in the Sea, every half-hour beginning at 9:30 a.m.

Kona Vet Center visits to Ocean View Community Center are Suspended until further notice. Veterans may call 329-0574 for VA benefit information. ovcahi.org

5th annual Ka‘ū Coffee Trail Run registration open. Race day Sat, Sept 22, 7 a.m.; begins and ends at Ka‘ū Coffee Mill. Register online before Mon, July 9: 5K, $25/person; 10K, $35/person; and 1/2 Marathon, $45/person. From July 9 to Aug 11: $30/person, $40/person, and $45/person, respectively. From Aug 13 to Sept 20: $35/person, $45/person, and $55/person. Race day registration ends Sat, Sept 22, at 6:30 a.m. Event organizers, ‘O Ka‘ū Kākou; start location, Ka‘ū Coffee Mill.

Volcano Forest Runs Registration Open through Friday, August 17, at 6 p.m. Half marathon $85, 10K $45, 5K $30. Registration increases August 1: half marathon to $95, 10K to $55, and 5K to $35. Race is run from Cooper Center on Wright Road in Volcano Village on Saturday, August 18.

To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see Facebook. Follow us on Instagram and Twitter. See our online calendars and our latest print edition at kaucalendar.com.

A vegetable farm tractor from Pahala pulled a float for state House of Representative candidate Raina Whiting
last Saturday in the Na`alehu Independence Day parade. See more on the candidates for the primary election
Aug. 11 in upcoming Ka`u News Briefs and The Ka`u Calendar for August.
Deadline to register to vote is July 12. Photo by Geneveve Fyvie

AFTER DARK NEAR THE PARK is the newly coined name for the famed After Dark in the Park program that has long drawn visitors and locals to learn more about culture, nature, history and science at Kīlauea Visitor Center at Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park. The new venue, while the Visitor Center is closed during the current volcanic activity, is Volcano Art Center's Niaulani Campus. Many other programs are also available outside the volcano unit of the park.

Dr. Thomas A. Jaggar, portrayed by actor Dick Hershberger
of Kīlauea Drama & Entertainment Network, was the
of After Dark Near the Park Tuesday night at the Volcano
Art Center's Niaulani Campus. NPS Photo/Janice Wei

After Dark Near the Park tonight featured An Evening with Dr. Thomas Augustus Jaggar, a one-man show presented by historic reenactor, Dick Hershberger and the Kīlauea Drama & Entertainment Network. More than 100 years ago, Jaggar founded what is today called the USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory, and Jaggar Museum is named for him. The original program, written and performed by Hershberger, illustrates Jaggar's reasons for coming to Hawai‘i and the history of his life's endeavor.
Other programs from the park are also avaikable at Niaulani Campus and other locales from Kahuku to Hilo. A statement from Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park notes that many of the park rangers are embedded in the community while two-thirds of the park remains closed: "While Kīlauea continues to shake the ground and blast ash from its ever-changing summit crater – causing the partial closure of Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park on May 11 – park rangers continue to enlighten and engage visitors from other locations. Rangers are now offering new and familiar programs for visitors at the park's Kahuku Unit, Volcano Art Center's Niaulani Campus, and the Mokupāpapa Discovery Center in Hilo – free of charge.
At the Kahuku Unit near Ocean View, open Wednesday through Sunday, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., new 20-minute Kahuku Orientation Talks introduce natural, cultural and historic attributes of Kahuku to the first-time or been-awhile visitor, and rangers also share the latest Kīlauea eruption updates. Orientation talks are at 10:30 a.m. and 1 p.m. on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday and at 10:30 a.m. on Saturday and Sunday.
‘Ōhi‘a Lehua is an easy one mile loop this sunday, July 8 from 9:30 a.m. to 11 a.m. Learn about the vital role of ‘ōhi‘a lehua in native Hawaiian forests, the many forms of the ‘ōhi‘a tree, and the threat of a new fungal disease, Rapid ‘Ōhi‘a Death. Identify the many differences of the most prominent native tree in Kahuku. Two hikes at Kahuku are offered this weekend: Palm Trail, Palm Trail, Saturday, July 7 from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. is a moderately difficult 2.6-mile loop traversing scenic pastures along an ancient cinder cone, with some of the best panoramic views Kahuku offers. Highlights include relics of the ranching era, remnant native forest and volcanic features from the 1868 eruptive fissures.

The ‘ōhi‘a lehua tree is featured during a guided hike in
Kahuku on Saturday. NPS Photo/Janice Wei

Every Friday and Sunday, Kahuku offers 'Ike Hana No'eau, Experience the Skillful Work, programs at 12:30 p.m. in Kahuku. The programs last an hour and are free. Park rangers and staff from the Hawai'i Pacific Parks Association share their knowledge and passion for native Hawaiian crafts. On Saturday, July 7 is Lau Hala Weaving. On Sunday, July 8 is `Ohe Kapala, creating bamboo stamps.
Kahuku events are posted to the park website, https://www.nps.gov/havo/
planyourvisit/kahuku-hikes.htm.
Mokupāpapa Discovery Center welcomes park rangers in downtown Hilo, Monday through Saturday, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Rangers provide daily eruption updates, and at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m., give a talk about all five of Hawai'i Island's volcanoes –including Kīlauea. it is located at 76 Kamehameha Ave. Mokupāpapa Discovery Center will be closed on Wednesday, July 4 in observance of Independence Day.
The Annual Fourth of July Parade in Volcano Village will see park rangers marching in the annual Fourth of July Parade outside the park in wonderful Volcano Village. The parade starts at the Volcano Post Office at 9 a.m. and features food vendors, family fun, crafts, keiki games and more on Wednesday, July 4 at 9 a.m.

To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see Facebook. Follow us on Instagram and Twitter. See our online calendars and our latest print edition at kaucalendar.com.

KĪLAUEA DRAMA & ENTERTAINMENT NETWORK’S PRODUCTION OLIVER!, by Lionel Bart, has found a temporary venue outside Hawai‘i Volcanos National Park where its home base is Kīlauea Theatre. With the volcano unit of the park temporarily closed during volcanic activity, KDEN will head to University of Hawai‘i-Hilo's Performing Arts Center for shows on Fridays and Saturdays, 7:30 p.m., and Sundays at 2:30 p.m., July 13-29.
“Due to the constant rumbling in Volcano,” says director Suzi Bond of KDEN, the KMC "beloved performing space is not available. For the last month, KDEN has been an orphaned theater company doing a show about an orphan. At last, Kīlauea Drama & Entertainment Network has found a home for our summer musical.

“This has been a particularly trying year for us,” says Bond, “The closing of the National Park less than a week before auditions had people thinking we weren't doing the show. But, the show must go on and this will help bring some normalcy to a very trying situation. The cast has been rehearsing in people's living rooms, Christ Lutheran Church, and at a studio in Volcano owned by the very generous Bonnie Goodell. It is hard to be nomadic and not have consistency, but this cast defines the term troupers. It will be nice to finally be able to rehearse and perform in one place. Lee Dombroski & Dory Yamada at UHH's Performing Arts Center have opened their doors, and their theater and made the facility affordable for us. We couldn't do this without the help of so many wonderful people.”
Oliver! is the musical version of Charles Dickens' classic tale Oliver Twist. Book, music and lyrics are all by Lionel Bart. This classic musical first premiered in London's West End in 1960. The show features such memorable songs a Where is Love?, As Long As He Needs Me, Food, Glorious Food and Who Will Buy? The talented cast of 19 is led by Bond, with musical direction by Walter Greenwood, and choreography by Carmen Richardson. Set design is by Jonathan Sudler, with Kala Daily as Stage Manager.
Starring as the waif Oliver is newcomer Quin Scheetz. Veteran actors Hayden Konanui-Tucker as the Artful Dodger and Joel Kelley as Fagin. Joy Sever takes on the role of Nancy, and Ray Ryan is Bill Sikes. The versatile ensemble members are Stephen Bond, Kaulmia Boyer, Debbie Campbell, Kalleigh Chapman, Lichen Forster, Karl & Susie Halemano, Joyce Hanley, Ariana Kelley, Michael Meyer, Dawn Pelletier, Steve Peyton, Stanislaw Stack, Travis Woods, and Elizabeth Young.
Tickets are now available at Kīlauea General Store, Kea‘au Natural Foods, Basically Books, and The Most Irresistible Shop in Hilo. Tickets are also available at the door. Each ticket is $20 for general admission, $15 for seniors 60+ and students, and $12 for children 12 years and under. For more information and reservations, call 982-7344 or email kden73@aol.com. See kden.org.

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PUNA EVACUATION AND HELP CENTERS welcomed Sen. Mazie Hirono on Tuesday. She met with affected residents, volunteers, and business owners in visits to the Federal Emergency Management Agency Disaster Recovery Center, World Central Kitchen, Pahoa Community Center, and Sacred Heart Church/Hope Services, and attended meeting with floriculture growers.
“Hawai‘i Island residents and business owners continue to demonstrate incredible resilience in the face of a major ongoing disaster,” said Hirono. “The approval of Individual Assistance has unlocked new federal resources, but the response to and recovery from this disaster requires a long-term, sustained commitment from every level of government. I will continue to advocate for these

Sen. Mazie Hirono met with FEMA and other officials yesterday who are
assisting with the recovery and ongoing emergency in Puna.
Photo from office of Sen. Mazie Hirono

communities in Washington, D.C. to ensure they get the assistance they need at this difficult time.”
During her visit to the FEMA Disaster Recovery Center, Hirono met with representatives from several federal, state, and local
agencies who are in Puna to assist affected residents. She also met with members of AmeriCorps’ FEMA Corps who are helping connect residents with resources available to them.
Hirono visited volunteers at World Central Kitchen’s facility in Pahoa, where volunteers are cooking and serving thousands of meals to residents affected by the ongoing Kilauea eruption.
Hirono also visited the newly-constructed 20-home community at Sacred Heart Church that will provide shelter to seniors and families with young children. During her visit, she met with Brandee Menino – the CEO of Hope Services – and Gilbert Aguinaldo – a local business owner – who were instrumental in the success of the project. Hirono also visited with evacuees at the temporary shelter at the Pahoa Community Center.
In a meeting with local floriculture growers, Hirono discussed the ongoing challenges the eruption poses to regional agriculture, and discussed the potential impact of her recent amendment to the Farm Bill– which would provide additional assistance to agricultural producers affected by the eruption.

To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see Facebook. Follow us on Instagram and Twitter. See our online calendars and our latest print edition at kaucalendar.com.

See public Ka‘ū events, meetings, entertainment.

See Ka‘ū exercise, meditation, daily, and weekly events.

Print edition of The Ka‘ū Calendar is free to 5,500 mailboxes

throughout Ka‘ū, from Miloli‘i through Volcano, and free on

stands throughout the district. Read online at kaucalendar.com
and facebook.com/kaucalendar.

To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see Facebook. Follow us on Instagram and Twitter. See our online calendars and our latest print edition at kaucalendar.com.

