The Kaʻū Calendar News Briefs, Hawaiʻi Island

South Point is in the Ka`u Scenic Byway Corridor Management Plan. Photo by Peter Anderson

KA`U SCENIC BYWAY received support form both state senators this week. Josh Green, representing West Ka`u, wrote to the Ka`u Chamber of Commerce Scenic Byway committee today, saying, "I like this plan and will be totally supportive." He said that he and Sen. Russell Ruderman can co-sponsor legislation to seek funds. A summary for the Corridor Management Plan, being developed by the committee, says the goal is to "enhance the experience of driving the Byway as it passes through some unique scenery along the western and southern slopes of Mauana Loa. The Byway should 'tell the story' of the drive around the world's highest mountain as measured from the ocean floor, and an active volcano. The Byway is the route between the Manuka Forest Reserve, at the boundary with South Kona, and the main entrance to the Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park. Optionally it offers a side trip along a narrow road to Ka Lae, South Point, the southernmost tip of the 50 states. The Byway passes through areas of unusual natural beauty and some of the longest stretches of untouched landscape anywhere in the state."
The Corridor Management Plan describes 16 sites identified as being of particular interest, "mostly because of scenic or other natural qualities but also including some sites that offer recreational opportunities. A summary of archaeological and historical points of interest along the Byway also includes a listing of some of the more important cultural events in Ka`u District." The main improvements proposed in the CMP are six new turnouts and three kiosks, one in each of the main population centers in the District. "The turnouts will offer new opportunities to pause and appreciate the scenery, and will have interpretive signs that relate the scenery to its geological past, and may include references to historical or cultural events. A kiosk provides local maps and information, telling the traveler what facilities are available locally and in relation to the Byway in general.

Eva Lee will present a program on growing tea in Ka`u for health, beauty and
economic development at Pahala Plantation House on Aug. 18.

"The CMP will include an overall strategy for landscaping that is consistent with the natural beauty and a general strategy for preservation of the attractive attributes of the Byway." Suggestions for improving the safety of the drive along the Byway are also included. The Plan includes proposals for funding the proposed improvements and a timeline for implementation, wrote committee chair Marge Elwell. See more on the Scenic Byway project at http://www.hawaiiscenicbyways.org/index.php/byway/kau-scenic-byway-the-slopes-of-mauna-loa. To comment on this story, go to https://www.facebook.com/kaucalendar.

GROW TEA is a cultivation and production program with educator and tea farmer Eva Lee of Tea Hawaii & Company. It will be held Sunday, Aug. 18 from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. at Pahala Plantation House. The program is for prospective tea farmers on Hawai`i Island interested in growing the Specialty crop Camellia sinensis tea producing white, green, oolong and black tea. The purpose is too help individuals and small family farms make greater strides in community production. The program is sponsored by The Kohala Center and funded in part by the U.S.Department of Agriculture Co-op Support program. To sign up, call Julia Neal at 928-9811. See more on Eva Lee at www.teahawaii.com.

A WASTE TO ENERGY PLANT that would take care of garbage collected by the county and produce electricity for the county to sell to Hawai`i Electric Light Co. is being studied by the administration and County Council. Ka`u's County Council member Brenda Ford said today that the county considered such a plant years ago, but in the end, the proposal failed with the majority of council members and Ford voting it down.
Ford contended that "It didn't pencil out with a $120 million cost," for which the county would have had to issue a bond. She said the company proposing waste to energy started with a $60 million price tag that escalated to $120 million.

Ka`u's County Council member
Brenda Ford

"It was ludicrous and we didn't know what price HELCO would pay us per killowatt hour" and how the county could make back the money. She said that the county administration, at that time, estimated that HELCO would offer to pay the county 28 cents to 33 cents per kilowatt hour but that HELCO executive Jay Ignacio told the council that he would lose his job if he were to promise a contract at that price. "He reports to shareholders not the council," Ford said. "We weren't going to get the kind of the money we had been told."
Ford also explained that the county would have to come up with an average of approximately 220 tons of combustibles per day to feed the waste to energy plant "or we would be fined by that company. At the time we were collecting less than 500 tons of total garbage per day islandwide. Of that amount 60 percent was green waste. With green waste going to composting and mulching, we would have been able to provide only 200 tons of waste a day, with only part of it being combustible," she explained.
Ford said she hopes the council and county will consider some of the newer, innovative waste to energy proposals for which a contracting company would build the infrastructure at no cost to local government. She said that at least one entity promised to charge the county no money to build a Materials Recovery Facility and would use the Hilo sort station, pay union wages and by the end of the second year start mining the Hilo landfill for combustibles and other materials. "We need to take down the Hilo landfill. It is an unlined landfill that is leaching into the ocean and God knows what's in it and what went in it 60 years ago," said Ford.

Regarding concerns that Hawai`i County could become a guinea pig for experimental methods to deal with trash, Ford said, "If we can be a guinea pig for free and it works, we could possibly have a scalable solution that could be replicated in different parts of the island." She said that a Materials Recovery Facility, which is only one possibility, could separate out the green waste, ferrous and non ferrous metals, combustiles like paper and cardboard, plastics and glass. "Some of the combustibles would be used to generate energy to run the plant." She said such a system, funded by an outside contractor could have a bond or insurance that would require the chosen company to take down the plant should it fail. "We have a big problem out here in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. Barging the garbage to somewhere else would not be financially conducive to the taxpayer," said Ford.
She called for open discussions and said she hopes the county launches requests for information first, then requests for proposals second. She said the solid waste solution may require multiple methods. "There is no silver bullet. We should not force the solution into one type of technology." More than one technology from more than one provider may be able to solve the problems with solid waste, said the council member. She talked about multiple locations. "We don't want green waste going from one side of the island to the other, the transportation leading to invasive species falling off the trucks - like coqui, fire ants and stinging nettle caterpillar. We are trying not to spread these pests around the island." To comment on this story, go to https://www.facebook.com/kaucalendar.

A 3.3 EARTHQUAKE ON THURSDAY at 8:42 p.m. was followed by three more small quakes overnight and today in the same area. The epicenter of the larger quake was 7 miles north of Pahala, mauka of Hwy 11 on Kapapala Ranch at a depth of 8.2 miles. The temblors that followed measured 2.3, 2.6 and 2.8 on the richter scale. No damage nor injuries were reported. To comment on this story, go to https://www.facebook.com/kaucalendar.

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

Ka`u High School had enough players to field a team last year, but not enough for the upcoming season.
Photo from Ka`u High School

KA`U HIGH’S FALL FOOTBALL SEASON IS CANCELLED. Players held their final pre-season practice and workout on Friday and Athletic Director Kalei Namohala announced that the Trojans will not field a team this year due to low player turnout. Namohala said there must be 32 players to field a team, and only a dozen signed up. She had set Aug. 5 as a deadline for signups but decided to cancel earlier, concluding that it would be unlikely that enough students would sign up even after school starts next week.

Kalei Namohala

Families of prospective team members said they were saddened by the news, which dashed some of the ambitious varsity football players' hopes for football scholarships to help carry them to college. The cancellation apparently means that there will be no Ka`u varsity football for at least two years. Many players have been working out for months to get in shape for this season. At this late date it would be impossible for any of them to transfer to other schools where they could play football.

Greg Rush, who has coached Ka`u football in the past and was to be an assistant coach this year, said he was disappointed that Ka`u won’t be able to participate in Big Island Interscholastic Federation’s football program. He said it has happened in the past, and he looks forward to football returning to the school in the future.

Rush said he has been advocating for eight-man football for smaller Hawai`i Island schools for several years. Instead of requiring 32 players to field a team, only about 20 would be required, Rush said. He also said smaller, leaner players, like most of Ka`u’s players, do well in the games, which don’t involve as much tackling.
Rush suggested that schools where smaller teams would be appropriate may also include Kohala, Pahoa, St. Joseph’s and Laupahoehoe. Rush said Maui has eight-man football teams and that if the Big Island had some, “O`ahu would probably follow.” This could set up a program to include state tournaments. “You shouldn’t even compete in a sport where you don’t have a chance to go to states,” Rush said.
Rush said he has discussed eight-man football with Namohala and that she seemed interested in considering it. Kohala also dropped out of football for the coming season.
To comment on this story, go to https://www.facebook.com/kaucalendar.

Pahala's new sewage treatment plant may be sited below town and mauka of HELCO's new electric station along Hwy 11.
Photo by Julia Neal

SITING FOR THE NEW PAHALA SEWAGE TREATMENT PLANT is ongoing, with archaeologists combing over one suggested parcel near Hwy 11 just above the HELCO substation. The five-acre parcel is a section of the old sugar mill site and adjacent to the land that includes the Chinese, Filipino and Japanese cemeteries along with new plantings of Ka`u coffee lining the highway. The proposed parcel for the sewage treatment plant is shown on old plantation maps to include an area designated as a U.S. Army Graveyard.

Archaeologists are collecting oral histories and maps showing a parcel being
considered for Pahala's new sewage treatment plant. This old plantation map
shows a U.S. Army Graveyard designated for the site.

Cultural resources consultants working on the history of the site are asking if anyone remembers the Army Cemetery site being used for graves. The archaeologists are also looking for old lava tubes, structures and oral histories of the property. The land was used for years as pasture by Gus Villanueva, Mike Silva and other paniolo. Anyone with more information can call archaeologist Roland B. Reeve of the consulting firm Pacific Legacy at 351-9560.

This proposed sewage treatment plant site is below the town and would not require pumping to service homes, businesses, schools and other public buildings in Pahala. The county is planning to construct the sewage treatment plant with government funds and money provided by former sugar company owner C. Brewer, which had operated a gang cesspool for many of the homes in the town. Gang cesspools are outlawed, and the federal Environmental Protection Agency is requiring them to be abandoned.
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U.S. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard

THE U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES has unanimously approved the bipartisan, bicameral Helping Heroes Fly Act (H.R. 1344), introduced by Ka`u’s Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, a member of the House Committee on Homeland Security, as her first piece of legislation in the House in March. The bill has been submitted to President Obama for his signature.

The measure improves airport security screening processes for wounded and severely disabled service members and veterans.
“The passage of this bill today will improve the lives of those who have served our country so bravely,” Gabbard said. “This has been a strong bipartisan effort, where Republicans and Democrats in the House and Senate came together with unwavering and unanimous support for our wounded warriors and the Helping Heroes Fly Act. This is an example of what can be accomplished when we set aside differences and work together for the good of our nation.”
Gabbard introduced the legislation after hearing from advocates of members of the Armed Forces and veterans themselves about inconsistencies in the screening of wounded warriors by the Transportation Security Administration. Some gave accounts of having to remove clothing and prosthetics in view of other passengers or having to awkwardly go through screening machines without the benefit of a prosthetic leg or limb.
The Helping Heroes Fly Act has been endorsed by the American Legion, Disabled Veterans of American, Paralyzed Veterans of America, the Wounded Warrior Project and the American Federation of Government Employees.
To comment on this story, go to https://www.facebook.com/kaucalendar.

Hawai`i's Energy Office has updated its website, energy.hawaii.gov.

THE DEPARTMENT OF BUSINESS, ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND TOURISM’S Hawai`i state Energy Office has launched an improved website (energy.hawaii.gov) along with new accounts for Twitter (@EnergyHawaiiGov) and Facebook (facebook.com/Hawaii-StateEnergyOffice).

“In recent years, the state Energy Office has produced and provided an abundance of online resources and self-help tools,” DBEDT director Richard Lim said. “The revamped website is designed to help potential investors, developers, stakeholders and policy makers and the public easily navigate and locate key information on Hawai`i’s clean energy portfolio.”
With the URL remaining at energy.hawaii.gov, the upgraded website features improved site navigation of the Hawai`i State Energy Office’s top programs, including GEMS (Green Energy Market Securitization), Energy Savings Performance Contracting in the Efficiency section and Project Permitting Assistance.
Users will also be able to access the online suite of self-help tools such as the Renewable EnerGIS Map for analyzing the renewable energy potential of sites statewide and the Renewable Energy Permitting Wizard that helps proposed projects understand the various required permits.

Information about financing green energy improvements
is available at energy.hawaii.gov.

“Our intent is for the energy industry, media and community to view the updated energy.hawaii.gov website as their primary resource for Hawai`i-focused clean energy solutions and opportunities,” state energy administrator Mark Glick said. “It’s a great way to stay connected with what’s happening in Hawai`i’s fast-moving clean energy landscape.”
“As demonstrated by the state Energy Office’s site, the state’s online transformation will provide increased transparency and a better flow of information for the public,” state chief information officer Sonny Bhagowalia said.

“This builds on the website modernization project completed earlier this year that included the redesign of all state department websites. Over the next six months, all state-attached agency websites will be redesigned to this new format.”
To comment on this story, go to https://www.facebook.com/kaucalendar.

FOOTSTEPS THROUGH THE RAIN FOREST EXHIBIT opens today from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. This is a mixed media exhibition featuring selected works of paintings, clay, jewelry, wood, fiber & cement from members of the Paradise Studio Tour Artist Collective. It is open to the public at Volcano Art Center's Rainforest Gallery at Niaulani Campus. 9 a.m. - 4 p.m. daily at 19-4074 Old Volcano Rd. in Volcano Village. In conjunction with Volcano Art Center's Annual Rain Forest Runs registration on August 16 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., artists will conduct hands on art projects and demonstrations including painting on silk, prayer flag making and clay stamp making. For more information call 967-8222 or visit www.volcanoartcenter.org.

OCEAN VIEW EVANGELICAL CHURCH’s first community ho`olaule`a is two weeks from today on Saturday, Aug. 17 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The lu`au will include lomi lomi salmon, chicken and long rice, kalua pig and beverages.
Organizer Mary Wheeler is asking for monetary donations and door prizes. “We will help meet community needs, while getting the opportunity to serve,” she said. For more information and to donate, call 990-3480.

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

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

PUBLIC NOTICES & ANNOUNCEMENTS

Candace Keohuloa, of Pahala, was the Big Island 2013 Children's Summer Reading Program grand-prize winner. Manager Debbie Wong Yuen presented her with a backpack filled with school supplies.

PAHALA PUBLIC & SCHOOL LIBRARY Summer Reading Program had 77 children, 18 teens and 12 adults participating. The children enjoyed weekly activities such as planting blue lake bush beans or flower seeds; doing weekly crafts making plant markers; butterfly, ladybug or dragonfly clips; making dinosaur fossils and digging for treasure.

Through the UH-Manoa statewide Culture Extension Program, many sponsors and Friends of the Ka`u Libraries, the library hosted two programs. In Cultures of the World, C.R. Greywolf shared authentic handcrafted weapons, antiques and period costumes.

Ka`u resident Joe Iacuzzo presented programs on the dinosaur mummy
at Ka`u's libraries in July.

New resident to Ka`u, Joe Iacuzzo, who authored the book Last Day of the Dinosaur Mummy, showed his documentary film Secrets of the Dinosaur Mummy and brought a real dinosaur tooth that excited all those in attendance.
Besides the weekly incentive prizes for each age group that were provided by the many sponsors, each library had a drawing for special prizes. Winner of the children’s garden fun gift basket was fourth-grader Kalena Kailiawa. The teen winner of an iPod Shuffle is Rayncin Salmo-Grace, who will be in the 11th grade.
Third-grader Candace Keohuloa, of Pahala, was the Big Island 2013 Children’s SRP grand-prize winner of a Disney Minnie Mouse backpack filled with school supplies valued at over $50, provided by Price Busters on O`ahu.
Other activities and services Pahala Public & School Library provides are free Friday movie matinees at 2 p.m. The library also has four desktop and twenty-one laptops that can be used free with a Hawaii State Public Library card. The library also provides free Wi-Fi connection during normal business hours. Basic computer classes are in the future plans.
Hawai`i State Public Library System offers many other free services and programs throughout the year. To find out more, see librarieshawaii.org or call manager Debbie Wong Yuen at 928-2015.

HAWAI`I ELECTRIC LIGHT COMPANY HAS BEEN INFORMED of a telephone scam that may affect business customers on Hawai`i Island. Customers reported receiving telephone calls from a caller who claimed to be a HELCO representative. The customers were directed to pay their utility bill at a store using a service called Money Pak. The caller also directed the customers to not make payments at the utility’s customer service office.

HELCO encourages customers to call its customer service office if they receive a suspicious call from someone claiming to represent the company.
Payment options are by U.S. mail; in person at the company’s Hilo, Kona or Waimea business offices; in person at Foodland, Sack N Save, Wal-Mart, Kmart, or First Hawaiian Bank; charge, debit card or electronic check by calling a toll-free number.
Employees will not call and request a credit card number or direct customers to submit payment via other options. Details are available on the back of billing statements.
For safety and protection, HELCO encourages customers to:

Never provide personal, confidential or financial information to an unidentified caller.
Be cautious when responding to callers from an unidentified phone number. Phone scammers want to remain anonymous.
Ask questions: request the caller’s name, company name, and phone number. If in doubt, call Hawai`i Electric Light’s customer service office to confirm the caller’s request.
Report any suspicious activity to local police.

Learn more at HELCO customer service in Hilo (969-6999), Kona (329-3584) or Waimea (885-4605) or at hawaiielectriclight.com.

HCC ag professor Chris Jacobsen

KA`U RESIDENTS CAN EARN CERTIFICATES in landscaping, agbusiness and marketing from Hawai`i Community College, which starts offering non-credit agriculture classes this week.

“These courses are an excellent and inexpensive way for people to expand their agricultural knowledge and skills in a short amount of time,” agriculture professor Chris Jacobsen told Pacific Business News intern Landess Kearns.
The landscaping class, for instance, takes place over four days and meets for five-and-a-half hours per day. Students receive either a certificate of participation or a certificate of professional development. Fees range from $39 to $100.
For more information, call HCC at 934-2500.

HAWAI`I COUNTY COUNCIL HOLDS MEETINGS this week. Committees meet Tuesday, with Finance Committee beginning at 9 a.m. and Planning at 10:30 a.m.
Public Safety and Mass Transit Committee reconvenes at 1:30 p.m. to consider a proposed ban on GMOs. This is a continuation of the special meeting held July 2 and 3. It was originally scheduled to continue on July 30, but was postponed due to Tropical Storm Flossie.
The full Council meets Wedneday at 9 a.m.
All meetings take place at Council Chambers in Hilo. Ka`u residents are invited to participate via videoconferencing from Ocean View Community Center.
Agendas for all meetings are available at hawaiicounty.gov.

DURING A WALK INTO THE PAST, Ka`u resident Dick Hershberger brings Hawaiian Volcano Observatory founder Thomas Jaggar to life. The programs take place this Tuesday and every other Tuesday at 10 a.m., 12 p.m. and 2 p.m. at Kilauea Visitor Center and Whitney Vault in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park.

REGISTRATION IS STILL AVAILABLE for Volcano Art Center’s fourth annual Rain Forest Runs set for Saturday, Aug. 17. The half marathon, 10K run and 5K run/walk are held in Volcano Village. This event traverses the native rain forest in Volcano Village and the ranches near Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park. All distances are open to runners and walkers of all ages and abilities.

Entry fees are $85 for the half marathon, $50 for the 10K run and $35 for the 5K run/walk.
Volcano Art Center presents art awards donated by local artists to the top three male and female winners of the half marathon, to the overall winners for the 10K and 5K and to the top two male and female winners in each ten-year age division for all race events. In addition, medals are presented to half marathon finishers and to the top male and female winners of the military division for each race.
More information and registration forms are available at volcanoartcenter.org/rain-forest-runs.

Cheryl Gansecki guides a hike in the Ka`u
Desert next Sunday.

FRIENDS OF HAWAI`I VOLCANOES NATIONAL PARK presents its monthly Walk in the Park next Sunday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Volcanologist Cheryl Gansecki guides a four-mile, round-trip hike along Footprints Trail to Mauna Iki in the Ka`u Desert. The hike is free for Friends members, and non-members can join the organization in order to attend. Call 985-7373 or email admin@fhvnp.org.

MEDICINE FOR THE MIND, Buddhist healing meditation for beginners and advanced practitioners, takes place next Sunday from 4 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. Patty Johnson offers the free program at Volcano Art Center’s Ni`aulani Campus in Volcano Village. For more information, call 985-7470.

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

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

PUBLIC NOTICES

Sen. Mazie Hirono has added Kahuku Coastal Property, which includes Road to the Sea, to Ka`u Coast areas to be
studied for possible inclusion in the National Park system. Photo courtesy of Megan Lamson

PRESERVING THE KA`U COAST is getting more attention at the federal level. Sen. Mazie Hirono is introducing the Ka`u Coast Preservation Act of 2013, directing the National Park Service to assess the feasibility of designating certain coastal lands on the Ka`u Coast as units of the National Park System.

Hirono’s bill follows last week’s Senate hearing of the Pacific Islands Parks Act, introduced by Sen. Brian Schatz, which also calls for completion of feasibility studies for the Ka`u Coast as well as two other sites in Hawai`i.

Parcels identified as Sands of South Kona and Nani Kahuka `Aina are on
Hirono's list of areas to study for preservation.

