The Kaʻū Calendar News Briefs, Hawaiʻi Island

Kahumoku `Ohana presented a concert at Hilo's Palace Theater last night in advance of today's beginning of the eight annual Hawaiian Music & Lifestyles Workshop at Pahala Plantation House. Photo by Julia Neal

KA`U MUSICIANS JOINED MASTERS of Hawaiian music last night at the Palace Theatre in Hilo. Called Huina Alanui, International Music from the Masters, it featured Dennis Kamakahi, John Keawe, Keoki Kahumoku, James Hill, Anne Davidson, Brittni Paiva and the Kaneohe Good Guys from Japan, as well as Bolo, KC Groves, Konabob Stoffer, Andy Andrews and more. Many will be teaching and learning at the eighth annual Hawaiian Music and Lifestyle Workshop sponsored by the Kahumoku `Ohana at Pahala Plantation House starting today. On stage were Trevor Taylor and Jamal Buyuon, both students at Ka`u High, playing with `ukulele superstar Brittni Paiva, who recalled her teacher Keoki Kahumoku putting her in front of large audiences when she was younger, calling it “OTJ, on the job training.” Other students from Ka`u were Jade Tredenick and Nicholas Lubke, from Volcano School of Arts & Sciences.
   The workshop brings Hawaiian music and dance enthusiasts from across the U.S. and from foreign countries. Local students receive scholarships. It ends with a free concert, this Saturday, Nov. 9 on the grounds of Pahala Plantation House from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

KA`U DISTRICT GYM AND SHELTER IS ON SCHEDULE for completion next year. According to Hawai`i County Department of Public Works website, completion is scheduled for fall 2014. After delays at the beginning of construction, including discovery of a burial site inside a lava tube, Public Works deputy director Brandon Gonzalez said he is hoping for a May 2014 completion date for the $16.9 million project. “The good thing is we discovered it in the beginning,” he told Chelsea Jensen, of West Hawai`i Today.
   Construction began in November 2012 and remains on budget according to Gonzalez. The facility will meet requirements for Big Island Interscholastic Federation basketball and volleyball games, with three NCAA regulation-size courts.
   Also an emergency shelter, the facility will be able to accommodate 1,928 people in almost 29,000 square feet during natural disasters. It is being built to withstand category three hurricanes, which have winds between 111 and 130 miles per hour.
   Two rooms are being designated as a vog shelter, where a maximum of 317 people could find shelter from sulfur dioxide emissions. The rooms will have air filtration systems, and one will be air-conditioned.

See more at westhawaiitoday.com.
To comment on or “like” this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.

The Kaneohe Good Guys, from Japan, play Hawaiian and Okinawan music at the
Palace concert. Photo by Julia Neal

HAWAI`I COUNTY COMMITTEE AND COUNCIL meetings are scheduled this week, with all meetings taking place at Council Chambers in Hilo. On Tuesday, Governmental Relations & Economic Development Committee meets at 9 a.m., Public Works & Parks & Recreation at 9:45 a.m., Human Services & Social Services at 10 a.m. and Finance at 10:15 a.m.
The full Council meets Wednesday at 9 a.m.
Ka`u residents can participate in the meetings via videoconferencing at Ocean View Community Center. Agendas for all meetings are available at hawaiicounty.gov.

HAWAI`I COUNTY’S NONPROFIT GRANT PROGRAM for fiscal year 2012-2013 will be reviewed at the Human Services & Social Services Committee meeting Tuesday at 10 a.m. According to the program’s year-end report, it reviewed 98 requests and granted a total of $1.5 million to 90 programs represented by 62 nonprofits.
The total of the FY2012-2013 funding distributed was $1,434.973. This left unexpended allocated funds of $65,027.
Awards are broken down into the following categories:

Youth: 27 percent;
Victims of Health or Social Crisis: 19 percent;
Poor: 19 percent;
Victims of Crime: 10 percent;
Culture & Arts: five percent;
Victims of Health or Social Crisis: five percent;
Education: five percent;
Physical or Emotional Disability: four percent; and
Other: six percent.

Expense categories broke down as follows:

Salaries: $592,510 or 39 percent;
Operations: $173,532 or 12 percent;
Equipment: $149,001 or 10 percent;
Supplies: $148,920 or 10 percent;
Professional Fees: $101,554 or seven percent;
Other: $265,455 or 18 percent; and
Unused: $ 65,027 or four percent.

To comment on or “like” this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.

Brittni Paiva, who grew up taking lessons from Keoki Kahumoku, plays with current students Trevor Taylor and Jamal Buyuan.
Photo by Julia Neal

HAWAI`I COUNTY FINANCE COMMITTEE, at its meeting Tuesday at 10:15 a.m., considers a bill introduced by Ka`u’s Council member Brenda Ford that would reduce the number of years required to foreclose on a property for delinquent real property taxes from three to two years. The change, Ford said, would allow the county to sell the foreclosed property at public auction to recoup unpaid taxes, penalties and various administrative costs “in a timelier manner.”

To comment on or “like” this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.

HAWAI`I COUNTY COUNCIL AGAIN CONSIDERS a bill banning genetically modified organisms at a special meeting Tuesday at 2 p.m.
Bill 113 would ban open-air use of GMO crops with some exemptions, including papaya crops.

Dennis Kamakahi plays his original song Wahine `Ilikea, danced by Erin Cole,
of Ocean View. Cole is a fitness trainer and cross country coach at Ka`u High.
Photo by Julia Neal

   Scientists are concerned about limiting GMO research to greenhouses, saying crops must be tested in an open-air environment to be federally approved. Michael Shintaku, a plant pathologist at UH-Hilo who is conducting GMO research, told Tom Callis, of Hawai`i Tribune-Herald, that he isn’t confident that a crop only tested in a greenhouse could be released for commercialization. “It kind of puts a stop to all of this technology,” Shintaku said.
   Russell Nagata, Hawai`i County administrator for the University of Hawai`i at Manoa’s College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources, told Callis, “If there’s no end product, the need for GMO (research) is very limited.”
   Council member Margaret Wille, who introduced the bill, considers it a protection against cross-pollination on non-GMO crops. Whether cross-pollination poses any problems is one of the issues dividing supporters and opponents.
   David Case, president of the Kona chapter of Hawai`i Farmers Union United, told Callis, “Other forms of agriculture, farming — not just organic, anything that is not a GMO crop — carries the risk of losing its market if it’s cross-pollinated. So we should be careful about losing the world’s markets for Hawai`i’s products.”
   Blake Watson, a Volcano resident and member of GMO Free Hawai`i Island, told Callis he thinks the bill could have economic benefits because consumers prefer non-GMO products.
   Wille told Callis she is “very confident” that, if the county adopts the bill, it will look back years from now and believe it still made the right decision. “That’s really what it’s about,” she said. “What is the vision for what we want our island to be in five, 10, 20 years?”

See hawaiitribuneherald.com.

To comment on or “like” this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.

KA`U’S COUNTY COUNCIL MEMBER BRENDA FORD is seeking funding to purchase new tables for Pahala Community Center. In her resolution on the agenda of Wednesday’s County Council meeting, Ford states that the 12-foot wooden tables currently in use have “deteriorated to the point of becoming dangerous.” She calls for “plastic tables that are safe and easier to handle.” An appropriation of $1,800 would come from District 6 Contingency Relief Fund.

To comment on or “like” this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.

Susan Cordell Photo from USDA

THE TOPIC AT AFTER DARK IN THE PARK Tuesday is how ecologists pick a winning team in forest management. Natural ecosystems today are forever changed by the introduction and establishment of non-native species like never before. According to Susan Cordell, senior scientist and research ecologist for the USDA Forest Service’s Institute of Pacific Island Forestry, some non-native species, however, may be playing important roles in the community in terms of providing ecosystem goods and services. She explains the objective of the agency’s lowland tropical wet forest restoration project. The program begins at 7 p.m. at Kilauea Visitor Center Auditorium in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park. $2 donations support park programs, and park entrance fees apply.

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

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

American Honey Queen Caroline Adams met with enthusiasts at Pahala Senior Center this morning. Photo by Julia Neal

RECENTLY RELEASED KA`U COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT PLAN draft documents offer an analysis of Ka`u’s local economy, which the documents refer to as Na `Ohana Economy.

“Ka`u exemplifies the truly place-based understanding at the root of the word ‘economics’ – the Greek term oikonomia, which means ‘management of the household,’ states Appendix V4C. “Management of the household is not only about money. It’s about everything that makes for a healthy family, community and environment.

“The people of Ka`u do not want to sacrifice their other values and priorities for the sake of economic development. In fact, their three core value areas – `aina, `ohana and rural lifestyle – only reference the economy in the context of agriculture’s role in the local lifestyle.
“The concept of oikonomia mirrors that of `ohana in traditional Hawaiian culture,” the document states. “Mary Kawena Puku`i emphasizes this holistic ‘management of the household’ in The Polynesian Family System in Ka`u with her focus on the institution of `ohana. According to Puku`i, features of `ohana include:

Caroline Adams, American Honey Queen, met Pahala
residents and promoted the importance of bees.
Photo by Julia Neal

a cohesive force tied by ancestry, birth, and sentiment to a particular locality or `aina;
a mutual benefit association that ‘manifests genuine community spirit;’
an economic community where relationships regulate personal, social and economic intercourse;
an internal system that includes voluntary giving of food, utilitarian articles, and services as well as communal labor for large-scale projects.

According to the draft CDP document, a prime example of oikonomia and `ohana in Ka`u is the vibrant informal economy. “In the informal economy, money doesn’t change hands,” it says. “Instead, people live off the land, and the medium of exchange is reciprocity. … The people of Ka`u share what they have. Bounty from the garden or hunt is shared with `ohana, which includes far more people than those connected by blood. As one resident put it, ‘Only in Ka`u. We share, that’s the Ka`u style – with our family, our neighbors, everyone.’”

   The documents are available for review online at kaucdp.info and at area libraries and community centers. The Planning Department invites comments through Dec. 16, and a feedback form is available on the website.
   The documents will also be discussed at the Ka`u CDP Steering Committee meeting Tuesday, Nov. 12 at 5:30 p.m. at Pahala Community Center.
   To comment on of “like” this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.

AMERICAN HONEY QUEEN Caroline Adams met with Pahala Senior Center enthusiasts this morning and talked about the importance of local gardens, like the very successful one at the center, to provide a variety of flowers, each with different nutrients, to keep honeybees healthy.

To comment on of “like” this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.

Kathleen Kam was artist-in-residence at Na`alehu Elementary School in 2011.

MURALIST KATHLEEN KAM is spotlighted in the November issue of Hawai`i State Foundation on Culture and the Arts Enews. Kam has painted 18 public murals, with more on the way, she said. Her 75-foot by nine-foot mural at Ka`u Coffee Mill took two years to complete. Some other locations where her murals can be seen on Hawai`i Island are Punalu`u Bake Shop in Na`alehu, Keauhou Bird Sanctuary and Kilauea General Store in Volcano Village, KTA Superstores in Hilo and Hawai`i Plantation Museum in Papa`ikou.

As an artistic teaching partner with the Artists-in-the-Schools program, Kam has taught art at several Hawai`i Island schools, including Na`alehu Elementary and Ka`u High & Pahala Elementary, where another mural complete by Kam and students is located.
To comment on or “like” this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.

HAWAI`I COUNTY IS JOINING THE JAPANESE Chamber of Commerce & Industry of Hawai`i, Japanese Community Association and Kona Japanese Civic Association in the Aloha Oshima relief drive.

Oshima Island, a sister city of Hawai`i County, was the place hardest hit when Typhoon Wipha ravaged coastal towns along Japan’s east coast on Oct. 16. Wipha brought torrential rains – a record-breaking 33 inches in 24 hours – that caused flooding and mudslides that destroyed nearly 300 homes. According to the most recent update, 32 deaths have been reported, and nine people remain missing.

Oshima Island has a sister-city relationship with Hawai`i Island.
Photo from wikimedia commons

Through the end of December, donations to “Aloha Oshima” will be accepted at Bank of Hawai`i branches statewide. “I offer our aloha and deepest condolences to Mayor Masafumi Kawashima and the residents of Ohshima Island,” Mayor Billy Kenoi said. “Although the destruction caused by Typhoon Wipha is unprecedented, we know that the strength and resolve of the people of Ohshima will carry them through.”
In Japanese, Oshima means big island. It is about 35 square miles with a population of 8,200 and is home to waterfalls, valleys, and Mt. Mihara, an active volcano 2,507 feet tall. Located 75 miles south of Tokyo, Oshima is the largest island in the Izu group, over a dozen islands extending south from the Izu Peninsula.

Hawai`i County’s sister city relationship with Oshima Island was initiated in 1962 by the Board of Supervisors, the predecessor to today’s County Council. The chairman and executive officer of the Board of Supervisors, the predecessor to the office of the Mayor, was Thomas K. ‘Lofty’ Cook. Members of the Board of Supervisors at the time were Wing Kong ‘Winkie’ Chong, Elroy Osorio, Helene Hale, Sherwood Greenwell, Ikuo Hisaoka, and Elias Yadao.

A monument commemorating the sister city relationship was erected in 1992, the 30th anniversary of the relationship, in Lili`uokalani Gardens, by Oshima Mayor Nagaharu Shimizu. The most recent visit to Hawai`i Island by friends from Oshima Island was in October 2012. Mayumi Jinguh and Zen Tanaka of Oshima visited on behalf of Mayor Masafumi Kawashima, delivering a letter and a 50th anniversary gift – a copper relief depicting a rainbow bridge between Hawaii Island and Oshima Island. Tanaka, and the people of Oshima Island, including Mayor Masafumi Kawashima, participated in crafting the piece.

To comment on of “like” this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.

TROY KEOLANUI, CO-OWNER OF OK FARMS HAWAI`I in the Amau`ulu area of Hilo, told Colin M. Stewart, of Hawai`i Tribune-Herald, that he is committed to slowing the spread of coffee berry borers to other farms in East Hawai`i. Announcement of the pest’s presence in Hilo was made last week by the state Department of Agriculture.

OK Farms co-owner Troy Keolanui, seen here with visitors to the diversified ag farm, vows to
combat spread of the coffee berry borer recently found there. Photo by Andrew Hara

   “The insect has been found in less than .1 percent of our harvested cherry, and we are now 75 percent complete with the 2013 crop,” Keolanui said. “All cherry is processed and mechanically dried within 24 hours to prevent any insects from surviving. Any damaged beans are mechanically sorted out, leaving only high quality beans. No pathogens or contamination is carried by the beans or passed on to the consumer.
   “As a farmer, this is just something you have to deal with. Like you would if you had a dog that got fleas. You don’t kill the dog, you give it a flea bath, and you clean the area to remove the fleas … and you move on with life.”
   According to the story, Keolanui contacted the Tribune-Herald on Tuesday, saying that he felt transparency was the best way for Big Island coffee farmers to combat the destructive pest.
   “We’re not embarrassed. This was something that was inevitable. … Now, we just want to do our part to slow the spread. To protect other farms from having to deal with it,” he said.
   Keolanui told Stewart that workers first knew they had a problem about eight weeks ago, when they noticed damage to some beans after they had been processed.
   Keolanui said plans to control the beetle by managing pickers, spraying orchards with a natural fungus that kills the beetles, spraying neem oil, which he said impedes the insect’s growth and then using insectides.
   OK Farms Hawai`i is also planning to add five more acres of coffee orchards. “We think Hilo has a great future in coffee,” Keolanui told Stewart. “We don’t see this as the end of the world. It can be controlled.”
   See hawaiitribune-herald.com.

To comment on of “like” this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.

THE FOLLOWING KA`U HIGH SCHOOL & Pahala Elementary School middle school students have earned a place on the first quarter honor roll:

Grade 8
   Summa Cum laude (3.75-4.00): Rowlie John Flores, Revis Petitt and Sierra Yeager.
   Magna Cum laude (3.5-3.74): Malie Ibarra, Junel Candaroma, Scandy Echeilam, Junially Manantan and Ezra James Ramones.
   Cum laude (3.0-3.49): Junialla Manantan, Jim Esquida, Sheena Marie Flores, Daryl Moreira, Jr, Analei Emmsley, Shailei-Marie Penera, Zachary Ishii and Rodel Pascua.
Grade 7
   Summa Cum laude: Aaron Delos Santos and Brennen Nishimura.
   Magna Cum laude: Jennifer Abalos, Keala Liu, Malia Nicole Corpuz and Zyrae-Jawn Kailiawa.
   Cum laude: Monique Hughes, Daedrie Kai, Therese Pascua, Justine Rosario, Karlee Fukunaga, Lei Chun Galban Kin In, Randall Patton, Jr, Naython Perry, Kanani Petrill-Abrojin, Chaunalisa Velez, Kalena Yeager, Ryan Ah Yee, Josiah Barrios, Mei Lin Galban Kin In, Taenna Holeso, Helena Nihipali-Sesson, Seazon Gouveia-Makuakane, Kayla Kainoa-Aukai and Terree Oyama.

To comment on of “like” this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.

SUSAN CORDELL, SENIOR SCIENTIST and research ecologist for the USDA Forest Service’s Institute of Pacific Island Forestry, discusses forest management tomorrow at After Dark in the Park. The program begins at 7 p.m. at Kilauea Visitor Center Auditorium in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park. $2 donations support park programs, and park entrance fees apply.

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

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

American Honey Queen Caroline Adams, center, asks members of Vince Krakau's first-grade class to spread their knowledge about honeybees and what can be done to help the necessary pollinators of food and ornamental plants. First row: Malyann Lokot, Owen Flores and Kaui Young. Second row: Jayden Haina-Sesson-Haalilio, Stephen Throne, Vince Krakau, Manu Yahna, Caroline Adams, Angelica Bivings and Trinity Torres. Photo by Nalani Parlin

AGRICULTURAL DIVERSITY HELPS KEEP honeybees healthy by providing a variety of nutrients. The bees make farmed and wild fruits, nuts and vegetable plants more productive by helping with their pollination, said American Honey Queen Caroline Adams, who spoke to Ka`u residents on Sunday and Monday. Adams, who represents the American Beekeeping Federation, is visiting 25 states during her reign. She said her organization encourages those with orchards and large fields of row crops to set aside an acre or a border with a variety of wild or other planted crops to provide diverse nutrients to the bees. She also complimented Hawai`i for producing the most expensive honey in the world, a kind of kiawe honey.
The American Honey Queen encouraged Ka`u residents to purchase local honey so they know where it comes from. Some “honey” made in China, she noted, is not real honey – it is thinned out and infused with high fructose corn syrup. The American Beekeeping Association is fighting importation of such products labeled as honey, Adams said.

American Honey Queen Caroline Adams encourages Ka`u
residents to attend the Hawai`i Honey Festival.

Adams, who comes from Plano, Texas, has her own hives. She talked about the life of the bees and the care given to their queens. She also encouraged Ka`u residents to attend the Hawai`i Honey Festival coming up on Saturday, Nov. 23 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Nani Mau Gardens. Attendees will be able to vote on a People’s Choice Award for best tasting local honey. There will be a Bee Friendly plant sale, food, beekeeping demonstrations and bee education. Adults can enter for $3, and keiki are free.

During the session yesterday at Pahala Community Center, Julie Pasquale, the nutritional director there, offered a tasting test between an imported honey and Raw Natural Honey from Ka`u Honey Co. in Wai`ohinu. The local honey is made from the nectars of lehua, Christmas berry, citrus, macadamia, mango, lilikoi and other wildflowers. It won the taste contest over the imported honey.
Adams also stopped at Na`alehu School yesterday morning and visited the children of Vince Krakau’s, Dayna Santiago’s and Dale Sales’ first-grade classes, as well as Karen Wallace’s fourth-grade class. She asked students to take her honeybee challenge, which included sharing at least one thing they learned about honeybees with someone else and explaining one thing we can all do to protect and help bees. She taught students that when honeybees approaches you, they are often smelling you and actually do not want to sting you, because then they will die. If you swat at the bees, they will be scared and might sting you to protect themselves. The best thing to do, said Adams, is to wrap your arms around yourself and walk away. Her presentation was videotaped for other classes who want to see her presentation but did not have time due to scheduling.