WEDNESDAY, JULY 4

4th of July Parade, Festival, Craft Fair, Wed, July 4, 9-1:30pm, Volcano Village. Free. Parade starts at Post Office, down Old Volcano Rd, ends at Cooper Center on Wright Rd. Activities, food, and entertainment. Summer musical Oliver! cast, Da Boni and Doug Duo, Da Digital Menehunes, and Christy Lassiter will perform. Silent auction in main room. Leashed dogs allowed. Provided by Cooper Center Council, Volcano Community Association, and Friends of Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park. To be in parade, download entry form at volcanocommunity.org and email to vcainfo@yahoo.com. Vendors call Tara Holmes, 464-3625 (8-5pm) or email idoaloha@gmail.com. thecoopercenter.org

THURSDAY, JULY 5

Ocean View Neighborhood Watch Meeting, Thu, July 5, 6-7pm, Ocean View Community Center. 939-7033, ovcahi.org

‘O Ka‘ū Kākou Meeting, Thu, July 5, 6:30pm, Aspen Center. okaukakou.org

FRIDAY, JULY 6

Spaghetti Dinner, Fri, July 6, 5:30pm, St. Jude’s Episcopal Church, Ocean View. Single plate, $8, 2 for $15, family for $20. Tickets available at door. 939-7555, stjudeshawaii.org

SATURDAY, JULY 7

SUNDAY, JULY 8

MONDAY, JULY 9

Richard Creagan Talk Story, Mon, July 9, 6-9pm, Ocean View Community Center. Current State Representative for District 5 and candidate. He is a Ka‘ū resident, farmer, and a physician. 939-7033

TUESDAY, JULY 10

Hawai‘i County Council Meetings, Tue/Wed, July 10(Committees)/11 (Council), Hilo, Tue/Wed, July 24 (Committees)/25 (Council), Kona. Ka‘ū residents can participate via videoconferencing at Nā‘ālehu State Office Building. Agendas at hawaiicounty.gov

C.E.R.T. Discovery Harbour/Nā‘ālehu, Tue, July 10, 4-6pm, Discovery Harbour Community Hall. Public invited to see what Community Emergency Response Team is about, and participate in training scenarios. Dina Shisler, dinashisler24@yahoo.com, 410-935-8087

The Wonderful World of Wine and Watercolor, Tue, July 10, 4-7pm, Volcano Art Center’s Ni‘aulani Campus, Volcano Village. Learn how to transfer a photo onto watercolor paper through basic techniques. $30/VAC Member, $35/non-Member, plus $17 supply fee. 967-8222, volcanoartcenter.org

ONGOING

Find Your Park, invites Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park. Kamaʻaina and tourist alike are encouraged to experience authentic Hawaiian cultural programs, guided hikes, After Dark events, and more from Ka‘ū to Volcano to Hilo. “While Kīlauea continues to shake the ground and blast ash from its ever-changing summit crater – causing the partial closure of Hawai‘i VolcanoesNational Park on May 11 – park rangers continue to enlighten and engage visitors from other locations,” says a release from HVNP staff.

Rangers offer new and familiar programs – free of charge, with no entry fees – for visitors at the park’s Kahuku Unit, Volcano Art Center’s Ni‘aulani Campus, the Mokupāpapa Discovery Center in Hilo, and at the Grand Naniloa Hotel in downtown Hilo.

Kahuku Unit

In addition to regularly scheduled Guided Hikes and the monthly Coffee Talk, Kahuku Unit has added daily Ranger Talks, and cultural demonstrations and activities on weekends.

Visitor Contact Station hosts Ike Hana Noe ʻAu, Cultural Demonstrations and Activities, from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. every Saturday and Sunday, made possible by Hawaiʻi Pacific Parks Association. Sat, July 7: Lau Hala Weaving. One of the most beautiful Hawaiian fiber crafts, the leaves of the hau tree (pandanus) are woven into useful and decorative purposes. Sun, July 8: ‘Ohe Kāpala. Make your mark, and learn to create bamboo stamps with traditional and modern Hawaiian designs.

Visitor Contact Station hosts Ranger Talks on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday at 10:30 a.m. and 1 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday at 10:30 a.m.

Guided Hikes begin at 9:30 a.m. every Saturday and Sunday in June and July. Meet the ranger at the welcome tent. Palm Trail is a moderately difficult 2.6-mile loop traversing scenic pastures along an ancient cinder cone, with some of the best panoramic views Kahuku offers. Highlights include relics of the ranching era, remnant native forest and volcanic features from the 1868 eruptive fissures. A guided hike of Palm Trail is offered Saturday, July 7 from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.Ōhi‘a Lehua. Learn about the vital role of ‘ōhi‘a lehua in native Hawaiian forests, the many forms of the ‘ōhi‘a tree, and the threat of a new fungal disease, Rapid ‘Ōhi‘a Death. Visitors will be able to identify the many differences of the most prominent native tree in Kahuku on this program, which is an easy, one-mile (or less) walk. The ‘Ōhi‘a Lehua program is offered Sunday, July 8 from 9:30 a.m. to 11 a.m.

Coffee Talk, in the Visitor Contact Station - a monthly, casual get together - is held the last Friday of the month, 9:30-11 a.m.

Kahuku events are posted to the park website, nps.gov/havo/planyourvisit/kahuku-hikes.htm.

VolcanoArtCenter’s Ni‘aulani Campus

You can also find your park rangers in Volcano at the VolcanoArtCenter’s Ni‘aulani Campus at 19-4074 Old Volcano Rd., in VolcanoVillage. Rangers are there most days from 9 a.m.to 4 p.m. to provide talks and answer questions about the current eruption.

The return of After Dark …near the park enters its second week at the VolcanoArtCenter’s Ni‘aulani Campus. An Evening with Dr. Thomas Augustus Jaggar, a one-man show presented by historic reenactor Dick Hershberger and the Kīlauea Drama & Entertainment Network. More than 100 years ago, Dr. Jaggar founded what is today called the USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory, and JaggarMuseum is named for him. Learn about Dr. Jaggar’s reasons for coming to Hawai‘i and the history of his life’s endeavor in this original program written by Hershberger on Tuesday, July 3, at 7 p.m.

Annual Fourth of July Parade in VolcanoVillage. Park rangers will march in the annual Fourth of July Parade outside the park in wonderful VolcanoVillage. The parade starts at the Volcano Post Office at 9 a.m. and features food vendors, family fun, crafts, keiki games and more on Wednesday, July 4, at 9 a.m.

MokupāpapaDiscoveryCenter

Find you park rangers at Mokupāpapa Discovery Center in downtown Hilo, Monday through Saturday, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Rangers provide daily eruption updates, and at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m., give a talk about all five of Hawai‘i Island’s volcanoes –including Kīlauea. Get your NPS Passport Book stamped. Located at

76 Kamehameha Ave., Hilo

. Please note, the MokupāpapaDiscoveryCenter will be closed on Wednesday, July 4, in observance of Independence Day.

Grand Naniloa Hotel

Kona Vet Center visits to Ocean View Community Center are Suspended until further notice. Veterans may call 329-0574 for VA benefit information. ovcahi.org

Tūtū and Me Offers Home Visits to those with keiki zero to five years old: home visits to aid with helpful parenting tips and strategies, educational resources, and a compassionate listening ear. Home visits are free, last 1.5 hours, two to four times a month, for a total of 12 visits, and snacks are provided. For info and to register, call Linda Bong 464-9634.

5th annual Ka‘ū Coffee Trail Run registration open. Race day Sat, Sept 22, 7 a.m.; begins and ends at Ka‘ū Coffee Mill. Register online before Mon, July 9: 5K, $25/person; 10K, $35/person; and 1/2 Marathon, $45/person. From July 9 to Aug 11: $30/person, $40/person, and $45/person, respectively. From Aug 13 to Sept 20: $35/person, $45/person, and $55/person. Race day registration ends Sat, Sept 22, at 6:30 a.m. Event organizers, ‘O Ka‘ū Kākou; start location, Ka‘ū Coffee Mill.

Volcano Forest Runs Registration Open through Friday, August 17, at 6 p.m. Half marathon $85, 10K $45, 5K $30. Registration increases August 1: half marathon to $95, 10K to $55, and 5K to $35. Race is run from Cooper Center on Wright Road in Volcano Village on Saturday, August 18.

To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see Facebook. Follow us on Instagram and Twitter. See our online calendars and our latest print edition at kaucalendar.com.

ʻO Kaʻū Kākou sponsored the Independence Day Parade in Nāʻālehu. Photo by Geneveve Fyvie

TWENTY TO THIRTY HOURS APART, collapse events that register as earthquakes at Halemaʻumaʻu Crater continue, with one big shaker during Fourth of July celebrations today at Volcano Village at 10:21 a.m. It registered as a 5.1 magnitude earthquake.
Last night, Steve Brantley of the USGS said there is no sign of them stopping soon. He addressed a community meeting at Pāhoa with an update of the volcanic activity.
"So here we are two months into the eruption in the lower East Rift Zone, Kīlauea Volcano. To be honest, I am very surprised the eruption is still going on, personally. It has been an enormous effect on the lower East Rift Zone, the whole community and the whole island," said Brantley.

Independence Day Parade in Nāʻālehu last Saturday brought out the Hawaiian Civic Club and many other
community organizations. Photo by Geneveve Fyvie

"There has been essentially no change in the eruption rate here in the lower East Rift Zone. We have no signs that things are slowing down here. And the same is true for the summit. The summit area continues to collapse at about the same rate. We tend to have a small or a pretty significant collapse explosion event once a day," every 20 or 30 hours, Brantley said.
Over 24 hours, as of the 5.1 quake this morning, events in and near the crater produced more than 700 small quakes.

To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see Facebook. Follow us on Instagram and Twitter. See our online calendars and our latest print edition at kaucalendar.com.

Kaʻū Multicultural Society walks and rolls the Nāʻālehu Independence Day Parade. It hosts a pig hunt with weigh-in
on Saturday, July 21, at the old theatre parking lot on Maile Street in Pāhala. Photo by Geneveve Fyvie

MAYOR HARRY KIM SPEAKS WITH VOLCANO RESIDENTS TOMORROW, Wednesday, July 5 from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Cooper Center on Wright Road. He will give an update on volcanic disaster emergency and recovery. Everyone is invited.

To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see Facebook. Follow us on Instagram and Twitter. See our online calendars and our latest print edition at kaucalendar.com.

THE WOMEN'S LEGISLATIVE CAUCUS will host Gov. David Ige on Thursday at the YWCA on Richards Street in Honolulu to sign bills into law regarding:
Equal Pay: The new law prohibits prospective employers from requesting or considering a job applicant's wage or salary history as part of an employment application process or compensation offer. It also prohibits enforced wage secrecy and retaliation or discrimination against employees who disclose, discuss, or inquire about their own or coworkers' wages. It takes effect Jan. 1.
Sen. Josh Green, who serves west Kaʻū, and Kai Kahele, of Hilo, co-introduced the bill.

Paid Family Leave: The new law appropriates funds, and requires the Legislative Reference Bureau to conduct a sunrise analysis of the impacts of and best framework for the establishment of paid family leave. It requires a report and proposed legislation be submitted to the legislature by Sept. 1, 2019.

American Flag Society urges everyone to "Support Our Troops" during the Independence Day Parade.
Photo by Geneveve Fyvie

Civil Rights & Education: Prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex, including gender identity or expression, or sexual orientation, in any state educational program or activity, or in any educational program or activity that receives state financial assistance. It requires the Legislative Reference Bureau to study how other jurisdictions oversee Title IX enforcement. The study will begin right way. The new nondiscrimination law becomes effective on Jan. 1, 2020.

Health Insurance: Ensures certain benefits under the federal Affordable Care Act are preserved under Hawaiʻi law, including: extending dependent coverage for adult children up to 26 years of age; prohibiting health insurance entities from imposing a preexisting condition exclusion; and prohibiting health insurance entities from using an individual's gender to determine premiums or contributions. Sen. Josh Green, who serves west Kaʻū, and Kai Kahele, of Hilo, co-introduced the bill.

The Buddhist church, Nāʻālehu Hongwanji, flies the American flag for Independence Day parade.
Photo by Geneveve Fyvie

Sexual Assault: Creates a Hawaiʻi Sexual Assault Response and Training Program to address the manner in which sexual assault evidence collection kits are processed and tracked, and to ensure that victims of sexual assault are informed of their rights under the law. Requires annual reports by the Attorney General to the President of the Senate and Speaker of the House. Appropriates funds.
Violation of Privacy, Revenge, Retribution: Amends the offense of violation of privacy in the first degree to prohibit threats or acts to disclose an image or video. Requires that any recording or image made or disclosed be destroyed or sealed and remain confidential.