The National Park Service conducted a reconnaissance survey in 2006 that made a preliminary assessment of whether the Ka`u Coast would meet the National Park Service’s demanding criteria as a resource of national significance. The reconnaissance survey found that “based upon the significance of the resources in the study area and the current integrity and intact condition of these resources, a preliminary finding of national significance and suitability can be concluded.” The report goes on to recommend that Congress proceed with a full resource study of the area.
Hirono said in a statement: “Since the time of the initial reconnaissance report and my introduction of this Act in previous Congresses, two additional properties in Ka`u that deserve evaluation have come to my attention: the Kahuku Coastal Property (also known as Sands of South Kona and Road to the Sea) and the Nani Kahuku `Aina property adjacent to Pohue Bay. I have added these areas to the study area for the full resource study.

Hirono described the Ka`u Coast as "still
largely unspoiled."

Hirono described the Ka`u Coast as “still largely unspoiled. The study area contains significant natural, geological, and archaeological features. The northern part of the study area is adjacent to Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park and contains a number of noteworthy geological features, including an ancient lava tube known as the Great Crack, which the National Park Service has expressed interest in acquiring in the past.
“The study area includes both black and green sand beaches as well as a significant number of endangered and threatened species, most notably the endangered hawksbill turtle (at least half of the Hawaiian population of this rare sea turtle nests within the study area), the threatened green sea turtle, the highly endangered Hawaiian monk seal, the endangered Hawaiian hawk, the endangered Hawaiian bat, native bees, the endangered and very rare Hawaiian orange-black damselfly (the largest population in the state), and a number of native birds. Humpback whales and spinner dolphins also frequent the area. The Ka`u Coast also boasts some of the best remaining examples of native coastal vegetation in Hawai`i.
“The archaeological resources related to ancient Hawaiian settlements within the study area are also very impressive. These include dwelling complexes, heiau (religious shrines), walls, fishing and canoe houses or sheds, burial sites, petroglyphs, water and salt collection sites, caves, and trails. The Ala Kahakai National Historic Trail runs through the study area.

“The Ka`u Coast is a truly remarkable area: its combination of natural, archaeological, cultural and recreational resources, as well as its spectacular viewscapes, are an important part of Hawai`i’s and our nation’s natural and cultural heritage.

Hirono included the threatened green sea turtle as a resource making the
Ka`u Coast "a truly remarkable area."

“As this process evolves, the successful preservation of this pristine land will depend on the federal government working closely with local stakeholders, seeking their input and collaborating with them to address concerns as they arise. I encourage the National Park Service to continue working with all involved to ensure this coastline is preserved for decades to come.
“I believe a full feasibility study, which was recommended in the reconnaissance survey, will confirm that the area meets the National Park Service’s high standards as an area of national significance,” Hirono concluded.
To comment on this story, go to https://www.facebook.com/kaucalendar.
HAWAIIAN RANCHOS ROAD MAINTENANCE CORP. is appealing a decision granting a permit for Ocean View Swap Meet to change locations and increase its size, according to a story in Hawai`i Tribune-Herald.
The story stated that Ocean View Partners, LLC filed for a new special permit in March for the swap meet, and that, because former Planning director Bobby Jean Leithead Todd did not act on the application within 30 days, it was automatically approved.
According to the story, Ranchos residents are concerned about the “chaotic parking problems created by the event.” Ranchos resident Galen Lutz told reporter Erin Miller that when the swap meet moved to a vacant lot fronting Prince Kuhio Boulevard, attendees began parking on the road’s wide, paved shoulders. “That’s tearing up the shoulders and creating a safety hazard,” he said. “Since they park all along the roadway, you can hardly see to get through there. There are children darting out between the cars. We’re concerned it’s not if (someone will get hurt), it’s when.”
The county Board of Appeals will hear the appeal Friday at 10 a.m. at West Hawai`i Civic Center.
See more at hawaiitribune-herald.com.
To comment on this story, go to https://www.facebook.com/kaucalendar.

A KA`U HIGH FOOTBALL MEETING will be held tonight at the band room on the campus at 6 p.m. to explain to parents and other community members the cancellation of the 2013 season. Parents who plan to attend the meeting said they have such questions as, “Why didn’t the school wait until school started when more students are back from vacation and working, giving an opportunity to recruit more players?” According to team mom Rachel Velez, 18 students came daily to practice for about three months, and coaches were driving the players two and from places like Ocean View so they could practice. Last Friday, she said, there were 28 students on the field, and three more were away at funerals, “so we did have enough players.” She said that 18 of the prospective players were inexperienced but prepared to learn. One student had played at Honoka`a and just transferred to Ka`u and “now no more football.”
To comment on this story, go to https://www.facebook.com/kaucalendar.

AIKIDO IS A FREE CLASS open to the public this evening at Pahala Community Center at 7 p.m. Teacher Alan Moores describes Aikido as learning to defend oneself without hurting others.
Classes also take place Wednesday. Contact Moores at 928-0919 or at artbyalan2011@gmail.com.

Ocean View Community Center provides videoconferencing for Hawai`i
County government meetings tomorrow and Wednesday.

KA`U RESIDENTS ARE INVITED TO PARTICIPATE in this week’s Hawai`i County government meetings via videoconferencing from Ocean View Community Center. Committees meet tomorrow, with Finance Committee beginning at 9 a.m., Planning at 10:30 a.m. and Public Safety and Mass Transit Committee at 1:30 p.m.

The full Council meets Wednesday at 9 a.m.
All meetings take place at Council Chambers in Hilo.
Agendas for all meetings are available at hawaiicounty.gov.

A Walk into the Past features Ka`u resident
Dick Hershberger portraying Thomas Jaggar.
Photo from KDEN

KA`U RESIDENT DICK HERSHBERGER brings Hawaiian Volcano Observatory founder Thomas Jaggar to life during A Walk into the Past tomorrow and every other Tuesday at 10 a.m., 12 p.m. and 2 p.m. The programs take place at Kilauea Visitor Center and Whitney Vault in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park.

VOLCANO ART CENTER’S NI`AULANI CAMPUS in Volcano Village holds Tea for Tuesdays tomorrow and every Tuesday at 2 p.m. JoAnn Aguirre, tea educator and member of Hawai`i Tea Society, offers an hour of tea talk, a scone and a cuppa. The free program is part of VAC’s 2013 Volcano Tea Series. Donations are accepted. Call 967-8222 or see teachingtea.com.

EVA LEE, OF TEA HAWAI`I & CO., offers a tea cultivation and production program Sunday, Aug. 18 from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. at Pahala Plantation House. The program is for prospective tea growers on Hawai`i Island interested in growing the specialty crop Camellia sinensis tea, producing white, green, oolong and black tea. The purpose is too help individuals and small family farms make greater strides in community production. The program is sponsored by The Kohala Center and funded in part by the U.S.Department of Agriculture Co-op Support program. To sign up, call Julia Neal at 928-9811. See more on Eva Lee at www.teahawaii.com.

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

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

PUBLIC NOTICES

Dolly Ceaser has kept the crosswalk safe for students for years near the entrance to Ka`u High & Pahala Elementary
School campus. Photo by Julia Neal

THE FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL IN PAHALA brought students to the campus with 155 attending elementary, 131 attending middle school and 255 attending high school. The number of children in each grade varies wildly, with the most in tenth grade and the least in second grade. Here are the numbers: preschool 17, kindergarten 25, first grade 22, second 12, third 21, fourth 22, fifth 19, sixth 17, seventh 71, eighth 60, ninth 68, tenth 73, eleventh 60 and twelfth 53. There is one ungraded student in special education.

The staff for the school, including 52 teachers, administrators, counselors, assistants, paid coaches, maintenance, cafeteria and other workers totals about 75. The principal is Sharon Beck, and vice principal is Stacey Bello.
Look for statistics from Na`alehu School in tomorrows Ka`u News Briefs.

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Trojan athletic director Kalei Namohala explains options to the regular
football season, which has been cancelled. Photo by Julia Neal

THERE IS STILL HOPE FOR FOOTBALL PLAYERS at Ka`u High this year even though the regular Big Island Interscholastic Federation play for the 2013 fall season has been cancelled. During a meeting last night for players, parents and the community, athletic director Kalei Namohala said that by Wednesday, Kea`au High School will decide whether to allow Ka`u players to join their team, and Ka`u players can decide whether to accept. If they do, they would have to travel to and from Kea`au on practice days and for games.

Trojan freshmen and sophomores would be on the Kea`au junior varsity team, and the Trojan juniors and seniors would play varsity. Whether they play or sit on the bench would depend on individual skills as compared with those of Kea`au team members.

Trojan football players may be able to join the Kea`au High School
football team or form their own eight-man team. Photo by Julia Neal

The others option: by Friday, Ka`u players will decide whether to play eight-man football for which Maui school district has a league. One of the teams in Maui County – Moloka`i – has already agreed to host Ka`u High for a game, Namohala explained. In addition, Kamehameha School and Kealakehe have agreed to field eight-man teams to play Ka`u.
Ka`u dropped out of BIIF play last Friday when it could not come up with the required 30 players. Namohala said she asked for a three-day extension to see if more players would sign up on Monday when school started, but BIIF turned her down. The most to come out for practice this year is 25, she said. The high school has an enrollment of 103 boys.
The athletic director said that eight-man football is good for small schools that find it difficult to field an 11-man team, which needs 30 players to qualify. Eight-man needs 18 players. She presented recent statistics. In 2011, the team started with 35 players and ended up with 24. Last year, Ka`u started with 42 players and ended with 21, forfeiting the last game since there were not enough qualified players – several of them had fallen back in their academics.

Bobby Barba fondly remembers playing six-man
football when he was a young Trojan under
principal Laurence Capellas. Barba later
became head coach. Photo by Julia Neal

One of the problems with too few players is penalties for forfeiting games. The school is fined $100 for each cancelled home game and $1,600 for each away game. The school can’t afford the risk, Namohala said. She also said that injuries can contribute to not having enough players for a game. With some Ka`u High team members playing both defense and offense and many of them being fit and lean athletes rather than very large players, they have a high risk for injury.
The athletic director noted that eight-man football is a faster game with fewer defensive players. It is somewhat like arena football, with a smaller field and could suit the Ka`u team, Namohala said. She said that Ka`u football players are continuing practice until decisions are made.

Team supporters at the meeting said that they would be willing to work on raising money for the eight-man football team to travel to Moloka`i. In the future, such Hawai`i Island schools as Kohala, Pahoa and some of the small private schools could play eight-man football. With a minimum of three teams, the island could have a league and play the winners of a Maui league in a state playoff.
Namohala also cleared up a misconception that if a school drops out of football season, it will have to stay out two years. She said that is an old rule and no longer applies.
Former Ka`u High football coach Bobby Barba said this morning that eight-man football would keep the program going. “I am all for football.” He said that when he was a student he played six-man football under the leadership of former Ka`u High principal Laurence Capellas. The Trojan team traveled the island playing schools like Honoka`a. Barba said it was a great game.

Sen. Josh Green

KA`U HOSPITAL could have some staff cutbacks. Fourteen million dollars in cash is needed to cover statewide shortfalls, said Avery Chumbley, acting CEO of Hawai`i Health Care Systems, which runs Ka`u Hospital and Rural Health Clinic. The money is needed to cover union pay raises recently approved and declining reimbursements.
HHCS representatives met with lawmakers at the state Capitol. Regarding the meeting, Sen. Josh Green, chair of the Senate Committee on Health and former physician at Ka`u Hospital, told Hawai`i News Now, “The hospital system is our emergency safety net. We always knew there would be some need for emergency appropriations on the neighbor islands.”
See more at hawaiinewsnow.com.
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School supplies like notebooks, paper, folders and brain teaser games
were given to students last weekend by Greensands Community
Association. Photo by Karen Wallis

GREENSANDS COMMUNITY ASSOCIATION gave out school supplies last weekend during a successful rummage sale. The organization has regular events, including a Neighborhood Watch meeting the second Monday of the month in Green Sands Park at 4:30 p.m.

KA`U COFFEE FESTIVAL airs on Na Leo O Hawai`i Channel 54 television this month, showing today at 2 p.m.; Thursday, Aug. 8 at 11:30 a.m.; Saturday, Aug. 12 at 3 p.m.; Wednesday, Aug. 14 at 11 a.m.; and Saturday, Aug. 17 at 6 p.m. The 51-minute program was produced by Wendell Kaehuaea, who, along with Bobby Tucker, interviewed and filmed participants and some of the thousands of people who attended.
Ka`u Coffee Festival 2014 will cover ten days, spanning from May 2 through 11. It starts with the Miss Ka`u Coffee Pageant on Friday, May 2 at Ka`u Coffee Mill; Simply Elegant, the third annual Ka`u Farmers Table at the Inn at Kalaekilohana on Saturday, May 3; the Triple C Recipe Contest using Ka`u Coffee at Ka`u Coffee Mill on Sunday, May 4; Ka`u Mountain Hike on Wednesday, May 7 starting at Ka`u Coffee Mill; Coffee & Cattle Day at Aikane Plantation Coffee Farm on Friday, May 9; Stargazing, leaving from Ka`u Coffee Mill on Friday, May 9; the ho`olaulea with free entertainment, coffee tasting, the Coffee Experience and mill and farm tours at Pahala Community Center on Saturday, May 10 and Ka`u Coffee College and farm tours on Sunday, May 11.
For more, see kaucoffeefest.com.
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Amy Gordon, of Waialua, took first
in the female division of the half
marathon at last year's Volcano
Rain Forest Runs. Photo from
Volcano Art Center

VOLCANO RAIN FOREST RUNS’ HALF MARATHON will be the third event in the new Hawai`i Triple Crown Half Marathon series beginning next year.
Kona Marathon announced today that they have partnered with the Big Island International Marathon and the Volcano Rain Forest Runs to create the Hawai`i Triple Crown Half Marathon series.
Starting in 2014, participants who complete the half marathon at each event will achieve Triple Crown status. “Our goal is to provide our runners with the opportunity for a new challenge and for them to have fun doing it at the same time. It is a great way to see the island as an athlete as well as to stay fit and healthy,” said event operations director, David Ranck.
Each participant who completes the series receives a Triple Crown medal, certificate and other prizes to be announced. The award ceremony will take place after they complete the Volcano Rain Forest Run. “We will celebrate their achievements in grand style,” said Sharron Faff, director of both the Kona Marathon and Rain Forest Run.
The 2014 dates for each half marathon events are as follows: Big Island International Half Marathon March 16, Kona Half Marathon June 22 and Volcano Half Marathon August 16. The three half marathon events are scheduled for any trained athlete to run or walk each event. Additional information and registration is available at konamarathon.com.
Registration for this year’s Volcano Rain Forest Runs on Saturday, Aug. 17, is available at rainforestruns.com.
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HAWAI`I COUNTY COUNCIL MEETS tomorrow at 9 a.m. at Council Chambers in Hilo. Ka`u residents can participate via videoconferencing from Ocean View Community Center.
Agenda is available at hawaiicounty.gov.

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

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Ka`u Community Development Plan Steering Committee meets Tuesday to discuss new, recently released material
including a Community Building Analysis.

A MEASURE THAT WOULD HAVE BANNED NEW GMOS on Hawai`i Island has been withdrawn by Kohala Council member Margaret Wille, who introduced the controversial Bill 79. At yesterday’s meeting of the Committee on Public Safety and Mass Transit, Wille said she would work on and introduce a new, simplified measure.

Ka`u’s Council member Brenda Ford, who chairs the committee, supports a ban on GMOs. “We’re the only island not impacted, and we need to keep it like that,” Ford said.
“I feel that we are all sort of coming together and that we can really make a difference here,” Wille said. “The good thing is we are all moving forward and moving forward together.”
Kaua`i County Council is also dealing with the GMO issue. At its meeting on Monday, the Council’s Economic Development Committee deferred until Sept. 9 a proposal requiring disclosure of GMOs as well as pesticide use.

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Na`alehu Elementary started classes yesterday with 391 students and
about 80 staff members. Photo from naalehuel.k12.hi.us

THE FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL IN NA`ALEHU brought students to the campus with 391 attending the elementary school. The number of students in each grade varies with the most in first grade and the least in preschool. Here are the numbers: preschool 20, kindergarten 37, first 98, second 56, third 57, fourth 56, fifth 49, and sixth 55. The staff for the school, including teachers, administrators, counselors, assistants, maintenance, cafeteria and other workers totals about 80. The principal is Darlene Javar, and vice principal is Karen Pare.

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KAMEHAMEHA SCHOOLS’ LAND ASSETS DIVISION and Ke Ali`i Pauahi Foundation have forwarded 15 contestants to the next round in the first Mahi`ai Match-up agricultural business plan contest.

Six ag-related business plans were submitted for 90 acres at Punalu`u.

At the close of the six-week application window, 148 agricultural-related business ideas were submitted. Six were for a parcel at Punalu`u. While none of those made it into the final round, other lease arrangements for the 90 acres may be possible for applicants.

“It was not easy to narrow down the list to 15, but necessary as there will only be three winners,” said Kaeo Duarte, KS’ director of strategic initiatives. “For some of those who did not advance, we will definitely be in touch to discuss other leasing options. My deepest mahalo to all contestants for taking the time to apply and for their commitment to agriculture and Hawai`i’s food security.
“The number of Mahi`ai Match-Up agricultural business proposals we received surpassed our expectations,” Duarte said. “It reinforces our commitment to connecting farmers, communities and the lands we steward and reaffirms that initiatives like Mahi`ai Match-up are important.”
For the next three months, contestants will finalize their agricultural business plan as they compete for the top three spots. Winning plans will be announced at an awards gala presented by Ke Ali`i Pauahi Foundation in February 2014. Winners will receive an agricultural lease with rent waived for up to five years from Kamehameha Schools and a cash prize from Ke Ali`i Pauahi Foundation.
For more information about Kamehameha Schools’ Strategic Agricultural Plan, visit ksbe.edu/ag.

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Bidens micrantha, or ko`oko`olau

THE U.S. FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE is accepting public comment on a proposal to designate critical habitat for three Hawai`i Island plant species and on the draft economic analysis. Deadline for comments is Tuesday, Sept. 3.

A public informational meeting takes place today at 3 p.m. at West Hawai`i Civic Center in Kona. No testimony will be heard during the meeting.
On Oct. 17, 2012, the Service made available to the public a proposed rule to list 15 species as endangered under the Endangered Species Act and to designate 18,766 acres of critical habitat for three Big Island plant species. One of the plant species – Bidens micrantha ssp. ctenophylla (ko`oko`olau) – is one of the 15 species proposed for listing; the other two – Mezoneuron kavaiense (uhiuhi) and Isodendrion pyrifolium (wahine noho kula) – are previously listed plant species that do not currently have designated critical habitat on Hawai`i Island. An accompanying draft economic analysis provides an estimate of the potential economic impacts of the proposed critical habitat designations over the next 10 years. Critical habitat is not determinable for the remaining 14 species proposed for listing, according to the Service.
The areas proposed as critical habitat include seven units totaling 18,766 acres. The proposed critical habitat designation includes both occupied and unoccupied habitat and a mixture of state federal, county and private lands.

Mezoneuron kavaiense, or uhiuhi

“Habitat destruction and modification caused by invasive, nonnative plants, feral pigs, sheep and goats, and agricultural and urban development is considered a threat. Other threats include consumption of rare species by nonnative feral pigs, sheep and goats, and other introduced species such as rats and nonnative invertebrates. Native habitat is also threatened by the effects of climate change, which may intensify existing natural threats such as fire, hurricanes, landslides and flooding,” a statement from the Service said.
Loyal Mehrhoff, field supervisor for the Pacific Islands Fish & Wildlife Office, said “The Hawai`i Island listing and critical habitat designation, if finalized, will allow us to better address and manage Hawai`i’s endangered species and the unique ecosystems on which these species depend.”
Copies of the proposed rule and the draft economic analysis may be downloaded from the Service’s website at fws.gov/pacificislands. For further information contact Mehrhoff at Pacific Islands Fish and Wildlife Office, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 300 Ala Moana Boulevard, Room 3-122, Box 50088, Honolulu, Hawai`i 96850. Call 808-792-9400 or fax 808-792-9581.
Comments on the critical habitat or the draft economic analysis may be submitted to Federal eRulemaking Portal at regulations.gov. Follow the instructions for submitting comments. Docket No. FWS–R1–ES–2013–0028 (critical habitat proposal, revisions, and associated draft economic analysis).
Comments can also be mailed to Public Comments Processing, Attn: FWS–R1-ES-2013- 0028; Division of Policy and Directives Management; U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; 4401 N. Fairfax Drive, MS 2042–PDM, Arlington, VA 22203.

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Col. Gary L. Thomas

THE HAWAI`I NATIONAL GUARD YOUTH CHALLENGE ACADEMY has named retired U.S. Air Force Col. Gary L. Thomas the deputy director of its Kulani campus.

Thomas will oversee Academy instruction and courses and will work with students to help them get through a rigorous 22-week on-site program that prepares them to obtain high school diplomas and become productive citizens.
Thomas served 26 years in the U.S. Air Force, both on active duty and in the reserves. He served as deputy chief of the Defense Intelligence Agency’s Pacific Regional Service Center in Hawai`i. He held a variety of other senior positions and was deployed on tours to England, Germany, Italy, South Korea, Qatar, Iraq, Djibouti and Afghanistan.
A graduate of the U.S. Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps at the University of Maryland, Thomas has also served as the CEO and executive director of several nonprofit organizations.
To learn more about Youth Challenge Academy, see ngycp.org/site/state/hi.