To comment on of “like” this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.

IN RECENTLY RELEASED KA`U COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT PLAN draft documents, Ka`u is described as being part of what is called the fourth wave of economic development.
   “The field of economic development has come full circle to recognize the wisdom of communities like Ka`u that never forgot the root meaning of economics,” the document states. It describes the first three waves of economic development as focusing on business attraction, business retention and then community-based economic development.
   “In the emerging fourth wave, economic development re-integrates the local economy with the preservation and enhancement of each place’s unique natural, cultural, and community assets,” the document states. “In other words, the fourth wave of economic development – the wave that Ka`u’s soul never left – is about localization, holism, stewardship, reciprocity and genuine wealth.”
   The document discusses ho`owaiwai and defines the Hawaiian word as the holistic understanding of wealth. “Even more simply,” it says, “fourth wave economic development – and economic development in Ka`u – is about wealth creation, retention, and sharing. Again, wealth is not limited to financial capital. Rather, it includes many different types of capital – human, intellectual, social, cultural, natural, political, etc.”

Hawai`i County planner Ron Whitmore, seen here with his
family, says Ka`u is part of the "fourth wave of
economic development."

   Ho`owaiwai is also the name of Hawai`i County’s plan for building genuine wealth and the name of the statewide network “whose goal is to help families and communities build genuine wealth, and to do so in a way that is appropriate for island people – respecting the relationship island people have with the islands that feed them, both body and spirit,” the document says.
   “Returning to Ka`u’s values, priorities, and objectives, indicators of oikonomia, na `ohana economy and ho`owaiwai should account for all three of the community’s goal areas – managing and conserving natural and cultural resources, preserving and strengthening community character and building a resilient, sustainable local economy,” the documents conclude.
   The documents are available for review online at kaucdp.info and at area libraries and community centers. The Planning Department invites comments through Dec. 16, and a feedback form is available on the website.
   The documents will also be discussed during Ka`u CDP Steering Committee’s meeting a week from today, on Tuesday, Nov. 12 at 5:30 p.m. at Pahala Community Center.
   To comment on of “like” this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.

FREE TUTORING FOR STUDENTS OF KA`U is offered by Kathryn Tydlacka, M.Ed. Parents are asked to make a small contribution to Ka`u Learning Academy, which is now operating as a 501(c)3. All donations go toward the development of this charter school, said Tydlacka, who noted that she will employ computer-based programs to assist instruction. “This has been made possible by Ross Rammelmeyer’s generous donation of five laptop computers and a projector and screen,” she said. “We have successfully completed round one of the application process, and based on the enthusiasm of many supporters, we feel certain we will succeed in bringing a much-needed charter school to Ka`u.” Contact her at kathryntydlacka@hotmail.com.

To comment on of “like” this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.

ALAN S. DOWNER IS THE NEW ADMINISTRATOR of the state Historic Preservation Division. Department of Land and Natural Resources chairperson William Aila, Jr. said, “With extensive experience as director for one of the nation’s largest historic preservation agencies, Downer brings tremendous experience in leadership…. I also believe his qualifications will provide SHPD with much needed direction on working with the National Park Service to meet requirements under its Corrective Action Plan.”
Downer served 27 years as director of the Navajo Nations Historic Preservation Department in Window Rock, Ariz. He was hired in 1986 to establish the first tribal historic preservation agency in the United States. The Navajo Nation Historic Preservation Department remains one of the largest public historic preservation agencies in the United States.
“Mr. Downer has the right experience to lead the Hawai`i’s State Historic Preservation Division,” Gov. Neil Abercrombie said. “The division plays a vital role in protecting and preserving Hawai`i’s historic and cultural sites, while balancing complex issues that affect the state’s economy.”

Downer presently is special advisor to the executive director for the Navajo Nation Division of Natural Resources, a multi-agency resource management organization responsible for the management and stewardship of the natural and cultural resources of the Navajo Nation.
Prior to working for the Navajo Nation, Downer was senior archaeologist for the federal Advisory Council on Historic Preservation, overseeing the western United States, where he had the responsibility to review many Section 106 cases for Hawai`i and worked extensively with project sponsors, federal agencies, Native Hawaiian groups, and the State Historic Preservation Officer. The work required a working knowledge of the fundamentals of Hawaiian history and Native Hawaiian culture.

Videoconferencing is available at Ocean View Community Center for
County Council meetings today and tomorrow.

Downer received his Bachelor of Science in geology from Allegheny College in Meadville, Pa. and his Masters in anthropological archaeology and his PhD in applied anthropology from University of Missouri–Columbia.

To comment on of “like” this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.

HAWAI`I COUNTY COUNCIL MEETINGS TAKE PLACE today and tomorrow. A special meeting is scheduled today at 2 p.m. to discuss a bill that would prohibit most GMO crops.

The council's regular meeting is tomorrow, and both meetings are held at Council Chambers in Hilo.

Ka`u residents can participating via videoconferencing at Ocean View Community Center.

AFTER DARK IN THE PARK PRESENTS Susan Cordell, senior scientist and research ecologist for the USDA Forest Service’s Institute of Pacific Island Forestry, discussing forest management tomorrow. The program begins at 7 p.m. this evening at Kilauea Visitor Center Auditorium in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park. $2 donations support park programs, and park entrance fees apply.

BENTO RAKUGO VISITS PAHALA PUBLIC & SCHOOL LIBRARY Thursday at 2:30 p.m. Performers present a comic story while sitting on a Japanese cushion throughout the entire performance, speaking all of the voices in both the first person and third person. All stories are spoken in English. The program is suitable for ages 5 and older, and young children must be accompanied by parent or caregiver.
Call 928-2015 for more information.

HAWAIIAN MUSIC MASTERS AND THEIR STUDENTS present a free concert Saturday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Pahala Plantation House. The concert celebrates the eighth annual Hawaiian Music & Lifestyles Workshop held by Keoki Kahumoku and his Center for Hawaiian Music Studies. Attendees are encouraged to bring folding chairs and mats for seating on the lawn. Smoked meat plates will be available for purchase.

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

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

Ka`u Scenic Byway Committee is planning more educational signage projects along Hwy 11 in Ka`u. This stretch is between
Pahala and Volcano, adorned with a rainbow last Saturday. Photo by Julia Neal

ON THE AIR AGAIN - KAHU 91.7 FM RADIO can be heard in Pahala and into Na`alehu, and on the Ka`u side of Volcano. The station is operated by Hawai`i Public Radio and broadcasts the HPR2 programming. HPR engineer Don Mussell turned the station on yesterday, after installing a new antenna on the old wooden pole behind the KAHU radio station building on Maile Street in Pahala. He said this morning that the station is working fine and looks forward to expanding the broadcast range to the entire south end of the island. According to Michael Titterton, general manager of Hawai`i Public Radio, the nonprofit organization plans to put broadcasting equipment at Kulani between Volcano and Hilo, which will allow everyone in Puna and throughout Ka`u to hear the station.
KAHU was founded by Wendell Ka`ehu`ae`a with the help of many local donors, grants, volunteer broadcasters and The Ka`u Calendar news organization. Ka`ehu`ae`a said he hopes that local origination programming will come back to KAHU in the future. Titterton said that local programming is in the long-term plan for Hawai`i Public Radio and its HPR2 remote stations like Hana and Ka`u.

Radio engineer Don Mussell installed equipment and returned KAHU 91.7 to the
airwaves yesterday with programming from Hawai`i Public Radio. Photo by Julia Neal

Titterton also said that Al Kam, whose group owns the old mill site from where KAHU is transmitting HPR2, has “graciously donated the location for the station.”
HPR2 programs include BBC World Service News, All Things Considered, the BBC’s World Today, Prairie Home Companion, the TED Radio Hour, jazz, blues and bluegrass shows, as well as a Kanikapila Sunday of Hawaiian music.
See www.haawaiipublicradio.org and http://www.hawaiipublicradio.org
/hpr2programlistings.
To comment on of “like” this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.

AFTER HEARING MORE THAN FOUR HOURS OF TESTIMONY from almost 100 people yesterday, Hawai`i County Council decided to adjourn and continue its meeting about a bill banning genetically modified organisms on Tuesday, Nov. 19 at 9 a.m.
Ka`u’s Council member Brenda Ford suggested that testifiers who hadn’t spoken might be willing to allow the meeting to move to discussion, but other Council members wanted to hear more testimony. Council member Valerie Poindexter, of District 1, was pleased with the progress, saying, “We’re in the second Council” with this bill. Council chair J Yoshimoto agreed.
More than 80 percent of the testimony was in favor of Bill 113, which bans GMO crops on Hawai`i Island with a few exceptions, including papaya. It also allows for emergency exemptions.
Following are some statements by testifiers, both for and against the ban:
SUPPORTING BILL 113 and a ban on GMOs:
o GMO is an invasive species.
o GMOs are man-made viruses.
o Keep Hawai`i Island pure and create pure-seed companies.
o I have a right to know what’s on my land and in my food.
o Let’s play it safe.

Actress Rosanne Barr supports the GMO ban. She owns a mac nut farm on
Hawai`i Island. Photo from Big Island Video News

o GMO does not equal more money for farmers.
o Papaya farmers are spraying 10 times the national average of pesticides.
o Hawai`i is a healthy destination for visitors.
o We have a responsibility to the keiki.
o It’s not the end of farming; it’s the beginning of farming.
o It’s about changing integrity of the landscape.
o Everything is already provided for us here.
Actress Rosanne Barr, who owns a farm in Hamakua, said, “What I want back for my taxes is for my grandchildren not to be poisoned.”
David Case, president of Hawai`i Hawai`i Farmers Union, said there are economic consequences to use of GMOs and said pollination of non-GMO crops is an issue.
East Ka`u’s state Sen. Russell Ruderman, who owns the Island Naturals chain of grocery stores, said, “Organic is the fastest growing food sector. GMO is the taint; not this bill.” Ruderman mentioned a list of GMO crops that foreign markets will not accept. “Keep other Big Island crops off the boycott list,” he said.

OPPOSING BILL 113 and a ban on GMOs:
· We’re not gardeners; we’re farmers. We feed the locals, and we feed the world.
· There are only 93 certified ag farmers in state.
· This bill discriminates against farmers and ranchers.
· Farmers need freedom to choose.
· What happens to our (farming) families?
· GMOs have been lumped together with dangerous chemicals.
Dennis Gonsalves, who led the team of scientists that developed genetically modify papaya, said, “I know of no cases where GMO papaya cross-pollinated with non-GMO papaya.”
A geneticist at University of Hawai`i who grew up in Ka`u said, “Things that are dangerous should be banned, not all GMOs. He said there are ways to handle products that are dangerous, such as recalls and making changes to the products.
Former Council member Kelly Greenwell said GMOs are necessary to maintain a food supply. “The natural is long past,” he said.
An agronomist from University of Hawai`i encouraged the council to table the bill and gather more information from farmers, scientists and others with knowledge on GMOs.
Text of Bill 113 is available on the County Council agenda at hawaiicounty.gov. Written testimony was also submitted. To comment on of “like” this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.

Ka`u Scenic Byway at Honu`apo Lookout with a rainbow. Photo by Carrie Berry

KA`U SCENIC BYWAYS COMMITTEE members met this week and talked about reaching out to the community to explain the mission and receive input for future byway projects. The organization, a committee of the Ka`u Chamber of Commerce, plans a meeting on Wednesday, Nov. 13 at 6 p.m. at Na`alehu Methodist Church.
Stephanie Donoho, the County of Hawai`i's representative on the state Advisory Committee for Hawai`i Scenic Byways, talked about funding avenues. The public is invited to view displays of current projects, which include a Ka`u Byways website, new signage and plans for the future. The next regular byways meeting will be on Monday, Dec. 2, also at Na`alehu Methodist Church at 6 p.m. The committee recently held a blessing for its first educational signage installation at South Point lookout on Hwy 11. The organization also attended the Pancake Breakfast in Ocean View to spread the word. For more information, call Marge or Dennis Elwell at 929-7236.

To comment on of “like” this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.

BENTO RAKUGO VISITS PAHALA PUBLIC & SCHOOL LIBRARY tomorrow, Thursday at 2:30 p.m. Performers present a comic story while sitting on a Japanese cushion throughout the entire performance, speaking all of the voices in both the first person and third person. All stories are spoken in English. The program is suitable for ages 5 and older, and young children must be accompanied by parent or caregiver. Call 928-2015 for more information.

HAWAIIAN MUSIC MASTERS AND THEIR STUDENTS present a free concert Saturday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Pahala Plantation House. The concert, featuring Dennis Kamakahi, Ledward Kaapana, Keoki Kahumoku, George Kahumoku, Jr., James Hill, Anne Davidson, Bolo and many more celebrates the eighth annual Hawaiian Music & Lifestyles Workshop held by Keoki Kahumoku and his Center for Hawaiian Music Studies. Attendees are encouraged to bring folding chairs and mats for seating on the lawn. Plate lunches will be available for purchase.

BETTER CHOICES, BETTER HEALTH, A FAMILY AFFAIR will be held this Saturday, Nov. 9 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Pahala Community Center, with health education, prevention booths, nutritional and healthy food demonstrations, Hawai`i Health Connector enrollment and much more. It is sponsored by Ka`u Rural Health Community Association, Inc.

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

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

Discovery Harbour Volunteer Fire Department members include, left to right, in front row, Douglas Castro, applicant Steve Pyle, Liz
Stabo, Capt. T.J. Jamesand in back row, Nels Eklund, Tommy Akin, Meliha Corcoran and fire equipment operator Ken Shisler.
Jeremy Buhr is not shown. Photo from DHVFD Co. 11C Capt. T.J. James

DISCOVERY HARBOUR VOLUNTEER FIRE DEPARTMENT has received a monetary donation from upstate New York residents whose nephew, a volunteer firefighter, recently died. Robert and Patrice Tomaso plan to send $25 each month to a different volunteer fire department in every state in honor of the late Captain Joe Maben, who collapsed and died of a massive heart attack at age 36 while playing in New York State Firemens’ softball tournament on Aug. 3. DHVFD Company 11C is the first recipient of these donations.

Joe Maben was captain at J.W. Edmonds Hose
Co.in Hudson, N.Y. Photo from Hudson F.D.

   In her letter to Company 11C’s Captain T.J. James, Patrice Tomaso wrote, “Joe loved being a volunteer firefighter and became a junior firefighter at the age of 14. Wherever he travelled, he always sought out the local fire departments and would stop by to take photos and to introduce himself.
   “There is camaraderie within the fire department that is so unique and one that I have never witnessed with any other organization. The support that Joe’s fellow firefighters have given us and his family has been truly amazing and very much appreciated. Joe’s fellow firefighters looked out for him, and now they look after us.
   “It is my belief that in order to try to find one’s way out of such unspeakable grief, you must do for others. Firefighters are truly unique, brave, caring and selfless individuals. May you always get the respect and gratitude you so richly deserve,” Tomaso concluded.
   At yesterday’s Hawai`i County Council meeting, Capt. James asked the Council to accept the gesture as part of the Tomasos’ healing process, and members voted unanimously to accept the donation.
   To comment on or “like” this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.

PAHALA COMMUNITY CENTER WILL GET 24 new tables after a resolution appropriating funds for their purchase passed unanimously at yesterday’s Hawai`i County Council meeting. Ford stated that the 12-foot wooden tables currently in use have “deteriorated to the point of becoming dangerous.” She called for “plastic tables that are safe and easier to handle.” An appropriation of $1,800 will come from District 6 Contingency Relief Fund.

To comment on or “like” this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar

HAWAI`I COUNTY COUNCIL HAS VOTED FOR RAISES for persons holding appointed positions in the county’s legislative branch of government. The Council approved raises of four percent, which J Yoshimoto said was tied to recent wage increases approved by Hawai`i Government Employees Association.
Ka`u’s Council member Brenda Ford introduced an amendment to Yoshimoto’s resolution that would have increased the ceilings for each of the step increases for staff. “We have employees who have been here for many years who have not had a pay increase for that time,” she said. However, District 1 Council member Valerie Poindexter pointed out that such increases were above 10 percent. She and others suggested that such large increases should be taken up during budget discussions.

To comment on or “like” this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar

KA`U’S U.S. SEN. BRIAN SCHATZ HAS VOTED TO ADVANCE key legislation to provide workplace protections against discrimination based on sexual orientation and expand federal equal rights to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered individuals.
   The Employment Non-Discrimination Act, co-sponsored by Schatz, would expand existing protections against employment discrimination to apply to sexual orientation and gender identity.
   Current law protects employees from discrimination based on race, religion, gender, national origin, age and disability.
   The legislation passed a major procedural hurdle in the Senate by a vote of 62-38 and is now expected to pass later this week.

This mamane in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park was
added to the National Registry of Big Trees in 2011.

“Everyone, in Hawai`i and across the country, deserves the right to go to work and earn a good living for your family – this is certainly true regardless of the gender of who you love,” Schatz said. “I’m proud that in Hawai`i we banned workplace discrimination based on sexual orientation, and I’m committed to ensuring these equal rights are protected nationwide.”
“Sen. Schatz has been a passionate advocate for LGBT rights throughout his career,” said Jacce Mikulanec, Policy & Community Partnerships director of Good Beginnings Alliance. “His co-sponsorship of ENDA and his history of support for marriage equality has helped to move Hawai`i and our nation in the right direction.”

Shortly after the Supreme Court struck down a key provision of the Defense of Marriage Act, Schatz said, “Because of this decision, the federal government can no longer tell men and women who they can or cannot marry, and same-sex married couples can now enjoy the same federal benefits as the rest of us. I have always believed in marriage equality, and will continue to do everything in my power to help our LGBT friends and loved ones achieve equality.”
Last week, his wife Linda Schatz testified in support of marriage equality before the special session of the Hawai`i state Senate and Assembly on behalf of the senator.

To comment on or “like” this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.

KA`U RESIDENTS CAN NOMINATE SELECTIONS for the 2014 National Register of Big Trees. Across the United States, the largest trees of their species join the ranks of the more than 780 national champion trees listed in American Forests’ National Register of Big Trees.

“Hawai`i’s Big Tree Competition is proud to announce that our champion, a mamane in Pu`u Wa`awa`a Forest Reserve, has been included in the American Forests 2014 calendar,” said Department of Land & Natural Resources Forestry Program manager Sheri Mann.
Since 1940, American Forests National Big Tree Program has promoted the importance of planting and caring for trees and forests in helping to sustain healthy ecosystems and life on Earth.

Paniolo leimaker Mona Chow, of Kapapala Ranch, teaches at the Hawaiian Lifestyle
workshop this week in Pahala. Photo by Julia Neal

The program has campaigned to locate, protect and save the biggest specimens of every native and naturalized tree species in the United States. Beyond national champions, Hawai`i’s Big Tree Competition also recognizes the biggest trees in Hawai`i using the same equation as the national program.
Sheri Shannon, coordinator of American Forests National Big Tree Program, said, “Anyone can be a big tree hunter. It’s because of avid tree lovers that we are able to find some of the nation’s biggest trees.”

To learn more about Hawai`i’s Big Tree Competition or how to nominate a potential champion tree, contact Nicholas Joly at 808-586-0915 with the tree’s height, circumference, and crown spread measurements.

To learn more about American Forests’ National Big Tree Program or the Big Tree Measuring Guidelines, visit americanforests.org/bigtrees.

To comment on or “like” this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar

VOLUNTEERS CAN HELP REMOVE INVASIVE Himalayan ginger along trails in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park tomorrow from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. Meet at Kilauea Visitor Center. Free; park entrance fees apply.