The bagpipes sound for the Independence Day Parade in Nāʻālehu.

Photo by Geneveve Fyvie

Address Confidentiality Program: Establishes the Address Confidentiality Program in the Department of the Attorney General to help survivors of domestic abuse, sexual assault, and stalking to relocate and keep the location of their physical address confidential.

To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see Facebook. Follow us on Instagram and Twitter. See our online calendars and our latest print edition at kaucalendar.com.

See public Ka‘ū events, meetings, entertainment.

See Ka‘ū exercise, meditation, daily, and weekly events.

Print edition of The Ka‘ū Calendar is free to 5,500 mailboxes

throughout Ka‘ū, from Miloli‘i through Volcano, and free on

stands throughout the district. Read online at kaucalendar.com
and facebook.com/kaucalendar.

THURSDAY, JULY 5

Ocean View Neighborhood Watch Meeting, Thu, July 5, 6-7pm, Ocean View Community Center. 939-7033, ovcahi.org

‘O Ka‘ū Kākou Meeting, Thu, July 5, 6:30pm, Aspen Center. okaukakou.org

FRIDAY, JULY 6

Spaghetti Dinner, Fri, July 6, 5:30pm, St. Jude’s Episcopal Church, Ocean View. Single plate, $8, 2 for $15, family for $20. Tickets available at door. 939-7555, stjudeshawaii.org

SATURDAY, JULY 7

SUNDAY, JULY 8

MONDAY, JULY 9

Richard Creagan Talk Story, Mon, July 9, 6-9pm, Ocean View Community Center. Current State Representative for District 5 and candidate. He is a Ka‘ū resident, farmer, and a physician. 939-7033

TUESDAY, JULY 10

THURSDAY, JULY 12

Story Time with Auntie Linda from Tūtū and Me, Thu, July 12, 10:30-noon, Nā‘ālehu Public Library. 929-8571

Thursday Night at the Center - Witnesses in Words: The Literature of Kīlauea, Thu, July 12, 7-8pm, Volcano Art Center’s Ni‘aulani Campus, Volcano Village. A reenactment of first Western visitors to Kīlauea and their perspectives: William Ellis, Titus Coan, Mark Twain and Isabella Bird. Free; $5 donation suggested. 967-8222, volcanoartcenter.org

NEW and UPCOMING

Help clean up the Ka‘ū Coast with Hawai‘i Wildlife Fund.
Photo from facebook.com/pg/hawaiiwildlifefund

HAWAI‘I WILDLIFE FUND OFFERS VOLUNTEERS MORE OPPORTUNITIES to help restore ecosystems on the Ka‘ū Coast. On Saturday, July 7, volunteers remove trash and debris from Pā‘ula, below Nā‘ālehu, with Ala Kahakai Trails Association and friends; space is limited. For meeting times and locations, email Megan Lamson at kahakai.cleanups@gmail.com in advance. These events are subject to change; registration is required.

Hawai‘i Wildlife Fund will also make a special Coffee Talk presentation, from 9:30 a.m. to 11 a.m., at the Kahuku Unit of Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park.
For more about Hawai‘i Wildlife Fund, visit wildhawaii.org.

To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see Facebook. Follow us on Instagram and Twitter. See our online calendars and our latest print edition at kaucalendar.com.

ONGOING

Kahuku Unit

In addition to regularly scheduled Guided Hikes and the monthly Coffee Talk, Kahuku Unit has added daily Ranger Talks, and cultural demonstrations and activities on weekends.

Visitor Contact Station hosts Ranger Talks on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday at 10:30 a.m. and 1 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday at 10:30 a.m.

Guided Hikes begin at 9:30 a.m. every Saturday and Sunday in June and July. Meet the ranger at the welcome tent. Palm Trail, Saturday, July 7 from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.Ōhi‘a Lehua, Sunday, July 8 from 9:30 a.m. to 11 a.m.

Coffee Talk, in the Visitor Contact Station is held the last Friday of the month, 9:30-11 a.m.

Kahuku events are posted to the park website, nps.gov/havo/planyourvisit/kahuku-hikes.htm.

VolcanoArtCenter’s Ni‘aulani Campus

The return of After Dark …near the park at the VolcanoArtCenter’s Ni‘aulani Campus. TBA

MokupāpapaDiscoveryCenter

76 Kamehameha Ave., Hilo

. Please note, the MokupāpapaDiscoveryCenter will be closed on Wednesday, July 4, in observance of Independence Day.

Grand Naniloa Hotel

5th annual Ka‘ū Coffee Trail Run registration open. Race day Sat, Sept 22, 7 a.m.; begins and ends at Ka‘ū Coffee Mill. Register online before Mon, July 9: 5K, $25/person; 10K, $35/person; and 1/2 Marathon, $45/person. From July 9 to Aug 11: $30/person, $40/person, and $45/person, respectively. From Aug 13 to Sept 20: $35/person, $45/person, and $55/person. Race day registration ends Sat, Sept 22, at 6:30 a.m. Event organizers, ‘O Ka‘ū Kākou; start location, Ka‘ū Coffee Mill.

Volcano Forest Runs Registration Open through Friday, August 17, at 6 p.m. Half marathon $85, 10K $45, 5K $30. Registration increases August 1: half marathon to $95, 10K to $55, and 5K to $35. Race is run from Cooper Center on Wright Road in Volcano Village on Saturday, August 18.

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Dogs with their owners, and dogs cared for by adoption agencies, joined the July 4 parade in Volcano yesterday,
sponsored by Volcano Community Association. Rainbow Friends and Hui Pono animal sanctuaries showed off
dogs available to new homes, including some lost in the volcanic devastation in Puna. See parade photos below.
Photo by Janice Wei

HIGHWAY 11 IS DAMAGED, A SINK HOLE OPENING IN THE KONA LANE NEAR VOLCANO GOLF COURSE, a part of the highway overseen by Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park. According to Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park's Facebook, "HWY 11 has a deep 5 foot diameter hole in the Kona bound lane near the golf course

A sinkhole opened up on Hwy 11 today, taking the road down
to one lane. NPS photo

intersection. Our rangers are on site directing traffic. Drive carefully, expect delays, and one lane open until repairs can be made."
The Park and Hawaiʻi County Civil Defense will provide updates as conditions change. The area has been rocked by many earthquakes each day, as Halemaʻumaʻu Crater collapses, her lava lake gone.

LOWER SO2 LEVELS FROM HALEMAʻUMAʻU MAY MEAN LONG-TERM CLEARER AIR for Hawaiʻi Island, especially Kaʻū into Kona. Kyle Anderson, a research geophysicist with USGS, stated today, July 5, that SO2 levels at the summit “remain very low. In fact, they’re not comparable to levels last seen before the appearance of the summit lava lake back in 2008.” Recent events at Kīlauea summit send “very weak dust plumes” into the air. The pattern of the crater walls collapsing creates localized, about 5.3-magnitude earthquakes - about once a day.

Halemaʻumaʻu Crater's photogenic lava lake and constant plume are no more,
which could make air cleaner in Kaʻū than in the last decade.
Photo from National Park Service/Janice Wei, May 7, 2018.

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RESIGNATION TODAY OF THE ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY ADMINISTRATOR SCOTT PRUITT drew a response from Sen. Mazine Hirono:

“During his time in office, Scott Pruitt exemplified the toxic mixture of corruption and hostility to government we’ve come to expect from the Trump administration. I joined 38 other Democratic Senators in calling for his resignation in April, and I certainly welcome his long-overdue resignation today.

EPA Director Scott Pruitt
resigned today.

Sen. Mazie Hirono welcomed
the EPA Director's resignation.

Regarding his possible replacement, Hirono said, “Andrew Wheeler is a former fossil fuel industry lobbyist and shares Mr. Pruitt’s hostility to the EPA’s core mission of protecting the air we breathe and the water we drink. He is another wrong choice to lead this critically important agency on either an interim or permanent basis. I will continue to fight this administration’s ongoing assault on the environment.”

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PENNING BILLS AT THE STATE CAPITOL today, Gov. David Ige signed the following into law:
Rights of Children in Foster Care: Replaces the guiding principles for children in foster care under the Child Protective Act with current and additional rights.
In supportive testimony, the state Department of Labor & Industrial Relations wrote: "Foster youth who age out of the foster care system as working age adults are a vulnerable group with a high risk for homelessness, substance abuse, and mental health issues. While in foster care, they are subject to greater court supervision, more school changes, and strict limitations on social activities, which adversely affect their preparedness for work or post-secondary education.

Lady Liberty lifts the torch of freedom during the Volcano Community Association's July 4 parade on Wednesday.
Photo by Janice Wei

"DLIR supports the intent of this measure to keep foster youth in the same school to the extent possible and otherwise give youth a more positive foster care experience that enables them to learn how to take care of themselves in productive ways and sustain good relationships during their childhood and teen years. Brain research has shown how having positive role models and greater connections with supportive adults can shape young people at risk into successful adults who contribute to society and the economy."
Youth Commission: Establishes a youth commission within the state Office of Youth Services to advise the Governor and Legislature on the effects of legislative policies, needs, assessments, priorities, programs, and budgets relating to youth. Appropriates funds.

Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park sported costumes of endangered species, including Hawaiian butterflies and bats, at the annual Volcano parade on Wednesday. Park employees and volunteers are reaching beyond park boundaries to community and visitor locations while the Volcano Village section remains closed during the volcanic activity.
Photo by Janice Wei

Firefighters & Cancer: Improves access for firefighters to comprehensive medical benefits under the Workers' Compensation Law upon diagnosis of cancer that is presumed to arise out of and in the course of employment. Requires private health care plans to pay for or provide medical care, services, and supplies to injured employees for controverted workers' compensation claims that are accepted or determined to be compensable.
Gov. Ige plans to sign the following bills into law on Thursday at the State Capitol:
Mental Health: Provides designated family members and other interested persons with notice when an individual with a mental health emergency is subject to certain procedures and actions. Provides designated family members and other interested persons with the right to be present for the individual's hearings and receive a copy of the hearing transcript or recording unless the court determines otherwise. Requires a court to adjourn or continue a hearing for failure to timely notify a person entitled to be notified or for failure by the individual to contact an attorney, with certain exceptions.

Hawaiʻi Pacific Parks runs the commercial enterprise to support Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park, a Kīlauea Visitor
Center, and has opened new locations in Kahuku and Hilo while its own facilities are closed
during the volcanic activity. Photo by Janice Wei

Rescue Tubes to Save Lives at Beaches: Allows organizations, individuals and others to provide rescue tubes at beaches where there are no lifeguards so that members of the public can attempt to rescue those in danger without worry of liability. The law is similar to the one allowing defibrillators in public places for use by the general public during emergencies.

Alzheimer's Disease and Related Dementias: Requires the Executive Office on Aging to biennially update the state plan on Alzheimer's disease and related dementias, include an implementation work plan for each goal in the state plan, and include information on progress made toward the goals of the state plan on Alzheimer's disease and related dementias in its annual report to the legislature.

See more bills to be signed tomorrow in Friday's Kaʻū News Briefs.

The Plastocene era, is the trash art created from South Point collections by Science Camps of America, which presented it during July 4 celebrations at Cooper Center in Volcano on Wednesday. Photo from Science Camps of America

FOURTH OF JULY PARADE IN VOLCANO on Wednesday drew many marchers, including the County Band and Lady Liberty. From Kaʻū came the Miss Kaʻū Coffee Court, and students of Volcano School of the Arts & Sciences and Science Camps of America. Bay Clinic showed off its health and dental van now serving Volcano at Cooper Center. Volcano Village Church and the Hare Krishnas sang their praises. Volcano Fire Department, Volcano CERT, Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park with its endangered species costumes, and Hawaiʻi Pacific Parks joined the throng. Kilauea Drama & Entertainment Network promoted its new play Oliver! in the parade and during the celebration at Cooper Center. A Native American organization participated.

