The Kaʻū Calendar News Briefs, Hawaiʻi Island

One of the first federal government involvements in Ka Lae was tending and improving the lighthouse and quarters for
its keeper, after Hawaiʻi became a U.S. territory in 1898. Ka Lae Lighthouse is now automated
and run by solar panels. Photo from Lighthouse Friends

FEDERAL USE OF SOUTH POINT, where some 11,000 acres are subject to a new management plan by the state Department of Hawaiian Home Lands, began after Hawaiʻi became a U.S. territory in 1898. The U.S. Lighthouse Service proposed improvements.
Ka Lae Lighthouse was not more than a large oil lamp on a 30 foot tall mast, the beam shining 9 miles out to sea, warning ships and boats of the South Point cliffs, and marking the southernmost point in the Hawaiian Islands. It shined onto an ocean where winds and currents make a distinct line, as if to divide the island in half, with a predominant calm to the west and turbulence to the east.

Traditional dwellings at Ka Lae where the federal government
took over the lighthouse in 1908 and built the lighthouse
keeper a small house. Photo from Lighthouse Friends

The first light keeper was John Nakai, who belonged to a Ka Lae fishing family. He lived next to the light in a small, traditional Hawaiian thatched dwelling, its shape described in some reports as "pyramidal."
An agent of the U.S. Lighthouse Service arrived to visit Nakai and presented a view of Ka Lae that contrasts to modern day appreciation of traditional Hawaiian fishing communities and the renaissance of protecting South Point's cultural and natural resources.

Lighthouse Friends quotes Capt. C. W. Otwell, of the Lighthouse Service, describing Ka Lae in 1907: "This station is isolated and desolate, the locality being only a waste of rough lava rock.

The second wind-powered light in the U.S
Lighthouse service was installed in 1928 at
Ka Lae. 1948 photo by Elmer Jackson

"No quarters have been provided for the keeper. The only line of supply is over a rough trail, the nearest water and provisions being ten miles distant. To provide at least temporary relief from the hardship to which the keeper is exposed, $200 worth of materials were purchased for the construction of a shelter and water tank. A suitable dwelling should be constructed at this… southernmost point of the Hawaiian Islands. The light is important, and the keeper should have this inducement to remain."

The recently released Department of Hawaiian Home Land's South Point Resources Management Plan reports that federal management of Ka Lae Lighthouse was established in 1908 by proclamation from President Teddy Roosevelt. The U.S. government took over 10 acres. The Lighthouse Service improved the lighthouse and built the light keeper a small residence.
According to Lighthouse Friends, Professor William Tufts Brigham, of Bishop Museum, asked the Territorial Governor to urge the Lighthouse Service to be careful to preserve Kalalea Heiau on the point, when building at Ka Lae. Kalalea was one of the last temples of native Hawaiian religion in use, after a century of Christianity expanding throughout the Hawaiian Islands. The federal Lighthouse Service avoided destruction of the heiau, according to Lighthouse Friends. Kalalea heiau remains today near the Ka Lae Lighthouse.

Ka Lae Lighthouse is powered by a solar panel just
under the light. It's been automated since 1949, when
it was wind-powered. Photo from Lighthouse Friends

Founding Ka Lae light keeper Nakai was followed by Robert Iana Reid (1907 – 1912), William F. Williams (1912 – 1914), Harry W. Flint (1915 – 1924), and James K. Haleamau (1926 – 1933). In 1928, during Haleamau's term, according to Lighthouse Friends, a new 45-foot, steel lighthouse tower was installed, its beacon "connected to storage batteries charged by a wind-driven electric generator, making Ka Lae Lighthouse the second wind-powered lighthouse in the U.S. Lighthouse Service."
A gasoline-powered generator provided electricity for the light and dwelling when wind-generated power was insufficient. "During the first year of this new system, the backup gasoline generator only had to run for about fifty hours."
James J. Gibson served as light keeper from 1937 – 1942. The last keeper was Henry S. Smith, who served until 1948 or 1949, when the lighthouse was automated, eliminating the need for a keeper. The 45-foot tower was replaced by a 32-foot concrete pole in 1972. Today, batteries charged by solar panels power the light.
The ten acres acquired by the U.S. government in 1908 remain in federal ownership today, surrounded by Hawaiian Home Lands. The U.S. Coast Guard operates the lighthouse. The land includes the Kalalea Heiau.
See more on the federal involvement with Ka Lae, with a story on the military era in Monday's Kaʻū News Briefs.

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Sen. Brian Schatz

GUN CONTROL PETITION, TO REPEAL BAN on the Centers for Disease Control doing studies on guns and gun violence, is being circulated by Sen. Brian Schatz. His announcement states the CDC is responsible for gathering data on threats to public health, which legislators use to craft policies that help keep people safe without unnecessary burden or making things worse.

The Appropriations Act of 1997, submitted by Rep. Jay Dickey, got an amendment passed for the NRA that prevents the CDC from studying guns and gun violence, says the release. "The Dickey amendment is still the law today. It's a moral outrage, and it must change," states Schatz. "We cannot allow the NRA to continue substituting their agenda for evidence-based facts. Add your name now to call on Congress to repeal the Dickey Amendment, and lift the ban on this lifesaving research. Sign our petition now. It's time to lift the ban and restore the CDC's funding for gun violence research right away. Thanks for being part of this."

Sign the petition.

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HAWAI‘I ISLAND SAFE NET SPONSORS AN ISLAND-WIDE CANDLELIGHT PRAYER VIGIL on Thursday, Mar. 15, from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m., for those wishing to gather and pray for issues relating to human trafficking. The Ka‘ū host location is at Ocean View Baptist Church, on the corner of Coral Blossom and Ginger. Pastor Lani Bayer hosts another of the vigils at Volcano Assembly of Go at 19-4276 Wright Road. For more information, contact Melody Stone at (808) 430-5710.

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AVOCADO GRAFTING FOR COMMERCIAL GROWERS WORKSHOP by UH-CTAHR's Cooperative Extension, USDA, Western Extension Risk Management Education, and Hawaii Avocado Association, is offered in both Hilo and Kona.

The hands-on workshop will teach about Sharwil avocados, the only variety approved to be shipped to the mainland. Growers will be able to participate in a grafting exercise of Sharwil scion to rootstock trees, will be able take their newly grafted plants home, and will receive instruction in recordkeeping considerations for export. Speakers include Dr. Alyssa Cho, Dr. Stuart T. Nakamoto, Andrea Kawabata, and Ty McDonald of CTAHR.

Image from International Tropical Fruits Network

The Hilo workshop will take place Wednesday, March 28, 1:30 to 4:30 p.m., at Komohana Research and Extension Center, 875 Komohana St, Room D-202, Hilo, HI 96720. Kona will hold two workshops, at 9 a.m. to noon or 1:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m., on Thursday, March 29, at Kona Cooperative Extension Service, Conference Room, 79-7381 Mamalahoa Highway, Kealakekua, HI 96750.
Class Fee is $25 per person, per workshop. Payment will be collected during event check-in, cash and check accepted. Make checks payable to 'RCUH'. Cost covers Sharwil scion testing, known Sharwil scion, rootstock plants, grafting supplies, and handouts. Attendees should bring their own pruning shears; all other grafting tools will be provided, but bringing personal grafting knifes is also suggested.

Registration is required. Each class is limited to 15 participants. RSVP online or by contacting Gina at 322-4892, at least two days prior to the workshop. If unable to make the workshop after registration, contact Gina, or Andrea at andreak@hawaii.edu, with as much advance notice as possible, so that another grower may attend.

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LEARN TO MAKE TRADITIONAL KOREAN STYLE KIMCHI on Saturday, Mar. 31, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Volcano Art Center.
Aaron and Soohee Martinson deliver the hands-on cooking workshop. Soohee adds a narrative to the recipes by sprinkling in anecdotes while Aaron presents a slideshow.

Photo from volcanoartcenter.org

The course uses a recipe called Napa Cabbage Kimchi, from the Jeolla Province of South Korea. The recipe is used daily at Soonie Nae Restaurant in Seoul, South Korea, states the event description.
Students will be able to take home their Kimchi to continue fermenting it to their preferred taste. All materials needed to prepare the Kimchi will be provided. Students are recommended to bring an apron, as preparing Kimchi can be messy and pepper pastes will stain clothing.
Class fee is $50 for VAC members and $55 for non-members, plus a $15 supply fee. Advance registration is required. Call 967-8222 or visit volcanoartcenter.org.

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

See public Ka‘ū events, meetings, entertainment at kaucalendar.com

/janfebmar/februaryevents.html. See Ka‘ū exercise, meditation, daily,

weekly events at kaucalendar.com/janfebmar/februarycommunity.html.

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

throughout Ka‘ū, from Miloli‘i through Volcano. Also available free on

stands throughout the district. Read online at kaucalendar.com.

KA‘Ū TROJANS SPORTS SCHEDULE

Girls Softball: Tuesday, Mar 13, @ Hilo

Saturday, Mar 17 @ Konawaena

Monday, Mar 19, KSH @ Ka‘ū

Saturday, Mar 24 @ Kealakehe

Saturday, Mar 31 @ Honoka‘a

Monday, Apr 2, @ Kohala

Saturday, Apr 7, Hawai‘i Prep @ Ka‘ū

Monday, Apr 9, @ Pāhoa

Wednesday, Apr 11 @ KSH

Saturday, Apr 14, Kea‘au @ Ka‘ū

Boys Volleyball: Monday, Mar 12, @ Makua Lani

Wednesday, Mar 14 Ehunui @ Ka‘ū

Friday, Mar 16 @ Konawaena

Monday, Mar 19 @ KSH

Friday, Mar 23 Pāhoa @ Ka‘ū

Tuesday, Apr 3, @ Waiakea

Wednesday, Apr 11, Kea‘au @ Ka‘ū

Friday, Apr 13, Honoka‘a @ Ka‘ū

Monday, Apr 16, @ Hilo

Friday, Apr 20, Parker @ Ka‘ū

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ARTS & CRAFTS: ST. PATRICK'S DAY TOP HAT, Wed, Mar 14, 3:30 to 5 p.m., Pāhala Community Center. Register until Mar 13. For grades K-8. Free. Nona Makuakane/Elijah Navarro, 928-3102, hawaiicounty.gov/pr-recreation

MONDAY, MARCH 12

PAINTING WITH PEGGY, Mondays, Mar 12 & 26, noon - 3 p.m., Volcano Art Center. Acrylic painting class with Margaret "Peggy" Stanton. Ongoing series of workshops for artists of all levels. $15 VAC members/$20 non-members, per session. Email questions to peggystanton007@yahoo.com. Register online, volcanoartcenter.org

TUESDAY, MARCH 13
C.E.R.T. DISCOVERY HARBOUR/ NĀĀLEHU, Tue, Mar 13, 4 - 6 p.m., Discovery Harbour Community Hall. Public invited to see what Community Emergency Response Team is about, as well as participate in training scenarios. Dina Shisler, dinashisler24@yahoo.com, 410-935-8087.

HAWAI‘I COUNTY COUNCIL MEETINGS, Tue/Wed, Mar 13 (committees)/14 (Council), Hilo, & Tue/Wed, Mar 27 (committees)/28 (Council), Kona. Ka‘ū residents can participate via videoconferencing at Nā‘ālehu State Office Building. Agendas at hawaiicounty.gov

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 14

HAWAI‘I COUNTY COUNCIL MEETINGS, Wed, Mar 14 (Council), Hilo, & Tue/Wed, Mar 27 (committees)/28 (Council), Kona. Ka‘ū residents can participate via videoconferencing at Nā‘ālehu State Office Building. Agendas at hawaiicounty.gov

KAULA DEMONSTRATION, Wed, Mar. 14, 10 a.m. to noon, on the Kīlauea Visitor Center lānai. Uncle Larry Kuamo‘o demonstrates how to make traditional cordage from native Hawaiian plants. Free; park entrance fees apply. nps.gov/HAVO

THURSDAY, MARCH 15

VETERAN'S CENTER AND VA MEDICAL SERVICES, Thurs., March 1 & 15, 8:30 a.m. to noon, Ocean View Community Center. No appointment needed to visit with VA counselor and benefit specialist. Contact Matthew at 329-0574. ovcahi.org

STEWARDSHIP OF KῙPUKAPUAULU takes place every Thursday in March: 15, 22, and 29. Participants meet at Kīpukapuaulu parking lot, Mauna Loa Road, off Highway 11, at 9:30 a.m. Volunteers should bring clippers or pruners, sturdy gloves, a hat and water; wear closed-toe shoes. Clothing may be permanently stained by morning glory sap. New volunteers, contact Marilyn Nicholson at nickem@hawaii.rr.com.

STORY TIME WITH AUNTIE LINDA FROM TŪTŪ & ME, Thu, Mar 15, 10:30 a.m. - noon, Nā‘ālehu Public Library. 929-8571.

FISHERY COUNCIL MEETING, Thu, Mar, 15, 5:30 - 7:30 p.m., West HI Civic Center, Liquor Control Room. New membership encouraged - especially recreational, commercial & regional fishers who can provide feedback for the council on a regular basis - then passed on to DLNR. westhawaiifisherycou.ipower.com, mkipapa@gmail.com

KAMEHAMEHA SCHOOLS ANNUAL HŌʻIKE rock opera Kū I Ka Mana has two performances: Thu, Mar 15, and Fri, Mar 16, both at 6 p.m., in Koaiʻa Gymnasium. Tickets are $5, available online, at the door, or from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. on school days at the high school office or Student Activities Center.

FAMILY READING, Thu, Mar 15, 6 - 7 p.m., Ocean View Community Center. 939-7033, ovcahi.org

HAWAI‘I ISLAND SAFE NET SPONSORS AN ISLAND-WIDE CANDLELIGHT PRAYER VIGIL, Thu, Mar. 15, 6:30 to 7:30 p.m., for those wishing to gather and pray for issues relating to human trafficking. Host locations at Ocean View Baptist Church or Volcano Assembly of God Contact Melody Stone at 430-5710 for info.

HAWAIIAN CIVIC CLUB OF KA‘Ū, Thu, Mar 15, 6:30 p.m., UnitedMethodist Church in Nā‘ālehu. Pres. Berkley Yoshida, 747-0197.

THURSDAY NIGHT AT THE CENTER - Film Screening of Kīlauea Summit Eruption: Lava Returns to Halema‘uma‘u and Q&A w/USGS HVO Representatives, Thu, Mar 15, 7 - 9 p.m., Volcano Art Center. Free; suggested $5 donation. volcanoartcenter.org, 967-8222.

FRIDAY, MARCH 16

STEWARDSHIP AT THE SUMMIT Fri., March 16. Participants meet Paul and Jane Field at Kīlauea Visitor Center at 8:45 a.m. Volunteers should wear sturdy hiking shoes and long pants, and bring a hat, raingear, day pack, snacks, and water. Gloves and tools provided. Parental or guardian accompaniment, or written consent, required for volunteers under 18. Visit park website for additional planning details:
nps.gov/havo/planyourvisit/summit_stewardship.htm.

PŪ‘OHE (Hawaiian Bamboo Trumpet) DEMONSTRATION, Fri, Mar 16, 10 a.m. - noon, Kahuku Unit, Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park. Make a pū‘ohe, Hawaiian bamboo trumpet. Has a deep sound somewhat like a conch shell. Part of Hawai‘i Volcanoes’ ‘Ike Hana No‘eau "Experience the Skillful Work" workshops. Free. nps.gov/HAVO

KAMEHAMEHA SCHOOLS ANNUAL HŌʻIKE rock opera Kū I Ka Mana, Fri, Mar 16, at 6 p.m., in Koaiʻa Gymnasium. Tickets are $5, available online, at the door, or from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. on school days at the high school office or Student Activities Center.

SATURDAY, MARCH 17

RAPID ʻŌHIʻA DEATH SYMPOSIUM-EAST, Sat, Mar 17, 8:30 - noon, University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo, UCB 100. Register at www.RapidOhiaDeath.org

OPTIMAL NUTRITIONAL GARDENING, Sat, Mar 17, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., VolcanoArt Center. Zach Mermel of Ola Design Group instructs on how to improve nutrient density of fruits & vegetables. Also which plants contain naturally high amounts of certain nutrients & strategies for well-rounded diet from home gardens. Hands on workshop. Students depart with plant materials - seeds and/or cuttings. $30 per VAC member and $35 per non-member. volcanoartcenter.org, 967-8222.

NATURE & CULTURE: AN UNSEVERABLE RELATIONSHIP, Sat, Mar 17, 9:30 - 11:30 a.m., Kahuku Unit of Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park. Moderate guided hike along the Palm Trail, approx. 2 miles. Free. nps.gov/HAVO

ST. PATRICK'S DAY LUNCHES - ‘O KA‘Ū KĀKOU, Sat, Mar 17, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Nāʻālehu Methodist Church. $10 per plate Corned Beef & Cabbage lunches for sale - all proceeds go to senior housing project. okaukakou.org

THE ART EXPRESS, Sat, Mar 17, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Discovery Harbour Community Hall. Classes held once monthly. Learn something new or work on a forgotten project. Instructions on oil, acrylic, watercolor, and other mediums. Class size limited to 25. Meliha Corcoran 319-8989, himeliha@yahoo.com, discoveryharbour.net/art-express

OCEAN VIEW C.E.R.T., Sat, Mar 17, 10 - 1 p.m, Ocean View Community Center. Community Emergency Response Team monthly meeting/training. 939-7033, ovcahi.org

EXPERIMENTAL WATERCOLORS with Patti Pease Johnson, Sat, Mar 17, noon - 3:30 p.m., Volcano Art Center. Students create 3-5, 8”"x8", watercolor paintings on hot press paper using pre-broken glass as a catalyst to spark creativity. Beginner and intermediate artists welcome. $45 per VAC member, $50 per non-member, plus a $10 supply fee. volcanoartcenter.org, 967-8222

ST. PATRICK'S DAY BUFFET, Sat, Mar 17, 6 - 10 p.m., Kīlauea Military Camp's Crater Rim Café in Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park. Corned Beef & Cabbage, Lamb Stew, Shepherd’s Pie, and Vegetarian Shepherd’s Pie plus all the fixings. $20/Adult, $11/Child (6-11 years). Irish ale available. Call 967-8356 for more. KMC is open to authorized patrons and sponsored guests. Park entrance fees apply. kilaueamilitarycamp.com

BUNCO & POTLUCK, Sat, Mar 17, 6 p.m., Discovery Harbour Community Hall. Popular game played with nine dice, also known as Bonko or Bunko. Bring dish to share. Margie Hack, 541-954-8297.

SUNDAY, MARCH 18

PEOPLE AND LAND OF KAHUKU, Sun, Mar 18, 9:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m., Kahuku Unit of Hawai‘i VolcanoesNational Park. Free, guided, 2.5-mile, moderately difficult hike over rugged terrain focuses on the area's human history. nps.gov/HAVO

ONGOING

TĪ AND SEAS ART EXHIBIT at Volcano Art Center Gallery featuring oil paintings by Pāhoa resident Steve Irvine, is open to the public through Sun., Mar. 25, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., daily - volcanoartcenter.org or 967-8222.

KDEN HOW THE OTHER HALF LOVES - March 9 through 24. Performances on Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m., Sundays at 2:30 p.m, Kīlauea Military Camp’s Kīlauea Theater, Hawai‘i VolcanoesNational Park. Kīlauea Drama & Entertainment Network performance. KMC open to authorized KMC patrons and sponsored guests. Park entrance fees apply. Call KDEN for ticket info, 982-7344.

TŪTŪ AND ME OFFERS HOME VISITS to those with keiki zero to five years old: home visits to aid with helpful parenting tips and strategies, educational resources, and a compassionate listening ear. Home visits are free, last 1.5 hours, two to four times a month, for a total of 12 visits, and snacks are provided. For info and to register, call Linda Bong 646-9634.

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1945 photo of Ka Lae, showing the layout of Morse Airfield. Photo from totakeresponsibility.blogspot.com

SOUTH POINT'S OCCUPATION BY THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT began with Ka Lae Lighthouse and expanded to 517 acres designated in 1926 by territorial Gov. Wallace R. Farrington, for a U.S Air Service landing field. In 1940 the governor set aside an additional 182.38 acres for Kalae Millitary Reservation. Today, remnants of military life remain on the land, located within the 11,000 acre planning area in the recently released Department of Hawaiian Home Lands'South Point Resources Management Plan.

A Curtiss A-12 Shrike at South Point's
Morse Field, Ka Lae Military Reservation, in 1940.

In 1933, the U.S. War Department named a military airport location at South Point as Morse Field, honoring World War I airman and war hero Guy E. Morse. Runways, support buildings, waterlines, fuel storage, and access roads were under construction in 1940.

Workers moving lava at South Point
to build the airfield at Ka Lae.
Photo from state Dept. Transportation

One reason for establishing an airfield at Ka Lae was to provide a fueling station at South Point and to take 200 miles off air travel time between the U.S., and Australia and the Philippines. Planes could stop at Ka Lae instead of Oʻahu. Some $2 million was appropriated for the project.

By the Dec. 7, 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor, at least two fighter planes were stationed at the South Point airfield. When war broke out, "military infrastructure was destroyed as a precautionary measure against enemy usage," states the Hawaiian Home Lands report. During World War II, however, the military completed the 6,000 foot-long temporary steel-grid runway, installed nine 50,000 gallon fuel tanks, built numerous support

P-36 fighters from Wheeler Field on Oʻahu fly in to
South Point and taxi over to the refueling station, buried
in the ground and covered by a roof to the left of car.

Territorial Gov. Wallace R.
Farrington designated 517
acres of South Point to a US
Air Service landing field in
1926. Photo from Wikipedia

buildings, and stocked numerous weapons. The place was called not only Morse Field, but also Ka Lae Military Reservation and South Point Air Force Station. See a story and more photos.
After World War II, the military declared the airfield surplus property, its management given over to the Hawaiʻi Aeronautical Commission. Ideas for its use came from such entrepreneurs as Kahuku Ranch owner James Glover, who proposed keeping it open to airlift slaughtered cattle to market and to use the runway for emergency landings. Calling it the South Cape Airport, the Commission worked with Glover

Morse Field at South Point during World War II, with Peashooter fighter planes.

and retained it as an emergency landing field. By 1952, however, new roads skirted the island, and trucks hauled cattle and other exports to the main port in Hilo for shipment out of Hawaiʻi. Demand declined for an airstrip and the place deteriorated.
Landing at South Point came to a halt, the airport officially abandoned in 1955 by the Territorial Director of Aeronautics.
Learn about the next phase of military and federal government use of South Point in Tuesday's Ka‘ū News Briefs. See March 3, March 5, March 6, March 7, March 8, March 9, March 10, March 11, and future Ka‘ū News Briefs for more in the continuing South Point Resource Management Plan. See the 799-page plan online.

A 1929 Model A Ford was light keeper Gibson's car at Ka Lae in 1941, when
he lent it to Pvt. Stanley Koenig who worked at the airfield at South Point.
Photo from state Department of Transportation

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THE SPINLAUNCH BILL TO ISSUE $25M FOR A SPACE PORT, in Special Purpose Revenue Bonds. goes to hearing before the state Senate's Committee on Economic Development and Business on Wednesday, March 14, with testimonies due by 9:30 a.m.Tuesday. See SB2703 SD1. Its companion bill in the state House of Representatives, HB2559, was set for a hearing today, Monday. Both aim to approve $20 million in Special Purpose Revenue Bonds to draw funding for SpinLaunch, an aeronautics company based in California. The company plans to establish a space launch facility on the BigIsland, using a new technology that, SpinLaunch claims, would catapult small satellites and other packages into space at a much lower cost than using large rockets.

Testimonies from the tech, scientific, and university community favor the proposal to allow less expensive access to space. Supportive testimony also promotes the idea that the facility would bring employment and economic development for the area where the launch facility would be built.

An aerial shot of Pohuʻe Bay and part of the surrounding 16,455
acres of land presently for sale, a possible site for the proposed
SpinLaunch facility. Photo from Big Island Luxury

Testimonies from the general public weigh against the proposal, focusing on the possibility that SpinLaunch could build its launch site on the land that includes Pohuʻe Bay. Opponents testified that they want the land preserved for conservation and cultural purposes.

See other articles on SpinLaunch in Ka‘ū News Briefs, Feb. 19, 21, 26, 28, and in the March edition of the Ka‘ū Calendar newspaper.

Read the bill and submit testimony here.

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BIOSECURITY AND AGRICULTURAL EDUCATION are the focus of several state legislature bills with hearings this week. Testimonies are due 24 hours prior to meeting times, and can be submitted online. Hawaiʻi Farmers Union United supports the following, with links to provide testimony directly to the legislature:

● SB 2387, SD2: House Education and House Agriculture Committees joint hearing Monday, March 12, 2:00 p.m. The bill: "Requires the Department of Education to establish a farm to school program. Requires the farm to school coordinator in the Department of Agriculture to work in collaboration with the Department of Education on any farm to school program. Establishes two full-time equivalent farm to school staff positions within the Department of Education. Appropriates funds. Click to read/support SB 2387

● SB 2399, SD2: House Energy & Environmental Protection Committee hearing Tuesday, March 13, 8:30 a.m. The bill: "Restructures the Hawaii invasive species council as the Hawaii invasive species authority, to be administratively attached to the Department of Agriculture, to coordinate implementation of the Hawaii interagency biosecurity plan and to improve coordination of the State's invasive species prevention, early detection, rapid response, control, enforcement, and outreach programs. Appropriates funds for the authority and relevant interagency invasive species projects. Click to read/support SB 2399

● SB 2563, SD1: House Labor committee hearing Tuesday, March 13, 10:30 a.m. The bill: "Appropriates funds to the department of labor and industrial relations for the K-12 agriculture workforce development pipeline initiative. Click to read/support SB 2563

● SB 2928, SD2: House Agriculture Committee hearing Wednesday, March 14, 8:30 a.m. The measure: "Establishes and appropriates funds for a farm to school grant pilot program within the Hawaii Department of Agriculture to provide grants to schools, early care and education centers, nonprofits, soil and water conservation districts, and food producers participating in the Hawaii farm to school program. Requires the Hawaiifarm to school coordinator to submit a report to the legislature. Makes appropriations to continue the Hawaiifarm to school program and coordinator position and to assist farmers and ranchers achieve Good Agricultural Practices Certification from the United States Department of Agriculture. Click to read/support SB 2928

● HB 2101, HD1: Senate Water and Land Committee hearing Wednesday, March 14, 3:01 p.m. The measure: "Makes an appropriation to the Department of Land and Natural Resources for the operational expenses and staffing costs of the Hawaii Association of Conservation Districts. Click to read/support HB 2101

‘I‘iwi III by Reyn Ojiri. Photo from volcanoartcenter.org

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A PAINTING DEMO WITH JOHN DAWSON AND REYN OJIRI, featuring Birds Of Hawai‘i - Volcanoes National Park, takes place Friday, March 23, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., at Niaulani Campus in Volcano Village.

The session begins with Dawson covering birds in Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park. He demonstrates his planning to launch painting, including gathering photos and laying out his grid. Dawson, well known for his illustrative art, has worked for and with United States Postal Service, National Park Service, United Nations, National Wildlife Federation, University of Hawai‘i at Hilo, Imiloa Astronomy Center, National Geographic Society, Audubon Society, and many others.

‘Io flying over the Park by John Dawson. Photo from volcanoartcenter.org

Scientific illustrator Ojiri will also provide a demonstration. She has drawn extinct Hawaiian birds for the Smithsonian Natural History Museum, illustrated exhibits at the Bishop Museum, and created graphics at the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology.
For more, visit volcanoartcenter.org.

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

See public Ka‘ū events, meetings, entertainment at kaucalendar.com

/janfebmar/februaryevents.html. See Ka‘ū exercise, meditation, daily,

weekly events at kaucalendar.com/janfebmar/februarycommunity.html.

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

throughout Ka‘ū, from Miloli‘i through Volcano. Also available free on

stands throughout the district. Read online at kaucalendar.com.

KA‘Ū TROJANS SPORTS SCHEDULE

Girls Softball: Tuesday, Mar 13, @ Hilo

Saturday, Mar 17 @ Konawaena

Monday, Mar 19, KSH @ Ka‘ū

Saturday, Mar 24 @ Kealakehe

Saturday, Mar 31 @ Honoka‘a

Monday, Apr 2, @ Kohala

Saturday, Apr 7, Hawai‘i Prep @ Ka‘ū

Monday, Apr 9, @ Pāhoa

Wednesday, Apr 11 @ KSH

Saturday, Apr 14, Kea‘au @ Ka‘ū

Boys Volleyball: Wednesday, Mar 14 Ehunui @ Ka‘ū

Friday, Mar 16 @ Konawaena

Monday, Mar 19 @ KSH

Friday, Mar 23 Pāhoa @ Ka‘ū

Tuesday, Apr 3, @ Waiakea

Wednesday, Apr 11, Kea‘au @ Ka‘ū

Friday, Apr 13, Honoka‘a @ Ka‘ū

Monday, Apr 16, @ Hilo

Friday, Apr 20, Parker @ Ka‘ū

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

ARTS & CRAFTS: ST. PATRICK'S DAY TOP HAT, Wed, Mar 14, 3:30 to 5 p.m., Pāhala Community Center. Register until tomorrow, Mar 13. For grades K-8. Free. Nona Makuakane/Elijah Navarro, 928-3102, hawaiicounty.gov/pr-recreation

TUESDAY, MARCH 13
C.E.R.T. DISCOVERY HARBOUR/NĀĀLEHU, Tue, Mar 13, 4 - 6 p.m., Discovery Harbour Community Hall. Public invited to see what Community Emergency Response Team is about, as well as participate in training scenarios. Dina Shisler, dinashisler24@yahoo.com, 410-935-8087.

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 14

FILM SCREENING OF KĪLAUEA SUMMIT ERUPTION: LAVA RETURNS TO HALEMA‘UMA‘U, followed by a question and answer session, Thu, Mar 15, at Volcano Art Center, from 7 to 9 p.m. Free; $5 donation to VAC is suggested. volcanoartcenter.org

THURSDAY, MARCH 15

STORY TIME WITH AUNTIE LINDA FROM TŪTŪ & ME, Thu, Mar 15, 10:30 a.m. - noon, Nā‘ālehu Public Library. 929-8571.

FAMILY READING, Thu, Mar 15, 6 - 7 p.m., Ocean View Community Center. 939-7033, ovcahi.org

HAWAI‘I ISLAND SAFE NET SPONSORS AN ISLAND-WIDE CANDLELIGHT PRAYER VIGIL, Thu, Mar. 15, 6:30 to 7:30 p.m., for those wishing to gather and pray for issues relating to human trafficking. Host locations at Ocean View Baptist Church or Volcano Assembly of God Contact Melody Stone at 430-5710 for info.

HAWAIIAN CIVIC CLUB OF KA‘Ū, Thu, Mar 15, 6:30 p.m., UnitedMethodist Church in Nā‘ālehu. Pres. Berkley Yoshida, 747-0197.

FRIDAY, MARCH 16

STEWARDSHIP AT THE SUMMIT Fri., March 16. Participants meet Paul and Jane Field at Kīlauea Visitor Center at 8:45 a.m. Volunteers should wear sturdy hiking shoes and long pants, and bring a hat, raingear, day pack, snacks, and water. Gloves and tools provided. Parental or guardian accompaniment, or written consent, required for volunteers under 18. Visit park website for additional planning details: nps.gov/havo/planyourvisit/summit
_stewardship.htm.

SATURDAY, MARCH 17

ST. PATRICK'S DAY LUNCHES - ‘O KA‘Ū KĀKOU, Sat, Mar 17 Nāʻālehu Methodist Church. Corned Beef & Cabbage lunches for sale - all proceeds go to senior housing project. okaukakou.org

RAPID ʻŌHIʻA DEATH SYMPOSIUM-EAST, Sat, Mar 17, 8:30 - noon, University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo, UCB 100. Register at www.RapidOhiaDeath.org

OPTIMAL NUTRITIONAL GARDENING, Sat, Mar 17, 9 - 3 p.m., VolcanoArt Center. Zach Mermel of Ola Design Group instructs on how to improve nutrient density of fruits & vegetables. Also which plants contain naturally high amounts of certain nutrients & strategies for well-rounded diet from home gardens. Hands on workshop. Students depart with plant materials - seeds and/or cuttings. $30 per VAC member and $35 per non-member. volcanoartcenter.org, 967-8222.

ST. PATRICK'S DAY LUNCHES - ‘O KA‘Ū KĀKOU, Sat, Mar 17, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Nāʻālehu Methodist Church. $10 per plate Corned Beef & Cabbage lunches for sale - all proceeds go to senior housing project.
okaukakou.org

OCEAN VIEW C.E.R.T., Sat, Mar 17, 10 - 1 p.m, Ocean View Community Center. Community Emergency Response Team monthly meeting/training. 939-7033, ovcahi.org

EXPERIMENTAL WATERCOLORS with Patti Pease Johnson, Sat, Mar 17, noon - 3:30 p.m., Volcano Art Center. Students create 3-5, 8"x8", watercolor paintings on hot press paper using pre-broken glass as a catalyst to spark creativity. Beginner and intermediate artists welcome. $45 per VAC member, $50 per non-member, plus a $10 supply fee. volcanoartcenter.o rg, 967-8222.

ST. PATRICK'S DAY BUFFET, Sat, Mar 17, 6 - 10 p.m., Kīlauea Military Camp’s Crater Rim Café in Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park. Corned Beef & Cabbage, Lamb Stew, Shepherd’s Pie, and Vegetarian Shepherd’s Pie plus all the fixings. $20/Adult, $11/Child (6-11 years). Irish ale available. Call 967-8356 for more. KMC is open to authorized patrons and sponsored guests. Park entrance fees apply. kilaueamilitarycamp.com

BUNCO & POTLUCK, Sat, Mar 17, 6 p.m., Discovery Harbour Community Hall. Popular game played with nine dice, also known as Bonko or Bunko. Bring dish to share. Margie Hack, 541-954-8297.

SUNDAY, MARCH 18

PEOPLE AND LAND OF KAHUKU, Sun, Mar 18, 9:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m., Kahuku Unit of Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park. Free, guided, 2.5-mile, moderately difficult hike over rugged terrain focuses on the area's human history. nps.gov/HAVO

MONDAY, MARCH 19

DISCOVERY HARBOUR NEIGHBORHOOD WATCH MEETING, Mon, Mar 19, 5 - 6:30 p.m., Discovery Harbour Community Hall. 929-9576, discoveryharbour.net

ONGOING

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Pacific Missile Range Facility used Ka Lae for tracking its missile launches. Photo from AFT

KA LAE AS CAPE CANAVERAL WEST? Ka Lae and its Morse Field, with some 700 acres active in World War II, transitioned from military operations to missile testing, communications, and multiple proposals for spaceports in the second half of the 20th Century. The property is now under the stewardship of the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands, that recently released its South Point Resources Management Plan, which is largely focused on cultural and natural resources preservation.
Ka Lae nearly became the chosen launch site for the expansion of Cape Canaveral. In 1961, "South Point, Island of Hawaiʻi" was listed in the top eight sites on NASA's radar for launching the first manned rockets into space. However, the remote location and "excessive cost of development" excluded not only South Point but other candidates, such as Christmas Island and Mayaguana Island in the Bahamas, according to a history of Cape Canaveral published by spaceline.com. NASA decided to stick with Florida.

In 2103, XCOr wanted to plan travel into space from a Hawaiʻi
location that would be remote, next to water. Image from XCOR

However, the Navy used Ka Lae for communications in the 1960s and in February, 1965, South Point Air Force Station was established for space tracking and communications. The U.S. Air Force Maui Space Surveillance Center used Ka Lae in its sounding rocket experimentation for project Have Lent, to test ballistic missile reentry systems. SAMTEC, the Vandenberg Air Force Base Space and Missile Test Center in California, also used Ka Lae.
In 1979, South Point Air Station was divided in two parcels located about 1.5 miles apart, containing approximately 5.9 acres each. One of the sites was the main operations area, while the other area was the location of a 60-foot tracking dish - a boresight tower - for the South Point Tracking Facility of the Pacific Missile Range Facility at Barking Sands on Kauaʻi, built in 1964.
On February 11, 1983, the South Point facilities were formally closed by an executive order from Gov. George Ariyoshi. However, space launch facility proposals continued for Kaʻū. A 1994 spaceport suggestion was abandoned, as bumper stickers around the district proclaimed "No Rockets Kaʻū."

Ideas for using Ka Lae for space travel have cropped up in this century. In 2011, on a forum discussing plans by SpaceX founder Elon Musk - who is now venturing human travel to Mars - enthusiasts debated pros and cons of launch pads at South Point, including the risk of earthquakes and lava flows. Several private launch companies proposed to make Ka Lae a spaceport, but local opposition and high costs deterred the plans.

Map showing layout of the World War II era air field at South Point
called Morse Field, with an overlay of proposed pathways, parking
lots, and road, detailed in the new Department of Hawaiian
Home Lands South Point Plan. Map from DHHL report

In 2013, XCOR sought a remote place in Hawaiʻi, next to water, for passenger space travel that would take off like a rocket and land smoothly like a plane on a runway. Sir Richard Branson's Virgin Galactic and his Rocket Crafters, Inc. also looked at Hawaiʻi as a possible location for their ventures. See the April 27, 2013 Kaʻū News Briefs.
More recently, SpinLaunch, planning a Hawaiʻi Island spacesport, and reportedly considering Pohuʻe Bay and not South Point, is asking the Hawaiʻi Legislature to authorize a $25 million Special Purpose Revenue Bond for its venture to fling small satellites and other packages at a low cost into space.
According to the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands' South Point Plan, its projects will not affect the remains of the former military structures.
An area called the Barracks is where many visitors and locals park their cars and begin their hike to Māhana Bay and Green Sands Beach, or hop on a local four-wheel drive and pay the driver to take them there.

Other remnants of military days include a 50,000 gallon water tank, maintained by Department of Water Supply with the spigot provided to Department of Hawaiian Home Lands. It is fed by a four-inch line which carries water down from Hā‘ao Springs, the DHHL plan states.
Another remnant was a leftover collection of military waste, including rubbish cans and barbed wire in Lua o Mākālei - a cave and National Historic Landmark near the Barracks. The rubbish was cleaned up long ago after the urging of the local community. Others are remnants of underground military airplane fuel tanks and a reported tar pit. See more on Lua o Mākālei in Wednesday's Kaʻū News Briefs.
See March 3, March 5, March 6, March 7, March 8, March 9, March 10, March 11, March 12, and future Ka‘ū News Briefs for more in the continuing South Point Resource Management Plan series. See the 799-page plan online.

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Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, who submitted an accountability bill in response to the January 13 false ballistic missile alert.