A FREE CONCERT SATURDAY FROM 11 A.M. TO 4 P.M. at Pahala Plantation House features Hawaiian music masters Dennis Kamakahi, Ledward Kaapana, Keoki Kahumoku, George Kahumoku, Jr., James Hill, Anne Davidson, Bolo and many more alongside students at the eighth annual Hawaiian Music & Lifestyles Workshop held by Keoki Kahumoku and his Center for Hawaiian Music Studies. Attendees are encouraged to bring folding chairs and mats for seating on the lawn. Plate lunches will be available for purchase.

The concert is the culmination of the weeklong workshop where attendees from around the world gather to learn arts of slack key guitar, `ukulele, hula, lei making, lauhala weaving, food preparation and more.

Hawai`i Wildlife Fund is looking for volunteers to load derelict fishing
nets into a Matson container Sunday. Photo from HWF

KA`U RURAL HEALTH COMMUNITY ASSOCIATION, INC. sponsors a health fair Saturday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Pahala Community Center, with health education, prevention booths, nutritional and healthy food demonstrations, Hawai`i Health Connector enrollment and much more.

HAWAI`I WILDLIFE FUND WILL BE LOADING another Matson container full of derelict fishing nets collected since last December. “This is our contribution to NOAA’s Nets-to-Energy project,” said coordinator Megan Lamson.
Volunteers are needed Sunday from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. to winch and hook the nets and climb up into the Matson container with them. To sign up, contact Lamson at 769-7629 or kahakaicleanups@gmail.com.

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

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

Ka`u's Filipino residents worry about victims of Haiyan, the biggest typhoon in recorded history to hit land. It crossed the Philippines
today. Map from www.wunderground.com

THE BIGGEST TYPHOON – hurricane, cyclone - to hit land in recorded human history left the Ka`u Filipino community extremely worried this morning about relatives back home. Gloria Camba, President of the Ka`u Coffee Growers Cooperative and former President of the Pahala Filipino Community Association, said it is the Visayan community which is hardest hit. Camba said her heart broke when she saw the typhoon smashing into country terrorized by a 7.2 earthquake a month ago in the Bohol Province of the Central Vasayas Region, which left 5,000 people living in tents. “They never even went back to their houses, after the earthquake, and now this,” she said.
Typhoon Haiyan, also called Typhoon Yolanda, made landfall in Guiuan municipality, Eastern Smar Province, Eastern Visayas Region with sustained winds of 150 mph and gusts to 170 mph. It also hit the provinces of Leyte, Cebu and Iloilo. In Lyete, the typhoon passed through the cities of Tacloban and Ormoc before heading toward Capiz and Aklan provinces. Damage is expected in more than 33 provinces on the islands of Visayas, Luzon and northern Mindanao.
Save the Children country director for the Philippines, Anna Lindenfors, told The Guardian newspaper this morning: “We expect the level of destruction caused by Typhoon Haiyan to be extensive and devastating, and sadly we fear that many lives will be lost. As the storm batters across the country, homes, schools and offices are being destroyed by the record-breaking winds. The storm surge is causing widespread flooding.”
The typhoon, the width of the country of India, was on its way out of Philippines today, heading across the South China Sea toward Vietnam. To comment on or “like” this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.

Moa`ula and Pear Tree coffee lands are included in the bulk land sale.
Photo from www.kaucoffeeandranchlands.com

5,880 ACRES OWNED BY LEHMAN BROTHERS HOLDINGS in Ka`u have gone on the market, but without disclosing a price for the 76 lots of record. Signage can be seen along Hwy 11 on the Pahala side of Na`alehu, both mauka and makai.
Descriptions, maps and photos of the coastal, ranch and coffee acreage, along with two houses in Na`alehu (including the former Becky's Bed & Breakfast) and several lots, can be seen at www.kaucoffeeandranchlands.com.
The website says: “Kennedy Wilson, through its affiliate KW Hawaii Inc. (“KW”), is the exclusive listing broker for the sale of a collection of properties comprising over 5,880 acres of lands in the District Ka‘ū, on the Island of Hawai‘i. The owner, HI BIV LLC, a special purpose entity owned by Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc., has ordered the real estate to be sold in a single package which includes 76 lots of record. The bulk of the properties form three distinct large continuous sections of land: Mo‘aula Coffee Farm Lands, Na‘ālehu & Waikapuna, and Honu‘apo.
“The properties include agricultural lands used for growing coffee and papaya, pasturage, miles of ocean frontage, residential, commercial and industrial zoned land. Three cellular tower site leases, pasturage leases, and farming licenses provide current income. Measured in total acreage this offering is the seventh largest private land holding in the District of Ka‘ū.”
A section of the website regarding 2,046 acres is called Moa`ula Coffee Farms Land and deals with the place where most of the award-winning Ka`u Coffee is cultivated by local farmers. It notes that “the farms are producing award winning coffees garnering an international reputation,” and says that 300 acres were licensed for coffee farming and 345 acres were leased for pasture.

Lands mauka of Honu`apo and makai at Waikapuna along the coast are
included in the sale. Photo from www.kaucoffeeandranchlands.com

Another section of the website is called Na`alehu and Waikapuna. “Waikapuna is the name of the former fishing village that was located near the shore where there is a small bay of the same name. Waikapuna translated to English from Hawaiian is ‘water from the spring.’ Na`alehu means 'the volcanic ashes' and is the name for the southernmost town in the United States, and urbanized residential and commercial center in the County of Hawai`i,” says the website. It also notes that the 2,029 acres are subject to two pasture leases revocable with 90-day notice. The website says that the agricultural zoning allows a minimum building site of 20 acres.
A section called Honu`apo Ranch Lands says Honu`apo means “caught turtle.” It notes that the 1,753 acres is zoned agriculture with a minimum building site of 20 acres. It also notes that three pasture leases are revocable with 90-day notice. Also within the acreage are two houses in Na`alehu.
A color brochure with a close-up photo of Ka`u coffee cherry, coffee orchards and a ranch road to the shoreline can be downloaded at www.kaucoffeeandranchlands.com. The brochure cover says: “Bulk Sale – All properties are being offered together in a single sale. Price Not Disclosed.” The realtor listed is Joel K. LaPinta at jlapinta@kennedywilson.com and 961-0161. To comment on or “like” this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.

THE STATE SUNSHINE LAW should stay strong, according to the County Council Committee on Government Relations and Economic Development. It voted 8-0 this week to oppose a measure that would remove a restriction that now prevents more than two council members from meeting outside of council meetings and discussing issues that may come up on council agendas. The measure would allow such meetings as long as they are open to the public.

The exemption, which would go to the 2014 state legislature as part of the Hawai`i Association of Counties’ legislative package, if all four counties approve it, is expected to fail in Hawai`i County only. Maui initiated the proposal and O`ahu and Kaua`i councils approved it. The exemption, as proposed, states that “Members of a county council may jointly attend and speak at a community, educational or informational meeting or presentation, including a meeting of another entity, legislative hearing, convention, seminar, conference or community meeting, without limitation, provided that the meeting of or presentation is open to the public.”
Ka`u council member Brenda Ford described the bill as “poorly written.” She said she is particularly concerned about the language “without limitation.”
League of Women Voters of Hawai`i County vice president Linda Scheffer stated that the exemption could “move county government to the closed and darkened back room. The public cannot truly know how their elected representatives think and act if issues are discussed, dissension is silenced and votes are counted in private. Citizens do not need sound bites; we need thoughtful discussion and actual facts.”

Terri Chopot and Fidel Augustine help with taro leaves to be used in laulau.
Photo by Julia Neal

To comment on or “like” this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.

HAWAIIAN LIFESTYLE WORKSHOP wraps up today at Pahala Plantation House, ending a week of choir with Kamehameha School’s Darcy Baker, lei-making with Mona Chow, lauhala weaving with Auntie Kaiwi Perkins, imu-making with Keoki Kahumoku and Fidel Augustine, and guitar, `ukulele and other stringed instruments lessons from such greats as Dennis Kamakahi, John Kiawe, the Kahumokus, James Hill and Kona Bob. A free concert for the Ka`u community will be held tomorrow, Saturday, Nov. 9 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Pahala Plantation House.
To comment on or “like” this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.

MOLOKA`I COMES TO KA`U today to take on the Eight-Man Football team of Ka`u High School. The game begins at 6 p.m. and follows a 3:30 p.m. homecoming parade through Pahala Village. Eight-man football was launched for Big Island high schools by the Trojans this year to come up with a faster running, higher scoring sport that requires fewer numbers of players to make up a team. The Trojans traveled to Moloka`i for a game against the Farmers and also played Seabury Hall, which came from Maui. Trojan coach Kainoa Ke said he hopes that other small schools on Hawai`i Island will launch Eight-Man Football so that a league can form and playoffs will be held with other schools around the state.

FREE HEALTH SCREENINGS will be tomorrow at Pahala Community Center during the Better Choices, Better Health: A Family Affair. The health fair is scheduled from 9 a.. to 2 p.m. and features health, education and prevention booths, nutrition and healthy food demonstrations, Hawai`i Health Connector enrollment, games and door prizes. The event is sponsored by Ka`u Rural Health Community Association. To comment on or “like” this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.

DERELICT FISHING NETS will be loaded by volunteers with Hawai'i Wildlife Fund into a Matson container this Sunday, Nov. 10 from 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. at Waiohinu Transfer. Volunteers have collected the nets along the Ka`u Coast since last December. Megan Lamson, of Hawai`I Wildlife Fund, said, “this is our contribution to NOAA's Nets-to-Energy project. These efforts are partially funded by Matson's Ka Ipu 'Aina program, NOAA's Marine Debris Program and would not be possible without the generous donation of the skidsteer and operator (mahalo JD) and full-time storage of our nets by the County's Dept of Environmental Management & the Wai'ohinu transfer station staff!” She said the group could use another set of hands. Contact 217-5777 or kahakai.cleanups@gmail.com. To comment on or “like” this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.

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

Eight-Man football against Moloka`i last night in the mist on a slippery field at Ka`u High School
Photo by Dave Berry

THE STATE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES voted late yesterday to pass the Marriage Equality Act of 2013 on third reading. The measure was approved by a vote of 30 to 19, with two members excused. Ka`u’s Reps. Richard Onishi and Denny Coffee voted in favor of the bill.
Based on concerns and issues raised during the public hearing, the bill was amended to expand exemptions for churches and religious organizations that do not want to solemnize same gender marriages.

Homecoming parade visited the hospital and carried the court to the
game against Moloka`i last night. Photo by Julia Neal

Trucks, cars and carts serve the village homecoming parade.
Photo by Julia Neal

   The issue was discussed in House committee hearings spanning five days and nearly 57 hours of public testimony. There were 5,184 registered testifiers, with over 1,000 people testifying and nearly 24,400 written testimonies submitted.
   The Senate is scheduled to convene Tuesday, Nov. 11 to vote on the amended House bill.
   “I commend the House of Representatives for taking this historic vote to move justice and equality forward,” said Gov. Neil Abercrombie.
   “After more than 50 hours of public testimony from thousands of testifiers on both sides of the issue, evaluating dozens of amendments and deliberating procedures through hours of floor debates, the House passed this significant bill, which directly creates a balance between marriage equity for same-sex couples and protects our First Amendment freedoms for religious organizations.
“I am confident that the Senate will address the bill in the same spirit. I look forward to a successful conclusion to this major step in affirming everyone’s civil rights.”
   More information on the bill is available at capitol.hawaii.gov.

To comment on or “like” this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.

Homecoming Queen and King for 2013.
Photo by Julia Neal

HAWAI`I’S FOURTH- AND EIGHTH-GRADERS CONTINUE to progress in mathematics and reading, and for the first time, the state’s fourth-graders have scored above the national average in math. This is according to the Nation’s Report Card released Thursday by the National Assessment of Educational Progress spring 2013 state-by-state results.

Traveling through the village for homecoming is a
Pahala tradition. Photo by Julia Neal

   “The growth of our state reflected in the 2013 NAEP results is another indication that we are on track to meet the higher standards we have set in our schools,” said superintendent Kathryn Matayoshi. “We have stressed the importance of data in determining what is working best to ensure students’ success. These NAEP results are a testament to the strong leadership in our schools and the rigorous work being done by our teachers and students.”
   Hawai`i’s fourth- and eighth-graders have steadily narrowed the achievement gap with their peers across the nation. In 2011, Hawai`i was the only state that statistically demonstrated significant improvement in both reading and mathematics at both the fourth and eighth grades. In 2013, Hawai`i’s students made significant gains in grades 4 and 8 in mathematics and grade 8 reading.
   From 2003 to 2013, Hawai`i has lead the nation in statistically significant gains, making improvements in 13 assessments out of a possible 20, tying with the District of Columbia, and five ahead of the nearest other states.
   “While all stakeholders in Hawai`i’s public education can celebrate the pattern of achievement gains, we are committed to doing better,” Matayoshi said.
   Hawai`i’s NAEP improvement over the last 10 years are:

Grade 4 mathematics: second highest gains in the nation;
Grade 8 mathematics: second highest gains in the nation;
Grade 4 reading: 11th in the nation in gains; and
Grade 8 reading: fifth highest gains in the nation. “Hawai`i has a unique education system with a single school board, superintendent and department for the entire state,” said Gov. Neil Abercrombie. “We are able to focus our policy and programs, which are directly benefiting our students – and we are succeeding.

“I sincerely thank all of the teachers, principals and support staff in our schools, who are working tirelessly to prepare our keiki for success in today’s global economy.”

To comment on or “like” this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.

Homecoming parade wound through the streets of Pahala.
Photo by Julia Neal

DROUGHT IN KA`U AND OTHER AREAS of Hawai`i Island is expected to continue, even with the arrival of what the National Weather Service is calling a normal to slightly wetter rainy season. Kevin Kodama, senior service hydrologist with the National Weather Service in Honolulu, reported that, while some drought recovery is expected, “full recovery may not occur due to the intensity and longevity of existing drought conditions.”
NWS predicts an ENSO-neutral wet season through April 2014, with neither El Nino or La Nina conditions present. Absence of these conditions allows average rainfall to occur, according to Kodama.
Kodama also said most locations reported below average rainfall from May through September, with most of the island under some level of drought. Some areas near South Point were in the “extreme drought” category.

To comment on or “like” this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.

Nishioka Shihan, at front left, lead a karate workout at Pahala Community Center Monday.
Those attending were, left to right, front row to back row, Cheydon Kaluahine-Salmo,
Leroy Koi, Mathew Koi, Maiki Cofer, Josiah Barrios, Kailee Kuhaulua-Stacy,
Jake Villa, Cliff Field Sensei, John Poetzel, Cameron Campos,
Francisco Villa and Susan Field Senpai.

LAST SATURDAY, PAHALA KARATE DOJO PARTICIPATED in the ninth annual International Karate League tournament held in Kailua-Kona. There were over 150 participants from dojos across the state. Students participated in traditional kata, weapon kata and kumite divisions. Attending were Cliff and Susan Field, Nancy Gruenler, Jack Minassian, Francisco and Jake Villa, Kailee Kuhaulua-Stacy, Josiah Barrios, Maiki Cofer, John Poetzel and Cheydon Kaluahine-Salmo, placed third in his kumite division.

On Monday following the tournament, Nishioka Shihan, founder of the International Karate League, lead a workout for Pahala Karate Dojo at Pahala Community Center.
Pahala Dojo, which trains Tuesdays and Fridays at 5:30 p.m. at Pahala Community Center, is open to new students.

To comment on or “like” this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.

To comment on or “like” this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.

HAWAI`I VOLCANOES NATIONAL PARK JOINS national parks across the country in waiving entrance fees all three days of this Veteran’s Day weekend, today through Monday. “Our nation’s veterans have sacrificed much to protect our freedom,” park superintendent Cindy Orlando said. “To honor the selfless service of our veterans, we invite everyone to experience the American heritage by visiting their national parks at no charge this Veteran’s Day Weekend.”
The park, which has dozens of veterans among its employees and volunteers, is open 24 hours a day, every day.

KILAUEA MILITARY CAMP IN HAWAI`I VOLCANOES NATIONAL PARK is recognizing Veteran’s Day weekend. An open house takes place tomorrow, when KMC invites all park visitors to experience how KMC supports America’s troops by using any of its facilities and services.
KMC’s Veteran’s Day ceremony takes place Monday at 3 p.m. on the Front Lawn. Keynote speaker is Lt. Col. Eric Shwedo, of Pohakuloa Training Area, and guest speaker is SMSgt. Makani Miller.

Chance Emmsley Ah Yee, No. 2, received the 40-yard pass and made the
55-yard run for the touchdown. Photo by Dave Berry

After the ceremony, a buffet is available at Crater Rim Café. Menu includes prime rib, spinach and mushroom fettuccini, breaded ono, chunky roasted red potatoes, steamed green beans, French onion soup, ice cream and a beverage. Prices are $24.95 for adults and $12.50 for children 6 to 11.

HOMECOMING PARADE from the Ka`u Trojans wound through Pahala yesterday afternoon with floats and fancy cars carrying class members along with the queen, princesses and their escorts. The enthusiastic high school students took their celebration through neighborhoods where people lined the streets and down to Ka`u Hospital where residents were waiting on the lanai. The parade was accompanied by a fire truck and police cars, as well as the principal and vice principal riding a golf cart. The parade ended at the high school ball field where the homecoming court made an appearance before those attending the homecoming game with the Moloka`i Farmers. Ka`u scored in the last 10 seconds of the game when Kainalu Ke threw a 40-yard pass to Chance Emmsley Ah Yee who ran 55 yards for a touchdown. Final score was Farmers 39, Trojans 7.

Lt. Col. Eric Schwedo

FRIENDS OF HAWAI`I VOLCANOES NATIONAL PARK offer their Sunday Walk in the Park tomorrow at 9:45 a.m., when Cheryl Gansecki guides a three-hour, 2.6-mile roundtrip hike on Palm Trail in the Kahuku Unit. Free for Friends members; non-members can join the organization in order to attend.

ALSO ON SUNDAY, VOLUNTEERS CAN HELP Hawai`i Wildlife Fund load a Matson container full of derelict fishing nets collected along the Ka`u Coast since last December. Loading takes place from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m.
To sign up, contact Megan Lamson at 769-7629 or kahakaicleanups@gmail.com.

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

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

Hawaiian Music & Lifestyle workshop participants learned to listen and perform under the direction of Darci Baker,
of Kamehameha Schools. Photo by Julia Neal

PHILIPPINES DEVASTATION, particularly in the central islands, is what the Ka`u Filipino community is learning from friends and relatives who are making cell phone calls to Hawai`i. Typhoon Haiyan, also called Yolanda in the Philippines, has put Cebu and other parts of the Philippines mid-section in a “state of calamity,” said Philippine Pres. Benigno S. Aquino II. The calamity declaration is similar to a disaster declaration in the U.S and will allow the release of emergency funds from the national government. However, the country is likely to ask for international donations as it has experienced typhoon after typhoon this year and a magnitude 7.2 earthquake just a month ago. As Yolanda made landfall on Friday, the typhoon threw up a storm surge of 13 feet that tore through Tacloban, a city of 220,000 people. The city administrator said the death toll could reach 10,000.

The fast-moving storm, crossing the Philippines at 25 mph with sustained winds of 155 to more than 190 mph, appears to have killed more people with storm surge than flooding and landslides. Save the Children spokesperson Lynette Lim sheltered in place in Tacloban, leaving this morning. She told the New York Times that schools, gymnasiums and other shelter sites failed to hold up against the typhoon. Other places in the typhoon’s path are expected to be found with similar devastation. The typhoon is currently on a path into central and northern Vietnam and is expected to cause flooding in Hanoi.

To comment on or “like” this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.

Funds for community groups to maintain sites such as Honu`apo and Kawa
may be available next year. Photo by William Neal

FUNDS FOR MAINTENANCE OF HONU`APO, KAWA and other sites purchased with money from the Public Access, Open Space and Natural Resources Preservation Fund may be available to community groups after July 1, 2014, the beginning of the county’s next fiscal year. In Hawai`i Tribune-Herald, reporter Nancy Cook Lauer said an account for maintenance has a balance of $475,000 collected from 0.25 percent of property taxes, but the county has not distributed any of it for this purpose. Cook Lauer reported that, while the county charter calls for the county to advertise for community groups to apply for stewardship grants by Aug. 1 of each year, it has not.