Miss Kaʻū Coffee Reishalyn Kekoa Jara and Miss Peaberry Jacylin Kekoa
Jara in the Volcano July 4 parade. Photo by Trini Marques

Candidates for office walked and rolled along Old Volcano Highway, including contender for state House of Representatives Raina Whiting with a tractor leading her group, and County Council member Maile Medeiros David. Businesses, including H2Ola Water Hauling and Don's Towing, joined the parade, along with classic trucks and cars.

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FIVE HUNDRED FIFTY FIVE ACRES OF NEW LAND added to the island, is the latest estimate, according to Paul Laustsen of USGS. Lava flowing in a river from Fissure 8 creates the lava delta when it enters the ocean in lower Puna. The lava is taking out more homes and only two were left in Kapoho Beach Lots earlier today.

Miss Kaʻū Coffee Flower Kysha Kaʻupu-Manini in the
July 4 parade in Volcano. Photo by Trini Marques

Laustsen said that the Fissure 8 spatter cone, at about 180 feet tall, continues to supply lava to the open channel with intermittent, small, short-lived overflows. Small overflows from the channel had nearly reached Beach Road, about 0.2 mi north of Four Corners, this morning. The northern margin of the flow field is still oozing in Kapoho Ag and Beach Lots.
Drone overflights in the early morning and a later morning helicopter overflight today found an increase in lava flow rate at Beach Lots.

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TRADE WINDS WILL PICK UP AND WET WINDWARD WEATHER is on the radar for Hawaiʻi Island through the next several days. Bob Burke, meteorologist with the National Weather Service, reported today, July 5, that through the weekend and into the beginning of next week, stronger trade winds should be showing up. Showers should also be showing up, for windward mauka areas.

To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see Facebook. Follow us on Instagram and Twitter. See our online calendars and our latest print edition at kaucalendar.com.

FRIDAY, JULY 6

Spaghetti Dinner, Fri, July 6, 5:30pm, St. Jude’s Episcopal Church, Ocean View. Single plate, $8, 2 for $15, family for $20. Tickets available at door. 939-7555, stjudeshawaii.org

See public Ka‘ū events, meetings, entertainment.

See Ka‘ū exercise, meditation, daily, and weekly events.

Print edition of The Ka‘ū Calendar is free to 5,500 mailboxes

throughout Ka‘ū, from Miloli‘i through Volcano, and free on

stands throughout the district. Read online at kaucalendar.com
and facebook.com/kaucalendar.

SATURDAY, JULY 7

CANCELLED: Two Day Oil Painting Workshop w/Vicki Penney-Rohner, Sat-Sun, July 7-8, 10-4pm, Volcano Art Center’s Ni‘aulani Campus, Volcano Village. Beginners and Intermediate students welcome. Learn to create form using values and light. Class also explores painting water. $90/VAC Member, $100/non-Member. See volcanoartcenter.org for list of supplies needed.

SUNDAY, JULY 8

Richard Creagan Talk Story, Mon, July 9, 6-9pm, Ocean View Community Center. Current State Representative for District 5 and candidate. He is a Ka‘ū resident, farmer, and a physician. 939-7033

TUESDAY, JULY 10

THURSDAY, JULY 12

Story Time with Auntie Linda from Tūtū and Me, Thu, July 12, 10:30-noon, Nā‘ālehu Public Library. 929-8571

To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see Facebook. Follow us on Instagram and Twitter. See our online calendars and our latest print edition at kaucalendar.com.

ONGOING

Libraries Rock Summer Reading Program: Hawai‘i State Public Library System, through Saturday, July 14, statewide and online. Register and log reading at librarieshawaii.beanstack.org or at a local library. Free. Reading rewards, activities, and programs for children, teens, and adults. 2018 participants have a chance to win a Roundtrip for four to anywhere Alaska Airlines flies.

Paid Intern sought by The Nature Conservancy, to work from October 2018 through August 2019 with their Hawai‘i Island Terrestrial Program, which has native forest preserves located in Ka‘ū and South Kona.

Find Your Park, invites Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park. Kamaʻaina and tourist alike are encouraged to experience authentic Hawaiian cultural programs, guided hikes, After Dark events, and more from Ka‘ū to Volcano to Hilo. “While Kīlauea continues to shake the ground and blast ash from its ever-changing summit crater – causing the partial closure of Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park on May 11 – park rangers continue to enlighten and engage visitors from other locations,” says a release from HVNP staff.

Kahuku Unit

In addition to regularly scheduled Guided Hikes and the monthly Coffee Talk, Kahuku Unit has added daily Ranger Talks, and cultural demonstrations and activities on weekends.

Visitor Contact Station hosts Ranger Talks on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday at 10:30 a.m. and 1 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday at 10:30 a.m.

Guided Hikes begin at 9:30 a.m. every Saturday and Sunday in June and July. Meet the ranger at the welcome tent. Palm Trail, Saturday, July 7 from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Ōhi‘a Lehua, Sunday, July 8 from 9:30 a.m. to 11 a.m.

Coffee Talk, in the Visitor Contact Station is held the last Friday of the month, 9:30-11 a.m.

Kahuku events are posted to the park website, nps.gov/havo/planyourvisit/kahuku-hikes.htm.

Volcano Art Center’s Ni‘aulani Campus

You can also find your park rangers in Volcano at the Volcano Art Center’s Ni‘aulani Campus at 19-4074 Old Volcano Rd., in Volcano Village. Rangers are there most days from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. to provide talks and answer questions about the current eruption.

The return of After Dark …near the park at the Volcano Art Center’s Ni‘aulani Campus. TBA

Mokupāpapa Discovery Center

Find you park rangers at Mokupāpapa Discovery Center in downtown Hilo, Monday through Saturday, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Rangers provide daily eruption updates, and at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m., give a talk about all five of Hawai‘i Island’s volcanoes – including Kīlauea. Get your NPS Passport Book stamped. Located at

76 Kamehameha Ave., Hilo

. Please note, the Mokupāpapa Discovery Center will be closed on Wednesday, July 4, in observance of Independence Day.

Grand Naniloa Hotel

An unlikely but possible outcome of activity at the summit of Kīlauea would be a pyroclastic surge. Such surges are fast-moving, hot clouds of volcanic gases, and fragments of magma and older rocks. They form when eruption columns become unstable and collapse back around the vent. Surges typically travel around 22 miles per hour but can move as rapidly as 200 – 700 mph. Surges occurred at Kīlauea during and before 1790 and extended three miles out from the crater as shown by the dashed white circle. It indicates the approximate boundary of a possible, but unlikely surge.
Figure 5 map from USGS with background imagery from Google Earth

POSSIBLE SCENARIOS FOR THE FUTURE OF KĪLAUEA CALDERA AND SURROUNDING COMMUNITIES were presented to residents of Volcano Village Thursday night at Cooper Center by USGS geologists. The entire presentation can be viewed on Na Leo TV on demand.
Mayor Harry Kim, County Civil Defense chief Talmadge Magno and state Rep. Richard Onishi also attended. Hawaiian Volcanoes Observatory Chief Scientist Tina Neal presented the evaluation along with scientists Jim Swanson and Lyle Anderson.
See more on the Civil Defense presentation and recommendations in Saturday's Ka‘ū News Briefs.
She said that HVO predicts continued caving-in of walls and subsidence of Kīlaeua Caldera and widening of Halemaʻumaʻu Crater, where the lava lake is gone and lava storage chambers have lost much of their content which moved into lower Puna, where lava flows into the ocean.

A document from the scientists says that they expect the events at Halemaʻumaʻu "to continue for as long as magma is withdrawn from the summit reservoir(s) at a rate exceeding the rate of magma supply, but the rate, style, and geographical extent of the subsidence – along with associated hazards – may vary. The USGS staff presented likely scenarios under the condition of continued net magma withdrawal.

Halemaʻumaʻu, just after the July 5 collapse event. USGS photo

MOST LIKELY SCENARIO: USGS predicted that the most likely outcome for the next two months is "continued subsidence of Kīlauea Caldera, episodic slumping into a widening Halemaʻumaʻu crater, felt earthquakes (some large enough to be damaging), and small to intermediate ash plumes that remain below 10,000 feet above sea level. As the reservoir deflates, cracking and slumping is gradually engulfing a broader extent of Kīlauea Caldera (as observed in high rates of ground deformation and propagating cracks around Halemaʻumaʻu ); this process will likely continue to enlarge Halemaʻumaʻu and may involve larger slump blocks than previously. This activity is impressive in scale — and may ultimately involve much or even all of the current Kīlauea Caldera — but it need not necessarily involve new or more hazardous explosive activity.
"Hazardous explosive activity cannot be ruled out, however. It is possible that a large section of the Halemaʻumaʻu wall could abruptly collapse into the crater. Because a broad region E and NE of Halemaʻumaʻu is currently deforming, it is difficult to predict how large such a collapse might be or its impact on the explosion hazard. Most likely, such an event would generate only strong seismic shaking and a robust ash plume.
"Should activity continue as described, primary hazards of concern are:
– Damaging earthquakes (potentially exceeding equivalent M5).
– Ash plumes, ashfall (associated with CE events and large rockfalls)
– Large and sudden collapses into the expanding Halemaʻumaʻu crater
– Ground cracking and continued rockfall activity along steep caldera walls
– Vog (although sulfur dioxide output is approaching low pre-2008 levels)
LESS LIKELY OUTCOMES: USGS predicted less likely outcomes for the next two months.

Rock slides into Kīlauea after the July 5 collapse event. USGS photo

"Several mechanisms could change the nature of activity and associated hazards. These are considered less likely but cannot be ruled out. The likelihood of some of these processes may increase if the net rate of magma outflux from the summit increases.
USGS presented two less likely possibilities: "more hazardous explosions occurring during ongoing subsidence and enlargement of Halema`uma`u," and "a sudden collapse of the larger caldera system." The scientists said the scenarios "may not include all possible future outcomes and hazards."
A larger explosion during ongoing subsidence in and around Halemaʻumaʻu. If this unlikely (perhaps 1 percent) option were to occur, USGS predicted, "activity could become more hazardous over short time scales. This could be triggered in one of several ways, including a rapid pressure change or other perturbation of the reservoir; opening of new pathways between the reservoir and the surface; or the interaction of magma with groundwater. Rapid pressure change could be caused by a large, sudden landslide from the crater’s steep, faulted rim; alternatively, sudden larger-scale collapse of rock into the reservoir could perturb reservoir pressure above levels seen during previous collapse eruption events. New pathways could be formed by explosive ejection of rubble in the vent or downward propagation of cracks.
"Groundwater could enter the magmatic system at sufficient rates to produce steam-driven explosive eruptions. Some of these mechanisms could be preceded by detectable changes in monitoring data, but others could happen with no warning. If larger explosions do occur, their style and magnitude cannot be predicted; it is possible that they could produce more ballistics and ash, and possibly also pyroclastic surges.