STRENGTHENING CIVIL DEFENSE PREPAREDNESS AND ACCOUNTABILITY is the goal of Sen. Tulsi Gabbard's Civil Defense Accountability Act of 2018, H.R. 4949. The bill is a response to the false ballistic missile alert sent out across the state on Jan. 13, and has gained national momentum, with 18 bipartisan cosponsors so far. A section-by-section summary of the bill is available here.

The bill would require responsible federal agencies, including the Federal Emergency Management Agency, Federal Communications Commission, and the Department of Defense to investigate failures that led to the the false alarm; require the Department of Homeland Security, through FEMA, to review the current notification protocols for ballistic missile threats, and study best practices regarding civil defense emergencies to prevent a similar mistake; instruct the Department of Health and Human Services to publicly detail the ability of HHS and health care providers to respond to a biological, chemical, radiological, or nuclear weapons attack.

Gabbard said, "Nearly two months since a false missile alert went out to more than a million people across Hawaiʻi, many questions still remain unanswered. This event corroded public trust and revealed deep gaps in preparedness measures at every level of government, both in Hawai‘i and nationwide. Congress must pass the Civil Defense Accountability Act of 2018 to rebuild trust in our civil defense agencies, provide Hawai‘i's people with answers, and ensure this kind of colossal failure never happens again."

"Earlier this year, Hawaiians were subjected to a frightening false ballistic missile alert which prompted a state of chaos and uncertainty," said Rep. Don Young (R-AK). "I'm proud to be a cosponsor of this legislation and I'm particularly pleased to see that this bill is gaining support. By addressing the conditions that caused this false alarm to happen in the first place, we can establish and improve best practices for our civil defense operations. This bill will improve public outreach when real emergencies take place which is crucial for restoring people's trust in their government's readiness and commitment to public safety."

"This is a critical time for our nation and countries around the world," said Rep. Adriano Espaillat (D-NY), a member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee. "We must work effectively and efficiently to ensure our missile alert system works properly and without technical or personnel glitches. I am proud to cosponsor the Civil Defense Accountability Act to safeguard against potential future false alarms and ensure our nation's accurate response and preparedness."

Rep. Tom MacArthur (R-NJ) said, "The accidental missile threat alert in Hawaiʻi was a terrifying event that could have been prevented. This bipartisan legislation would instruct relevant government agencies to investigate this false alert and create best practices to prevent an error like this from happening again. At a time when our country faces evolving threats from adversaries, like North Korea, we must ensure our country's civil defense readiness."

Rep. Scott Taylor (R-VA) said, "As Representative for Virginia's Second Congressional District, home to the world's largest naval base, I am keenly aware of the potential threat ballistic missiles pose to our coastal and island communities. Now more than ever, it is imperative that Congress establishes a uniform practice for assessing, reporting, and responding to these threats to ensure the safety of the American people."

Rep. Donald Norcross (D-NJ) said, "In January, we became alarmingly aware that our ballistic missile alert system needs some serious review after the widespread panic in Hawaiʻi – and we must do everything in our power to ensure this never happens again. No American should ever be faced with a terrifying, but untrue warning. We need our alert system to work properly, so we don't create a 'boy who cried wolf' situation when real emergencies strike, and this bill moves us in the right direction. The Civil Defense Accountability Act is a common-sense solution that makes sure our agencies are taking the false threat as seriously as we are."

Rep. Brian Mast (R-FL) said, "Nobody should be told they're about to be nuked when it just isn't remotely true. That's why I'm glad to join this bipartisan effort to improve transparency, accountability and national security. This can never be allowed to happen again - anywhere."
Gabbard also introduced the Authenticating Local Emergencies and Real Threats (ALERT) Act - H.R. 4965 - that would improve the emergency alert system and give the federal government the sole responsibility of alerting the public of a missile threat.

The number of photovoltaic permits in Hawaiʻi County doubled in
February over the same last year, the fourth straight month in
increases. Photo from ProVision Solar

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PHOTOVOLTAIC PERMITS DOUBLED ON HAWAIʻI ISLAND in February, according to a story by HJ Mai in Pacific Business News on Monday. Mai reports on Marco Mangelsdorf, President of Big Island-based ProVision Solar, who said the county Building Division issued 50 permits, double the number totaled for February 2017.

"It was the fourth straight month of year-over-year increases in the number of solar electric permits on the Big Island," writes Mai.

Mangelsdorf wrote to PBN about new Hawaiian Electric programs that went live Feb. 20. "I'd really like to believe that this trend will continue and will in fact accelerate with two new interconnect agreement options – Customer Grid Supply+ and Smart Export. While it's been a challenge for Hawaiian Electric to nail down the details of implementing the required communications and control regime for CGS+, significant progress is being made toward having this program go live in the field," wrote Mangelsdorf to PBN.

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HOW TO IDENTIFY AND COMBAT RAPID ʻŌHIʻA DEATH, how to protect exiting trees, and how to store seeds, are subjects to be covered in the Friday, March 30, Coffee Talk at Kahuku Unit of Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park, from 9:30 to 11 a.m. Attendees will receive a free ROD decontamination kit.

Outreach Specialist Corie Yanger will share the latest research and management news on ROD.

Coffee Talk - a monthly informal conversation where residents can learn about the park and socialize - is held in the visitor contact station south of the 70.5 mile marker, on the mauka side of Hwy 11. Kaʻū coffee, tea, and pastries are available for purchase.

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

See public Ka‘ū events, meetings, entertainment at kaucalendar.com

/janfebmar/februaryevents.html. See Ka‘ū exercise, meditation, daily,

weekly events at kaucalendar.com/janfebmar/februarycommunity.html.

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

throughout Ka‘ū, from Miloli‘i through Volcano. Also available free on

stands throughout the district. Read online at kaucalendar.com.

KA‘Ū TROJANS SPORTS SCHEDULE

Girls Softball: Saturday, Mar 17 @ Konawaena

Monday, Mar 19, KSH @ Ka‘ū

Saturday, Mar 24 @ Kealakehe

Saturday, Mar 31 @ Honoka‘a

Monday, Apr 2, @ Kohala

Saturday, Apr 7, Hawai‘i Prep @ Ka‘ū

Monday, Apr 9, @ Pāhoa

Wednesday, Apr 11 @ KSH

Saturday, Apr 14, Kea‘au @ Ka‘ū

Boys Volleyball: Wednesday, Mar 14 Ehunui @ Ka‘ū

Friday, Mar 16 @ Konawaena

Monday, Mar 19 @ KSH

Friday, Mar 23 Pāhoa @ Ka‘ū

Tuesday, Apr 3, @ Waiakea

Wednesday, Apr 11, Kea‘au @ Ka‘ū

Friday, Apr 13, Honoka‘a @ Ka‘ū

Monday, Apr 16, @ Hilo

Friday, Apr 20, Parker @ Ka‘ū

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

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 14

KAULA DEMONSTRATION, Wed, Mar 14, 10 a.m. to noon, on the Kīlauea Visitor Center lānai. Uncle Larry Kuamo‘o demonstrates how to make traditional cordage from native Hawaiian plants. Free; park entrance fees apply. nps.gov/HAVO

THURSDAY, MARCH 15

VETERAN'S CENTER AND VA MEDICAL SERVICES, Thu, Mar 15, 8:30 a.m. to noon, Ocean View Community Center. No appointment needed to visit with VA counselor and benefit specialist. Contact Matthew at 329-0574. ovcahi.org

STORY TIME WITH AUNTIE LINDA FROM TŪTŪ & ME, Thu, Mar 15, 10:30 a.m. - noon, Nā‘ālehu Public Library. 929-8571.

FISHERY COUNCIL MEETING, Thu, Mar, 15, 5:30 - 7:30 p.m., West HI Civic Center, Liquor Control Room. New membership encouraged - especially recreational, commercial & regional fishers who can provide feedback for the council on a regular basis - then passed on to DLNR.
westhawaiifisherycou.ipower.com, mkipapa@gmail.com

FAMILY READING, Thu, Mar 15, 6 - 7 p.m., Ocean View Community Center. 939-7033, ovcahi.org

HAWAI‘I ISLAND SAFE NET SPONSORS AN ISLAND-WIDE CANDLELIGHT PRAYER VIGIL, Thu, Mar 15, 6:30 to 7:30 p.m., for those wishing to gather and pray for issues relating to human trafficking. Host locations at Ocean View Baptist Church or Volcano Assembly of God Contact Melody Stone at 430-5710 for info.

HAWAIIAN CIVIC CLUB OF KA‘Ū, Thu, Mar 15, 6:30 p.m., United Methodist Church in Nā‘ālehu. Pres. Berkley Yoshida, 747-0197.

THURSDAY NIGHT AT THE CENTER - Film Screening of Kīlauea Summit Eruption: Lava Returns to Halema‘uma‘u and Q&A w/USGS HVO Representatives, Thu, Mar 15, 7 - 9 p.m., Volcano Art Center. Free; suggested $5 donation. volcanoartcenter.org, 967-8222.

FRIDAY, MARCH 16

STEWARDSHIP AT THE SUMMIT Fri, Mar 16. Participants meet Paul and Jane Field at Kīlauea Visitor Center at 8:45 a.m. Volunteers should wear sturdy hiking shoes and long pants, and bring a hat, raingear, day pack, snacks, and water. Gloves and tools provided. Parental or guardian accompaniment, or written consent, required for volunteers under 18. Visit park website for additional planning details:
nps.gov/havo/planyourvisit/summit_stewardship.htm

SATURDAY, MARCH 17

RAPID ʻŌHIʻA DEATH SYMPOSIUM-EAST, Sat, Mar 17, 8:30 a.m. - noon, University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo, UCB 100. Register at www.RapidOhiaDeath.org

OPTIMAL NUTRITIONAL GARDENING, Sat, Mar 17, 9 a.m. - 3 p.m., Volcano Art Center. Hands-on workshop. Students depart with plant materials - seeds and/or cuttings. $30 per VAC member and $35 per non-member. volcanoartcenter.org, 967-8222.

OCEAN VIEW C.E.R.T., Sat, Mar 17, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m, Ocean View Community Center. Community Emergency Response Team monthly meeting/training. 939-7033, ovcahi.org

ST. PATRICK'S DAY BUFFET, Sat, Mar 17, 6 - 10 p.m., Kīlauea Military Camp's Crater Rim Café in Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park. Corned Beef & Cabbage, Lamb Stew, Shepherd’s Pie, and Vegetarian Shepherd's Pie, plus all the fixings. $20/Adult, $11/Child (6-11 years). Irish ale available. Call 967-8356 for more. KMC is open to authorized patrons and sponsored guests. Park entrance fees apply. kilaueamilitarycamp.com

BUNCO & POTLUCK, Sat, Mar 17, 6 p.m., Discovery Harbour Community Hall. Popular game played with nine dice, also known as Bonko or Bunko. Bring dish to share. Margie Hack, 541-954-8297.

SUNDAY, MARCH 18

PEOPLE AND LAND OF KAHUKU, Sun, Mar 18, 9:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m., Kahuku Unit of Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park. Free, guided, 2.5-mile, moderately difficult hike over rugged terrain focuses on the area's human history. nps.gov/HAVO

MONDAY, MARCH 19

DISCOVERY HARBOUR NEIGHBORHOOD WATCH MEETING, Mon, Mar 19, 5 - 6:30 p.m., Discovery Harbour Community Hall. 929-9576, discoveryharbour.net

TUESDAY, MARCH 20

WALK INTO THE PAST WITH DR. THOMAS A. JAGGAR, Tuesdays, Mar 20 and 27, at 10 a.m., noon, and 2 p.m., at KīlaueaVisitorCenter. Each performance lasts about an hour. To find out more about this living history program, visit the park website: nps.gov/havo/planyourvisit/walk_into_the_past.htm

THE WONDERFUL WORD OF WINE AND WATERCOLOR, Tue, Mar 20, 4 - 7 p.m., Volcano Art Center. Artist Nancy DeLucrezia shows how to transfer a photo onto watercolor paper and introduces basic techniques in watercolor painting. Sampling of several wines from wine store "Grapes" in Hilo. $30 VAC members/$35 non-members, plus $17 supply fee. volcanoartcenter.org, 967-8222.

DISCOVERYHARBOURVOLUNTEER FIRE DEPT. Meeting, Tue, Mar 20, 4:30 to 6:30 p.m., Discovery Harbour Community Hall. 929-9576, discoveryharbour.n et

ONGOING

TĪ AND SEAS ART EXHIBIT at Volcano Art Center Gallery, featuring oil paintings by Pāhoa resident Steve Irvine, is open to the public through Sun, Mar 25, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., daily - volcanoartcenter.org or 967-8222.

KDEN HOW THE OTHER HALF LOVES - March 9 through 24. Performances on Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m., Sundays at 2:30 p.m, Kīlauea Military Camp's Kīlauea Theater, Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park. Kīlauea Drama & Entertainment Network performance. KMC open to authorized KMC patrons and sponsored guests. Park entrance fees apply. Call KDEN for ticket info, 982-7344.

TŪTŪ AND ME OFFERS HOME VISITS to those with keiki zero to five years old: home visits to aid with helpful parenting tips and strategies, educational resources, and a compassionate listening ear. Home visits are free, last 1.5 hours, two to four times a month, for a total of 12 visits, and snacks are provided. For info and to register, call Linda Bong 646-9634.

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

Proposed roads and trails would skirt historic sites within the South Point National Landmarks Complex.
The Department of Hawaiian Home Lands aims to provide more protection with its new South
Point Resources Management Plan. Map from the Management Plan

MORE THAN 80 KA LAE ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITES are documented in the recently released Department of Hawaiian Home Lands South Point Resources Management Plan. It states that "Kalae is believed to be the site where Polynesians from the Marquesas Islands and possibly other islands first settled when they arrived in Hawaiʻi, which is estimated to have occurred as early as AD 124."
The 779-page report documents evidence of life in fishing villages along the South Point coast. Excavations from the 1950s revealed "a plethora of traditional fishhooks that were used to establish a relative chronology of fishhook types," the plan reports.
The plan includes such special places as Lua O Mākālei, which is listed in the South Point Complex of National Historic Landmarks.
The Plan's Archaeological Inventory Survey Report describes Lua O Mākālei as a cave made by a lava tube. The site is located near a heavily traveled place where visitors and locals park to walk to Māhana Bay and Green Sands Beach. It is near what is called the Barracks, the remains of military buildings left over from World War II, when the area was used as an airbase. Lua O Mākālei is located about 245 feet south of South Point Road and 820 feet west of Hawaiian Home Land's proposed Pedestrian Path Parking for a walking trail to Māhana Bay and Green Sands Beach.

Lua O Mākālei at Ka Lae. The white image flying above
the cave is a pueo, Hawaiian owl. Photo from lorayne's flickr

The plan reports Kaʻū resident and cultural practitioner Nohea Kaʻawa describing Lua O Mākālei's possible use for sheltering and training warriors during Kamehameha I's reign, from 1782 to 1819; a fishermen's work shelter; a teaching site for Hawaiian martial arts; a classroom; and a possible burial site. Carbon dating shows occupation between 1600 and 1850, according to the report.
The name Lua O Mākālei includes the word lua, which means hole in the ground, or pit, as in against another in battle. The name Mākālei, according to the report, is connected to a supernatural tree of Haumea, goddess of fertility and childbirth, and mother of Pele. Martha Beckwith's book Hawaiian Mythology (1970) states that the naming of the cave centers around Haumea, who owns the stick Mākālei, which attracts fish. Mākālei is also associated with a tree of never-failing food supply. Mākālei is also a lua (martial art) technique that refers to, "(gouge) out the eye," (Lloyd Soehren, Hawaiian Place Names, 2010).
The Ka Lae Place Name Chant, given to Mary Kawena Pukui in 1935 by her aunt Keli‘ihue Kamali, a kahuna lapa‘au, concludes with a description of Lua O Mākālei:

Map indicating many National Historic Landmarks within the Ka Lae DHHL lands. Circled in green,

left of the blue rectangle, is Lau O Mākālei. Map from the Management Plan

Nohomai Mākālei I ke kapu, La‘au pi‘i ona a ka i‘a. E ha‘ina ia mai ka puana, No makou no a pau. It means Mākālei abides in the kapu/That wood that attracts fish. This concludes our song in honor/Of everyone of us.

The report also includes an interview with Palikapu Dedman, a founding member of the Burial Council, saying that decades ago, he and his companions found Lua O Mākālei filled with barbed wire and rubbish left over from the World War II era of the South Point military base, called Morse Airfield. He stated, "The military filled up Lua o Makalei with rubbish-cans and barbed wire. When we came down, we had them clean up the mess. When the military left, they did not put that place back to the way it was. They had that alternate airport but they didn't clean up that tar pit. They applied to use the Superfund but they never got it. The tar pit is still there," he said.

The South Point Plan proposes roads, parking lots, pathways, waste disposal facilities, and other improvements to handle visitor and local traffic to the area and states that, "No significant impacts on cultural resources and practices are anticipated to result from the proposed Project." The report also states that "the plan is supported by the majority of those interviewed for the study, as it has potential to positively impact the usage and environment of Ka Lae."
No steps to further protect Lua O Mākālei are detailed in the South Point Plan, though it does mention a 1984 archaeological survey that suggested protection of all the sites at Ka Lae by providing fencing and a full-time ranger, limiting vehicle access, documenting eroding sites, and conducting further archaeological surveys.
Archaeological findings documented in the area include: structure platforms, temporary and lava bubble shelters, walls, clearings, mounds, paving, fishhooks, a stone adze fragment, coral abraiders, heaiu, burial sites including iwi, smoothed stones, bait cups, canoe holes, marine shell fragments, walls, hearths, middens, and more.
The plan also mentions wildlife, noting that Lua O Mākālei serves as a habitat for the Hawaiian owl, the endemic pueo, Asio flammus sanwichensis.

See March 3, March 5, March 6, March 7, March 8, March 9, March 10, March 11, March 12, March 13, and future Ka‘ū News Briefs for more in the continuing South Point Resource Management Plan series. See the 799-page plan online.

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WHAT DID YOU DO DURING THOSE THIRTY-EIGHT MINUTES? University of Hawai‘i at Manoa, College of Social Sciences, is asking about the events of Saturday, Jan. 13, from 8:07 a.m. to 8:43 a.m., and invites the public to fill out a survey. Ka‘ū News Briefs invites comments on the Facebook page, especially from those who reside in the Ka‘ū area.

When Hawai‘i's Emergency Alert System sent out a ballistic missile alert that morning, which turned out to be human error, it took 38 minutes to issue an official retraction. The aftermath has seen officials fired or resigning, and legislators, like Tulsi Gabbard, submitting bills to insure there will be no repeat.

National Disaster Preparedness Training Center, a program at UH funded by FEMA, "to develop and deliver training courses to increase safety, security, and resilience of communities exposed to natural and man-made hazards and threats," is conducting research on those 38 minutes.

The survey link begins with an explanation: "We invite you to participate in this survey so that we may learn about your experience and behavior during the period of alert, your perception and attitude towards the Emergency Alert System, and the use of social media for sharing information during emergencies and disasters."

During the event, Gabbard was the first person with official influence who tried to mitigate the effect of the false alarm, tweeting in all caps, "HAWAII - THIS IS A FALSE ALARM. THERE IS NO INCOMING MISSILE TO HAWAII. I HAVE CONFIRMED WITH OFFICIALS THERE IS NO INCOMING MISSILE," with Hawaii News Now alerting the public at the same time.

Take the survey.

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Judge Jill Otake, recently nominated
to Federal District Court Judge.

NOMINATED TO FEDERAL DISTRICT COURT JUDGE, Jill Otake, US District Court for Hawai'i, went to Senate Judiciary Committee on March 7, where Sen. Mazie Hirono and Sen. Brian Schatz offered testimony in support of her nomination.

Schatz' testimony was glowing, highlighting several of her past cases where she used good sense and innovative thinking to resolve prosecution of crimes, her caring response of her defendant clients, and her fairness as a sitting judge. He also stated Hawaiʻi State Bar Association unanimously supports Otake's promotion. "Our county will be getting the best with Ms. Otake," Schatz quoted one of her former supervisors as saying.
Hirono's testimony stated Otake's record, "makes it easy to predict that she will serve with distinction." Hirono also went into Otake's history: birth on O'ahu; graduate of ʻIolani; schooling at Georgetown - Hirono's alma mater - and at University of Washington School of Law; prosecutor in Washington State, and the US Department of Justice in Seattle, WA, and Honolulu, over the course of 20 years, where she received commendations from the FBI, ATF, DEA, and local police departments.

Hirono also pointed out the diversity efforts of Otake, actively including and promoting success for Asian-Americans, Pacific Islanders, and women working in the legal system.

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FRIENDS OF THE KA‘Ū LIBRARIES HOSTS A CONTEST until Monday, Apr. 2. The contest, open to all ages, asks for participants to create a slogan or motto the organization can use to encourage reading and use of community libraries. To enter, participants must turn in their suggestions to either Nā‘ālehu Public Library or Pāhala Public and School Library. The winner will be awarded a cash prize of $55 on Friday, Apr. 13, at Pāhala Public and School Library’s 55th Anniversary Celebration. For more info, call 929-9244.

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PĀHALA PUBLIC AND SCHOOL LIBRARY CELEBRATES ITS 55TH ANNIVERSARY with the public welcome to join the festivities on Friday, Apr. 13, from 2 to 4 p.m., announces Hawai‘i State Public Library System. The event offers music, food, games and prizes. All programs are subject to change. For a list of other upcoming library events, visit librarieshawaii.org/events.

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KA‘Ū TROJANS BOYS VOLLEYBALL had a great away game on March 12, traveling to Mauka Lani for three games. The boys ended each of the games with 25 points, up by 7 for the first two games and by 4 for the last game.

The March 13 Girls Softball game at Hilo was cancelled, and has been rescheduled for Thursday, March 22, 3 p.m., at Victor Stadium in Hilo.
See the full Trojans Spring sports schedule, below.

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

See public Ka‘ū events, meetings, entertainment at kaucalendar.com

/janfebmar/februaryevents.html. See Ka‘ū exercise, meditation, daily,

weekly events at kaucalendar.com/janfebmar/februarycommunity.html.

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

throughout Ka‘ū, from Miloli‘i through Volcano. Also available free on

stands throughout the district. Read online at kaucalendar.com.

KA‘Ū TROJANS SPORTS SCHEDULE

Girls Softball: Saturday, Mar 17 @ Konawaena

Monday, Mar 19, KSH @ Ka‘ū
Thursday, Mar 22, @ Hilo
Saturday, Mar 24 @ Kealakehe

Saturday, Mar 31 @ Honoka‘a

Monday, Apr 2, @ Kohala

Saturday, Apr 7, Hawai‘i Prep @ Ka‘ū

Monday, Apr 9, @ Pāhoa

Wednesday, Apr 11 @ KSH

Saturday, Apr 14, Kea‘au @ Ka‘ū

Boys Volleyball: Friday, Mar 16 @ Konawaena

Monday, Mar 19 @ KSH

Friday, Mar 23 Pāhoa @ Ka‘ū

Tuesday, Apr 3, @ Waiakea

Wednesday, Apr 11, Kea‘au @ Ka‘ū

Friday, Apr 13, Honoka‘a @ Ka‘ū

Monday, Apr 16, @ Hilo

Friday, Apr 20, Parker @ Ka‘ū

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THURSDAY, MARCH 15

STORY TIME WITH AUNTIE LINDA FROM TŪTŪ & ME, Thu, Mar 15, 10:30 a.m. - noon, Nā‘ālehu Public Library. 929-8571.

FINDING SOLUTIONS, GROWING PEACE, free Brown Bag Lunch Series, noon to 1 p.m., Thursday, March 15, at Kuʻikahi Mediation Center at 101 Aupuni St # 1009 in Hilo, featuring Col. Deb Lewis on the topic, "What it Takes to Stay Positive in the Real World." For more, contact Kuʻikahi Program Coordinator Al-Qawi Majidah at 935-7844 x 3 or majidah@hawaiimediation.org, or visit www.hawaiimediation.org.

FAMILY READING, Thu, Mar 15, 6 - 7 p.m., Ocean View Community Center. 939-7033, ovcahi.org

HAWAI‘I ISLAND SAFE NET SPONSORS AN ISLAND-WIDE CANDLELIGHT PRAYER VIGIL, Thu, Mar 15, 6:30 to 7:30 p.m., for those wishing to gather and pray for issues relating to human trafficking. Host locations at Ocean View Baptist Church or Volcano Assembly of God Contact Melody Stone at 430-5710 for info.

HAWAIIAN CIVIC CLUB OF KA‘Ū, Thu, Mar 15, 6:30 p.m., United Methodist Church in Nā‘ālehu. Pres. Berkley Yoshida, 747-0197.

FRIDAY, MARCH 16

SATURDAY, MARCH 17

RAPID ʻŌHIʻA DEATH SYMPOSIUM-EAST, Sat, Mar 17, 8:30 - noon, University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo, UCB 100. Register at www.RapidOhiaDeath.org

OPTIMAL NUTRITIONAL GARDENING, Sat, Mar 17, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., Volcano Art Center. Hands-on workshop. Students depart with plant materials - seeds and/or cuttings. $30 per VAC member and $35 per non-member. volcanoartcenter.org, 967-8222.

OCEAN VIEW C.E.R.T., Sat, Mar 17, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m, Ocean View Community Center. Community Emergency Response Team monthly meeting/training. 939-7033, ovcahi.org

ST. PATRICK'S DAY BUFFET, Sat, Mar 17, 6 - 10 p.m., Kīlauea Military Camp's Crater Rim Café in Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park. Corned Beef & Cabbage, Lamb Stew, Shepherd’s Pie, and Vegetarian Shepherd's Pie, plus all the fixings. $20/Adult, $11/Child (6-11 years). Irish ale available. Call 967-8356 for more. KMC is open to authorized patrons and sponsored guests. Park entrance fees apply. kilaueamilitarycamp.com

BUNCO & POTLUCK, Sat, Mar 17, 6 p.m., Discovery Harbour Community Hall. Popular game played with nine dice, also known as Bonko or Bunko. Bring dish to share. Margie Hack, 541-954-8297.

SUNDAY, MARCH 18

PEOPLE AND LAND OF KAHUKU, Sun, Mar 18, 9:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m., Kahuku Unit of Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park. Free, guided, 2.5-mile, moderately difficult hike over rugged terrain focuses on the area's human history. nps.gov/HAVO

MONDAY, MARCH 19

DISCOVERY HARBOUR NEIGHBORHOOD WATCH MEETING, Mon, Mar 19, 5 - 6:30 p.m., Discovery Harbour Community Hall. 929-9576, discoveryharbour.net

TUESDAY, MARCH 20

WALK INTO THE PAST WITH DR. THOMAS A. JAGGAR, Tuesdays, Mar 20 and 27, at 10 a.m., noon, and 2 p.m., at Kīlauea Visitor Center. Each performance lasts about an hour. To find out more about this living history program, visit the park website: ps.gov/havo/planyourvisit/walk_into_the_past.htm

DISCOVERY HARBOUR VOLUNTEER FIRE DEPT. Meeting, Tue, Mar 20, 4:30 to 6:30 p.m., Discovery Harbour Community Hall. 929-9576, discoveryharbour.n et

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 21

OVCA BOARD MEETING, Wed, Mar 21, 12 - 1 p.m., Ocean View Community Center. 939-7033, ovcahi.org

SENIOR BINGO DAY, Wed, Mar 21, free lunch 11 a.m., free bingo 1 - 2:30 p.m., Pāhala Community Center. Prizes for all. ‘O Ka‘ū Kākou, okaukakou.org

ONGOING

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Students from Kaʻū High, and Pāhala Elementary and Middle Schools stood in solidarity with students across the nation to protest gun violence. See story, below. Photo from Kaʻū High Twitter

KAULANA BAY HAS PROVIDED ACCESS TO THE PACIFIC OCEAN from the eastern shore of South Point since ancient times. Hawaiian people have been using the entry since the first landings by Polynesians in Hawaiʻi, which, according to archaeologists, were possibly at South Point. On the Kaulana shore was the Kapalaoa Village, dating back to the days before Capt. James Cook sailed in to Hawaiʻi.

Kaulana Boat Ramp, looking out into Kaulana
Bay. Photo from Rosa Say's flickr

Kaulana Bay and its boat ramp are surrounded by the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands, which recently released its South Point Resources Management Plan. The Bay has been designated as a National Landmark by the federal government. A survey by the National park Service identified the east side of the bay as a kapu area, with numerous archaeological sites, having fishing and launching canoes in its history.
Kaulana is on the east side of South Point, where the winds are strong, the water often rough, and entering and exiting the ocean often risky. Fishermen who launch canoes and more modern fishing boats at Kaulana often come back from fishing to shelter next to the cliffs on the western side of South Point. They can leave their boats in the calm water overnight, and guide them to Kaulana to pull them out when the water is calm again.

Fishing boats launch at Kaulana and take shelter below the eastern
South Point cliffs, as in this 2010 poto by Rosa Say.

A 1981 description of Kaulana's connection to fishing says, "The current practice for Kaʻū fishermen is to launch their boat at Kaulana and then moor it in lee of the cliffs on the west coast of South Point. At the mooring area, they unload their catch and load fuel and ice, as long as the wind and seas permit. Fish and supplies are brought up and down the cliff face by rope and pulley. During the times of the year when fishing is exceptionally good, the boats are often moored overnight to reduce the number of hazardous launch and recover y operations. However, this practice is very risky also, particularly during the winter months when the wind and seas often change direction quickly. One boater reported having lost seven boats in the last 20 years because he could not get his boat out when the wind and seas came up unexpectedly."

The report was tied to a proposal for the Army Corps of Engineers to build a seawall and protected ramp at Kaulana, after choosing the location over Punaluʻu, Honuʻapo, Kaʻaluʻalu and Pohuʻe Bay, which are described as being more likely to be tied up in development projects.

A 1092 plan by the Army Corps of Engineers to build a basin, breakwater, and new ramp at Kaulana Bay. Map from DHHL report

The Army Corps of Engineers Environmental Statement for the Kaulana project said, "A protected basin would permit fishermen to return to the ramp and safely unload their catch and return to the fishing grounds.
"The relatively small, 18 to 27 -foot fishing boats have no refrigeration or room for large amounts of ice. This limits their catch to what can be kept chilled and often necessitates frequent trips to shore to unload their catch. With safer launch and recovery conditions, several of the boaters have stated that they would purchase larger craft to increase their fishing capability."
Just a decade earlier, a 1972 master plan of statewide boat launching facilities recommended relocating the Kaulana ramp to the Kona side of the cove, and constructing a small stub breakwater to reduce shoaling and wave action. The state concluded, however, that use of Kaulana by fishermen was not extensive enough to justify the expense.
The 1982 Army Corps of Engineers report said, "within recent years the Kaulana ramp has been heavily used by commercial fishermen from all parts of the island." Several plans were put forth. One would dredge a 245-foot long, 80-foot wide, 8.5-foot deep entrance channel plus a 220-foot long, 80-foot wide and 6.5 foot deep turning basin. A 160-foot long breakwater, 11.5 feet tall, would have been constructed. The Environmental Statement determined a high probability of archaeological and cultural sites being destroyed during the dredging and breakwater construction. It proposed a smaller project to avoid the historic sites.

A local fishing boat at South Point in 2010. Photo by Rosa Say

However, the plan was abandoned. For the Department of Hawaiian Homes South Point Resources Management Plan, Palikapu Dedman told interviewers: "They wanted to take 55 acres and make a public boat ramp at Kaulana. They brought all the surveyors and took surveys. We sold laulaus and made $2,500 to pay for the cost of legal fees… We filed suit and lost the lawsuit. The Feds were going to go in half-half with the State for the ramp. So, I got on a plane and went to D.C. Went to Inouye, Akaka's office."

Dedman said he argued that Hawaiian Home Lands were "like Indian Reservations, are private lands, not intended to be opened up to the public." He said he returned to Hawai‘i Island feeling unsuccessful - but then an earthquake damaged KawaihaeHarbor, and he was notified the funds for the proposed boat ramp would be redirected there. "The Feds pulled out and South Point never got developed," Dedman concluded.

The report notes that Kaulana Ramp is managed by the state Department of Land and Natural Resources and that about ten vehicles park at the ramp each day.

Drawn map of Kaulana Bay boat ramp and surrounding
evidence of historical habitation. Map from DHHL report

The late Tommy Kaniho told interviewers: "There's nice fishing grounds at South Point and you can't stop fishing because that's people's livelihoods but the tourism, that's what needs to be managed. Recreational users need to be managed."

A letter from the planning company Townscapes, Inc. - which worked on the plan for Hawaiian Homelands - written to Sina Pruder, P.E. Chief of the Wastewater Branch at Hawai‘i State Department of Health in October of 2017, says that DHHL plans to allow boats to travel to the ramp, even after more management of South Point is instituted, with other vehicular traffic halted and visitors required to walk to Green Sands Beach.

"Use of motorized vehicles along existing roads, including vehicular access to the Kaulana Boat Ramp, will still be permitted."

The plan states that DHHL seeks to: "Deter visitors from driving off-road and destroying natural and cultural resources; Encourage public safety by providing a designated area for vehicles in specific places rather than throughout the property, as well as provide opportunities for the placement of security guards in the future to reduce car theft and break-ins; Provide a mechanism for monitoring capacity to ensure that the carrying capacity of the environment is not exceeded by the number of visitors."
See March 3, March 5, March 6, March 7, March 8, March 9, March 10, March 11, March 12, March 13, March 14, and future Ka‘ū News Briefs for more in the continuing South Point Resource Management Plan series. See the 799-page plan online.

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Students outside Kaʻū High, and Pāhala Elementary
and Middle Schools on March 14.

KA‘Ū STUDENTS MOBILIZED AGAINST GUN VIOLENCE ON WEDNESDAY when they walked out of their classes onto the Pāhala pubic school campus at 10 a.m. Elementary, middle, and Kaʻū, the southernmost high school in the nation, participated.
Several Ka‘ū students gave speeches about gun control, the National Rifle Association's influence on Congress and state legislators, and the student goal to affect change and to keep schools safe. They displayed posters with such slogans as: No Guns in Our School, Arm Teachers with Resources Not Guns, We Stand with Parkland Florida, Have a Heart Not a Handgun, and #Enough. One student went so far as to wear a paper target.

Carrying signs with their messages, students supported a nationwide movement: walking out of classes for 17 minutes, one minute for each of the 17 students and faculty slaughtered at MarjoryStonemanDouglasHigh Schoolin Florida one month ago.

Some students pledged to attend marches on Saturday, March 24, in Hilo - on Kanoelehua Ave., from 1 to 3 p.m. - and Kona - on Kamakaeha Ave., starting at 10 a.m. - as part of the March For Our Livesmovement. March For Our Lives encourages people or groups to sign up to host a march in their location, via their website, and for attendees of existing march locations to RSVP.

Marches are scheduled throughout the states and in Washington, D.C. But while the highest concentration of marches is happening in the U.S. to change gun laws, people in countries across the world - from Hanoi, Vietnam to Reykjavik, Iceland, to Tel Aviv, Israel - are standing up and moving out to encourage the end of gun violence.

March For Our Lives is also hosting an online petition, the goals being: ban the sale of assault weapons; prohibit the sale of high-capacity magazines; and make background checks a requirement on every gun sale, no exceptions.
The organizers, students of the school attacked in Florida, posted a message on their website, describing what the walkout on March 14 means to them, what they went through on the day of the attack, the aftermath of the attack, and the fear that they "would be another community left to be permanently damaged. Eventually forgotten. Afraid we would be another statistic depicting the perpetual gun violence that plagues communities across the nation." They state the movement needs to continue: "From walkouts, we march on."

Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, speaking
to Congress on March 14, in
support of the STOP Act. Photo
from Gabbard's Facebook video

March 14 also saw Rep. Tulsi Gabbard stand before Congress, speaking in support of the STOP School Violence Act, which she has cosponsored. She commented on the support of school walk-outs happening all across the country, in protest of the lives lost in Florida last month, and the, "7000 children whose lives have been lost since the 2012 shooting at Sandy Hook." She stated the students were walking out "to demand action, that will help to prevent these horrific tragedies and improve the safety and security of our schools."

Gabbard said the bill - or any other single bill - would not solve everything but, "it will help prevent school violence by implementing measures developed after Sandy Hook." She stated the bill supports training teachers, school personnel, and local law enforcement, to better identify early warning signs of violence, and "increases coordination between schools and local law enforcement.

"We also need to take action on things like closing the gun show, and online loopholes, and require universal background checks for anyone seeking to purchase a gun." She stated there is "overwhelming bipartisan support" from legislators. Gabbard closed her remarks by stating: "The time for action is long overdue."

Watch Revis Petit, Ezra Ramores, and Rowlie Flores
compete on It's Academic - Hawaiʻi on KFVE,
Sunday, April 15. Photo from khpes.org

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THREE KA‘Ū HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS COMPETED ON IT'S ACADEMIC - HAWAI‘I last week. The competition, an annual event between Hawai‘ischools that is done in a game show format, features Ka‘ū High School students Revis Petit, Ezra Ramones, and Rowlie Flores.

Watch to see how well they did - spoiler alert, they did a great job representing Ka‘ū, according to the post on khpe s.org - on Sunday, April 15, at 7 p.m., on channel 5 (KFVE), or watch the live stream on KFVE.com. The episode will be re-aired Saturday, April 21 at 6:30 p.m. See more info on the channel's website at http://www.k5thehometeam.com
/category /229108/its-academic.

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4TH ANNUAL KAʻŪ COMMUNITY EASTER EGG HUNT, hosted by Hope Dia-Mend Ministries, is announced for Sunday, Apr. 1, at Nā‘ālehu Community Park, from 1 to 3 p.m. The free event is open to all ages, from infants to adults.
There will be "over 6,000 candy filled eggs and over 300 prizes," says Hope Dia-Mend Ministries Outreach Coordinator Henri Freitas. She adds that free chili and rice bowls will be served.
The event flyer states the organization is actively seeking donations for plastic eggs, candy fillers, and prizes. For more, contact Pam or Lance at 929-8137, or Henri at 464-5042.

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RE-USE HAWAI‘I HAS OPENED UP JOBS ON HAWAI‘I ISLAND, disassembling buildings. The aim is to reuse materials, generate jobs, lower construction costs, and help to preserve Hawai‘i's limited natural resources.
Compensation is $15 to $16 an hour with 35 to 40 hours a week, paid vacation and sick time, and health, dental, and vision insurance.
To apply, fill out an online application. Required qualifications include but are not limited to: reliable transportation; professional references; ability to frequently lift up to 60+ lbs.; some background or experience in construction, with use of hand and power tools; attention to detail; excellent communication skills; enjoy physically demanding labor; and more.
Re-use Hawai‘i started on O‘ahu in 2007, diverts tons of reusable building material from landfills each week, and makes this material available to the public "at extremely affordable prices," says its website. Check out available jobs and places to purchase the reclaimed materials at reusehawaii.org.