KA`U COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT PLAN STEERING COMMITTEE meets next Tuesday, Aug. 13, starting at 5:30 p.m. at Ocean View Community Association Center. Public comment on agenda items is welcome.

Design strategies for Ka`u's communities will be discussed at Tuesday's
Ka`u CDP Steering Committee meeting.

The focus of the meeting will be additional draft Ka`u CDP appendices that were released for public review and feedback last week. Appendix V4B: Community Building Analysis focuses on land use, infrastructure, services, design, and redevelopment strategies for Pahala, Punalu`u, Na`alehu, Wai`ohinu, the Discovery Harbour area and Ocean View.
The draft materials are works-in-progress. It is expected that they will be revised as conditions change and new information becomes available, said planner Ron Whitmore. Feedback, suggested additions, updates, and corrections are welcome and encouraged. Monday, Sept. 9 is the deadline for submitting feedback.
Documents and feedback forms are available online at kaucdp.info; at libraries and community centers in Pahala, Na`alehu, Discovery Harbour, and Ocean View; and at Hilo and Kona Planning Department offices.

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STEWARDSHIP IN THE PARK takes place Friday and once per week throughout August and September. Volunteers help Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park by cutting invasive kahili ginger on park trails from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. Loppers and gloves are provided. Participants are encouraged to wear long sleeve shirts, long pants and closed-toed shoes. Water, snacks, rain gear and sun protection are recommended. This project is open to the public, and no reservations are required; interested people can stop by Kilauea Visitor Center to get directions and more information.

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

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Ka`u Boys & Girls Club members joined team building with adults from many mainland cultures at the Fairmont Orchid this week.
Above, nine-year old Poha Kaluna competes in a bowling game. Photo by Dolly Kailiawa

WEST KA`U’S STATE SENATOR and physician Josh Green is on Insights on PBS Hawai`i tonight (Channel 10 in Ka`u) at 8 p.m. for an hour-long program. The question of the evening is What Changes Can Hawai`i Expect from the Affordable Care Act?
In addition to being a physician, Green chairs the health committee of the Hawai`i State Senate. Also on the panel are Coral Andrews, executive director of the Hawai`i Health Connector (where people can select a health insurance plan); Dr. Stephen Bradley, chief medical officer of Waianae Coast Comprehensive Health Center; and Ginny Pressler, Md., executive vice president of Hawai`i Pacific Health, which runs Straub Clinic & Hospital, Kapiolani Medical Center for Women & Children, Pali Momi Medical Center and Wilcox Health, a medical clinic and hospital on Kaua`i. Moderator is Dan Boylan.

The Affordable Care Act (also known as Obamacare) has been covered on Insights in the past but “now that Hawai`i residents are going to be able to shop for their health care starting in October, we thought it is time to revisit the subject,” Roy Kimura, Insight’s on PBS Hawai`i executive producer, told The Ka`u Calendar newspaper this morning.
The program will live-stream on pbshawaii.org and become available online after the show is completed. Green said he urges Ka`u residents to call in during the live show. The phone number, toll free, is 800-283-4847. Comments can also be emailed during the show to insights@pbshawaii.org. To comment on or “Like” this story, go to https://www.facebook.com/kaucalendar.

TRANSFER OF THE LICENSE FOR KAHU COMMUNITY RADIO to Hawai`i Public Radio is expected to be completed by the Federal Communications Commission this week, according to Mike Titterton, CEO of Hawaii Public Radio. Titterton said he looks forward on beginning to work on broadcasting HPR2 to the south end of the Big Island in the near future. HPR purchased the KAHU license for $20,000 from Ka`u Community Radio. Its manager Christine Kaehuaea said that the money will be used to help pay off the radio station's debt.

Local origination programming, which stopped with the shutdown of KAHU, may be in the longterm future for HPR2 in Ka`u. Titterton said that HPR plans to move the broadcasting equipment onto a communication tower between Pahala and Na`alehu and possibly in Kalae in order to cover all of the south end of Hawai`i Island for HPR2 programming and emergency broadcasts. Until that time, HPR2 will be broadcast to the Pahala area from the wooden pole behind the old Pahala Plantation Store and KAHU headquarters on Maile Street in Pahala. The programming will come from Honolulu. To comment on or “Like” this story, go to https://www.facebook.com/kaucalendar.

EIGHT KA`U SCHOOL STUDENTS, who are members of the Boys & Girls Clubs in Ka`u, were the only youth attending a team building workshop at the Fairmount Orchid Hotel on Monday, the day before school started. Boys & Girls Club Chief Operating officer Zavi Breez-Saunders said that several of the students “said it was one of the best days of their lives.” Several had never before traveled much outside of Ka`u. The session was sponsored by Hawai`i Corporate Team Builders. Accompanying the team were Boys & Girls Club s Pahala Director Dolly Kailiawa, Ocean View and Na`alehu Director Leona Medek and Director of Operations Chad Hasegawa. The group from Ka`u also went to lunch at Macaroni Grill. They spent the afternoon playing games, in friendly competition on teams with their adult mentors. Each student was given a bicycle which they built with their team members and brought home to Ka`u. Pahala club member Aloha Kaluna was on the team with the most points at the end of the day. said that it was important that the kids were team building with people from different cultural backgounds - all of them from outside of Hawai`i."

Seven-year old Fred Kauwe, of Ka`u Boys & Girls Club, joins adult team to build a bike.
Photo by Dolly Kailiawa

Medek said the experience gave the Boys & Girls Club members “positive feedback the entire day and bettered their social skills. One reason is that they were paired with people – adults they had never met before.” There were seven or eight adults teamed with each Ka`u youth.

Kailiawa said that for some of the keiki it was therer first

bicycle. "They were so happy to know they were owning it. You

could see the smile on their faces. I hope we can do this again."

For more on the Boys & Girls Club, see

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HIGH BLOOD SUGAR levels are prompting new concern among health care givers in Ka`u and elsewhere. While diabetes is a common result of eating and drinking too much sugar, Alzheimer’s and other dementia are also likely risks, according to a new study by University of Washington in Seattle. Regarding the study of more than 2,000 people, National Institute on Aging scientist Dallas Anderson said, “It’s a nice clean pattern,” with the risk of dementia rising over time with high blood sugars among those studied. Keeping blood sugar at healthy levels may be a simple way to reduce dementia risk, said the researchers who are widely quoted in media across the country today. An Associated Press story states that about 35 people worldwide have dementia, with five million in the U.S. suffering from Alzheimer’s disease.

HAWAIIAN ELECTRIC CO. AND HAWAI`I ELECTRIC LIGHT CO. have answered the final round of questions from Hawai`i County, the state Consumer Advocate and Life of the Land regarding the proposed contract for the electric companies to purchase biofuel that would be manufactured at a refinery that would be built off Wood Valley Road by `Aina Koa Pono. AKP plans to use feedstock from existing trees and brush it would harvest on land between Pahala and Na`alehu, plus grasses it would grow to feed the microwave units that would be installed at the $400 million refinery it would construct above Pahala.

The county asked questions about remediation - repair of possible damage during possible chemical spills or storage tank leaks. It also asked about the cost of decommissioning the refinery should the biofuel plant fail to obtain success. The utilities replied, “According to AKP, the cost of remediation after the useful life is based on 20 years of operation and is accrued quarterly into an escrow/special purpose account for remediation and decommissioning. The estimated cost that AKP used for the escrow/special purpose account is based on industry standards.
“The total amount of the escrow/special purpose account would be $26,137,500 net of any interest accrued for the 20-year life. AKP will be entirely responsible to cover those costs.
“According to AKP, any decommissioning/remediation process would involve the facility plant, equipment and surrounding areas that have been involved in the facility’s operations. According to AKP, the location of AKP’s project will be on land leased from the Olson Trust, and any transportation necessary to decommission the plant will be on roads that do not directly go through the town of Pahala; the town of Pahala should be minimally affected.”
Hawai`i County asked the utilities to further explain their the statement that externalities, or possible negative or positive impacts of the project, “are often intangible and difficult to quantify.”
The county asked the utilities: “Are you saying that only certain externalities … should be considered by the Commission?” The utilities replied: “Although externalities are an important consideration, the companies believe that the weight and attention given to externalities must be carefully considered, because they are often given value based on the person viewing the externality, thus making them somewhat intangible and difficult to quantify. As explained by the Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism … regarding the supply contract with Hawai`i BioEnergy, LLC, DBEDT does not have a model to measure advantages and/or disadvantages associated with biofuel processing and production. Further, as indicated in the Consumer Advocate’s testimony in the HBE docket …, the Consumer Advocate has also been struggling with how to develop a quantitative analysis associated with the evaluation of biofuels.

Location of proposed AKP refinery up Wood Valley Road.

“As such, the companies believe that the Commission should focus on possible externalities or price premium issues that are directly related to the AKP Biodiesel Supply Contract…. Important related externalities include price, the creation of new agricultural and manufacturing jobs, the generation of higher state tax revenues, a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, increased energy security and independence, and the shifting of a portion of our significant expenditures on imported fossil fuels to locally produced feedstock for biofuel (i.e., keeping expenditures within the state).
“Potentially negative externalities include: fuel spills or leaks associated with fuel storage or transportation of the biodiesel; social issues, such as traffic congestion; and land use, such as roadway damage and noise. However, the companies have not quantified any negative extenalities, and it is difficult to determine the impact, if any, they will have,” the utilities contended.
See more in future Ka`u News Briefs. This and other testimony is available at puc.hawaii.gov. Docket number is 2012-0185.

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Eight-man football is coming to Ka`u High School. The fast-paced higher scoring game has fewer defensive players. It is popular
in such rural, small-school states as Oklahoma where this photo was taken. Photo from Grand Lake Business Journal

EIGHT-MAN FOOTBALL is the plan for Ka`u High School this year after cancellation of the traditional season of regular Big Island Interscholastic Federation football play. The decision was made after considering the possibility of the Ka`u team joining the Kea`au football team, which would have meant long distance travel just to practice. That idea went nowhere, said Athletic Director Kalei Namohala.

Kalei Namohala

The eight-man season will bring the opportunity for Trojans to travel off-island to play the eight-man team at Moloka`i High School. Kamehameha High School in Kea`au and Kealakehe High in Kona have also offered to provide some play for Ka`u with their jayvee teams. Should other small schools like Pahoa and Kohala field eight-man teams next year, for example, there could be an island league which could play other leagues like one already established in Maui County. With three leagues statewide, there could be an official state playoff as there are in a number of other states across the country.
Eight-man football has fewer defensive players, more running and passing and higher scoring games. It requires exceptional endurance and skills for which the Ka`u High players have been building with their summer of working out, said Namohala. She said that the community and the players can witness exciting eight-man football action on You Tube from such rural, small-school states like Oklahoma where it has become very popular.
Bringing eight-man football to Ka`u will require fundraising to pay for the team's travel expenses, which supporters attending this week's community meeing on the subject said they could accomplish.
It also requires some new fees for the new sport and other logistics, Namohala said.
The reason for canceling the regular football season, according to the Athletic Director, is that Ka`u could not come up with the 30 required players to field an 11-man team. Also the risk of injuries, with Ka`u's small number of team members playing both offense and defense, and the risk of a number of players not making academic requirements could lead to forfeiting games - there is a $1,600 fine for each away game and a $100 fine for each home game, which the school can not afford, Namohala said. To comment on or “Like” this story, go to https://www.facebook.com/kaucalendar.

Postdoctoral Fellow Brandy Nalani McDougall,
Ph.D. with mentor Chrisina Bacchilega, Ph.D.

FIVE NATIVE HAWAIIAN SCHOLARS recently came to Ka`u to launch a year of academic study and writing through the Kohala Center’s Mellon-Hawai`i Doctoral and Postdoctoral Fellowship Program. The year began with a weekend of presentations and discussions at Pahala Plantation House. The fellows receive scholarly, peer, and financial support for 2013-2014 to produce original research and to advance their academic careers. The research focuses on Hawaiian literary, language, pedagogical, and political topics. Doctoral fellows receive $40,000 each, and postdoctoral fellows receive $50,000 each. Each fellow works with a mentor, who is a leader in the fellow’s field of research. The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and The Kohala Center established the fellowship program with support from Kamehameha Schools.

Doctoral Fellow Iokepa Casumbal-Salazar (r)
with mentor Noenoe Silva, Ph.D.

Since 2008, the Mellon-Hawai‘i Fellowship Program has assisted 25 doctoral and postdoctoral scholars early in their academic careers. “We are delighted and honored to support the work of Hawai‘i’s finest thinkers and writers,” said Dr. Matthews Hamabata, executive director of The Kohala Center and senior support staff to the Mellon-Hawai‘i Fellowship Program. “The Mellon-Hawai‘i Fellows have successfully established themselves as intellectual and educational leaders from Hawai‘i—for Hawai‘i and the world.”
Eomailani Kukahiko’s dissertation examines the experiences of mathematics teachers working in Hawaiian educational settings who successfully integrate Hawaiian language and culture into their curricula. She is being mentored by Joseph Zilliox, Ph.D., Professor at the Institute for Teacher Education in the College of Education at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa.

Doctoral Fellow Kaiwipuni Lipe (r) with
mentor Maenette Ah Nee-Benham, Ed.D

Bryan Kuwada’s research focuses on the impact that translations had on Hawaiian history and the conveyance of that history today, as well as contemporary translation standards. His mentor is Craig Howes, Ph.D., Director of the Center for Biographical Research and a Professor in the Department of English at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa.
Kaiwipuni Lipe’s dissertation examines how the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa can achieve its strategic goal of becoming a Hawaiian place of learning. Her mentor is Maenette Ah Nee-Benham, Ed.D., Dean of the Hawai‘inuiākea School of Hawaiian Knowledge at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa.

Doctoral Fellow Eomailani Kukahiko (r)
with mentor Joseph Zilliox, Ph.D.

Iokepa Casumbal-Salazar’s research analyzes the politics of astronomy-related development on Mauna Kea, the debates surrounding the planned eight-acre, eighteen-story Thirty-Meter Telescope (TMT), and the legal opposition to continued development on the mountain. His mentor is Noenoe K. Silva, Ph.D., Associate Professor in the Department of Political Science at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa.
Postdoctoral Fellow Brandy Nālani McDougall’s monograph examines the continuity of the practice of kaona, a term often translated as “hidden meaning,” within contemporary Native Hawaiian Literature. She is being mentored by Cristina Bacchilega, Ph.D., Professor in the Department of English at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa .
The panel of senior scholars and kūpuna who assisted The Kohala Center in selecting this year’s cohort are:   Panel Chair, Robert Lindsey, Jr., member, Board of Directors, The Kohala Center, and Trustee, Office of Hawaiian Affairs;  Panel Executive Advisor, Dr. Shawn Kana‘iaupuni, director, Public Education Support Division, Kamehameha Schools;  Dr. Dennis Gonsalves, former executive director, Pacific Basin Agricultural Research Center and

Doctoral Fellow Bryan Kuwada (l) with
mentor Craig Howes, Ph.D.

Professor Emeritus, Cornell University;  Dr. Pualani Kanahele, distinguished professor, Hawai‘i Community College and member, Board of Directors, the Edith Kanaka‘ole Foundation; and  Dr. James Kauahikaua, scientist-in-charge, U.S. Geological Survey Hawaiian
The Kohala Center’s Circle of Friends is welcome to attend a public presentation of the fellows’ work on Saturday, November 9, 2013 at the Sheraton Kona Resort & Spa at Keauhou Bay. To RSVP or to learn about membership in The Kohala Center’s Circle of Friends, please contact Cortney Okumura at cokumura@kohalacenter.org or 808-887-6411. See more on The Kohala Center at www.kohalacenter.org. To comment on or “Like” this story, go to https://www.facebook.com/kaucalendar.
EAST KA`U SENATOR JOSH GREEN told panelists and viewers last night that he will support the new Health Care Connector insurance program that goes into effect Oct. 1, through continued backing in the state legislature where he chairs the senate health committee. The Hawai`i Health Care Connector was formed through state legislation to provide and online health insurance exchange - an online portal for Hawai`i residents, agencies and small businesses to buy health insurance. It will work something like on-line shopping sites. Publicity on the new systems is expected to lead up to the launch in October, said Coral Andrews, Executive Director of Hawai`i Health Connector. The first enrollment will be from Oct. 1 through March.

Dr. Josh Green, West Ka`u's state senator, with Dr. Ginny Pressler on
Insights on PBS Hawai`i last night.

Green said the Hawai`i Health Care Connector exchange is a "living organism" that will make adjustments over the first few years and also announced that a new health care insurer is entering into the health insurance market in Hawai`i. He said there are about 100,000 people who need to be insured in Hawai`i who currently have no insurance. He said that the changes in the health care system include driving care toward prevention and keeping healthy to reduce people being treated when they are very sick in the emergency rooms.
Green said that Hawai`i has been lucky to have some of the best comprehensive health insurance coverage in the country. He said, however, that some people might want less coverage at lower rates, particularly younger, healthy people who do not make much money yet. See the entire discussion, which aired on Insights on PBS Hawai`i at www.pbshawaii.org/ourproductions/insight.php. To comment on or “Like” this story, go to https://www.facebook.com/kaucalendar.
MAUNA LOA SOUTHWEST RIFT will be explored on Saturday hike, from 9 a.m.m to 1 p.m. in the Kahuku Unit of Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park.. Travel Upper Palm Trail and see geological features of eruptions of the Southwest Rift Zone. Call 985-6011.

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Ka`u High School is initiating eight-man football and hopes other Hawai`i Island schools follow.

MOLOKA`I ON OCT. 5 is the destination for Ka`u High School’s 18 players who are signing up to help launch an eight-man football league for the small high schools on this island. Fundraising has already started, according to Ka`u High athletic director Kalei Namohala.

The first school to offer to host Ka`u, Moloka`i High, is already a member of an eight-man football league in Maui County. Ka`u could lead the charge to create a league here, perhaps with such schools as Pahoa, Kohala and some private institutions. Three schools can make a league, and three leagues, perhaps one on O`ahu, one on Hawai`i Island and the existing Maui County league, could create a state championship playoff. Eight-man football, Namohala noted, is particularly appropriate for fast-running athletes and shows off passing and interception skills. There are fewer tackles in the game. It is higher scoring with fewer injuries.
Ka`u was forced to drop out of full-blown 11-man football when fewer than 30 members signed up to play this year. Thirty is the required minimum for Big Island Interscholastic Federation 11-man football play. Further complicating Ka`u continuing with 11-man play is the risk of weathering fines of $1,600 per each away game should Ka`u be unable to come up with enough players. Reductions in players usually comes from injuries, which are more likely with a small team playing both offense and defense. It can also come from players unable to meet academic standards.
Anyone wanting to donate to the effort to continue Ka`u Trojan football can call the athletic director at 928-2012.

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AFTER RECEIVING LAST WEEK’S FINAL ROUND OF TESTIMONY, the state Public Utilities Commission has set next Thursday, Aug. 15 as the deadline for parties and participants to notify it of their next courses of action regarding the proposed 20-year contract for the electric companies to purchase biofuel that would be manufactured by `Aina Koa Pono at a refinery that would be built off Wood Valley Road. AKP plans to use feedstock from existing trees and brush it would harvest on land between Pahala and Na`alehu, plus grasses it would grow to feed the microwave units that would be installed at the $400 million refinery.

The Commission gives Hawai`i County, Life of the Land, the state Consumer Advocate and the state Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism three options. The first is to resolve substantial disagreements with the utilities by stipulation. Such an agreement is designed to simplify or shorten litigation and save costs.
The second is to propose an evidentiary hearing schedule. “If a party or participant states its intent to propose an evidentiary hearing schedule, said party or participant shall clearly explain by supporting legal argument its right to an evidentiary hearing,” the Commission stated.
The third choice is for the parties and participants to let the Commission know that they are ready for the Commission to make a decision.
See hawaii.puc.gov for more. Docket number is 2012-0185.
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Presidential Medal of Freedom

PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA HAS NAMED the late Sen. Daniel Inouye as one of 16 recipients of the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the Nation’s highest civilian honor. The award is presented to individuals who have made especially meritorious contributions to the security or national interests of the United States, to world peace, or to cultural or other significant public or private endeavors.

This year marks the 50th anniversary of the executive order signed by President John F. Kennedy establishing the Presidential Medal of Freedom, as well as the first ceremony bestowing the honor on an inaugural class of 31 recipients. Since that time, more than 500 exceptional individuals from all corners of society have received the award.
“It is an honor for all the people of Hawai`i that President Obama has chosen to award Sen. Inouye with the Presidential Medal of Freedom for his extraordinary public service, bravery and heroism,” Sen. Brian Schatz said. “There is no better way to recognize Hawai`i’s lion in the Senate than with our nation’s highest civilian honor. This is an occasion of great pride for everyone in the 50th state and across our great country.”
Find out more at whitehouse.gov.
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HALAU HULA O LEIONALANI is reaching out to the Ka`u community to help carry the hula sisters to Lana`i’s cultural festival in October. The halau of Native Hawaiians from Ka`u practices at the Old Pahala Clubhouse and is a regular participant at the Ka`u Coffee Festival each year, hosting dancers from the other islands and Japan to celebrate Ka`u coffee.