The WorldView-3 satellite acquired this view of Kīlauea's summit on July 3.
Despite a few clouds, the area of heaviest fractures in the caldera is clear.
Views into the expanding Halema‘uma‘u crater reveal a pit floored by rubble.
HVO, on the northwest caldera rim, is labeled. Photo from USGS

A sudden collapse of the broader caldera system and catastrophic failure of high caldera walls. "Even less likely but more hazardous scenarios exist. Large explosive eruptions have occurred in Kīlauea’s past after caldera formation or during the last stage of its formation. It is possible that these eruptions were triggered by rapid collapse of broad regions of the caldera along caldera-bounding faults due to withdrawal of large quantities of magma from the summit storage system. Based on our understanding of the magmatic system, this activity should be preceded by significant changes in earthquake activity and ground deformation. At this time, satellite radar data show that high rates of deformation are concentrated in a well-defined area bordered by caldera-boundary faults on the west and south, and on the east and northeast along a line roughly 600-900 meters (yards) from the caldera walls. These data do not suggest that extensive deformation is occurring outside of the caldera. Additionally, we currently see no evidence that major caldera-bounding faults are moving, although some cracks have been detected that probably result from ground shaking. Additional hazards associated with rapid, broad-scale caldera collapse could include high lava fountains and larger and more dangerous explosions producing pyroclastic surges. However, we emphasize that current data do not suggest that a larger, sudden collapse scenario is likely at present."
The USGS scientists said that Volcano area residents should be prepared for strong seismic shaking as well as ground cracks in the vicinity of the caldera. Hawai`i County Civil Defense asks residents to be ready with a plan, should a more dangerous situation arise.

Halemaʻumaʻu Crater's summit eruptive vent expanded in May, then began to collapse in June. As of July 4, the
collapse, caused by the evacuation of magma from the reservoir, had widened Halemaʻumaʻu Crater and impacted the
larger Kīlauea Caldera. Images from USGS

While emphasizing a low probability of pyroclastic surges, the scientists defined them:
"Pyroclastic surges and density currents are highly destructive, generally fast-moving clouds of volcanic gases and fragments of magma and older rocks. They are generally hot and form when eruption columns become unstable and collapse back around the vent. Surges typically travel tens of meters per second (22 mph), but certain types can move as rapidly as 100 – 300 meters per second (200 – 700 mph).
"Surges usually extend radially from the vent in all directions, but can be influenced by topography, thickening in valleys and thinning over topographic highs. Due to their great heat and high speed, pyroclastic surges are among the most dangerous and destructive of volcanic hazards. There are very few survivors among those caught in the path of a hot surge, and property damage is severe. In the past, surges have been produced at Kīlauea by sustained eruption columns. For example, pyroclastic surges were produced at Kīlauea between the middle 1500s and A.D. 1790.

This chart shows the increase of seismic frequency from June 10 through June 27. USGS figure

"Surges in and just before 1790 extended 3 – 5 km (1.8 – 3 miles) west and south of the caldera and form the basis for a surgehazard map shown in Figure 5 (see top image). The direction that surges may travel is difficult to predict, and the entire summit area of Kīlauea out to roughly 5 km (3 miles) from center of the caldera is susceptible to surges if they were to occur. The area shown shows, for simplicity, a source near the center of the caldera. The white line shows only the maximum reasonable distance a surge would travel from the caldera as inferred from past eruptions; it does not indicate that such behavior is likely at this time (it is not), nor that surges would fill the entire area within the circle (surge deposits would likely travel within narrow regions). At present, Kīlauea is not producing any sustained eruption columns even during the largest collapse explosion events.

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HAWAIʻI ELECTRIC LIGHT COMPANY CONSTRUCTION IN VOLCANO VILLAGE begins July 9, through September 30, weather permitting, says an a nnouncement from the utility. Work will be performed in phases along Old Volcano Road, Kalanikoa Road, Kilauea Road, and Wright Road from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday to Saturday.

Work in the project area may disrupt traffic and power at times between this
Monday through the end of September. Map from Hawaiʻi Electric Light

Crews will replace 1.25 miles of overhead transmission lines “to improve system reliability,” says the announcement. Work will include hole digging, tree trimming, pole removal, and pole installation. Hole digging operations will begin on July 9. Some of the work will require partial lane closures with delays of up to 10 minutes. Traffic control will be provided and motorists are advised to drive with caution in the work zone. “For the safety of our crews, temporary power interruptions may be necessary. Advance notification will be provided to area residents. We regret any disruption this construction could cause and thank you for your patience and understanding. If you have any questions or concerns, please call 969-6666.”

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A PUBLIC LANDS BILL was signed into law in Hilo at the Hawaiʻi Planning Mill (HPM Building Supply) today by Gov. David Ige.

Public Lands – Hilo Community Economic District: defines the Hilo community economic district. It authorizes the Hawaiʻi Board of Land & Natural Resources to extend, modify, or eliminate certain public land leases in the district. It establishes a separate request for interest process to public lands in the economic district, and requires qualified bidders to deposit an amount equal to one per cent of the value of the leasehold improvements.

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Image from Gov. David Ige's Facebook

BILLS SIGNED INTO LAW by Gov. David Ige today, July 6, at the Hawaiʻi State Capitol Auditorium, include:

Unlicensed Care Homes: Authorizes the Department of Health to investigate care facilities reported to be operating without an appropriate certificate or license issued by the Department. Establishes penalties for violations and for knowingly referring or transferring patients to uncertified or unlicensed care facilities, with certain exceptions. Excludes landlords from licensure, under certain conditions.
Ige posted to Facebook: “We have seen more and more of these unlicensed care homes popping up across the state, and we just want to be sure that we have the ability to inspect these homes, determine whether they’re licensed, enforce the law and ensure the safety and care of patients.”

Image from Gov. David Ige's Facebook

Protections for Healthcare Workers: Makes intentionally or knowingly causing bodily injury to certain health care workers a Class C felony. Ige posted to Facebook: “We’re see increasing violence against healthcare workers who experience violent assaults at a rate that is four times higher than the national average. This new law aims to provide our healthcare workers with greater protection.”

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HOURS CHANGE FOR THE DISASTER RECOVERY CENTER starting tomorrow, Saturday, July 7. Jointly operated by Hawaiʻi County, the State of Hawaiʻi, and FEMA, the center is open daily, from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. weekdays, and 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekends, at Keaʻau High School Gym. Buses will still run to and from Keaʻau Armory every 20 minutes, and Pāhoa Community Center Shelter every hour. See the full bus schedule on the Civil Defense Website at HawaiiCounty.gov/Active-Alerts. For a list of the information applicants need to bring to the DRC, or to register online, go to DisasterAssistance.gov.

NEW and UPCOMING

Io Flying Over The Park by John Dawson.
Photo from volcanoartcenter.org

OPENING NIGHT FOR TWO VOLCANO ART CENTER EXHIBITS featuring life of native Hawaiian forests will be held on Friday, July 13, from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m., at Volcano Art Center's Ni‘aulani Campus in Volcano Village.
Birds Of Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park: The Hawaiʻi Nei Invitational Exhibition, is open daily, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., July 13 through Aug. 4. It features art by John Dawson, Reyn Ojiri, Sarah Koh, Wendy Barske, Maria Macias, Cody Yamaguchi, Ann Guth, and John Mydoock. The selected artists were asked to represent endemic bird species found in Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park.

Iʻiwi III by Reyn Ojiri. Photo from volcanoartcenter.org

“Originally scheduled for VAC Gallery in HVNP, this multi-media exhibit showcases the work of eight artists focusing on the birds of Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park. Due to the Park closure, the exhibit is being combined with the bi-annual Quilts in the Forest exhibition,” states the event description. For more, visit volcanoartcenter.org or call 967-8222
Quilts In The Forest - Where the Path May Lead, Volcano Art Center’s second annual bi-annual quilt show, open Tuesday through Saturday, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., July 13 through Aug. 3. It features the art of local quilters as they “explore new and innovative ways in quilting,” says the event description. Workshops and demonstrations are planned in conjunction with the show. For more, contact Fia Mattice, 967-8222, or quiltshow2018@volcanoartcenter.org.
Both exhibits and the opening reception are free to the public.

To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see Facebook. Follow us on Instagram and Twitter. See our online calendars and our latest print edition at kaucalendar.com.

SATURDAY, JULY 7

Rodeo fans head to the arena tomorrow and
Sunday in Na`alehu. Photo by Gabe Cuevas

See public Ka‘ū events, meetings, entertainment.

See Ka‘ū exercise, meditation, daily, and weekly events.

Print edition of The Ka‘ū Calendar is free to 5,500 mailboxes

throughout Ka‘ū, from Miloli‘i through Volcano, and free on

stands throughout the district. Read online at kaucalendar.com
and facebook.com/kaucalendar.

SUNDAY, JULY 8

MONDAY, JULY 9

State Rep. Richard Creagan Talk Story, Mon, July 9, 6-9pm, Ocean View Community Center. Representing, West Ka‘ū and District 5, Creagan is a Ka‘ū resident, farmer, and a physician. 939-7033

TUESDAY, JULY 10

THURSDAY, JULY 12

Story Time with Auntie Linda from Tūtū and Me, Thu, July 12, 10:30-noon, Nā‘ālehu Public Library. 929-8571

FRIDAY, JULY 13

Oliver!, a KDEN Production, July 13-29; Fridays and Saturdays, 7:30pm, Sundays 2:30pm. Shows moved to UH Hilo Performing Arts Center. Tickets: $20 general, $15 seniors 60+ and students, $12 keiki 12 and under. Tickets available from July 2 at Kīlauea General Store, Kea‘au Natural Foods, Basically Books, and The Most Irresistible Shop in Hilo. Info and reservations: 982-7344, kden73@aol.com

Exhibit, Birds of Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park: The Hawai‘i Nei Invitational Daily, July 13-Aug 4, 9-5pm, Volcano Art Center’s Ni‘aulani Campus, Volcano Village. Free. Opening reception: Fri, July 13, 5-7pm. Artists: John Dawson, Reyn Ojiri, Sarah Koh, Wendy Barske, Maria Macias, Cody Yamaguchi, Ann Guth, and John Mydoock. Art represents endemic bird species. volcanoartcenter.org

2nd Annual Bi-Annual Quilt Show, Quilts In The Forest - Where the Path May Lead, Opening reception: Fri, July 13, 5-7pm. Then daily, Tue-Sat, 10-4pm, through Aug 3, Volcano Art Center’s Ni‘aulani Campus, Volcano Village. Free. Workshops and demonstrations planned in conjunction with show. Fia Mattice, 967-8222, quiltshow2018@volcanoartcenter.org. volcanoartcenter.org

To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see Facebook. Follow us on Instagram and Twitter. See our online calendars and our latest print edition at kaucalendar.com.

ONGOING

Libraries Rock Summer Reading Program: Hawai‘i State Public Library System, through Saturday, July 14, statewide and online. Register and log reading at librarieshawaii.beanstack.org or at a local library. Free. Reading rewards, activities, and programs for children, teens, and adults. 2018 participants have a chance to win a Roundtrip for four to anywhere Alaska Airlines flies.

Paid Intern sought by The Nature Conservancy, to work from October 2018 through August 2019 with their Hawai‘i Island Terrestrial Program, which has native forest preserves located in Ka‘ū and South Kona.

Disaster Recovery Center is open daily, from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. weekdays, and 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekends, at Keaʻau High School Gym. Buses run to and from the shelters; see the full bus schedule on the Civil Defense Website at HawaiiCounty.gov/Active-Alerts. For a list of the information applicants need to bring to the DRC, or to register online, go to DisasterAssistance.gov.

Find Your Park, invites Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park. Kamaʻaina and tourist alike are encouraged to experience authentic Hawaiian cultural programs, guided hikes, After Dark events, and more from Ka‘ū to Volcano to Hilo. “While Kīlauea continues to shake the ground and blast ash from its ever-changing summit crater – causing the partial closure of Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park on May 11 – park rangers continue to enlighten and engage visitors from other locations,” says a release from HVNP staff.

Kahuku Unit

In addition to regularly scheduled Guided Hikes and the monthly Coffee Talk, Kahuku Unit has added daily Ranger Talks, and cultural demonstrations and activities on weekends.

Visitor Contact Station hosts Ranger Talks on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday at 10:30 a.m. and 1 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday at 10:30 a.m.

Coffee Talk, in the Visitor Contact Station is held the last Friday of the month, 9:30-11 a.m.