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VICTORY FOR KA‘Ū TROJANS BOYS VOLLEYBALL on March 14, as the three games played at Ka‘ū against Ehunui ended with Ka‘ū having nearly double the points at the end of two out of three games. Ka‘ū scored 25 each game, calling each game to a close. Ehunui had 12, 20, and 14.

Friday will see the Boys Volleyball team away, playing against KHS. See the full Trojans Spring sports schedule, below.

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

See public Ka‘ū events, meetings, entertainment at kaucalendar.com

/janfebmar/februaryevents.html. See Ka‘ū exercise, meditation, daily,

weekly events at kaucalendar.com/janfebmar/februarycommunity.html.

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

throughout Ka‘ū, from Miloli‘i through Volcano. Also available free on

stands throughout the district. Read online at kaucalendar.com.

KA‘Ū TROJANS SPORTS SCHEDULE

Girls Softball: Saturday, Mar 17 @ Konawaena

Monday, Mar 19, KSH @ Ka‘ū
Thursday, Mar 22, @ Hilo
Saturday, Mar 24 @ Kealakehe

Saturday, Mar 31 @ Honoka‘a

Monday, Apr 2, @ Kohala

Saturday, Apr 7, Hawai‘i Prep @ Ka‘ū

Monday, Apr 9, @ Pāhoa

Wednesday, Apr 11 @ KSH

Saturday, Apr 14, Kea‘au @ Ka‘ū

Boys Volleyball: Friday, Mar 16 @ Konawaena

Monday, Mar 19 @ KSH

Friday, Mar 23 Pāhoa @ Ka‘ū

Tuesday, Apr 3, @ Waiakea

Wednesday, Apr 11, Kea‘au @ Ka‘ū

Friday, Apr 13, Honoka‘a @ Ka‘ū

Monday, Apr 16, @ Hilo

Friday, Apr 20, Parker @ Ka‘ū

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

FRIDAY, MARCH 16

RAPID ʻŌHIʻA DEATH SYMPOSIUM-EAST, Sat, Mar 17, 8:30 - noon, University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo, UCB 100. Register at www.RapidOhiaDeath.org

OPTIMAL NUTRITIONAL GARDENING, Sat, Mar 17, 9 - 3 p.m., Volcano Art Center. Hands-on workshop. Students depart with plant materials - seeds and/or cuttings. $30 per VAC member and $35 per non-member. volcanoartcenter.org, 967-8222.

OCEAN VIEW C.E.R.T., Sat, Mar 17, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m, Ocean View Community Center. Community Emergency Response Team monthly meeting/training. 939-7033, ovcahi.org

ST. PATRICK'S DAY BUFFET, Sat, Mar 17, 6 - 10 p.m., Kīlauea Military Camp's Crater Rim Café in Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park. Corned Beef & Cabbage, Lamb Stew, Shepherd’s Pie, and Vegetarian Shepherd's Pie, plus all the fixings. $20/Adult, $11/Child (6-11 years). Irish ale available. Call 967-8356 for more. KMC is open to authorized patrons and sponsored guests. Park entrance fees apply. kilaueamilitarycamp.com

BUNCO & POTLUCK, Sat, Mar 17, 6 p.m., Discovery Harbour Community Hall. Popular game played with nine dice, also known as Bonko or Bunko. Bring dish to share. Margie Hack, 541-954-8297.

SUNDAY, MARCH 18

PEOPLE AND LAND OF KAHUKU, Sun, Mar 18, 9:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m., Kahuku Unit of Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park. Free, guided, 2.5-mile, moderately difficult hike over rugged terrain focuses on the area's human history. nps.gov/HAVO

MONDAY, MARCH 19

DISCOVERY HARBOUR NEIGHBORHOOD WATCH MEETING, Mon, Mar 19, 5 - 6:30 p.m., Discovery Harbour Community Hall. 929-9576, discoveryharbour.net

TUESDAY, MARCH 20

WALK INTO THE PAST WITH DR. THOMAS A. JAGGAR, Tuesdays, Mar 20 and 27, at 10 a.m., noon, and 2 p.m., at Kīlauea Visitor Center. Each performance lasts about an hour. To find out more about this living history program, visit the park website: nps.gov/havo/planyourvisit/walk_into_the
_past.htm

THE WONDERFUL WORD OF WINE AND WATERCOLOR, Tue, Mar 20, 4 - 7 p.m., Volcano Art Center. Artist Nancy DeLucrezia shows how to transfer a photo onto watercolor paper and introduces basic techniques in watercolor painting. Sampling of several wines from wine store "Grapes" in Hilo. $30 VAC members/$35 non-members, plus $17 supply fee. volcanoartcenter.org, 967-8222.

DISCOVERY HARBOUR VOLUNTEER FIRE DEPT. Meeting, Tue, Mar 20, 4:30 to 6:30 p.m., Discovery Harbour Community Hall. 929-9576, discoveryharbour.n et

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 21

OVCA BOARD MEETING, Wed, Mar 21, 12 - 1 p.m., Ocean View Community Center. 939-7033, ovcahi.org

SENIOR BINGO DAY, Wed, Mar 21, free lunch 11 a.m., free bingo 1 - 2:30 p.m., Pāhala Community Center. Prizes for all. ‘O Ka‘ū Kākou, okaukakou.org

THURSDAY, MARCH 22

STEWARDSHIP OF KῙPUKAPUAULU takes place every Thursday in March: 22 and 29. Participants meet at Kīpukapuaulu parking lot, Mauna Loa Road, off Highway 11, at 9:30 a.m. Volunteers should bring clippers or pruners, sturdy gloves, a hat and water; wear closed-toe shoes. Clothing may be permanently stained by morning glory sap. New volunteers, contact Marilyn Nicholson at nickem@hawaii.rr.com.

KA‘Ū COMMUNITY CHILDREN'S COUNCIL, Thu, Mar 22, noon - 1 p.m., Punalu‘u Bake Shop. Meeting provides local forum for all community members to come together as equal partners to discuss and positively affect multiple systems' issues for the benefit of all students, families, and communities. Chad Domingo, domingoc1975 @yahoo.com, ccco.k12.hi.us

ONGOING

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Extinct, endangered, and rare plants and animals inhabit the Ka Lae area. From top left to bottom right: Hawaiian rail (extinct), Hawaiian pueo (endangered), Hawaiian Monk seal (endangered), Hawaiian hoary bat (endangered), Carelia cochlea (extinct), ‘ōhai (endangered), hua (common but rare in Ka Lae), and hawksbill turtle (endangered). See story below. Photos from Wikipedia

ROYAL HAWAIIAN ORCHARDS with operations in Hilo, Pāhala, and California, is becoming a major shareholder in the Australian parent company of MacFarms, LLC, with operations in South Kona. Both MacFarms and Royal Hawaiian are major employers of Kaʻū residents.

The Royal Hawaiian brand and macadamia snack products will be owned by MacFarms' parent, the Buderim Group, in a "deal that will create the largest retail marketer of branded macadamia nuts in the United States," reports a recent article in Pacific Business News.
The story reports on a February filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, which states that MacFarms will "acquire all assets currently owned by Royal Hawaiian Orchards (OTC: NNUTU) that are used in the marketing and retail sale of macadamia nuts under the Royal's trademark and trade-name brands." In exchange, Royal Hawaiian will acquire 13 percent of Buderim Group, with a valuation of about $2.53 million, according to the SEC filing.

Royal Hawaiian will remain operator of macadamia orchards on more than 5,000 acres it owns and leases on Hawaiʻi Island - much of it surrounding Pāhala. MacFarms owns thousands of acres of macadamia orchards in South Kona, near the Kaʻū border.

"The Partnership will also enter into a supply agreement to sell kernel at international prices as well as agreements to process each other's

wet-in-shell nuts as needed, and to explore joint investment in a processing facility in Hawaiʻi." says a Royal Hawaiian statement. Royal Hawaiian "will focus on its orchard business and on sales of macadamia kernel from its orchards and other Hawaiian orchards to MacFarms and other customers worldwide at prices higher than can be obtained by selling wet-in-shell in Hawaiʻi."

Bradford Nelson, CEO of Royal Hawaiian Orchards, said that members of his team are "excited to become a major shareholder of Buderim, and look forward to supporting its growth by ensuring that we continue to invest in optimizing and expanding our production capacity and capability."

Royal Hawaiian Orchards Executive Vice President Scott Nelson, in charge of branded products, along with his California marketing team, will transition to MacFarms.

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The late Robert Herkes walking in a Nāʻālehu Independence Day Parade when
he served Kaʻū in the state House of Representatives. Photo by Julia Neal

A NEW SIGN HONORING THE LATE ROBERT HERKES went up recently at Kaʻū High School. Herkes, who represented Kaʻū in the state House of Representatives, was integral in helping to fund the $18 million gym's construction to serve high school sports, community events, and to become a regional Disaster Shelter.
As an elected official, Herkes fought against illegal practices by mortgage lenders and helped bring mobile medicine to Kaʻū. He helped with funding for the water well in Ocean View, bringing mobile medical care units here, assessing weather and geologic risks in the district, and with preservation of the Kaʻū Coast.
Herkes served on the County Council, House of Representatives

The late Bob Herkes, who helped bring the new gym and disaster
shelter to Kaʻū is honored on its grounds. Photo by Ron Johnson

and state Senate after a career in the hospitality industry where he worked with Inter-Island Resorts. He died in August of 2014, after a brief illness.

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ENDEMIC, INDIGENOUS, AND ENDANGERED PLANTS AND ANIMALS were given a special study for the recently released Department of Hawaiian Home Lands South Point Resources Management Plan. Conducted by Geometrician Associates in the summer of 2017, the study documents "flora and fauna, threatened or endangered plant or animal species, critical habitat, and the potential to be currently using any habitat within the Project area."

The entire archipelago of Hawai‘i - Mokupuni o Hawai‘i - ranges from Hawai‘i Island, the largest island of the chain, to Kure Atoll, some 1,500 miles to the northwest. Due to the chain's distance from any other land, and the islands' distance from each other, the plants and animals of the islands tend to diverge from similar plants and animals found elsewhere. Endemic animals like nene and plants like ‘ōhai, since they are found only on the islands, tend to lean toward endangered status, especially as human influences - from deforestation to the introduction of alien species - affect their habitats. Many mollusks, insects, birds, and even a mammal - Synemporion keana, a bat that was the only member if its species - once existed on the islands, but are now extinct, the report explains.

The Hawaiian archipelago. Map from soest.hawaii.edu

The 2017 study surveys Ka Lae to MāhanaBay, covering land around existing and proposed trails, roadways, parking areas, and other sites. It mentions that the, “anchialine pond, nearshore, and marine ecosystems may actually be the most valuable biological asset in coastal Ka‘ū.” The report references a 1993 study by The Nature Conservancy, which noted the biological importance of the anchialine resources, including rare native shrimp, the ‘ōpae‘ula, at Lua o Palahemo, which was threatened by pollution, run-off, and the introduction of alien fish. The report noted: "It is a unique biological site, containing a combination of anchialine pool organisms that is not found anywhere else in the archipelago, or the world. One of the shrimps found at Lua o Palahemo, Halocaridina palahemo, is unique to the site. Other shrimps at the site, including Vetericaris chaceorum,Antecaridina lauensis, Calliasmata pholidota, and Procaris hawaiana, are known from very few sites worldwide. In short, Lua o Palahemo comprises the largest concentration of candidate endangered anchialine pool organisms in the world."

Vetericaris chaceorum and Procaris hawaiana have since been listed as endangered.

An endangered Hawaiian green sea turtle flies through the water;
Ka Lae waters and shore areas a critical habitat for this species.

Turtles and seals are well-documented as seeking feeding, nesting, and resting areas in the waters and beaches of Ka‘ū. The report states that Hawai‘i Island is critical habitat for the endangered green sea turtle, endangered Hawaiian hawksbill turtle, and endangered Hawaiian monk seal.

No systematic bat surveys were performed, according to the 2017 study, and no bats were observed during the 2017 study. However, it does state bats have been observed in many areas of Ka‘ū. The 1993 report did not find Hawaiian hoary bats or ‘ōpe‘ape‘a Lasiurus cinereus semotus, but stated that the species may exist in the area because of previously collected specimens. The 2017 study states: "This endangered species should be presumed to be present at least occasionally and to roost in some parts and of the Project area." The study did not inventory non-native mammals, amphibians, or reptiles, though they did observe cattle, mongooses, and mice. The study states: "The current scope does not allow detailed discussion, but goats, pigs, cattle, mongooses, rats, mice, cats and various lizards have some potential to interact negatively with native flora and fauna."

Extinct Kona Giant Looper Moth

Seventeen species of birds, including five natives and 12 alien, were recorded in the 2017 study. The most common land birds were mynas, skylarks, and zebra doves, and were found over all of the Project area, with the

skylarks being more abundant in the buffalograss grasslands, and the mynas and zebra doves in areas with trees and shrubs.

A single short-eared Hawaiian owl, the pueo, was detected near Pu‘u Ali‘i. A single ‘iwa (great frigate bird) was observed just off-shore of South Point. Noio (black noddy tern) were also seen off the tall cliffs north of South Point. No other seabirds were detected, however, states the report, "most Hawaiian seabirds frequent offshore areas, and the lack of detection does not signify absence." No endangered birds were observed in the area.

The 2017 study reported that the most valuable bird habitat in the Project area is for shorebirds in the coastal zone. Migratory birds were only seen one day, when several wandering tattlers or ‘ulili and a number of Pacific golden-plovers or kōlea were observed. The 2017 study noted that, in other years, researchers have frequently seen ruddy turnstones or ‘akekeke, and even the occasion a bristle-thighed curlew or kioea at South Point.

Common mynah bird.

During the 2017 research, the crew recorded 75 plant species: six are endemic, 17 are indigenous, and one is endangered. The 2017 study states that patches of rare plants reported in 1993 are no longer found, and where they are found, the plants are less extensive. No plant critical habitat is present in the Project area, states the study, and only one plant species currently listed as threatened or endangered -‘ōhai (Sesbania tomentosa, a flowering plant in the pea family), which was found in all the same areas noted in the 1993 study, though probably in smaller numbers. Most ‘ōhai, "were contained within roped-off and signed enclosures, with plants sometimes sprawling outside and isolated individuals located nearby," states the study.

The endangered ʻihi, Portulaca villosa, was reported in the 1993 report to be found in several areas, including Papakolea, west of Māhana Bay, at Ka Lae, and near Hanalua Bay. The herb was not identified in the 2017 study; however, "the small plant may be difficult to spot in dense vegetation, particularly if there are dry conditions and/or it is not flowering. Thus, it is possible that the endangered herb is present," states the study. The rare sprawling shrub, maiapilo, Capparis sandwichiana, was noted in several closely spaced patches in just one rocky area near Hanalua Bay, mauka of the four-wheel drive roads and footpaths, but was not noted in the 1993 report.

Common flowering shrub Lantana.

Some of the native grasses and plants include: ‘aki‘aki, mau‘u, ‘ilima, ‘uhaloa, kakalaioa, nehe, pa‘ū o Hi‘iaka, kakonakona grass, koali pehu kipukai, and ‘ākulikuli, with hau - Hibiscus tiliaceus, and naupaka sparingly present. In some places, occasionally dominating where ‘ā‘ā is present, are kiawe, koa haole, sourbush, Sodomapple - Solanum linnaeanum, and lantana.

The 2017 Geometrician Associates study reflected The Nature Conservancy findings in 1993 in regards to the most common vegetation: Mixed Alien Lowland Dry Grass, which is "generally better adapted than native species," state the studies. This invasive vegetation type is pervasive, and, "it is likely that the alien grasslands would develop eventually into either shrubland or forest," if left alone, stated the 1993 study - but the area "has been more heavily dissected and trampled by roads," since then. Buffelgrass is the most common alien grass in the area, with much lesser amounts of pitted beardgrass, Bermuda grass, Guineagrass, and others.
Invertebrates were not included in the 2017 study.

The 2017 study showed that "the strand vegetation at South Point is diverse and unique and includes rare, threatened, and endangered species. Where the vegetation is not damaged by human activity, the Project area offers excellent habitat for migratory shorebirds, pueo, and native insects." The study indicated that the proposed management plan to reduce vehicular use in the shoreline portion of the corridor, and restrict vehicles in the Project area, "will significantly improve the environment and enhance and preserve the unique flora and fauna." The study further states that "the areas chosen for the infrastructure necessary to support the management plan, including parking lots, emergency road, guard booth and gate, do not contain valuable native vegetation, flora or animal habitat, and are suitable for their proposed uses."

See March 3, March 5, March 6, March 7, March 8, March 9, March 10, March 11, March 12, March 13, March 14, March 15, and future Ka‘ū News Briefs for more in the continuing South Point Resource Management Plan series. See the 799-page plan online.

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A BILL TO FUND K-12 AGRICULTURE WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT goes to a joint hearing of the Senate Agricultural and Environment, and Senate Labor committees. House Bill 2115 HD1 will be heard on Monday, March 19, at 2 p.m. The bill will help fund schooling to increase the number of Hawai‘i students who go on to a career in agriculture.

Hawai‘i Farmers Union United urges residents to support the bill, saying "You do not need to write a testimonial to have an impact. Simply weighing in with your support will help." Testimonies and support are due by 2 p.m. on Sunday, March 18.

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Russell Suzuki, newly nominated to
Attorney General by Gov. David Ige.

RUSSELL SUZUKI IS APPOINTED TO REPLACE ATTORNEY GENERAL DOUG CHIN, who stepped down recently to become Lieutenant Governor. Gov. David Ige put Suzuki temporarily in the AG position on Feb. 2 when Chin took the Lt. Gov. post. Ige wants Suzuki to stay.

Ige said in his appointment announcement that Suzuki has served as a public-sector attorney working at the Department of Attorney General for 36 years. His responsibilities have included First Deputy Attorney General under Attorneys General Douglas Chin, David Louie, and Mark Bennett. He also served as Supervising Deputy Attorney General of the Administration Division and Education Division. He also served as counsel to state boards and commissions, including Land Use Commission, Board of Education, Board of Regents, Employees' Retirement System, Employer-Union Health Benefits Trust Fund, and Judicial Selection Commission. Before making the move to the public sector, he practiced criminal defense law, family law, business law, and military law at the law offices of Yoshiro Nakamura. Suzuki earned a B.A. from the University of Hawaiʻi and his J.D. from OhioStateUniversity.

"Russell brings a wealth of experience to this position, and I know he will continue to provide sound legal advice to the executive, legislative and judicial branches of state government." Said Suzuki, "I am humbled and honored to serve in this position. I'll do my best to serve the people of the State of Hawaiʻi." His appointment is subject to Senate confirmation.

VOLCANO ART CENTER GALLERY PRESENTS HO’OKU’I I NĀ KIKO, Connecting the Dots, by Natalie Mahina Jensen and Lucia Tarallo daily, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., from Saturday, Mar. 31, to Sunday, May 6. The multi-media exhibition explores the conceptual disparity between threads of history verses ribbons of myth while referencing pivotal events in Hawaiian History. Presented by the Hale Naua III, Society of Maoli Arts, this exhibition references the Battle of Kuamoʻo fought on Hawaiʻi Island on December 31, 1819.
“The exhibition provides historical details harmoniously embedded in a collection of modern and iconographic works of art,” states the event description.
A curated collection of photographs, paintings, sculptures and feather work items deliver a sublime message connecting the viewer artistically with the provenance of the design. For instance, Jensen’s paintings, which display indigenous iconographic designs, are rendered to weave a human-life story of a particular event or particular Maoli belief. Feather and ribbon capes and sashes made by Tarallo tell the history of the making of capes during pre and post western contact eras.

Both artists will be present at the exhibition opening on Saturday, Mar. 31, at the Volcano Art Center Gallery in Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park. The event will begin at 3 p.m. with a short lecture by Tarallo providing insight into the concepts and items on display. An opening reception will follow the lecture, until 5 p.m. Both events are free and open to the public, however, park entrance fees apply. For more, visit volcanoartcenter.org.

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

See public Ka‘ū events, meetings, entertainment at kaucalendar.com

/janfebmar/februaryevents.html. See Ka‘ū exercise, meditation, daily,

weekly events at kaucalendar.com/janfebmar/februarycommunity.html.

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

throughout Ka‘ū, from Miloli‘i through Volcano. Also available free on

stands throughout the district. Read online at kaucalendar.com.

KA‘Ū TROJANS SPORTS SCHEDULE

Girls Softball: Saturday, Mar 17 @ Konawaena

Monday, Mar 19, KSH @ Ka‘ū
Thursday, Mar 22, @ Hilo
Saturday, Mar 24 @ Kealakehe

Saturday, Mar 31 @ Honoka‘a

Monday, Apr 2, @ Kohala

Saturday, Apr 7, Hawai‘i Prep @ Ka‘ū

Monday, Apr 9, @ Pāhoa

Wednesday, Apr 11 @ KSH

Saturday, Apr 14, Kea‘au @ Ka‘ū

Boys Volleyball: Monday, Mar 19 @ KSH

Friday, Mar 23 Pāhoa @ Ka‘ū

Tuesday, Apr 3, @ Waiakea

Wednesday, Apr 11, Kea‘au @ Ka‘ū

Friday, Apr 13, Honoka‘a @ Ka‘ū

Monday, Apr 16, @ Hilo

Friday, Apr 20, Parker @ Ka‘ū

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SATURDAY, MARCH 17

RAPID ʻŌHIʻA DEATH SYMPOSIUM-EAST, Sat, Mar 17, 8:30 - noon, University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo, UCB 100. Register at www.RapidOhiaDeath.org

THE ART EXPRESS, Sat, Mar 17, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Discovery Harbour Community Hall. Classes held once monthly. Learn something new or work on a forgotten project. Instructions on oil, acrylic, watercolor, and other mediums. Meliha Corcoran 319-8989, himeliha@yahoo.com, discoveryharbour.net/art-express

OCEAN VIEW C.E.R.T., Sat, Mar 17, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m, Ocean View Community Center. Community Emergency Response Team monthly meeting/training. 939-7033, ovcahi.org

ST. PATRICK'S DAY BUFFET, Sat, Mar 17, 6 - 10 p.m., Kīlauea Military Camp's Crater Rim Café in Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park. Corned Beef & Cabbage, Lamb Stew, Shepherd’s Pie, and Vegetarian Shepherd's Pie, plus all the fixings. $20/Adult, $11/Child (6-11 years). Irish ale available. Call 967-8356 for more. KMC is open to authorized patrons and sponsored guests. Park entrance fees apply. kilaueamilitarycamp.com

BUNCO & POTLUCK, Sat, Mar 17, 6 p.m., Discovery Harbour Community Hall. Popular game played with nine dice, also known as Bonko or Bunko. Bring dish to share. Margie Hack, 541-954-8297.

SUNDAY, MARCH 18

PEOPLE AND LAND OF KAHUKU, Sun, Mar 18, 9:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m., Kahuku Unit of Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park. Free, guided, 2.5-mile, moderately difficult hike over rugged terrain focuses on the area's human history. nps.gov/HAVO

MONDAY, MARCH 19

DISCOVERY HARBOUR NEIGHBORHOOD WATCH MEETING, Mon, Mar 19, 5 - 6:30 p.m., Discovery Harbour Community Hall. 929-9576, discoveryharbour.net

TUESDAY, MARCH 20

WALK INTO THE PAST WITH DR. THOMAS A. JAGGAR, Tuesdays, Mar 20 and 27, at 10 a.m., noon, and 2 p.m., at Kīlauea Visitor Center. Each performance lasts about an hour. To find out more about this living history program, visit the park website: nps.gov/havo/planyourvisit/walk_into_the_past.htm

DISCOVERY HARBOUR VOLUNTEER FIRE DEPT. Meeting, Tue, Mar 20, 4:30 to 6:30 p.m., Discovery Harbour Community Hall. 929-9576, discoveryharbour.n et

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 21

OVCA BOARD MEETING, Wed, Mar 21, 12 - 1 p.m., Ocean View Community Center. 939-7033, ovcahi.org

SENIOR BINGO DAY, Wed, Mar 21, free lunch 11 a.m., free bingo 1 - 2:30 p.m., Pāhala Community Center. Prizes for all. ‘O Ka‘ū Kākou, okaukakou.org

THURSDAY, MARCH 22

FRIDAY, MARCH 23

THE NATURE CONSERVANCY HOSTS A VOLUNTEER WORKDAY on Friday, March 23, at its Kona Hema Preserve Honomolino (located across Hwy 11 from Miloli‘i), from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Space is limited. Linda Schubert at 443-5401 or lschubert@tnc.org.

STEWARDSHIP AT THE SUMMIT Fri., March 23. Participants meet Paul and Jane Field at Kīlauea Visitor Center at 8:45 a.m. Volunteers should wear sturdy hiking shoes and long pants, and bring a hat, raingear, day pack, snacks, and water. Gloves and tools provided. Parental or guardian accompaniment, or written consent, required for volunteers under 18. Visit park website for additional planning details: nps.gov/havo/planyourvisit/summit_
stewardship.htm.

ARTS & CRAFTS: SPRING FLOWER COLLAGE, Fri, Mar 23, 2:45 - 3:45 p.m., Kahuku Park, Hawaiian Ocean View Estates. For ages 6 - 12 years. Free. Register Mar 19 - 22. Teresa Anderson, 929-9113, hawaiicounty.gov/pr-recreation

ONGOING

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An endangered sea turtle, overshadowed by a piece of polystyrene foam rubbish. Photo from @erinmdillon Twitter

A STATEWIDE BAN ON SELLING PREPARED FOODS IN STYROFOAM CONTAINERS is moving through the Hawaiʻi Legislature. The state House of Representatives Committees on Energy & Environmental Protection and Health & Human Services approved the measure on Friday, March 16. The Senate passed the bill on March 6. Without House amendments, it would go straight to the governor for his signature, according to groups supporting the measure. Hawaiʻi Wildlife Fund, Recycle Hawaiʻi, Plastic Free Hawaiʻi, Kōkua Hawaiʻi Foundation, Surfrider Foundation, and others have advocated for a full ban on use of polystyrene foam in the state for over ten years. These groups have also gone to county governments to propose the ban.

Senate Bill 2498 SD2: "Prohibits the sale of polystyrene foam containers and serving of prepared foods using polystyrene foam containers statewide. Authorizes the department of health to include within its administrative rules a requirement for prepared food vendors to educate their customers about proper disposal of nonreusable food containers and litter reduction," says the bill summary on the legislature website.

Scheduled to take affect July 1, 2019, the bill's intent, according to its description, is to lower the leaching of styrene, a known carcinogen, into the environment and the local food chain - as it contributes to the potential death of marine animals and avian populations through ingestion. It also aims to limit the amount of visible litter, as it negatively affects the tourism industry.

About 500 testimonies came into the legislature, all but seven in support. Those in opposition represent interest groups and companies connected to the food container industry.

Chamber of Commerce Hawaii claimed the bill will raise food costs, hurt small businesses and increase prices to consumers by raising the cost of containers. It could also affect jobs connected to manufacturing containers, the Chamber stated. "Creating a mandate for the use of compostable and other plastic containers stifles the free market place, where businesses and consumers have the right to choose among the various types of safe, FDA approved food service containers."

Styrofoam bans have also been proposed on the county level around
the state, with this symbol as one of the images submitted with testimony.

The Hawaii Restaurant Association testified: "The majority of restaurants that use polystyrene food containers are usually smaller ethnic restaurants with cost as one of the determining factors but their primary reason is safety and performance of the packaging because of the heat and moisture of the food they serve (Chinese, Korean, Filipino, and general plate lunches). Polystyrene packing provide product integrity in holding and safety in transporting the any delicious varieties of ethnic foods here in Hawaii."
K Yamada Distributors, a packaging distributor, claimed, "A ban that singles out food-grade EPS food containers does little to reduce litter or ocean debris harmful to marine life and the environment. Litter is litter; there is no such thing as environmentally responsible litter."
American Chemistry Council stated that its members "certainly support efforts to reduce litter and marine debris; however, tackling this issue requires a broader approach to improving waste management."
The Plastics Industry Association stated they remain, "committed to the recycling of plastic products... to fight pollution and make recycling easier and more available. Marine debris is a serious issue, however the discriminatory approach of selecting and eliminating a given type of food service product has proven an ineffective method to address the issue."
Matthew Rose of Sanikleen Corporation USA called the bill, "a 'feel good' measure to try and please constituents, most of whom do not have a good understanding of the negative impacts, including further increases in food and menu item prices, as well as to take the easy way supposedly addressing our litter problem by forcing an already struggling and challenged industry to make up for the general irresponsibility of those consumers who can't properly dispose of used items, or don't care about how much trash and litter they propagate."

Polystyrene foam rubbish from food containers, jumbled together. Photo from Surfrider Foundation O‘ahu Chapter

Tina Yamaki, President of the Retail Merchants of Hawaii, wrote: "Bans are not the simple answer. This government mandate would place an undue burden on grocers, restaurants, mom & pop establishments, non-profits organizations and others as their cost of business would increase... Yes we are aware that the cost of the containers has decreased, however often they are still more expensive than the polystyrene containers. And the effective date would not allow for many businesses to use up the inventory that they already purchased."

The remainder of the approximate 500 testimonies were all in favor of banning the use and sale of the foam containers. Many of these supporting testimonies were from individuals associated with and owners of small restaurants. A new program lists of over 150 registered ocean-friendly Hawaiʻi restaurants - one criteria of which is a complete absence of foam containers; they can be found at oceanfriendlyrestaurantshawaii.org.

Read testimonies here.

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An evening view of Kīlauea Volcano's summit lava lake in the "Overlook crater" within Halemaʻumaʻu. Since 2008, when the vent first opened, this crater has grown from 115 feet wide to about 919 by 656 feet in size. The shield-shaped top of Mauna Loa can be seen in the distance (top center).
USGS photo by M. Patrick

KῙLAUEA VOLCANO'S SUMMIT ERUPTION IS NOW A DECADE OLD, states this week's Volcano Watch, written by U.S. Geological Survey Hawaiian Volcano Observatory scientists and affiliates.

A little more than ten years ago, conditions around Kīlauea Volcano's summit were much different than today. The caldera floor was open to the public, and the air above it was normally clear. Halema‘uma‘u was an impressive sight, but peacefully in repose.

That quiet phase at Kīlauea's summit ended abruptly in 2008, ushering in a new era of lava lake activity that continues today. Here is a review of the past decade of this summit eruption:

After several months of increased seismic tremor and gas emissions, there was a small explosion in Halema‘uma‘u on March 19, 2008. The explosion marked the opening of a new crater, informally called the "Overlook crater." During the remainder of 2008, several more explosions deposited spatter around Halema‘uma‘u, and the Overlook crater enlarged through collapses of its rim.

During 2009, small lava lakes were sometimes active deep within the Overlook crater. But since early 2010, the lava lake has been continuously present, steadily growing and rising higher.

The rise was interrupted on March 5, 2011, when the lava lake briefly drained away due to the Kamoamoa eruption on Kīlauea's East Rift Zone.

The lava lake stabilized in 2012, rose to a higher level in 2013, and remained stable in 2014 and early 2015. In April 2015, the lava lake rose abruptly and briefly overflowed, spilling lava onto the floor of Halema‘uma‘u. High lake levels in 2016 allowed lava to be frequently observed from public viewing areas in Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park, but a gradual drop in 2017 has made direct viewing of the lake less common over the past year.

Just before noon on March 15, HVO's summit webcam (KIcam) captured this striking image of Kīlauea Volcano's ongoing summit eruption. A small rockfall on the north side of the Overlook crater triggered a small explosion in the lava lake, sending a dark-colored ash plume skyward. Visitors (lower right) who happened to be looking toward Halema‘uma‘u from the Jaggar Museum Overlook in Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park witnessed the event, but were in no danger from it given their distant vantage point. USGS photo

The lava lake activity in 2018 is similar to that during the previous several years - relatively steady - and there are no signs that the summit eruption is slowing down.

Halema‘uma‘u now hosts one of the two largest lava lakes on Earth. It is likely the largest, but this cannot be said with complete certainty, as regular measurements are not available from the closest contender - Nyiragongo volcano in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Most persistent lava lakes are difficult to access, either due to geographic location (for example, Erebus in Antarctica) or political instability (for example, Nyiragongo). The size and accessibility of the Halema‘uma‘u lava lake, as well as the existing network of monitoring instruments, make it one of the premier locations to study lava lake behavior.

USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory scientists, along with collaborators from other institutions, are engaged in research to understand how the lava lake works and what it can tell us about the behavior and hazards of Kīlauea. For instance, we have learned that the lake rises and falls in concert with changes in summit ground tilt. This tells us that the lake responds to the pressure of the magma chamber, so the lake level can be used like a pressure gauge.

HVO's HMcam also captured an image of today's rockfall and

subsequent explosion (upper right) as it occurred. USGS photo

The lake also fluctuates in concert with the lava pond at Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō on Kīlauea's East Rift Zone, illustrating the hydraulic connection between the two eruption sites. Lava chemistry at the two sites is also similar, adding further evidence of a close connection.

Another important finding deals with the nature of small explosions that occur at the lava lake from time to time. HVO webcams revealed that the explosions are triggered by rockfalls from the Overlook crater rim impacting the lake surface. This observation is further evidence that the lava lake is very gassy, akin to lava foam. Rocks falling into this gas-rich, frothy lava triggers violent releases of gas that sends spatter flying.

While the summit eruption has benefited science, it comes with many challenges, including persistent volcanic air pollution (vog) resulting from elevated sulfur dioxide gas emissions from the lava lake. Vog impacts the entire State at times, but the Ka‘ū and Kona districts on the Island of Hawai‘i have been particularly hard hit.

Kīlaueahas a history of long-lasting summit eruptions, but it remains to be seen if the current eruption will go on for another decade. The past few years of stable activity suggest that the summit lava lake is likely to continue into the near future. However long it lasts, HVO will continue to study this awe-inspiring, unique feature to discover what more it can reveal about the volcano.

Visit HVO's website https://volcanoes.usgs.gov/hvofor past Volcano Watch articles, Kīlauea daily eruption updates, Mauna Loa weekly updates, volcano photos, maps, recent earthquake info, and more. Call for summary updates at 967-8862 (Kīlauea) or967-8866 (Mauna Loa). Email questions to askHVO@usgs.gov.

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THE NATIONWIDE WALKOUT OF SCHOOL STUDENTS last Wednesday drew support from Hawaiʻi's governor and other legislators.
Gov. David Ige's team sent out a message: "As the first governor in the nation to take on the NRA, Governor Ige stands in solidarity with the students, teachers, and administrators across the country who are raising their voices, standing up, and walking out of their classrooms and into the streets to push Congress to act now.

"Under Governor Ige's leadership, Hawai‘i is leading the nation with responsible, common-sense gun laws. We have some of the strictest gun control laws in the country, requiring more rigorous FBI background checks for gun owners to keep guns out of the hands of stalkers, sexual harassers, and the mentally ill.

"But, we need national gun reform. All American children, not just those in Hawai‘i, deserve schools that are safe from gun violence. We are simply asking for a common-sense solution to a fixable problem - our children's voices need to be heard and taken seriously. Ige joined students during a walkout on O‘ahu.
Rep. Colleen Hanabusa, who is running for Governor, tweeted, "It is very sad, although not surprising, that Trump looks recent gun violence survivors in the eye, promises change, then sides with the NRA," and "The next generation of America's leaders are united on this issue. We should be too. We have to listen and fight for bipartisan legislation to keep America's kids safe and help end gun violence. Our schools must be safe havens for students to learn and grow."
Sen. Brian Schatz tweeted, "These young people across the country are going to save the world. Our job is to listen and follow," and "I'm going to be at the March for our Lives next Saturday in DC and one of the coolest things about it is that they are not letting any politicians or people over 21 speak. There's something happening here."
Wednesday, Sen. Mazie Hirono questioned government witnesses about the importance of closing loopholes in the National Instant Criminal Background Check system and the need to repeal the Dickey Amendment, "which effectively prevents the Centers for Disease Control from studying the effects and causes of gun violence."

Senator Hirono joins KauaiHigh School students at the U.S.

Capitol to mark National Walkout Day. Photo from Hirono

Hirono stated, "So many American students, led by the brave, articulate survivors of Parkland, are standing up, sharing their stories and calling for change. I'm inspired by their determination and will continue to fight alongside them as we work to pass sensible gun safety legislation and an end to gun violence."

Hirono's statement noted that she is a consistent supporter of common sense gun safety legislation in the Senate. Last year, she introduced a bill that would close a loophole in the Uniform Code of Military Justice that allows convicted abusers to purchase firearmsand joined Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) in reintroducing legislation that would ban the sale, transfer, manufacture, and importation of military-style assault weapons and high-capacity ammunition magazines. She has also cosponsored numerous pieces of legislation that would strengthen our criminal background check system, ban high capacity ammunition magazines, prevent domestic abusers from accessing firearms, repeal the Dickey Amendment, and make straw purchasing and firearms trafficking federal crimes.

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SECOND ANNUAL KA‘Ū WELLNESS FAIR, GET YOUR SPRING, ANNOUNCED for Saturday, Mar. 31, in the multi-purpose room at Ka‘ū District Gym in Pāhala, from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. The event features an Egg Hunt and Healthy Fun-Run-Walk, both of which begin at 9:30 a.m. - registration begins at 9 a.m.Also offered are a Blue Zones Purpose Workshop, from 10 a.m. to 11 a..m., and Book Time - Read A-Loud with Friends of the Ka‘ū Libraries, starting at 10 a.m. P.A.T.H. makes a presentation at 10:30 a.m.

Vision Screenings, Keiki I.D.s, and Biometrics from Ka‘ū Public Health will be available. Several organizations will also provide information booths for the event: Bay Clinic, Ka‘ū Rural Health Clinic, Ka‘ū Rural Hospital, Project Aware - Your Mental Health First Aid, HSTA, Tūtū & Me Traveling Preschool and Home Visitor Program, and more.

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KA‘Ū TROJANS BOYS VOLLEYBALL had an away game Friday, March 16, against Kona. Kona dominated over the valiant efforts of Ka‘ū in the three games, with Ka‘ū scoring 16, 22, and 21.

The next games for Boys Volleyball and Girls Softball are both on Monday, March 19, at KHS. See the full Trojans Spring sports schedule, below.

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

See public Ka‘ū events, meetings, entertainment at kaucalendar.com

/janfebmar/februaryevents.html. See Ka‘ū exercise, meditation, daily,

weekly events at kaucalendar.com/janfebmar/februarycommunity.html.