Halau Hula O Leionalani is reaching out to the Ka`u community for help
in attending Lana`i's cultural festival in October. Photo by Julia Neal

Kumu hula is Debbie Ryder, who became a kumu under the tutelege of the late George Naope. One of the signature hulas of the halau, which they will dance on Lana`i, is Naope’s composition Ka Nani a o Ka`u.

Members of Halau Hula O Leionalani are Jamie Kailiawa, Jannalynn “Nani” Kaleohano, Keisha Enitan, Justie “Mona” Wroblewski, Krystalynne Gascon, Kamalani Reyes, Teresa Souza, Kavelle Silva, Amery Silva, Tommy-Jean “TJ” George and Jerilynn Pua.
To reach Lana`i, the hula sisters must raise money to take the direct flight from Hilo to Kahalui, Maui, the Speedy Shuttle to Lahaina and the ferry to Lana`i. Dinners and accommodations will be provided on Lana`i. The halau is on its own for breakfasts and lunches for the four days on the island. In addition to performing, the halau will walk up Mauna Lai, Lana`i’s only valley where taro is grown, and participate in a chanting ceremony in the nearshore waters, similar to the ceremony held at dawn at Punalu`u during Ka`u Coffee Festival week this year. Mona Chow has volunteered to make lei for the halau to carry to Lana`i.
To donate, call Keisha Enitan at 339-2423 or 937-7189. The halau is having fundraisers, currently pre-selling tickets for bread from Kamuela – Vierra’s Best Sweetbread – for $7.50 a loaf and Vierra’s cinnamon bread for $8.00 a loaf. See one of the halau members.
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Surface patterns on pahoehoe. Photo from FHVNP

FRIENDS OF HAWAI`I VOLCANOES NATIONAL PARK presents its monthly Walk in the Park tomorrow from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Volcanologist Cheryl Gansecki guides a four-mile, round-trip hike along Footprints Trail to Mauna Iki in the Ka`u Desert. The hike is free for Friends members, and non-members can join the organization in order to attend. Call 985-7373 or email admin@fhvnp.org.

MEDICINE FOR THE MIND, Buddhist healing meditation for beginners and advanced practitioners, takes place tomorrow from 4 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. Patty Johnson offers the free program at Volcano Art Center’s Ni`aulani Campus in Volcano Village. For more information, call 985-7470.

THE PUBLIC IS INVITED TO SUBMIT TESTIMONY regarding a proposed pipeline to carry water from Old Plantation Spring for ag use at a public hearing Monday at 5 p.m. at Na`alehu Community Center. The Conservation District Use application is available for review at Na`alehu Public Library and at hawaii.gov/dlnr/occl/meetings.

THE FOURTH ANNUAL VOLCANO RAIN FOREST RUNS are a week from today. The half marathon, 10K run and 5K run/walk are held in Volcano Village. This event traverses the native rain forest in Volcano Village and the ranches near Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park. All distances are open to runners and walkers of all ages and abilities. The event is a fundraiser for Volcano Art Center and its educational programs.

Entry fees are $85 for the half marathon, $50 for the 10K run and $35 for the 5K run/walk.

$500 in athletic equipment can be won by the Ka`u school who sends the most competitors to the event. The equipment can be for track, cross country, volleyball, tennis, football, soccer – any sport. The school with the most students represented wins the $500 gift certificate from Sports Authority.
Competitors can enter any of the races to qualify their schools, which can be elementary, middle or high school. Registration fee is $20 per entry.

Registration is available at rainforestruns.com.

OCEAN VIEW EVANGELICAL CHURCH’s first community ho`olaule`a is one week from today on Saturday, Aug. 17 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The lu`au will include lomi lomi salmon, chicken and long rice, kalua pig and beverages.
Organizer Mary Wheeler is asking for monetary donations and door prizes. “We will help meet community needs, while getting the opportunity to serve,” she said. For more information and to donate, call 990-3480.

Tea is the topic next Sunday at Pahala Plantation Manager's House.
Photo from teahawaii.com

THERE IS STILL ROOM IN THE EVA LEE WORKSHOP on tea cultivation and production Sunday, Aug. 18 from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. at Pahala Plantation House. The program is for prospective tea growers on Hawai`i Island interested in growing the specialty crop Camellia sinensis tea, producing white, green, oolong and black tea. The purpose is too help individuals and small family farms make greater strides in community production. The program is sponsored by The Kohala Center and funded in part by the U.S. Department of Agriculture Co-op Support program. To sign up, call Julia Neal at 928-9811. See more on Eva Lee at teahawaii.com.

Cane haul truck at last year's Ka`u Plantation Days. Photo by Julia Neal

KA`U PLANTATION DAYS will be held on Saturday, Oct. 12 at the old Pahala Plantation Managers House with a parade on Pikake Street. Organizers of the third Ka`u Plantation Days chose this year’s theme to be Together Again. The parade will feature horses and riders representing each of the Hawaiian Islands. Both horse and rider will wear lei. A sugar truck representing the last run from the plantation fields to the old mill, which was located across from the manager’s house, will be driven from Pahala Armory to the manager’s house, tooting the horn familiar to everyone who lived in Pahala during sugar days. The parade, followed by festivities, will begin at 9 a.m. There will be ethnic dance and displays from the various communities making up the multiethnic fabric of Ka`u. The sponsoring organization, Ka`u Multicultural Society, plans “a day filled with entertainment, ono food, music and most of all sharing those memorable moments back in time. Bring all of your family and friends to watch the parade, exchange stories, having laughter and establishing additional memories,” says the new flyer for the event. For more information, to donate, sign up for a display or booth, call Darlene Vierra at 640-8740.

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By 8 a.m., more than 430 people had reported online to the USGS feeling the earthquake from such faraway places as Hana on Maui and Makawao on O`ahu. The most reports came from Kona, Hilo, Kamuela, Pahoa, Kea`au, Mountain View, Volcano and Honolulu.

HAWAIIAN VOLCANO OBSERVATORY RECORDED a magnitude 4.8 earthquake this morning at 5:54 a.m. It was followed by several aftershocks, with the largest measuring magnitude 3.4 at 6:06 a.m. The earthquakes were located five miles south of the summit of Kilauea, almost directly below the Kulanaokuaiki campground in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park, at a depth of about 20 miles.

According to Wes Thelen, HVO’s seismic network manager, “these earthquakes were most likely structural adjustments of the Earth’s crust due to the weight of the island on the underlying mantle. The earthquake likely occurred on a near-horizontal fault plane in the mantle, which has hosted earthquakes in this region before. Despite their location near Kilauea’s summit, it’s unlikely that the earthquakes were volcanic in nature due to their depth, which is below and offset from the volcano’s known magma plumbing system.”

Jim Kauahikaua

HVO scientist-in-charge Jim Kauahikaua added that the earthquakes had no apparent effect on Kilauea’s ongoing eruptions. “HVO monitoring networks have not detected any significant changes in activity at the summits or rift zones of Kilauea or other Hawaiian volcanoes.”
The magnitude 4.8 earthquake was felt throughout the Island of Hawai`i, as well as on parts of Maui and O`ahu. The USGS “Did you feel it?” website received almost 400 felt reports within the first hour of the earthquake. Some of the reports follow:

Volcano – windows cracked, doors opened and a refrigerator slid across the kitchen.
Kea`au – table, house, and computer shaking, animals hiding, chicken clucking softly.
Hapuna beach – woke up to the hotel bed shaking.
Kamuela – little wake-up call.
Honoka`a – very loud shaking; house and windows rattled loudly.
Honolulu – I woke up due to the feeling of shaking of my bed left and right.
Honolulu – Just happened to be awake, and my bed slightly shook for a couple seconds.

Visitors staying at Pahala Plantation Cottages said they heard doors and windows rattling and that they thought it felt different than quakes in their California home.
Kauahikaua said the larger event is only the second earthquake with a magnitude greater than four to occur at this location and depth since the start of Kilauea’s ongoing East Rift Zone eruption in 1983. The first one occurred on February 17, 2000. There were six such earthquakes in the 20 years before Kilauea’s ongoing East Rift Zone eruption began.
For information on recent earthquakes in Hawai`i and eruption updates, see hvo.wr.usgs.gov.

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Owen Allsopp is a new recruit, teaching first grade at Pahala Elementary.
Photo from Allsopp's Facebook page

PAHALA ELEMENTARY SCHOOL TEACHER Owen Allsopp made national news yesterday in an Associated Press story. “The 22-year-old graduate of the University of Massachusetts at Amherst is settling into teaching first grade at Pahala Elementary on the Big Island and sharing a house with three new teachers,” the story reports.

The story notes that “before the first day of school, he already had a good grasp of Hawaiian names and words. And he’s aware of the pressure to keep him.”
It quotes him saying, “I know it’s so important because it’s hard to create lasting change if there’s so much transition happening.... There needs to be serious commitment.”
Allsopp is one of the new teachers that the state Department of Education is courting, hoping to keep them with pay bonuses and training in local cultures and language dialects.
The AP story, which is headlined on MSN News as Hawai`i Schools Struggle to Keep Teachers from Quitting, states that Hawai`i “has to recruit most of its teachers from the mainland, then struggles to keep them in the face of a high cost of living, culture shock and isolation.”
The story leads off by writing about Jonathan Sager, who was “an idealistic 22-year-old recent college graduate when he arrived in Hawai`i in 2006, yearning to make a difference in the lives of children in hardscrabble neighborhoods like those on the Waianae Coast.
“About an hour’s drive from bustling Honolulu, the stretch of unspoiled beaches and looming mountains is home to a high concentration of Native Hawaiians and some of the state’s lowest-performing schools. So Sager learned their culture, bought a condo and planned to stay.
“After seven years, Sager, now 29, quit, packing up this summer for Texas and becoming the latest teacher Hawai`i could not keep as it tries to fill a seemingly perpetual teacher shortage. He said he was frustrated by constant educational experimentation.”
The story states that when he first arrived to teach in Hawai`i, “Sager, of Warren, Ohio, took a bus tour along with other new teachers and saw the poverty on the Waianae Coast.
“Settling in required developing an ear for the pidgin English his students spoke and learning to pronounce vowel-laden names he never heard before. Even as he earned their acceptance, Sager said, he grew frustrated with feeling like he and his students were lab rats for experimental programs.
‘We start, and it’s not perfect, so we scrap it and start over,’ he said.”

Owen Allsopp's Facebook cover photo is Green Sands Beach, showing his
immersion into Ka`u.

AP reporter Jennifer Sinco Kelleher writes that “now, administrators’ efforts to retain teachers have taken on a new urgency as they try to make progress on promised reforms that won Hawai`i a $75 million federal Race to the Top grant. Teacher retention is one of the keys to those reforms.”
The story notes that the state offers $1,500 bonuses to teach at “hard-to-staff” schools and plans to increase the bonus to $3,000 for the 2014-15 year.
Remote schools like Ka`u bring bonuses as high as $6,000 per school year, the story states.
To orient the new teachers, the story reports, “they are also holding classes in Hawaiian culture and language, and teaming new arrivals with veteran teachers to help ease the transition.”

The article states that the reason the school system is turning to the mainland for teachers is “because local teacher education programs can’t produce enough graduates to fill classrooms across the islands, especially in remote schools. Getting the newcomers to stay is difficult, as they face culture shock, a high cost of living and a vast ocean separating them from their families.”
The story also reports on teachers who are staying here, sharing the experience of 46-year-old Dennis Tynan, who arrived in Nanakuli ten years ago. He told the AP reporter that he may have stayed longer because he was older when he arrived “from Texas, arming him with more life and classroom experiences. Now that he’s one of two left in that group, he’s starting to wonder about his future.
“But those doubts are eased by his students, who no longer treat him like an outsider. He feels he owes it to his students to stick around.”
The story quotes him: “Here is a community of a marginalized ethnic group, and because of the way everything gets structured in a bureaucratic schools system, they just get screwed over and over again.”
The AP story also deals with the cost of living, giving the example of “Kristen Wong, who left her job teaching special education on the Big Island to pursue a master’s degree at Harvard University.” It says she “met her fiancé in Hawai`i, but the costs of visiting their families on the mainland started to seem more daunting as they looked forward to having children.
Wong, 29, worked a second job most of her time in Hawai`i to make ends meet. The entry-level salary for the current school year starts at $33,169.
‘‘It was really, really hard to make things work,’ she said. ‘I have student loans. I have a car loan.... I’m actually pretty fiscally responsible.”
See more at news.msn.com/us.hawaii-schools-struggle-to-keep-teachers-from-quitting.

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Ag use of water from Old Plantation Spring is the topic of a meeting
tomorrow. Photo from Conservation District Use Application to DLNR

THE PUBLIC IS INVITED TO SUBMIT TESTIMONY regarding a proposed pipeline to carry water from Old Plantation Spring for ag use at a public hearing tomorrow at 5 p.m. at Na`alehu Community Center. The Conservation District Use application is available for review at Na`alehu Public Library and at hawaii.gov/dlnr/occl/meetings.

KA`U COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT PLAN STEERING COMMITTEE meets Tuesday at 5:30 p.m. at Ocean View Community Association Center. Public comment on agenda items is welcome.
The meeting focuses on recently released additional draft Ka`u CDP appendices. Appendix V4B: Community Building Analysis focuses on land use, infrastructure, services, design and redevelopment strategies for Pahala, Punalu`u, Na`alehu, Wai`ohinu, the Discovery Harbour area and Ocean View.
Documents are available online at kaucdp.info; at libraries and community centers in Pahala, Na`alehu, Discovery Harbour, and Ocean View; and at Hilo and Kona Planning Department offices.
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KA`U PLANTATION DAYS IS THE TOPIC at a community meeting Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. at Pahala Community Center. Ka`u Multicultural Society invites residents to attend and help plan the Saturday, Oct. 12 event. For more information, call Darlyne Vierra at 640-8740 or Liz Kuluwaimaka at 339-0289.

THE NATIONAL GUARD PRESENTS A CONCERT AT PUNALU`U this Friday, Aug. 16 from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m. Called Shaka’s Free Beach Concert, it is sponsored by South Side Shaka’s Restaurant & Bar as well as the National Guard unit in Hilo. Rory Koi, a Shaka’s owner and its manager, is putting together the entertainment, which so far includes Bruddah Waltah, Randy Lorenzo and Keaiwa with Demetrius Oliveira. Koi said this morning that the National Guard is sponsoring $4,000 worth of giveaways. There will be games for the kids and information on joining the National Guard. Other sponsors are KARMA, Big Island Image and Big Island Top Team.

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

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Ka`ohe Bay, also known as Pebble Beach, is expected to become a Fish Replenishment Area with Gov. Neil
Abercrombie's signature as early as this week. Photo by Julia Neal

THE NEW SCUBA SPEARFISHING BAN for 147 square miles of nearshore waters from South Point up the west side of Hawai`i Island to Upolu Point is headed for Gov. Neil Abercrombie’s office for his signature. This and other rules were passed by the state Board of Land & Natural Resources by a 4-2 vote in late June and were sent to the state attorney general’s office for review.

Banning SCUBA spearfishing is expected to reduce the taking of parrot
fish of breeding age. Photo from Western Pacific Regional Fishery
Management Council

The area covered is the West Hawai`i Fishery Management Area, created in 1998.
The new rules would make it illegal to carry SCUBA-diving gear along with spears and speared fish on any boat, or otherwise in one’s possession on land or sea along the management area shoreline.
At community discussions during the last decade, biologists and local residents contended that SCUBA spearfishing is reducing the population of fish that are needed to breed and produce the next generation of such species as parrot fish, bluefin travalley, uhu and omilu. SCUBA spearfishing is already banned in Australia and Palau.

A free diver walks to the Ka`ohe Bay shore to practice her skills.
Photo by Julia Neal

A FISH REPLENISHMENT AREA along 1,500 feet of coast at Ka`ohe Bay, north of Miloli`i at Pebble Beach, is expected to be established with Gov. Neil Abercrombie signing off on the measure that was approved by the state Board of Land & Natural Resources in late June.

The bay has received national publicity in USA Today with a travel story on Coral Reefs in Hawai`i that could attract tourists. It said:
“Ka`ohe Bay in South Kona, located at the end of a steep road in a private subdivision, is one of Hawai`i’s best-kept secrets. Easily accessible via a pebble beach and surrounded by delicate finger reefs, the small bay offers prime examples of untouched, undisturbed coral reef communities. The highly endangered monk seal has been known to loll on its shores while humpback whale families frequent the bay during the winter months.”
The Ka`ohe Fish Replenishment Area is identified on shore to the north by signage south of Ka`u Loa Point and to the south by signage north of `Au`au Point.
The Miloli`i Fish Replenishment Area, with similar restrictions, is identified on shore to the north by Makahiki Point and to the south by Kaki`o Point.

Eagle rays would be protected at Ka`ohe Bay. Photo from wikipedia

The new rules establishing a fish replenishment area would prohibit SCUBA spearfishing and prohibit taking of nine shark and ray species, including eagle sting rays and two invertebrates. Aquarium collectors would not be able to work there without a permit.

NEW AQUARIUM COLLECTING RULES that would reduce the kinds of fish captured to 40 species are also headed to Gov. Neil Abercrombie’s office after state attorney general review and passage by the state Board of Land & Natural Resources. The rules would protect a number of reef fish that are in decline.

Aquarium fish that could still be collected along the west coast of Hawai`i Island, except for within Fish Replenishment Areas, would be the following: Yellow Tang, Zebrasoma flavescens; Chevron Tang, Ctenochaetus hawaiiensis; Goldring Surgeonfish, Ctenochaetus strigosus; Achilles Tang, Acanthurus achilles; Tinker’s Butterflyfish, Chaetodon tinkeri; Orangespine Unicornfish, Naso lituratus; Forcepsfish, Forcipiger flavissimus; Goldrim Surgeonfish, Acanthurus nigricans;

Yellow tang and other aquarium fish would be protected within
Fish Replenishment Areas. Photo from wikipedia

Potter’sAngelfish, Centropyge potteri; Fourspot Butterflyfish, Chaetodon quadrimaculatus; Yellowtail Coris, Coris gaimard; Ornate Wrasse, Halichoeres ornatissimus; Orangeband Surgeonfish, Acanthurus olivaceus; Bird Wrasse, Gomphosus varius; Eyestripe Surgeonfish, Acanthurus dussumieri; Multiband Butterflyfish, Chaetodon multicinctus; Saddle Wrasse, Thalassoma duperrey; Brown Surgeonfish, Acanthurus nigrofuscus; Flame Wrasse, Cirrhilabrus jordani; Thompson’s Surgeonfish, Acanthurus thompsoni; Peacock Grouper, Cephalopholis argus; Bluestripe Snapper, Lutjanus kasmira; Redbarred Hawkfish, Cirrhitops fasciatus; Psychedelic Wrasse, Anampses chrysocephalus; Hi Whitespotted Toby, Canthigaster jactator; Fisher’s Angelfish, Centropyge fisheri; Hi Dascyllus, Dascyllus albisella; Milletseed Butterflyfish, Chaetodon miliaris; Blacklip Butterflyfish, Chaetodon kleinii; Pyramid Butterflyfish, Hemitaurichthys polylepis; Shortnose Wrasse, Macropharyngodon geoffroy; Black Durgon, Melichthys niger; Spotted Boxfish, Ostracion meleagris; Blackside Hawkfish, Paracirrhites forsteri; Hi Longfin Anthias, Pseudanthias hawaiiensis; EightlineWrasse, Pseudocheilinus octotaenia; Fourline Wrasse, Pseudocheilinus tetrataenia; Smalltail Wrasse, Pseudojuloides cerasinus; Lei Triggerfish, Sufflamen bursa; and Gilded Triggerfish, Xanthichthys auromarginatus.

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According to The Kohala Center, about 30 percent of the acres designated
in Ka`u for `Aina Koa Pono to grow feedstock to produce biofuel is tillable.
Photo by Julia Neal

ELIZABETH COLE, DEPUTY DIRECTOR of The Kohala Center, has sent a letter to the state Public Utilities Commission regarding the proposed contract between `Aina Koa Pono and the electric companies.

“The Kohala Center would like to inform you that students from the Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies are developing a student-generated study of alternative uses for the Ka`u lands being considered for the production of biofuels by AKP,” Cole states. “Please note that this study is not complete and ready for publication; however the County of Hawai`i wished the Public Utility Commission to be aware that agricultural uses for the subject Ka`u lands were being investigated, and preliminary findings suggest that:

Approximately 30 percent of the 12,000 designated acres is tillable, with much of the land being marginal, dry, steeply sloped, and rocky.
Water availability may be a concern and might result in competition between AKP and future farming interests.
Economically feasible alternatives might be suitable and desirable, in terms of resource efficiency, for at least a portion of these lands.