Kahuku events are posted to the park website, nps.gov/havo/planyourvisit/kahuku-hikes.htm.

Volcano Art Center’s Ni‘aulani Campus

You can also find your park rangers in Volcano at the Volcano Art Center’s Ni‘aulani Campus at 19-4074 Old Volcano Rd., in Volcano Village. Rangers are there most days from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. to provide talks and answer questions about the current eruption.

The return of After Dark …near the park at the Volcano Art Center’s Ni‘aulani Campus. TBA

Mokupāpapa Discovery Center

Find you park rangers at Mokupāpapa Discovery Center in downtown Hilo, Monday through Saturday, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Rangers provide daily eruption updates, and at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m., give a talk about all five of Hawai‘i Island’s volcanoes – including Kīlauea. Get your NPS Passport Book stamped. Located at

76 Kamehameha Ave., Hilo

. Please note, the Mokupāpapa Discovery Center will be closed on Wednesday, July 4, in observance of Independence Day.

Grand Naniloa Hotel

Interpretive signage for the famed Kaʻū Footprints Trail shows the area well traveled in the 1700's by Hawaiian families
trading and visiting. While walking through Kaʻū, wet ash rained down and their footprints became frozen in time.
Painting by John Dawson

THE SLIGHT CHANCE OF A PYROCLASTIC SURGE from Kīlauea Caldera into Volcano Village and Golf Course drew the most comments and questions from area residents at the community meeting held at Cooper Center on Thursday. Residents asked USGS scientists about the chances, the percentages, and the likelihood, "if you were betting scientists," that the volcano could send out a blast up to 700 miles an hour, with hot air, lava, and rocks, destroying buildings and taking lives, with little warning.
Mayor Harry Kim said he had an answer. He said he personally pressed Hawaiian Volcano Observatory chief scientist Tina Neal for some kind of percentage, so the county could make a plan. Kim reported an estimate of one percent. He explained that even though the percentage is small, he felt the need to call the meeting with residents, Hawaiʻi County Civil Defense, and the scientists, to explain the most likely and least likely volcano scenarios in the near future.

HVO released a document this week describing the most, and least, likely of near term events at Kīlauea Caldera. Read Friday's Kaʻū News Briefs for more detail and see the chief scientist's presentation at Nā Leo TV on demand.
Civil Defense Director Talmadge Magno said the county is installing a siren to warn area residents, should there be signs of such a pyroclastic surge on its way. He said the siren would be heard for about 1.5 miles and that those living and working farther away could sign up for the blackboard alert system to receive messages by cell phone and internet. He repeated that the chances are small for a catastrophic event in the near future but, emphasized that it is his job to prepare for the worst case scenario.
Magno said that residents should plan for every eventuality, decide where they would go for refuge, understand their finances and prepare to bring important documents, should they have to leave.
One resident asked what people living in the area should be aware of as indicators of the possible arrival of a volcanic surge. More and stronger earthquakes than the many recently shaking the area, and other changes in the volcano that are being monitored by the scientists, such as magma and water mixing to send off explosive eruptions, were some of the answers given.
Some residents asked which way they should drive if they have to escape. Answers included that there are more services for people in Hilo than Kaʻū, and that decisions could depend on the direction the surge and the wind. It was noted that the caldera walls are lower on the Kaʻū side than the Hilo side, so the surge could move farther in the Kaʻū direction.
Talking about escape routes led to a question about Piʻimauna Road, which connects Hwy 11 to Volcano Golf course and housing area, Volcano Winery, and the Keauhou Bird Conservation Center.

A footprint made in wet volcanic ash in 1790, likely by a male adult. It is one
of 1,773 separate footprints belonging to at least 400 individuals that
have been documented by NPS archeologists, led by
Dr. Jadlyn Moniz-Nakamura. Photo by Ann Bosted

Near the intersection, a deep, five-foot wide sinkhole opened up on Thursday and reduced traffic to one lane on Hwy 11. One Volcano resident said ideas for alternate emergency routes, should Piʻimauna and Hwy 11 be blocked, emerged years ago, as cracks in Hwy 11 occur regularly. The Civil Defense Administrator said that an alternate route is still in long term planning.
Since Thursday, the sinkhole has been covered with steel plates and the highway is now back to two lanes. See below for more.
Whether history is an indicator of what will happen next at Kīlauea is unclear, the scientists said. Collapse events in the floor of Kīlauea Caldera and Halemaʻumaʻu witnessed recently also happened in the 1500s and 1600s, until 1790s, when the volcano emitted a pyroclastic surge and huge ash fall. The famous Footprints Trail in the Kaʻū Desert is evidence of the 1790s explosive eruptions. Those were much larger volcanic events than have happened since May, when Kīlaeua Crater began to change. See the March 1, 2017, Kaʻū News Briefs.
During Thursday's meeting, the HVO chief scientist said, "What we’re witnessing now is partial collapse of the summit in a step-wise process due to magma withdrawal into the East Rift Zone, feeding the eruption – and it is uncertain how long this will continue. It is uncertain how large this collapse will be. And it is uncertain how violent activity could become, associated with this collapse.

Major cracks (yellow lines) within the caldera of Kīlauea. Red-shaded area east

of Halemaʻumaʻu are moving down within a scarp-bounded zone. Dark

pink/gray area shows the region of most significant subsidence. USGS image

“It is not known how long this activity can continue, without any kind of change,” said Neal. She said the analog of this eruption to any other eruption “is not perfect,” and that this eruption “has its own characteristics."
Neal said scientists feel “the most likely course” for the next two months at the summit is for continuing moderate-sized earthquakes – “that you’re all very familiar with, that can be damaging” – continuing subsidence, and small or no ash production. She said the duration of this activity is “related to the duration of the lower East Rift Zone eruption, but there is some uncertainty in that as well.”

Very hazardous explosions, “considered unlikely in the near-term,” related to the ongoing subsidence in the caldera, may not be preceded by a lot of warning, said Neal, but if activity accelerates, they remain possible.

If subsidence continues, it is possible the summit conditions will evolve to become more hazardous, said Neal. A “very unlikely outcome,” she said, “is that large-scale explosive activity,” associated with large-scale caldera collapse, could occur. The activity, said Neal, “should be preceded by signals that we will recognize with our monitoring equipment.” The signals would include low-level explosive activity beginning, and increased, more severe, and constant earthquakes. However, the timeframes of the warning signs are “uncertain,” and could be short, she said.

State Department of Transportation workers fill the
sinkhole in Hwy 11 with rocks near Volcano.
Photo from HDOT Facebook

Neal said the activity from this unlikely but hazardous scenario could reach inhabited areas, and include: high lava fountains, like from Kilauea Iki; larger ash and tephra fallout; and pyroclastic surges, potentially life-threatening “rapidly moving ash hurricanes that move away from the summit area.”

To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see Facebook. Follow us on Instagram and Twitter. See our online calendars and our latest print edition at kaucalendar.com.

THE SINK HOLE IS FILLED NEAR VOLCANO AND ALL LANES ARE NOW OPEN ON HIGHWAY 11, says Hawaiʻi Department of Transportation’s Facebook. A “deep,” five-foot diameter sinkhole was reported to have opened up mid-week near mile marker 30. One lane of the highway was closed. Workers dug around the opening, making the hole 15’ X 20’ according to DOT, and filled the hole with rocks, dirt, and concrete. The site is now covered with steel plates, with asphalt around the edges, to let the concrete cure over the weekend, says DOT. DOT urges motorists to drive with caution over the plates.

To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see Facebook. Follow us on Instagram and Twitter. See our online calendars and our latest print edition at kaucalendar.com.

DOT finalizes temporary coverage of the sinkhole that opened in
Hwy 11 near mile marker 30. Steel plates will cover the concrete
to cure over the weekend. Photo from HDOT Facebook

HAWAIʻI COUNTY CIVIL DEFENSE IS THE BEST IN THE NATION, said Mayor Harry Kim during the Volcano Village community meeting on Thursday. He praised the way Hawaiʻi Island people have worked together in this eruption situation. He said how important it was that Hawaiian Volcanoes Observatory has, from the beginning, briefed not only officials but the public on what was going on, and what could potentially happen, during this eruption. He said that open communication enabled all to work “as a team,” responding to situations “whether as preparation or actual response.” Kim said the community in Volcano “should feel very free to ask any questions in regards to what we do that affects you, and if you have any kinds of suggestions that makes it better, please, speak up.”

To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see Facebook. Follow us on Instagram and Twitter. See our online calendars and our latest print edition at kaucalendar.com.

The houses in the area in green stripes would be served by the new sewage treatment plant
in the are with trees along Maile Street. Map from County of Hawaiʻi.

AN EXTENSION FOR THE PROPOSED PĀHALA WASTE
WATER TREATMENT SITE has been given to County of Hawaiʻiby the Environmental Protection Agency. The proposed site runs along the Hilo side of the Norfolk pine tree lane along Maile Street, coming into Pahala from Hwy 11. It is southeast of the current Large Capacity Cesspool near the old radio station building on Maile Street and will undergo Environmental Assessments and/or Environmental Impact Statements before the county acquires any land for the project.

The county is required to build a new treatment system to replace old gang cesspools in Pāhala, which are illegal. The county took over the cesspools for old sugar plantation housing after the sugar mill shut down in Pahala. The county would face fines if it doesn't shut down the cesspools.

Unlike the proposed locations for the Nāʻālehu plant, there would be little change in routing of the present drainage system in order to place the plant at the proposed location, and the closure of the old LCC would remove effluent from near the school.
In a letter to the EPA, countyEnvironmental Management Director William Kucharski asked for more time to purchase an appropriate site, extending the deadline from June 27 of this year to June 20, 2020. He stated all other deadlines could be met, including closure dates for the current Large Capacity Cesspools, if granted the extension.

To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see Facebook. Follow us on Instagram and Twitter. See our online calendars and our latest print edition at kaucalendar.com.

KAʻŪ HIGH SCHOOL IS ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS for Varsity Baseball Head Coach, Pep Squad Head, Coach, Girls Soccer Head Coach, and Boys/Girls Judo Coach for the 2018-19 school year. Anyone interested can pick up an application form at the school's main office. Deadline is July 14.

To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see Facebook. Follow us on Instagram and Twitter. See our online calendars and our latest print edition at kaucalendar.com.

NEW and UPCOMING

Image from volcanoartcenter.org

ZENTANGLE: INK-BLOWN ‘ŌHI‘A WITH DINA WOOD KAGELER, celebrating Volcano’s premier rainforest tree, Ke Kumu ‘Ōhi’a, takes place on Saturday, July 14, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., at Volcano Art Center’s Ni‘aulani Campus in Volcano Village.
The class uses “inspiration from Volcano’s own rainforests… to create twig-like strings with the ink-blown method, then tangle leaves and blossoms using watercolors and pens,” says the event description on volcanoartcenter.org. Loaner pens, pencils and watercolors will be available; however, returning tanglers are encouraged to bring their favorite Zentangle supplies.
No artistic experience is needed. Zentangle Basics and watercolor experience are “helpful but not required,” says the description. The cost of the class is $30 for Volcano Art Center Members or $35 for non-Members, plus a $10 supply fee. Participants are asked to bring a light refreshment to share. Visit volcanoartcenter.org or call 967-8222.

See public Ka‘ū events, meetings, entertainment.

See Ka‘ū exercise, meditation, daily, and weekly events.

Print edition of The Ka‘ū Calendar is free to 5,500 mailboxes

throughout Ka‘ū, from Miloli‘i through Volcano, and free on

stands throughout the district. Read online at kaucalendar.com
and facebook.com/kaucalendar.

To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see Facebook. Follow us on Instagram and Twitter. See our online calendars and our latest print edition at kaucalendar.com.