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

throughout Ka‘ū, from Miloli‘i through Volcano. Also available free on

stands throughout the district. Read online at kaucalendar.com.

KA‘Ū TROJANS SPORTS SCHEDULE

Girls Softball: Monday, Mar 19, KSH @ Ka‘ū

Thursday, Mar 22, @ Hilo
Saturday, Mar 24 @ Kealakehe

Saturday, Mar 31 @ Honoka‘a

Monday, Apr 2, @ Kohala

Saturday, Apr 7, Hawai‘i Prep @ Ka‘ū

Monday, Apr 9, @ Pāhoa

Wednesday, Apr 11 @ KSH

Saturday, Apr 14, Kea‘au @ Ka‘ū

Boys Volleyball: Monday, Mar 19 @ KSH

Friday, Mar 23 Pāhoa @ Ka‘ū

Tuesday, Apr 3, @ Waiakea

Wednesday, Apr 11, Kea‘au @ Ka‘ū

Friday, Apr 13, Honoka‘a @ Ka‘ū

Monday, Apr 16, @ Hilo

Friday, Apr 20, Parker @ Ka‘ū

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

SUNDAY, MARCH 18

PEOPLE AND LAND OF KAHUKU, Sun, Mar 18, 9:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m., Kahuku Unit of Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park. Free, guided, 2.5-mile, moderately difficult hike over rugged terrain focuses on the area's human history. nps.gov/HAVO

MONDAY, MARCH 19

DISCOVERY HARBOUR NEIGHBORHOOD WATCH MEETING, Mon, Mar 19, 5 - 6:30 p.m., Discovery Harbour Community Hall. 929-9576, discoveryharbour.net

TUESDAY, MARCH 20

WALK INTO THE PAST WITH DR. THOMAS A. JAGGAR, Tuesdays, Mar 20 and 27, at 10 a.m., noon, and 2 p.m., at Kīlauea Visitor Center. Each performance lasts about an hour. To find out more about this living history program, visit the park website: nps.gov/havo/planyourvisit/walk_into_the_past.htm

DISCOVERY HARBOUR VOLUNTEER FIRE DEPT. Meeting, Tue, Mar 20, 4:30 to 6:30 p.m., Discovery Harbour Community Hall. 929-9576, discoveryharbour.n et

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 21

OVCA BOARD MEETING, Wed, Mar 21, 12 - 1 p.m., OceanViewCommunity Center. 939-7033, ovcahi.org

SENIOR BINGO DAY, Wed, Mar 21, free lunch 11 a.m., free bingo 1 - 2:30 p.m., PāhalaCommunity Center. Prizes for all. ‘O Ka‘ū Kākou, okaukakou.org

THURSDAY, MARCH 22

FRIDAY, MARCH 23

STEWARDSHIP AT THE SUMMITFri., March 23. Participants meet Paul and Jane Field at Kīlauea Visitor Center at 8:45 a.m. Volunteers should wear sturdy hiking shoes and long pants, and bring a hat, raingear, day pack, snacks, and water. Gloves and tools provided. Parental or guardian accompaniment, or written consent, required for volunteers under 18. Visit park website for additional planning details: nps.gov/havo/planyourvisit/summit_stewardship.htm.

SATURDAY, MARCH 24

EDIBLE WILD PLANTS: A Hands-On Foray for Foragers and Foodies, Sat, Mar 24, 8 a.m. to noon, meet at Volcano Art Center. Hands-on immersion and discovery. $30 per VAC member and $40 per non-member, plus a $15 transportation fee. Pre-registration required; class size limited. volcanoartcenter.org, 967-8222

KAIKI STAINED GLASS, Sat & Sun, Mar 24 & 25, 9 a.m. to noon, Volcano Art Center. Beginners workshop for keiki ages 11 & up - must be accompanied by an adult. Register in advance; class limited to 6 children. $50 per VAC member and $55 per non-member, plus $10 supply fee. volcanoartcenter.org, 967-8222

MONGOLIAN BBQ, Sat, Mar 24, 5 - 8 p.m. Kīlauea Military Camp's Crater Rim Café, Hawai‘i VolcanoesNational Park. $0.85/ounce - choice of 13 veggies, 4 meats, sauces, chow mein, and beverage. Park entrance fees apply. KMC is open to all authorized KMC patrons and sponsored guests. 967-8356, kilaueamilitarycamp.com

WRITING FOR INNER EXPLORATION AND LIFE REFLECTION, Sat, Mar 24, 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., VolcanoArtCenter. No previous writing experience necessary. $65 per VAC member and $75 per non-member. Bring lunch and pictures of parent/parents. volcanoartcenter.org, 967-8222.

ONGOING

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Hawaiʻi Wildlife Fund volunteers in front of the Matson container used to haul out 11.6 tons of marine debris on March 4. Photos from Hawaiʻi Wildlife Fund

MORE THAN ELEVEN TONS OF MARINE DEBRIS were loaded in a single day by local Environmental groups, states a release from Hawaiʻi Wildlife Fund:

Up-close photo of the marine debris, showing
JD Services LLC heavy equipment help.

On the morning of Sunday, March 4, Hawaiʻi Wildlife Fund and volunteers donned gloves and began hauling derelict fishing nets, ropes, and other plastic marine debris collected from the shores of Kaʻū. With a volunteer heavy equipment operator from JD Services LLC, the team loaded the 11.6 tons of marine debris into a 40 ft. Matson container, making this effort the single largest container load. Recently, HWF has had to increase efforts to keep up with the barrage of marine debris washing up along the Kaʻū shoreline, as this year has already seen record amounts.

"We have our work cut out for us as these large derelict fishing net bundles continue to wash up along our shores. Net and rope bundles present special entanglement hazards for our native wildlife, including protected species like the endangered Hawaiian monk seal and humpback whale. HWF and volunteers removed 66,235 lbs. of marine debris from Hawaiʻi Island in 2017, plus another 10,060 lbs. on Maui, of which 43% by weight were derelict fishing nets," says Megan Lamson, HWF Program Director.

Panoramic photo of volunteers loading the marine debris.

Since 2005, HWF and volunteers have loaded over 106,000 lbs. of plastic marine debris into containers bound for O‘ahu in the Hawai‘i Nets-To-Energy program. Once on O‘ahu, the nets will be transported to Schnitzer Steel Industries, where they will be chopped into pieces suitable for combustion at the City and County of Honolulu's H-Power energy waste facility, run by Covanta Energy; transport and other services are donated free of charge. The combustion process drives steam-powered turbines to produce electricity. The Nets-To-Energy Program, organized by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, is a multi-organizational marine debris partnership between local nonprofit community groups and private businesses.

Volunteer, pictured with some of the 11 tons of marine debris.

HWF is a small nonprofit conservation organization, founded in 1996, to conserve native wildlife. During its 22-year existence, HWF and volunteers have removed a total of 260 tons of marine debris from the shores of Hawaiʻi Island (86% by weight), Maui, Midway, and the French Frigate Shoals. In 2017 alone, HWF and volunteers have removed 60,838 lbs. of marine debris from Hawaiꞌi Island and Maui. The majority of HWF's marine debris removal work is conducted by volunteer labor, with financial support from the federal government - grants from the NOAA's Marine Debris Program and Kona Brewers Festival; local businesses - Matson Navigation's Ka Ipu ʻĀina and Kona Surf Film Festival; and private donations from around the world.

If you would like more information on the project or how to get involved with HWF, please contact them at kahakai.cleanups@gmail.com or at 808-769-7629, or check the HWF website at www.wildhawaii.org.

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A TOP SCORE ON NATIONAL EDUCATION ASSOCIATION'S LEGISLATIVE REPORT CARD has been issued to Senator Maize Hirono, for strong and consistent leadership on behalf of public school students and teachers.

"Senator Hirono has a very strong record of supporting and protecting Hawaii’s public schools, students, and educators. The HSTA is grateful to her for always fighting at the federal level for improvements to public education," Corey Rosenlee, President of the Hawaii State Teachers Association said.

"We applaud Senator Hirono for her tireless support for public education and the important issues facing public schools," National Education Association President Lily Eskelsen García said. "Students should have the opportunity for a fulfilling education experience. We know that public education has always been the great equalizer; and we must do everything we can to keep it that way and give every child growing up in Americathe ability to succeed and be the best they can be. In recognizing Public Schools Week, we acknowledge the combined efforts of educators, families, communities, businesses, and services to come together and support public schools."

Hirono was recognized for her strong support of legislation to increase federal funding for school infrastructure projects, support rural schools, provide working families with affordable child care, increase the federal minimum wage to $15 by 2024, and renew the Children’s Health Insurance Program, among other important priorities. Last year, the Senator strongly opposed the confirmation of now-Education Secretary Betsy DeVos because of her "lack of experience and questionable commitment to our nation’s public school educators and students," and she is fighting the Trump administration’s efforts to "undermine public education" during National Public Schools Week.

"Our nation's public schools are foundational to the success of millions of students in Hawaiiand across the country," Hirono said. "At a time when Betsy DeVos and Donald Trump are working to dismantle our public school system and attack teachers, I will continue to fight on behalf of our keiki and our educators."

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FIREFIGHTER COMMENCEMENT OF 45th RECRUIT CLASS ON FEBRUARY 3 at Sangha Hall in Hilo inducted sixteen new firefighters into the Hawai‘i Fire Department.

The new firefighters are: Marcus Hoeflinger, Dayne Kato, Kiley Kawazoe, Chase Komatsu, Brock Miller, Aaron Moniz, Michael Presiados, Tysen Pasco-Brown, Stephen Shirk, Jacob Smith, Keoni Soares, Sean Soriano, William Spain, Adam Veloria, Jordan Victorine, and Brian Wilson.

Hawai‘i Fire Department issued an announcement, describing training the new firefighters received in order to graduate: "The class underwent months of intensive instruction/classroom exercises and fieldwork. These included fire and rescue training that included a nationally recognized fire science curriculum, wildland fire training, rescue operations familiarization, aquatics competency certification, hazardous materials response, and driver training.

45th Fire Fighter Recruit Class on Saturday, February 3, 2018 at Sangha Hall in Hilo. Photo from HFD

"The ending of their Fire Fighter Recruit training was spent at the EmergencyMedicalServicesTrainingCenter where the fire fighters earned their Emergency Medical Technicians Basic certification. The entire Emergency Medical Technician program was approximately 10 weeks long, and included four weeks on clinical rotations on Hawai‘i Fire Department and American Medical Response ambulance units around the island, as well as at the Emergency Room, Obstetrics, and Intensive Care Units at Hilo Medical Center and Kona Hospital.

"The recruits also went through 80-100 hours of live burn training at the Hawai‘i Fire Departments burn trailer - simulating smoked out, limited to no visibility conditions, with intense heat, trying to prepare them as best as possible for being inside of a live structure fire."

Guest speakers at the commencement included Hawai‘i County Fire Commissioner Robert Becker, Hawai‘i Fire Fighter Association Hawai‘i Island Representative Charles Spain, Fire Chief Darren Rosario, Assistant Fire Chief of Support Services Lance Uchida, Training Captains, Recruit Training Officers, and class President Sean Soriano.

"The most beautiful aspect was watching a group of individuals mold into a team of one. 16 strangers progressed to 16 friends and eventually 16 brothers at the end of class. Bond became stronger each day and while as a class we faced many challenges, fears and anxieties – we all helped each other through tough times," said Soriano.

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MAKER FAIR SPRING SPREE celebrates handcrafted art on Mother's Day weekend in VolcanoVillage: Saturday, May 12, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., at The Cooper Center. The all-handcrafted artisan shopping market features unique items from only local makers.

Get to the Maker Fair early to receive a free shopping tote, distributed to the first 50 adult shoppers. Both adults and kids can get crafty at free make-and-take project booths. Kids will also love the scavenger hunt with treats. Bring the whole family and capture the memories with a free professional Mother's Day photo taken by Spark Productions. The Maker Fair is always free to attend.

More details and artisan applications are online at makerfair.org. Contact Sara Krosch at contactmakerfair@gmail.com, 520-389-0620, or facebook.com/MakerFair.

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MARCH BILL ROUND-UP: below, see the updates of bills featured recently at the Hawai`i Legislature, with hearings this week. Testimonies can be submitted for any bill with a scheduled hearing.

SB2928SD2, FARM to SCHOOL - Next Hearing: Monday, March 19

Local Sponsor(s): Sen. Kai Kahele
Establishes and appropriates funds for a farm to school grant pilot program within the Hawai‘i Department of Agriculture to provide grants to schools, early care and education centers, nonprofits, soil and water conservation districts, and food producers participating in the Hawai‘i farm to school program. Requires the Hawai‘i farm to school coordinator to submit a report to the legislature. Makes appropriations to continue the Hawai‘i farm to school program and coordinator position and to assist farmers and ranchers achieve Good Agricultural Practices Certification from the United States Department of Agriculture.

SB2563SD1 HD1, AG WORK DEVELOPMENT - Next Hearing: Monday, March 19

Appropriates funds to the department of labor and industrial relations for the K-12 agriculture workforce development pipeline initiative.

HB2115HD1, AG WORK DEVELOPMENT - Next Hearing: Monday, March 19

Companion bill to SB2563 SD1 HD1

SB1235SD2, CARDIAC CARE - Next Hearing: Tuesday, March 20

Local Sponsor(s): Sen. Josh Green, Sen. Russell Ruderman

Appropriates funds to improve the health care services related to cardiac care at HiloMedicalCenter.

SB2340SD2 HD1, HEALTH INSURANCE - Next Hearing: Tuesday, March 20

Local Sponsor(s): Sen. Josh Green, Sen. Kai Kahele

Ensures certain benefits under the federal Affordable Care Act are preserved under Hawai‘i law, including: extending dependent coverage for adult children up to 26 years of age; prohibiting health insurance entities from imposing a preexisting condition exclusion; and prohibiting health insurance entities from using an individual's gender to determine premiums or contributions. Clarifies that benefits extended by this measure do not apply to limited benefit health insurance.

SB2328SD2, OPEN EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES - Next Hearing: Tuesday, March 20

Local Sponsor(s): Sen. Kai Kahele

Establishes the University of Hawai‘i open educational resources task force to conduct a comprehensive analysis and evaluation on all general education courses and high attendance courses taught at the University of Hawai‘i system to identify open educational resources for those courses. Establishes and appropriates funds for an open educational resources pilot project grant program to incentivize faculty that adopt, develop, and implement open educational resources.

SB2329SD2, UH TUITION - Next Hearing: Tuesday, March 20

Local Sponsor(s): Sen. Kai Kahele

Caps increases in tuition for the University of Hawai‘i based on the change in the State's median household income.

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

See public Ka‘ū events, meetings, entertainment at kaucalendar.com

/janfebmar/februaryevents.html. See Ka‘ū exercise, meditation, daily,

weekly events at kaucalendar.com/janfebmar/februarycommunity.html.

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

throughout Ka‘ū, from Miloli‘i through Volcano. Also available free on

stands throughout the district. Read online at kaucalendar.com.

KA‘Ū TROJANS SPORTS SCHEDULE

Girls Softball: Monday, Mar 19, KSH @ Ka‘ū

Thursday, Mar 22, @ Hilo
Saturday, Mar 24 @ Kealakehe

Saturday, Mar 31 @ Honoka‘a

Monday, Apr 2, @ Kohala

Saturday, Apr 7, Hawai‘i Prep @ Ka‘ū

Monday, Apr 9, @ Pāhoa

Wednesday, Apr 11 @ KSH

Saturday, Apr 14, Kea‘au @ Ka‘ū

Boys Volleyball: Monday, Mar 19 @ KSH

Friday, Mar 23 Pāhoa @ Ka‘ū

Tuesday, Apr 3, @ Waiakea

Wednesday, Apr 11, Kea‘au @ Ka‘ū

Friday, Apr 13, Honoka‘a @ Ka‘ū

Monday, Apr 16, @ Hilo

Friday, Apr 20, Parker @ Ka‘ū

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

MONDAY, MARCH 19

DISCOVERY HARBOUR NEIGHBORHOOD WATCH MEETING, Mon, Mar 19, 5 - 6:30 p.m., Discovery Harbour Community Hall. 929-9576, discoveryharbour.net

TUESDAY, MARCH 20

WALK INTO THE PAST WITH DR. THOMAS A. JAGGAR, Tuesdays, Mar 20 and 27, at 10 a.m., noon, and 2 p.m., at Kīlauea Visitor Center. Each performance lasts about an hour. To find out more about this living history program, visit the park website: nps.gov/havo/planyourvisit/walk_into_the
_past.htm

DISCOVERY HARBOUR VOLUNTEER FIRE DEPT. Meeting, Tue, Mar 20, 4:30 to 6:30 p.m., Discovery Harbour Community Hall. 929-9576, discoveryharbour.n et

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 21

OVCA BOARD MEETING, Wed, Mar 21, 12 - 1 p.m., Ocean View Community Center. 939-7033, ovcahi.org

SENIOR BINGO DAY, Wed, Mar 21, free lunch 11 a.m., free bingo 1 - 2:30 p.m., Pāhala Community Center. Prizes for all. ‘O Ka‘ū Kākou, okaukakou.org

THURSDAY, MARCH 22

FRIDAY, MARCH 23
THE NATURE CONSERVANCY HOSTS A VOLUNTEER WORKDAY on Friday, March 23, at its Kona Hema Preserve Honomolino (located across Hwy 11 from Miloli‘i), from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Space is limited. Linda Schubert at 443-5401 or lschubert@tnc.org.

SATURDAY, MARCH 24

MONGOLIAN BBQ, Sat, Mar 24, 5 - 8 p.m. Kīlauea Military Camp's Crater Rim Café, Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park. $0.85/ounce - choice of 13 veggies, 4 meats, sauces, chow mein, and beverage. Park entrance fees apply. KMC is open to all authorized KMC patrons and sponsored guests. 967-8356, kilaueamilitarycamp.com

WRITING FOR INNER EXPLORATION AND LIFE REFLECTION, Sat, Mar 24, 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., Volcano Art Center. No previous writing experience necessary. $65 per VAC member and $75 per non-member. Bring lunch and pictures of parent/parents. volcanoartcenter.org, 967-8222.

ONGOING

TĪ AND SEAS ART EXHIBIT at Volcano Art Center Gallery, featuring oil paintings by Pāhoa resident Steve Irvine, is open to the public through Sun, Mar 25, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., daily - volcanoartcenter.org or 967-8222.

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

Slingatron, a technology for launching small packages into space, received some funding from the U.S. Army. A different technology is
proposed by SpinLaunch, with one of the potential sites above Pohu‘e Bay. Image from nextBigFuture

SPINLAUNCH REPRESENTATIVES plan to meet with the Ka‘ū Community on Saturday, April 16, at 10 a.m., at Nā‘ālehuCommunity Center, according to the Ahu Moku Advisory Committee to the state Department of Land & Natural Resources. SpinLaunch is the company that proposes a small space launch facility, selecting from four possible sites on Hawai‘i Island and one on Kaua‘i. One of the proposed sites is likely the land around Pohu‘e Bay, next to the Hawaiian Ocean View Ranchos community.

According to the Ahu Moku Advisory Committee, representing SpinLaunch will be Ryan Hampton and Raphael Feldman. Also attending will be state Sen. Glenn Wakai, of O‘ahu, who introduced the Special Purpose Revenue Bond measure into the Hawai‘i Legislature to help SpinLaunch raise some $25 million for the project. SB2703 is cosponsored by Sen. Kai Kahele of Hilo. The companion bill HB 2559 was introduced by Rep. Cindy Evans who represents North Kona and Kohala in the state House of Representatives.

O‘ahu Sen. Glen Wakai will meet with
Ka‘ū residents on April 16. He introduced
the $25 million Special Purpose Revenue
Bond into the Hawai‘i Senate to
help fund SpinLaunch.

Members of the Ahu Moku Advisory Committee have provided testimony to the legislature, questioning the project and asking for the public meeting in Ka‘ū.

QUESTIONS ABOUT THE SPINLAUNCH PROPOSAL come from Ililani Media's Henry Curtis, of Life of the Land. Curtis is an energy expert who frequently testifies, with standing, before the state Public Utilities Commission.
SpinLaunch proposes to launch small packages and satellites into space by using a spinning machine that would fling them into orbit at a far lower cost than traditional, larger rockets. The company proposes to use only about eight acres, plus a large solar farm for energy to run the project, and a large buffer zone between the launch site and the public. One of the possible sites, around Pohu‘e Bay, is 16,000 acres and for sale for $18 million.

On Ililani Media, Curtis asks why legislators are not asking more questions of the SpinLaunch team? He noted that Regenerative Breaking is one element of the new technology of SpinLaunch. Curtis writes: "Regenerative Breaking is a method of braking in which energy is extracted from the parts braked, to be stored and reused. Why would Regenerative Breaking help launch satellites? No legislator asked."
He also points out that SpinLaunch was created when "one Californiaindividual formed a mainland company with only one officer, himself. The company is not registered to do business in Hawai‘i. Life of the Land questioned this, but no answer was provided."
Curtis questions, "Would the use of renewable energy for launching satellites compete with other demands for renewable energy? What is the greenhouse gas impacts form launching Hawai‘i satellites? The questions were not asked or answered."

Rep. Cindy Evans, who represents North Kona and Kohala,
introduced the SpinLaunch bill intothe state House of Representatives.

Curtis points out that "Hawai‘i has 2045 goals and is now passing laws encouraging the adoption of U.N. sustainability goals for 12 years from now." SpinLaunch proposes to, "use a vast amount of energy from some source to create ground-based electricity to propel satellites into orbit without the need for rocket ships....SB 2703 states that SpinLaunch will grab a share of the growing Hawai‘i market of 'abundant, infinite, renewable energy resources' to provide the necessary launching power, and the system will also use 'regenerative braking', whatever that means.

"This upshot will allegedly be a multi-million dollar construction and launching industry in Hawai‘i. This will facilitate a 'pro-growth environment for the developing commercial space industry' that will 'contribute to space exploration, observation, and transportation,'" Curtis quotes the proposal before the legislature.

He states that "The substantive totality of the SpinLaunch CEO's testimony before the Senate Economic Development, Tourism and Technology Committee was brief." It includes the statement "SpinLaunch's adoption in Hawai‘i will facilitate a pro-growth environment for the developing commercial space industry on the Islands, bringing a unique capability to market that will facilitate new satellite based business models. SpinLaunch will contribute to the continued development of the Hawai[i aerospace presence with new technologies, creating a diversity of 21st century jobs locally, while educating communities and improving on the sustainability of Hawai‘i."

Late testimony at the legislature was submitted by the SpinLaunch Project Manager: "I have recently become acquainted with Hawai‘i and have found the people of the Islands to respect and honor the value and prestige of the land in a way more passionately than I have seen in most other places around the world. SpinLaunch aims to uphold and honor these values while working with communities to help propel economies of new technology."

Henry Curtis questions the energy needed for SpinLaunch to
take packages to space. Photo from Ililani Media

Curtis states that SpinLaunch added new voices to the testimony when it went before the Senate Ways and Means Committee: The Director of Launch Site Development at SpinLaunch Inc. wrote that "Recently my family and I moved to the Pāhoa area of the BigIslandin 2017. My background comes from time spent in the US Navy and working in various capacities of deep water diving and construction such as natural disaster relief and clean up. My history allows me a unique perspective and love for life on tropical islands, populated by ecological wonders that I feel are ever present in the Hawaiian Islands. I see SpinLaunch development on the Islands as a way to continue the rich history of navigation, exploration and discovery while stimulating and encouraging technological advancements and education that can help humankind understand more about our planet, our universe and ourselves."

The O‘ahu County Committee Legislative Priorities Committee of the Democratic Party of Hawai‘i testified in favor of the bill for many reasons, states Curtis, including that it "uses an abundant, infinite, renewable energy resources - solar energy and regenerative braking - to provide electrical loading."

An article from nextBigFuture describes the SpinLaunch plan: "SpinLaunch is raising $30 million to use large centrifuges to power catapult to launch payloads into space. They use large centrifuges to store energy and will then rapidly transfer that momentum into a catapult to send a payload to space at up to 4,800 kilometers per hour (3,000 mph). If successful, the acceleration architecture is projected to be both lower cost and use much less power, with the price of a single space launch reduced to under US$500,000.

The U.S. Army put money into a related idea for a cheaper launch
mechanism into space. It was called the Slingatron. Image from nextBigFuture

"SpinLaunch was founded in 2014 by Jonathan Yaney, who previously started Titan Aerospace, a solar-powered drone company and subsequently sold it to Google. They raised $1 million in equity in 2014, the year SpinLaunch was founded, $2.9 million in equity in 2015, $2.2 million in debt in mid-2017 and another $2 million in debt in late 2017. SpinLaunch has raised a total of $10 million to date.
The article talks about the bill "proposed in the Hawai‘i state senate to issue $25 million in bonds to assist SpinLaunch with 'constructing a portion of its electrical small satellite launch system.'"
The nextBigFuture article compares SpinLaunch to a different technique for space launches proposed in 1979 by Derek A. Tidman. He called it the Slingatron. The idea is to launch the Slingatron from a mountain, high up where the earth's atmosphere is thin and much easier to penetrate, requiring less energy than at sea level. The U.S. military conducted some testing. One of the military concerns for Slingatron and and apparent challenges for SpinLaunch is whether delicate instruments could survive the high amount of G Force during the launch.The Slingathron and several other launch initiatives are further described on the website, nextBigFuture.

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Jennifer Potter, nominated to the Public Utilities
Commission by Gov. David Ige.

UNIVERSITY OF HAWAI‘I ENERGY SPECIALIST Jennifer "Jennie" Potter has been nominated to the Public Utilities Commission by Gov. David Ige. Potter is an assistant specialist with the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa's Hawai‘i Natural Energy Institute, announces Ige's office.

Prior to joining the Institute, Potter was a senior scientific engineering associate in the Electricity Market and Policy group at Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. While there, she was the project lead on the 2025 California Demand Response Potential Study for the California Public Utilities Commission. Potter also worked at the Sacramento Municipal Utility District in various positions, including enterprise performance data manager, principal market analyst, and project manager. She was also an electric analyst for the City of Rosevillein California.

Potter earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in International Studies and Economics from Southern Oregon University, and her Master of Science degree in Public Policy and Management from CarnegieMellonUniversity.

"Jennifer has a solid background and extensive experience that will enable her to serve well on the Public Utilities Commission. I look forward to working with her to achieve a 100 percent clean energy future," Gov. Ige said.

"I am deeply honored and humbled to have the opportunity to serve as commissioner to the Public Utilities Commission. I am dedicated to serving the people of Hawai‘i and supporting the state's clean energy and resiliency goals," said Potter.

Potter begins her six-year term on July 1, 2018. She will replace Lorraine Akiba, whose term expires on June 30, 2018.

"We thank Commissioner Akiba for her distinguished public service, expertise and leadership. She has played a key role in representing Hawai'iin the state's renewable energy transformation. I wish her well in all her future endeavors," Gov. Ige said. Potter's nomination is subject to Senate confirmation.

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DEPARTMENT OF WATER SUPPLY ADVISES CUSTOMERS TO CHECK FOR PLUMBING LEAKS this week, during Fix-A-Leak Week, through Saturday.

The event is a national effort to promote water conservation. To encourage water conservation islandwide, Department of Water Supply distributes free toilet tank leak detection tablets in front of the Hilo Safeway store on Wednesday, Mar. 21, from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. Additional tablets and other water conservation materials will be available throughout the week at Department of Water Supply office locations in Hilo, Waimea, and Kona, while supplies last.
According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency, the average American home can waste more than 10,000 gallons of water every year from running toilets, dripping faucets, and other household leaks.
To check for leaks, residents should observe their water meter after turning off all faucets, spigots, and other household appliances (dishwashers, clothes washers, etc.). If the meter is still moving, a leak may be present. Customers should also review their water bill for spikes in water usage.
For more leak detection and water conservation tips, visit the Department of Water Supply website at hawaiidws.org or the United States Environmental Protection Agency website at epa.gov/watersense/fix-leak-week.

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VOLCANO ART CENTER ANNOUNCES KIMCHI WORKSHOP CANCELLED for Sat, Mar. 31. See volcanoartcenter.org or call 967-8222 for more details.

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KĪLAUEA MILITARY CAMP ANNOUNCES AN EASTER BRUNCH EVENT for Sunday, Apr. 1, from 9 a.m. to noon., at Crater Rim Café - within Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park. The buffet menu includes: Ham, Beef Pot Roast, and Breakfast Veggie Stir Fry. No reservations are required, though attendees must pay $17 per adult guest and $9.50 per child guest (ages 6 to 11 years old).
KMC is open to all authorized patrons and sponsored guests. Park entrance fees apply. For more details, call 967-8356, or visit kilaueamilitarycamp.com.

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KA‘Ū TROJANS GIRLS SOFTBALL played against green this past Saturday, with an away game at Kona. Ka‘ū scored 1, but Kona won with 11.
Next game played today, with Ka‘ū hosting KHS. Ka‘ū Boys Volleyball also has a home game today, hosting Pāhoa. See the game scores in tomorrow's briefs.

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

See public Ka‘ū events, meetings, entertainment at kaucalendar.com

/janfebmar/februaryevents.html. See Ka‘ū exercise, meditation, daily,

weekly events at kaucalendar.com/janfebmar/februarycommunity.html.

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

throughout Ka‘ū, from Miloli‘i through Volcano. Also available free on

stands throughout the district. Read online at kaucalendar.com.

KA‘Ū TROJANS SPORTS SCHEDULE

Girls Softball: Thursday, Mar 22, @ Hilo

Saturday, Mar 24 @ Kealakehe

Saturday, Mar 31 @ Honoka‘a

Monday, Apr 2, @ Kohala

Saturday, Apr 7, Hawai‘i Prep @ Ka‘ū

Monday, Apr 9, @ Pāhoa

Wednesday, Apr 11 @ KSH

Saturday, Apr 14, Kea‘au @ Ka‘ū

Boys Volleyball: Friday, Mar 23 Pāhoa @ Ka‘ū

Tuesday, Apr 3, @ Waiakea

Wednesday, Apr 11, Kea‘au @ Ka‘ū

Friday, Apr 13, Honoka‘a @ Ka‘ū

Monday, Apr 16, @ Hilo

Friday, Apr 20, Parker @ Ka‘ū

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

TUESDAY, MARCH 20

WALK INTO THE PAST WITH DR. THOMAS A. JAGGAR, Tuesdays, Mar 20 and 27, at 10 a.m., noon, and 2 p.m., at Kīlauea Visitor Center. Each performance lasts about an hour. To find out more about this living history program, visit the park website: nps.gov/havo/planyourvisit/walk
_into_the_past.htm

DISCOVERY HARBOUR VOLUNTEER FIRE DEPT. Meeting, Tue, Mar 20, 4:30 to 6:30 p.m., Discovery Harbour Community Hall. 929-9576, discoveryharbour.n et

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 21

OVCA BOARD MEETING, Wed, Mar 21, 12 - 1 p.m., Ocean View Community Center. 939-7033, ovcahi.org

SENIOR BINGO DAY, Wed, Mar 21, free lunch 11 a.m., free bingo 1 - 2:30 p.m., Pāhala Community Center. Prizes for all. ‘O Ka‘ū Kākou, okaukakou.org

THURSDAY, MARCH 22

SATURDAY, MARCH 24

WRITING FOR INNER EXPLORATION AND LIFE REFLECTION, Sat, Mar 24, 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., Volcano Art Center. No previous writing experience necessary. $65 per VAC member and $75 per non-member. Bring lunch and pictures of parent/parents. volcanoartcenter.org, 967-8222.
MONGOLIAN BBQ, Sat, Mar 24, 5 - 8 p.m. Kīlauea Military Camp's Crater Rim Café, Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park. $0.85/ounce - choice of 13 veggies, 4 meats, sauces, chow mein, and beverage. Park entrance fees apply. KMC is open to all authorized KMC patrons and sponsored guests. 967-8356, kilaueamilitarycamp.com

JAZZ IN THE FOREST, a monthly event held at the Volcano Art Center in the Village, has been moved to the last Saturday in March, the 24th.

This month's performance offers exciting original compositions by pianist/composer Loren Wilken, and the beautiful Brazilian samba sounds of vocalist/trumpet stylist Andrea Linborg, along with Jean Pierre Thoma on winds, Brian McCree on bass, Russ on drums, and Luke on acoustic guitar.

As usual, the concerts will be at 4:30 & 7 p.m., and refreshments will be available. Tickets are available online, and are $18 per VAC member/$20 non-member. Call 967-8222 or visit volcanoartcenter.org for more details.

SUNDAY, MARCH 25

FINAL DAY OF TĪ AND SEAS ART EXHIBIT at Volcano Art Center Gallery featuring oil paintings by Pāhoa resident Steve Irvine, open to the public through Sun., Mar. 25, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., daily - volcanoartcenter.org or 967-8222.

KEIKI STAINED GLASS, Sun, Mar 25, 9 a.m. to noon, Volcano Art Center. Beginners workshop for keiki ages 11 & up - must be accompanied by an adult. Register in advanced; class limited to 6 children. $50 per VAC member and $55 per non-member, plus $10 supply fee. volcanoartcenter.org, 967-8222.

PALM TRAIL, Sun, Mar 25, 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., Kahuku Unit of Hawai‘i VolcanoesNational Park. Moderately difficult, 2.6-mile loop traverses scenic pastures along an ancient cinder cone, with some of the best panoramic views Kahuku has to offer. nps.gov/HAVO

ONGOING

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Nā‘ālehu Theatre, the historic building on a more colorful day, years ago. Now deteriorating in the heart of Nā‘ālehu,
it might be getting a lifeline. Photo from tohawaii.com

MAYOR HARRY KIM HAS JOINED THE CAMPAIGN TO FIX UP NĀ‘ĀLEHU THEATRE. Kim sent a letter to Rachel Garbow Monroe, president and chief officer of the Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation. On Mar 12, Kim asked for information on plans "for the Nā‘ālehu Theatre and other assets" owned by the Foundation and managed through the 300 Corporation. The Foundation also owns the adjacent shopping center with a laundromat, real estate office, food store, non-profit family services organization, and former location of Island Market.

The projection room and classroom. See Abandoned USA

Wrote the mayor, "My request is prompted by public concerns about the state of the Theatre. It is a valuable historic structure in the heart of Nā‘ālehu, which is one of our lowest-income communities." He noted the Weinberg Foundation's mission to work with low-income and vulnerable communities. Kim promised to "begin working with community leaders in April."

The Weinberg Foundation has been involved in restoration of the facade and conversion of a plantation era theater elsewhere in Hawai‘i. In Lihu‘e on Kaua‘i, a few blocks from the old sugar mill, stood The Lihu‘e, built in 1931 to seat more than 800 people. When Harry Weinberg bought a large swath of commercial property in the core of Lihu‘e town, the theater was part of the deal. It soon closed and sat empty for years. However, the community and Kaua‘i Housing Development Corp. worked with the Weinberg Foundation to convert most of the building into senior housing, with 21 units. The Harry & Jeanette Weinberg Senior Apartments are fronted by the façade, lobby, and foyer areas of the old theater, restored to their 1930's appeal. A gallery displays photos and relics of the theater. Historic Hawai‘i Foundation gave The Lihu‘e Theatre project an award.
Each apartment is about 500 square feet with one bedroom, bath, kitchen and living-dining and rents for $600 a month to seniors 62 and older.

Lihuʻe Theatre on Kauaʻi, transformed into a senior living facility,
while retaining the classic theatrical façade. Photo by Timothy Malloy

Glen Winterbottom, a Nā‘ālehu resident, wrote his letter to legislators and the mayor, urging action to fix up the Nā‘ālehu Theatre, in February. Rep. Richard Creagan, Sen. Josh Green, and Sen. Russell Ruderman, who represent Ka‘ū, sent letters to the Weinberg Foundation. See the March 3 Ka‘ū News Briefs.

The theater, which is a major feature of Nā‘ālehu's downtown, was built by the Hutchinson Sugar Plantation Company, according to historichawaii.org. In 1979, the Weinberg Foundation - one of the largest landowners in the state - purchased the land with the theater and adjacent shopping center. It leased the theater to nonprofit Nā‘ālehu Theatre organization, which hosted concerts, classes, a community radio station, video training for high school students, and a plantation movie theater museum.

Winterbottom lists reasons to save Nā‘ālehu Theatre:

The main theater with roof tiles fallen and the

theater seats side by side. See Abandoned USA.

● Its impact today, "Everyone taking the southern route around the island has to drive through Nā‘ālehu and past this currently decrepit eyesore. While well-maintained historic structures and attractions in the various small towns along the circle-island highway system would obviously tend to foster admiration by the visitors and pride in community members, highly conspicuous disrepair can't help but engender negative and counter-productive reactions," and "More than a few of you would probably never have been born - let alone live in Hawaii - were it not for the mass immigration from around the world that was necessary to support sugar cane cultivation here."

● Its historical significance: "Help preserve the few remaining major reminders of (the long-dominant sugar industry's) tremendous impact on island history and culture of the course of 150-plus years," and preserving "the fading memories of multitudes of humble laborers who lived and sweated and died over those many decades of King Sugar."

Winterbottom contends that availability of grant monies, support by community members and support by local businesses, would arise "once some visible official efforts in this regard were made to get the ball rolling."

Nā‘ālehu Theatre entrance. Photo by Julia Neal

According to information from 2010 on historichawaii.org, the late Marge Elwell - former president of Nā‘ālehu Main Street - helped to apply for a lease from the owners. The report said the theater needs extensive repairs, outlined in a building inspection report prepared by Taylor Built Construction. The list included a new roof and ceiling, new gutters, foundation repairs, and possible plumbing and electrical upgrades. At the time, repairs would have taken about three years and approximately $150,000, states the website. Thirty people volunteered to help with renovations, and Bob Taylor of Taylor Built agreed to supervise volunteers free of charge. No lease was provided.

A comment on cinematreaures.com, a page devoted to old theaters, from Joe Demoruelle in 2013, states, "I was the manager from 1979-2006. We shut the doors when the owners, Weinberg Foun., refused to fix the leaking roof. The theater was denied historical status by the owners. This would have opened up funding from restoration grants. I’m afraid the theater is doomed by 'demolition by neglect.'"

Nāʻālehu Theatre is the subject of a letter from state legislators

to its owners, urging renovation and repair. This photo was

featured on a website called Abandoned USA.

Most of the Facebook comments on The Ka‘ū Calendar March 3 post about the letter sent by legislators enthusiastically support restoration:

"Yes yes yes restore this building," from Barbara Breskin.

"I want to volunteer to help make this happen. I would love to start a children's musical theater program for all the budding stars of Ka’u," from Cindy Cutts.

"Yes I have yearned to see that happen!" from Maria Elena Medina.