“Once we have completed a final draft of the study, we will be sure to send it to you,” Cole concludes.
This and other testimony is available at puc.hawaii.gov. Docket number is 2012-0185.
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TUTU & ME IS BACK IN SESSION. The tuition-free, early education program for toddlers and their families meets from 8:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. on Mondays and Wednesdays at Na`alehu Community Center as well as Tuesdays and Thursdays at Pahala Community Center. For more information and to register, call 929-8571.

APRIL KEKOA AND TEANA KAHO`OHANOHANO share the history of kalo plus its modern uses Wednesday at 10 a.m. on Kilauea Visitor Center’s lanai in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park.

Kalo, or taro, is the topic of a workshop Wednesday.

The life of Hawai`i’s indigenous people is closely linked with kalo, or the taro plant. According to the Kumulipo creation chant, kalo grew from the first-born son, Haloa. Kalo is believed to have the greatest life force of all foods and is a means of survival for Hawaiians.

The free program is part of the park’s ongoing `Ike Hana No`eau: Experience the Skillful Work series. Park entrance fees apply.

A PROPOSED PIPELINE TO CARRY WATER from Old Plantation Spring for ag use is the topic at a public hearing today at 5 p.m. at Na`alehu Community Center. The Conservation District Use application is available for review at Na`alehu Public Library and at hawaii.gov/dlnr/occl/meetings.

PUBLIC COMMENT ON AGENDA ITEMS IS WELCOME at Ka`u Community Development Plan’s Steering Committee meeting tomorrow at 5:30 p.m. at Ocean View Community Association Center.
The meeting focuses on recently released additional draft Ka`u CDP appendices. Documents are available online at kaucdp.info; at libraries and community centers in Pahala, Na`alehu, Discovery Harbour, and Ocean View; and at Hilo and Kona Planning Department offices.
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At last year's Ka`u Plantation Days, Walter Wong Yuen shared history of
Chinese in Ka`u with photos and artifacts. Photo by Julia Neal

KA`U MULTICULTURAL SOCIETY INVITES RESIDENTS to attend a meeting Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. at Pahala Community Center to plan Ka`u Plantation Days. The event is scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 12.

For more information, call Darlyne Vierra at 640-8740 or Liz Kuluwaimaka at 339-0289.

SHAKA’S FREE BEACH CONCERT IS SET FOR FRIDAY from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m. Scheduled to perform are Bruddah Waltah, Randy Lorenzo and Keaiwa with Demetrius Oliveira. There will be games for the kids, giveaways and information on joining the National Guard. Other sponsors are KARMA, Big Island Image and Big Island Top Team.

EVA LEE, OF TEA HAWAI`I & CO., offers a free tea cultivation and production program this Sunday from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. at Pahala Plantation House. The program is for prospective tea growers on Hawai`i Island interested in growing the specialty crop Camellia sinensis tea, producing white, green, oolong and black tea. The purpose is to help individuals and small family farms make greater strides in community production. The program is sponsored by The Kohala Center and funded in part by the U.S.Department of Agriculture Co-op Support program. To sign up, call Julia Neal at 928-9811.

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

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

SUPPORT YOUR KA`U BUSINESSES

PUBLIC NOTICES

HI-SEAS crewmember Oleg Abramov explores Mauna Loa in a mock space suit, simulating what astronauts would
experience on Mars. Photo by Angelo Vermeulen

WATER FROM THE OLD PLANTATION SPRING was the subject of a public hearing Monday night hosted by the Office of Conservation and Coastal Lands under the state Department of Land & Natural Resources. However, the hearing turned into a heated discussion about water for Ka`u in general, for farmers, ranchers and native Hawaiian agricultural practitioners, according to several people who attended the meeting.

Old Plantation Spring was the topic of a public hearing yesterday.
Photo from Conservation District Use Application to DLNR

Terry Lee Shibuya, whose family has operated a pig farm for generations above Na`alehu, said she heard that there was a meeting about agricultural water and attended in order to listen but was unable to understand the nature of the meeting because of the conflicts that broke out. “My heart went to the floor,” she said. She said that a number of people almost came to blows rather than listening to one another about water issues across the former sugar plantation lands. “I left the meeting sad,” she said. “I wanted to become more educated about the water.”
The hearing was specifically concerning an application to the DLNR for a permit to run a water line from Plantation Spring to Kuahiwi and other ranches. The public hearing is part of the Conservation District Use application permitting process. The application can be seen at Na`alehu Public Library and online at hawaii.gov/dlnr/occl/meetings.
Kyle Soares, a rancher in the area, said that a number of people showed up to make sure that water rights are preserved for agriculturalists throughout Ka`u. According to several reports from the meeting, Paul Makuakane advocated for water rights for Native Hawaiian farmers. Some people talked about problems with management of the land by the old sugar plantation. Wally Andrade said that without the sugar plantation the farmers and ranchers wouldn’t have the water sources that were developed by digging the tunnels. The Nature Conservancy representatives were also on hand, as they have the horizontal shaft – the water tunnel called Old Plantation Spring – on their land.

According to Stephanie Tabbada, about 54 people attended the hearing. She said some of the speakers talked about Olson Trust, The Nature Conservancy and Kuahiwi Contractors receiving water rights when, in their understanding, she said, the water is supposed to belong to all the people. Some said they have deeds from Hawaiian Kingdom days that also show water rights. She said that other questions included the diversion of surface water by the applicant. “Would it disturb any natural and cultural resources?” she asked the DLNR representative. She said the meeting seemed like a formality, with no sign-up sheets or anyone taking minutes by writing or recording.

Overseeing the hearing was Michael Cain, of OCCL, who took notes on those comments that applied to the applicaiton. These are expected to be included with comments from the hearing and other state agencies, sent back to the applicant for a response and included in a package to be presented to the state Board of Land & Natural Resources for a decision. An additional permit from the Commission on Water Resource Management is required for the water use.
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Oleg Abramov lowers a camera and lights into a cinder cone vent on
Mauna Loa. Photo by Angelo Vermeulen

A MARS EXPLORATION EXPERIMENT at the 8,000-foot elevation of Mauna Loa ends today when researchers leave the dome that has been their habitat for four months. HI-Seas, or Hawai`i Space Exploration Analog and Simulation, focused on diet of astronauts to be sent to Mars around the year 2030. As part of the routine, the “gastronauts” (the nickname relates to the dietary study), wore mock spacesuits when they left their dome to explore the northern slope of Mauna Loa.

“We found life on ‘Mars’ at last!” wrote crewmember Oleg Abramov. The crew had lowered a camera and headlamps into a vent on a cinder cone and found a humus-covered floor densely vegetated with ferns, moss-covered walls and visible moisture. “This stands in stark contrast to the generally barren, lifeless landscape around us, and makes us suspect that this vent is actively emitting water vapor and possibly other volcanic gases, and likely has elevated internal temperatures,” Abramov said.
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KA`U’S COUNCIL MEMBER BRENDA FORD has filed a lawsuit claiming that Mayor Billy Kenoi’s appointment of Bobby Jean Leithead Todd as director of the Department of Environmental Management does not meet county charter requirements. According to a story by Nancy Cook Lauer in Hawai`i Tribune-Herald, a petition was filed by Ford’s lawyer, Michael Matsukawa, stating that the DEM director must have “an engineering degree or a degree in a related field.”

Since Leithead Todd does not have an engineering degree or a degree in an engineering-related field, she “does not have the qualification required to hold the office of director of the Department of Environmental Management for the county of Hawai`i,” the petition states.
While the County Council confirmed Leithead Todd’s appointment in July, Ford, along with North Kona Council member Karen Eoff and Kohala Council member Margaret Wille, voted against it.

See more at hawaiitribune-herald.com.
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New draft Ka`u CDP discuss historical settlement patterns in the district.

PUBLIC COMMENT ON AGENDA ITEMS IS WELCOME at Ka`u Community Development Plan’s Steering Committee meeting today at 5:30 p.m. at Ocean View Community Association Center.

The meeting focuses on recently released additional draft Ka`u CDP appendices.
The material includes Appendix V4B: Community Building Analysis and Appendix V4D: Preferred Future Growth Patterns.
Appendix V4B covers issues that directly impact the quality of community life in Ka`u, like land use, infrastructure, services, design, and redevelopment. It outlines existing policy, summarizes related planning initiatives and introduces alternative strategies available to achieve Ka`u’s community objectives. The focus is on developed areas in Ka`u, including Pahala, Punalu`u, Na`alehu, Wai`ohinu, the Discovery Harbour area and Ocean View. It also focuses on regulations, infrastructure, and strategies that impact their future.
Appendix V4D assesses historical, contemporary and future human settlement patterns relative to a community’s goals and objectives for resource management, community development and economic development.
Documents are available online at kaucdp.info; at libraries and community centers in Pahala, Na`alehu, Discovery Harbour, and Ocean View; and at Hilo and Kona Planning Department offices.
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KALO, OR TARO, IS THE TOPIC TOMORROW when April Kekoa and Teana Kaho`ohanohano share its history and modern uses. The free program begins at 10 a.m. on Kilauea Visitor Center’s lanai in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park. Park entrance fees apply.

Ka`u Coffee Festival 2013 is on television, and Pahala hula sisters are raising money to take their dance to the Lana`i
cultural festival in October. Lana`i has been coming to the Ka`u Coffee Festival for several years. Photo by Julia Neal

KA`U COFFEE FESTIVAL airs on Na Leo O Hawai`i Channel 54 tomorrow at 11 a.m. and Saturday at 6 p.m. The 51-minute program was produced by Wendell Kaehuaea, who, along with Bobby Tucker, interviewed and filmed participants and some of the thousands of people who attended.
Ka`u Coffee Festival 2014 will cover ten days, spanning from May 2 through 11. It starts with the Miss Ka`u Coffee Pageant on Friday, May 2 at Ka`u Coffee Mill; Simply Elegant, the third annual Ka`u Farmers Table at the Inn at Kalaekilohana on Saturday, May 3; the Triple C Recipe Contest using Ka`u Coffee at Ka`u Coffee Mill on Sunday, May 4; Ka`u Mountain Hike on Wednesday, May 7 starting at Ka`u Coffee Mill; Coffee & Cattle Day at Aikane Plantation Coffee Farm on Friday, May 9; Stargazing, leaving from Ka`u Coffee Mill on Friday, May 9; the ho`olaulea with free entertainment, coffee tasting, the Coffee Experience and mill and farm tours at Pahala Community Center on Saturday, May 10 and Ka`u Coffee College and farm tours on Sunday, May 11.
For more, see kaucoffeefest.com.
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A STAFF MEMBER FROM U.S. REP. TULSI GABBARD’S office meets with constituents and assists with casework and other issues tomorrow from 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at Pahala Library. For more information, call 987-5698.

ILWU displayed historic photos at last year's
Ka`u Plantation Days. Photo by Julia Neal

A COMMUNITY MEETING TO PLAN KA`U PLANTATION DAYS takes place tomorrow at 6:30 p.m. at Pahala Community Center. Ka`u Multicultural Society has chosen Together Again as this year’s theme. Plans include a parade featuring horses and riders wearing lei, a sugar truck representing the last run from the plantation fields to the mill, ethnic dance and displays from the various communities making up the fabric of Ka`u. For more information, call Darlyne Vierra at 640-8740 or Liz Kuluwaimaka at 339-0289.

THE KOHALA CENTER SPONSORS A FREE tea cultivation and production program Sunday from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. at Pahala Plantation House. Educator and tea grower Eva Lee, of Tea Hawai`i & Co., presents the program for prospective tea farmers on Hawai`i Island interested in growing Camellia sinensis to produce white, green, oolong and black teas.

See more on Eva Lee at teahawaii.com.
To sign up, call 928-9811.

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

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

SUPPORT YOUR KA`U BUSINESSES

PUBLIC NOTICES

Moloka`i High Farmers eight-man football players invite the Trojans to come to their island for a game Oct. 5.
Photo from Moloka`i High

EIGHT MAN FOOTBALL IS A GO, as Ka`u High School becomes the pioneer in launching this faster, higher scoring game considered appropriate for smaller high schools. Parents, players and supporters of Ka`u athletics are expected to meet this evening at 6 p.m. at Na`alehu School cafeteria and Thursday at 6:00 p.m. at Ocean View Community Center for a mandatory meeting of parents or guardians of students playing Ka`u Trojan sports.

At least four eight-man football games are planned so far including competing agaist Kealakehe and Moloka`i. There is a possible game with a team from Maui. Supporters said they plan to raise about $11,000 for travel money to take the team to Moloka`i to play Moloka`i High School on Oct. 5. Regular 11-man football was cancelled before school started, when Ka`u could not come up with 30 players for the roster. The eight-man team requires a minimum of 18 players, who have signed up for this new form of football for Ka`u.

Eight-man football is popular in rural and small community areas across the country. It is particularly big in Oklahoma where many games are posted on You Tube. Ka`u’s effort could lead to a Hawai`i Island league with such schools as Pahoa, Kohala and some private schools like Christian Liberty joining in. Maui has a league and a third league could lead to a state playoff.
Fundraising begins this coming Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and next Friday, Saturday and Sunday, when a group of supporters, players and coaches will run a concession at Na`alehu Ballpark in conjunction with an islandwide softball tournament. The supporters also plan to have additional fundraisers with such items as t-shirts and plate lunches. Donation letters are being sent to area businesses.

The eight-man football Trojan head coach is Dwayne Kainoa Ke. Darrel Shibuya and Donavan Emmsley are among the other coaches. To donate to the team, call Athletic Director Kalei Namohala at 928-2012.

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Maps, drawings and other illustrations of life in Ka`u and future possibilities can be seen at
the Ka`u Community Development Plan website at www.hawaiicountycdp.info/kau-cdp

OCEAN VIEW RESIDENTS learned more about the county’s Ka`u Community Development Plan’s draft publications last night at Ocean View Community Association Center. They learned about a host of planning tools that could help the community achieve its goals, including preserving open space and the rural character of Ocean View.
The CDP documents provide a wealth of historical, geographical and population data on Ka`u as well as ideas for planning. All of the information can be read online and in hard copy. Planner Ron Whitmore gave an overview of the documents and maps and encouraged people to study them and give feedback. “We want people to read it and respond,” he said this morning.
The county lists many Tools and Alternative Strategies for planning, including examples used by communities in other places to reach similar planning goals.
Steering Committee member Lauren Heck, who lives in Ocean, said this morning that he wants it to be made clear that the planning tools are options and not requirements and that the community will take the lead on suggesting ways to plan the future for Ocean View. He gave the example of the idea of Transferring Development Rights, where people could sell off or trade rights for building houses or keeping open space or other property rights in order to make parks or other community amenities. The planning document gives the example of the Florida Keys, where a “TDR program is one of several incentives given property owners not to develop in obsolete subdivisions in high hazard zones.” The document also includes such tools as Land Pooling, Land Swaps and Land Banking as ideas for community consideration.
Whitmore explained that planning tools could be used or not used by Ocean View residents. He said that many Ocean View residents have expressed their desire to live remotely and that the county has no intention of trying to condemn people’s houselots, or prevent them from building on their land.

Ocean View, Wood Valley and Discovery Harbour are described in detail with visions and
comments of their residents at www.hawaiicountycdp.info/kau-cdp

Heck said this morning that he appreciates all the work that the county has done on the CDP and that “95 percent of the information provided in the planning documents is constructive and has possibilities.” He said that he is only concerned about some of the wording that could lead people to thinking that the county could be aggressive in directing Ocean View’s future.
Whitmore restated that it is up to the community to decide which ones, if any of the planning tools, are to be used. They are included as options for the community to study.
Laura Foster, manager of the HOVE Road Maintenance Corp., said she hopes the county could work on easing the restrictions for consolidating lots, which could address the huge number of parcels in Ocean View. There are more than 11,500 lots in Ocean View and more than 12,000 with Hawaiian Ocean View Ranchos and Kula Kai subdivisions. Some landowners may want to take the initiative to combine two or more of their lots to make larger parcels.
Heck said this morning that “Some of the lots are 70 feet wide and you put two of them together, they could be more buildable.” Consolidating could possibly save on property taxes and on road maintenance fees. The county would not require any landowners to consolidate. It would be up to individual Ocean View landowners.
Ralph Roland, also an Ocean View resident, said he looks forward to reading a hard copy of the draft at the Ocean View Community Center, which has been provided with several copies. He said he would like to see more publicity about upcoming meetings.
Whitmore said that hard copies of Ka`u CDP documents are available at all the libraries and community centers in Ka`u. The documents, community input, maps and announcements of meetings and biographies of steering committee members are online at www.hawaiicountycdp.info/kau-cdp‎
The next Ka`u CDP meeting is Tuesday, Dec. 10 at 5:30 p.m. at Na`alehu Community Center. To comment on this story or “Like” it, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.

Sen. Josh Green

Sen. Russell Ruderman

TWO STATE SENATORS REPRESENTING KA`U could be reduced again to one, if plaintiffs win their case saying that reapportionment after the last U.S. Census was unconstitutional. The group of O`ahu voters filed an appeal with the U.S. Supreme Court last Friday, according to a story by Chad Blair in this morning’s Civil Beat. The plaintiffs claim that a senatorial post was unconstitutionally removed from O`ahu in order to give Hawai`i Island an additional senator, leaving non-resident military and out-of-state students without representation– most of them on O`ahu. The state Reapportionment Commission excluded nonpermanent residents – the military,

out-of-state college students and some prisoners from the population count for voting. Hawai`i Island state Sen. Malama Solomon and others argued that including the military skewed the population in favor of O`ahu, and left Hawai`i Island and its growing population underrepresented.
The O`ahu group appealed to the U.S. District Court, which rejected their argument on July 11, ruling that the state redistricting commission upheld the constitutional guarantee of one man, one vote. The U.S. Supreme Court is expected to decide whether to take up the issue by this fall.
The next election is Aug. 9 of next year with the filing deadline July 10, 2014. See more at www.civilbeat.com. State Senators for Ka`u are Josh Green for the westside and Russell Ruderman for the eastside. To comment on this story or “Like” it, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.

TRANSPARENCY IN GOVERNMENT ADVOCATES won a battle for making more state and county meetings publicized and open. On Aug. 8, with a decision involving private meetings regarding a land development, the “Hawai`i Supreme Court articulated an expansive view of the public’s ‘right to know’ and the open meeting requirements of the state’s Sunshine Law that should make openness advocates giddy,” reported Ian Lind on Civil Beat. “It was the first time in 20 years the high court has tackled Sunshine Law questions head on, and they made up for lost time in a strong statement upholding the public’s broad right to observe and participate in government decisions of all kinds,” Lind concluded.

Ian Lind

“Instead of a limited technical decision, the court in this case emphasized the ‘spirit and intent’ of the Sunshine Law and its broad requirements for public knowledge and involvement….
“The court used the occasion to put public agencies on notice they must go beyond technical compliance with the letter of the law and comply with its far broader spirit and intent,” wrote Lind.
The attorney who represented the plaintiff said the lawsuit resulted from “a sense of outrage about how the (county) council was really trying to ram this thing (the development) through and just disregarded the sunshine law.”
The court reaffirmed that public agencies “are constrained at all times by the spirit and purpose of the Sunshine Law.”
The court stated that the “The Sunshine Law is essentially a procedural guarantee to protect the public’s interest in government decision-making” and that the public “should have a realistic, actual opportunity to participate,” rather than a theoretical right to participate “in name only,” Lind stated. See more at www.civilbeat.com and www.ianlind.net. To comment on this story or “Like” it, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.

KA`U PLANTATION DAYS organizers meet today at 6:30 p.m. at Pahala Community Center. The Together Again themed event is sponsored by the Ka`u Multicultural Association and will begin with a parade at 9 a.m. down Pikake Street, followed by music, dance, food and historic displays from the many cultural communities of Ka`u on Saturday, Oct. 12. For more information, call Darlene Vierra at 640-8740 or Liz Kuluwaimaka at 339-0289.

VOLCANO RAINFOREST RUNS are this Saturday, with Miss Ka`u Coffee Tiare Shibuya firing off the starting gun. A half marathon, 10K, 5K and keiki runs will lead to a day of fun at the Volcano Art Center's Niaulani Campus. All distances are open to runners and walkers of all ages and abilities. The event is a fundraiser for Volcano Art Center and its educational programs.
Entry fees are $85 for the half marathon, $50 for the 10K run and $35 for the 5K run/walk.

FREE TEA CULTIVATION AND PRODUCCUTION education comes to Pahala Plantation House this Sunday, Aug. 18 from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. The workshop will be led by tea grower Eva Lee. It is sponsored by Kohala Center and the Department of Agriculture. To sign up, call 928-9811. Also see www.teahawaii.com

SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS AT PAHALAPLANTATIONCOTTAGES.COM ANDKAUCOFFEEMILL.COM. KA`U COFFEE MILL IS OPEN SEVEN DAYS A WEEK.
ALSO SEE KAUCALENDAR.COM AND FACEBOOK.COM/KAUCALENDAR.