SUNDAY, JULY 8

MONDAY, JULY 9

Richard Creagan Talk Story, Mon, July 9, 6-9pm, Ocean View Community Center. Current State Representative for District 5 and candidate. He is a Ka‘ū resident, farmer, and a physician. 939-7033

TUESDAY, JULY 10

THURSDAY, JULY 12

Story Time with Auntie Linda from Tūtū and Me, Thu, July 12, 10:30-noon, Nā‘ālehu Public Library. 929-8571

FRIDAY, JULY 13

SATURDAY, JULY 14

Pancake Breakfast and Raffle, Sat, July 14, 8-11am, Ocean View Community Center. To volunteer, call 939-7033, ovcahi.org

Kāwā Volunteer Day, Sat, July 14, 9:30am, Kāwā. Sign up with James Akau, Nā Mamo o Kāwā, at namamookawa@gmail.com, jakau@nmok.org, or 561-9111. nmok.org

Realms and Divisions of Kahuku, Sat, July 14, 9:30-11:30am, Kahuku Unit of Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park. Moderately difficult, two-mile, guided hike on Kahuku Unit's newest trail, Pu‘u Kahuku, explores the traditional Hawaiian classification system. Bring snack. Free. nps.gov/HAVO

Zentangle: Ink-Blown ‘Ōhi‘a w/Dina Wood Kageler, Sat, July 14, 10-1pm, Volcano Art Center’s Ni‘aulani Campus, Volcano Village. Celebrating Volcano’s premier rainforest tree, Ke Kumu ‘Ōhi‘a. Loaner pens, pencils and watercolors available. Bring Zentangle supplies, if able. No artistic experience necessary. $30/VAC Member, $35/non-member, plus $10 supply fee. Bring light refreshment to share. Register online, volcanoartcenter.org, or call 967-8222

To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see Facebook. Follow us on Instagram and Twitter. See our online calendars and our latest print edition at kaucalendar.com.

ONGOING

Libraries Rock Summer Reading Program: Hawai‘i State Public Library System, through Saturday, July 14, statewide and online. Register and log reading at librarieshawaii.beanstack.org or at a local library. Free. Reading rewards, activities, and programs for children, teens, and adults. 2018 participants have a chance to win a Roundtrip for four to anywhere Alaska Airlines flies.

Paid Intern sought by The Nature Conservancy, to work from October 2018 through August 2019 with their Hawai‘i Island Terrestrial Program, which has native forest preserves located in Ka‘ū and South Kona.

Find Your Park, invites Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park. Kamaʻaina and tourist alike are encouraged to experience authentic Hawaiian cultural programs, guided hikes, After Dark events, and more from Ka‘ū to Volcano to Hilo. “While Kīlauea continues to shake the ground and blast ash from its ever-changing summit crater – causing the partial closure of Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park on May 11 – park rangers continue to enlighten and engage visitors from other locations,” says a release from HVNP staff.

Kahuku Unit

In addition to regularly scheduled Guided Hikes and the monthly Coffee Talk, Kahuku Unit has added daily Ranger Talks, and cultural demonstrations and activities on weekends.

Visitor Contact Station hosts Ike Hana Noe ʻAu, Cultural Demonstrations and Activities, from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. every Saturday and Sunday, made possible by Hawaiʻi Pacific Parks Association. Sun, July 8: ‘Ohe Kāpala. Make your mark, and learn to create bamboo stamps with traditional and modern Hawaiian designs.

Visitor Contact Station hosts Ranger Talks on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday at 10:30 a.m. and 1 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday at 10:30 a.m.

Guided Hikes begin at 9:30 a.m. every Saturday and Sunday in June and July. Meet the ranger at the welcome tent. Ōhi‘a Lehua, Sunday, July 8 from 9:30 a.m. to 11 a.m.

Coffee Talk, in the Visitor Contact Station is held the last Friday of the month, 9:30-11 a.m.

Kahuku events are posted to the park website, nps.gov/havo/planyourvisit/kahuku-hikes.htm.
Volcano Art Center’s Ni‘aulani Campus

You can also find your park rangers in Volcano at the Volcano Art Center’s Ni‘aulani Campus at 19-4074 Old Volcano Rd., in Volcano Village. Rangers are there most days from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. to provide talks and answer questions about the current eruption.

The return of After Dark …near the park at the Volcano Art Center’s Ni‘aulani Campus. TBA

Mokupāpapa Discovery Center

Find you park rangers at Mokupāpapa Discovery Center in downtown Hilo, Monday through Saturday, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Rangers provide daily eruption updates, and at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m., give a talk about all five of Hawai‘i Island’s volcanoes – including Kīlauea. Get your NPS Passport Book stamped. Located at

76 Kamehameha Ave., Hilo

. Please note, the Mokupāpapa Discovery Center will be closed on Wednesday, July 4, in observance of Independence Day.

Grand Naniloa Hotel

Kona Vet Center visits to Ocean View Community Center are Suspended until further notice. Veterans may call 329-0574 for VA benefit information. ovcahi.org

Stacy Higa interviews west Kaʻū to Kona state Senate candidates Dru Kanuha and Brenda Ford.
See the forum at naleo.tv/vod/

THE FORD-KANUHA FORUM, Decision 2018, sponsored by Hawaiʻi County Democrats and Nā Leo TV, last week illustrated goals and views of the two Democratic candidates vying to represent west Kaʻū and Kona, District 3, in the state Senate. Watch the forum at naleo.tv/vod/, with moderator Stacy Higa.

Brenda Ford, who served eight years for County Council District 6, Volcano, Kaʻū into Kona, said she is an excellent researcher, leading to the best ideas. She said she is persistent in achieving goals and bringing projects to fruition, “to get things done.” She said she is a protector of people, and has extensive leadership ability. She is a former union steward and helped with many Kona capital improvement projects when serving on the Council. Ford said an important achievement was going to the state Supreme Court during her third council term to ensure voting districts are not gerrymandered. Hawaiʻi County became the only county where redistricting is codified.

Candidate Brenda Ford, in the Nāʻālehu Independence Day parade. Photo by Geneveve Fyvie

Current Kona County Council member for District 7, Dru Kanuha, said he is a good collaborator, who works “together, to get things done.” He noted his upbringing in Kona, his ability to work with his colleagues there and in Hilo, and with the Mayor. He spoke of his ability to function as one island, one county, to get projects “desperately needed for our community” done. He said building relationships and helping to grow as a community are the most important traits he brings to the table, and that working with all state legislators as a whole community is important. He serves as the chair for the Committee of Governmental Relations and Economic Development, and President of Hawaiʻi State Association of Counties. Kanuha said he has worked on keiki health and raising the tobacco age, making Hawai`i the first county in the state to raise the age to 21.

When the candidates were asked what committees in the state Senate they would most like to serve, Kanuha said he would like to chair the health or education committee. He vowed to work toward construction of a new hospital in Kona and for more telehealth medicine. He said both the kupuna and new generation need more access to health care.

Ford said she would work for a new hospital in Kona, without leaning on taxpayer money. She said it should be a teaching hospital, and offer specialty medicine to reduce the emergency airlifts and air travel to Honolulufor patient treatment by specialists. She said she is already working to bring in University of Washington’s Physicians Assistants Program for training in Hawaiʻi and the entire PacificBasin. She said she would like to see more funding for the West Hawaiʻi keiki dental clinic, which she helped to fund as a County Council member.

Candidate Dru Kanuha, in the Nāʻālehu Independence Day parade. Photo by Geneveve Fyvie

When asked for the biggest issue in the district, Ford said health. She said there are too few doctors, and that Hawaiʻi Island needs a trauma center on island. She also said there should be more support for battered women.

Kanuha said that constituents are calling for more access to healthcare, particularly specialists. He said there is too much travel to Honolulu. He mentioned his dad being airlifted to Honolulufor a heart attack. He said there is a growing community that needs a new hospital.

When asked to identify the biggest issue for the entire island, Kanuha said lack of locally grown food. He said he supports the Kona and Kaʻū coffee industries, but said there needs to be ample land for growing food for the people who live here. He said he advocates for importing far less food and said the community can “take care of ourselves with more food sustainability.”

Dru Kanuha on Decision 2018, running for state Senate.
Image from Na Leo TV

Ford said she agrees with the need for locally grown food and a place to grow it. However, she named her top islandwide issue as affordable housing. “We don't have enough apartments, or condos, or anything else for people to rent and/or buy,” said Ford. She quoted prices in her area of “$1,000 a month for one room rented in somebody’s home.” She said if developers can't produce affordable housing, then the state and county will have to become involved. She also mentioned rent control, and that vacation rentals can displace affordable housing.

When asked about the biggest issue facing the state, Ford said the operation of the state Department of Education. She pointed to the loss of teachers and the hiring of unqualified teachers.
She said more teachers are needed, their salaries raised.
She said the state charges a high price to ride school buses and some families who have many children save money by sending them on the free HeleOn county buses. She said there too few county buses and they often break down. “We need to do something about the Department of Education using the county funds to subsidize their transportation system.”

Kanuha named affordable housing as the most critical statewide issue. “I have seen a lot of my friends… not being able to buy a place… So they moved to the mainland.” He said that the minimum wage does not match up with any actual affordable housing. “This doesn’t make sense to me.”

Brenda Ford on Decision 2018, running for state Senate.
Image from Na Leo TV

When asked about homelessness, Kanuha called it a “Big Issue.” He said it is like housing. Roofs are needed over homeless people's heads, with microhousing or tiny homes; off the street, surrounded with social services. The communities, which don’t perceive the homeless numbers going down, need the tools to help solve the problem, he said.

Ford agreed and talked about small villages with a central community and social services. She said there is a need for specialized housing for those distressed mentally. She said that the eruption which displaced many people with homes has disrupted some of the activities towards helping the chronically homeless. She talked about the present Kona hospital, which she hopes to replace with a new hospital in a different location, which could be repurposed to help those with mental and physical issues who are homeless.

Read more of the candidates' answers on a variety of topics, such as emergency preparedness, the tourism board, and higher education, in Monday’s Kaʻū News Briefs.

To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see Facebook. Follow us on Instagram and Twitter. See our online calendars and our latest print edition at kaucalendar.com.

The active lava lake within Halema‘uma‘u crater, about 3 weeks before magma began to withdraw from beneath
the crater. Behind the plume is the old Overlook parking area, which slumped into the crater by June 21.
USGS photo on April 13 by Lil DeSmither

HOW DOES KĪLAUEA ACTIVITY COMPARE to its own history and history of other volcanoes?
That is the question answered in this week’s Volcano Watch by U.S. Geological Survey’s Hawaiian Volcano Observatory scientists and colleagues:

How does the current activity at Kīlauea caldera stack up against those of other volcanoes worldwide?

We are currently witnessing extraordinary events at the summit of Kīlauea Volcano. For weeks, the summit has subsided both in a continuous fashion, and in incremental and jolting drops. As Kīlauea is being reshaped before our eyes, how does the current activity compare to similar collapses at other volcanoes in the world, or even to previous collapses at Kīlauea?

The word “caldera” tends to conjure an image of a huge crater that was the product of a voluminous eruption, like Crater Lake, Oregon or Yellowstone, Wyoming. Indeed, those are calderas; they formed when large explosions emptied subsurface magma chambers, causing the overlying surface to collapse. But calderas can also form without large explosions.

Calderas are common features on shield volcanoes, like Kīlauea and Mauna Loa, and they are not usually associated with large explosive eruptions. Instead, they form when magma drains from beneath the volcano, perhaps to feed some distant intrusion or eruption on the volcano’s outer flank – exactly what is happening at Kīlauea’s lower East Rift Zone. There have actually been a few collapse events at volcanoes around the world in the past few decades.