Finance Director Nancy Crawford told Cook Lauer that the administration “hasn’t gotten to the point yet where it is ready to solicit community involvement.”
“I know people have been interested in these projects,” Crawford told Cook Lauer. “There needs to be a professional come in and actually draft a plan. Then we have an opportunity to bring in volunteer groups rather than giving a grant to a nonprofit group without a plan.”

The Department of Parks and Recreation will advertise for community groups once plans are adopted, Crawford said.
The charter amendment for maintenance funds was approved by voters in 2012. Funds can be used for:

Reparation (fixing, mending, repair work, and servicing);
Preservation (damage control, salvaging, safekeeping, and safeguarding);
Conservation of soil, forests, shorelines, native wildlife, streams, wetlands, watershed, and floodways;
Restoration (replacement, reclamation, reconditioning, and remediation);
Wildfire and fire prevention;
Repair of existing buildings to meet the current code requirements, if the building is deemed reasonable to save;
Replacing signs to meet the current code requirements;
Installation, repair, or replacement fencing and gate or access mechanisms;
Installation or repair of cattle guards;
Mitigation of flooding problems including repair or restoration of existing culverts, drainage features, or other similar flood control mitigation;
Archaeological survey and buffering of Native Hawaiian historical or cultural sites after appropriate consultation with Native Hawaiian descendants and cultural practitioners;
Biological studies for the protection of Native Hawaiian species of plants and animals; or
Mitigation of Americans with Disabilities Act compliance issues that may arise during the course of public safety maintenance and preservation.

According to Cook Lauer, Crawford said plans are being made for archaeological surveys at Kawa and some other sites.

See hawaiitribune-herald.com.

To comment on or “like” this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.

George Kahumoku, Jr., at right, and his son Keoki Kahumoku both sponsor
Hawaiian music camps, with Keoki's in Pahala and George's on Maui.
Photo by Julia Neal

“GIVEN KA`U’S RICH, PLACE-BASED HERITAGE, it will always be important to evaluate its economic health through lenses that incorporate natural, cultural, social and community resources and consider the informal, nonmarket economy,” says a newly released draft document, Appendix V4C: Local Economic Development Analysis, for the Ka`u Community Development Plan. “At the same time, few families can survive completely outside the market economy, so equal attention should be given to more conventional economic conditions and strategies for increasing economic opportunity in the region.”

Appendix V4C identifies opportunities for Ka`u in several industries – agriculture, renewable energy, payment for ecosystem services, health and wellness, creative/education/research, visitor, retail and construction.

It lists specific opportunities by sector that include:
“Agriculture: Coffee, macadamia nuts, truck crops, ranching and forestry are potential areas of growth which are supported by farmers markets, community and school gardens and agricultural tourism. However, expansion of the agriculture sector, especially for small farming operations, will require addressing the issues of infrastructure, input costs and capital and technical support.

“Renewable Energy: Smaller-scaled local and decentralized energy systems, particularly in the form of solar water, photovoltaic, micro-hydro and small wind initiatives for residential, farm and business support may provide a viable and meaningful contribution to Ka`u’s near- and long- term sustainable economic development efforts. In addition, as a complement to the agricultural sector, biofuels, perhaps through a cooperative approach, may also be a viable economic opportunity.

Dennis Kamakahi plans to retire to his wife's hometown of Na`alehu.
Photo by Julia Neal

“Payment for Ecosystem Services: Tools for measuring ecosystems services are available, and distinct markets for payments for those services are coalescing quickly. Private landowners may already receive direct payments and tax incentives through government programs focused on the preservation of ecosystem services. Other opportunities may exist to earn payments for stewardship of public lands and recreational resources through the markets for carbon credits, water quality trading and conservation banking. Ka`u is also an attractive site for investments in research and education related to ecosystem services.

“Health & Wellness: The continued growth in the health and wellness industry and Ka`u’s aging population create employment and entrepreneurial opportunities. There may also be an opportunity to attract outside resources, such as educational institutions to provide the necessary training.”
More sectors will be discussed in tomorrow’s Ka`u News Briefs.

Appendix V4C explores these opportunities and challenges in more detail. It is available to read at kaucdp.info and at area libraries and community centers.

Ka`u CDP Steering Committee will discuss the document at its meeting Tuesday at 5:30 p.m. at Pahala Community Center.
The public can comment on the document at the meeting and submit testimony through Dec. 16 using a feedback form at kaucdp.info.

To comment on or “like” this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.

Ledward Ka`apana was born in Pahala. Photo by Julia Neal

LEDWARD KAAPANA, who was born in Pahala, joined Dennis Kamakahi, whose wife comes from Na`alehu, to play during Kahumoku `Ohana's free concert yesterday for the public at Pahala Plantation House. The concert wrapped up a week of `ukulele, slack key, steel guitar, cello, stand-up base, mandolin, choir and Hawaiian culture classes where local youth attended the Hawaiian Music & Lifestyle workshop on scholarship.

Kamakahi talked and sang about Kalama, Oregon, named after the first Hawaiian to become an American Indian chief on the mainland.

Ka`apana and Kamakahi also taught at the workshop.
Darci Baker, of Kamehameha Schools, taught choir. Other masters, including John Keawe, taught their instruments and music composition. Next fall will mark the ninth workshop sponsored by Keoki Kahumoku. To apply for a scholarship or to otherwise become involved, contact Keoki Kahumoku at 960-8385.

To comment on or “like” this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.

Hunters from Hawai`i Island came to Ka`u to shoot scenes for the new series American Jungle, which premieres today at 5 p.m.
Photo from American Jungle

A BOAR HUNTING SHOW ON THE HISTORY CHANNEL with scenes shot in Ka`u premieres today at 5 p.m. Called American Jungle, it follows the lives of eight hunting clans from Hawai`i Island who live off the land and off the grid.

“Turf wars ensue as each clan boasts its own special ties to the sacred hunting trails. Some clans date their bloodlines back to Hawaiian royalty while others engage in the more spiritual connection, like drinking the blood of their hunted kill,” says a Huffington Post story.

T'Jaye Forsythe, the person who came up with the idea for the show, said, “It’s all about survival and territory wars and surviving off the land. This is the off-the-grid subculture of Hawai`i’s hunting lifestyle.” See more from Forsythe at rustyboar.com and history.com/shows/american-jungle.

HAWAI`I VOLCANOES NATIONAL PARK waives entrance fees today and tomorrow to recognize Veteran’s Day weekend.

KILAUEA MILITARY CAMP’S VETERAN’S DAY ceremony takes place tomorrow at 3 p.m. on the Front Lawn. Keynote speaker is Lt. Col. Eric Shwedo, of Pohakuloa Training Area, and guest speaker is SMSgt. Makani Miller.

After the ceremony, a buffet is available at Crater Rim Café.

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

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

Twenty of the many veterans employed at Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park stand outside the park's Visitor Emergency Operation
Center.From left are Eliseo Queja, Richard Park, Scott Kichman, Phil Gagorik, Alex D. Williams, Dennis Salmo, Clarence "Aku" Hauanio,
Boni Gascon, Tom Foster, Danny Ortiz, Gene Hirayama, Pete Amerpohl, Jason "JZ" Zimmer, Matt Duryea, Lonnie Lake, Keoni
Kaholoa`a, Pete Frazier, Faelyn Jardine, Dwayne Aiona and Stephen Geiger. The park waives entrance fees today in recognition of
Veteran's Day. NPS Photo by Jay Robinson

THE U.S. SENATE HAS UNANIMOUSLY PASSED a measure authored by Sen. Mazie Hirono to improve the ability of Native Hawaiian-serving organizations to assist homeless veterans. Hirono attached this amendment to the Helping Homeless Veterans Act during a hearing of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee in July.   “It is heartbreaking that so many veterans in Hawai`i and across the nation struggle to put a roof over their heads,” Hirono said. “While much work remains to be done to eliminate veteran homelessness, this measure passed by the Senate is a positive step for Native Hawaiian, American Indian and Alaska Native veterans, helping them access critical legal services. All of our veterans deserve our continued support.”  

Sen. Mazie Hirono

The Helping Homeless Veterans Act improves assistance to homeless veterans and their dependents by expanding the definition of “homeless veteran” to include those fleeing domestic violence, increasing access to dental care and allowing the Department of Veterans Affairs to increase the number of veterans from transitional housing programs to permanent housing. Hirono’s amendment includes organizations that serve Native Hawaiians and other Native populations among the entities the VA can consider in distributing partnerships to provide legal services to homeless veterans. These services could include eviction defense, representation in landlord-tenant cases, assistance in obtaining public benefits related to income support, defense in matters symptomatic of homelessness and services related to family law. The bill is still pending approval by the U.S. House of Representatives.  

The Department of Veterans Affairs estimates that 110,000 veterans live in Hawai`i. In 2012, the VA estimated 5.5 percent of Hawai`i veterans – more than 6,000 – were unemployed. In 2009, the VA estimated that Hawai`i has almost 500 homeless veterans.

To comment on or “like” this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.

KA`U’S U.S. REP. TULSI GABBARD earlier this month joined Secretary of State John Kerry to launch the U.S. Department of State’s Veterans Innovation Partnership.

“These public-private partnerships give us the opportunity to benefit from the skills veterans have developed through their experiences, their commitment to service, their ability to act under pressure and make decisions, to lead and to put the mission first,” Gabbard told the audience, many of whom were veterans. “For so many of my friends whom I’ve had the privilege of serving with, this is a tremendous opportunity that will open many doors empowering our veterans to continue to serve.”

U.S. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard joined Secretary of State John Kerry in the launch of
Veterans Innovation Partnership. State Department Photo by Michael Gross

VIP aims to help build and deploy strategic partnerships between the U.S. government and U.S. private sector to mobilize resources and build networks to promote foreign affairs career opportunities for veterans.

VIP fellowships are open to veterans who have completed a master’s degree in the fields of international business or international relations. Applicants must apply within two years of graduate degree completion, except for veterans precluded from doing so due to their military service obligation, who will have up to six years after degree completion to apply. Successful applicants are placed in a dynamic developmental program.

Gabbard thanked Kerry for his leadership on this initiative, noting his service in the U.S. Navy and decades of advocacy on behalf of veterans.

For further information about VIP, contact Maura Hogan in the Global Partnerships Office at HoganM@state.gov or 202-647-9268, or visit state.gov/s/partnerships/vip/index.htm.

To comment on or “like” this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.

A NEWLY RELEASED DRAFT DOCUMENT for the Ka`u Community Development Plan, Appendix V4C: Local Economic Development Analysis, identifies opportunities for Ka`u in several industries – agriculture, renewable energy, payment for ecosystem services, health and wellness, creative/education/research, visitor, retail and construction.

It lists specific opportunities by sector that include:

Park volunteers George Jensen, left, and Paul Field
salute asranger Keoni Kaholoa`a raises the flags outside
KilaueaVisitor Center. NPS photo by Jay Robinson

“Creative, Education, & Research: Due to the area’s significant natural and cultural assets as well as the growth trends in the creative, educational, and research sectors, there is considerable employment and entrepreneurial potential in these sectors in Ka`u. Specifically, potential appears high in music, cultural activities and natural resource management as well as education and research in agriculture, environmental science, Hawaiian studies and geology.

“Visitors: By pursuing initiatives that preserve Ka`u’s natural and cultural resources; perpetuate Ka`u’s traditions; and are scaled to strengthen its sense of community, history and identity, real connections and relationships of reciprocity can be made with people from around the world who visit Ka`u. Consistent with the place-based, Native Hawaiian ho`okipa model, the focus could be on place-based 35 investments, agri-, eco-, edu- and wellness tourism and authentic experiences for repeat visitors.

“Retail: Overall, the potential for growth in the retail sector in Ka`u is modest, but opportunities may lie in concurrent development with other emerging sectors, expanding business support networks and resources and the promotion of locally produced services and goods.

“Construction: The construction sector is still struggling, particularly with new homes, so limited, future construction growth will likely be in home remodeling and opportunities created by growth in other sectors.”

Appendix V4C explores these opportunities and challenges in more detail. It is available to read at kaucdp.info and at area libraries and community centers.

Ka`u CDP Steering Committee will discuss the document at its meeting tomorrow at 5:30 p.m. at Pahala Community Center.

The public can comment on the document at the meeting and submit testimony through Dec. 16 using a feedback form at kaucdp.info.

To comment on or “like” this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.

HAWAI`I VOLCANOES NATIONAL PARK waives entrance fees today in recognition of Veteran’s Day.

KEYNOTE SPEAKER AT KILAUEA MILITARY CAMP’S Veteran’s Day ceremony is Lt. Col. Eric Shwedo, of Pohakuloa Training Area, and guest speaker is SMSgt. Makani Miller. The event begins at 3 p.m. on the Front Lawn.

After the ceremony, a buffet is available at Crater Rim Café.

Ka`u residents can help Friends of Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park plant trees
at Kahuku Unit Friday. Photo from FHVNP

POKE, FROM THE OCEAN TO YOUR TABLE is the topic Wednesday from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. at Kilauea Visitor Center lanai in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park. April Kekoa and Teana Kaho`ohanohano share their knowledge of preparing this popular island dish that usually consists of bite-size pieces of raw, fresh fish mixed with seaweed and kukui nut relish. Free; park entrance fees apply.

FRIENDS OF HAWAI`I VOLCANOES NATIONAL PARK is looking for Ka`u residents who would like to help with a forest restoration project at the park’s Kahuku unit Friday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Participants plant native seedlings in a fenced enclosure where the plants will be protected from grazing animals. “We will learn about the park’s native forest restoration program at Kahuku and be able to see the start of natural recovery of the forest,” said coordinator Pat Kupchak. “This will be a fun day outdoors enjoying a beautiful area before the busy holiday season.”

Pre-registration is required. Call 985-7373 or email forest@fhvnp.org.

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

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

Death of an Artery and how to prevent it through healthy eating and exercise was a main thrust of a health fair last weekend in Pahala.
Photo by Julia Neal

HEALTH & WELLNESS IN KA`U IS ONE OF THE SECTORS of economic opportunity identified in new draft documents for the Ka`u Community Development Plan, which is the subject of a public meeting today at 5:30 p.m. at Pahala Community Center. According to Appendix V4C: Local Economic Development Analysis, general strong growth in the health and wellness sector and the aging population in Ka`u create significant opportunities for job growth and entrepreneurism. However, the documents says, training and education opportunities are needed to address the workforce gap and to prepare for aging in place opportunities as well as changes in coverage, service delivery and technology.

“Due to the broad reach of the health and wellness sector, a growing sector in Ka`u could provide an opportunity to leverage outside resources and investments in a way that holds true to the community’s vision of development. This could also be an opportunity to engage with educational institutions to provide necessary training,” the appendix states.

Gentle exercise with a spiritual feeling engages Ka`u residents at the health fair.
Photo by Julia Neal

   According to the document, Ka`u has a range of facilities and organizations that provide a base of community resources and assets upon which this sector could build. These include Ka`u Hospital and Rural Health Clinic, Bay Clinic, senior services, Ever Care, Hawai`i County Economic Opportunity Council, Coordinated Services for the Elderly, Hawai`i County Nutrition Program for Elderly and the Hawai`i County Office on Aging.
   Planners state that the education, health, and social services sector already employs a significant number of those working in the region – over 22 percent in Pahala, over 22 percent in Na`alehu and over 17 percent in Ocean View and thus “provides a foundation to attract new investments in the community through existing community infrastructure.”
   The document notes that Ka`u has many traditional and non-traditional health and wellness practitioners available to collaborate with mainstream practitioners, which is an added advantage to the flourishing health and wellness industry on Hawai`i Island.

Appendix V4C and other documents are available at kaucdp.info.
The public can comment on the document at the meeting in Pahala this evening and submit testimony through Dec. 16 using a feedback form at kaucdp.info. To comment on or “like” this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.

Rethink Your Drink urges Ka`u residents to stay off the sodas and other sugary habits.
Photo by Julia Neal

DEATH OF AN ARTERY, WHY ANIMALS DON’T SMOKE AND RETHINK YOUR DRINK were some of the slogans put forth at the health fair held Saturday at Pahala Community Center. Organized by Ka`u Rural Health Community Association under the direction of Jessie Marques, the fair drew people to test their lung functions and learn about healthy eating, exercise and preventive care. The Hawai`i Health Care Connector also manned a table to sign up people for health insurance. The fair was called Better Choices, Better Health - A Family Affair.

For more on the Ka`u Rural Health Community Association, Inc., see krhcai.com. The organization’s tag line is “Doing Whatever It Takes to Keep Ka`u Healthy.”

To comment on or “like” this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.

APRIL KEKOA AND TEANA KAHO`OHANOHANO share their knowledge of preparing poke, the popular island dish that usually consists of bite-size pieces of raw, fresh fish mixed with seaweed and kukui nut relish, tomorrow from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. at Kilauea Visitor Center lanai in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park. Free; park entrance fees apply.

Poke is on the menu at Kilauea Visitor Center tomorrow.
Photo from NPS

KA`U SCENIC BYWAYS MEETING tomorrow, Wednesday at Na`alehu Methodist Church will be 6 p.m. and feature displays concerning the work of this committee of the Ka`u Chamber of Commerce, which has included educational signage at South Point Lookout on Hwy 11 and plans for informational and educational kiosks and other signage along the Ka`u corridor.
The public is invited to tomorrows community outreach meeting.

KA`U RESIDENTS CAN HELP with a forest restoration project at Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park’s Kahuku unit Friday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Participants plant native seedlings in a fenced enclosure where the plants will be protected from grazing animals.
Pre-registration is required. Call 985-7373 or email forest@fhvnp.org.

GIRLS BASKETBALL TEAMS from around with island will converge on Ka`u High School Gym this Friday night and Saturday for a Food Drive and Tournament. Teams taking on the Trojans are: Lapahoehoe varsity, Pahoa varsity and jayvee and Kealakehe varsity. The purpose, according to a statement form the Ka`u Trojans, is "to give back to our community and help feed the

Nene vase stoneware by Emily Herb will be on the
Volcano Artist Hui tour.

hungry." The goal is "to collect over 200 lbs of non-perishable foods to give back to our community." Start time on Friday for the food drive where people can bring in two canned items per person or $3 per person for admission is at 4 p.m. The first game is at 6 p.m. with Lapahoehoe taking on Pahoa. The second game at 7:30 p.m. will see Ka`u taking on Kealakehe. On Saturday, at 9 a.m., Ka`u will play Lapahoehoe; at 10:30 a.m., Pahoa will play Kealakehe and at noon Ka`u jayvee will play Pahoa jayvee. Kealaheke will play Lapahoehoe at 1:30 p.m. and at 3 p.m. Pahoa will play Ka`u in a varsity match.

VOLCANO ARTIST HUI is preparing for the annual tour to artist studios in Volcano Village on Saturday, Nov. 29 and Sunday, Nov. 30 from 10 a.m. to 4 pm. For more information call 987-3472 or 985-7487. See maps showing the studios at www.VolcanovillageARtistsHui.com

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

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

Funding for community stewardship of Kawa and other sites purchased with money from the county's Public Access, Open Space and Natural Resources Preservation Fund may become available next year. Photo by Julia Neal

HAWAI`I MARRIAGE EQUALITY ACT OF 2013, which recognizes marriages between individuals of the same gender, became law this morning when Gov. Neil Abercrombie signed the measure. He said he never imagined that he would be involved in a decision affecting the lives of so many people and compared it to Hawai`i U.S. Rep. Patsy Mink’s involvement in Title IX, which prohibited gender discrimination by federally funded institutions.

Sen. Clayton Hee

Rep. Chris Lee

Abercrombie said he looked to a quotation on a portrait of Hawai`i Queen Lili`uokalani as inspiration during progress of the bill: “If we could but see our likenesses, could we not learn to live with our differences?”