SUPPORT YOUR KA`U BUSINESSES

PUBLIC NOTICES

An All-State Eight-Man Football Championship Game on the Mainland. Ka`u is the trend-setter, launching eight-man for the Big Island.
Photo from www.magicvalley.com

EIGHT-MAN FOOTBALL scheduling is being finalized, Ka`u High School Athletic Director Kalei Namohala said this morning. She said that Ka`u Trojans are now “the trend-setters” by launching eight-man football on Hawai`i Island. The game is faster paced and higher scoring with fewer injuries and fewer team members playing tackle. Eight-man football is played on fields the same length as regulation high school football - 100 yards long. However, the field is narrowed to 40 yards wide, about 13 yards narrower than 11-man high school football field. Eight-man football is played by high schools in some 23 states across the country.

Namohala said that just this morning she was able to overcome one of the last hurdles - landing an insurance policy required for participation. The confirmed scheduled game, for which community members are raising travel money for the Trojans, is at Moloka`i High, Oct. 5. The Trojans will take on the Farmers. Namohala said that Kahua Ranch has donated beef to help with a fundraiser. Another group called Friends of Ka`u Softball Tournament is raising money through food sales at a softball tournament in Na`alehu for six days next week and weekend.

Other tentative Trojan games will be on Friday, Sept. 20 and 27 at home. The two teams that will be coming to Ka`u are Kealakehe and Kamehameha. Another away game is possible on Hawai`i Island on Oct. 25.
Namohala said that “With the enrollment we have, this is the course we can take,” since regular 11-man football requires 30 players to field a team. At Ka`u, “We normally have a solid 20 or 21.” Eight-man football requires 18 players to field a team.
The Athletic Director said: “I saw the steam go out of the players when we cancelled the regular football season. I am happy that with all of their hard training this summer that the Trojans will be able to move forward.”

HAWAI`I PUBLIC RADIO is the new owner of the KAHU FM radio license and plans to start broadcasting from its location in Pahala within a few weeks. Michael Titterton, manager of HPR, said this morning that the plan is to broadcast from the original KAHU Radio location, from the pole next to the KAHU Radio station building on Maile Street. He said that the property ownership group, represented by Al Kam, has offered to provide the location at no cost to HPR. Ka`u Community Radio manager Christine Ka`ahuea has offered to lease the pole and broadcast equipment for a small price to HPR, Titterton said.
In years to come, Titterton said, he hopes that HPR will be able to sponsor local programming from Ka`u. Programming from such remote places as Hana and Ka`u are in the longterm plan for HPR.
The transfer of the KAHU radio station license to HPR was recently approved by the FCC. It is HPR’s intention to rebuild the facility so that broadcasting covers south and east Hawai`i; HPR-2 will restore Civil Defense messaging as soon as HPR takes KAHU back on the air, said Titterton.
Programming on HPR-2 includes a Hawaiian music show from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. every Sunday, called Kanikapila Sunday.
During weekdays the schedule is: BBC Worldwide Service from midnight to to 6 a.m., followed by Performance Today with Fred Child from 6 a.m. to 8 a.m.; a Hawai`i talk show called The Conversation with Beth-Ann Kozlovich and Chris Vandercook from 8 a.m. to 9 a.m.; The Takeaway with John Hockenberry from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m.; Tell Me More with Michel Martin from 10 a.m. To 11 a.m.; The World with Lisa Mullins from 11 a.m. to noon, All Things Considered with Terry Gross from noon until 2 p.m.; and BBC World Service from 2 p .m. to 3 p.m.

A show called Fresh Air with Tery Gross comes on at 3 p.m.. Various national shows from 4 p.m to 5 p.m. are followed by shows from Honolulu like The Body Show on Monday, Bytemarks Café on Wednesday and Town Square on Thursday, from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m. After an hour of more nationally originating shows comes BBC’s World Today from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m., then on Mondays through Thursdays a show originating in Hawai`i from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. called Jazz With Charles Husson, followed by Jazz After Hours with Jim Wilkie from 10 p.m. until midnight.
On Friday and Saturday evenings, from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. is The Real Deal hosted by Seth Markow. From 10 p.m. to midnight on Friday is Jazz with John Alan– broadcast from Honolulu and on Saturday evenings Blues from the Basement from 10 p.m. to midnight, also from Honolulu and hosted by John Alan. For more, see www.hawaiipublicradio.org.

Wendell Kaehuaea launched KAHU Radio.
Photo by Julia Neal

KAHU COMMUNITY RADIO manager Christine Kaehuaea flew to Honolulu to accept a $20,000 check on Monday from Hawai`i Public Radio in exchange for turning over the license for the station. KAHU founder Wendell Kaehuaea said this morning that he hopes she will use the money to pay off debt. He said that more than $10,000 is owed to the owners of the radio station building for rent and to Hawai`i Electric Light Co., which turned off the electricity earlier this year, ending years of local radio programming from Pahala by community volunteers. The radio signal was earlier taken off a communications tower between Pahala and Na`alehu for failing to pay the monthly fees, reducing KAHU's reach in Ka`u.
A number of Ka`u business provided underwriting for the radio station, including one sponsor contributing $750 a month to underwrite a news program and another giving the radio station more than $40,000. The radio station also received a state Civil Defense grant of more than $70,000 and money from Office of Hawaiian Affairs and Haola, Inc.
Wendell Kaehuaea said that if he were still on the bank account, he would use the income from selling the license and other assets of the station and from leasing any equipment to HPR to pay off the debt to the landlord, utility and others owed money in Ka`u. Christine Kaehuaea has said in numerous emails to community members that she was the owner of the radio station. Before receiving the $20,000 this week, she sent some payments toward debt to some creditors in Ka`u.
According to several Pahala residents, Christine Kaehuaea has been asking landowners in Pahala village if they would be open to the radio tower (a wooden pole) being moved from the old KAHU building to their land. However, according to Hawai`i Public Radio, HPR expects to use the old radio building on Maile Street and existing pole to broadcast, until it can arrange relocating the equipment onto one or more communications towers to give HPR-2 a broad reach in Ka`u and into east Hawai`i.

KA`U PLANTATION DAYS ORGANIZERS met yesterday evening to plan this year’s Saturday, Oct. 16 event, beginning with a parade through the old commercial district of Pahala. Organizer Darlene Vierra said that along the way, she envisions large photos of old buildings – placed on their locations – even if they have been torn down, so that younger people and visitors can learn more about the community’s history. Giant photos will be placed on the sites of such places as Chong Store; the old Ka`u Hospital; Pahala Theatre; the old hotel; the old Bank of Hawai`i, before it became a dental office, pool hall, employment training center, Pahala Plantation Store and KAHU Radio; and the Ka`u Meat Market, before it became Ka`u Market House, Vierra envisioned. The parade will include pa'u riders, an old cane truck, classic cars and representatives of old sugar camps, ranches, dairies and families. Horses and riders will also represent the islands with colorful lei.

An old sugar truck will drive the parade route during Plantation Days on Satruday, Oct. 12.
Photo by Julia Neal

Vierra said that the multi-ethnic diversity and history of Ka`u will be honored with dance, culture and foods of many backgrounds, including Hawaiian, Chinese, Portuguese, Japanese, Filipino and Korean families. The free post-parade activities will be held at Pahala Plantation Managers House.
Last night, community members stepped up to chair committees. Chairing the Parade is Liz Kuluwaimaka. Chairing Pa`u Riders is Aloha Vierra. Chairing Ethnic Dance & the Portuguese Float is Sophia Hanoa. Chairing Ka`u History, Booths and Vendors is Darlene Vierra. Chairing Entertainment is Calvin Ponce. Chairing Publicity is Teresa Souza. Chairing Security (Camp Police) is Bill Lorenzo. Chairing the Farmers Committee to invite representatives of diversified agriculture to the event is Trini Marques.
Anyone wanting to contribute or volunteer for the event can call Vierra at 640-8740. Vendor and historical display booths are free “but we will gladly accept donations,” she said. Ka`u Plantation Days is sponsored this year by the Ka`u Multiethnic Society.

SHAKA'S FREE NATIONAL GUARD CONCERT AT PUNALU`U BEACH is this Friday, Aug. 16 from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m. Entertainment includes Bruddah Waltah, Randy Lorenzo and Keaiwa with Demetrius Oliveira. Organizer Rory Koi, of South Side Shaka's Restaurant & Bar, said the National Guard is putting up $4,000 worth of giveaways. There will be games for keiki and information on joining the National Guard. Other sponsors are KARMA, Big Island Image and Big Island Top Team.

VOLCANO RAIN FOREST RUNS are Saturday, Aug. 17 with Miss Ka`u Coffee Tiare Shibuya firing off the starting gun. A half marathon, 10K, 5K and keiki runs will lead to a day of fun at the Volcano Art Center's Niaulani Campus. All distances are open to runners and walkers of all ages and abilities. The event is a fundraiser for Volcano Art Center and its educational programs.
Entry fees are $85 for the half marathon, $50 for the 10K run and $35 for the 5K run/walk. See http://www.volcanoartcenter.org/rain-forest-runs
A total of $500 in athletic equipment can be won by the Ka`u school who sends the most competitors to the event. The equipment can be for track, cross country, volleyball, tennis, football, soccer – any sport. The school with the most students represented wins the $500 gift certificate from Sports Authority.Competitors can enter any of the races to qualify their schools, which can be elementary, middle or high school. Registration fee is $20 per entry. Registration is available at rainforestruns.com.

FREE TEA CULTIVATION AND PRODUCTION education comes to Pahala Plantation House this Sunday, Aug. 18 from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. The workshop will be led by tea grower Eva Lee. It is sponsored by Kohala Center. To register, call 928-9811.

SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS AT PAHALAPLANTATIONCOTTAGES.COM ANDKAUCOFFEEMILL.COM. KA`U COFFEE MILL IS OPEN SEVEN DAYS A WEEK.
ALSO SEE KAUCALENDAR.COM AND FACEBOOK.COM/KAUCALENDAR.

SUPPORT YOUR KA`U BUSINESSES

PUBLIC NOTICES

Hawai`i County opposes the proposed contract between `Aina Koa Pono and the electric companies, calling for an
evidentiary hearing unless the Public Utilities Commission agrees and denies the contract.

“SUBSTANTIAL DISAGREEMENTS CURRENTLY EXIST,” Hawai`i County said in its call to the state Public Utilities Commission for an evidentiary hearing regarding the proposed contract between `Aina Koa Pono and the electric utilities. `Aina Koa Pono’s plans are to grow and harvest feedstock on lands between Pahala and Na`alehu to produce biofuel at a refinery above Pahala. “Specifically, the written testimonies and answers to our information requests of the Hawaiian Electric Company and the Hawai`i Electric Light Company, (collectively the ‘HEl Companies’), the Consumer Advocate, their consultants and the Department of Business, Economic Development & Tourism have not sufficiently addressed issues the county raised concerning direct and indirect effects if the proposed contract was approved. Additionally, we find that the docket record has not been properly developed, and therefore a sound and thorough decision will not be reasonably attainable by the Commission. As a result, we remain in opposition to the proposed contract.”

The county lists several reasons why it considers the contract not “reasonable and consistent with the public interest:

The Energy-mass-balance has not been adequately proven;
The proposed technology as well as scale-up of this technology is unproven;
The agricultural productivity claims of the developers/promoters seems untenable;
The proposed contract is high-priced and long-term, locking in the majority of power-generation biodiesel supply for the next 20 years;
The proposed contract further increases electricity prices in the State of Hawai`i which are already amongst the highest in the United States resulting in:

Negative effects on the Islands’ economies;
Limiting business development and retention;
Further limiting our island resident’s disposable income that could be better devoted to their children’s education or general well-being of the family; and
Finally, disproportionately distressing our low-income/fixed-income residents, as well as decreasing their ability to pay for basic necessities.

The Island of Hawai`i already has achieved forty to fifty percent renewable generation and should be devoting its limited resources/time to lowering electricity prices;
At forty to fifty percent renewable energy generation already on our Island and rates so high, we should be pursuing more cost-effective solutions like more geothermal, wind, solar, even hydro-electric generation, that can dramatically lower customer bills and help free up disposable incomes to reinvigorate our Island economy (and attract future business), as well as helping education, tourism, astronomy and other important or key sectors of our diversifying economy;
The county believes that future efforts should be directed toward lowering electricity prices. Increasing efficiency as well as focusing more on transportation-solutions which we believe has greater economic-development potential than this proposed project;
The proposed biofuels production facility will be located on our Island in the remote town of Pahala. The HEl Companies’ claims and analyses directed toward economic development, environmental impacts, positive and negative externalities, community impacts of this project are not well developed and remain unproven by the promoters;
Pahala farmers have indicated interest for some of this agricultural land that may prove more economically beneficial for them and ensures their desired quality-of-life is in their control;
The county remains convinced that other renewable energy projects, already proven on this island, will have more beneficial impacts in the future such as more wind, hydro, solar, geothermal and storages solutions (as well as efficiency measures);
Cost-effective on-island biofuel renewable projects in transportation (and power-generation) are already available or currently under development at market prices;
Cost-effective biofuels projects both on the mainland and on-island are being developed with business models that will enable market pricing;
The parties who are in favor of this contract have not proven this contract is beneficial to the electric ratepayer, and;
A majority of the public comments and testimony are in opposition to this contract.

“If the Commission is in agreement, then the county would request that this application be denied. However, if the Commission is still undecided, the county reaffirms its position, that we have not been proffered appropriate or adequate responses to our information requests and must seek a means to compel parties to provide that information. Accordingly, at this time, only an evidentiary hearing will allow the county to compel these parties to provide that information so that the Commission can make a well informed decision.”
The county proposed the following evidentiary hearing schedule:

Prehearing Motions – Nov. 15;
Prehearing Conference – Dec. 3;
Evidentiary Hearing – week of Dec. 8.

This and other testimony is available at puc.hawaii.gov. Docket number is 2012-0185.
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RICHARD HA, OWNER OF HAMAKUA SPRINGS COUNTRY FARMS, has installed a hydroelectric plant to battle Hawai`i Island’s high electricity costs. Ha told Sophie Cocke and Brad Watanabe, of Civil Beat, that he expects to cut his electricity bill nearly in half over the next twenty years.
The story reported that, since 2002, average electricity prices have doubled on the neighbor islands and that Hawai`i farmers are paying three to four times more than their mainland competitors to refrigerate fruits and vegetables and pump water to irrigate their crops.
See more at civilbeat.com.
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Search and Rescue ranger John Broward stands at the location behind
Volcano House where a man fell 115 feet. Photo from HVNP

PARK RANGERS IN HAWAI`I VOLCANOES NATIONAL PARK on Tuesday, Aug. 13 rescued a man who had been stranded overnight after climbing over a barrier and falling 115 feet down a sheer cliff behind Volcano House.

At approximately 4:45 p.m. Tuesday, a hiker told park rangers at Kilauea Visitor Center she heard someone crying for help from the dense vegetation along Halema`uma`u Trail, which lies directly below the hotel.
Rangers were able to locate the man, and the park’s Search and Rescue coordinator John Broward was lowered by helicopter and pulled him to safety as the sun began to set.
The man was identified as 73-year-old Harry Osachy, of Kurtistown. Osachy told rescuers he had fallen Monday. He was transported by ambulance to Hilo Medical Center, with injuries to his pelvis and shoulder. He had numerous scrapes and suffered from dehydration.
“Luckily, he landed in a dense thicket of native uluhe fern, which broke his fall,” Broward said.
It is the 13th SAR mission in the park this year. Last year, park SAR crews responded to a total of 26 incidents.
“Once again, risky behavior by a visitor endangered the lives of our staff,” said park superintendent Cindy Orlando, who was on site during the rescue. “We were able to execute an exemplary response from our cadre of specially trained first responders, and thankfully no one else was injured.”
Hawai`i Tribune-Herald reported this morning that Osachy is in stable condition at Hilo Medical Center.
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James Courtright is the new fire management officer at Hawai`i Volcanoes
National Park. Photo from HVNP

JAMES COURTRIGHT IS THE NEW FIRE MANAGEMENT OFFICER at Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park. He will oversee fire management for 11 national parks in the Pacific Island Park network.

Courtright, who previously worked as the assistant fire management officer at Zion National Park and the Utah Parks Group, has extensive experience in fire and aviation management. He has helped extinguish countless fires in the western states and worked cooperatively with multiple agencies during his nearly 20-year career. His experience ranges from interagency management of wildland fires and all risk incidents, prescribed fire, aviation operations and engines to hotshot hand crews.
In his new position, Courtright will coordinate fire management with partner agencies, including Hawai`i County Fire Department, Department of Land and Natural Resources’ Division of Forestry & Wildlife and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The Pacific Island Park network extends from the West Pacific and includes the National Park of American Samoa, American Memorial Park in Saipan, War in the Pacific National Historic Park in Guam and all eight national park units in Hawai`i.
Courtright and his wife Leslie live in Volcano. They have twin three-year-old daughters and an eight-month-old son.
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SHAKA’S FREE NATIONAL GUARD CONCERT at Punalu`u Beach is today from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m. Entertainment includes Bruddah Waltah, Randy Lorenzo and Keaiwa with Demetrius Oliveira. Organizer Rory Koi, of South Side Shaka’s Restaurant & Bar, said the National Guard is putting up $4,000 worth of giveaways. Other sponsors are KARMA, Big Island Image and Big Island Top Team.

VOLCANO RAIN FOREST RUNS late registration and packet pick-up takes place today until 6 p.m. at Volcano Art Center’s Ni`aulani Campus in Volcano Village. Registration for the 10K, and 5K is also available tomorrow until 7 a.m. Entry fees are $85 for the half marathon, $50 for the 10K run and $35 for the 5K run/walk.

A total of $500 in athletic equipment can be won by the Ka`u school who sends the most competitors to the event. The equipment can be for track, cross country, volleyball, tennis, football, soccer – any sport. The school with the most students represented wins the $500 gift certificate from Sports Authority. Competitors can enter any of the races to qualify their schools, which can be elementary, middle or high school. Registration fee is $20 per entry.
The event begins tomorrow at 7 a.m., with Miss Ka`u Coffee Tiare-Lee Shibuya firing off the starting gun.
See volcanoartcenter.org/rain-forest-runs.

OCEAN VIEW EVANGELICAL COMMUNITY CHURCH hosts a ho`olaule`a tomorrow from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. with food, entertainment, games and prizes.

KA`U COFFEE FESTIVAL airs on Na Leo O Hawai`i Channel 54 tomorrow at 6 p.m. The 51-minute program was produced by Wendell Kaehuaea, who, along with Bobby Tucker, interviewed and filmed participants and some of the thousands of people who attended.

Participants learn about tea cultivation and production Sunday in Pahala. Photo from Tea Hawai`i

FREE TEA CULTIVATION AND PRODUCTION education comes to Pahala Plantation House Sunday from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. Sponsored by The Kohala Center, the workshop is led by tea grower Eva Lee. To register, call 928-9811.

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

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

SUPPORT YOUR KA`U BUSINESSES

PUBLIC NOTICES

Miss Ka`u Coffee Tiare-Lee Shibuya gets ready to say "go" for the Volcano Rain Forest Runs this morning in
Volcano Village. Photo by Julia Neal

THE FOURTH ANNUAL VOLCANO RAIN FOREST RUNS saw a record 719 participants this morning. The event, which includes a half marathon, 10K and 5K, has been growing at a rate of 20 percent each year, said organizer Sharron Faff. It is one of Volcano Art Center’s major annual fundraisers. It takes participants through Volcano Village with a celebration at Cooper Center.

Billy Barnett, a cross country coach, won the half marathon at Volcano
Rain Forest Runs this morning.

Billy Barnett won the half marathon with a time of 1:18:03. Rani Henderson won the women’s half marathon with a time of 1:28:58.
10K-winner Joe Garcia posted a time of 39:16, and Kim Pierce won the women’s 10K with a time of 40:51.
Stephen Hunter won the 5K with a time of 18:36. In the women’s 5K, Carmen Garson-Shumway won with a time of 22:27.
Among the many Ka`u residents who participated were Aikido instructor Alan Moores and his son, teacher Angie Miyashiro, land planner Pueo McGuire and Hawai`i Wildlife Fund representative Megan Lamson.
Miss Ka`u Coffee Tiare-Lee Shibuya fired off the starting yell for two of the races, with Mayor Billy Kenoi doing the honors for the 10K in which he participated.
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Greg Javar said he wants to become a civil engineer and come back home to
serve Hawai`i Island and Ka`u. He receives the scholarship check from
Ka`u Chamber president Dallas Decker, Scholarship chair Lee
McIntosh and Miss Ka`u Coffee Tiare-Lee Shibuya.

SCHOLARSHIP WINNERS and their families from Ka`u gathered last night to receive educational funding from the Ka`u Chamber of Commerce. Meeting at Pahala Plantation House, with Chamber board members and Miss Ka`u Coffee, Tiare-Lee Shibuya, they answered the question from Chamber president Dallas Decker, “What do you expect to be doing in ten years?” Overall winner is Tyler Amaral, with his essay entitled A World Without Computers? Not in My Community. Amaral said he hopes to be working in computers in Ka`u a decade from now. Service to the Ka`u community has already included voluntarily providing nine families with computers and training at no cost. The Na`alehu resident said that one of the families lives in a bus and all represent different age groups and ethnicities. He will attend Hawai`i Community College in Hilo this fall.
He read his winning essay to those who attended the scholarship presentations.