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

The county, its consulting engineering firm Brown and Caldwell, and community outreach company EPlan, recently presented the wastewater treatment plan, shown above, for Pāhala. In early April the talk story sessions will be for a different plan for Nāʻālehu. Followup meetings will be announced for Pāhala. Images from Brown and Caldwell

TALK STORY SESSIONS ON THE PROPOSED NĀ‘ĀLEHU WASTEWATER TREATMENT PLANT will be held at Nā‘ālehu Community Center, 75-5635 Māmalahoa Highway, from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., in April on Tuesday the 10th, Wednesday the 11th, and Thursday the 12th.

The County of Hawai‘i Department of Environmental Management invites Nā‘ālehu residents to learn about the proposal and give input. In its announcement, the county agency explains that the "U.S. Environmental Protection Agency requires that the three County-operated Large Capacity Cesspools that receive wastewater from Nā‘ālehu properties previously served by the C. Brewer system must be closed due to environmental concerns. Properties currently served by the three Large Capacity Cesspools will be affected. In addition, some properties along roadways with the new sewer lines will be affected even though these properties have private cesspools or septic tanks.

"These roads include portions of Kukui and ‘Ōhai Roads, and a portion of Māmalahoa Highway. Throughout the planning and design process for the new Nā‘ālehu Wastewater Treatment Plant, our consultant Brown and Caldwell will be reaching out to the community. Our first round of Nā‘ālehu informal talk story sessions will be held during the second week in April. We will talk about the Nā‘ālehu project and ask you to share your thoughts and ideas."

The sessions are designed to be identical, and the county asks that those planning to attend to contact Berna Cabacungan of Earthplan at eplan1@aol.com, Mary Fujio at the Department of Environmental Management by calling 961-8083, or Iris Cober at the Brown and Caldwell Maui office by calling (808) 442-3300. The meetings are about the proposed Wastewater Treatment Plant in Nā‘ālehu only. Meetings for a proposed Pāhala facility are held separately.

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ESTABLISHING A LIMIT OF FOUR ROOSTERS per houselot, where roosters are close to neighbors, drew dozens of people to a Hawai‘i County Council hearing on March 13. Most spoke out against a proposed rooster buffer zone, filling the chamber past capacity. When one speaker asked those who opposed the bill to stand up, or raise their hand if outside, the council chamber filled with standing bodies.

Local residents, outside the overflowing council chamber on March 13. More people than could fit in the chamber came to testify and show they opposed the bill to change the zoning laws to limit the number of roosters allowed near a property line. Photo from Big Island Video News video

Testimony against the bill ranged from practical, that roosters have more meat than hens, to sentimental: "That sterile feeling you get on the mainland - we don't want that here."
"I just totally oppose it, and I add my voice to everybody that's here, and you can tell by the numbers: we don't want it," stated one woman.
Another concern was that some locals felt they were being unfairly lumped in with illegal cockfighting. One man stated, "I see no gamblers, I see no cockfighters amongst us; I see law-abiding citizens, I see taxpayers, I see voters."
The small number of testimonies for the bill mostly cited health impacts from the noise.
The bill failed, without getting a second when put up to vote by Puna Councilwoman Eileen O'Hara. Many of those in the council chamber greeted that news with applause.

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KĪLAUEA MILITARY CAMP ANNOUNCES AN EASTER EGG HUNT and a visit from the Easter Bunny, open to keiki 10 years and under, to begin at 9 a.m. on Sunday, Apr. 1. Registration is accepted from 7:30 to 8:45 a.m. in the ‘Ōhi‘a Room of Kīlauea Military Camp, within Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park. Attendees are encouraged to bring their own baskets.
KMC is open to all authorized patrons and sponsored guests. Park entrance fees apply. For more details, call 967-8352, or visit kilaueamilitarycamp.com.

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KA‘Ū TROJANS BOYS VOLLEYBALL at KHS yesterday was a mixed plate, with Ka‘ū scoring 5, 25, 10, and 19 during the four games played. KHS won 3 of the 4.

The March 19 Girls Softball game at KHS was cancelled during the second inning for safety, under the thunder/lightning protocol, due to inclement weather. The game was rescheduled for today, March 20, at PāhalaBallPark.

See the remaining Spring Trojans Sports schedule, below.

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

See public Ka‘ū events, meetings, entertainment at kaucalendar.com

/janfebmar/februaryevents.html. See Ka‘ū exercise, meditation, daily,

weekly events at kaucalendar.com/janfebmar/februarycommunity.html.

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

throughout Ka‘ū, from Miloli‘i through Volcano. Also available free on

stands throughout the district. Read online at kaucalendar.com.

KA‘Ū TROJANS SPORTS SCHEDULE

Girls Softball: Thursday, Mar 22, @ Hilo

Saturday, Mar 24 @ Kealakehe

Saturday, Mar 31 @ Honoka‘a

Monday, Apr 2, @ Kohala

Saturday, Apr 7, Hawai‘i Prep @ Ka‘ū

Monday, Apr 9, @ Pāhoa

Wednesday, Apr 11 @ KSH

Saturday, Apr 14, Kea‘au @ Ka‘ū

Boys Volleyball: Friday, Mar 23 Pāhoa @ Ka‘ū

Tuesday, Apr 3, @ Waiakea

Wednesday, Apr 11, Kea‘au @ Ka‘ū

Friday, Apr 13, Honoka‘a @ Ka‘ū

Monday, Apr 16, @ Hilo

Friday, Apr 20, Parker @ Ka‘ū

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

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 21

OVCA BOARD MEETING, Wed, Mar 21, 12 - 1 p.m., Ocean View Community Center. 939-7033, ovcahi.org

SENIOR BINGO DAY, Wed, Mar 21, free lunch 11 a.m., free bingo 1 - 2:30 p.m., Pāhala Community Center. Prizes for all. ‘O Ka‘ū Kākou, okaukakou.org

THURSDAY, MARCH 22

SATURDAY, MARCH 24

WRITING FOR INNER EXPLORATION AND LIFE REFLECTION, Sat, Mar 24, 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., Volcano Art Center. No previous writing experience necessary. $65 per VAC member and $75 per non-member. Bring lunch and pictures of parent/parents. volcanoartcenter.org, 967-8222.

MONGOLIAN BBQ, Sat, Mar 24, 5 - 8 p.m. Kīlauea Military Camp's Crater Rim Café, Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park. $0.85/ounce - choice of 13 veggies, 4 meats, sauces, chow mein, and beverage. Park entrance fees apply. KMC is open to all authorized KMC patrons and sponsored guests. 967-8356, kilaueamilitarycamp.com

JAZZ IN THE FOREST, a monthly event held at the Volcano Art Center in the Village, has been moved to the last Saturday in March, the 24th.

SUNDAY, MARCH 25

PALM TRAIL, Sun, Mar 25, 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., Kahuku Unit of Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park. Moderately difficult, 2.6-mile loop traverses scenic pastures along an ancient cinder cone, with some of the best panoramic views Kahuku has to offer. nps.gov/HAVO

TUESDAY, MARCH 27

HAWAI‘I COUNTY COUNCIL MEETINGS, Tue/Wed, Mar 27 (committees)/28 (Council), Kona. Ka‘ū residents can participate via videoconferencing at Nā‘ālehuStateOfficeBuilding. Agendas at hawaiicounty.gov

WALK INTO THE PAST WITH DR. THOMAS A. JAGGAR, Tue, Mar 27, at 10 a.m., noon, and 2 p.m., at KīlaueaVisitorCenter. Each performance lasts about an hour. To find out more about this living history program, visit the park website: nps.gov/havo/planyourvisit/walk_into_the_past.htm

HOVE RoadMaintenance Monthly Meeting, Tue, Mar 27, 10 a.m., RMC Office in Ocean View. hoveroad.com, 929-9910.

KA‘Ū FOOD PANTRY, Tue, Mar 27, 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., St. Jude'Episcopal Church in Ocean View.

TRACKINGLAVALAKES WITH THE SOUNDS FROM BURSTING GAS BUBBLES, After Dark in the Park on Tuesday, Mar. 27, 7 p.m., in the KīlaueaVisitorCenterAuditorium. Free; a $2 donation is suggested to support park programs. For more, visit nps.gov/HAVO

ONGOING

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

Miloliʻi is the first stop this Sunday, when Hōkūleʻa returns to Hawaiʻi Island, following three years of sailing around
the world. Above, the women chant, sailing into Miloliʻi in 2013. Photo from Polynesian Voyaging Society

MILOLI‘I WELCOMES HŌKŪLE‘A AS SHE RETURNS TO HAWAI‘I ISLAND this Sunday, March 25, on the first leg of her Hawaiʻi Mahalo Sail. The 43-year-old, 62-foot-long double-hull Polynesian sailing canoe last visited Hawaiʻi Island in May of 2014, before sailing out of Hilo on her three year Malama Honua Worldwide Voyage.

Hōkūleʻa, leaving Miloliʻi in July of 2013.
Photo by Peter Anderson

Starting Sunday in Miloliʻi, Hawaiʻi Island residents will see and engage with Hōkūleʻa and her crew. During her March into May visit, isle residents can expect crew presentations and talk story sessions, open house canoe tours, volunteer stewardship opportunities, and other family-friendly events, all free to the public.

Polynesian Voyaging Society will welcome thousands of public and private school students with canoe visits, and hands-on educational activities custom tailored to every age, that highlight wayfinding and voyaging through the lenses of math, science, conservation, and culture.

Hōkūleʻa is set to sail from Polynesian Voyaging Society headquarters on SandIsland on Oʻahu as early as Thursday, March 22, depending on weather conditions. She will arrive at Miloliʻi, overnight, and sail to Kona the next day, where she will be moored through the end of March. Through April, the canoe will be in Hilo, and finally in Kawaihae through the first week in May, before Hōkūleʻa and crew return to Oʻahu.

Miloli‘i children and crew of the Hōkūleʻa before her three-year
voyage around the world. Photo from Polynesian Voyaging Society

Events and dates will be released by Polynesian Voyaging Society when details are confirmed. The Hawaiʻi Island visit is an official stop on Hōkūleʻa's Mahalo, Hawaiʻi Sail, which is in gratitude of the efforts and generosity of Hawaiʻi's people, for supporting the round-the-world trip.

Nainoa Thompson, president of the Polynesian Voyaging Society, and a Pwo navigator said, "When we set out to accomplish the impossible in 2014 by sailing around this island Earth, our Hawaiʻi Island communities supported us completely so that we could succeed. To go back and say thank you by sharing and inspiring island youth – our next generation of voyagers – that is the best mahalo and investment in our future that I can think of."

Hōkūleʻa, launched on March 8 of 1975, is 62 feet long, 20 feet wide, and has sailed more than 140,000 nautical miles. Her name is the Hawaiian name for the star Arcturus, the brightest star in the northern celestial hemisphere. She is modeled after the Polynesian ships of old, similar as possible to the large Polynesian sailing canoes, used originally to sail to and settle in the Hawaiian Islands.
Read more at www.hokulea.com.

Map of the three-year worldwide journey of the Hōkūleʻa. Image from Polynesian Voyaging Society

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

LIMITING ACCESS TO TOBACCO PRODUCTS IN HAWAI‘I made a major impact in recent years, with 73,000 people quitting or never becoming smokers, states a release from Gov. David Ige's team. Hawai'iis "a leading example for the nation to stand up against Big Tobacco companies and protect the health of our people," says the

Gov. David Ige, proponent for anti-tobacco
laws in Hawaiʻi. Photo from Ige

statement. It points out that during Ige's years as governor, Hawai‘i has raised the minimum tobacco use age to 21 - the first US state to do so - "which has caused a savings of more than $1 billion in healthcare costs."

State legislators connected to Ka`u are making the push against tobacco, submitting and pushing anti-tobacco bills through committees. They include:

● SB3004, and its companion bill HB2735, cosponsored by Sen. Kai Kahele, which "Prohibits tobacco use and smoking, including the use of electronic smoking devices, by any person on the premises of University of Hawai`i."

● SB2304, and its companion bill HB2158, cosponsored by Rep. Richard Creagan and Sen. Josh Green, which "Prohibits the issuance and renewal beyond 11/30/2019, of retail tobacco permits for businesses that are located within 500 feet of a preschool, school, or certain public playgrounds. Beginning on 12/1/2019, prohibits the sale of tobacco products and electronic smoking devices by businesses that are located within 500 feet of a preschool, school, or certain public playgrounds. Deems persons and entities in violation to have knowingly and recklessly failed to obtain a valid permit."

● SB2654, and its companion bills HB2737 and HB2492, cosponsored by Sen. Russell Ruderman, which "Prohibits the shipment of tobacco products, and the transport of tobacco products ordered or purchased through a remote sale, to anyone other than a licensee. Makes all provisions of the cigarette tax and tobacco tax law that relate to tobacco products applicable to e-liquid. Increases the license fee for wholesalers or dealers and the retail tobacco permit fee. Amends the taxes on cigarettes and tobacco products. Increases the excise tax for each cigarette or little cigar sold, used, or possessed by a wholesaler or dealer. Increases the excise tax on the wholesale price of each article or item of tobacco products, other than large cigars, sold by the wholesaler or dealer."

These bills are all progressing in the Senate and House.

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SEN. MAZIE HIRONO IS TAKING A POLL ON SECRETARY OF EDUCATION BETSY DEVOS. Said Hirono, "Our kids, our keiki, need us to do our job and hold Betsy DeVos accountable in Washington, and I need 3,500 folks to let me know."

Current Secretary of Education Betsy
DeVos. Photo from npr.org

In order to accomplish this goal, she has asked that residents take a brief survey, which asks questions about DeVos' actions.

Hirono gives a bit of history on why this is so important to her: "When I was only seven years old, my mother made the courageous decision to move our family to the United States. Speaking no English, I could not have succeeded in this country without Hawaii's public schools." Hirono was raised until the age of eight in Fukushima, Japan.

"I know I'm not alone. Public schools have opened doors for generations of our nation's students. Now Betsy DeVos wants to slash school funding and - tragically - she just doesn't seem to understand the disastrous consequences her actions would have," states Hirono.

Take the survey here.

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HAWAI‘I IS ONE OF THE LEAST GUN INDUSTRY-DEPENDENT STATES, reports WalletHub. At 45th overall, Hawai‘i has one of the lowest scores, doing extremely well on independence from the gun industry in every field but one, ranking 27th highest in Gun-Control Contributions to Congressional Members per Capita.

In other fields, Hawai‘i ranks as lowest (50th) in Total Firearms-Industry Output per Capita and NICS Background Checks per Capita; 49th lowest in Firearms-Industry Jobs per Capita; 46th lowest in Total Taxes Paid by Firearms Industry per Capita; 45th lowest in Gun-Rights Contributions to Congressional Members per Capita; and 43rd lowest in Average Firearms-Industry Wages and Benefits.

The recent announcement of the study begins: "With gun sales still in decline since President Donald Trump took office and with the recent Parkland school shooting prompting more debates on the gun industry, the personal-finance website WalletHub today released its report on 2018's States Most Dependent on the Gun Industry."

States most heavily dependent on the arms and ammunitions industry - directly for jobs and political contributions, and indirectly through firearm ownership - were compared across 16 "key metrics," states WalletHub. The data set ranges from firearms industry jobs per capita, to gun sales per 1,000 residents, to gun ownership rate.

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Learn how PacificTsunamiWarningCenter operates, sending warnings within minutes after an earthquake, at a free presentation in Hawai‘i VolcanoesNational Park. See story below. Photo from nps.gov/HAVO

HOW THE PACIFIC TSUNAMI WARNING CENTER WORKS is the subject of After Dark in the Park on Tuesday, April 3, at 7 p.m. in Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park.

Nearly 72 years ago, on April 1, 1946, a tsunami broke
over Pier 1 in Hilo. The man to the left became one of
the 159 deaths from the event. The Pacific Tsunami
Warning Center seeks to make sure tragedies
like that don't happen in future.Photo from NOAA

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center provides tsunami warnings for Hawai‘i, American Samoa, Guam, Commonwealth of Northern Marianas, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. and British Virgin Islands, plus threat advice for countries throughout the Pacific and Caribbean. For local warnings, Pacific Tsunami Warning Center does this within minutes after an earthquake. For distant tsunamis, information is issued within seven minutes. How? Dr. Nathan Becker, Senior Oceanographer, describes Pacific Tsunami Warning Center operations during the free presentation in the Kīlauea Visitor Center Auditorium. Suggested $2 donation helps support park programs.
Park entrance fees apply. For more, visit nps.gov/HAVO.

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RESCHEDULED KA‘Ū TROJANS GIRLS SOFTBALL game from March 19, moved to March 20, saw Ka‘ū play KHS, with a final score of 17 to Ka‘ū's 1.

More games ahead this week for both Spring sports: Girls Softball tomorrow, March 22, away at Hilo, and Boys Volleyball, Friday, March 23, hosting Pāhoa. See full schedule, below.

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

See public Ka‘ū events, meetings, entertainment at kaucalendar.com

/janfebmar/februaryevents.html. See Ka‘ū exercise, meditation, daily,

weekly events at kaucalendar.com/janfebmar/februarycommunity.html.

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

throughout Ka‘ū, from Miloli‘i through Volcano. Also available free on

stands throughout the district. Read online at kaucalendar.com.

KA‘Ū TROJANS SPORTS SCHEDULE

Girls Softball: Thursday, Mar 22, @ Hilo

Saturday, Mar 24 @ Kealakehe

Saturday, Mar 31 @ Honoka‘a

Monday, Apr 2, @ Kohala

Saturday, Apr 7, Hawai‘i Prep @ Ka‘ū

Monday, Apr 9, @ Pāhoa

Wednesday, Apr 11 @ KSH

Saturday, Apr 14, Kea‘au @ Ka‘ū

Boys Volleyball: Friday, Mar 23 Pāhoa @ Ka‘ū

Tuesday, Apr 3, @ Waiakea

Wednesday, Apr 11, Kea‘au @ Ka‘ū

Friday, Apr 13, Honoka‘a @ Ka‘ū

Monday, Apr 16, @ Hilo

Friday, Apr 20, Parker @ Ka‘ū

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

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 21

OVCA BOARD MEETING, Wed, Mar 21, 12 - 1 p.m., Ocean View Community Center. 939-7033, ovcahi.org

SENIOR BINGO DAY, Wed, Mar 21, free lunch 11 a.m., free bingo 1 - 2:30 p.m., Pāhala Community Center. Prizes for all. ‘O Ka‘ū Kākou, okaukakou.org

THURSDAY, MARCH 22

KA‘Ū COMMUNITY CHILDREN'S COUNCIL, Thu, Mar 22, noon - 1 p.m., Punalu‘u Bake Shop. Meeting provides local forum for all community members to come together as equal partners to discuss and positively affect multiple systems' issues for the benefit of all students, families, and communities.
Chad Domingo, omingoc1975@yahoo.com, ccco.k12.hi.us

SATURDAY, MARCH 24

KEIKI STAINED GLASS, Sat & Sun, Mar 24 & 25, 9 a.m. to noon, Volcano Art Center. Beginners workshop for keiki ages 11 & up - must be accompanied by an adult. Register in advance; class limited to 6 children. $50 per VAC member and $55 per non-member, plus $10 supply fee. volcanoartcenter.org, 967-8222

MONGOLIAN BBQ, Sat, Mar 24, 5 - 8 p.m. Kīlauea Military Camp's Crater Rim Café, Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park. $0.85/ounce - choice of 13 veggies, 4 meats, sauces, chow mein, and beverage. Park entrance fees apply. KMC is open to all authorized KMC patrons and sponsored guests. 967-8356, kilaueamilitarycamp.com

WRITING FOR INNER EXPLORATION AND LIFE REFLECTION, Sat, Mar 24, 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., Volcano Art Center. No previous writing experience necessary. $65 per VAC member and $75 per non-member. Bring lunch and pictures of parent/parents. volcanoartcenter.org, 967-8222.

SUNDAY, MARCH 25

FINAL DAY OF TĪ AND SEAS ART EXHIBIT at Volcano Art Center Gallery featuring oil paintings by Pāhoa resident Steve Irvine, is open to the public through Sun., Mar. 25, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., daily - volcanoartcenter.org or 967-8222.

Keiki Stained Glass, Sat & Sun, Mar 24 & 25, 9 - noon, VolcanoArtCenter. Beginners workshop for keiki ages 11 & up - must be accompanied by an adult. Register in advanced; class limited to 6 children. $50 per VAC member and $55 per non-member, plus $10 supply fee. volcanoartcenter.org, 967-8222.

Palm Trail, Sun, Mar 25, 9:30 - 12:30 p.m., Kahuku Unit of Hawai‘i VolcanoesNational Park. Moderately difficult, 2.6-mile loop traverses scenic pastures along an ancient cinder cone, with some of the best panoramic views Kahuku has to offer. nps.gov/HAVO

TUESDAY, MARCH 27

HOVE ROAD MAINTENANCE MONTHLY MEETING, Tue, Mar 27, 10 a.m., RMC Office in Ocean View. hoveroad.com, 929-9910.

KA‘Ū FOOD PANTRY, Tue, Mar 27, 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., St. Jude's Episcopal Church in Ocean View.

TRACKINGLAVALAKES WITH THE SOUNDS FROM BURSTING GAS BUBBLES, After Dark in the Park, Tuesday, Mar. 27, 7 p.m., KīlaueaVisitorCenterAuditorium. Free; $2 donation is suggested to support park programs. nps.gov/HAVO

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 28

HAWAI‘I COUNTY COUNCIL MEETINGS, Wed, Mar 28 (Council), in Kona. Ka‘ū residents can participate via videoconferencing at Nā‘ālehuStateOfficeBuilding. Agendas at hawaiicounty.gov

KŌKUA KUPUNA PROJECT, Wed, Mar 28, 9 - 11 a.m., St. Jude's Episcopal Church, Ocean View. Seniors, 60 years & older, encouraged to attend, ask questions and inquire about services offered through Legal Aid Society of Hawai‘i - referral required from Hawai‘i County Office of Aging at 961-8626 for free legal services. Under 60, call 1-800-499-4302. More info: tahisha.despontes@legalaidhawaii.org, 329-3910 ext. 925. legalaidhawaii.org

HŪ (HAWAIIAN TOP) DEMONSTRATION, Wed, Mar 28, 10 a.m. - noon, KīlaueaVisitorCenterlānai, Hawai‘i VolcanoesNational Park. Make a Hū and learn the game. Part of Hawai‘i Volcanoes’ ‘Ike Hana No‘eau “Experience the Skillful Work” workshops. Free. nps.gov/HAVO

AVOCADO GRAFTING FOR COMMERCIAL GROWERS WORKSHOP Wednesday, March 28, 1:30 to 4:30 p.m., at Komohana Research and Extension Center, 875 Komohana St, Room D-202, Hilo, HI 96720. Kona will hold two workshops, at 9 a.m. to noonor 1:30 to 4:30 p.m., on Thursday, March 29, at Kona Cooperative Extension Service, Conference Room, 79-7381 Mamalahoa Highway, Kealakekua, HI96750. Class Fee is $25 per person, per workshop, registration required. RSVP online or by contacting Gina at 322-4892, at least two days prior to the workshop.

ONGOING

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Opihi picking is a traditional Hawaiian practice, with the limpets living on rocks in the surf zone a treasured
delicacy in Hawaiian cuisine. Art by Deitrich Varez, whose work can be seen at Volcano Art Center.

AN OPIHI PICKER FROM WAI‘ŌHINU perished on Wednesday at Kahakahakea Point, two miles south of Pohu‘e Bay, when he fell into the water and was unable to surface. A U.S. Coast Guard C-130 plane and Coast Guard Helicopter were deployed in the air. On the water, a Coast Guard Cutter headed toward the shore. Hawai‘i Police Department and Fire Department rescue crews traveled by land.

The crew of the plane spotted the lifeless opihi picker about 40 to 50 feet from shore in about 15 feet of water. He was extricated by helicopter with a Billy Pugh net and lifted to the Landing Zone at the bottom of Maikai Blvd. in Ocean View's Ranchos. The medic unit transferred the victim to Ka‘ū Hospital.

Opihi pickers often risk their lives in rough surf on

slippery rocks. Art by Deitrich Varez, whose work

can be seen at Volcano Art Center.

The Hawai‘i Fire Department described the scene as "rugged lava terrain with significant coastal surges. Ground access to scene was over an hour via a 4X4 road."
Opihi pickers frequently descend to slippery shorelines, with ocean waves pounding, in order to harvest the limpets from the rocks. Opihi picking is often called the most dangerous occupation in Hawai‘i. Opihi - popular for baby lu‘u's, weddings, and other Hawaiian gatherings - sells at Suisan Market for $15 a pound in the shell and $40 a pound cleaned from the shell, according to prices quoted today.

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THE HŌKŪLEʻA IS ON STANDBY TO COME TO MILOLIʻI. Crew member Mariah Hugo said on Thursday afternoon that the channel between Oʻahu and Hawaiʻi Island is very rough and it is undecided when Hōkūleʻa will sail from Honolulu to Miloliʻi.
The planned schedule was to leave as early as Thursday morning. If Hōkūleʻa sets sail tomorrow, she can still make it to Mololiʻi by Sunday. The public is invited to meet the crew and the 62-foot, double hull sailing canoe, which is on a goodwill voyage after spending three years traveling around the world. See Wednesday's Kaʻū News Briefs.
In the meantime, the Hōkūleʻa crew posted on its facebook page: "It's World Water Day! We all have a connection to water. Roughly half our bodies are made up of water and we can't live without it," and urged people to conserve water. See the short film they posted.
See more on the predicted arrival time of Hōkūleʻa at Miloliʻi in Friday's Kaʻū News Briefs.

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A LIVE TELEPHONE TOWN HALL, hosted by Rep. Tulsi Gabbard on Monday, March 19, drew more than 4,400 attendees, according to an announcement from Gabbard. The evening focused on her Securing America's Elections Act, HR5147, which would require the use of paper ballots or voter-verified paper backups in federal elections. Gabbard, along with guests Karen Hobert Flynn, President of Common Cause, and Brian Fox, Board Member of the National Association of Voting Officials, answered questions on several subjects, including:

Rep. Tusli Gabbard

● The current vulnerabilities of U.S.federal elections and actions that can be taken to better protect election systems from hackers.

● How open source elections software works.

● Expanding voting access in Hawaiʻi and nationwide, including bills like the Weekend Voting Act and Automatic Voter Registration Act that Rep. Gabbard has cosponsored.

● Emergency funding included in the Securing America's Elections Act to update states' elections systems to include paper ballots/records before the 2018 elections.

● The negative impact of weak election security on voter turnout.

Click here to listen to the full audio recording of this event.

A legislative update was also issued by Gabbard, including constituent services, actions she's taken to respond to and address Hawaiʻi's false missile alert, strengthen school safety in Hawaiʻi and nationwide, and assist Hawaiʻi families with federal agency casework, among other things.

Gabbard said: "Hawaiʻi is one of just 15 states in the country that are currently protected from hackers by having secure paper records of each vote cast. Our telephone townhall was an opportunity to discuss what has worked in Hawaiʻi, and how systems like that can be implemented nationwide through my Securing America's Elections Act. We also discussed important initiatives at both the state and federal level to expand voting access, like weekend voting, automatic voter registration, same day voter registration, and more. The need to protect the integrity of our elections and every vote cast is urgent and must be addressed before the 2018 elections and beyond."

Brian Fox, Board Member of the National Association of Voting Officials, said, "We are pleased to see Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard leading the country toward safe and secure election systems. The open source software language in her legislation, in addition to the necessary paper ballot component, will give appropriate security direction to the nation's election officials. Congresswoman Gabbard is appreciated as a pioneer advocating the science of protecting our democracy."

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AGRIBUSINESS DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION is the focus of two House bills - HCR224 and HR194 - both submitted by Rep. Richard Creagan, that are calling for transparency by way of a Management and Financial audit of the business. A hearing with the committee on Agriculture deferred the measure from March 21 to March 23, this Friday.

The bills state the corporation "was established to administer an aggressive and dynamic agribusiness development program,""is a public body corporate and politic and an instrumentality and agency of the State," and "is accountable to the people of Hawai'i."

Hawai‘i Farmers Union United urges residents to submit testimonies in support of the bills.

Tagged coffee tree, with mature green berries. Photos from UH

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Mature green berries, picked in the coffee
plot where UH conducts its studies.

COFFEE PRODUCERS AND THEIR TREES are the focus of a University of Hawai‘i College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources announcement sent earlier this week. Andrea Kawabata, Associate Extension Agent of coffee and Orchard Crops, writes about Early Season CBB Activity andManagement , outlining monitoring and actions taken by UH, and recommending steps for coffee producers to diminish pervasive coffee berry borer infestations affecting the coffee industry.

Kawabata's recommendations include removing the first flush of green berries or spraying.

Coffee tree laden with blossoms.
Recording flowering helps indicate
when beans will begin to show.

"Economic research shows that early-season CBB control can lead to lower costs and damage rates during harvest when CBB integrated pest management recommendations are followed. Strip-picking, monitoring and spraying should be thought of as an investment towards your harvested crop," states the announcement.

With over 85% of dissected beans in the coffee plot used being positive for CBB, Kawabata urges coffee farmers to, "be prepared, monitor/sample your crop, and decide to spray your coffee or physically remove and destroy mature green berries to control CBB early in the season."

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Keiki playing konane - Hawaiian checkers. See story for more free
Hawaiian cultural demonstrations being offered at Hawai‘i Volcanoes
National Park during week of 55th Merrie Monarch Festival.
Photo from National Park Service

THREE DAYS OF SPECIAL MERRIE MONARCH FESTIVAL EVENTS have been announced by Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park to take place on April 3-5, on the lānai of Kīlauea Visitor Center, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. The events honor the 55th Merrie Monarch Hula Festival with Hawaiian cultural demonstrations and live music.
On Tuesday, Apr. 3, practitioners share: ‘ahu lai, tī leaf cape making; ko‘i, Hawaiian axe demonstration; and kā makau, Hawaiian fishhook making. Jennie & Kanoa play live Hawaiian, Blues, and Country music blends.
On Wednesday, Apr. 4, practitioners share demonstrations on: ulana niu, coconut leaf weaving; ‘upena ho‘olei, throwing net; and nā pa‘ahana hula, hula implements. Ti "Kawehi" Chun and Pōki‘i Seto offer live contemporary Hawaiian music.
On Thursday, Apr. 5, practitioners share demonstrations on: kapa, traditional Hawaiian bark cloth; konane, Hawaiian checkers; and nā lei, lei making. Kenneth Makuakāne offers live Hawaiian music.
Part of Hawai‘i Volcanoes'‘Ike Hana No‘eau “Experience the Skillful Work” workshops. Free; park entrance fees apply. For more, visit nps.gov/HAVO.

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

See public Ka‘ū events, meetings, entertainment at kaucalendar.com

/janfebmar/februaryevents.html. See Ka‘ū exercise, meditation, daily,

weekly events at kaucalendar.com/janfebmar/februarycommunity.html.

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

throughout Ka‘ū, from Miloli‘i through Volcano. Also available free on

stands throughout the district. Read online at kaucalendar.com.

KA‘Ū TROJANS SPORTS SCHEDULE

Girls Softball: Saturday, Mar 24 @ Kealakehe

Saturday, Mar 31 @ Honoka‘a

Monday, Apr 2, @ Kohala

Saturday, Apr 7, Hawai‘i Prep @ Ka‘ū

Monday, Apr 9, @ Pāhoa

Wednesday, Apr 11 @ KSH

Saturday, Apr 14, Kea‘au @ Ka‘ū

Boys Volleyball: Friday, Mar 23 Pāhoa @ Ka‘ū

Tuesday, Apr 3, @ Waiakea

Wednesday, Apr 11, Kea‘au @ Ka‘ū

Friday, Apr 13, Honoka‘a @ Ka‘ū

Monday, Apr 16, @ Hilo

Friday, Apr 20, Parker @ Ka‘ū

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

LAST DAY TO REGISTER FOR ARTS & CRAFTS: SPRING FLOWER COLLAGE. Event is Fri, Mar 23, 2:45 - 3:45 p.m., Kahuku Park, Hawaiian Ocean View Estates, for ages 6 to 12. Free. Teresa Anderson, 929-9113, hawaiicounty.gov/pr-recreation

LAST WEEKEND OF KDEN'S HOW THE OTHER HALF LOVES - shows through March 24. Performances Fri/Sat at 7:30 p.m., Sun. at 2:30 p.m, Kīlauea Military Camp's Kīlauea Theater, Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park. Kīlauea Drama & Entertainment Network performance. KMC open to authorized KMC patrons and sponsored guests. Park entrance fees apply. Call KDEN for ticket info, 982-7344.

AVOCADO GRAFTING FOR COMMERCIAL GROWERS WORKSHOP Register by Monday, March 26, for Hilo, and Tuesday, March 27, for Kona. Workshops scheduled for: Wednesday, March 28, 1:30 to 4:30 p.m., at Komohana Research and Extension Center, 875 Komohana St, Room D-202, Hilo, HI 96720. Kona will hold two workshops, at 9 a.m. to noon or 1:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m., on Thursday, March 29, at Kona Cooperative Extension Service, Conference Room, 79-7381 Mamalahoa Highway, Kealakekua, HI 96750. Class Fee is $25 per person, per workshop; registration required. RSVP online, or by contacting Gina at 322-4892, at least two days prior to the workshop.

FRIDAY, MARCH 23
THE NATURE CONSERVANCY HOSTS A VOLUNTEER WORKDAY on Fri, Mar 23, at its Kona Hema Preserve Honomolino (located across Hwy 11 from Miloli‘i), from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Space is limited. Linda Schubert at 443-5401 or lschubert@tnc.org.

STEWARDSHIP AT THE SUMMIT Fri, Mar 23. Meet Paul and Jane Field at Kīlauea Visitor Center at 8:45 a.m. Wear sturdy hiking shoes and long pants, and bring a hat, raingear, day pack, snacks, and water. Gloves and tools provided. Parental or guardian accompaniment, or written consent, required for volunteers under 18. Visit park website for additional planning details: nps.gov/havo/planyourvisit
/summit_stewardship.htm

SATURDAY, MARCH 24

EDIBLE WILD PLANTS: A Hands-On Foray for Foragers and Foodies, Sat, Mar 24, 8 a.m. to noon. Meet at Volcano Art Center. Hands-on immersion and discovery. $30 per VAC member and $40 per non-member, plus a $15 transportation fee. Pre-registration required; class size limited. volcanoartcenter.org, 967-8222

MONGOLIAN BBQ, Sat, Mar 24, 5 - 8 p.m. Kīlauea Military Camp's Crater Rim Café, Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park. $0.85/ounce - choice of 13 veggies, 4 meats, sauces, chow mein, and beverage. Park entrance fees apply. KMC is open to all authorized KMC patrons and sponsored guests. 967-8356, kilaueamilitarycamp.com

WRITING FOR INNER EXPLORATION AND LIFE REFLECTION, Sat, Mar 24, 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., Volcano Art Center. No previous writing experience necessary. $65 per VAC member and $75 per non-member. Bring lunch and pictures of parent/parents. volcanoartcenter.org, 967-8222

SUNDAY, MARCH 25

PALM TRAIL, Sun, Mar 25, 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., Kahuku Unit of Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park. Moderately difficult, 2.6-mile loop traverses scenic pastures along an ancient cinder cone, with some of the best panoramic views Kahuku has to offer. nps.gov/HAVO

TUESDAY, MARCH 27

WALK INTO THE PAST WITH DR. THOMAS A. JAGGAR, Tue, Mar 27, at 10 a.m., noon, and 2 p.m., at Kīlauea Visitor Center. Each performance lasts about an hour. To find out more about this 2018 weekly (except July and Aug) living history program, visit the park website: nps.gov/havo/planyourvisit/walk_into_the_past.htm

HOVE Road Maintenance Monthly Meeting, Tue, Mar 27, 10 a.m., RMC Office in Ocean View. hoveroad.com, 929-9910.

KA‘Ū FOOD PANTRY, Tue, Mar 27, 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., St. Jude's Episcopal Church in Ocean View.

TRACKING LAVA LAKES WITH THE SOUNDS FROM BURSTING GAS BUBBLES, After Dark in the Park, Tue, Mar. 27, 7 p.m., in the Kīlauea Visitor Center Auditorium. Free; a $2 donation is suggested to support park programs. For more, visit nps.gov/HAVO

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 28

HAWAI‘I COUNTY COUNCIL MEETING, Wed, Mar 28 (Council), in Kona. Ka‘ū residents can participate via videoconferencing at Nā‘ālehuState Office Building. Agendas at hawaiicounty.gov

KŌKUA KUPUNA PROJECT, Wed, Mar 28, 9 - 11 a.m., St. Jude's Episcopal Church, Ocean View. Seniors, 60 years & older, encouraged to attend, ask questions, and inquire about services offered through Legal Aid Society of Hawai‘i - referral required from Hawai‘i County Office of Aging at 961-8626 for free legal services. Under 60, call 1-800-499-4302. More info: tahisha.despontes@legalaidhawaii.org, 329-3910 ext. 925. legalaidhawaii.org

HŪ (HAWAIIAN TOP) DEMONSTRATION, Wed, Mar 28, 10 a.m. to noon, Kīlauea Visitor Center lānai, Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park. Make a Hū and learn the game. Part of Hawai‘i Volcanoes'‘Ike Hana No‘eau "Experience the Skillful Work" workshops. Free. nps.gov/HAVO

THURSDAY, MARCH 29

STEWARDSHIP OF KῙPUKAPUAULU Thu, Mar 29. Meet at 9:30 a.m., Kīpukapuaulu parking lot, Mauna Loa Rd, off Hwy 11. Bring clippers or pruners, sturdy gloves, a hat, water, closed-toe shoes; fabrics may be permanently stained by morning glory sap. New volunteers, contact Marilyn Nicholson at nickem@hawaii.rr.com.

POETRY READING WITH 'THE POETS OF 1958' - Laura Mullen, Marthe Reed, and Susan M. Schultz - Thursday Night at the Center, March 29, 7 to 9 p.m. Free; $5 donation suggested. volcanoartcenter.org

ONGOING

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Miss Ka‘ū Coffee pageant takes place on Saturday, April 21, at Ka‘ū District Gym. See story below. Photo from Trinidad Marques

A BILL TO REQUIRE EMPLOYERS TO PROVIDE FOR FAMILY LEAVE for all employees is progressing in the state legislature. Next stop is the House Committee on Finance.

Gov. David Ige, who supports a bill that
would greatly increase access to family
medical leave for Hawaiʻi residents.