   Several officials spoke with emotions clearly visible. Attorney General David Louie, emcee for the signing ceremony, said, “Justice delayed is justice denied.”
   Sen. Clayton Hee, chair of the Senate Committee on Judiciary and Labor, said passing the bill was “a profound but simple thing to do – bring justice and equality to us all.”
   Rep. Chris Lee, a member of the House Judiciary Committee, said, “It’s never the wrong time to do the right thing. There’s benefit to all; we’ve come to understand one another.”
   To comment on or “like” this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.

Steve Hirakami

FUNDS FOR STEWARDSHIP OF KAWA and other sites purchased with money from the county’s Public Access, Open Space and Natural Resources Preservation Fund should be available to community groups next year, according to Hawai`i County Parks & Recreation director Clayton Honma. He told fund commissioners at their meeting yesterday that the department is in the process of developing a grant system and has a draft application ready.

   The county Parks & Recreation Department is in charge of an account for maintenance that has a balance of over $475,000 collected from 0.25 percent of property taxes. A county charter amendment for collection of the maintenance funds was approved by voters in 2012.
   Some commissioners expressed concern that the community has not yet been involved in stewardship of the properties. Honma said that, while funds are accounted for, a total amount of funds needed for archaelogical surveys is still not known because contracts have not been completed.
   In response, commissioner Steve Hirakami said, “It’s easy to say the funds are accounted for. It’s one thing to make a statement, but what percentage of the funds?”
   Ken Van Bergen, property manager with the county Finance Department, defended the county’s course of action, saying, “You can’t preserve something until you know what’s there.” He said the county encourages community involvement and cited Kawa as an example where knowledgeable families joined surveyors in mapping archaelogical sites there.
   The county charter calls for the county to advertise for community groups to apply for stewardship grants by Aug. 1 of each year, “provided funds are available.”

To comment on or “like” this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.

Planner Ron Whitmore discussed the potential for local food production at yesterday's
Ka`u CDP Steering Committee meeting. Photo by Julia Neal

KA`U COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT PLAN documents are a bounty of information and planning ideas for the district, steering committee members told Hawai`i County Department of Planning representatives last night as the county made a public presentation at Pahala Community Center.
Steering committee member John Cross described the documents that cover population, land use, economic development and preservation ideas and options as easy to read. He pointed out the hyperlinks in the online version that allow people to delve deeply into an abundance of scientific, geographic and sociological data about Ka`u.

Ron Whitmore, the county’s lead planner on the project, presented ideas and non-traditional economic models that take into consideration local funding options for new business, the potential for local food growing as cost of transportation increases for importing food, and consideration of the undocumented economy that includes hunting, fishing, ranching and growing food for home use.
Entities that could democratize ownership and raise money for economic development where profits would stay in the community were presented and included benefit corporations (B Corp), low-profit LLCs, employee stock ownership entities, cooperatives, community development corps, nonprofit social enterprises and community land trusts. Ways of raising money could include conventional investment: seed funding through private equity funds. Also mentioned was alternative private financing: credit unions, CDFIs and microlenders. Local capital raising ideas included crowdfunding, lending circles and peer-to-peer lending.

Rancher Michelle Galimba is on the Ka`u CDP
Steering Committee.

Chris Manfredi, a coffee broker, president of Ka`u Farm Bureau and former land manger of the 5,580-acre investment property now owned by Lehman Brothers Holdings in Ka`u, said he thinks the documents over-emphasize small- and medium-scale business models, and that the plan should not be limited to small-scale, community-based operations. “It should be more balanced.” He said the `ohana, small economy “is not sustainable,” and that he cannot go to the grocery or gas station without someone pulling out an EDB (welfare) card. He said people are constantly asking him for jobs and that “you have to keep all avenues” open for economic development. He said “pig hunting and cock fighting just doesn’t cut it” and that agriculture is limited in Ka`u by access to land, water and affordable transportation.

   Steering committee member Michelle Galimba, a rancher, also suggested more balance in describing potential outside capital that could be attracted to Ka`u.
   Small farmer Loren Heck, who grows protea and orchids in Ocean View, encouraged the planners to include small, backyard farms in models for economic development.
   S. Reha described Wood Valley as a community that should be recognized for its own status with diversified farming and vacation rentals.
   Steering Committee member Ron Ebert, a volunteer fire captain and retired electronic engineer, pointed to the wealth of information in the document and said he hopes that people will be able to understand it and suggested simplifying some of the language. “I want as many people as absolutely possible involved in it. The more brains you have involved the better. There are ideas out there in the community that we are not aware of.”
   The documents can be read online at kaucdp.info and can be reviewed, along with colored maps and other illustrations, in hard copy at Ocean View Community Center, Na`alehu Library, Pahala Library and Pahala Community Center.

To comment on or “like” this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.

LEHUA COURT, LLC proposes a state land use boundary amendment and a county change of zoning for a 54,000 square foot commercial center on four lots in Ocean View between Lehua Lane and Mamalahoa Highway in Hawaiian Ocean View Estates. The proposal may come to the county’s Windward Planning Commission soon for review and recommendations, according to the Hot Topics in Ka`u list presented by county planners at the Ka`u Community Development Plan public meeting last night in Pahala.

To comment on or “like” this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.

BIG ISLAND FILIPINO COMMUNITY COUNCIL is encouraging people to give cash to the American Red Cross for relief for the Typhoon Haiyan-Yolanda disaster victims and to donate rice, clothing and ready to eat, easy to open foods and such health items as soap, shampoo, toothpaste and toothbrushes. The collection place in Pahala is R&G store behind Bank of Hawai`i. Store owner Gloria Camba, a director of the Big Island Filipino Community Council, said that a company called LBC is willing to ship goods to the Philippines for free for distribution by disaster assistance organizations. Goods must be collected and taken to Hilo by Saturday, Nov. 23. The Will & Grace store operated by Will and Grace Tabios is the collection center in Na`alehu Shopping Center.

The typhoon, the strongest ever recorded to hit land since hurricanes, cyclones ad typhoons have been monitored, left thousands dead and missing and more than a half million people homeless. The typhoon with up to 200 mph winds has been described as a giant tornado, moving like a rotary sander across the landscape, grinding away everything in its path. People are left without clean water and without food as relief organizations try to make their way to the victims.

For more information, call Camba at 928-8558 or 928-8155 or Amy Peralta at 928-8470. Call Will & Grace at 929-9993.

To comment on or “like” this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.

THE ANNUAL RUBBER BAND TURKEY SHOOT will be held a week from today on Wednesday, Nov. 20 at Pahala Community Center from 3:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. Everyone of any age is invited to compete. Call Nona Makuakane at 928-3102.

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

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

Signage mauka of Hwy 11 between Honu`apo and Na`alehu advertises the 5,880 acres for sale including the famous Moa`ula
coffee lands. Photo by Julia Neal

THE VALUE OF THE 5,880-ACRE coffee, pasture and oceanfront lands for sale by Lehman Bros is $13.59 million, according to a story in this morning’s Hawai`i Tribune-Herald. The Tom Callis story quotes realtor Joel LaPinta saying that Lehman Brothers Holdings, which took over the property during a foreclosure earlier this year, plans to sell all parcels in one batch. In addition to the famous Moa`ula coffee lands, the properties include a house across from the 76 gas station in Na`alehu and the adjacent house, formerly Becky’s Bed & Breakfast. They also include thousands in shoreline acreage above Waikapuna and pastures above Honu`apo on the mauka side of Hwy 11.

The Tom Callis story says, “the previous owner, WWK Hawai`i Holding, had planned to use the land to build high-end homes on large lots.”

The story states that “Lehman Brothers had agreed to loan it $105 million for the project, but that plan got shelved in 2008 when the lender went through bankruptcy, according to Pacific Business News. WWK Hawai`i Holdings had borrowed $43 million by the time the bankruptcy occurred. Lehman Brothers later acquired the land for $12.25 million at a foreclosure auction in June,” Callis reports.

Sen. Brian Schatz

The Hilo representative for Kennedy Wilson, the real estate investment and marketing company selling the properties for Lehman, is Joel LaPinta. The Tribune-Herald story reports La Pinta saying that he has inquiries from interested parties and an appointment this week with a person from Honolulu to tour the lands. “I think the opportunity here is somebody can buy these lands in bulk and offer individual parcels over time.” Callis reports LaPinta saying, “We’ve moved away from the era of large-tract land owners.”

The story also quotes La Pinta saying that the coffee farms on some of the properties “create a lot of value,” but there’s still potential for some of the vacant land to be developed for residential.

The asking price remains undisclosed, and the website is kaucoffeeandranchlands.com.

See more at hawaiitribune-herald.com.

To comment on or “like” this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar

U.S. SEN. BRIAN SCHATZ HAS CREATED a comprehensive resource center for the people of Hawai`i looking for information about Typhoon Yolanda and how to help the survivors. The website will be continually updated with the U.S. federal government’s response efforts and includes information about how people can find loved ones in the Philippines.

Presidential Medal of Freedom

“The stories of loss and devastation coming out of the Philippines are shocking and heartbreaking, and the full extent of the ravage is not yet even known,” Schatz said. “I want the people of Hawai`i to have all the information possible about what’s going on in the Philippines as it becomes available.”

The continually updated Resource Center can be found at schatz.senate.gov/record.cfmid=348037.

To comment on or “like” this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.

SEN. DANIEL INOUYE, WHO DIED LAST DECEMBER, will be honored with the Presidential Medal of Freedom in Washington next week. The Presidential Medal of Freedom is the nation’s highest civilian honor. The award is presented to individuals who have made especially meritorious contributions to the security or national interests of the United States, to world peace, or to cultural or other significant public or private endeavors.

Inouye previously received the Medal of Honor, the nation’s highest military award.

Find out more at whitehouse.gov.

To comment on or “like” this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar

Dr. Dennis Elwell presented the new state Scenic Byways
logo that willsoon go up at educational signage sites along
Hwy 11. Photo by Julia Neal

OUTREACH TO THE COMMUNITY yesterday evening by the Ka`u Scenic Byway Committee was at Na`alehu Methodist Church, where the Chamber of Commerce Committee hosted displays of its work along Hwy 11 throughout the district.
Dr. Dennis Elwell presented the new logo for the statewide Scenic Byways program, which aims to educate locals and visitors about the geography, culture and natural history of the islands. Honu`apo Lookout could be the next educational signage place, following the recent installation of signage at South Point Lookout on Hwy 11. Educational kiosks and possibly coordinating with county and state government for restrooms along the scenic route are on the horizon. The byway committee is an effort of the Ka`u Chamber of Commerce, which also prints The Directory to Ka`u annually.

New scenic byways logo will soon go up at educational signage sites along Hwy 11.

To comment on or “like” this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.

Evan Enriques has earned a volleyball scholarship
to Stanford. Photo from Julie Enriques

HAWAI`I COUNTY BOARD OF ETHICS has unanimously dismissed a conflict of interest claim against Ka`u’s Council member Brenda Ford. Eric Weinert, general manager of Calavo Growers, which grows papayas, filed a petition against Ford after she introduced a bill banning genetically modified crops on Hawai`i Island. Weinert alleged that, because Ford grows non-GMO papayas commercially, she “is trying to ban competing farms from growing papaya.”

According to Nancy Cook Lauer reporting for West Hawai`i Today, Michael Matsukawa, Ford’s attorney, asked, “Would 41 trees have an impact on the marketplace? We don’t know.”

Cook Lauer reports that board member Glen Hisashima “wanted to be sure Ford had disclosed her farming activities to the council and the public. He said he’d be hard-pressed to see a conflict if the activity is 'disclosed and part of her legislative duties.’”

The code states, “No officer or employee shall take any official action directly affecting a business or other undertaking in which that officer or employee has a substantial financial interest.”

See westhawaiitoday.com.

To comment on or “like” this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar

KA`U NATIVE EARNS STANFORD UNIVERSITY VOLLEYBALL SCHOLARSHIP. This is the latest from Punalu`u mauka resident and Kamehameha School senior Evan Enriques, son of volleyball coach Guy Enriques and Julie Enriques. Evan, who is six-foot, two-inches tall, earns a 50 percent scholarship to play volleyball at Stanford University where he plans to study business. He was also offered scholarships from University of Hawai`i-Manoa, UCLA and USC. His high school career includes helping Kamehameha at Kea`au win the Big Island Interscholastic Championships for 2012. As a sophomore, he was named Player of the Year for the Hawai`i High School Athletic Association and also Most Valuable Player for BIIF in 2012 and 2013. He was also named MVP in the state tournament. Enriques made the all-state high school volleyball team for three years. His grade point average at Kamehameha is 4.0+.

Enriques played for an O`ahu volleyball team called Ka Ulukoa, which won the USA Volleyball National Championship for six consecutive years. The playoffs included taking on international teams. He also played on a Junior National Team and traveled to Mexico.

Evan was recruited by Stanford to be a libero, a back-row defensive specialist.

To comment on or “like” this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar

Palila: Original Hawaiian Lullaby, by Tanya Ibarra, of Pahala,
is displayed in Hawai`i Nei 2013 exhibit.

KA`U ARTISTS ARE AMONG the more than 300 Hawai`i Island artists featured in Hawai`i Nei, a juried exhibition at Wailoa Arts & Cultural Center in Hilo that features native species.

Artists from Ka`u with works chosen for the show include Tanya Ibarra, of Pahala, and Susan O`Malley, of Ocean View.

Also on display are works in various media by Kathleen Kam, who has taught art and painted murals in Ka`u, including those at Ka`u Coffee Mill. Her Palila Confection won first place in Palila Adult Professional category.

Several Volcano Village artists who have works in the show include Lisa Louise Adams, Margaret Barnaby, Emily Catey, Nancy Cheney, Lanaya Deily, Emily Herb, Caren Lobel-Fried, Chantelle Lucas, Claudia McCall, Liz Miller and Robert Peck.

The exhibit runs through Friday, Nov. 29. Wailoa Center is open weekdays except Wednesday morning. It is also open this Saturday only, 10:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.

For more information, see hawaiineiartcontest.org.

To comment on or “like” this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar

VOTING FOR NA`ALEHU SCHOOL COMMUNITY COUNCIL representatives ends tomorrow. Each family with children attending Na`alehu School received one ballot sent home with the oldest child in the family.

KA`U HIGH GIRLS BASKETBALL FOOD DRIVE AND TOURNAMENT takes place tomorrow and Saturday. Admission begins at 4 p.m. tomorrow and is $3 or two canned food items per person. The event continues Saturday at 9 a.m.

KAUAHA`AO CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH BAZAAR is Saturday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Laulau plates, barbeque plates, hotdogs and kulolo will be available for purchase. For space rental, call 928-8039.

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

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

Frank Aola Ke, Sr. will be inducted into the Paniolo Hall of Fame tomorrow. Photo from Paniolo Hall of Fame

FAMOUS KA`U PANIOLO FRANK AOLA KE, SR. will be inducted into the Paniolo Hall of Fame at the Hawai`i Cattlemen’s Council Annual Convention tomorrow. Ke worked at Hawaiian Ranch, now Kapapala Ranch, and was good friends with other Paniolo Hall of Fame members Tommy Kaniho and the late Gordon Cran.

The renowned paniolo was born on April 26,1925 at Ninole, Punalu`u in Ka`u, where he worked alongside his father, Pilipo Aola Ke. According to the Paniolo Hall of Fame, Ke “worked tirelessly to learn the skills of a paniolo until age 21” before joining the U.S. Army. After military service, he returned to work at Kapapala Ranch.

“Frank’s work in the wild territory of Ka`u took him from the cold mountainous hills of Keauhou Ranch to the rugged terrain of Ka`alu`alu Ranch,” states Paniolo Hall of Fame. “He rode mauka to makai side by side with other legendary paniolo like John Piper, Leighton Beck, Tommy Kaniho, Homer Hashimoto, Tom Ito and many others.

“Frank was as excellent at breaking horses and tending livestock as he was at rope and saddle making. He spent endless hours in the stable sharing his talent with other ranch `ohana. This soon became the legacy of his lifestyle. There was a saying among those he taught, ‘E A`o Mai I Na Mea E Ho`omaika`i A`e I Ka`u Hana;’ in other words, teach me to do better what I do.

“Frank participated annually at the Fourth of July rodeo in Na`alehu. He teamed with other paniolo `ohana competing through the day and enjoying the events. He was at the rodeo when polo was introduced but with only sawed-down brooms as mallets.

“Frank Aola Ke, Sr. lived through a whole era of ranching; he planted his mana`o on these rugged soils of Ka`u, saw the transformation of ranching to corporate ownership and always enjoyed the friendship of other paniolo until his passing in 1981.”

Ke was married to the late Lydia Aula Ke. Their living offspring are daughters, the twins Keamalu Woltjen and Sweetie Grace, of Pahala; Paulette Ke, of Hilo; Iris Kaui Baczkiewicz of Volcano; and Hale Perriera, of Hilo. The living sons are Darryl Ke, of Pahala and Wesely Ke, of O`ahu. Deceased are the restaurateur and chef Frank Ke, Jr., as well as Mark and Kealoha Ke.

To comment on or “like” this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.

Senator and physician
Josh Green

THE ACCREDITATION COUNCIL FOR GRADUATE MEDICAL EDUCATION recently informed Hilo Medical Center officials that its Hawai`i Island Family Medicine Residency program has met the requirements for a two-year accreditation, effective July 1, 2014.

“Having a local residency on the Big Island is a game changer for us in Ka`u because 85 percent of those trained locally stay and practice locally,” said Sen. Josh Green, West Ka`u's state senator who has served as a physician at Ka`u Hospital. Ka`u Hospital expects to benefit from the program.

Legislatively known as the Hawai`i Health Systems Corporation Primary Care Training Program, the the campaign is gearing up to attract candidates interested in learning the art of Family Medicine along with a team of pharmacists, nurses, nurse practitioners and psychologists. It will welcome the first class of four residents in the summer.

“The accreditation of the HHSC Primary Care Training Program is one of the most important milestones in the history of our program,” said Howard Ainsley, East Hawai`i Regional CEO of HHSC. “Thanks to the collective effort to achieve accreditation, we will be able to move forward in solving the primary care physician shortage in our state and bring better health outcomes to our community.”

According to a report by the Hawai`i Physician Workforce Assessment Project presented at the 2013 Legislative Session, Hawai`i Island saw a 34 percent physician shortage in 2012, with 341 physicians in supply compared to 514 physicians in demand or needed to adequately care for the island’s population.

Supporters of the HHSC PCTP created a wave of momentum during the 2013 state legislative session that saw House Bill 417 appropriating $1.8 million to the program signed and released by then acting governor Shan Tsutsui in August and October, respectively. The bill was co-introduced by Ka`u's Reps. Denny Coffman and Richard Onishi, among others.

HMC officials, with the Hilo Medical Center Foundation, garnered legislative support through outreach to the community, local businesses and county and state legislators.

Preparations for the 2014 legislative session are underway to seek sustained funding for the program.

For more, see hilomedicalcenterfoundation.org and hifmr.org.

To comment on or “like” this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.

Hawai`i Health Connector reports a steady flow of applicants.

HAWAI`I HEALTH CONNECTOR, THE ONLINE health insurance marketplace for Hawai`i, has attracted a steady flow of applicants through the beginning of this month.

Hawai`i Health Connector was established as a nonprofit organization in 2011 by the state Legislature in order to comply with the federal Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010.

“Our team has been working around the clock to promote access to coverage, to assist with enrollment and to take calls from the interested residents of Hawai`i,” said Coral Andrews, executive director of Hawai`i Health Connector. “This multi-pronged approach that leverages our Contact Center, our Kokua and our dedicated staff is proving to be effective in processing applications as quickly and efficiently as possible to ensure the community has easy access to the enrollment process.”

Coral Andrews

Andrews said the initial reported numbers reflect both individuals directly enrolling in qualified health plans as well as those who are seeking financial assistance through either the Department of Human Services or Federal Advance Premium Tax Credit/Cost Sharing Reduction plans.