Ben Houghton jams on piano with Keoki Kahumoku. Houghton says he
plans to become a music teacher. Photos by Julia Neal

Other winners include Benjamin Houghton, of Ocean View, a Ka`u High graduate who will take the bus three days a week to HCC-West Hawai`i this fall. A classical pianist who learned from the Internet and now has a piano teacher, Houghton entertained families of the winners and jammed with Keoki Kahumoku, who chanted, led a prayer and played guitar for the dinner held last night. Houghton said he hopes to be a music teacher.
Greg Javar, of Pahala - his mother Na`alehu School principal Darlene Javar also attended - said he hopes to become a civil engineer and work on the Big Island and serve Ka`u. Tiana Pascubillo, of Na`alehu, a graduate of Ka`u High who will attend HCC - Hilo this fall, said she plans to become a teacher. Leah Carriaga, of Na`ahelu, said she plans to use her college education here in Ka`u.

Louise Vivien Santos, of Pahala, said she plans to return to Ka`u after her college education at UH- Hilo. She plans to become a nurse at Ka`u Hospital. Santos noted that she graduated from high school twice, once in the Phillippines and here at Ka`u High.
Marley Strand-Nicolaisen, of Na`alehu, a graduate of Ka`u High who will attend UH-Hilo this fall, said she plans a career in medicine, particularly fitness and sports medicine.

Tyler Amaral read his winning essay.

Other winners are Kayla Andrade, of Na`alehu, a sophmore at University of Hawai`i at Manoa; Radhika Dockstader, of Na`alehu, a sophmore at UH-Hilo; Donald Garo, Jr., of Pahala, a Ka`u High graduate who will be a freshman at HCC-Hilo this fall; Amber Leigh V. Hondonero, of Na`alehu, a graduate of Ka`u High, who will begin studies at HCC and UH-Hilo this fall.
The Ka`u Chamber president encouraged the scholarship winners to come back each year for additional funding as long as their education continues - including graduate school. The scholarship chair noted that the fundraising comes from Ka`u residents joining the Ka`u Chamber of Commerce and supporting its annual Ka`u business and community publication called The Directory. The more the community supports The Directory, the more money will be available for scholarships, McIntosh noted, saying that the fundraising begins right away for next year’s scholarships.
Miss Ka`u Coffee said she was proud of all the students and encouraged them to keep striving toward their educational goals. She also described here dream - becoming a nurse here in Ka`u.

“THE LEGACY OF OUR FOSSIL FUEL BURNING TODAY is a hangover that could last for tens of thousands of years, if not hundreds of thousands of years to come,” concludes oceanographer Richard Zeebe in a new study by University of Hawai`i at Manoa published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Dr. Richard Zeebe, of U.H., is an expert on climate.

Zeebe predicts that future warming from fossil fuel burning could be more intense and longer-lasting than previously thought. He includes insights from episodes of climate change in the geologic past to inform projections of man-made future climate change.
Over the past 250 years, human activities such as fossil fuel burning have raised the atmospheric carbon dioxide, CO2, concentration by more than 40 percent over its pre-industrial level of 280 parts per million. In May, the CO2 concentration in Earth’s atmosphere surpassed a milestone of 400 ppm for the first time in human history, a level that many scientists consider dangerous territory in terms of its impact on Earth’s climate.
The study suggests that amplified and prolonged warming due to unabated fossil fuel burning raises the probability that large ice sheets such as the Greenland ice sheet will melt, leading to significant sea level rise, according to Zeebe. “When we talk about climate sensitivity, we’re referring to how much the planet’s global surface temperature rises for a given amount of CO2 in the atmosphere,” he says. A standard value for present-day climate sensitivity is about three degrees Celcius per doubling of atmospheric CO2. But according to Zeebe, climate sensitivity could change over time. Zeebe uses past climate episodes as analogs for the future, which suggest that so-called slow climate “feedbacks” can boost climate sensitivity and amplify warming.
An example of a feedback is the familiar audio feedback experienced when a microphone interacts with a speaker. If the audio output from the speaker is received again by the microphone, the initial audio signal is strongly amplified in a positive feedback loop.

Earth from Space. Photo from NASA

A variety of feedbacks also operate in Earth’s climate system, Zeebe says. For example, a positive feedback loop exists between temperature, snow cover, and absorption of sunlight. When snow melts in response to warming, more sunlight can be absorbed at Earth’s surface because most surfaces have a lower reflectivity than snow.
In turn, the additional absorption of sunlight leads to further warming, which leads to more snow melt, and so forth.
Previous studies have usually only included fast climate feedbacks such as snow cover and clouds. Using information from pre-historic climate archives, Zeebe calculated how slow climate feedbacks like land ice and vegetation and climate sensitivity may evolve over time.
Armed with these tools, Zeebe was able to make new predictions about long-term future climate change.
“The calculations showed that man-made climate change could be more severe and take even longer than we thought before,” says Zeebe.
Although we will not see immediate effects by tomorrow — some of the slow processes will only respond over centuries to millennia — the consequences for long-term ice melt and sea level rise could be substantial, Zeebe concludes.
“Politicians may think in four-year terms, but we, as scientists, can and should think in much longer terms. We need to put the impact that humans have on this planet into a historic and geologic context.
“By continuing to put these huge amounts of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, we’re gambling with climate, and the outcome is still uncertain.”
For more, see pnas.org. To comment on or “Like” this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.

2013 Margaret Brent Award recipients, from left, are Judge Gladys Kessler, Sara Holtz, Therese M. Stewart,
Sen. Mazie Hirono and Marygold Shire Melli. Photo from abanow.org

SEN. MAZIE K. HIRONO, HAWAI`I’S FIRST female senator and the first Asian-Pacific American woman elected to the U.S. Senate, is one of five outstanding female attorneys honored with the 2013 Margaret Brent Women Lawyers of Achievement Award. Hirono received the award, given annually by the American Bar Association Commission on Women in the Profession, on Aug. 11 at the Moscone Center West in San Francisco during ABA’s Annual Meeting.

“The Margaret Brent Awards celebrate the extraordinary achievements of female lawyers who have significantly contributed to the advancement of women in the profession,” said Mary B. Cranston, chair of the ABA Commission on Women in the Profession. “Our honorees’ accomplishments serve as an inspiration to women throughout the nation.”
“During my time in both the legal and political spheres, I have been committed to public service and being a voice for the underrepresented,” Hirono said. “I have consistently supported consumers, children and immigrants throughout my career.”
As a student at University of Hawai`i at Manoa, Hirono’s dedication to helping underserved populations grew. “Through volunteer and tutor work, as well as weekly visits with patients at the state mental health facility, I saw how important it was for underserved populations to have advocates listen to their concerns,” she said. “I pursued a law education so I could be a more effective advocate. Since I was interested in public interest law, I went to Georgetown for its quality clinical program. I was accepted into the Institute for Public Representation.”
Hirono’s passion for advocating for those who cannot advocate for themselves eventually helped her get elected to the U.S. House of Representatives, where she served Hawai`i’s 2nd district from 2007 to 2013.
Throughout her career, she broke through many barriers. She is also the first Buddhist in the Senate.
“The Senate is a challenging place, but I am looking forward to building relationships with my colleagues,” Hirono said. “My focus is on creating jobs, fixing immigration and making sure kids can get an excellent education.”
For more, see abanow.org.
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Ka`u Coffee Festival 2013 airs on Channel 54 this evening. Keoki
Kahumoku and his `ukulele students performed at the May event.
Photo by Julia Neal

KA`U COFFEE FESTIVAL airs on Na Leo O Hawai`i Channel 54 today at 6 p.m. The 51-minute program was produced by Wendell Kaehuaea, who, along with Bobby Tucker, interviewed and filmed participants and some of the thousands of people who attended.

A FREE TEA CULTIVATION AND PRODUCTION workshop sponsored by The Kohala Center takes place at Pahala Plantation House tomorrow from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. Tea grower Eva Lee leads the workshop. To register, call 928-9811.

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

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

SUPPORT YOUR KA`U BUSINESSES

PUBLIC NOTICES

Hawai`i National Guard Youth Challenge Academy volunteered to help with Volcano Rain Forest Runs this weekend.
The National Guard also sponsored a free concert Friday afternoon and evening at Punalu`u Beach Park, partnering
with Shaka's South Side Restaurant & Bar. They plan to make it an annual event. Photo by Julia Neal

HAWAI`I NATIONAL GUARD contributed to several events in Volcano and Ka`u this weekend. On Friday, the National Guard and Shaka’s South Side Restaurant & Bar teamed up for a successful free concert. Entertaining were Demetrius Oliveira with Keaiwa, Bruddah Waltah, Brandy Lorenzo and Boni Narito. Shaka’s owner Rory Koi said that thousands of dollars in sporting equipment, toys and other gifts went to kids, including basketballs, footballs, shirts, key chains and National Guard sports events cushions. “There was a full house at Punalu`u Beach Park Pavilion,” where the concert was held, Koi said.

The band Keaiwa, with Demetrius Oliviera,
played at the free event.

National Guard Sgt. First Class Christian Stasvkow, who helped coordinate the event with Koi, said he and his team are excited to come to Ka`u. “The bigger communities like Hilo and Kona get all the cool things,” he said. He also noted that “we are not only a part of the military; we also protect the `aina when natural disasters strike in places like Ka`u. We look forward to more events in the smaller towns on the island.” He said he was “impressed with the attitude of Ka`u people from keiki to kupuna - everyone helping out.”
Koi said he plans to partner with the National Guard to make Shaka’s Free Beach Concert an annual event. Next year, he said, he plans to invite nonprofit organizations to have booths to raise money for their operations.

Youth and kupuna received gifts including basketballs,
shirts and National Guard cushions.
Photos by Sgt. First Class Christian Stasvkow

On Saturday, Hawai`i National Guard took part in the Volcano Rain Forest Runs through its Youth Challenge Academy, which volunteered. The Youth Challenge Academy will eventually move from Kulani, near Volcano, to Keaukaha Military Reserve. Earlier this month, the governor released $5.9 million for the relocation. Kulani will return to its former function as an adult correctional facility.

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OF THE 660 PARTICIPANTS WHO CROSSED the finish line at yesterday’s Volcano Rain Forest Runs, 100 were from Ka`u, Volcano and Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park. Following is a list of those runners and their times.

From left, Major Albert Ne, Sgt. First Class Christian
Stasvkow, Sgt. Joshua Baumgarner, Staff Sgt. Benamin
Fontes and Sgt. First Class Gary Cabacongan helped
present Shaka's Free Beach Concert at Punalu`u.

Half marathon:

Billy Barnett; Volcano 1:18:03
Noe Waller; Volcano 1:37:28
Susanne Lyle; HVNP 1:48:18
Jodie Schulten; Na`alehu 1:49:21
Deen Tsukamoto; Na`alehu 1:51:52
David Hoover; Volcano 2:22:04
Sharlee Cotter; HVNP 2:23:17
Rita Pregana; HVNP 2:39:01
Eldridge Naboa; Na`alehu 3:07:44

10K:

J.P. Swanson; Na`alehu 51:12
Angie Miyashiro; Volcano 51:54
Derick Medeiros-Garo; Na`alehu 51:56
Kelly Kozar; Volcano 53:25
Amy Okura; Volcano 53:58
John Broward; HVNP 54:47
Paul Udac; Na`alehu 57:59
Erin Gallagher; HVNP 1:00:45
Keala Lapera; Na`alehu 1:10:48
Kris Scanlon; Volcano 2:08:33
Robin Scanlon; Volcano 2:08:35

Pahala Aikido instructor Alan Moores and his son, Kyle Pitcher,
ran the 5K together. Photo by Julia Neal

5K:

Todd Marohnic; Volcano 19:51
William McMahon; Volcano 20:35
Stewart Miyashiro; Volcano 22:04
Gabriela Benito; Volcano 23:33
Reyna Joy Javar; Na`alehu 25:11
Haven Fisher; Volcano 25:14
Kai Mcguire; Na`alehu 25:57
Megan Denny; Pahala 26:01
Alex Wood; Volcano 26:08
Ella Johnson; Volcano 26:28
Halai Lapera; Na`alehu 26:54
Toby Johnson; Volcano 28:08
Kyle Pitcher; Pahala 28:49
Alan Moores; Pahala 28:51
Parker Smith; Volcano 28:54
Kalani Scheffler; Volcano 29:49
John Poetzel; Ocean View 32:29
Timothy Scheffler; Volcano 32:54
Susan Raikow; Volcano 33:25
Robin Stratton; Ocean View 33:57
Christine Grundy; Volcano 34:26
Ka`u High teacher Angie Miyashiro participated in the 10K.
Photo by Julia Neal
Carlos Masuko; Volcano 34:29
Donna Ohora; Volcano 34:31
John Roddy; Na`alehu 35:01
Justin Denny; Pahala 35:16
Godfrey Galigo; Na`alehu 35:26
Janelle Eyer; Volcano 35:38
Maiki Cofer; Ocean View 36:00
Justin Denny; Pahala 36:34
Macy Orr; Volcano 36:49
Kekai Scheffler; Volcano 37:23
Pamela Scheffler; Volcano 37:25
Paula Tailon; Na`alehu 38:56
Michelle Takaki; Volcano 40:10
Amicheli Salyer ;Volcano 40:13
Ryli Roy Pahala; 40:30
Molly Denny; Pahala 40:31
Jerrid Eyer; Volcano 41:02
Naida Paglinawan; Pahala 41:16
Gwen Udac; Na`alehu 42:12
Denise Garcia; Na`alehu 43:07
Jaime Roddy; Na`alehu 43:08
Pamela Ako; Ocean View 43:54
Shaun Pankoski; Volcano 44:22
Heather Cole; Volcano 44:52
Lisa Edwards; Pahala 45:35
Sage Doreste; Volcano 45:45
Madalyn McWhite-Lamson; Ocean View 46:16
Gennifer Medeiros-Shibuya; Na`alehu 48:35
Shantel Alcoran; Pahala 50:24
Uju Udac; Ocean View 50:59
Donna Tsukamoto; Na`alehu 51:00
Sarah Huddy; Volcano 51:46
Miss Ka`u Coffee Tiare-Lee Shibuya with race organizer Sharron Faff.
Photo by Julia Neal
Meghan Haiku; Volcano 51:48
Nancy Chaney; Volcano 52:37
Heidi Masuko; Volcano 52:41
Kaolapa Masuko; Volcano 52:41
Karla Mcdermid-Smith; Volcano 52:49
Joe Garlich; HVNP 53:06
Dawn Garlich; HVNP 53:09
Bryan Everett; Volcano 54:10
Meghan Jerolaman; Volcano 54:14
Anne Farahi; Volcano 54:18
Lynn Melena; Volcano 54:38
Jim Melena; Volcano 54:40
Christine Woods; Ocean View 54:44
Kyla Roy; Pahala 55:12
Khaira Denny; Pahala 55:14
Liane Garrett; HVNP 57:07
Bev Garrett; HVNP 57:08
Patrick Garrett; Volcano 57:10
P. Montague-Mullins; Volcano 58:34
Suzy Kruppa; Volcano 59:49
Liam Fien; Volcano 1:00:39
Finn Cole; Volcano 1:07:17
Colleen Cole; Volcano 1:07:20
Robert Smith; Volcano 1:09:54
Jennifer Doreste-Lock; Volcano 1:10:24
Mack Doreste; Volcano 1:10:30
Celeste Sweezey; Volcano 1:14:00

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Leina`ala Enos' nomination by Mayor Billy Kenoi to the county Liquor
Commission goes before the County Council Wednesday.

HAWAI`I COUNTY COUNCIL HOLDS COMMITTEE MEETINGS Tuesday, and the full Council meets Wednesday at 9 a.m. at West Hawai`i Civic Center in Kona.

Committee on Public Safety and Mass Transit considers Mayor Billy Kenoi’s nomination of Ka`u resident Leina`ala Enos to the county Liquor Commission. Enos is currently chair of the Ka`u Community Development Plan Steering Committee.

The meeting begins at 10 a.m. Tuesday.
On the County Council meeting agenda are several items that the County requests that the Hawai`i State Association of Counties include in its 2014 legislative package:

a bill for the Legislature of the state of Hawai`i to increase the amount of the counties’ share of the transient accommodation tax;
a bill appropriating $900,000 to Pacific International Space Center For Exploration Systems for personnel and operational costs and the purchase of equipment, materials, and services in fiscal year 2014-2015;
a bill appropriating $38 million for the construction of a permanent facility for the Daniel K. Inouye College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences Building Phase I project;
a bill appropriating $2. million, or funds as may be necessary, for a primary care training program at University of Hawai`i – Hilo;
a bill relating to county authority concerning agricultural matters;
a proposal to implement a high stakes bingo pilot program; and
House Bill 358, HD1, SD1, which would increase resident participation in the legislative process by requiring both chambers of the Hawai`i State Legislature to implement rules to provide audio or audiovisual technology for live oral testimony during legislative hearings.

Ka`u residents can participate in the meeting from Ocean View Community Association Center via videoconferencing.

DIANA AKI, THE SONGBIRD OF MILOLI`I, returns to Kilauea Visitor Center Auditorium in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park with her band for an evening of Hawaiian music Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. This Na Hoku Hanohano award-winning falsetto singer and `ukulele player is beloved by fans worldwide, and she regales audiences with her songs and storytelling. The free program is part of the park’s ongoing Na Leo Manu: Heavenly Voices presentations.

Park Ranger Dean Gallagher presents Life on the Edge, a 20-minute talk
about the current eruption at Halema`uma`u. Photo from NPS

HAWAI`I VOLCANOES NATIONAL PARK CELEBRATES the National Park Service’s 97th birthday next Sunday. On Founder’s Day, and entrance to Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park, as well as all 401 national parks in America, is free.

Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park has more than 150 miles of hiking trails and 520 square miles that stretch from sea level to the 13,677-foot summit of Mauna Loa. A schedule of free ranger-led programs and guided hikes is posted daily outside Kilauea Visitor Center by 9:30 a.m. Visitors can enjoy programs including Explore the Summit, a one-hour walk from Kilauea Visitor Center to the edge of Kilauea caldera, and Life on the Edge, a 20-minute talk about the current eruption from Halema`uma`u Crater given daily at Jaggar Museum overlook.
More free-entry days are schedule Sept. 28, National Public Lands Day, the largest single-day volunteer effort for public lands in the United States; and Nov. 9 - 11, Veterans Day weekend.

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

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

SUPPORT YOUR KA`U BUSINESSES

PUBLIC NOTICES

The Mizuno girls are Ka`u High alumni, Sally Mizuno Yamaguchi from the Class of '43 and Jane Mizuno Ueda
from the Class of '45. Photo by Julia Neal

HUNDREDS OF KA`U HIGH SCHOOL ALUMNI converged on Pahala yesterday for the annual community luncheon and celebration of the school’s history and community service. Classmates who attended school in Pahala back in the 1940s dined with newer alumni. They were entertained by Hula Halau Mahealani and the music of Lei Kaapana, Ernie Kalani, Johnny Waller and Peter Anderson.

Carol Andrade and Priscilla Obado, Class of '59 members
of the alumni committee, talk to public radio
about their mission. Photo by Julia Neal

James Yamaki, Class of '58, chairs
the annual community luncheon
sponsored by Ka`u High Alumni
Reunion. Photo by Julia Neal

Terrie Louis, Noel Espejo, Elijah Navarro and Dean Valledor also entertained. The oldest alumni were honored, including the Mizuno sisters, and historic photos from the town were displayed. Many alumni stayed for the weekend in Pahala with parties at homes throughout town. The alumni group donates money to good causes associates with the school. Alumni also meet in Las Vegas each year.

One alumnus, Rufino Gala, who graduated from Ka`u in the 1960s, was called to the microphone for his heroism. On the mainland, “he took a bullet for a child” when he stood in front of a keiki during a shooting that went through the windshield of a bus he was driving, proclaimed Ernest Kalani.

Also speaking was Ka`u High football coach Kainoa Ke and several team members, explaining the new eight-man football season at Ka`u High. Alumni contributed to the football fund to help pay for travel to Moloka`i for the Trojans to play the Farmers.
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Tala`i Ke, Dalton Hannas, Coach Kainoa Ke, Anthony Emmsley, Cy Tamura and Chance Emmsley asked Ka`u High
alumni for help with eight-man football. Photo by Julia Neal

SEABURY HALL from Maui is the second off-island school in the state to sign up to play Ka`u High school in eight-man football and will come to Pahala for the game. The Trojans, with six games scheduled, are leading the effort to establish eight-man football on this island. It is a faster, higher scoring game than traditional 11-man football. Maui and Moloka`i already play eight-man football, and Ka`u is scheduled to play the Moloka`i Farmers on Oct. 5.

Former Ka`u football coach Earl Crozier gave a donation for
the eight-man football team, on which Kaweni Ibarra plays.
Photo by Julia Neal

The Trojans were out raising money this weekend for the travel to Moloka`i and set up a table and spoke at the Ka`u High School annual reunion luncheon at Pahala Community Center. The team took in $400 in donations from alumni. The team is also raising money through food booths at a series of softball games at Na`alehu Park this evening, Tuesday and Wednesday evenings as well as Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Kahua Ranch donated beef for the fundraiser.  