Piton de la Fournaise volcano, on RéunionIslandin the Indian Ocean, is similar to Kīlaueain many respects: it is a hotspot volcano that erupts frequently from its summit and rift zones. In 2007, a major (for that volcano) flank eruption occurred, and within a week the summit began to subside. Over the course of just a few days, an area about 1 km (0.6 mi) across dropped by more than 300 m (~1000 feet). Seismicity indicates that the crater floor dropped in a series of down-dropping events, rather than all at once.

Collapse was also observed at Miyakejima volcano, in Japan. In 2000, magma left the volcano’s summit reservoir, intruded beneath the submarine flank of the volcano. About two weeks after the intrusion started, the summit crater began to deepen in a series of step-like events accompanied by seismic events, much like what is happening today at Kīlauea. Over the course of over a month, a section of the volcano’s crater about 1.6 km (1 mi) across dropped by 450 m (~1500 ft). The collapse was accompanied by a few explosions, some of which dusted areas of the island with ash and produced cold pyroclastic surges.

As magma in a shallow reservoir beneath the summit drains into the East Rift Zone, the ground above it sags,
cracks, and subsides. Halema‘uma‘u crater has dropped about 400 m (1,300 ft) between early May and late June,
and the diameter of Halema‘uma‘u has doubled. USGS photo on June 18 by Kyle Anderson

The 1968 eruption of Fernandina volcano, in the Galápagos, provides another example of caldera formation. Over the course of about a week, the 4 km x 6.5 km (2.5 mi x 4 mi) caldera dropped in places by 300 m (almost 1,000 ft). It is thought that a submarine eruption or intrusion must have preceded the collapse. Importantly, and unlike Piton de la Fournaise and Miyakejima, significant explosive activity accompanied the collapse of Fernandina’s caldera, sweeping the summit area and parts of the volcano’s flanks with pyroclastic surges.

Earlier calderas have formed and filled at Kīlauea’s summit. We know of at least two such cycles. One started about 2,200 years ago, before any humans were on the island to observe the activity. After that caldera was subsequently filled with lava flows, a new one formed sometime between the years 1470 and 1510 CE. That caldera-forming event may have made its way into Hawaiian mythology as part of the Pele and Hiʻiaka saga (see previous Volcano Watch article, volcanoes.usgs.gov/observatories/hvo/hvo_volcano_watch.html?vwid=566).

This later collapse “lost” a volume of about 5 cubic kilometers (1.2 cubic miles), about 4 times that of Fernandina’s 1968 collapse, and 10 times what we have observed so far at Kīlauea. The caldera floor might have been at least 600 m (almost 2,000 ft) deep when the collapse stopped. We know that formation of this caldera was not accompanied by a major explosion, but it was followed by three centuries of repeated explosive activity.

For more information about the current activity and hazard at and around the summit of Kīlauea, see this report: Volcanic Hazard at the Summit of Kīlauea, June 29, 2018 Update (volcanoes.usgs.gov/vsc/file_mngr/file-184/Summit%20scenarios_7-5-18.pdf). For status updates on volcanic activity, visit the USGS–Hawaiian Volcano Observatory webpage at volcanoes.usgs.gov/volcanoes/kilauea/status.html. Subscribe to the Volcano Notification Service to receive emails about volcanic activity, at volcanoes.usgs.gov/vns2/. Webcam images: volcanoes.usgs.gov/volcanoes/kilauea/multimedia_webcams.html. View live streaming of summit activity at youtu.be/JlP-8JiKOS8.

To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see Facebook. Follow us on Instagram and Twitter. See our online calendars and our latest print edition at kaucalendar.com.

Keiki enjoy painting rainbows after a science lesson about
light and color at a Ka‘ū Homeschool Co-op Group
meeting. Photo by Candace Hendricks

NEW MEMBERS INVITED TO KA‘Ū PARENT-LED HOMESCHOOL ACTIVITY GROUP. Ka‘ū Homeschool Co-op Group, a parent-led homeschool activity and social group set on building community in Ka‘ū, is open to keiki of all ages and their parents who homeschool in the district. The group meets at 1 p.m. every other Monday at Ocean View Community Center, with upcoming sessions on July 16 and 30. On occasion, the group will change the meeting location to take a field trip, or to go to one of the many public beaches on island - including beaches in Ka’ū - as a group.

Founder Laura Roberts said the idea for the group came about after homeschooling her four children in Ocean View for two years and seeing a “huge need for social activities for homeschooled kids.”
The group is free to join, and sessions are free to attend; however, participating families are asked to commit to leading one session every 6-8 months - providing needed materials - with the freedom to select their own topic. Past sessions have included various art projects, hands-on science lessons, and sports skills. Future sessions planned include gardening, cooking, homemade value-added produce, and more. Roberts says parents are welcome to lead a class on “art, games, food, story time… any kind of activity that the kids will enjoy and perhaps learn something. July events will probably be outings due to summer.
“We would love to see people come in from the community - who might not have homeschooled children - who would like to share as well. Such as, someone who does woodworking could come in and do a demonstration,” Roberts added.

Interested families are encouraged to contact Roberts in advance to confirm the meeting location. All events are alcohol and drug free. For more, call 406-249-3351 or dreamoutloud@mail.com. See South Hawaiʻi (Big Island) Homeschool Hui on Facebook.

To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see Facebook. Follow us on Instagram and Twitter. See our online calendars and our latest print edition at kaucalendar.com.

Photo by Jack Jeffrey, from volcanoartcenter.org

PHOTOGRAPHER AND BIOLOGIST JACK JEFFREY shares his experiences on The Joy and Challenges of Native Bird Photography in Hawai‘i on Thursday, July 19, from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m., at Volcano Art Center’s Ni‘aulani Campus in Volcano Village.

“Many of Hawai‘i’s native forest birds are seldom seen and rarely photographed. Often found only at higher elevations in remote rain forests, many of these birds are critically endangered, some having only a few hundred individuals remaining in the wild. In their rainforest habitats, the weather is often rainy, foggy, cold, and wet, extreme conditions prevail, not good for photographers or their camera equipment. These primeval forests are often only accessible by helicopter or by hiking many hours along muddy slopes and trails,” says the event description on volcanoartcenter.org. In this presentation, Jeffrey brings his experiences, challenges, and joys of photographing Hawai‘i’s native forest birds with stories and photos of these elusive native forest birds in their native habitats.

Photo by Jack Jeffrey,
from volcanoartcenter.org

Jeffrey, a longtime resident of Hawai‘i Island, is “intimately familiar with Hawai‘i’s hidden valleys and remote rainforests.” He brings to his photographs the knowledge of 40 years of observation and study of Hawai‘i’s endemic birds. “Combined with a naturalist’s curiosity, a photographer’s patience and technical skill, Jack captures the spirit of Hawai‘i’s rare forest birds, plants and other natural treasures in his wonderful photographic images.” He is the recipient of the following awards: 2002 Ansel Adams Award for Nature Photography; 2006 The Nature Conservancy of Hawai‘i; and Kako‘o ‘Āina Award for Conservation Photography. Jeffrey has also co-authored three books on Hawai‘i’s birds. His bird and natural history photographs have been featured in numerous worldwide publications.
As part of Thursday Night at the Center, this event is free; although, a $5 donation to Volcano Art Center is suggested. For more information, call 967-8222 or visit volcanoartcenter.org. The once-a-month Thursday night events at Volcano Art Center focus on art, Hawaiian culture, and the environment. The series is intended to inspire and enhance appreciation of art and life experience, while fostering community connections.

See public Ka‘ū events, meetings, entertainment.

See Ka‘ū exercise, meditation, daily, and weekly events.

Print edition of The Ka‘ū Calendar is free to 5,500 mailboxes

throughout Ka‘ū, from Miloli‘i through Volcano, and free on

stands throughout the district. Read online at kaucalendar.com
and facebook.com/kaucalendar.

To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see Facebook. Follow us on Instagram and Twitter. See our online calendars and our latest print edition at kaucalendar.com.

MONDAY, JULY 9

Richard Creagan Talk Story, Mon, July 9, 6-9pm, Ocean View Community Center. Current State Representative for District 5 and candidate. He is a Ka‘ū resident, farmer, and a physician. 939-7033

TUESDAY, JULY 10

THURSDAY, JULY 12

Story Time with Auntie Linda from Tūtū and Me, Thu, July 12, 10:30-noon, Nā‘ālehu Public Library. 929-8571

FRIDAY, JULY 13

SATURDAY, JULY 14

Pancake Breakfast and Raffle, Sat, July 14, 8-11am, Ocean View Community Center. To volunteer, call 939-7033, ovcahi.org

Kāwā Volunteer Day, Sat, July 14, 9:30am, Kāwā. Sign up with James Akau, Nā Mamo o Kāwā, at namamookawa@gmail.com, jakau@nmok.org, or 561-9111. nmok.org

SUNDAY, JULY 15

Nature and Culture: An Unseverable Relationship, Sun, July 15, 9:30-11:30am, Kahuku Unit of Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park. Moderate guided hike along the Palm Trail, approx. 2 miles. Learn about native plants that play a vital role in Hawaiian culture, and observe the catastrophic change and restoration of the land as it transitions from the 1868 lava flow to deeper soils with more diversity and older flora. Free. nps.gov/HAVO

ONGOING

5th annual Ka‘ū Coffee Trail Run registration open. Race day Sat, Sept 22, 7 a.m.; begins and ends at Ka‘ū Coffee Mill. Register online before Mon, July 9: 5K, $25/person; 10K, $35/person; and 1/2 Marathon, $45/person. From July 9 to Aug 11: $30/person, $40/person, and $45/person, respectively. From Aug 13 to Sept 20: $35/person, $45/person, and $55/person. Race day registration ends Sat, Sept 22, at 6:30 a.m. Event organizers, ‘O Ka‘ū Kākou; start location, Ka‘ū Coffee Mill.

Libraries Rock Summer Reading Program: Hawai‘i State Public Library System, through Saturday, July 14, statewide and online. Register and log reading at librarieshawaii.beanstack.org or at a local library. Free. Reading rewards, activities, and programs for children, teens, and adults. 2018 participants have a chance to win a Roundtrip for four to anywhere Alaska Airlines flies.

Find Your Park, invites Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park. Kamaʻaina and tourist alike are encouraged to experience authentic Hawaiian cultural programs, guided hikes, After Dark events, and more from Ka‘ū to Volcano to Hilo. “While Kīlauea continues to shake the ground and blast ash from its ever-changing summit crater – causing the partial closure of Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park on May 11 – park rangers continue to enlighten and engage visitors from other locations,” says a release from HVNP staff.

Kahuku Unit

In addition to regularly scheduled Guided Hikes and the monthly Coffee Talk, Kahuku Unit has added daily Ranger Talks, and cultural demonstrations and activities on weekends.

Visitor Contact Station hosts Ranger Talks on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday at 10:30 a.m. and 1 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday at 10:30 a.m.

Coffee Talk, in the Visitor Contact Station is held the last Friday of the month, 9:30-11 a.m.

Kahuku events are posted to the park website, nps.gov/havo/planyourvisit/kahuku-hikes.htm.

Volcano Art Center’s Ni‘aulani Campus

You can also find your park rangers in Volcano at the Volcano Art Center’s Ni‘aulani Campus at 19-4074 Old Volcano Rd., in Volcano Village. Rangers are there most days from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. to provide talks and answer questions about the current eruption.

The return of After Dark …near the park at the Volcano Art Center’s Ni‘aulani Campus. TBA

Mokupāpapa Discovery Center

Find you park rangers at Mokupāpapa Discovery Center in downtown Hilo, Monday through Saturday, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Rangers provide daily eruption updates, and at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m., give a talk about all five of Hawai‘i Island’s volcanoes – including Kīlauea. Get your NPS Passport Book stamped. Located at

76 Kamehameha Ave., Hilo

. Please note, the Mokupāpapa Discovery Center will be closed on Wednesday, July 4, in observance of Independence Day.

Grand Naniloa Hotel

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