The Connector expects enrollment figures to climb as the Dec. 15 deadline nears for payment for coverage that begins Jan. 1. “We’re gearing up for the anticipated increase in activity on our web portal, through our Contact Center and in coordination with our community-based marketplace assister organizations,” Andrews said.

Marketplace assister organizations continue to be added to conduct outreach and education for the open enrollment period.

According to Andrews, the Connector’s aim is an online marketplace that is of Hawai`i-for-Hawai`i, one that takes into account the state’s unique culture and works with the Prepaid Health Care Act, an employer mandate for health insurance coverage in effect since 1974.

For more information, see HawaiiHealthConnector.com.

To comment on or “like” this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.

COLLECTION OF ITEMS TO BE SENT TO TYPHOON HAIYAN-YOLANDA disaster victims continues through Thursday at R&G Store behind Bank of Hawai`i in Pahala and Will & Grace Store in Na`alehu. Suggested items to donate are rice, clothing and ready to eat, easy to open foods and such health items as soap, shampoo, toothpaste and toothbrushes. Gloria Camba, a director of the Big Island Filipino Community Council, said a company called LBC is shipping goods free to the Philippines for distribution by disaster assistance organizations.

For more information, call Camba at 928-8558 or 928-8155 or Amy Peralta at 928-8470. Call Will & Grace at 929-9993.

To comment on or “like” this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.

Ka`u Trojans open up gift boxes of equipment from the U.S. Soccer Foundation for
this year's season. Teacher Dave Berry, right, asked U.S. Soccer for help.
Photo by Julia Neal

KA`U HIGH SOCCER PLAYERS received free soccer equipment from the U.S. Soccer Foundation this morning. The foundation’s Passback Program has collected and redistributed over 900,000 pieces of soccer equipment to children in underserved communities since 2002. Ka`u High teacher Dave Berry has been involved with Passbook during his teaching years on the mainland and here in Ka`u. The program works when dedicated individuals, soccer clubs and organizations collect and donate soccer equipment, enabling Passback “to bring the game of soccer to children who love the sport but don’t have the resources to play. It takes one soccer ball to change the life of a child,” says the U.S. Soccer Foundation’s website.

See ussoccerfoundation.org/our-programs.passback#sthash.jpKivk72.dpuf.

To comment on or “like” this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.

KA`U HIGH GIRLS BASKETBALL FOOD DRIVE AND TOURNAMENT takes place today and tomorrow. Admission begins at 4 p.m. today and is $3 or two canned food items per person. The event continues tomorrow at 9 a.m.

KAUAHA`AO CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH BAZAAR is tomorrow from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Laulau plates, barbeque plates, hotdogs and kulolo will be available for purchase. For space rental, call 928-8039.

Ho`omalu Ka`u is raising funds for Heritage Center of Ka`u, for which ground was
broken in March.

HO`OMALU KA`U, A NEW COMMUNITY-BASED NONPROFIT that is planning the Heritage Center of Ka`u, is holding a Silent Auction and Rummage Sale a week from tomorrow on Saturday, Nov. 23 from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Na`alehu Hongwanji Mission.

“We will have some fabulous items at our silent auction from 8 a.m. to noon next to our Coffee Bar, where we will be selling hot coffee, hot tea and baked goods,” said organizer Lehua Lopez.

Items for sale include furniture, clothing, tools, electronic equipment, books, lamps, kitchen items, household goods, appliances, magazines, etc.

Donations of rummage items are accepted anytime. The group is setting up next Friday, Nov. 22 at the Hongwanji and is asking for volunteer help on both days.

To donate or volunteer, contact Lopez at 929-9891 or 88hale@gmail.com.

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

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

Cattle between Pahala and Na`alehu could be replaced by biofuel crops under the AKP plan, which received new testimony
posted yesterday by the Public Utilities. Photo by Julia Neal

COFFEE AND MACADAMIA PICKERS FROM THAILAND, some of them staying in homes in Ka`u during their employment with Global Horizons, Inc. several years ago, are long gone. However, an undisclosed settlement has been crafted between the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, Global Horizons, Inc., Global Horizons Manpower, Inc. and at least one farm, accused of substandard living conditions for workers.
Involved are five Hawai`i farms, one of them, MacFarms of Hawai`i, which draws a majority of its local workers from Ka`u to its macadamia orchards just north of the Ka`u and South Kona district borders. The other companies are Captain Cook Coffee Co., Kelena Farms, Del Monte Fresh Produce of Hawai`i and Kaua`i Coffee Co. The lawsuit by the federal government focuses on working and living conditions, including the accusation that 20 Mac Farm workers, hired by Global Horizons, were crowded into a house in Na`alehu that was ill-equipped for even five persons. According to the allegations, the accommodations “lacked a fully functioning toilet, toilet paper, and hot water and had a buckling kitchen floor.”

Most coffee pickers come from the local community since the crack down by the
federal government. Photo by Geneveve Fyvie

Global Horizons president Mordechai Orian visited Ka`u several times while contracting to provide coffee and macadamia nut pickers here. He said he was unfairly accused in the U.S. government’s largest human-trafficking case in history. Charges were dismissed in 2012. Global Horizons, originating in Israel, provided workers from countries around the world for various tasks from concrete and stone work in fast growing Middle East resort cities to harvesting crops in Hawai`i and Washington state. Orian said that Thai workers were some of the best for farming because they came to the U.S. to work and took the money back home where they were happy with their lives and their families. Few tried to stay in this country illegally, he contended.
However, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission contended in a public statement that “between 2003 and 2007, Global Horizons enticed Thai male nationals into working at the farms with the false promises of steady, high-paying agricultural jobs along with temporary visas allowing them to live and work in the U.S. legally. The opportunity came at a price: high recruitment fees creating an insurmountable debt for the Thai workers. When they reached the U.S., Global Horizons confiscated the workers’ passports and threatened deportation if they complained, which set the tone for the abuses to come. The Thai workers were assigned to work at six farms in Hawai`i (Captain Cook Coffee Company, Del Monte Fresh Produce, Kaua`i Coffee Company, Kelena Farms, MacFarms of Hawai`i, and Maui Pineapple Farms) and two farms in Washington (Green Acre Farms and Valley Fruit Orchards), harvesting a variety of items from pineapples to coffee beans. The EEOC asserts that the farms not only ignored abuses, but also participated in the obvious mistreatment, intimidation, harassment, and unequal pay of the Thai workers,” the federal statement contended.
Since the federal suit, many coffee and macadamia farmers have shied away from foreign workers and attempted to hire more local pickers, particularly from the Micronesian community that lives here and sends children to the local public schools.
The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s attorney David Lopez, has scheduled a press conference in Los Angeles for this Monday, Nov. 18, to announce the settlement involving Global Horizons and at least one of the farms involved in the investigation.
To comment on or “like” this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.

Pastures would be cleared of trees, shrubs and grasses in favor of biofuel crops.
Photo by Julia Neal

`AINA KOA PONO’S PLAN to harvest trees, shrubs and grasses from lands between Pahala and Na`alehu and to plant biofuel crops to feed a $400 million refinery to be built off Wood Valley Road has gained more testimony. The new testimony proposes to prevent the electric utilities from charging customers for the expense of attorneys and staff they used to support the AKP proposal and to reimburse government agencies that spent money on the issue.
After a month without new AKP letters published on the state Public Utilities Commission website, the PUC yesterday posted the proposal and analysis from an undisclosed source. The anonymous testimony refers to the expense of debating the issue, which led the County of Hawai`i to assign its attorneys and hire a consultant to fight the electric rate increases proposed by the electric utilities to support the AKP plan. Hawai`i Electric Light Co. and Hawaiian Electric Co. have used their staff and attorneys to support AKP.
The unnamed author writes: “The process has been lengthy and expensive for both the taxpayers and the ratepayers. Consider that the combined number of PUC document pages for AKP-1 (the first AKP proposal that was turned down by the PUC) and AKP-2 (now before the PUC) is currently about 6,000. The majority of those pages were prepared or vetted by attorneys for the PUC, County of Hawai`i, Consumer Affairs, and DEBDT (all taxpayer funded) or by attorneys for HECO/HELCO (ratepayer funded). In addition, there were numerous public hearings, private meetings, consultants hired, staff salaries, etc. It's anybody's guess as to how much this all adds up to, but it is probably a few million dollars.
“A rudimentary engineering analysis of the data that was available to HELCO at the time of the AKP-1 application would have shown that the mass balance (in the plan to use a new microwave process to make the biofuel) was fatally flawed. Any competent engineer should have immediately looked at such a new process with an eye towards whether or not it is thermodynamically possible. The two consulting firms that HELCO hired to perform due diligence were unable to make such an evaluation and returned reports that were essentially disguised condemnations of the process and yet HELCO pressed ahead with the application.
“The point is that all this could have been avoided had HECO/HELCO done an appropriate level of objective due diligence before embarking on this ordeal. They did not. The purpose of this document is to demonstrate that failure and to propose that HECO/HELCO be held accountable."

Proposed `Aina Koa Pono refinery site off Wood Valley Road. Photo by Julia Neal

Concerning the first AKP proposal, which was turned down by the PUC, the writer points to the consultant Det Norske Veritas’ analysis, which “clearly states that their experts were unable to make a technical assessment of the technology due to lack of information.
“Paragraph 4.1.1 "...the revenue explained in the proposal is based on production of 32 million gallons of biodiesel per year however the DNV assessor could only credibly account for 23 million gallons of biodiesel per year." This is a clear indication that what little information provided to DNV was so grossly in error that their assessor could not rationalize it.
“Paragraph 4.1.2 "... nearly all essential data is missing regarding this aspect of the proposal, including overall mass and energy balances."
“DNV keys in on two critical issues: where does the oxygen go and where does the hydrogen come from? "...Given the chemical composition of the proposed feedstock compared to the claimed composition of the product, huge amounts of an oxygen-rich by-product (possibly C02) must be generated in the reactor. However, the proposal claims that C02 is produced in "small to nonexistent quantities". In addition, several process steps are not fully described and seem to involve chemicals not mentioned (e.g. ''H2 enrichment').
“In other words DNV did no fundamental technical evaluation of a process,” the writer contends.

Hopper at `Aina Koa Pono test facility in North Carolina.
Photo from `Aina Koa Pono

Concerning another analysis for the first AKP proposal, the writer points to the HERTY Assessment’s Executive Summary, Page 5: “‘...the majority of the available data was generated at the bench facility.’ Giassware (1.5 kg/batch) demonstration is just the first step in developing a chemical process. The pitfalls between glassware and commercialization are numerous and costly.
“Paragraph 1.3 ‘Mass and energy balances can be done around each unit operation of the process and around the entire process. Such an analysis is not part of the scope of work for the current assessment.’ A mass and energy balance is the key to determining the feasibility of a process and must be an integral part of the due diligence.
“Paragraph 5.3 ‘Work Is underway by BFT to measure key gas properties.’ This statement indicated that virtually nothing was known about one of the three major output streams.
“Paragraph 6 ‘Measurement and comparison of condensed oil quality with fuel standards is underway. More extensive product analysis data is needed on all three products on AKP feedstocks.’ In other words there was not enough information available to make a technical judgment.
“In other words HERTY did no fundamental technical evaluation of a process.”
The anonymous author, published by the PUC, concludes that “Both of the companies hired by HECO/HELCO to perform due diligence expressed serious concerns about the lack of data available to them and the state of development of the technology. Even an engineering undergraduate student could have examined the claims made in the application and determined that the mass balance was impossible.
“Nevertheless, HECO/HELCO pushed ahead with the application based on a process that was still in the glassware stage and little more than a pie-in-the-sky idea. This irresponsible action resulted in substantial expense to the ratepayers and taxpayers.
“HECO/HELCO should therefore not be allowed to include the associated expenses in their rate base and should reimburse the State and County of Hawai`i for their costs as well,” the writer recommends.
To comment on or “like” this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.

DONATIONS OF GOODS to be shipped free to Philippines typhoon disaster victims are due Monday, according to organizer Gloria Camba, a director of the Big Island Filipino Community Council. She said the canned goods, tooth paste, soaps and other items will be taken to Hilo on Monday night for shipment to PI, courtesy of the company. However, monetary donations will be accepted on an ongoing basis at both the R&G store in Pahala and the Will & Grace store in Na`alehu, she said. Those who want to help can also donate online through the American Red Cross.

BASKETBALL SCORES from last night’s Trojan hosted tournament at Ka`u High School Gym are in. Ka`u girls beat Kealakehe 36 to 35 with a last-second shot by Kerrilynn Domondon. High scorers for Ka`u were Domondon with 15 and Shyann Flores-Carvalho with 9, reports Kalei Namohala, Ka`u High’s Athletic Director.
In the other game, Pahoa beat Lapahoehoe 64-15. The tournament continues today.

Caren Loebel-Fried will demonstrate block carving.
Photo from Volcano Art Center

CANNED GOODS and dry food items are being collected during the high school girls basketball tournament today at Ka`u High School gym in Pahala. One can of food earns free admission.

CHRISTMAS IN THE COUNTRY begins Friday, Nov. 22 with an exhibit at Volcano Art Center Niaulani Campus in Volcano Village to showcase artists who will teach workshops and classes in the upcoming year. From 2 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. take in free art activities for adults and kids, including Make your own Holiday Card, and Paint the Volcano, in the Hale Ho'omana Education Building at the Niaulani Campus on Old Volcano Hwy.
On Saturday, Nov. 23rd, festivities at Volcano Art Center Gallery in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park begin with the renowned wreath exhibit, unique handmade ornaments for sale, demos by well known local artists, book and print signings, and a visit by Santa Claus.

Beloved Volcano artist Dietrich Varez and author David Eyre will sign their books and prints on Saturday, Nov. 23 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., and will be joined by Nancee Cline from 1 p.m. - 4 p.m,
signing her book Queen Emma's Church in Kealakekua, Crossroads of Culture. Caren Loebel-Fried will demonstrate block carving and printing on Sunday, Nov. 24 from 11 a.m. - 3 p.m. She will also sign and personalize her books and prints.
In advance of Volcano Art Center's 40th anniversary in 2014, a limited edition poster has been created, featuring a stunning photo of the active Halema'ma'u crater by well known architect and photographer Boone Morrison. Morrison will be at Volcano Art Center Gallery to sign posters on Sunday, Nov. 24 from 11 a.m. to 4 pm. Posters will be available for purchase at the Gallery.
The upcoming events are inspired by the motto of Volcano Art Center: Where People, Art & Nature Thrive. All activities and demos are free of charge, but park entrance fees may apply. For questions and further information, call the Volcano Art Center Gallery at 808-967-7565.

To comment on or “like” this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.

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

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

New gym is rising at Ka`u High School, where volleyballs and basketballs will almost never hit the ceiling. The $17 million structure will
also serve as a community disaster shelter. The gym is scheduled to be completed sometime in 2014, built by Summit Construction.
See weekend Trojan girls basketball scores and photos below. Photo by Julia Neal

MAYOR BILLY KENOI IS SEEKING $61 MILLION IN NEW BONDS for 23 projects islandwide, reports Hawai`i Tribune-Herald. Kenoi’s requests include $20 million for a new park on county-owned property in Pahoa Village, $9 million for upgrades to Old Kona Airport Park in Kailua-Kona, $2.5 million for the first phase of a district park in Waimea, $2.5 million for the Honoka`a rodeo arena, $1.5 million to replace the clubhouse at Hilo Municipal Golf Course and $1 million for a park in Kona’s Ali`i Kai subdivision.

Ka`u Trojan girls basketball team played other BIIF teams from
around the island Friday and yesterday. Photo by Julia Neal

   Other projects include road extensions and repairs, new and renovated playgrounds, upgrades to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act, repair for neglected parks facilities and money for sewer improvements and land purchases.
   Nancy Cook Lauer reports that Kenoi said projects would be completed within three years of council authorization. According to the story, Kenoi cited the need to improve neglected county facilities and provide new infrastructure in rapidly growing areas. “Now’s that time,” Kenoi said. “We’re committed to a very aggressive schedule. We’re not going to ask for authorization and create an expectation without getting it done in a timely fashion.”
   Cook Lauer said that, according to Finance director Nancy Crawford, the county’s fund balance as of June 30 is $37.3 million, its highest level ever.
   The story says the issues would raise annual payments on bonds to 13.4 percent of total annual expenditures, which is below the 15 percent ceiling recommended by the Government Finance Officers Association, and that he county received good reports from the three major credit-reporting agencies when it previously put up for sale $97.2 million in bonds.
   Kenoi said it is a good time to work on these projects because of conservative budgets, a rebounding economy, reasonable construction costs and low interest rates.
   “It was very strategic. It’s a great opportunity,” Kenoi said. “These projects aren’t going to get any cheaper.”
   Hawai`i County Council Finance Committee will consider the requests at its Dec. 3 meeting.
   To comment on or “like” this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.

BOATERS HAVE A YEAR TO TAKE A BOATING SAFETY COURSE approved by the National Association of Boating Law Administrators and the state of Hawai`i. The law requiring the course went into effect last November and provided for a two-year period before the rule could be enforced to allow Department of Land and Natural Resources time to develop multiple compliance methods and give the boating community time to make use of those methods to become compliant.

   Enforcement of the new rule will begin on the second anniversary of the rule’s effective date, Nov. 10, 2014. After that date, boaters will be required to show proof of successful completion of an approved boating safety course.
   “Our primary goal in pursuing and formalizing the Mandatory Education rule was safety,” said William Aila, Jr., DLNR chairperson. “In Hawai`i, approved boating safety courses must include Hawai`i-specific information that can help our boaters survive at sea after an accident or better yet, help boaters avoid trouble so their sea voyages are safe and enjoyable. It is our hope that boaters will not perceive mandatory education as a burden but rather as a way to ensure safety for our `ohana and enhance their enjoyment of our waters,” Aila said.
   Any person violating the rule can be fined not less than $50 and not more than $1,000 or sentenced to a term of imprisonment of not more than thirty days, or both, for each violation. The court may also prevent an individual from operating a vessel in state waters for up to 30 days.

Ka`u High School girls basketball team hosted the tournament. Photo by Julia Neal

   The division has worked with boating safety partners to provide Internet and classroom courses, is nearing completion on a home-study course and plans to issue its own proof of compliance cards. People who have previously taken NASBLA boating courses may be able to take an abbreviated course on state-specific information to comply with the new rule.
   Boating Education Requirements Do Make a Difference, a study released in 2007 by NASBLA, showed that states with the longest history of mandatory education had the lowest boating fatality rates. According to the study, states with no boating education requirements in place have the highest average fatality rates, and states that have had boating education requirements in place for more than 20 years have an average fatality rate of 3.89 persons per 100,000 registered boats.
   Hawai`i ranked fifth on the list of highest fatality rates in the year the study was finalized.
   In 2011, Hawai`i had a fatality rate of approximately 44 per 100,000 vessels, second worst in the nation. In 2012, Hawai`i had a fatality rate of approximately 37 per 100,000 vessels.
   Information and how to sign up for courses is posted on the DOBOR website at dlnr.hawaii.gov/dobor/mandatory-boating-safety-education-qa. Hawai`i Island residents can also call the office in Kona at 327-3690.
   To comment on or “like” this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.

Shai Lopez-Castaneda helps with the food drive at
theweekend Trojan girls basketball tournament.
Photo by Julia Neal

HAWAI`I COUNTY COUNCIL HAS MEETINGS scheduled this week. The council reconvenes Tuesday to continue its discussion of Bill 113, which bans genetically modified organisms on Hawai`i Island, with some exemptions. The council’s regular meeting takes place Wednesday. Both meetings begin at 9 a.m. at West Hawai`i Civic Center in Kona.
   Ka`u residents can participate via videoconferencing at Ocean View Community Center.
   To comment on or “like” this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.