Senate Bill 2990, supported by Gov. David Ige, and several unions and nonprofits, would require small businesses - those with fewer than 50 employees - to extend access to leave benefits for employees, to provide care during the birth or adoption of a child, and for a spouse or parent with a serious health condition. An amendment was added by the House Committee on Labor and Public Employment, providing for a fund to help offset costs for entities with ten employees or fewer.

The Federal Family and Medical Leave Act currently provides for 12 weeks of unpaid leave under these circumstances, for companies with 50 or more employees, with Hawai‘i adding a four-week extension for those who work at companies with 100 or more employees.

Testimonies came from supporters - like Jessica McDonald, who lost her child after a sudden illness two days after she returned to work: "While I will never know whether I could have saved Quinn, what I do know is that I spent Quinn's last day at work. I didn't get to hold her one last time, kiss her little cheeks, rock her to sleep, and this will forever haunt me."

Paid family leave supporters contend that the benefit serves businesses in the long-run. The Hawai‘i State Teachers Association states, “Sickness should not become a debt sentence.”

The bill drew opposition from the Hawai‘i Chapter of the Society for Human Resource Management and the Chamber of Commerce Hawai‘i. Sherry Menor-McNamara, president of the Chamber of Commerce Hawai‘i, asked, "what are the unintended consequences and the overall impact on the business community, which in turn can impact the type of benefits that employers provide?"

Tina Yamaki, president of the Retail Merchants of Hawai‘i, said, "What this bill does, it adds added burden and cost onto a lot of the retailers and businesses. There's only so much a retailer or business can absorb, and then the rest gets passed on to the customer."

Deborah Zysman, executive director of the Hawai‘i Children's Action Network said, "The way it's being proposed, businesses would not pay for it. We all, workers, would pay into a fund managed by the state, and we would all be able to take out; so it's an insurance program which also makes it really cheap."

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HAWAI‘I RANKS 12TH IN THE NATION IN GRADUATING SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING students who are at least 25 years of age. However, Hawai‘i ranks 43rd, behind other states and Washington, D.C., in overall rankings for innovation, according to a recent WalletHub report. The U.S. is projected to spend $553 billion on research and development in 2018, states WalletHub. Comparing the 50 states and the District of Columbia across "22 key metrics," the data set ranges from share of STEM professionals to R&D spending per capita.

Hawai‘i ranks 31st for Share of Technology Companies, 42nd for R&D Spending per Capita, 43rd for Venture-Capital Funding per Capita and for Projected STEM-Job Demand by 2020, 45th for Share of STEM Professionals, and 47th for Eighth-Grade Math & Science Performance. See the full WalletHub report.

THE IDENTITY OF THE OPIHI PICKER who died on Wednesday off Kahakahakea Point, 2 miles south of Pohu`e Bay, has been released by the Hawai‘i Police Department. The 54-year-old man from Wai‘ohinu is identified as Duane A. Breithaup. His is also known as Sonny. According to the statement from HPD, “He was with about ten family members near the ocean but was alone picking the opihi from the cliff area. Family members reported at about 12:44 p.m., a large wave swept him into the ocean, where he struggled before disappearing.” See more on the rescue attempt in Thursday's Ka`u News Briefs.

HAWAI`I COUNTY CLOSED ALL OF ITS PARKS through the weekend as a heavy storms with rain, flooding, wind and lightening are expected across the island. A flash flood watch, which could change to a warning, is in effect from Saturday morning through late Saturday night. According to weather and Civil Defense statements, periods of heavy rainfall and thunderstorms may result in flash flooding. Rapidly rising water levels may result in area streams and significant flooding may occur for low lying and poor drainage areas. Weather is expected to include high winds, heavy rain with thunderstorms, and flooding. All parks are closed. "Consider canceling outdoor activities. Motorists are especially cautioned - road closures may occur without notice. Avoid going outdoors if possible during lightning. Expect possible interruptions to utilities. Secure areas and items that may be affected by high winds," says a statement from the County of Hawai`i.
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2017 Miss Ka‘ū Coffee Court with Miss Ka‘ū Coffee 2017 Jami Beck, center, back row. She will pass
the crown on Saturday, April 21 during the pageant at Ka‘ū District Gym.
Photo by Pamela Taylor

MISS KAʻŪ COFFEE TITLE CONTENDERS are traveling to orchards, mills, and markets to learn about farming, processing, roasting, and sales. They visit small Kaʻū Coffee farmers, who have spent more than 20 years - since the sugar plantation shut down - to develop a new crop and penetrate major markets worldwide.
The Miss Ka‘ū Coffee pageant takes place on Saturday, April 21, at Ka‘ū District Gym. Tickets and sponsorships are sold throughout the community. The 2018 pageant will mark the first time the pageant will be presented at Ka‘ū District Gym, next to Ka‘ū High School. The pageant is under the directorship of Trinidad Marques, herself a Ka‘ū Coffee producer and marketer. The winners will receive scholarships and trophies.
Candidates for Miss Ka‘ū Coffee are: Reishalyn Kekoa Jara, 16, Karlee Fukunaga-Camba, 16, Helena Nihipali-Sesson, 16, and Sheri Lynn Freitas, 18. Miss Ka‘ū Coffee Junior Miss candidates are Jacie Umemoto, 12, and Cristina Kawewehi, 12. Miss Ka‘ū Peaberry candidates are Jadelyn Kekoa Jara, 10, and Tenielle Blanco, 8. Ka‘ū Coffee Flower Candidates are Kysha Manini-Kaupu, 3, Telia Espejo-Navarro, 5, and Lilianna Marques, 5.

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Youth organizers and their mentors, including Ka‘ū High and Pāhala Elementary School Principal Sharon Beck,
manned educational displays like the one for Big Island Substance Abuse Council at the 2017 Ka‘ū Unity Celebration.
Photo by Julia Neal

SECOND ANNUAL KA‘Ū UNITY CELEBRATION will be held on Saturday, April 28, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., at Ka‘ū District Gym. Join members of the community in honoring the history of Hawai‘i, enjoying a variety of delicious food and drink, and supporting local youth talent in art, music, dance, drama, and poetry. Admission is free.

Ka‘ū Unity Celebration will be hosted by The Collective, in association with community organization ‘O Ka‘ū Kakou. The Collective is an organization of local community leaders and adult mentors who work in collaboration with the youth of Ka‘ū to develop leadership skills, confidence, and the ability to solve long standing social problems; empower the younger generations; and restore unity throughout the Ka‘ū community.

Ka‘ū High musicians were in the lineup for

the 2017 Unity Celebration. Photo by Julia Neal

On April 29, 2017, The Collective held the first ever Ka‘ū Unity Celebration, hosting participants from Ka‘ū High School & Pāhala Elementary, Nā‘ālehu Elementary, Ka‘ū Learning Academy, and Volcano School of Arts and Science. The event drew in an impressive 500 people.

This year's Celebration will include a cultural showcase; a performance centered around the history of immigration to Hawai‘i. The youth will wear pieces of clothing from their culture to demonstrate pride and ownership over their identities, as well as represent the timeline of different groups coming to the islands.

"The members of The Collective look forward to seeing you at the upcoming Ka‘ū Unity Celebration! Your presence at the event and support for young talent will help contribute to the goals of this organization: unity and empowerment," said Monique Hughes, Youth representative of The Collective.

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KA‘Ū COMMUNITY EMERGENCY RESPONSE TEAM BASIC TRAINING - a free, four day, in-depth course - will take place at Ocean View Community Center (92-8924 Leilani Circle) on Saturdays in April. Hawai‘i County Civil Defense Agency scheduled the training from 8:15 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., on Apr. 7, 14, 21, and 28.

This course is open to the public; C.E.R.T. Basic Training Course provides participants with classroom and hands-on instruction in safety, fire suppression, first aid, light search and rescue, emergency communications, and more. Those interested in basic emergency awareness, developing personal response knowledge and skill sets, and can commit to four consecutive Saturdays, can register online at certkau.eventbrite.com or call Bill Hanson at 937-2181.

Seating is limited. "This course could help save your life," says Hanson.

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KA`U ACHIEVED ITS FIRST SPRING VICTORY FOR GIRLS SOFTBALL, against Hilo, on Thursday, March 22. With 22 runs, the game saw the girls Ka‘ū strong and dominating with twice the runs of Hilo. It was played at Victor Stadium after being rescheduled form March 13.

The second half of the season starts with a Saturday game at Kealakehe. See the remaining scheduled games for girls softball and boys volleyball, below.

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

See public Ka‘ū events, meetings, entertainment at kaucalendar.com

/janfebmar/februaryevents.html. See Ka‘ū exercise, meditation, daily,

weekly events at kaucalendar.com/janfebmar/februarycommunity.html.

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

throughout Ka‘ū, from Miloli‘i through Volcano. Also available free on

stands throughout the district. Read online at kaucalendar.com.

KA‘Ū TROJANS SPORTS SCHEDULE

Girls Softball: Saturday, Mar 24 @ Kealakehe
Saturday, Mar 31 @ Honoka‘a

Monday, Apr 2, @ Kohala

Saturday, Apr 7, Hawai‘i Prep @ Ka‘ū

Monday, Apr 9, @ Pāhoa

Wednesday, Apr 11 @ KSH

Saturday, Apr 14, Kea‘au @ Ka‘ū

Boys Volleyball: Tuesday, Apr 3, @ Waiakea

Wednesday, Apr 11, Kea‘au @ Ka‘ū

Friday, Apr 13, Honoka‘a @ Ka‘ū

Monday, Apr 16, @ Hilo

Friday, Apr 20, Parker @ Ka‘ū

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

LAST WEEKEND OF KDEN'S HOW THE OTHER HALF LOVES - shows through March 24. Performances: Friday, March 22, and Saturday, March 23, at 7:30 p.m.; Sunday, March 24, at 2:30 p.m, at Kīlauea Military Camp's Kīlauea Theater, Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park. Kīlauea Drama & Entertainment Network performance. KMC open to authorized KMC patrons and sponsored guests. Park entrance fees apply. Call KDEN for ticket info, 982-7344

JAZZ IN THE FOREST, a monthly event held at the Volcano Art Center in the Village, has been moved to the last Saturday in March, the 24th. This month's performance offers exciting original compositions by pianist/composer Loren Wilken, and the beautiful Brazilian samba sounds of vocalist/trumpet stylist Andrea Linborg, along with Jean Pierre Thoma on winds, Brian McCree on bass, Russ on drums, and Luke on acoustic guitar. As usual, the concerts will be at 4:30 & 7 p.m., and refreshments will be available. Tickets are available online, and are $18 per VAC member/$20 non-member. Call 967-8222 or visit volcanoartcenter.org for more details.

AVOCADO GRAFTING FOR COMMERCIAL GROWERS WORKSHOP: Register by Monday, March 26, for Hilo, and Tuesday, March 27, for Kona. Workshops scheduled for: Wednesday, March 28, 1:30 to 4:30 p.m., at Komohana Research and Extension Center, 875 Komohana St, Room D-202, Hilo, HI 96720. Kona will hold two workshops, at 9 a.m. to noon or 1:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m., on Thursday, March 29, at Kona Cooperative Extension Service, Conference Room, 79-7381 Mamalahoa Highway, Kealakekua, HI 96750. Class Fee is $25 per person, per workshop; registration required. RSVP online, or by contacting Gina at 322-4892, at least two days prior to the workshop.

SATURDAY, MARCH 24
EDIBLE WILD PLANTS: A Hands-On Foray for Foragers and Foodies, Saturday, March 24, 8 a.m. to noon. Meet at Volcano Art Center. Hands-on immersion and discovery. $30 per VAC member and $40 per non-member, plus a $15 transportation fee. Pre-registration required; class size limited. volcanoartcenter.org, 967-8222

KEIKI STAINED GLASS, Saturday and Sunday, March 24 and 25, 9 a.m. to noon, Volcano Art Center. Beginners workshop for keiki ages 11 & up - must be accompanied by an adult. Register in advance; class limited to 6 children. $50 per VAC member and $55 per non-member, plus $10 supply fee. volcanoartcenter.org, 967-8222

MONGOLIAN BBQ, Saturday, March 24, 5 - 8 p.m. Kīlauea Military Camp's Crater Rim Café, Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park. $0.85/ounce - choice of 13 veggies, 4 meats, sauces, chow mein, and beverage. Park entrance fees apply. KMC is open to all authorized KMC patrons and sponsored guests. 967-8356, kilaueamilitarycamp.com

WRITING FOR INNER EXPLORATION AND LIFE REFLECTION, Saturday, March 24, 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., Volcano Art Center. No previous writing experience necessary. $65 per VAC member and $75 per non-member. Bring lunch and pictures of parent/parents. volcanoartcenter.org, 967-8222

SUNDAY, MARCH 25

KEIKI STAINED GLASS, Sunday, March 25, 9 a.m. to noon, Volcano Art Center. Beginners workshop for keiki ages 11 and up - must be accompanied by an adult. Register in advanced; class limited to 6 children. $50 per VAC member and $55 per non-member, plus $10 supply fee. volcanoartcenter.org, 967-8222

PALM TRAIL, Sunday, March 25, 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., Kahuku Unit of Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park. Moderately difficult, 2.6-mile loop traverses scenic pastures along an ancient cinder cone, with some of the best panoramic views Kahuku has to offer. nps.gov/HAVO

TUESDAY, MARCH 27

HAWAI‘I COUNTY COUNCIL MEETINGS, Tuesday and Wednesday, March 27 (committees)/28 (Council), Kona. Ka‘ū residents can participate via videoconferencing at Nā‘ālehu State Office Building. Agendas at hawaiicounty.gov

WALK INTO THE PAST WITH DR. THOMAS A. JAGGAR, Tuesday, March 27, at 10 a.m., noon, and 2 p.m., at Kīlauea Visitor Center. Each performance lasts about an hour. To find out more about this 2018 weekly (except July and Aug) living history program, visit the park website: nps.gov/havo/planyourvisit/walk_into_the_past.htm

HOVE Road Maintenance Monthly Meeting, Tue, Mar 27, 10 a.m., RMC Office in Ocean View. hoveroad.com, 929-9910

KA‘Ū FOOD PANTRY, Tuesday, March 27, 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., St. Jude's Episcopal Church in Ocean View.

TRACKING LAVA LAKES WITH THE SOUNDS FROM BURSTING GAS BUBBLES, After Dark in the Park, Tuesday, March. 27, 7 p.m., at Kīlauea Visitor Center Auditorium. Free; a $2 donation is suggested to support park programs. For more, visit nps.gov/HAVO

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 28

HAWAI‘I COUNTY COUNCIL MEETING, Wednesday, March 28 (Council), in Kona. Ka‘ū residents can participate via videoconferencing at Nā‘ālehuState Office Building. Agendas at hawaiicounty.gov

KŌKUA KUPUNA PROJECT, Wednesday, March 28, 9 - 11 a.m., St. Jude's Episcopal Church, Ocean View. Seniors, 60 years and older, encouraged to attend, ask questions, and inquire about services offered through Legal Aid Society of Hawai‘i - referral required from Hawai‘i County Office of Aging at 961-8626 for free legal services. Under 60, call 1-800-499-4302. More info: tahisha.despontes@legalaidhawaii.org, 329-3910 ext. 925, legalaidhawaii.org

HŪ (HAWAIIAN TOP) DEMONSTRATION, Wednesday, March 28, 10 a.m. to noon, Kīlauea Visitor Center lānai, Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park. Make a Hū and learn the game. Part of Hawai‘i Volcanoes'‘Ike Hana No‘eau "Experience the Skillful Work" workshops. Free. nps.gov/HAVO

THURSDAY, MARCH 29

STEWARDSHIP OF KῙPUKAPUAULU Thursday, March 29. Meet at 9:30 a.m., Kīpukapuaulu parking lot, Mauna Loa Rd, off Hwy 11. Bring clippers or pruners, sturdy gloves, a hat, water, closed-toe shoes; fabrics may be permanently stained by morning glory sap. New volunteers, contact Marilyn Nicholson at nickem@hawaii.rr.com

POETRY READING WITH 'THE POETS OF 1958' - Laura Mullen, Marthe Reed, and Susan M. Schultz - Thursday Night at the Center, March 29, 7 to 9 p.m. Free; $5 donation suggested. volcanoartcenter.org

FRIDAY, MARCH 30
COFFEE TALK, Friday, March 30, 9:30 - 11 a.m., Kahuku Park. Join park rangers in an informal conversation on a variety of topics. This month: Rapid ‘Ōhi‘a Death. Ka‘ū coffee, tea, and pastries available for purchase. Free. nps.gov/HAVO

ONGOING

TŪTŪ AND ME OFFERS HOME VISITS to those with keiki zero to five years old: home visits to aid with helpful parenting tips and strategies, educational resources, and a compassionate listening ear. Home visits are free, last 1.5 hours, two to four times a month, for a total of 12 visits, and snacks are provided. For info and to register, call Linda Bong 646-9634

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Dr. Nial Peters from the University of Cambridge sets up the prototype radar on the rim of Halema‘uma‘u at the summit of Kīlauea in January 2018. Microwave pulses are transmitted from one dish towards the lava lake surface. Some of the microwave energy is reflected back and is received by the other dish. The range or distance to the lava lake is then calculated from the time taken between transmission and reception of the pulses, providing a sensitive measure of the lava lake height. Measurements can be made continuously. See stiory below,. Photo courtesy of C. Oppenheimer

MARCH FOR OUR LIVES IN WASHINGTON, D.C. was joined by Sen. Brian Schatz on Saturday. He walked with students from Hawaiʻi who flew to the Capitol to participate, holding signs "4 Aloha." He listed his favorite student signs: "Why is my dress code stricter than your gun law? Be brave be bold live Aloha. I can't believe we have to march about this stuff. Stop being dicks. You will never have the comfort of our silence again. 437 days till I can vote. Surviving second grade shouldn't be harder than buying an automatic weapon. We're so proud of this generation. My life is more important than a hobby. And, Girls clothing is more regulated than guns in America."
Schatz also released this statement: "There's something happening in our country, friends. Young people are standing together to take on the gun lobby and their grip on our politics. They're speaking out, they're walking out, and today, I joined them and hundreds of thousands of others at the March for Our Lives in Washington, D.C. These kids are the single most hopeful thing happening in 2018. These may not be the kind of leaders we're used to, but they're exactly who we need right now.

Sen. Brian Schatz joined Hawai`i students who flew to Washington,
D.C, to participate in Saturday's March for Our Lives.
Photo from Sen. Brian Schatz

"This movement cannot end when the marches are over - it's up to us to make sure we keep up their fight."
Schatz asked Hawaiʻi residents to sign an online petition "Add your name and pledge to continue to demand real legislative solutions to end America’s gun violence crisis."

Schatz wrote that, "The Parklandstudents were witness to something that no child should ever experience. They are leading this movement because their lives are truly on the line. We already know what needs to be done: strengthen background checks and close loopholes that put guns into the wrong hands. But change will not happen unless these young leaders have a movement behind them.

"Make sure these leaders know that they do not stand alone. If you are more committed than ever to finding solutions to prevent gun violence, I ask that you sign on right now."
The Parkland High School shootings by a lone gunman in Florida took place on Feb. 14, and students immediately mobilized at the school and beyond, demanding new gun control laws. Events included a nationwide walkout, in which Kaʻū High and Elementary School students participated. The March for Our Lives included Saturday's events in Washington, D.C. and many communities across the country, including Kona, Hilo, and Waimea on this island.

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WEATHER DELAYED THE VOYAGE of the Hōkūleʻa, which planned to sail from Oʻahu to Hawaiʻi Island with a welcome at Miloliʻi on Sunday. Check Hokulea.com for updates. Follow Hōkūleʻa on the crew's live tracking map.
The 62-foot double-hulled sailing canoe is expected to travel to Miloli`i and meet the public and students when the weather settles down. The crew will then sail to other Hawaiʻi Island ports to welcome guests for workshops, demonstrations, and canoe visits.
Some Ka‘ū students plan to visit Hōkūleʻa, including Ka‘ū High School teacher David Berry's class.

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SOME DISABLED VETERANS WORKING FOR THE VA will be receiving access to paid leave. An announcement from Sen. Mazie Hirnono states the U.S. Senate unanimously passed S. 899, a bill authored by Hirono, Jerry Moran (R-KS) and Jon Tester (D-MT), to ensure veterans with a disability rating of 30 percent or higher who are hired by the VA in critical medical positions can access additional paid sick leave during their first year on the job, for the purposes of receiving medical care related to their service-connected condition.

One hundred and four hours of additional paid sick leave have been available to newly hired eligible veterans at other federal agencies since the Wounded Warriors Federal Leave Act became effective in November 2016. The law currently applies to most federal agencies, but as certain federal personnel laws do not automatically apply to certain VA medical positions, the additional sick leave will not be legally required for these positions without a legislative change. Hawaiʻiis home to more than 12,000 veterans with a disability rating of 30 percent or higher.

"This is common-sense legislation that will ensure the VA's disabled veteran employees receive the same additional paid sick leave that is available to other federal agency employees," said Hirono. "The Senate today affirmed how important it is to eliminate barriers our disabled veterans face to continue serving our country at the VA as this critical agency works to fill tens of thousands of vacancies at its medical facilities in Hawai‘i and across the country."

"The Senate took important steps today to help service-disabled veterans better transition into the federal workforce and civilian life," said Moran. "This legislation builds on the Wounded Warriors Federal Leave Act to make certain veterans who sustained wounds or injuries while defending our nation can take time off to seek medical treatment without impacting their livelihood or paycheck. Veterans in Kansasand across the country with service-related disabilities have earned greater flexibility in the workplace to receive the care they need, and I urge my colleagues in the House to quickly pass this sensible legislation."

Oʻahu Veteran's Center

"Veterans looking to serve their fellow veterans by working at the VA should not have to choose between a paycheck or a doctor's appointment," said Tester, Ranking Member of the Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee. "This bipartisan bill strengthens workforce protections for our veterans and establishes better working conditions for those who fought for our freedoms."

In October 2016, President Barack Obama signed into law Hirono's Federal Aviation Administration Veteran Transition Improvement Act (Public Law 114-242) which extended rights to additional paid sick leave to new disabled veteran employees of the FAA and the Transportation Security Administration. Senators Moran and Tester were also cosponsors of the law.

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A VOLCANO RADAR SYSTEM USED IN ANTARCTICA takes a trial run at Kīlauea Volcano. This the subject of this week's Volcano Watch, written by U.S. Geological Survey Hawaiian Volcano Observatory scientists and affiliates:

A recent issue of Volcano Watch looked at what the level of the lava lake within Halema‘uma‘u can tell scientists about how Kīlauea works, and the hazards it poses. The level varies continuously and in concert with both deep and shallow changes in the magma plumbing system feeding the lava lake. One way of thinking about it is that the lava lake acts as a pressure gauge on the magma chamber to which it is connected.

Lava lake level the morning of March 19; the lake surface was 89 feet below
the Overlook crater rim. With the lava lake at that level, spattering on the lake
surface could be seen from the Jaggar Museum overlook in Hawai‘i
Volcanoes National Park. Photo from volcanoes.usgs.gov

Thomas Jaggar, founder of HVO, was perhaps the first to recognize the significance of lava lake level when, more than a century ago, he established a routine of measuring it at Halema‘uma‘u using traditional surveying equipment. His measurements charted the fluctuating lake level for over a decade until the lava drained away in 1924.

Despite Jaggar’s success, the fact remains that lava lake level is a surprisingly difficult quantity to measure. No one has put a tide gauge in the lava lake or a ruled depth marker in the crater. Today, HVO scientists primarily use a laser-rangefinder to calculate the lava lake height, but this requires a clear view into the crater.

Making continuous and consistent measurements, day and night, in all weather, is even more demanding. This challenge has stimulated an international collaboration between HVO scientists and a small team of volcanologists and engineers from the University of Cambridge- Nial Peters and Clive Oppenheimer - and University College London - Paul Brennan.

The United Kingdom team, funded by the Natural Environment Research Council, has been developing a turnkey radar for measuring lava lake height, with the first system tested on Erebus volcano in Antarcticain 2016 under the auspices of the U.S. Antarctic Program. Erebus reaches over 12,000 feet (3,658 m) above sea level, and temperatures, even in summer, can be as low as minus 40 degrees Fahrenheit.

The measurements revealed a remarkable periodic rise and fall of the lava lake, with a single oscillation taking around ten minutes. Why Erebus volcano behaves like this is still unclear, and laboratory experiments are now underway to simulate the activity and better understand the driving processes.

Trusting that if monitoring equipment can survive such harsh conditions on a remote Antarctic volcano, then it should work in Hawai‘i, the latest version of the radar was brought for a trial run on Kīlauea in January 2018. The Hawaiian volcano and climate threw everything at the instrument - the largest rockfall-induced explosion from the lava lake in over a year, torrential rain, and, of course, copious amounts of acidic gas - and it kept on working.

After an initial setup period of a couple of days, the radar ran unsupervised for over a week, recording the level of the lake once per second. The data collected during this period are still being analyzed, but at a first glance, they look consistent with other measurements made by HVO scientists.

This image is from a research camera mounted in the observation tower at HVO.
The camera is looking SSE towards the active vent in Halemaʻumaʻu, 1.2 miles
from the webcam. For scale, the crater wall of Halemaʻumaʻu behind the eruptive
vent is about 280 ft high. Photo from volcanoes.usgs.gov

At the same time the radar was running, an infrared spectrometer was positioned at the crater rim to record the composition of gases emitted from the lava lake. How gas accumulates in, or escapes from, the lava lake exerts a strong control on the lake level. Careful comparison of extended observations of lava lake height and gas chemistry promise to reveal yet more detailed insights into the relationships between the supply of magma to the surface, the release of gases, and the variable activity of the lava lake.

Most of all, it is hoped that with some further development, miniaturization and ruggedization, and reduction in power requirements, the radar device could become part of HVO's operational toolkit for monitoring Kīlauea and assessing volcanic hazards. To this end, the recent campaign represented an invaluable opportunity for the UK team to learn first-hand the challenges of operating instruments in the unique environment of Halema‘uma‘u.

Visit HVO's website for past Volcano Watch articles, Kīlaueadaily eruption updates, Mauna Loa weekly updates, volcano photos, maps, recent earthquake info, and more. Call for summary updates at 808-967-8862 (Kīlauea) or 808-967-8866 (Mauna Loa). Email questions to askHVO@usgs.gov.

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Photo from VAC

HAWAI‘I ISLAND QUILTING ARTISTS ARE CALLED TO REGISTER for Volcano Art Center's 2nd Bi-Annual Quilt Show: Quilts in the Forest - Where the Path May Lead."This year's show hopes to inspire quilters to explore new and innovative ways in quilting," states the prospectus from Volcano Art Center.
Entry forms are available online at volcanoartcenter.org/gallery/call-to-artists. Online registration is due by Saturday, May 26, for the exhibition, which will be open Friday, Jul. 13, to Friday, Aug. 3, at Volcano Art Center's Niaulani campus at 19-4074 Old Volcano Rd., Volcano Village.
For more information contact Fia Mattice, at 967-8222 or via email quiltshow2018@volcanoartcenter.org.

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KAʻŪ TROJAN SPORTS were all cancelled, most parks were closed, and many events were postponed Saturday due to warnings of inclement weather.

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

See public Ka‘ū events, meetings, entertainment at kaucalendar.com

/janfebmar/februaryevents.html. See Ka‘ū exercise, meditation, daily,

weekly events at kaucalendar.com/janfebmar/februarycommunity.html.

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

throughout Ka‘ū, from Miloli‘i through Volcano. Also available free on

stands throughout the district. Read online at kaucalendar.com.

KA‘Ū TROJANS SPORTS SCHEDULE

Girls Softball: Saturday, Mar 31 @ Honoka‘a

Monday, Apr 2, @ Kohala

Saturday, Apr 7, Hawai‘i Prep @ Ka‘ū

Monday, Apr 9, @ Pāhoa

Wednesday, Apr 11 @ KSH

Saturday, Apr 14, Kea‘au @ Ka‘ū

Boys Volleyball: Tuesday, Apr 3, @ Waiakea

Wednesday, Apr 11, Kea‘au @ Ka‘ū

Friday, Apr 13, Honoka‘a @ Ka‘ū

Monday, Apr 16, @ Hilo

Friday, Apr 20, Parker @ Ka‘ū

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

DELAYED UNTIL SEPTEMBER: KDEN'S HOW THE OTHER HALF LOVES, at Kīlauea Military Camp's Kīlauea Theater, Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park. Kīlauea Drama & Entertainment Network performance. KMC open to authorized KMC patrons and sponsored guests. Park entrance fees apply. Call KDEN for ticket info, 982-7344.

FINAL DAY OF TĪ AND SEAS ART EXHIBIT, SUNDAY, MARCH 25, at Volcano Art Center Gallery, featuring oil paintings by Pāhoa resident Steve Irvine. Open to the public, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., daily - volcanoartcenter.org or 967-8222.

AVOCADO GRAFTING FOR COMMERCIAL GROWERS WORKSHOP Register by Monday, March 26, for Hilo, and Tuesday, March 27, for Kona. Workshops scheduled for: Wednesday, March 28, 1:30 to 4:30 p.m., at Komohana Research and Extension Center, 875 Komohana St, Room D-202, Hilo, HI 96720. Kona will hold two workshops, at 9 a.m. to noon or 1:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m., on Thursday, March 29, at Kona Cooperative Extension Service, Conference Room, 79-7381 Mamalahoa Highway, Kealakekua, HI 96750. Class Fee is $25 per person, per workshop; registration required. RSVP online, or by contacting Gina at 322-4892, at least two days prior to the workshop.

SUNDAY, MARCH 25

CANCELLED: KEIKI STAINED GLASS, Sunday, March 25, 9 a.m. to noon, Volcano Art Center. Beginners workshop for keiki ages 11 & up volcanoartcenter.org, 967-8222

PALM TRAIL, Sun, Mar 25, 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., Kahuku Unit of Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park. Moderately difficult, 2.6-mile loop traverses scenic pastures along an ancient cinder cone, with some of the best panoramic views Kahuku has to offer. nps.gov/HAVO

TUESDAY, MARCH 27

HAWAI‘I COUNTY COUNCIL Committee meetings will be on Tuesday, March 27 and full Council meetings on Wednesday, March 28. Ka‘ū residents can participate via videoconferencing at Nā‘ālehu State Office Building. Agendas at hawaiicounty.gov

HOVE Road Maintenance Monthly Meeting, Tuesday, March 27, 10 a.m., RMC Office in Ocean View. hoveroad.com, 929-9910.

KA‘Ū FOOD PANTRY, Tue, March 27, 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., St. Jude's Episcopal Church in Ocean View.

TRACKING LAVA LAKES WITH THE SOUNDS FROM BURSTING GAS BUBBLES, After Dark in the Park, Tuesday, Mar. 27, 7 p.m., in the Kīlauea Visitor Center Auditorium. Free; a $2 donation is suggested to support park programs. For more, visit nps.gov/HAVO

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 28

HAWAI‘I COUNTY COUNCIL MEETING, Wednesday, March 28 in Kona. Ka‘ū residents can participate via videoconferencing at Nā‘ālehuState Office Building. Agendas at hawaiicounty.gov

KŌKUA KUPUNA PROJECT, Wedneday, March 28, 9 - 11 a.m., St. Jude's Episcopal Church, Ocean View. Seniors, 60 years & older, encouraged to attend, ask questions, and inquire about services offered through Legal Aid Society of Hawai‘i - referral required from Hawai‘i County Office of Aging at 961-8626 for free legal services. Under 60, call 1-800-499-4302. More info: tahisha.despontes@legalaidhawaii.org, 329-3910 ext. 925. legalaidhawaii.org

HŪ DEMONSTRATION for the making of a Hawaiian top, Wednesday, March 28, 10 a.m. to noon, Kīlauea Visitor Center lānai, Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park. Make a Hū and learn the game. Part of Hawai‘i Volcanoes'‘Ike Hana No‘eau - Experience the Skillful Work- workshops. Free. nps.gov/HAVO

THURSDAY, MARCH 29

POETRY READING WITH 'THE POETS OF 1958' - Laura Mullen, Marthe Reed, and Susan M. Schultz - Thursday Night at the Center, March 29, 7 to 9 p.m. Free; $5 donation suggested. volcanoartcenter.org

FRIDAY, MARCH 30

COFFEE TALK, Friday, March 30, 9:30 - 11 a.m., Kahuku Park. Join park rangers in an informal conversation on a variety of topics. This month: Rapid ‘Ōhi‘a Death. Ka‘ū coffee, tea, and pastries available for purchase. Free. nps.gov/HAVO

SATURDAY, MARCH 31

LAST 2018 SANCTUARY OCEAN COUNT, Saturday, March 31, 8 a.m. to 12:15 p.m.; arrive 30 min. prior for orientation. Four locations near/in Ka‘ū: Miloli‘i Lookout, Ka Lae Park, Punalu‘u Black Sand Beach Park, and Ka‘ena Point - hawaiihumpbackwhale.noaa.gov for directions; park entrance fees apply. Bring sun protection, water, snacks, and a cushion to sit on. Pre-registration required: sanctuaryoceancount.org

STEWARDSHIP AT THE SUMMITSaturday, March 31. Meet Paul and Jane Field at KīlaueaVisitorCenter, 8:45 a.m. Wear sturdy hiking shoes and long pants, and bring a hat, raingear, day pack, snacks, and water. Gloves and tools provided. Parental or guardian accompaniment, or written consent, required for volunteers under 18. Visit park website for additional planning details: nps.gov/havo/planyourvisit/
summit_stewardship.htm

VOLCANO ART CENTER GALLERY PRESENTS HO’OKU’I I NĀ KIKO, Connecting the Dots, by Natalie Mahina Jensen and Lucia Tarall. "A curated collection of photographs, paintings, sculptures, and feather work items deliver a sublime message, connecting the viewer artistically with the provenance of the design." Daily, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., from Saturday, March 31, to Sunday, May 6. volcanoartcenter.org or 967-8222
A free lecture titled “The Last Truth,” offered by Lucia Tarallo, takes place at 3pm on the opening day of the exhibition. The lecture will be followed by an opening reception where the public is invited to meet the artists.

SECOND ANNUAL KA‘Ū WELLNESS FAIR, GET YOUR SPRING, Saturday, March 31, 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., multi-purpose room at Ka‘ū District Gym in Pāhala. The event features an Egg Hunt and Healthy Fun-Run-Walk, both of which begin at 9:30 a.m. - registration begins at 9 a.m.Also offered are a Blue Zones Purpose Workshop, from 10 a.m. to 11 a..m., and Book Time - Read A-Loud with Friends of the Ka‘ū Libraries, starting at 10 a.m. P.A.T.H. makes a presentation at 10:30 a.m. Vision Screenings, Keiki I.D.s, and Biometrics from Ka‘ū Public Health will be available. Several organizations will also provide information booths for the event: Bay Clinic, Ka‘ū Rural Health Clinic, Ka‘ū Rural Hospital, Project Aware - Your Mental Health First Aid, HSTA, Tūtū & Me Traveling Preschool and Home Visitor Program, and more.

PU‘U LOKUANA, Saturday, March 31, 9:30 - 11 a.m., Kahuku Unit of Hawai‘i VolcanoesNational Park. Short, moderately difficult, 0.4-mile hike to the top of the grassy cinder cone, Pu‘u Lokuana. Learn about the formation and various uses of this hill over time, and enjoy a breathtaking view of lower Kaʻū. Free. nps.gov/HAVO

ONGOING

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Midway Island, host to an estimated 3 million seabirds, is suffering under a House mouse infestation - and
they are attacking the nesting birds. See full story, below. Photos from NOAA

"YOU MARCHED. NOW WE FIGHT FOR OUR LIVES," states the website, after the March for Our Lives March 24 events across the world. "Be counted this November. And if you've already registered to vote - register your friends. Be counted next week, and the next, by continuing to show up and speak truth to power. Demand action. Join us in this Fight for our Lives," it continues.

The mission statement on the site says, "March For Our Lives is created by, inspired by, and led by students across the country who will no longer risk their lives waiting for someone else to take action to stop the epidemic of mass school shootings that has become all too familiar. In the tragic wake of the 17 lives brutally cut short in Florida, politicians are telling us that now is not the time to talk about guns. March For Our Lives believes the time is now."

People marched in Kona Saturday as part of the March for Our Lives event in protest of current guns laws. Photo from March for Our Lives Kona Facebook

March 24 events in Kona, Waimea, and Hilo and some Kaʻū High School students who participated in the school walkout on March 14 said they would attend.
Damp Kona participants walked along the highway above the old industrial area, soaked Waimea participants walked along the highway across from Ace Hardware, and slightly moist Hilo participants stood outside a shopping center on a busy street. Many participants held signs, including one toddler in a stroller, whose sign read, #NotMe. Several students in Waimea made impassioned speeches in front of Parker School to a crowd of over 100. A performance art piece was in the vein of 60s and 70s protest poetry. The message was clear: No more. Never again. Enough. See the video here.

Tiny "marcher" solemnly holds his protest sign: #NotMe.
Photo from March for Our Lives Kona Facebook

Sen. Mazie Hirono, at Concert for Our Lives in Maui, said, "This is a movement that will inspire a generation. Activists from across the country and around the world came together today to demand sensible gun legislation that will close background check loopholes, eliminate bump stocks, and prevent anyone from owning assault weapons. If these bills pass, it will be because of you and the movement we are all joining. I stand with you because we are all in this together."

In CBS News interviews on March 19, two of the founding members of the movement - students Emma González and David Hogg, who both survived the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Florida on February 14 - discussed their place in history, "We're going to make this change," and, "We're going to vote out the people who aren't acting," said González; Hogg said, "Since 1968, more people have died in America as a result of gun violence than they have fighting in war." They discussed the walk-out: "Those kids are walking out of school, but they're going to be walking into the polls come November," said Hogg. On the bill that Floridapassed in the wake of the shooting, González said it was positive, but, "it's just the beginning." Hogg said there were too many loopholes in the bill that was passed: "It doesn't cover so many basic things that have widespread support on both sides of the aisle, and that's the part that I hate most about it."

Waimea saw many dozens of participants in their march event,
including tourists from New York, which was organized by Parker School
Senior Riley Herendeen. Photo from Big Island Video News video

Regarding the death threats they have received, González said, "There's always been people who are going to want to harm us... I'm not going to pretend this opened my eyes to a cruel and heartless world." She added, "They're attacking us personally because they can't find fault in our message." They discussed the role of the National Rifle Association: "The way they've been reaching out to us is basically threatening us," and "The people at the top of the NRA are no longer working for the people that are in their organization. They're working on behalf of the gun lobby," said Hogg.

Hogg said, "Make sure you get out and vote, that you're registered to vote so you can vote in the primaries and stay educated for the rest of your life because the seeds of corruption are always being sowed."