The six games scheduled for Trojan eight-man football this fall include play against Kamehameha, Kealakehe, Seabury and Moloka`i. Next year, other Hawai`i Island teams are expected to join and could include Pahoa, Kohala and some of the smaller private schools.
To donate to the Trojan team, call athletic director Kalei Namohala at 928-2012.
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KA`U’S COUNTY COUNCIL MEMBER BRENDA FORD has drafted a bill prohibiting genetically modified organisms on the Big Island. Unlike a bill introduced by Kohala Council member Margaret Wille and recently withdrawn, Ford’s bill has no exemption for Rainbow papaya, which was genetically modified in the 1990s to ward off ringspot virus. Ford’s bill calls for any cultivation, development or use of GMOs to end no later than 30 months after it goes into effect, with fines of up to $1,000 per day.

Richard Ha

Sophie Cocke, of Civil Beat, reports that some local farmers and other supporters of GMO crops are already protesting the bill. Hamakua Springs Country Farms owner Richard Ha told her the bill would drive up food costs and undermine Hawai`i’s goal of increasing local food production. “In general, they have no long-term plan, and neither one of them have talked to the farmers,” Ha said. “So they really don’t know what they don’t know.”
Ha expressed concern for farmers: “What are the folks that have loans and stuff – what are they going to do? It’s really scary.”
Dennis Gonsalves, who led the team of scientists who worked to genetically modify the papaya, told Cocke that he was saddened by the bill and the impact it would have on local farmers. “They don’t care who they harm and what they harm,” he said.
Ford’s bill says its purpose is to:
“Protect human, animal, and plant life, and the land, water, and air on or under, in or over the Island of Hawai`i, including the ocean with its marine life that surrounds the Island of Hawai`i, from the adverse effects of biotechnical modification of any organism’s genome;
Maintain the Island of Hawai`i as a heritage seed bank and gene bank to preserve the biodiversity of plants, animals, and other organisms in case reserves of such organisms are destroyed elsewhere, and
Safeguard honeybees, which pollinate at least thirty percent of our food crops, from pesticides placed in some organisms through the use of genetic modification thereby threatening that portion of our food supply pollinated by honeybees.”

Dennis Gonsalves

The only exemption in Ford’s bill is for GMO research, but it requires that any research be conducted in “biosafety level three contamination” facilities. According to Gonsalves, this would essentially shut down GMO research because no such facilities exist on the Big Island.
When Wille withdrew her bill, she said she would introduce a newer version with exemptions for papaya and transgenic crops grown in enclosed structures.
See more at civilbeat.com.
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LIFEGUARDS AT PUNALU`U – the only place with lifeguards in Ka`u – are scanning waters for sharks with extra intensity following an attack at Pohoiki on Sunday and sightings that have Hapuna Beach on the Kohala Coast closed this morning. On Maui, a snorkeler lost her right arm to a shark last week.
Officials urge people not to enter the ocean alone, especially early or late in the day when sharks may be feeding near shore.
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KA`U RESIDENTS CAN PARTICIPATE IN THIS WEEK’S county government meetings via videoconferencing at Ocean View Community Association Center. County Council committees meet tomorrow, and the full Council meets Wednesday. All meetings take place at West Hawai`i Civic Center in Kona. Agendas and times are available at hawaiicounty.gov.

Diana Aki NPS Photo by Jay Robinson

STEWARDSHIP IN THE PARK takes place Wednesday, when volunteers help Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park by cutting invasive kahili ginger on park trails from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. Loppers and gloves are provided. Participants are encouraged to wear long sleeve shirts, long pants and closed-toed shoes. Water, snacks, rain gear and sun protection are recommended. This project is open to the public, and no reservations are required. Directions are available at Kilauea Visitor Center Wednesday.

DIANA AKI, THE SONGBIRD OF MILOLI`I, performs at Kilauea Visitor Center Auditorium in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park with her band Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. The free program is part of the park’s ongoing Na Leo Manu: Heavenly Voices presentations. Park entrance fees apply.

KA`U AGRICULTURAL WATER COOPERATIVE DISTRICT meets at Royal Hawaiian Orchards Macadamia Field Office in Pahala on Thursday at 4 p.m. For more information, call Jeff McCall at 928-6456.

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

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

SUPPORT YOUR KA`U BUSINESSES

PUBLIC NOTICES

Face painting was one of the activities at Ocean View Ho`olaule`a Saturday. Photo from Ocean View Evangelical
Community Church

KA`U SCHOOLS SCORED HIGHER than over 100 other state schools in Hawai`i Department of Education’s Strive HI Performance System for the 2012-13 school year. Out of a possible 400 points, Volcano School of the Arts & Sciences’ got 247 points; Ka`u High & Pahala Elementary School, 212; and Na`alehu School, 199.

Graph shows categories for scoring in Hawai`i DOE's Strive HI
Performance System.

According to a statement from Hawai`i DOE, the Strive HI Performance System, approved by the U.S. Department of Education in May 2013, replaces many of the federal No Child Left Behind program’s most outdated and ineffective requirements with a system better designed to meet the needs of Hawai`i’s students, educators and schools,. It uses multiple measures of achievement, growth, readiness and achievement gaps to understand schools’ performance and progress and differentiate schools based on their individuals needs for reward, support and intervention.
Based on the scores, schools are placed on one of Five Steps — Recognition, Continuous Improvement, Focus, Priority and Superintendent’s Zone — as they strive for continuous improvement. The state’s highest-performing schools receive recognition, financial awards and administrative flexibility to sustain their success. Low-performing schools receive customized supports based on the lessons learned from Hawai`i’s successful school turnarounds.
All three Ka`u schools ranked in the Continuous Improvement category.
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ALL PARTIES AND PARTICIPANTS in the proposed contract between `Aina Koa Pono and the electric companies have stated their positions to the Public Utilities Commission following the final round of testimony received from the utilities Aug. 2. The 20-year contract calls for AKP to grow feedstock in Ka`u to produce biofuel at a refinery that would be built above Pahala.

The PUC asked whether the parties and participants intend to resolve substantial disagreements by stipulation, propose an evidentiary hearing schedule, or declare the subject proceeding ready for decision-making by the Commission.

Henry Curtis, of Life of the Land

As reported in the Ka`u News Briefs Aug. 16, Hawai`i County called for an evidentiary hearing unless the PUC denies the contract. Henry Curtis, vice president for Consumer Issues at Life of the Land, also calls for a hearing if the contract is not denied. “Should the Commission decide that the applicant’s argument fails to meet minimal public interest, then that would eliminate the need for an evidentiary hearing. In the absence of such action from the Commission, we believe that a hearing is needed,” Curtis stated.
“There are several issues that are still in contention,” Curtis said. “HELCO has already met its renewable energy requirements. There are several ways that HECO can achieve its renewable energy requirements; there are viable alternatives including, but not limited to, AKP-2.
“The major area of contention is whether AKP-2 is in the public interest. That is, when AKP-2 is stacked up against alternatives, what are the relative benefits, costs and risks of AKP- 2? What are the relative ratepayer bill impacts of AKP-2? Why haven’t the negative economic externalities associated with approving AKP-2 been addressed? What is the justification for displacing existing and planned food-based agriculture with speculative biofuel operations? Why has HECO used unrealistic biofuel conversion rates? Why is it in the public interest to rely on unproven technology? Will ratepayer bills go up or down in both the short run and the long run? Would other alternatives more effectively provide ratepayer relief?
Curtis also said that “many of the ‘facts’ are in contention. The American system of law is based on a belief that the truth will emerge when special interests and public interests are involved in adversarial interactions that are judged by relatively open-minded decision makers.”

State Consumer Advocate Jeffrey Ono

Other parties and participants told the PUC that they are ready for a decision by the Commission. State deputy attorney general Gregg Kinkley, on behalf of the state Department of Business, Economic Development & Tourism, wrote, “Recalling that DBEDT’s involvement in this docket is only as a participant for the limited purpose of assisting the Commission in developing a sound record with respect to just one issue (price premiums and externalities), DBEDT believes the subject proceeding (is) ready for decision-making by the Commission.”
Jeffrey Ono, executive director of the Division of Consumer Advocacy, told the PUC that “it has no additional information and data to supplement the instant docket record, it has no intention to enter into a stipulation, and that the subject proceeding is ready for decision-making.”
Dan Brown, senior regulatory analyst for Hawaiian Electric Co., told the Commission that the utilities “believe that all of the issues in this proceeding have been fully addressed by the parties/participants to this docket through their respective testimonies and responses to information requests, and that an evidentiary hearing is not necessary.
“Due to remaining substantial disagreements between the companies, Life of the Land, and the County of Hawai`i, it is the companies’ position that a stipulation agreed to by all of the parties/participants will not be feasible,” Brown said. “However, the companies respectfully submit that the record in this docket is sufficient to provide the Commission with the requisite information needed for its evaluation of the overall reasonableness of the `Aina Koa Pono-Ka'u LLC Biodiesel Supply Contract, and that this docket is ready for decision making by the Commission.”
This and other testimony is available at puc.hawaii.gov. Docket number is 2012-0185.
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Hula dancers from Thy Word Ministries were
Donna Kekoa, Dexsilan Navarro and
Michelle Ortega.

OCEAN VIEW EVANGELICAL COMMUNITY CHURCH hosted about 250 families on Saturday at its first annual ho`olaule`a. Families enjoyed free lunches with kalua pork cooked in an imu, lomilomi salmon, chicken long rice, haupia and butter mochi. A host of entertainers, including musical groups from Na`alehu Assembly of God, Thy Word Ministries and River of Life Pahala, the Back to the 50s group with Ernest Kalani, Johnnie Waller and Peter Anderson performed, along with a duo from Kalapana. Hula sisters from Thy Word performed, as did a hula group comprised of Kona-area church members. Dancers from Ocean View Evangelical joined in. Miss Ka`u Coffee Tiare-Lee Shibuya performed solo. Hawaiian games included konani. The Kanahele family provided free shave ice. Also free were keiki IDs, face painting, and informational booths including Big Island Substance Abuse Council. The pastor is Dave Johnson. For more information, call 939-9089.

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KA`U CHAMBER OF COMMERCE has launched its scholarship fundraiser for 2014. The Chamber also each year produces The Directory– the phone book, business and community guide to Ka`u.

Vivien Santos received a Ka`u Chamber of Commerce scholarship. She
graduated from high school in the Philippines, move to Ka`u and
graduated again. She is with her mother, Amy Santos.
Photo by Julia Neal

Chamber president Dallas Decker said that this year, with more support, the organization hopes to increase distribution and funding for scholarships. Eleven scholarships were recently provided to college-bound students and those already in college – all from Ka`u. Recipients ranged from scholar-athletes like Marley Strand-Nicholaisen, who has a scholarship to play volleyball at UH-Hilo, to computer wiz Tyler Ameral, who donates time to obtain, repair and give computers, with training to Ka`u families, and Vivien Santos, who graduated from high school in the Philippines, then moved to Ka`u and graduated again and plans to become a nurse.

Marley Strand-Nicolaisen received a full
scholarship to UH-Hilo to play volleyball
and a scholarship from Ka`u Chamber of
Commerce. Photo by Julia Neal

Decker said that making donations and increasing participation in The Directory through advertising can all bring more to the table for Ka`u students. The Directory is also a showcase for Ka`u artists. The cover each year is chosen from art entries at the annual art show held at CU Hawai`i credit union in Na`alehu. The art show will open to the public on Monday, Sept. 30 and will be on display all week through the announcement of the winners which will be on Saturday morning, Oct. 5 at the credit union – public invited. Artist entries can be brought to the credit union on Friday, Sept. 27 from noon to 5 p.m. and Saturday, Sept. 28 from 9 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. The selection of the cover is through popular vote.
The current directory can be seen at kauchamber.org/wp-content/uploads/Directory2013.pdf.
See the application for The Directory below in public notices or call Elijah Navarro at 430-9461 or 928-6471.

HAWAI`I COUNTY COUNCIL MEETS TOMORROW at 9 a.m. at West Hawai`i Civic Center in Kona. Ka`u residents can participate via videoconferencing at Ocean View Community Association Center. Agenda is available at hawaiicounty.gov.

VOLUNTEERS CAN HELP CUT INVASIVE KAHILI GINGER on trails in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park tomorrow from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. Loppers and gloves are provided. Participants should wear long sleeve shirts, long pants, sun protection and closed-toed shoes. Meet at Kilauea Visitor Center.

DIANA AKI performs tomorrow at 6:30 p.m. in a free program at Kilauea Visitor Center Auditorium in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park Park entrance fees apply.

KA`U AGRICULTURAL WATER COOPERATIVE DISTRICT meets at Royal Hawaiian Orchards Macadamia Field Office in Pahala Thursday at 4 p.m. For more information, call Jeff McCall at 928-6456.

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

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

SUPPORT YOUR KA`U BUSINESSES

PUBLIC NOTICES

Ka`u High Girls Volleyballtea won the BIIF championship last year and hopes to do the same in 2013, with first game on Aug. 27

Photo form Ka`u High School

KA`U HIGH SCHOOL GIRLS VOLLEYBALL is getting a lot of attention from area news media this morning. Both West Hawai`i Today and Hawai`i Tribune Herald describe the Trojans as a team to watch during the upcoming Big Island Interscholastic Federation season. One headline declares "For once, Ka`u is the hunted." Reporter Matt Gerhart points out that the team's attitude is that ''life after Marley is going to be just fine." The story refers to Marley Strand-Nicolaisen, last year's star of the girls Trojan volleyball team. After graduating, she has moved on with a full scholarship to University of Hawai`i-Hilo for her freshman year, along with a smaller scholarship from Ka`u Chamber of Commerce. Another star, lost to graduation, is Kaila Olson.

Some Ka`u High players have traveled to the mainland to compete in

USA Volleyball with the Moku O Keawe team.

The story points to rising stars on the 2013 Ka`u team, including 6-foot tall Toni Beck, who is moving into Strand-Nicolaisen's middle blocker position. She played for the Trojans last year when it won its first BIIF championship in Ka`u High's history. The story by Gerhart quotes a number of the Ka`u girls volleyball players. It reports junior setter Kerrilynn Domondon saying, "We're going to show everybody. Some people think Marley did everything. We're going to show this year that we can win." The West Hawai`i Today story quotes Beck saying, "I think there's a lot of pressure because we won last year that we have to do it again. But I guess that pressure is motivation. I just need to get it done." Other team members include Kamalani Fujikawa, Sky Kanakaole-Eperson and Jernest Breithaupt-Louis.

According to the story, coach Joshua Ortega says that the team could be even better defensively this year, and points to the skills of Breithaupt-Louis and Beck, Beck is moving from offense to defense. In July, she traveled to Ft. Lauderdale, FL to play in a USA Volleyball High Performance tournament with the team called Moku O Keawe. Last year, she traveled with the same team to Des Moines, Iowa. Among their mentors is the U.H.-Hilo volleyball coach.

The first game of the season for Ka`u Girls Volleyball is Tuesday, Aug. 27 at Lapahoehoe High. The Trojans play at Hawai`i Preparatory Academy on Friday, Aug. 30, at Pahoa on Wednesday, Sept. 4, at home against Parker School on Saturday, Sept. 7, at home against East Pac on Wednesday, Sept. 11, at home against Konawa`na on Saturday, Sept. 14, at Hilo High on Tuesday, Sept. 17, at Kealakehe on Saturday, Sept. 21, at home against Kamehameha on Wednesday, Sept. 25, at home against Kohala on Saturday, Sept. 28, at home against Waiakea on Wednesday, Oct. 2, at Honoka`a on Saturday, Oct. 5, at home against Kea`au, Wednesday, Oct. 9, at home against Makua Lani on Saturday, Oct. 12, followed by BIIF championship play and the state tournament.

Ka`u Coffee Growers Cooperative members voted to let the state own the name Ka`u Coffee.
Photo by Geneveve Fyvie

WHO OWNS THE NAME KA`U COFFEE? Ka`u Coffee Growers Cooperative members recently voted to defer ownership of the name Ka`u Coffee to the state Department of Agriculture. Like Kona, the name would be held by the state and no one entity would be allowed to use the name Ka`u Coffee to sell coffee other than coffee actually grown in Ka`u. Ka`u Farm Bureau President Chris Manfredi who has been an owners' manager for most of the cooperative member's coffee lands for years, said he registered Kona Coffee under his own name last October, in order to protect it for the farmers. He offered to turn the name Ka`u Coffee over to the cooperative during the meeting. However, Ka`u Coffee Growers Cooperative members said they are not the only coffee growers in Ka`u and not the first. There are Ka`u Coffee growers who are members of at least one other cooperative and Ka`u Coffee growers unaligned with any coffee cooperative.

In 1894, Papa J.C. Searle started growing Ka`u Coffee. He was the ancestor of Meryl Becker of Aikane Plantation Coffee Co., which continues the Ka` Coffee family legacy. A Kona newspaper in the late 1800s said that Ka`u Coffee would someday compete with Kona Coffee. More than 100 years later, the prediction has come true.

Ka`u Coffee growers can write to the state Department of Agriculture and ask that the name Ka`u Coffee be protected by the state for the benefit of the Ka`u Coffee industry. The chair is Russell Kokubun, who lives in Volcano and has farmed there. Write Office of the Chairperson, Hawai`i Department of Agriculture, 1428 S. King St. Honolulu, HI 96814. Email Russell.S.Kokubun@hawaii.gov.

During the 2012 legislature a number of Kona Coffee farmers wanted the state to protect the authenticity of regional coffees by maintaining state government oversight and mandatory certification of coffee from the region in which it is grown. Despite protests from the Kona Coffee Farmers Association, the state abandoned required certification. Proponents of leaving the oversight up to the market, said the state could not afford inspectors and that inspections were taking too long, holding up the market. To address origin, Hawai`i Farmers Union United is planning to ask the 2014 Hawai`i Legislature to require accurate labeling for all products claiming to have origin in Hawai'i, said David Case, President of the local chapter of the organization.

Eva Lee talks about the art, science and business of growing tea.

Photo by Julia Neal

GROWING TEA IN KA`U incubator locations are being sought through a U.S. Department of Agriculture and Kohala Center program. Program leader Eva Lee, of Tea Hawai`i & Co., gave a workshop last weekend at Pahala Plantation Managers House, drawing some 40 people interested and backyard and commercial tea production. She said that she is open to helping start incubator tea nurseries where area residents could volunteer to care for the keiki and obtain young tea plants for their own production. Locations have already been suggested in Wood Valley above Pahala, and in Wai`ohinu and Ocean View. The kind of tea being promoted for production in Ka`u is not the ti plant used in Hawaiian ceremony, dance and imu. It is the drinking tea plant, Cameellia sinensis, which produces white, green oolong and black tea. Lee said it can grow in a wide range of altitudes, soil conditions and rainfall. It needs water, but can grow in shade or sun. All of the elements bring variety of taste to the tea, even from one crop to the next. She said that when volcanic ash blows onto her own Volcano tea farm, a tea that tastes rich in minerals emerges.

Mature tea plants take years to become productive and Lee said she will help prospective farmers budget for the cost of preparing land, supporting the tea plants with nutrients, the cost of water and marketing.

Diana Aki performs tonight in Volcano.
Photo by Jay Robinson/NPS

When asked whether tea could be interspersed with coffee, she said that she would recommend it only if the coffee is grown organically. She said it is not a matter of whether you support organic farming or farming. Buyers want tea produced without chemicals, she said, and chemicals applied to coffee could blow onto the tea plants.

Whether growers sell tea to a big marketer or create their own brands is up to the farmers, their skills and interests, Lee said. For more, see www.teahawaii.com.

DIANA AKI performs today at 6:30 p.m. in a free program at Kilauea Visitor Center Auditorium in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park Park entrance fees apply.

KA`U AGRICULTURAL WATER COOPERATIVE DISTRICT meets at Royal Hawaiian Orchards Macadamia Field Office in Pahala Thursday at 4 p.m. For more information, call Jeff McCall at 928-6456.

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

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

SUPPORT YOUR KA`U BUSINESSES

PUBLIC NOTICES

Ka`u News Briefs Friday, August 2, 2013

Ka`u News Briefs Saturday, Aug. 3, 2013

Ka`u News Briefs Sunday, Aug. 4, 2013

Ka`u News Briefs Monday, Aug. 5, 2013

Ka`u News Briefs Tuesday, Aug. 6, 2013

Ka`u News Briefs Wednesday, Aug. 7, 2013

Ka`u News Briefs Thursday Aug. 8, 2013

Ka`u News Briefs Friday August 9, 2013

Ka`u News Briefs Saturday, August 10, 2013

Ka`u News Briefs Sunday, August 11, 2013

Ka`u News Briefs Monday, August 12, 2013

Ka`u News Briefs Tuesday, August 13, 2013

Ka`u News Briefs Wednesday, August 14, 2013

The Ka`u Calendar, Thurday, August 15, 2013

Ka`u News Briefs Friday, August 16, 2013

Ka`u News Briefs August 17, 2013

Ka`u News Briefs Sunday, August 18, 2013

Ka`u News Briefs Monday, August 19, 2013

Ka`u News Briefs Tuesday, August 20, 2013

Ka`u News Briefs, Wednesday, Aug. 21. 2013