EARTH PATRIOT GRAPHIC ART COMPETITION is open to aspiring young artists ages 13 to 22 from Ka`u and all of Hawai`i. The goals of the competition are to increase knowledge and understanding about the concepts of sustainability and biodiversity and to promote environmental awareness and action by youth in Hawai`i. The winner of the competition will receive a $100 cash prize and products from Earth Patriot Productions.
   The company works in partnership with Performing and Fine Artists for World Peace, a nonprofit art and education organization and the recipient of the United Nations Peace Messenger Award. They are currently working with other nonprofit organizations, businesses, schools and government agencies promoting the United Nations Decade on Biodiversity.
   For more information about the competition, email artpeace@hawaiiantel.net, call 985-8725 or see earthpatriotproductions.com.
   To comment on or “like” this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.

KA`U TROJANS GIRLS BASKETBALL TEAM made the finals of the tournament held at Ka`u High School Gym this weekend, with Ka`u’s Bridget Pasion taking first in the three-point contest and Ka`u’s Kerrilynn Domondon taking first in the Gotcha contest.
   Also a fundraiser for the food bank, the tournament saw the Trojans beat Laupahoehoe 48-25, with Bridget Paison, of the Trojans, scoring 14 points. The second game saw Pahoa beat Kealakehe 59-22. In the third matchup, Pahoa beat Ka`u 29-12, with Trojan Deisha Gascon leading the scoring by Ka`u with four points. The fourth game saw Kealakehe outscoring Laupahoehoe 35-21. The final playoff game featured Denisha Navarro scoring 10 points, hoping to hold back Pahoa from the win. Daggers took the tournament over Ka`u, 58-35.

Ka`u High School Gym was filled with basketball action yesterday and Friday.
Photo by Julia Neal

TOMORROW IS THE DEADLINE FOR DONATIONS of goods to be shipped free to Philippines typhoon disaster victims, according to organizer Gloria Camba, a director of the Big Island Filipino Community Council. Canned goods, toothpaste, soaps and other items will be taken to Hilo Monday night for shipment. Monetary donations will be accepted on an ongoing basis at R&G store in Pahala and Will & Grace store in Na`alehu. Those who want to help can also donate online through the American Red Cross.

HA`AO SPRINGS & MOUNTAIN HOUSE AG WATER CO-OP’S meeting scheduled for Wednesday, Nov. 20 is cancelled. The business plan will be discussed, and a new board will be elected, at the group’s annual meeting on Dec. 19.

KAHUKU JUNIOR RANGER DAY IS THIS COMING SATURDAY, Nov. 23 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Keiki of all ages are invited to join park rangers in exploring Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park’s Kahuku Unit and connecting the culture, people, and `aina through `oli, GPS and compass on a short and easy walk. Ka`ohu Monfort shares her knowledge and love of the island’s native medicinal plants and how they are used to heal and nourish. At least one adult must accompany the children. Free; registration required. Call 985-6019.

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

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

Jade Tredinnick, a student at Volcano School of Arts & Sciences, came to Ka`u yesterday morning to volunteer in establishing tea plantings for area farms. Also helping were her parents Hal and April Tredinnick, as well as Jerryl Mauhili, from Weilele O Akaka Botanical Garden and Farms. Photo by Julia Neal

HAWAI`I COUNTY’S PROPOSED BILL to ban genetically modified organisms “bans us from helping ourselves,” says Richard Ha in Civil Beat. Ha owns Hamakua Springs Country Farms and also promotes geothermal energy.

Richard Ha

“Biotech solutions generally lower costs,” Ha says. “They can help increase production, whether it’s with university-developed solutions that help plants resist diseases and pests, or biotech solutions that allow plants to manufacture their own nitrogen so we don’t have to import fertilizer (which requires electricity to produce and oil to get to Hawai`i).

“Then we will be able to rely on natural sunlight for our primary energy, which gives us a tremendous, and not common, advantage - we can grow crops here all year around. Insects, pests and weeds grow all year around, too, though, and biotech can safely help us with those problems so we will become even more sustainable and competitive.”

According to Ha, using appropriate biotech solutions, along with geothermal energy, “can give us a huge advantage over the rest of the world, and make life better for us here at home, but we don’t have much time. We have to let science and technology prevail so we can move forward, not stagnate nor fall behind, and we have to get on this now.

“There is some unwarranted fear about using biotechnology, but know that all the major scientific organizations in the world say foods created with biotechnology are as safe as those created otherwise,” Ha writes.

Hawai`i County Council reconvenes tomorrow to continue its discussion of Bill 113, which bans genetically modified organisms on Hawai`i Island, with some exemptions. The public hearing begins at 9 a.m. at West Hawai`i Civic Center in Kona.

Ka`u residents can participate via videoconferencing at Ocean View Community Center.

See more at civilbeat.com.

To comment on or “like” this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.

Ka`u CDP's draft Appendix V4C: Local Economic Development Analysis covers
Ka`u's agricultural resources.

RECENTLY RELEASED DRAFT DOCUMENTS for Ka`u Community Development Plan discuss various sectors of the local economy. One of the sectors is agriculture, and the documents say Ka`u has a solid base from which the agricultural industry will continue to grow moving forward. Appendix V4C: Local Economic Development Analysis breaks ag production into categories:

“Coffee: With more than 500 acres in production, Ka`u’s coffee cottage industry is growing and increasingly being recognized as one of the best coffees internationally.
Macadamia Nuts: With more than 5,000 acres in production, Ka`u is already one of the largest macadamia nut producers and processors in the state.
Truck Crops: With more than five percent of the island’s truck crop production occurring in Ka`u, there’s great potential for added growth in this sub-sector, particularly with increased spending by residents on locally produced vegetables.
Ranching: With the growing market for local, grass-fed beef, the cattle industry is likely to continue playing an important role in Ka`u.
Forestry: Kamehameha School has dedicated most of their former cane lands in the Pahala area to the production of roughly 3,000 acres of commercial eucalyptus forestry.

“These potential growth areas for agriculture are also supported by the growth in agricultural tourism and the farmers markets and community and school gardens that raise awareness and educate the general public about the need to support locally produced food.

“However, for expansion to occur, especially for small farming operations, the following challenges will need to be addressed:

Infrastructure – access to water, affordable lands, and processing and production facilities;
Input Costs – access to reliable labor and affordable energy;
Capital & Technical Support – access to capital, marketing, distribution, and research and development support systems.”

Appendix V4C is available to read at area libraries and community centers and online at kaucdp.info. The public can submit testimony through Dec. 16 using a feedback form at kaucdp.info.

To comment on or “like” this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.

Bridget and dad Lee Segawa, of Ka`u Coffee Mill farm,
help prepare for tea cuttings to be grown in Ka`u and
the Volcano area. Photo by Julia Neal

READY FOR TEA? Volunteers prepared thousands of planting tubes for tea cuttings yesterday to support tea plantations at Volcano School of Arts & Sciences, Pahala Plantation Cottages, Segawa family farms and farms associated with Center For Hawaiian Music Studies. The effort, led by Eva Lee, of Volcano, places tea cuttings in a mist nursery at Ka`u Coffee Mill through a program sponsored by U.S. Department of Agriculture and The Kohala Center. It will take eight months to about a year for the tea to be ready to go into the ground. In Ka`u, other tea planting nurseries are being established at Ocean View and Wai`ohinu. The tea is the traditional type that is popular for drinking around the world made from cultivars of Camellia sinensis, which produces white, green oolong and black tea.

See more on Eva Lee at teahawaii.com.

To comment on or “like” this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.

KA`U HOSPITAL'S COMMUNITY STEERING COMMITTEE to help plan the future of health care in Ka`u meets Wednesday at noon at Pahala Community Center. Steering committee members solicit ideas from Ka`u residents to help with development of the plan. Steering committee members who can be contacted by the public include Jessie Marques, of Ka`u Rural Health Community Association, Inc.; Ursula D’Angelo, Yisrael Gorali and Donna Masaniai, of the hospital’s charitable foundation; Ka`u High & Pahala Elementary School principal Sharon Beck; Gregg Kishaba, of the state Department of Health; Iwao Yonemitsu, retired sugar company supervisor; Ron Ebert, a pastor and member of `O Ka`u Kakou; and Julie Pasquale, of the nutrition program at Pahala Senior Center.

The assessment and planning for the future of the hospital will stem “from the community’s perspective as to health care needs and from analysis of data and information from the public health department, other data sources, survey results and an economic impact study,” according to a presentation by state Primary Care department facilitators R. Scott Daniels and Gregg Kishaba during last month’s meeting.

To comment on or “like” this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.

TODAY IS THE DEADLINE FOR DONATIONS of goods to be shipped free to Philippines typhoon disaster victims. Canned goods, toothpaste, soaps and other items will be taken to Hilo tonight for shipment. Monetary donations will be accepted on an ongoing basis at R&G store in Pahala and Will & Grace store in Na`alehu. Those who want to help can also donate online through the American Red Cross.

Darlene Ahuna

THE ANNUAL THANKSGIVING RUBBER BAND TURKEY SHOOT takes place Wednesday from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. at Pahala Community Center. All ages are welcome. Call Nona at 928-3102.

VOCALIST AND MUSICIAN DARLENE AHUNA performs Wednesday from 6:30 to 8 p.m. at Kilauea Visitor Center Auditorium. Ahuna is best known for her falsetto renditions of traditional Hawaiian, hula and hapa-haole standards. Bestowed with numerous Na Hoku Hanohano awards for her vocals, Ahuna is a mainstay at the Merrie Monarch Festival and has represented the island of Hawai`i while entrancing audiences in Japan and across the U.S. mainland. Part of Hawai`i Volcanoes’ ongoing Na Leo Manu “Heavenly Voices” series. Free; park entrance fees apply.

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

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

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

A three-year old female nene focuses on fattening up for nesting season while her mate stands guard.
Photo from Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park

NENE ARE PAIRING UP IN HAWAI`I VOLCANOES NATIONAL PARK now through April. Park goers could get lucky and see geese couples flying overhead or grazing with goslings. While nene are present in the park year-round, this window of time is for breeding and nesting and vital for survival. During this season, female nene focus on building fat reserves in order to lay eggs and survive the 30-day incubation. A few females have started to nest in the park, and their mates are dutifully standing guard. Since onlookiers can unknowingly disturb nesting nene, the park may temporarily close certain areas to give nene families a break from human interference.

Nene are pairing up at Hawai`i Volcanoes National
Park for the nesting season. Photo by Julia Neal

“Nene are most vulnerable to vehicles this time of year. They are focused on eating and could be out foraging from dawn to dusk. They blend in with their surroundings, and in low-light periods, they are especially hard for motorists to spot,” said Kathleen Misajon, Nēnē Recovery Project manager.
One critical stretch of highway where nene have been killed in the past is between Pahala and the park on Hwy 11 along the Kapalala Ranch and park boundaries.
The park posted nene crossing signs to highlight key roadside areas that nene use. These include sections of Hwy 11, Crater Rim Drive, and Chain of Craters Road. Motorists are urged to use extra caution in signed nene crossing areas, and to obey posted speed limits.
Nene are endangered, and in the mid-1940s, only 50 birds remained. Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park began efforts to recover the species in the 1970s. The Nene Recovery Program continues today, and more than 200 birds thrive in the park from sea level to around 8,000 feet. As many as 2,000 or more nene exist statewide.
“We’ve had a great deal of success protecting nene and maintaining the population in the park,” said Misajon. “But it is imperative that humans keep a respectful distance from the geese, especially during this sensitive time.”
Visit http://www.nps.gov/havo/photosmultimedia/nene_psa.htm for more information. To report nene on the road in the park, call the park dispatch at 985-6001. Outside the park, call state Department of Land & Natural Resources at 974-4221.

To comment on or “like” this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.

AS THE KA`U COMMUNITY awaits the decision from the state Public Utilities Commission regarding whether to build a large refinery off of Wood Valley Road to process trees, shrubs and plants from 11,000 acres between Pahala and Na`alehu to manufacture biofuel, a story in the Los Angeles Times yesterday explains the military's willingness to pay high prices for biofuel.
`Aina Koa Pono, with a number of its founders and promoters retired military officers, have said their end goal is to make biofuel for transportation, including the military. In the meantime, they hope to win approval for a 20 year contract to sell biofuel to Hawau`i Electric Light Company and Hawaiian Electric Co. at a reported $200 a barrel, which is much higher than the going rate for fossil fuel. Mayor Billy Kenoi said he wants cheaper not more expensive alternative energies and opposes the contract that would lock in energy prices to local ratepayers, with the county being HELCO’s biggest customer on this island.

The AKP proposal to manufacture biofuel would mean switching pasture and possible future coffee lands to biofuel crops between
Pahala and Na`alehu. Photo by Julia Neal

The LA Times story by Evan Halper story mentions the U.S. Navy powering ships near Hawai`i with experimental biofuels. "Executives at bioenergy startups in the Sand Francisco Bay Area, Chicago and elsewhere - and the venture capitalists backing them - had reason to cheer. The Obama administration has made the military, the largest consumer of energy in the country, a financial lifeline for cash-strapped alternative fuel innovators," reports the LA Times. "But the pilot voyage of the Navy's 'great green fleet' came with a troubling aspect: price." writes Halper. "The fleet's green fuel costs $26 a gallon, several times more than conventional diesel and jet fuel. And the costly experiment came just as the military moved into an era of deep budget cuts. Republicans in Congress have howled over he price tag, and they're not alone. Some independent energy experts doubt the military's projections that spending on pioneering technology will yield sufficient benefits.

"Pentagon officials argue that national security justifies the drive for new fuels, even at initially high prices. Remaining a the mercy of global oil markets poses too high a risk, they say, arguing that using military purchasing power to jump-start new industries eventually will make alternative fuel prices competitive."

The story says that "critics contend the spending will line the pockets of lucky entrepreneurs, not bolster national defense of help the environment. The article quotes Ike Kiefer, a recently retired Navy captain and faculty member at the U.S. Air Force War College, who has spent the last few years studying the fuel purchases. "When you look at the absolute limits of what is possible, it doesn't work," he said. "This is not a question of waiting for another generation of technology." The LA Times also notes that the Rand Corp. "declared in a 2011 report commissioned by the Pentagon that "'there is no direct benefit to the Department of Defense or the services from using alternative fuels.'"
The story also points out that government has historically taken these risks with success in boosting new industries: “In the 1890s, when the Navy built its first steel ships, the fleet paid double the price that European suppliers were offering to jump-start a domestic oil industry, Navy Secretary Ray Mabus recently wrote in Foreign Policy magazine, defending the biofuels effort. The transition from ships powered by sail to coal, coal to oil, and oil to nuclear would not have happened without upfront investment and faith in innovation, he wrote.

A living Bee Beard will be displayed at this weekend's
Honey Festival at Nani Mau Gardens.

Reports the LA Times: “In that spirit, the administration is going ahead with plans to spend $510 million to help construct advanced biofuel plants. The Navy intends to start purchasing 170 million gallons of biofuel a year to meet its goal of getting half its energy from renewable sources by 2020.
"In Pleasanton, Calif., Fulcrum BioEnergy was having a hard time attracting investors for plans to convert 550 tons of trash per day into fuel that can be poured directly into gas tanks — until the Navy stepped in. Now, the Pentagon is committing as much as $70 million to Fulcrum's plans. The military funding is contingent on companies attracting an equal amount from private investors, which Fulcrum now has.”
The LA Times reports Ted Kniesche, a vice president at Fulcrum saying, "It is important these projects get built. It is not only for national security, but also reducing greenhouse gases. Government understands that." See more at www.latimes.com, For more on the biofuel proposal for Ka`u, see the state Public Utilities docket at http://puc.hawaii.gov/ and click on Trending Dockets and `Aina Koa Pono where all of the documents and letters from the public have been made available.
To comment on or “like” this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.

HONEY FESTIVAL this Saturday at Nani Maui Gardens will feature over 130 entries of locally produced honey from the Big Island, O`ahu, Maui, Kaua`i and Moloka`i. During the event from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at 421 Makalika St., the Fourth Annual Statewide Hawai`i Honey Challenge will take place. Public tasting and competition for best honeys will be include the rare white kiawe honey, 17 comb honeys (including kiawe), and 93 liquid honeys. Twenty-three of the liquid varietals, include Mac Nut, Lehua, Albizia, Rambutan, Coffee, Avocado, and Eucalyptus honeys. Also being tasted in the competition are 70 multifloral honeys. All will be available to the public to taste, for free, and vote in the People's Choice competition.

Musical groups will play. Assistant state apiarist Lauren Rusert will demonstrate a "bee beard" on her face. The Hiccup Circus will perform for kids and adults. Also entertaining will be balloon makers, face painters, beekeepers with observation bee hives, the makers of the honey drink mead and beeswax candlemakers.
Honey-themed pupus for purchase will include: honey pork sliders, ginger honey chicken wings with Asian soy reduction, honey corn dogs for the kids, shrimp skewers with honey-mustard sauce, honey pumpkin tarts with caramelized mac nut glaze, honey lemonade tea, and honey wines and beers.
To comment on or “like” this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.

THE ANNUAL THANKSGIVING RUBBER BAND TURKEY SHOOT takes place Wednesday from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. at Pahala Community Center. All ages are welcome. Call Nona at 928-3102.

VOCALIST AND MUSICIAN DARLENE AHUNA performs Wednesday from 6:30 to 8 p.m. at Kilauea Visitor Center Auditorium. Ahuna is best known for her falsetto renditions of traditional Hawaiian, hula and hapa-haole standards. Bestowed with numerous Na Hoku Hanohano awards for her vocals, Ahuna is a mainstay at the Merrie Monarch Festival and has represented the island of Hawai`i while entrancing audiences in Japan and across the U.S. mainland. Part of Hawai`i Volcanoes’ ongoing Na Leo Manu “Heavenly Voices” series. Free; park entrance fees apply.

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

KAHUKU JUNIOR RANGER DAY IS THIS COMING SATURDAY, Nov. 23 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Keiki of all ages are invited to join park rangers in exploring Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park’s Kahuku Unit and connecting the culture, people, and `aina through `oli, GPS and compass on a short and easy walk. Ka`ohu Monfort shares her knowledge and love of the island’s native medicinal plants and how they are used to heal and nourish. At least one adult must accompany the children. Free; registration required. Call 985-6019.

SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS AT PAHALAPLANTATIONCOTTAGES.COM AND KAUCOFFEEMILL.COM

The late Sen. Daniel Inouye, shown here at a 2010 election eve rally in Hilo, posthumously received the Presidential
Medal of Freedom today. Photo by Julia Neal

A NON-GMO HAWAI`I ISLAND, WITH SOME EXEMPTIONS, is Hawai`i County Council’s decision, yesterday voting 6 – 3, without discussion, to ban genetically modified organisms from crops grown here. The vote came after a morning when more than 70 testifiers around the island spoke, with almost 60 of them in favor of the ban.
   Ka`u’s Council member Brenda Ford, who had earlier introduced her own anti-GMO bill but withdrew it, showed her support for Bill 113 by seconding bill introducer Margaret Wille’s motion to pass it as well as a motion to immediately send it to Mayor Billy Kenoi. Standard procedure is to wait five days to give Council members a chance to reconsider their votes.
   Voting no on the ban were Council chair J Yoshimoto, Hilo Council member Dennis Onishi and Puna Council member Greggor Ilagan. Puna Council member Zendo Kern voted kanalua, or yes with reservations.
   The bill restricts expansion of GMO crops on the Big Island by limiting outdoor growing. Exemptions include varieties of papaya which growers have been using to combat ringspot virus.
   Testifiers included a few participating via videoconferencing at Ocean View Community Center. Gil Robinson, of Ocean View, talked about problems associated with high fructose corn syrup from genetically modified corn. He expressed skepticism about GMOs, mentioning past claims of safety by companies selling products now proven to be harmful, such as lead paint.
   Another testifier in Ka`u cited the American Academy of Environmental Medicine’s claim that GM foods pose a serious health risk and the organization’s call for a moratorium on GM foods.