People of all ages in Kona braved rain yesterday to join the worldwide
March for Our Lives event. Photo from March for Our Lives Kona Facebook

The NRA was silent on March 24, unlike on previous days with more than ten tweets daily. But the day before, they tweeted, "YouTube banning videos on the installation is now in the business of political posturing and censorship. Millions of Americans watch YouTube videos every day to learn more about the safe and responsible use of firearms, and those videos show law-abiding gun owners participating in lawful behavior. By banning this content, YouTube is engaging in politically motivated censorship and alienating the millions of people who turn to the website for education and training,"

The tweet was in response to YouTube's recently updated policy: "YouTube prohibits certain kinds of content featuring firearms. Specifically, we don’t allow content that:

● Intends to sell firearms or certain firearms accessories through direct sales (e.g., private sales by individuals) or links to sites that sell these items. These accessories include but may not be limited to accessories that enable a firearm to simulate automatic fire or convert a firearm to automatic fire (e.g., bump stocks, gatling triggers, drop-in auto sears, conversion kits), and high capacity magazines (i.e., magazines or belts carrying more than 30 rounds).

People holding signs along a busy street in Hilo yesterday as part of the March for Our Lives event. Photo from Bob Smith's Facebook

● Provides instructions on manufacturing a firearm, ammunition, high capacity magazine, homemade silencers/suppressors, or certain firearms accessories such as those listed above. This also includes instructions on how to convert a firearm to automatic or simulated automatic firing capabilities.

● Shows users how to install the above-mentioned accessories or modifications."

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MICE ATTACKING NESTING ALBATROSS ON MIDWAY are endangering the largest albatross colony in the world and the most important and successful breeding ground for black-footed albatross and Laysan albatross, reports NOAA. In just a few years, mice attacks have increased from just a few incidents to hundreds of widespread attacks on albatross that result in injury, nest abandonment, and death, states the release. In order to protect the colony, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is proposing to remove the invasive house mouse from Midway Atoll. A draft environmental assessment for the project is available for public comment from March 21 through April 20.

According to the NOAA statement, "Within Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument, Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge and Battle of Midway National Memorial supports over three million birds from 30 different species. Nearly 40 percent of all Black-footed albatross and 70 percent of all Laysan albatross in the world rely on the approximately 1500 acres of islands that comprise the remote atoll. Seabirds face a myriad of threats - from fishery interactions and marine debris to invasive species and shrinking habitat. Safe places like Midway Atoll, where seabirds can rest and raise their young, are critical for their ability to survive into the future."

Non-native, invasive house mice and black rats became established on Midway Atoll's Sand Island more than 75 years ago, before it was a refuge and memorial. House mice persisted after black rats were eradicated in 1996 and are now the sole rodent and non-native mammal present in the Monument.

Biologists do not yet know what triggered the mice to begin preying on the albatross. Mice are omnivores - meaning that they will eat any source of food they can find in their quest to survive - and although they had been present on Midway Atoll for decades, there had never been a documented case of predation on adult albatross by mice before the 2015 hatching season.

The majority of seabird extinctions around the world have been caused by invasive mammals, in particular, non-native rodents. For most of the island's history, there were no rodents on Midway Atoll. Pacific seabirds like the albatross evolved without any fear or defense mechanisms against mammalian predators like mice, rats, cats, dogs, or humans.

House mouse, poised to attack
an adult nesting albatross.

Part of the danger to the colony is that mice reproduce very quickly compared to albatrosses, which have a very slow reproductive cycle. Albatross pairs only have one egg every one to two years, and both parents invest a lot of energy into hatching and raising that chick. The incredible amount of time and work necessary for albatrosses to survive to adulthood, find a mate, and become a successful parent means that each adult bird is incredibly important to the overall survival of the colony.

Their lack of defense mechanisms and complete dedication to their eggs has left albatrosses vulnerable to predation. Their slow reproductive cycle means that losses to the colony from being preyed on by mice will continue to impact the population for decades to come.

"This was something we had never expected to occur. Mice preying on adult albatrosses simply hasn't been recorded here," said Matt Brown, Superintendent for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in Papahānaumokuākea. "Regardless of what caused them to start this behavior, it has the potential to cause an incredible amount of damage to this colony. And it's a problem that we have to address."

Wounds from a House mouse attack
on an adult nesting albatross.

The proposed action to remove mice from Midway Atoll and the alternatives considered are evaluated in a draft environmental assessment. To date, there have been more than 500 successful projects to remove invasive rodents from islands, and the proposed project on Midway Atoll models similar, successful projects elsewhere.

The Service has coordinated with the Monument co-managers and worked with Island Conservation, American Bird Conservancy, National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and other members of the conservation community in the synthesis and development of the science that contributed to the development of the draft environmental assessment.

All relevant comments and info received by April 20 will be considered. Draft Environmental Assessment available for review at: https://www.fws.gov/refuge/Midway_Atoll/ or www.papahanaumokuakea.gov. Submit public comments on draft EA: midwayEA_comments@fws.gov; or via mail to Attn: Midway Draft EA Comments, Pacific Islands Refuges & Monuments Office, 300 Ala Moana Blvd., Rm 5-231, Honolulu, HI 96850.

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SECOND HALF OF THE TROJANS BOYS VOLLEYBALL season opened with Ka‘ū hosting Pāhoa, and dominating three of the four games played; game three, they score a strong 20, with their opponents ending the game at 25.

The next scheduled game is a ways off: Tuesday, April 3.

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

See public Ka‘ū events, meetings, entertainment at kaucalendar.com

/janfebmar/februaryevents.html. See Ka‘ū exercise, meditation, daily,

weekly events at kaucalendar.com/janfebmar/februarycommunity.html.

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

throughout Ka‘ū, from Miloli‘i through Volcano. Also available free on

stands throughout the district. Read online at kaucalendar.com.

KA‘Ū TROJANS SPORTS SCHEDULE

Girls Softball: Saturday, Mar 31 @ Honoka‘a

Monday, Apr 2, @ Kohala

Saturday, Apr 7, Hawai‘i Prep @ Ka‘ū

Monday, Apr 9, @ Pāhoa

Wednesday, Apr 11 @ KSH

Saturday, Apr 14, Kea‘au @ Ka‘ū

Boys Volleyball: Tuesday, Apr 3, @ Waiakea

Wednesday, Apr 11, Kea‘au @ Ka‘ū

Friday, Apr 13, Honoka‘a @ Ka‘ū

Monday, Apr 16, @ Hilo

Friday, Apr 20, Parker @ Ka‘ū

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

AVOCADO GRAFTING FOR COMMERCIAL GROWERS WORKSHOP Register by Monday, March 26, for Hilo, and Tuesday, March 27, for Kona. Workshops scheduled for: Wednesday, March 28, 1:30 to 4:30 p.m., at Komohana Research and Extension Center, 875 Komohana St, Room D-202, Hilo, HI 96720. Kona will hold two workshops, at 9 a.m. to noon or 1:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m., on Thursday, March 29, at Kona Cooperative Extension Service, Conference Room, 79-7381 Mamalahoa Highway, Kealakekua, HI 96750. Class Fee is $25 per person, per workshop; registration required. RSVP online, or by contacting Gina at 322-4892, at least two days prior to the workshop.

TUESDAY, MARCH 27

HOVE Road Maintenance Monthly Meeting, Tue, Mar 27, 10 a.m., RMC Office in Ocean View. hoveroad.com, 929-9910.

KA‘Ū FOOD PANTRY, Tue, Mar 27, 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., St. Jude's Episcopal Church in Ocean View.

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 28

HAWAI‘I COUNTY COUNCIL MEETING, Wed, Mar 28 (Council), in Kona. Ka‘ū residents can participate via videoconferencing at Nā‘ālehu State Office Building. Agendas at hawaiicounty.gov

THURSDAY, MARCH 29

POETRY READING WITH 'THE POETS OF 1958' - Laura Mullen, Marthe Reed, and Susan M. Schultz - Thursday Night at the Center, March 29, 7 to 9 p.m. Free; $5 donation suggested. volcanoartcenter.org

FRIDAY, MARCH 30

COFFEE TALK, Fri, Mar 30, 9:30 - 11 a.m., Kahuku Park. Join park rangers in an informal conversation on a variety of topics. This month: Rapid ‘Ōhi‘a Death. Ka‘ū coffee, tea, and pastries available for purchase. Free. nps.gov/HAVO

SATURDAY, MARCH 31

LAST 2018 SANCTUARY OCEAN COUNT, Sat, Mar 31, 8 a.m. to 12:15 p.m.; arrive 30 min. prior for orientation. Four locations near/in Ka‘ū: Miloli‘i Lookout, Ka Lae Park, Punalu‘u Black Sand Beach Park, and Ka‘ena Point - hawaiihumpbackwhale.noaa.gov for directions; park entrance fees apply. Bring sun protection, water, snacks, and a cushion to sit on. Pre-registration required: sanctuaryoceancount.org

VOLCANO ART CENTER GALLERY PRESENTS HO’OKU’I I NĀ KIKO, Connecting the Dots, by Natalie Mahina Jensen and Lucia Tarall. "A curated collection of photographs, paintings, sculptures, and feather work items deliver a sublime message, connecting the viewer artistically with the provenance of the design." Daily, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., from Saturday, Mar. 31, to Sunday, May 6. volcanoartcenter.org or 967-8222
A free lecture titled “The Last Truth,” offered by Lucia Tarallo, takes place at 3pm on the opening day of the exhibition. The lecture will be followed by an opening reception where the public is invited to meet the artists.

SECOND ANNUAL KA‘Ū WELLNESS FAIR, GET YOUR SPRING, Sat, Mar 31, 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., multi-purpose room at Ka‘ū District Gym in Pāhala. The event features an Egg Hunt and Healthy Fun-Run-Walk, both of which begin at 9:30 a.m. - registration begins at 9 a.m. Also offered are a Blue Zones Purpose Workshop, from 10 a.m. to 11 a..m., and Book Time - Read A-Loud with Friends of the Ka‘ū Libraries, starting at 10 a.m. P.A.T.H. makes a presentation at 10:30 a.m. Vision Screenings, Keiki I.D.s, and Biometrics from Ka‘ū Public Health will be available. Several organizations will also provide information booths for the event: Bay Clinic, Ka‘ū Rural Health Clinic, Ka‘ū Rural Hospital, Project Aware - Your Mental Health First Aid, HSTA, Tūtū & Me Traveling Preschool and Home Visitor Program, and more.

EASTER BRUCH, Sun, Apr 1, 7 - noon. Crater Rim Café, Kīlauea Military Camp, Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park. Main entrees: Ham, Beef Pot Roast, and Breakfast Veggie Stir Fry. No reservations required. $17/Adult, $9.50/Child (6-11 yrs). KMC is open to all authorized KMC patrons and sponsored guests. Park entrance fees apply. 967-8356, kilaueamilitarycamp.com

EASTER EGG HUNT, Sun, Apr 1, 9 a.m., ‘Ōhi‘a Room, Kīlauea Military Camp, Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park. Open to keiki 10 years and under. Registration accepted from 7:30 - 8:45 a.m. Bring a basket. KMC is open to all authorized KMC patrons and sponsored guests. Park entrance fees apply. Pre-register children: 967-8352, kilaueamilitarycamp.com

FOURTH ANNUAL KA‘Ū COMMUNITY EASTER EGG HUNT, Sun, Apr 1, 1 - 3 p.m., Nā‘ālehu Community Park. Over 6,000 candy filled eggs, over 300 prizes. Free chili & rice bowls. Donations welcome. Free; open to all ages, infants to adults. Pam/Lance, 929-8137, Henri, 464-5042

ONGOING

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Estimated at 40 tons, this mass of nets and other marine debris reflects nearly half of the makeup of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch - which has recently revealed some surprises. See story, below. Photo from Hawaiʻi DLNR

TODAY IS PRINCE KŪHIŌ DAY, March 26. The state holiday, with schools and other public offices closed, celebrates the birthday of Prince Jonah Kūhiō Kalanianaʻole Piʻikoi, born on March 26, 1871. He was an heir to the throne of the Kingdom of Hawaiʻi, a territorial delegate to the U.S. Congress, and authored the first Hawaiʻi Statehood bill in 1919. He also won passage of the Hawaiian Homes Act to create the Hawaiian Homes Commission, and set aside 200,000 acres for the benefit of Native Hawaiians.

Prince Jonah Kūhiō Kalanianaʻole Piʻikoi

Today, he is honored under the Year of the Hawaiian, which commemorates the 100th anniversary of the first Hawaiian Civic Club, and the 40th anniversary of the first Hawaiian Language immersion programs. "Thanks to Prince Kūhiō and the many others who continued his legacy, the Hawaiian culture and language is thriving," states a release from Gov. David Ige's team.

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GREAT PACIFIC GARBAGE PATCH IS MUCH LARGER THAN EARLIER ESTIMATED, states a new report by The Ocean Cleanup Foundation, released on Nature.com. The findings on the huge mass of plastics and other trash, floating like an island twice the size of Texas between Hawaiʻi and California, may explain the recent uptick in debris washing up on Ka‘ū beaches.

Image of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, generated
from gathered data, showing its estimated size of
600,000 square miles, and general location, between
Hawaiʻi (bottom left) and California (top right).
Image from nature.com

In addition to the Great Pacific Garbage Patch gyre growing to 600,000 square miles - 55 times the size of the Hawaiian Islands - its actual makeup is also unexpected.

"We were surprised by the amount of large plastic objects we encountered," said Dr. Julia Reisser, chief scientist of the expedition. "We used to think most of the debris consists of small fragments, but this new analysis shines a new light on the scope of the debris." The model they have created, using data from multi-vessel and aircraft surveys, "predicted at least (87 thousand tons) of ocean plastic are floating inside an area of (600,000 square miles); a figure four to 16 times higher than previously reported."
The report states over three-quarters of the Patch is made up of debris larger than 5cm, 46 percent is made up of fishing nets, eight percent is made up of microplastics by mass - though they comprised 94 percent of the estimated 1.8 trillion pieces floating in the area.

"Plastic collected during our study has specific characteristics such as small surface-to-volume ratio, indicating that only certain types of debris have the capacity to persist and accumulate at the surface of the GPGP.... our results suggest that ocean plastic pollution within the GPGP is increasing exponentially and at a faster rate than in surrounding waters," states the report.

Map of data gathering missions, between
Hawaiʻi (bottom left) and California (top right).
Image from nature.com

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CALL FOR PEACE FROM REP. TUSLI GABBARD came through in an announcement last week, after the appointment of two men to the presidential cabinet: She cites the placement of CIA Director Mike Pompeo being selected to replace Rex Tillerson as Secretary of State, and former UN Ambassador and "unapologetic Iraq War champion" John Bolton as National Security Advisor.

"Like so many of my fellow veterans who served in Iraq, I witnessed the cost of war firsthand during my 12-month tour in 2005. This was a major motivation for me to offer to serve in Congress - so that I could do everything possible to prevent our country from making such disastrous and costly foreign policy decisions again. The cost of such wars is borne by U.S.troops who are put into harm's way, who make the ultimate sacrifice, and those who come home with both visible and invisible wounds. It is borne by the American people, whose taxpayer dollars are spent by the trillions on these counterproductive regime change wars, and the inevitable nation-building that follows, while our communities languish with failing infrastructure, resource-strapped schools, and too many who still lack access to quality healthcare. Yet, the Washingtoninterventionist foreign policy establishment, which has persisted through both Democrat and Republican administrations, remains unmoved by the costly and counterproductive failures of Iraq, Libya, and Syria, and they continue increasing the drumbeat of war.

Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, urging peace in government.

"Sign my petition for peace and reject the interventionist neocon foreign policy establishment in the White House."

Gabbard goes on to describe the $1 billion worth of arms sent to Saudi Arabia"while the Senate failed to take action that would end U.S.support for the destructive Saudi-Iran proxy war in Yemen. Congress never authorized U.S.military support for this horrific war in Yemen. Yet, U.S. military planes are refueling Saudi warplanes that are dropping missiles like the ones Trump just sold them to bomb Yemeni civilians, killing tens of thousands, destroying their infrastructure and access to clean water, leading to the worst cholera outbreak in modern history."

She has concerns about, "the introduction of warhawk John Bolton as Trump's National Security Advisor comes as we are on the brink of historic and necessary direct talks between President Trump and Kim Jong Un to denuclearize North Korea, Turkey's attacks against our Kurdish allies in Syria, and threats of war with Iran," and states, "the neocon Washington establishment continues to cozy up to Saudi Arabia despite their direct and indirect support of terrorist groups, and their continued global exportation of the extreme Wahhabi Salafi ideology that fuels terrorist groups like ISIS and al-Qaeda, directly undermining the safety and security of our country. Neocon warhawks Pompeo and Boltonwill not only continue the status quo, they threaten to worsen the situation with more senseless wars. We cannot allow that to happen.

John Bolton, new National Security Advisor

Mike Pompeo, new Secretary of State

"The American people are sick of our failed regime change wars. They are sick of paying the price for counterproductive wars that have taken the lives of our sons and daughters and taken resources away from our communities, while undermining our security and increasing the threat of terrorism. Join me, and add your name to the petition for peace."

Gabbard ends with a call to focus on, "investing in and rebuilding our communities right here at home," and to "end our country's counterproductive regime change war policies that have undermined our national security, destroyed so many countries and taken so many lives.

"The best way to honor our troops, the less than 1% of our country's population who voluntarily put their lives on the line in service to our country, is by making sure that when they are sent into combat, it is the last option, not the first, and that the mission is worthy of their great sacrifice. They are not fodder to be used carelessly to live out the regime-change war addiction that has consumed Washington for far too long.

"Join me in taking a stand for peace today. Our future depends on it."

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LEADING ENVIRONMENTAL ADVOCACY GROUPS ISSUE PERFECT SCORE TO SEN. MAZIE HIRONO for her work in the Senate to stand up for environmental protections and fight the Trump administration’s efforts to open public lands for drilling and prioritize fossil fuel extraction over renewable energy, announces Hirono's team. She received 100% scores from two leading environmental advocacy groups: the League of Conservation Voters and the Defenders of Wildlife.

"The Trump administration and Congressional Republicans’ anti-environment leaders and policies ignore the science of climate change and prioritize fossil fuel extraction over protecting our precious natural resources," said Hirono, who is a member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee. "These scores reflect my commitment to protecting our aina and our water resources, and I’m proud to continue my work with the League of Conservation Voters and the Defenders of Wildlife."

"Senator Hirono is a stalwart defender of environmental protections, standing up to the onslaught of attacks on our environment last year from an increasingly extreme congressional leadership," said Sara Chieffo, Vice President of Government Affairs, League of Conservation Voters. "As the Trump administration pushes a pro-polluter agenda, the people of Hawaii can count on Senator Hirono to fight to boost clean energy, combat climate change, preserve Hawaii's beautiful public lands, and protect clean air and water for all."

Senator Hirono is a cosponsor of the Land and Water Conservation Authorization and Funding Act (S.569), which permanently authorizes the Land and Water Conservation Fund. She also successfully secured funding for Hawai‘i's "Island Forests at Risk" proposal in President Obama’s budgets for FY 2016 and 2017. This funding enabled the State to purchase environmentally sensitive land to expand Hawaiian Volcanoes National Park, expand the Hakalau Forest National Wildlife Refuge, and to allow the National Park Service to purchase land within Pohu‘e Bay.

As a member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, Senator Hirono has "fought back against the Trump administration’s efforts to weaken or eliminate protections for public lands - including efforts to undo National Monument designations," states the announcement. She has also introduced legislation to establish Department of Energy grants for demonstration projects that will help Hawai‘i and other states learn how best to use growing amounts of renewable power and energy storage. Many provisions of this legislation are included in the bipartisan Energy and Natural Resources Act of 2017 (S.1460) that is awaiting consideration by the full Senate. Last year, Senator Hirono opposed legislation to open up the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge for oil drilling and voted against Presidential nominees, including Secretary of Energy Perry and Secretary of the Interior Zinke, who prioritize fossil fuel extraction over conservation.

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COUNTY BUDGET will be the focus of this week's Committee and Council meetings, Tuesday, March 27 and Wednesday, March 28. Residents are welcome to attend and view the meetings, and/or testify on any agenda item at one of the following video conference locations: Pāhoa Council Office, 15-2879 Pahoa Village Road, Pāhoa, Hawai'i; Nā'ālehu State Office Building, 95-5669 Mamalahoa Hwy, Nā'ālehu, Hawai'i. A livestream of the meetings will be shown at http://hawaiicounty.granicus.com/ViewPublisher.php?view_id=1. Call 323-4275 for more.

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

See public Ka‘ū events, meetings, entertainment at kaucalendar.com

/janfebmar/februaryevents.html. See Ka‘ū exercise, meditation, daily,

weekly events at kaucalendar.com/janfebmar/februarycommunity.html.

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

throughout Ka‘ū, from Miloli‘i through Volcano. Also available free on

stands throughout the district. Read online at kaucalendar.com.

KA‘Ū TROJANS SPORTS SCHEDULE

Girls Softball: Saturday, Mar 31 @ Honoka‘a

Monday, Apr 2, @ Kohala

Saturday, Apr 7, Hawai‘i Prep @ Ka‘ū

Monday, Apr 9, @ Pāhoa

Wednesday, Apr 11 @ KSH

Saturday, Apr 14, Kea‘au @ Ka‘ū

Boys Volleyball: Tuesday, Apr 3, @ Waiakea

Wednesday, Apr 11, Kea‘au @ Ka‘ū

Friday, Apr 13, Honoka‘a @ Ka‘ū

Monday, Apr 16, @ Hilo

Friday, Apr 20, Parker @ Ka‘ū

TUESDAY, MARCH 27

HOVE Road Maintenance Monthly Meeting, Tue, Mar 27, 10 a.m., RMC Office in Ocean View. hoveroad.com, 929-9910

KA‘Ū FOOD PANTRY, Tue, Mar 27, 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., St. Jude's Episcopal Church in Ocean View.

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 28

HAWAI‘I COUNTY COUNCIL MEETING, Wed, Mar 28 (Council), in Kona. Ka‘ū residents can participate via videoconferencing at Nā‘ālehu State Office Building. Agendas at hawaiicounty.gov

THURSDAY, MARCH 29

POETRY READING WITH 'THE POETS OF 1958' - Laura Mullen, Marthe Reed, and Susan M. Schultz - Thursday Night at the Center, March 29, 7 to 9 p.m. Free; $5 donation suggested. volcanoartcenter.org

FRIDAY, MARCH 30
COFFEE TALK, Fri, Mar 30, 9:30 - 11 a.m., Kahuku Park. Join park rangers in an informal conversation on a variety of topics. This month: Rapid ‘Ōhi‘a Death. Ka‘ū coffee, tea, and pastries available for purchase. Free. nps.gov/HAVO

SATURDAY, MARCH 31

VOLCANO ART CENTER GALLERY PRESENTS HO’OKU’I I NĀ KIKO, Connecting the Dots, by Natalie Mahina Jensen and Lucia Tarall. "A curated collection of photographs, paintings, sculptures, and feather work items deliver a sublime message, connecting the viewer artistically with the provenance of the design." Daily, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., from Saturday, Mar. 31, to Sunday, May 6. volcanoartcenter.org or 967-8222
A free lecture titled "The Last Truth," offered by Lucia Tarallo, takes place at 3pm on the opening day of the exhibition. The lecture will be followed by an opening reception where the public is invited to meet the artists.

SUNDAY, APRIL 1
EASTER BRUCH, Sun, Apr 1, 7 a.m. to noon. Crater Rim Café, Kīlauea Military Camp, Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park. Main entrees: Ham, Beef Pot Roast, and Breakfast Veggie Stir Fry. No reservations required. $17/Adult, $9.50/Child (6-11 yrs). KMC is open to all authorized KMC patrons and sponsored guests. Park entrance fees apply. 967-8356, kilaueamilitarycamp.com

MONDAY, APRIL 2

SLOGAN/MOTTO CONTEST - Pāhala Public & School Library, continues through Mon, Apr 2. Submit ideas to Nā‘ālehu or Pāhala Library. $55 grand prize awarded on Fri, Apr 13. Friends of Ka‘ū Libraries President Sandra Demouruelle, naalehutheatre@yahoo.com, 929-9244

EASTER EGG HUNT, Mon, Apr 2, noon, Flyin’ Hawaiian Coffee, CU Hawai‘i lawn, Nā‘ālehu. Judy Knapp, 640-4712

OCEAN VIEW VOLUNTEER FIRE DEPARTMENT MEETING, Mon, Apr 2, 4 - 6 p.m., Ocean View Community Center. 939-7033, ovcahi.org

ONGOING

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Family at Nāʻālehu Elementary's EXPLORE! Fair on March 8, playing a board game design to educate about Hawaiʻi's watershed.
See story below. Photos from Na`alehu School

HAWAI‘I COUNTY HIT 200,000 RESIDENTS as of July 1, 2017, according to U.S. Census Bureau figures released last week, growing faster than any of the other counties.

The state population shrank between July 1, 2010, and July 1, 2017, down by 1,145 people - about 3 people per day - the loss mainly on O‘ahu. Hawai‘i Island saw an increase of about 1.1 percent during the same period.

The origin of those moving to Hawaiʻi Island during the period was about 54 percent from the mainland, and 46 percent from foreign countries. Hawaiʻi Island birth rates fell to 11.76 percent, from 13.17 percent in 2010, and death rates increased to 9.67 percent, from 7.52 percent, in the same period.

There were 200,381 people registered as residents on Hawai‘i Island as of July 1, 2017, up from 198,681 in 2016. These figures may indicate a trend that will see further and faster growth in coming years, according to Eugene Tian, state economist.

More figures can be found at census.hawaii.gov/home/population-estimate/.

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FARM-TO-SCHOOL AND SUSTAINABLE & ORGANIC AGRICULTURE PROGRAMS are topics of public before the Hawaiʻi Legislature's House Finance Committee Wednesday, March 28.

SB2928, "Establishes and appropriates funds for a farm to school grant pilot program within the Hawaii Department of Agriculture to provide grants to schools, early care and education centers, nonprofits, soil and water conservation districts, and food producers participating in the Hawai‘i farm to school program. Requires the Hawai‘i farm to school coordinator to submit a report to the legislature. Makes appropriations to continue the Hawaiʻi farm to school program and coordinator position and to assist farmers and ranchers achieve Good Agricultural Practices Certification from the United States Department of Agriculture."

SB2075, "Appropriates moneys for three positions and operating expenses of the Sustainable and Organic Agriculture Program administered by the UH College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources."

Hawai‘i Farmers Union United urges residents to submit testimonies in support of the bills.

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Families participated in a hurricane challenge, created in
conjunction with Kamehameha School's Kealapono staff.

NĀ‘ĀLEHU GYM BUSTLED WITH SOUND AND EXCITEMENT in early March, as approximately 100 families engaged with science experiments. Make-and-take activities tested their wits in math games. These were just a few of the many STEAM activities at the Nāʻālehu Elementary's EXPLORE! Fair, which included free food and snacks, as well as a chance to interact with teachers, staff, and community organizations who all came together to volunteer and make the night a success.
Families were challenged to visit at least eight booths, to receive a letter punch on a passport and earn the chance to win door prizes sponsored by Nāʻālehu ACE Hardware, KTA SuperStores, Bee Boys, and kindergarten teacher Mary LaGrandeur.
ACE Hardware employees, Maeanne Salvador and Kerri Domondon, helped students make slime, showed them how to create lava lamps, and gave out free fidget cubes and spinners to kids for visiting their table. They also showed how simple hardware items could be transformed into fun experiments and tricks, such as suspending a ping pong ball in the air by blowing through a plastic tube connected to a funnel, and figuring out how to free themselves and a partner from a rope tie, without using their hands.
Salvador said of the event, "It was a blast! We wanted to show the kids that ACE has more than tools. You can find supplies to make fun things like slime." Salvador invited ʻohana to her monthly science day, every first Saturday, at Nāʻālehu ACE, from 11 a.m. to noon. This month, it will be on April 7, and the theme is Tricks and Gadgets, where she will demo some of the tricks from the EXPLORE! Fair, and others.

Bob Martin's computer lab,
teaching the fun of coding.

School librarian Linda Morgan shared the value of recycling, teaching how to create recycled paper with used paper, water, a blender, and old window screens. The preschool teachers tested the accuracy of people's five senses, having them guess smells and sounds, among other things. Kindergarten, which recently studied weather in science, displayed student-engineered sunshades from recycled materials, and assisted visitors to create wind socks to take home. First grade teachers shared the life cycle of a butterfly and helped students to create their own paper butterflies.
Second-grade teachers passed out a variety of seeds - such as roma tomato, amaryllis, buttercrunch lettuce, flat parsley, and native seeds like mamane - packed by their students for EXPLORE! participants to cultivate at home. Families could also take home bean and lettuce seedlings that second-graders planted after experimenting with germination techniques, and handed out student-written informational paragraphs explaining how to grow and take care of plants.
Third and fourth-grade teachers created math games designed for fun, testing the crowd's knowledge of fractions and calculating polygon perimeters.
Fifth grade hosted the hurricane challenge in conjunction with Kamehameha School's Kealapono staff. Students were challenged to engineer a tall tower that could hold a tennis ball during their bi-weekly science classes with kumu Sheilah Okimoto. During the fair, civil defense warning sounds were played periodically, announcing a simulated hurricane on its way. Families were invited to join the challenge and create a tower to compete with student tower entries, battling winds from a large box fan, to see which was the strongest.

Kevin O'Connor of Bee Boys shared
his fascination of the honey bee.

Sixth grade tested the gray cells of passersby to see who could create the longest paper chain out of one piece of paper, and figure out how to one could manipulate an index card so that your head could pass through the center of it. On display were also science fair experiments, such as Taijah Beck's investigation to see which liquids have the worst effect on teeth enamel. Beck explained she soaked different eggs, whose shells have similar properties to teeth enamel, for 24 hours in three types of soda (Pepsi, Coca-Cola, Orange Crush), coffee, tea, and water. All shells came out darkly stained in color except for the eggs soaked in water.

School administration passed out free window boxes, potting soil, and seedlings to school families, encouraging to have each student create their own home garden.
School Technology guru, Bob Martin, set up laptops for students to explore how to easy and fun it is to learn computer coding, and promoted a global educational movement called Hour of Code. See hourofcode.com for more information.

Simple hardware transformed into fun
science, courtesy of Ace Hardware.

School staff Deborah Kohara, Emma Flores, and Aprille Cariaga, worked non-stop throughout the event to pop fresh popcorn for a never-ending line. The secret to the delicious popcorn is librarian Morgan's topping: nutritional yeast.
Nohea Ka‘awa represented Three Mountain Alliance and The Nature Conservancy, helping families to learn about water conservation through a special board game.
Nā Mamo o Kāwā executive director, James Akau, shared the virtues of the native milo tree, demonstrating how to create lei out of its leaves. He passed out milo seeds and seedlings, pots, and soil for interested parties to start their own backyard native nurseries, with the idea that those who want to could later outplant their trees at Kāwā. He also promoted NMOK's monthly workday, which happens the second Saturday of each month. This month it will be held on April 14, from 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. For more information, email namamookawa@gmail.com, or call 591-9111.
Beekeeper Kevin O'Connor - representing Bee Boys, a local organic honey company with a store in Nāʻālehu shopping center - brought an observation bee hive and shared the amazing qualities of honeybees. In February, O'Connor visited the Nā'ālehu second grade to share his enthusiasm about honeybees and what makes them great pollinators.

People young and old participated in STEAM challenges.

Ocean View artist Don Elwing turned the back wall of the gym into an art gallery, displaying his art pieces created from marine debris he collects from Kamilo Beach, where currents bring in a tremendous amount of trash from around the world onto the shore. Elwing encouraged visitors to use 3-D glasses while viewing, which caused aspects of his artwork to float off the canvas boards. He is also Ke Ola Magazine's featured artist for March and April. Read more about him at keolamagazine.com.

EXPLORE! Fair committee members, including kindergarten teachers Mary LaGrandeur and Raina Whiting, second-grade teacher Ryan Holderbaum, and Kealapono literacy resource teachers Sheilah Okimoto and Nālani Parlin, said they were thrilled by the success of the event, and thanked all the many volunteers and sponsors that made it possible.

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NĀ‘ĀLEHU ELEMENTARY SCHOOL COMMUNITY COUNCIL seeks nominations for a community representative to serve a two-year term that will run for school year 2018-2019 and SY 2019-2020. The School Council will also hold a special election for a parent representative to serve one year during the 2018-19 school year.

The parent rep cannot be a Nāʻālehu School employee. Nominations for both positions will be accepted between April 2 until April 16 at 3 p.m. Campaign period will start April 16, with the voting period running April 30 through May 11. Those interested can contact Leilani Rodrigues at 313-4020 or pcnc@naalehu.org, or leave their name and number at the main office line, 313-4000.

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Jelena Clay demonstrates Lauhala Weaving on Friday,
March 30. Photo from volcanoartcenter.org

HAWAI‘I ISLAND ARTIST JELENA CLAY DEMONSTRATES LAUHALA WEAVING at Volcano Art Center's Aloha Friday this week, March 30. Clay shares her love for Hawaiian culture and arts by demonstrating weaving techniques using the Pandanus leaf, lauhala, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., on the Volcano Art Center Gallery Porch inside Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park.

The free cultural event is supported in part by a grant from the County of Hawai‘i, Dept. of Research and Development and the Hawai‘i Tourism Authority. National Park entrance fees apply. Visit volcanoartcenter.org for more.

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

See public Ka‘ū events, meetings, entertainment at kaucalendar.com

/janfebmar/februaryevents.html. See Ka‘ū exercise, meditation, daily,

weekly events at kaucalendar.com/janfebmar/februarycommunity.html.

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

throughout Ka‘ū, from Miloli‘i through Volcano. Also available free on

stands throughout the district. Read online at kaucalendar.com.

KA‘Ū TROJANS SPORTS SCHEDULE

Girls Softball: Saturday, Mar 31 @ Honoka‘a

Monday, Apr 2, @ Kohala

Saturday, Apr 7, Hawai‘i Prep @ Ka‘ū

Monday, Apr 9, @ Pāhoa

Wednesday, Apr 11 @ KSH

Saturday, Apr 14, Kea‘au @ Ka‘ū

Boys Volleyball: Tuesday, Apr 3, @ Waiakea

Wednesday, Apr 11, Kea‘au @ Ka‘ū

Friday, Apr 13, Honoka‘a @ Ka‘ū

Monday, Apr 16, @ Hilo

Friday, Apr 20, Parker @ Ka‘ū

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

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 28

HAWAI‘I COUNTY COUNCIL MEETING, Wed, Mar 28 (Council), in Kona. Ka‘ū residents can participate via videoconferencing at Nā‘ālehu State Office Building. Agendas at hawaiicounty.gov

THURSDAY, MARCH 29

SATURDAY, MARCH 31

STEWARDSHIP AT THE SUMMIT Sat., March 31. Meet Paul and Jane Field at Kīlauea Visitor Center, 8:45 a.m. Wear sturdy hiking shoes and long pants, and bring a hat, raingear, day pack, snacks, and water. Gloves and tools provided. Parental or guardian accompaniment, or written consent, required for volunteers under 18. Visit park website for additional planning details: nps.gov/havo/planyourvisit/summit_stewardship.htm

VOLCANO ART CENTER GALLERY PRESENTS HO’OKU’I I NĀ KIKO, Connecting the Dots, by Natalie Mahina Jensen and Lucia Tarall. "A curated collection of photographs, paintings, sculptures, and feather work items deliver a sublime message, connecting the viewer artistically with the provenance of the design." Daily, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., from Saturday, Mar. 31, to Sunday, May 6. volcanoartcenter.org or 967-8222

A free lecture titled "The Last Truth," offered by Lucia Tarallo, takes place at 3pm on the opening day of the exhibition. The lecture will be followed by an opening reception where the public is invited to meet the artists.

PU‘U LOKUANA, Sat, Mar 31, 9:30 - 11 a.m., Kahuku Unit of Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park. Short, moderately difficult, 0.4-mile hike to the top of the grassy cinder cone, Pu‘u Lokuana. Learn about the formation and various uses of this hill over time, and enjoy a breathtaking view of lower Kaʻū. Free. nps.gov/HAVO

SUNDAY, APRIL 1
EASTER BRUCH, Sun, Apr 1, 7 a.m. to noon. Crater Rim Café, Kīlauea Military Camp, Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park. Main entrees: Ham, Beef Pot Roast, and Breakfast Veggie Stir Fry. No reservations required. $17/Adult, $9.50/Child (6-11 yrs). KMC is open to all authorized KMC patrons and sponsored guests. Park entrance fees apply. 967-8356, kilaueamilitarycamp.com

MONDAY, APRIL 2

EASTER EGG HUNT, Mon, Apr 2, noon, Flyin’ Hawaiian Coffee, CU Hawai‘i lawn, Nā‘ālehu. Judy Knapp, 640-4712

OCEAN VIEW VOLUNTEER FIRE DEPARTMENT MEETING, Mon, Apr 2, 4 - 6 p.m., Ocean View Community Center. 939-7033, ovcahi.org

TUESDAY, APRIL 3

SPECIAL MERRIE MONARCH FESTIVAL EVENTS, Tue, Wed, Thu, Apr 3, 4 & 5, 11 - 1 p.m., Kīlauea Visitor Center lānai, Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park. Honoring 55th Merrie Monarch Hula Festival. Hawaiian cultural demonstrations, live music. Part of Hawai‘i Volcanoes’ ‘Ike Hana No‘eau “Experience the Skillful Work” workshops. Free; park entrance fees apply. nps.gov/HAVO

DISCOVERY HARBOUR VOLUNTEER FIRE DEPARTMENT MEETINGS & TRAININGS, Tue, Apr 3 & 24, 4 - 6 p.m., Apr 17, 4:30 - 6:30 p.m., Discovery Harbour Community Hall. 929-9576, discoveryharbour.net

KAʻŪ COFFEE GROWERS MEETING, Tue, Apr 3, 6 - 8 p.m., Pāhala Community Center.

ONGOING

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Hōkūle‘a has rescheduled its Miloli‘i visit to Saturday, April 28, after visiting Kona and Hilo. The crew planned to make Miloli‘i its first stop on its Mahalo
Mahalo Sail, but bad weather last weekend delayed the voyage and she headed to Kona early this week. See story below. Photo by Peter Anderson

THE SPINLAUNCH SPACEPORT funding is going to a state Senate Ways & Means public hearing tomorrow. The idea of placing it in Kaʻū has drawn comment from local legislators in an article in Civil Beat by Alan McNarie. Regarding a possible site near Pohu‘e Bay, Sen. Russell Ruderman told Civil Beat, "I'm very tired of people who don't live on the Big Island talking about putting things here and not talking about it with the community." According to the article, Ruderman asked, "Did they put up any notices in the community? Did they try at all to connect with the community? They (Kaʻū residents) have rejected rocket launch facilities three times in the past. We don't want it and we are resentful that things keep getting proposed for our community without talking to us."

Ruderman told McNarie that his biggest concern is "the environmental impact and the impact on the community which has tried so hard to keep its character, which is healthy and clean and agriculturally oriented."
Sen. Josh Green also turned thumbs down on the project, according to Civil Beat.
Rep. Richard Creagan told Civil Beat: "I don't feel that the people in Kaʻū have been adequately briefed on this project. Big Island people want us to focus more on health care, affordable housing, drug treatment and homeless solutions." Creagan also commented on the proposed technology, which would be a centrifuge device with an arm spinning thousands of miles an hour and flinging the payload into space. "If they disintegrate at that kind of speed, you'd better have a strong containment area," said Creagan.

Rep. Richard Creagan

Sen. Russell Ruderman

Sen. Josh Green

The article said Ruderman also expressed concerns about the unproven technology. The Civil Beat reporter wrote, “No payload has ever entered orbit via anything but a rocket." The story says that Ruderman and Creagan “suspect that even if the Legislature authorizes the bonds, they still won’t make it past the State Office of Budget and Finance’s vetting process given all the technical and financial unknowns that surround the project."
The McNarie article in Civil Beat notes that the O‘ahu Senator who introduced the funding bill for SpinLaunch into the Hawai‘i Legislature has backed off on the Pohu‘e Bay location. "Initial reports had named Pohu‘e Bay in Kaʻū as the likely site, but after hearing from local kupuna, Wakai said he'd advised SpinLaunch to look elsewhere: 'They understand that Pohu‘e Bay is full of cultural and historic features and environmental issues that might be difficult for them to overcome. I was telling them that there might be possibilities between Ocean View and Miloli‘i,'" Wakai told Civil Beat.

See more testimony from Kaʻū residents in Thursday's Kaʻū News Briefs. To testify, go to HB2559.

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HŌKŪLE‘A SAILED TO HAWAI‘I ISLAND March 26, but bypassed Miloli'i due to a weather delay. The 63-foot Polynesian Voyaging Canoe is moored in the bay off Kona Pier. Hōkūle‘a is scheduled to sail to Miloli‘i on Saturday, April 28 and the crew will welcome the public. The Mahalo Sail features five weeks of public education around the island - events to be announced as scheduled - see Hōkūle‘a's crew's Facebook for updates.

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Effects of invasive coconut rhinoceros beetle. Photo from DLNR

$3.7 MILLION IN FEDERAL FUNDING TO FIGHT INVASIVE SPECIES and Support Hawai‘i Agriculture have been appropriated, Sen. Mazie Hirono reports from Washington, D.C.

"Invasive pests continue to threaten the livelihood of Hawai‘i farmers and future of our agriculture industry," Hirono said. "This funding will advance research focused on the eradication of several invasive pests and pathogens, as well as provide additional resources to protect our environment and agriculture crops from invasive species that are not currently found in Hawai‘i."

"Biosecurity is one of Hawai‘i’s top priorities for our agricultural industry," Nicholas Comerford, PhD, Dean and Director of the University of Hawai‘i College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources said. "This funding will assist the University of Hawai‘i’s College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources in providing prevention, detection, and mitigation of unwanted invasive species and therefore protect agriculture, along with Hawai‘i’s fragile island ecosystem and community."

The eight projects are funded through Section 10007 of the Fiscal Year 2014 Farm Bill, for which Hirono led on a letter to the USDA in support of strong federal support, last year.

Invasive little fire ants. Photo from littlefireants.com

The $3.7 million in USDA funding will be allocated to the following projects: $1.3 million to support coconut rhinoceros beetle (CRB) eradication activities in Hawaii; $980,000 to identify and use predatory insects for biological control and to develop other tools to address the CRB, as well as to mitigate the impact of other harmful plant pests such as tephritid species and the coffee berry borer; $643,000 to develop or enhance plant pest and disease diagnostic and identification technologies for exotic fruit flies, fruit piercing moth, and Dickeya species of pests; $233,000 to develop a compendium reference publication on fruit fly host commodities; $232,000 for x-ray equipment supporting Hawaii pre-departure agricultural inspections of commercial air passengers; $123,000 to survey for harmful invasive mollusks and solanaceous vegetable crop pathogens; $138,000 to support increased awareness about invasive ants and CRB in Hawaii; and $44,000 to support National Clean Plant Network foundation plant stocks for sweet potato.

Invasive fruit flies. Photo from hawaii.gov

These projects, which will be carried out by both federal and state agencies as well as academia and non-profits, illustrate the important role that federal partnerships play in protecting Hawaii’s unique environment and agricultural industry. "Prevention, early detection, and rapid response are critical to fighting invasive pests and diseases and these funds will help advance those efforts throughout the state," states Hirono.

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VENDORS ARE SOUGHT FOR FUNDRAISING BAZAAR at Kauaha‘ao Congregational Church in Wai‘ohinu on Saturday, April 14, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., on the church grounds. The church is located on the corner of Mamalahoa Hwy, Kamaoa Road and Pinao Street, just above the Wong Yuen Store.
Individuals, schools, clubs, and sports/athletic groups are invited to be vendors at the "flea market." 10' x 10' spaces are $10. Vendors are responsible for bringing their own tents, tables, chairs, and - if power is needed - generators. Vendors can sell anything except hot foods/plate lunches.
The Church will sell Smoke Meat bowls, Roast Chicken Bowls, plus baked goods and produce, and there will be a "rummage" table.
To reserve a vendor space or for more info, call Walter or Debbie at 928-8039 in the evening.

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LUCIA TARALLO OFFERS A FREE LECTURE, THE LAST TRUTH, on Saturday, Mar. 31, at 3 p.m., announces Volcano Art Center. The event honors the opening day of a new exhibition, Ho‘oku‘i i nā Kiko: Connecting the Dots, at the Volcano Art Center Gallery in Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park.
An opening reception for the exhibit, where the public is invited to view the mixed media artwork on display by Hawai‘i Island artists Natalie Mahina Jensen and Tarallo, follows. Free; park entrance fees apply. Visit volcanoartcenter.org for more.

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KA‘Ū TROJANS GIRLS SOFTBALL had a great game yesterday, March 27, against Pāhoa. The girls showed great skill in ending the game with 20 runs, while their opponents were left in the dust at zero.

Next girls softball game is scheduled for tomorrow, March 29. See full schedule, below.

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

See public Ka‘ū events, meetings, entertainment at kaucalendar.com

/janfebmar/februaryevents.html. See Ka‘ū exercise, meditation, daily,

weekly events at kaucalendar.com/janfebmar/februarycommunity.html.

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

throughout Ka‘ū, from Miloli‘i through Volcano. Also available free on

stands throughout the district. Read online at kaucalendar.com.

KA‘Ū TROJANS SPORTS SCHEDULE

Girls Softball: Saturday, Mar 31 @ Honoka‘a

Monday, Apr 2, @ Kohala

Saturday, Apr 7, Hawai‘i Prep @ Ka‘ū

Monday, Apr 9, @ Pāhoa

Wednesday, Apr 11 @ KSH

Saturday, Apr 14, Kea‘au @ Ka‘ū

Boys Volleyball: Tuesday, Apr 3, @ Waiakea

Wednesday, Apr 11, Kea‘au @ Ka‘ū

Friday, Apr 13, Honoka‘a @ Ka‘ū

Monday, Apr 16, @ Hilo

Friday, Apr 20, Parker @ Ka‘ū

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THURSDAY, MARCH 29

SATURDAY, MARCH 31

STEWARDSHIP AT THE SUMMIT Sat., March 31. Meet Paul and Jane Field at Kīlauea Visitor Center, 8:45 a.m. Wear sturdy hiking shoes and long pants, and bring a hat, raingear, day pack, snacks, and water. Gloves and tools provided. Parental or guardian accompaniment, or written consent, required for volunteers under 18. Visit park website for additional planning details: nps.gov/havo/planyourvisit/summit
_stewardship.htm

VOLCANO ART CENTER GALLERY PRESENTS HO’OKU’I I NĀ KIKO, Connecting the Dots, by Natalie Mahina Jensen and Lucia Tarall. "A curated collection of photographs, paintings, sculptures, and feather work items deliver a sublime message, connecting the viewer artistically with the provenance of the design." Daily, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., from Saturday, Mar. 31, to Sunday, May 6. volcanoartcenter.org or 967-8222
A free lecture titled "The Last Truth," offered by Lucia Tarallo, takes place at 3pm on the opening day of the exhibition. The lecture will be followed by an opening reception where the public is invited to meet the artists.

MONDAY, APRIL 2

EASTER EGG HUNT, Mon, Apr 2, noon, Flyin' Hawaiian Coffee, CU Hawai‘i lawn, Nā‘ālehu. Judy Knapp, 640-4712

OCEAN VIEW VOLUNTEER FIRE DEPARTMENT MEETING, Mon, Apr 2, 4 - 6 p.m., Ocean View Community Center. 939-7033, ovcahi.org

TUESDAY, APRIL 3
SPECIAL MERRIE MONARCH FESTIVAL EVENTS, Tue, Wed, Thu, Apr 3, 4 & 5, 11 - 1 p.m., Kīlauea Visitor Center lānai, Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park. Honoring 55th Merrie Monarch Hula Festival. Hawaiian cultural demonstrations, live music. Part of Hawai‘i Volcanoes'‘Ike Hana No‘eau "Experience the Skillful Work" workshops. Free; park entrance fees apply. nps.gov/HAVO

DISCOVERY HARBOUR VOLUNTEER FIRE DEPARTMENT MEETINGS & TRAININGS, Tue, Apr 3 & 24, 4 - 6 p.m., Apr 17, 4:30 - 6:30 p.m., Discovery Harbour Community Hall. 929-9576, discoveryharbour.net

KAʻŪ COFFEE GROWERS MEETING, Tue, Apr 3, 6 - 8 p.m., Pāhala Community Center.

HOW THE PACIFIC TSUNAMI WARNING CENTER WORKS, Tue, Apr 3, 7 p.m., Kīlauea Visitor Center Auditorium, Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park. Dr. Nathan Becker, Senior Oceanographer describes PTWC operations. Free; park entrance fees apply. nps.gov/HAVO

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 4
AdvoCATS, Wed, Apr 4, 7 a.m. - 5 p.m., Ocean View Community Center. Free Cat Spay & Neuter Clinic. 895-9283

Open Mic Night, Wed, Apr 4, 6 - 10 p.m., Kīlauea Military Camp's Lava Lounge in Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park. Singers, Bands, Comedians, etc. Call 967-8365 after 4 p.m. to sign up. Open to authorized patrons and sponsored guests 21 years and older. Park entrance fees apply. kilaueamilitarycamp.com

ONGOING

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Miss Kaʻū Coffee Flower, shows off entries at the 2017 Ka‘ū Coffee Recipe Contest at Ka‘ū Coffee Mill. Registration is now open for the 2018 contest on Sunday, April 29. See story, below. Photo by Julia Neal

OPPOSITION TO THE SPINLAUNCH BILL CAME FROM MAILE DAVID TODAY. The County Council member who represents Ka‘ū sent testimony to the Hawai‘i Legislature saying she objects to SpinLaunch attempting to raise money through elected officials before going to the communities where the space launch facility might be positioned. One of the locations being considered is the land around Pohu‘e Bay in Ka‘ū.
Wrote Medeiros, "I strongly oppose this measure for the fundamental and obvious reason that funding a project that has immeasurable adverse impacts upon a culturally significant historic and pristine area surrounded by rural communities without first obtaining input from the people directly impacted, is absolutely unacceptable. The process and manner by which this legislation was initiated is inappropriate, inexcusable and, from a grass-roots native Hawaiian and community advocate's perspective, extremely disrespectful.

Ka‘ū's County Council Member
Maile David.

"I strongly and humbly suggest that the honorable members of the Committee on Ways and Means vote no on HB2559 HD1. I would also encourage that our Hawai‘i island senators and representatives join Senator Wakai and SpinLaunch representatives at an April 14, 2018 community meeting at the Nā‘ālehu Community Center in Ka‘ū. Please note I have also received numerous emails from constituents opposing HB2669 HD1 expressing their serious concerns as well. I will be in attendance and look forward to seeing you."
The meeting, called for by Ka‘ū members of the The Aha Moku Advisory Committee to the state Department of Land & Natural Resources - Darlyne Vierra, Liz Kuluwaimaka, Jefferey Kekoa, and Aloha Beck - is set for Saturday, April 14, at 10 a.m., Nā‘ālehu Community Center. The Aha Moku Advisory Committee also asked the state Senate to hold the bill until the group speaks to legislators, County Council members, and developers of the plan. "We have fought for decades to keep Kaʻū - Kaʻū."

Local residents submitting testimony include Peter E. Bosted of the Ocean View Ranchos community next to the Pohu‘e Bay property. He holds a Ph.D in physics from MIT; has a long academic career in physics research, with over 200 articles in refereed physics journals; is a Fellow of the American Physical Society; and is an Adjunct Professor of Physics at the College of William and Mary in Virginia. He wrote testimony about SpinLaunch technology, stating that its g-forces could be very damaging to delicate payloads.

He predicts that costs will be higher than the current cost of sending small satellites and packages into space, as the design "calls for enormous developments in engineering." He also questions energy requirements, stating that SpinLaunch would need to "store the energy in some way that could be released very quickly for the actual launch. There are no such storage systems in Hawai‘i at present."

He points to noise impacts: "As the vessel propagates through the atmosphere at hypersonic speeds, it will make a tremendously loud sonic boom."

Bosted also mentions safety: "In the event of malfunction, the energy stored in the system would be dissipated over a wide area with devastating consequences to people and buildings."

Ann Bosted, of Ocean View Ranchos, also submitted testimony. She contends that more than an electrical launch system will be needed for SpinLaunch: "Electrical power would be used only for the initial stage of the launch. No complex delicate rocket engines that use clean fuels could survive the initial accelerations (Gs) in the centrifuge. Hence more robust solid propellant boost motors would be required and those are intrinsically polluting."

Bosted points to the U.S. Army exploring then rejecting a similar idea in 2006: "Based on limited information, SpinLaunch appears to be a reincarnation of the 1997 Derek Tidman Slingatron proposal." She says that project calls for launch from a mountain. "Which Hawaiian mountain will be used? If Mauna Keais used, won't this conflict with the established use by observatories on its summit?" and "Why did the military show no further interest in this technology? May I respectfully suggest that the Legislature obtain a copy of the army's findings?"

Bosted also calls for careful study of the energy and financial costs. She finishes her statement with: "I understand that SpinLaunch is not forthcoming with details about this project due to patents pending. May I respectfully suggest that after SpinLaunch has secured the patents needed for this project, the state should then hold an open forum where experts in space technology can offer considered opinions on the feasibility of the project and evaluate the need for loads of bulk materials in low orbit. Without expert advice, I advocate that the legislature should not support this bill at this time."

Peter Bosted, center right, studies the volcanic risks of development
in the Pohu`e Bay and othe lands on the slopes ofMauna Loa.
A physicist, he submitted testimony this week on
SpinLaunch technical issues.

Shawn Lohay, of Ocean View, predicts "unknown and unconsidered environmental damage to the ‘Aina," and "encroachment on endangered Hawksbill turtle nesting sites at Pohu‘e Bay." He points out the significance of the location being near the site where Polynesians first landed at Ka Lae (South Point) - with its multitude of culturally significant, historical, and archeological artifacts, petroglyphs, and grave sites - and suggests has not been visited by those suggesting Pohuʻe as a possible site.
"Please let me also mention if it has not already been discussed, the proposed building site is in LAVA ZONE 2, makai of the ever more active Mauna Loa volcano," Lohay states. "Please, by whatever means necessary kill the bills.... This is not the way to generate more income for the State of Hawai‘i. Find another path to progress and away from Tourism if that's your goal, but do not do this to the Big Island."
See more testimony in yesterday's and earlier Ka‘ū News Briefs.

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THE STATE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES BILL TO ISSUE A $25 MILLION SPECIAL PURPOSE REVENUE BOND to SpinLaunch for a Hawaiʻi space launch facility, HB2559, unanimously passed the Senate Ways and Means Committee, on March 29. The companion bill, SB2703, awaits a hearing with the House Financial Committee, which has yet to be scheduled.

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Raina Whiting and Bernie Sanders
during the last election season.

RAINA WHITING CHALLENGES REP. DENNIS ONISHI for his seat to represent Pāhala through Volcano into Hilo. The teacher at Nā‘ālehu Elementary School announced today that she pulled papers for the 2018 election and will run for the sate House of Representatives to serve District 3. She lives on a producing vegetable farm above Pāhala town.
Whiting's voteraina.com website says, "Since moving to Hilo in 2005 and graduating from the University of Hawai‘i in 2009, Raina has been a tireless advocate for environmental, social, and economic justice on both the Big Island and O‘ahu. Her studies in literature, peace and conflict studies, and educational leadership have prepared her well for public service. Additionally, her work and volunteer experience have shown her strong commitment to improving the lives of working class people and her fellow community members. She currently teaches kindergarten at Nā‘ālehu Elementary School and is an active member of Hawai‘i State Teachers Association."
‘i; graduate studies in Peace and Conflict Resolution from the Spark M. Matsunaga Institute for Peace & Conflict Resolution at University of Hawai‘i.

Raina Whiting ran for County Council two years ago.
Now she is runing for the state House of Representatives.

Whiting's education includes a Master of Science in Educational Leadership form Johns Hopkins School of Education; a Bachelor of Arts degree in Spanish Literature, with minor in Latin American and Iberian Studies from University of Hawai
Her work experience includes being a Legal Advocate and AmeriCorps member; Legal Aid Society of Hawai‘i; a union organizer with Unite Here Local 5; a legislative aid for the Office of Sen. Russell Ruderman; a kindergarten teacher and Teach for America Corps member, Nā‘ālehu Elementary School.
Her volunteer experience includes being an officer of the Ka‘ū Chapter of Hawai‘i Farmers Union United; founding member and director of In The Streets, a human rights advocacy organization; environmental advocate for Keep the Country Country Defend O‘ahu Coalition; and community organizer for the Aikea Movement. She was an active supporter of Bernie Sanders in the last Presidential election.

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MORE ELECTRIC VEHICLES IN HAWAI‘I WILL CREATE DEMAND FOR MORE ROOFTOP SOLAR, says the plan released today by Hawaiian Electric Companies.
The Electricfication of Transporation Strategic Roadmap was filed today with the state Public Utilities Commission. It describes near- and long-term actions to "create a clean energy future and reduce dependence on imported fossil fuel for transportation as well as electricity."

A statement from the utility says, "Hawaiʻi poised to be leader as global shift to EVs accelerates," with promises of "broad economic, environmental benefits." Hawaiian Electric predicts that

some of the world's largest vehicle manufacturers will introduce dozens of all-electric models with extended battery range over the next decade, and that through the actions of its utilities, public agencies, and private industry, "Hawai‘i is uniquely positioned to be a leader in the clean transportation revolution."

"In coming years," the plan says, "charging cars, trucks, buses and heavy equipment is expected to make room on the grid for nearly 200,000 more private rooftop solar systems and many grid-scale renewable projects."

Specifics include the cost benefit for "every customer of Hawaiian Electric, Maui Electric and Hawai‘i Electric Light," including $200 million on the improvement in O‘ahu's total 'energy wallet'; an analysis of potential savings for customers of Maui Electric and Hawai‘i Electric Light "will be available in the near future."

Example of EV charging. Photo from electric-vehiclenews.com

The plan "lays the foundation for future actions to realize these benefits for customers and the state," states the release. Some will require regulatory review and approval. The plan cites these key near-term steps:

1. Boost EV adoption by working with automakers, dealerships, and advocates to lower the purchase price and educate customers on vehicle options and benefits.

2. Partner with third-party charging providers and others to facilitate the buildout of charging infrastructure, especially in workplaces and multi-unit dwellings. Expand the network of utility-owned fast-chargers and public Level 2 chargers in gap areas to reduce range anxiety.

3. Support customers to transition to electric buses with targeted efforts to reduce the upfront cost and provide practical charging options. From buses, efforts can move to trucks and other heavy equipment.

Example of rooftop solar panels. Photo from HELCO

4. Create grid service opportunities with incentives for demand response participation and charging aligned with grid needs to reduce costs and save drivers money.

5. Coordinate with ongoing grid modernization to ensure smooth integration of EVs into energy delivery networks and optimum use of renewable resources.

"This is a global movement that is transforming the way that individuals, families and businesses use vehicles and we have to be ready," said Brennon Morioka, Hawaiian Electric's general manager of electrification of transportation. "This roadmap lays out the steps for meeting the changing needs of our customers and communities and adapting to the new technologies we know are coming.

"Hawaiian Electric first promoted electric vehicles more than 100 years ago," Moriokasaid. "Today, the urgency has never been greater to reduce our use of oil for moving people and goods on the way to our clean energy future. This roadmap will guide our actions. The timing and precise route may change, but our destination and determination to reach it are clear."

Hawaiʻi already has nearly 7,000 EVs registered, the report notes. The roadmap is available at www.hawaiianelectric.com/GoEV

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A 2017 Ka‘ū Coffee Recipe Contest entry.

REGISTRATIONS FOR THE ANNUAL KAʻŪ COFFEE RECIPE CONTEST are open through Friday, April 20. The contest with cash prizes brings together youth and adult chefs to use Ka‘ū Coffee in making three kinds of foods: pūpū, entrée, and dessert. The public is invited to witness the judging and enjoy the tasting and entertainment.
There is a limit of one entry per category, per contestant, with no more than 20 entries per category allowed in the competition. Recipes will be judged Sunday, April 29, 11 a.m., at Ka‘ū Coffee Mill. Youth and adult submissions will be judged separately. All recipes must be made with (any) Ka‘ū Coffee.
Two printed, legible copies of each recipe for each entry must be submitted with entry form. Entries must be plated and presented at Ka‘ū Coffee Mill no later than 10 a.m. Sunday, April 29. No cooking facilities are provided. Contestants must be present to win. There is no entry fee.
Free tasting. Meet Miss Ka‘ū Coffee and her court. Find contest entry info at www.kaucoffeemill.com or www.kaucoffeefestival.com, or call 808-928-0550. Entry forms can also be found at Ka‘ū Coffee Mill or Mizuno Market, and viewed below. Email for info or with questions to sales@kaucoffeemill.com

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ONE COMMUNITY AND ONE PARENT REPRESENTATIVE are sought by Nāʻālehu Elementary School Community Council. Nominations will be accepted from April 2 through April 16 at 3 p.m. The community representative will serve a two-year term for school year 2018-2019 and 2019-2020. The parent representative will serve a one-year term for school year 2018-19. The parent rep cannot be a Nāʻālehu Elementary School employee.

The campaign for the positions starts April 16. Voting is April 30 through May 11. Those interested, contact Leilani Rodrigues at 313-4020 or pcnc@naalehu.org, or name and number at the main office line, by calling 313-4000.

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ADVOCATS OFFERS FREE CAT AND SPAY SERVICES at the Ocean View Community Center on Wednesday, Apr. 4, from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. For more details, call 895-9283.

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See public Ka‘ū events, meetings, entertainment at kaucalendar.com

/janfebmar/februaryevents.html. See Ka‘ū exercise, meditation, daily,

weekly events at kaucalendar.com/janfebmar/februarycommunity.html.

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

throughout Ka‘ū, from Miloli‘i through Volcano. Also available free on

stands throughout the district. Read online at kaucalendar.com.

KA‘Ū TROJANS SPORTS SCHEDULE

Girls Softball: Saturday, Mar 31 @ Honoka‘a

Monday, Apr 2, @ Kohala

Saturday, Apr 7, Hawai‘i Prep @ Ka‘ū

Monday, Apr 9, @ Pāhoa

Wednesday, Apr 11 @ KSH

Saturday, Apr 14, Kea‘au @ Ka‘ū

Boys Volleyball: Tuesday, Apr 3, @ Waiakea

Wednesday, Apr 11, Kea‘au @ Ka‘ū

Friday, Apr 13, Honoka‘a @ Ka‘ū

Monday, Apr 16, @ Hilo

Friday, Apr 20, Parker @ Ka‘ū

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FRIDAY, MARCH 30
COFFEE TALK, Fri, Mar 30, 9:30 - 11 a.m., Kahuku Park. Join park rangers in an informal conversation on a variety of topics. This month: Rapid ‘Ōhi‘a Death. Ka‘ū coffee, tea, and pastries available for purchase. Free. nps.gov/HAVO

SATURDAY, MARCH 31

VOLCANO ART CENTER GALLERY PRESENTS HO’OKU’I I NĀ KIKO, Connecting the Dots, by Natalie Mahina Jensen and Lucia Tarall. "A curated collection of photographs, paintings, sculptures, and feather work items deliver a sublime message, connecting the viewer artistically with the provenance of the design." Daily, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., from Saturday, Mar. 31, to Sunday, May 6. volcanoartcenter.org or 967-8222
A free lecture titled "The Last Truth," offered by Lucia Tarallo, takes place at 3pm on the opening day of the exhibition. The lecture will be followed by an opening reception where the public is invited to meet the artists.

MONDAY, APRIL 2

EASTER EGG HUNT, Mon, Apr 2, noon, Flyin' Hawaiian Coffee, CU Hawai‘i lawn, Nā‘ālehu. Judy Knapp, 640-4712

DISCOVERY HARBOUR VOLUNTEER FIRE DEPARTMENT MEETINGS & TRAININGS, Tue, Apr 3 & 24, 4 - 6 p.m., Apr 17, 4:30 - 6:30 p.m., Discovery Harbour Community Hall. 929-9576, discoveryharbour.net

KAʻŪ COFFEE GROWERS MEETING, Tue, Apr 3, 6 - 8 p.m., Pāhala Community Center.

Open Mic Night, Wed, Apr 4, 6 - 10 p.m., Kīlauea Military Camp's Lava Lounge in Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park. Singers, Bands, Comedians, etc. Call 967-8365 after 4 p.m. to sign up. Open to authorized patrons and sponsored guests 21 years and older. Park entrance fees apply. kilaueamilitarycamp.com

THURSDAY, APRIL 5
Veteran's Center & VA Medical Services, Apr 5 & 19, Thu, 8:30 - noon, Ocean View Community Center. No appointment needed to visit w/ VA counselor & benefit specialist. Matthew, 329-0574, ovcahi.org

Ocean View Neighborhood Watch Meeting, Thu, Apr 5, 6 - 7 p.m., Ocean View Community Center. 939-7033, ovcahi.org

ONGOING

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The Ka‘ū Valley Farm team invites the public to visit during Ka‘ū Coffee Festival Week on Thursday, May 3. Front and center
is President and CEO Xiaoyuan Liu. Among others shown are VP Louis Leong, Managing Director Joshua Wang,
General Manager John Cross, Farm Manger Lee Segawa, Farm Advisor Richard Loero and Executive Assistant to the
President Hanfeng Wu. See story below. Photos from Ka‘ū Valley Farm

KAʻŪ LEARNING ACADEMY COULD SHUT DOWN SOON, AT THE END OF THE YEAR, OR NOT AT ALL, according to discussions at the state Public Charter School Commission on Thursday. During the Commission meeting on Oʻahu, with no Kaʻū Learning Academy staff or board members invited, the Charter School Commission decided to confer with the state Attorney General for help in deciding what to do.
The Commission concluded that late last year, four of six board members operated with conflicts of interest, having worked for the school or being related to those currently or formerly employed by the school. The rules allow for only 30 percent of the board to work for the school or have relatives working there.

Current KLA Board Chair Jack Richard said today that one board member mentioned was the cousin of an employee, and resigned when the relationship became an issue. Three new community members with no relatives or jobs at the school have become members of the board, he said, with another expected to join the board soon.
Conflict of interest can happen when board members try to help and sometimes draw in their families to improve the school. Richard himself is a general contractor and said that before he was named chair, he volunteered his labor by helping with permits, inspections, and other aspects of building handicapped restrooms. He said he was reimbursed for materials and that other persons working on the project were paid by the school. Nevertheless, he has asked for a waiver from the Commission to remain on the board.
"We are working with the board and I am in contact with them every week and I think these things can be resolved," he said. "They have checks and balances and they have to follow them. We are here - all about the kids - and we are going to work to clear this up."
Richard said minutes of board meetings, when new board members were named, minutes were recorded and turned over to the commission.

A report from the Charter School Commission administration is available online.

During the Commission meeting on March 29, the immediate closure of the school was discussed. Objections were made, contending it could be harmful to the students. A decision was reached to delay action until the Attorney General is consulted on the next steps with KLA. The next Commission meeting is April 12.

Issues regarding the board were brought up after response was made by KLA about the audit last year. KLA board members were not asked to attend the meeting.

The meeting is documented in an hour-long audio-only recording.

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Photo from Hawai‘i Public Radio

THE COUNTY WILL HAVE TO REMOVE ABANDONED VEHICLES ON PUBLIC ROADS WITHIN TEN DAYS OF NOTIFICATION, if state House Bill 2442 passes a final Senate vote. It made it through the Judiciary Committee March 29.

Removing abandoned vehicles in Hawai‘i currently has no time limit placed on the counties.

Currently, registered owners of abandoned vehicles are sent a letter by their county. Under the new law, owners would only be notified if the vehicle was reported as stolen.
Once picked up from the side of the road, the counties dispose of abandoned vehicles at auction. The bill does not specify how these vehicles would be dealt once the new law is passed. The definition of an abandoned vehicle would change to include a vehicle owner not transferring title to their name within 30 days of notice to the county of purchase. Any vehicle not registered for more than a year would also be considered abandoned.

William Kucharski, Hawai‘i County's Environmental Management director, stated: "Requiring (Hawai‘i County) to take all abandoned vehicles into custody within 10 business days of abandonment imposes a burden on us to meet this timeline, while juggling manpower and budgetary constraints."

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Camelia sinensis tea, grown at Ka‘ū Valley Farms.

KA‘Ū VALLEY FARMS OPENS UP TO LOCALS AND VISITORS on May 3, with a new event in the Ka‘ū Coffee Festival lineup.
Tour the nursery where Ka‘ū Valley Farms grows hydroponic vegetables for local restaurants and public sale. See the plantings of Ka‘ū Coffee and tea, Camelia sinensis. Proceed up the slopes of Kahilipali Ahuapua‘a, to view the expansive green pastures above Nā‘ālehu. Enjoy lunch provided from a local restaurant, which includes farm-produced vegetables from the soils of Nā‘ālehu.

Farm manager Lee Segawa slicing into an avocado.

At the summit of Pu‘u Ho‘omaha (Hill of Leisure), listen to stories of the Ahupua‘a and land tenure from the times of the Kingdom to present, and gaze upon the coastline of Ka‘ū from Puna to South Point. Look mauka, and see the hills of the Kahuku Unit of Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park in the distance, and the Makino Valley fields on the Ka‘ū Valley lands. Makino is relatively unknown to many, as it lies hidden from below by the summit of Ho‘omaha.

The tour includes visiting the water system being developed from the old Kahilipali and Kapuna Tunnels, from old sugar plantation days. The tour ends with a brief walk into the 85-acre Native Forest upon the lands. This forest area was never converted into sugarcane and provides a glimpse into original, pristine native Hawaiian forest.
The tour costs $35 per person, and will include lunch and transportation through the property. Participants will meet at the Ka‘ū Valley Farms Nursery at 9 a.m. to park their private vehicles. To reach the site, turn mauka in Nā‘ālehu at Ka‘alaiki Road at the intersection of H-11 and Punalu‘u Bake Shop. Proceed up Ka‘alaiki Road to just beyond the County cemetery, and then follow the signs to the nursery. The tour is expected to finish back at the nursery by 2 p.m. at the latest.
Reservations can be made by calling John Cross at 987-4229 or Brenda Iokepe-Moses at 731-5409.
See more Ka‘ū Coffee Fest events at www.kaucoffeefest.com

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COUNTY OF HAWAI‘I MASS TRANSIT AUTHORITY MASTER PLAN community meetings being held in April. Public comments are open through April 30, and can be submitted in person at the meetings listed below, or online, where the full plan is available for view.
The MTA is presenting for public review a plan whose goal is to improve transit and paratransit for the island, so that is it safe, reliable, and accessible to all users.
Ocean View Community Center hosts the OV meeting on April 8, from 3 to 5 p.m. Other meetings are being held in Pāhoa on April 7, Waimea on April 10, Kona on April 12, Kea‘au on April 15, and Hilo on April 16.

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JAZZ IN THE FOREST for Saturday, April 14, will be celebrating the creative gifts of trumpet icon Miles Davis, and the different chapters of his amazing productivity which did so much to add to the history of American jazz music. Davis' compositions extend from the 40's with classics such as "Four" and "Round Midnight" , to the 80's when Miles followed - or led - more pop-oriented styles. He was a leader in most of the styles he chose.

The Jazztones will feature pianist Loren Wilken, trumpet master and vocalist Andrea Lindborg, Jean Pierre Thoma on winds, Matt Spencer on bass - both electric and acoustic - and percussionsit Noa Eads.

Jazz in the Forest to celebrate Miles Davis.

Concerts will be at 4:30 and 7 p.m., and refreshments will be available for purchase. Admission is $18 for VAC members, $20 for the general public. Info at volcanoartcenter.org.

"We apologize for the confusion of last month, and hope to see you all again next month," states the notice for the event. The next event is May 12, when the Django Reinhardt Hot Club of Volcano will return with irrepressible French classic swing stylings.

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

See public Ka‘ū events, meetings, entertainment at kaucalendar.com

/janfebmar/februaryevents.html. See Ka‘ū exercise, meditation, daily,

weekly events at kaucalendar.com/janfebmar/februarycommunity.html.

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

throughout Ka‘ū, from Miloli‘i through Volcano. Also available free on

stands throughout the district. Read online at kaucalendar.com.

KA‘Ū TROJANS SPORTS SCHEDULE

Girls Softball: Saturday, Mar 31 @ Honoka‘a

Monday, Apr 2, @ Kohala

Saturday, Apr 7, Hawai‘i Prep @ Ka‘ū

Monday, Apr 9, @ Pāhoa

Wednesday, Apr 11 @ KSH

Saturday, Apr 14, Kea‘au @ Ka‘ū

Boys Volleyball: Tuesday, Apr 3, @ Waiakea

Wednesday, Apr 11, Kea‘au @ Ka‘ū

Friday, Apr 13, Honoka‘a @ Ka‘ū

Monday, Apr 16, @ Hilo

Friday, Apr 20, Parker @ Ka‘ū

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

SATURDAY, MARCH 31

VOLCANO ART CENTER GALLERY PRESENTS HO’OKU’I I NĀ KIKO, Connecting the Dots, by Natalie Mahina Jensen and Lucia Tarall. "A curated collection of photographs, paintings, sculptures, and feather work items deliver a sublime message, connecting the viewer artistically with the provenance of the design." Daily, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., from Saturday, Mar. 31, to Sunday, May 6. volcanoartcenter.org or 967-8222
A free lecture titled "The Last Truth," offered by Lucia Tarallo, takes place at 3pm on the opening day of the exhibition. The lecture will be followed by an opening reception where the public is invited to meet the artists.

MONDAY, APRIL 2

EASTER EGG HUNT, Mon, Apr 2, noon, Flyin' Hawaiian Coffee, CU Hawai‘i lawn, Nā‘ālehu. Judy Knapp, 640-4712

DISCOVERY HARBOUR VOLUNTEER FIRE DEPARTMENT MEETINGS & TRAININGS, Tue, Apr 3 & 24, 4 - 6 p.m., Apr 17, 4:30 - 6:30 p.m., Discovery Harbour Community Hall. 929-9576, discoveryharbour.net

KAʻŪ COFFEE GROWERS MEETING, Tue, Apr 3, 6 - 8 p.m., Pāhala Community Center.

OPEN MIC NIGHT, Wed, Apr 4, 6 - 10 p.m., Kīlauea Military Camp's Lava Lounge in Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park. Singers, Bands, Comedians, etc. Call 967-8365 after 4 p.m. to sign up. Open to authorized patrons and sponsored guests 21 years and older. Park entrance fees apply. kilaueamilitarycamp.com

THURSDAY, APRIL 5
VETERAN'S CENTER AND VA MEDICAL SERVICES, Apr 5 & 19, Thu, 8:30 - noon, Ocean View Community Center. No appointment needed to visit w/ VA counselor & benefit specialist. Matthew, 329-0574, ovcahi.org

OCEAN VIEW NEIGHBORHOOD WATCH MEETING, Thu, Apr 5, 6 - 7 p.m., Ocean View Community Center. 939-7033, ovcahi.org

ONGOING

ONE COMMUNITY AND ONE PARENT REPRESENTATIVE are sought by Nāʻālehu Elementary School Community Council. Nominations will be accepted from April 2 through April 16 at 3 p.m. The community representative will serve a two-year term for school year 2018-2019 and 2019-2020. The parent representative will serve a one-year term for school year 2018-19. The parent rep cannot be a Nāʻālehu Elementary School employee.

The campaign for the positions starts April 16. Voting is April 30 through May 11. Those interested, contact Leilani Rodrigues at 313-4020 or pcnc@naalehu.org, or name and number at the main office line, by calling 313-4000.
TŪTŪ AND ME OFFERS HOME VISITS to those with keiki zero to five years old: home visits to aid with helpful parenting tips and strategies, educational resources, and a compassionate listening ear. Home visits are free, last 1.5 hours, two to four times a month, for a total of 12 visits, and snacks are provided. For info and to register, call Linda Bong 646-9634.

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

Ka‘ū News Briefs Sunday, March 11, 2018

Ka‘ū News Briefs Monday, March 12, 2018

Ka‘ū News Briefs Tuesday, March 13, 2018

Ka‘ū News Briefs Wednesday, March 14, 2018

Ka‘ū News Briefs Thursday, March 15, 2018

Ka‘ū News Briefs Friday, March 16, 2018

Ka‘ū News Briefs Saturday, March 17, 2018

Ka‘ū News Briefs Sunday, March 18, 2018

Ka‘ū News Briefs Monday, March 19, 2018

Ka‘ū News Briefs Tuesday, March 20, 2018

Ka‘ū News Briefs Wednesday, March 21, 2018

Ka‘ū News Briefs Thursday, March 22, 2018

Ka‘ū News Briefs Friday, March 23, 2018

Ka‘ū News Briefs Saturday, March 24, 2018

Ka‘ū News Briefs Sunday, March 25, 2018

Ka‘ū News Brief Monday, March 26, 2018

Ka‘ū News Brief Tuesday, March 27, 2018

Ka‘ū News Brief Wednesday, March 28, 2018

Ka‘ū News Brief Thursday, March 29, 2018

Ka‘ū News Brief Friday, March 30, 2018