Julie Pena, also testifying from Ocean View, asked council members to “love the `aina” by supporting the bill.
Those who spoke in opposition to the ban said allegations about GMOs are unproven, with zero evidence. They said the bill is flawed and contradictory, and that it “puts a black cloud over GMO growers.” One farmer said, “Give us respect for putting food on your table.”

Sen. Dan Inouye rallied Democrats at a 2010
election eve rally in Hilo.
Photo by Julia Neal

Supporters of the ban included a contingent from Kaua`i, where the County Council recently overrode the mayor’s veto of a bill regarding GMOs and pesticides. One Kaua`i resident talked about Atrazine being in the island’s drinking water and people getting sick. A member of the Kanaka Council, which preserves and protects Native Hawaiian rights, culture, traditions, practices and spiritual beliefs, said, “Hawai`i County Council (members), as occupiers, are responsible to protect the health and well being of the people.”

   Chris Manfredi sent a letter from Ka`u Farm Bureau saying members opposed the anti-GMO legislation. “As an organization of local farmers and ranchers, we believe in supporting all forms of agriculture. As modern producers, we understand that we need all available tools to grow resilient and sustainable industries in Hawai`i.”
   Kona Farm Bureau asked members to make up their own minds about the issue, as it has members both pro and con on GMOs. Kona Coffee Farmers Association and Hawa'i Farmers & Ranchers United supported the ban.
   The bill calls for violators to be fined $1,000 a day for each violation and a GMO registry for exempted growers, which would be administered by the county Department of Research and Development.
   Before the vote, Wille said, “I think it’s a very important step, a very modest bill.” She mentioned the “web of life,” and uncertainty surrounding GMOs. She said there are legitimate concerns and that the “feds and state have been lax.” She questioned the lack of testing requirements for GMOs while they can be patented.

“We can work out the nuances,” she said. “We can work together as to what is our vision and what is the future of the island.”
To comment on or “like” this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.

THE LATE SEN. DANIEL INOUYE RECEIVED the Presidential Medal of Freedom today. President Barack Obama said Inouye was an inspiration to him growing up in Hawai`i. He said Inouye taught that there is a place for everyone in this country.

During presentation of the medal to Inouye’s wife Irene, the senator was described as a true patriot and dedicated public servant.
Inouye was a member of the revered 442nd Regimental Combat Team that helped free Europe in World War II.

To comment on or “like” this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.

Russell Kokubun

RUSSELL KOKUBUN IS RELINQUISHING HIS POST AS DIRECTOR of Hawai`i Department of Agriculture. Gov. Neil Abercrombie appointed the Volcano resident and state senator to the position in December 2010.

   During his tenure as chief of the state Ag Department, Kokubun oversaw expenditures for improvements to Ka`u’s agricultural irrigation systems and an easing of restrictions for the shipping of Sharwil avocados.
   He also called for a nationwide system for monitoring, labeling and enforcing the labeling of all whole and processed genetically engineered foods. Kokubun said that while, in recent years, there has been a push to mandate the labeling of genetically engineered foods at the state level, “the enormity of such a task is beyond the scope and expertise of the various state agencies and would be better served if done at a national level. Furthermore, a national standard for labeling would provide consistent application across the states, making it easier to monitor and enforce and creating a level playing field for all food producers from farmers to processors.”
   Kokubun also showed support for the local coffee industry when it came to light that Safeway stores on the mainland were selling coffee without labels specifying how much Hawaiian coffee was in the blend. He sent a letter to Safeway asking the company to voluntarily comply with the law that is already in place in Hawai`i, requiring the blending percentages to be on the labels.

To comment on or “like” this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.

Iwao Yonemitsu, 90 years young, teaches students about the history of the Ka`u sugar industry. None of the students witnessed
the industry, which shut down more than17 years ago, before most of them were born. Photo by Julia Neal

NINETY-YEAR OLD IWAO YONEMITSU taught two back-to-back high school history classes this week at Ka`u High School. He shared the story of Ka`u’s sugar industry with young people, almost all of them unborn when sugar shut down in 1996 with the closing of the mill in Pahala. Yonemitsu used his history lesson to help teach economics. He talked about supply and demand in the sugar industry and how many jobs were created. Students could make money in the summer working in sugar or shipping out to Lana`i or Moloka`i to work in pineapple. He talked about the sugar camps where workers walked from their homes straight out to the fields. Entrepreneurs entered the picture, opening up stores for sugar workers with the Wong Yuens first starting in Na`alehu, the Chong Store in Pahala, and stores run by the sugar companies in Waibada, Honu`apo and Hilea. He talked about the many skills needed from chemist to welder to his job as an agronomist. He talked about the sugar company renting lands from others and paying according to yield. Kapapala land, up Wood Valley, was the best, said Yonemitsu.

Why did sugar close down? “Plain economics,” Yonemitsu said. “The cost of producing sugar exceeded the price. In business, you have to have a profit. Why would people put money into a losing business if they could make more money in the bank getting interest?” he asked the students.

Ka`u High School students look at an old Ka`u sugar company yearbook, finding
photos of grandparents, parents, uncles and aunties. Photo by Julia Neal

   He talked about other agriculture that exists today, such as ranching. At one time, the old Hutchinson Sugar Co. ran Ka`alu`alu Ranch with 5,000 acres, and Hawaiian Agriculture, which ran the sugar in Pahala, ran Kapapala Ranch with over 5,000 acres, he said.
   Yonemitsu also talked about progress in the lives of sugar workers and noted that houses were moved from the camps next to the sugar fields when centralized water and electricity became available in Pahala and Na`alehu. “What you see today and before is vastly different,” he reminded the students. He passed around sugar company books, some showing photos of the students’ grandparents, parents, aunties and uncles.
   The nonagenarian encouraged students to respect the visitor industry, which has expanded in Ka`u with the expansion of Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park. “A lot of people complain about tourists doing this and doing that. You need to treat the tourists right, or we’ll be in dire straits,” he said regarding the jobs provided by the visitor industry.

World War II and Yonemitsu’s service in the famed 442nd regiment were also presented as part of his class. See more in tomorrow’s Ka`u News Briefs.

To comment on or “like” this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.

Pahala Community Center hosts its annual Rubber Band
Turkey Shoot today.

THE ANNUAL THANKSGIVING RUBBER BAND TURKEY SHOOT takes place today from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. at Pahala Community Center. All ages are welcome. Call Nona at 928-3102.

VOCALIST AND MUSICIAN DARLENE AHUNA performs today from 6:30 to 8 p.m. at Kilauea Visitor Center Auditorium in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park. Free; park entrance fees apply.

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

ST. JUDE’S CHURCH IN OCEAN VIEW hosts events this weekend. Saturday is the church’s annual plant sale fundraiser from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. There will also be baked goods, coffee, books, gourmet mustards and slightly used items for sale.
An interfaith service of thanksgiving takes place Sunday at 2 p.m. This interfaith service has been held in the Ka`u for many years. There will be speakers from the Christian Science church, the Tibetan Buddhist Mission, Wood Valley and Shepherds from Ka`u. There will be singing, hula and a joint potluck after the service. All are welcome to share in this special non-denominational service and bring some food to share.
St. Jude’s church is at Paradise Circle and Keaka.

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

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

A Ka`u Community Floating Lantern Ceremony to honor deceased loved ones will be held Saturday, Nov. 30 at Punalu`u Beach.
Photo by Julia Neal

QUALITIES OF RURAL COMMUNITIES gain recognition today, Nov. 21, National Rural Health Day. Ka`u Rural Health Community Association is honored for its contributions with a certificate from the Hawai`i State Legislature. The message says that, at their best, “rural communities possess a strong sense of unity where everyone has a voice, people know each other, listen to and respect each other and work together for the greater good. Rural communities are fueled by the creative energy of their community leaders – everyday people willing to step forward, share and implement a vision and drive changes that benefit their neighbors.”

   The statement notes that “rural doesn’t necessarily mean ‘remote’ – diverse economic, cultural and recreational opportunities abound in rural communities.” It also states that the main emphasis of rural health care has always been providing affordable, holistic, primary care – a model to follow as health care transitions to a wellness/prevention-based system with rural hospitals, clinics, centers and “healthcare practices that are the economic foundation of their communities and are typically the largest employers that ensure a healthy workforce.”
   The statement says that “rural communities are locations where physicians, physician assistants, nurse practitioners, dentists, dental hygienists, licensed social workers and other practitioners have the unique opportunity to establish their own practices and provide quality healthcare services.” It says that “addressing the shortage of healthcare providers is one of the greatest health issues – and one of the greatest economic issues – facing rural communities today.”
   The message from the state Legislature mentions the Affordable Care Act, saying that, though it “may make health care more affordable for rural communities, it doesn’t necessarily make it more accessible – fragile infrastructures and geographic barriers must be addressed in order to ensure that basic healthcare needs are met.”
   The Legislature’s statement says that “healthcare needs of rural residents are as unique as the communities in which they live; those needs cannot be addressed by utilizing a generic ‘one size fits all’ approach – programs and policies must be flexible enough to allow rural communities to identify and address the unique needs of their residents.”

The legislators applaud Ka`u Rural Health Community Association, Inc. and Hawai`i Island Rural Health Community Association in their efforts to “play a critical role by leading efforts to help Hawai`i Island rural communities address their unique healthcare needs.” They congratulate the organizations’ many dedicated community leaders and partners who “continue to volunteer their time, energy, and resources to ensure the health and well-being of Hawai`i Island’s rural communities.”
For more on National Rural Health Day, see celebratepowerofrural.org.

To comment on or “like” this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.

State Senate Ag Committee chair
Clarence Nishihara

State House Ag Committee chair
Jessica Wooley

STATE PRE-EMPTION OF COUNTY LAWS is likely to become an issue in the GMO debate, according to a story in Honolulu Star-Advertiser.
   At question is whether recently passed bills in Hawai`i and Kaua`i Counties regarding genetically modified organisms are compatible with existing state and federal laws.
   State Sen. Clarence Nishihara, chair of the Senate Agriculture Committee, said he would likely propose a state pre-emption bill during the next legislative session in January if Gov. Neil Abercrombie does not act before then.
   The Star-Advertiser also reports state Rep. Jessica Wooley, chair of the House Agriculture Committee saying, “I would not support pre-emption unless we had some significant guarantees in place for all the people who have been so concerned about this issue.”

   In a statement, Christine Hirasa, an Abercrombie spokesperson, said, “The governor recognizes and respects the passionate views expressed on this subject. The administration supports local farmers who are vital to Hawai`i’s long-term sustainability and is working to expand our agriculture industry.
   “Any decisions to impose additional regulations above and beyond those already established by federal regulatory agencies should be based on proven science. The administration will continue to work toward a regulatory structure that protects and balances the needs of farmers, Hawai`i’s agricultural industry and the people of Hawai`i.”
   See staradvertiser.com.

To comment on or “like” this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.

442nd members from Ka`u, Iwao Yonemitsu (l)
and Toku Nakano. Photo by Julia Neal

NONAGENARIAN IWAO YONEMITSU, A 442ND VET, shared his World War II experience with students at Ka`u High school this week. Yonemitsu, 90, and a resident of Na`alehu, told one of several classes that “war is not something you want to get into. War should be a last resort.” When the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor, Yonemitsu had traveled from his Ka`u home to attend college at University of Hawai`i Manoa. He served in the ROTC. “At U.H., it was required,” he said.
After the Japanese attacked, his ROTC unit joined the Hawai`i Territorial Guard to protect Honolulu. “After six weeks, however, those of Japanese descent were asked to leave,” Yonemitsu noted.

He left O`ahu for Hawai`i Island and landed a job at the sugar company. Just six months later, volunteers for World War II were called, and he and other Japanese Americans signed up to show their loyalty to the U.S. and their personal identity as Americans. During the war he served in Europe and became a Buck Sergeant with three stripes. The 442nd, comprised of Japanese Americans, was the most decorated during the war, and Yonemitsu has received numerous honors, including the Congressional Gold Medal in 2011. He said war was much different then. “We didn’t have to contend with IEDs and enemy behind our backs,” like in the more recent Middle East wars.

Yonemitsu told the students that he learned a lot about the world and America when traveling in the military. In southern states like Mississippi, he witnessed racial discrimination and learned about the practice of sharecropping and restrooms with signs White and Colored. During the war, 45 of the 250 members of his company in the 442nd were killed. He said he knew 25 of them. “Negotiate before you go into battle,” he advised the young people.

To comment on or “like” this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.

KA`U RESIDENTS CAN JOIN VOLCANO ART CENTER and attend Christmas in the Country’s opening event tomorrow from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Volcano Art Center Gallery in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park. Events for members also take place earlier in the day tomorrow at VAC’s Ni`aulani Campus in Volcano Village. The VAC Programs Sneak Preview exhibit showcases artists who will teach workshops and classes in the upcoming year. Also, from 2 p.m. to 4:30 p.m., adults and children can take in free art activities, including Make Your Own Holiday Card and Paint the Volcano, in Hale Ho`omana Education Building.
The celebration continues on Saturday at VAC Gallery beginning at 9 a.m. with the annual wreath exhibit, unique handmade ornaments for sale, demonstrations by well known local artists, book and print signings and a visit by Santa Claus.

   Volcano artist Dietrich Varez and author David Eyre sign their books and prints on Saturday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Nancee Cline joins them from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. to signing her book, Queen Emma’s Church in Kealakekua, Crossroads of Culture.
   Caren Loebel-Fried demonstrates block carving and printing on Sunday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. She will also sign and personalize her books and prints.
   In advance of Volcano Art Center’s 40th anniversary in 2014, a limited edition poster has been created that features a dramatic photo of the active Halema`ma`u crater by architect and photographer Boone Morrison. Morrison signs posters at VAC Gallery on Sunday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Posters are available for purchase.
   All activities and demos are free of charge; park entrance fees apply. For more information, call 967-7565.

To comment on or “like” this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.

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

HAWAI`I WILDLIFE FUND SPONSORS A KA`U COAST CLEANUP Saturday. Volunteers meet at 7:45 a.m. at Wai`ohinu Park to carpool to Kamilo Beach. HWF is looking for people with four-wheel-drive vehicles to transport volunteers. Register with coordinator Megan Lamson at 769-7629 or kahakai.cleanups@gmail.com.

The first 100 to sign up will receive lanterns to
decorate with the names of loved ones.
Photo by Julia Neal

ST. JUDE’S CHURCH AT PARADISE CIRCLE AND KEAKA in Ocean View hosts events this weekend. Saturday is the church’s annual plant sale fundraiser from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. There will also be baked goods, coffee, books, gourmet mustards and slightly used items for sale.
An interfaith service of thanksgiving takes place Sunday at 2 p.m. with speakers from the Christian Science church, the Tibetan Buddhist Mission, Wood Valley and Shepherds from Ka`u. All are welcome to share in this non-denominational service and bring some food to share.

A FLOATING LANTERN CEREMONY in waters off Punalu`u Beach Park will light up the tidepools on Saturday, Nov. 30, Ka`u Rural Health Community Association, Inc. has announced. The ceremony is called the Ka`u Community Floating Lantern Ceremony, Honoring Past, Present and Future Generations. The ceremony will be accompanied by a Community Thanksgiving Potluck, Taiko drummers, music and cultural dance, followed by the lantern release. Floating lanterns for inscribing messages and decorating will be provided to the first 100 registrants. Pre-registrations are being taken. Call Ka`u Rural Health Community Association, Inc., which is co-sponsoring the Floating Lantern Ceremony with health insurer HMSA, at 928-0101. Sign up at the Ka`u Resource & Distance Learning Center. The first Floating Lantern Ceremony in recent years, sponsored by the same organizations, was held on Nov. 26, 2011.

HAWAI`I HONEY FESTIVAL IS SATURDAY at Nani Mau Gardens in Hilo from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., featuring the fourth annual statewide Hawai`i Natural Honey Challenge, beekeeping demonstrations, music and food. See hawaiihoneyfestival.com.

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

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

Old waterways are being found and restored by the Ka`u Agricultural Water Cooperative District, with help from the state of Hawa`i'i
and local state legislators. Archival photo from Olson Trust Collection.

MAC FARMS OF HAWA`I, with most of its workers coming from Ka`u, is cooperating with the federal government to protect immigrant farm workers from overcrowding in housing and other substandard working conditions. Mac Farms, with its macadamia orchards at Kapua near the Ka`u and Kona District boundary, is expected to file a consent decree in U.S. District Court by Dec. 9 to establish more accountability in following anti-discrimination and other labor laws. During a news conference earlier this week, federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission regional attorney Anna Y. Park said that farm owners must be involved in the enforcement of labor laws and cannot leave it up to labor contractors.

Mac Farms grows macadamia on the Ka`u border with Kona
at Kapua. Photo from www.macfarms.com

Mac Farms hired laborers from Global Horizons, an international labor contractor, between 2003 and 2006. The company, along with Captain Cook Coffee Co. Ltd., Del Monte Fresh Produce, Kaua`i Coffee Co., Kelena Farms and Maui Pineapple Farms are being held accountable for Global Horizons’ treatment of the laborers, most of them from Thailand. Global was charged with overcrowding workers in substandard housing, low pay, insufficient food, deportation threat and other abuses. The EEOC included the farm owners in its complaints.
While Mac Farms, like Del Monte, is expected to settle the case with the EEOC, Global Horizons and Maui Pineapple are taking the case to trial next year.
Del Monte came up with its settlement this week and will pay $1.2 million, which will be distributed approximately 150 workers. The federal attorney applauded Del Monte for “being the first to come forward and show leadership in addressing discrimination issued in the agricultural industry, which as a whole, has been slow to enforce anti-discrimination laws. We hope this is a wake-up call for others in the agricultural industry to follow Del Monte Fresh Produce’s lead in recognizing signs of potential abuses by farm labor contractors and taking proactive steps to hold them accountable,” Park said.

Mac Farms is working with the federal government to protect
farmworkers at its orchards. Photo from www.macfarms.com

The agreement includes implementing the following: ensure that farm labor contractors provide policies and procedures prohibiting discrimination to the local and guest workforce in languages they understand; notify workers of their rights under the Civil Rights Act of 1964; tell workers how they can summit discrimination complaints; audit the procedures and designate someone to oversee compliance; train managers, supervisors and employees in the civil rights laws for workers; and make reports to the EEOC.

To comment on or “like” this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.

KA`U AGRICULTURAL WATER COOPERATIVE DISTRICT members met yesterday and discussed smaller water management entities each coming up with voting procedures for water users and land owners. John Cross suggested that each group of users from Kapapala, through Wood Valley, Keaiwa, Mountain House, Mo`aula to Ha`o decide whether they want voting to be one vote for each water user, by the amount of water used, or the number of acres owned or used, or some other method.
Some of the water tunnels have been surveyed and others will be surveyed before the state releases more money to repair the old plantation systems, members of the co-op said.
The group also talked about the state Department of Hawaiian Home Lands discussion on providing farm land to Hawaiians near Ha`ao Springs in Wai`ohinu. To comment on or “like” this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.

A PERMIT TO RUN A 3.5 -MILE WATER LINE from Old Plantation Spring to Ka`u ranchers and farmers has been approved by the state Board of Land & Natural Resources. The water source is within The Nature Conservancy’s Kaiholena Unit. The pipeline will travel through the Ka`u Forest Reserve to ranch and farm lands below, according to the application from Michelle Galimba, of Kuahiwi Contractors. The tunnel was built in the late 1920s to provide water to flumes that carried sugar to Honu`apo sugar mill. More recently the water has been used for farming and cattle ranching and the users are expected to be agriculturalists Richard Johansen, Phil and Merle Becker, Kirk Derasin and the Galimba ranching family. To comment on or “like” this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.

Hawai`i County Council joined New York City in banning sales of tobacco products to those under 18 years of age. Image from
www.tobaccofreekids.org

SMOKING AGE WILL BE 21, if Mayor Billy Kenoi signs the new law passed by the Hawai`i County Council this week. The law would raise the allowable minimum age for buyers of cigarettes from 18 to 21. It would take affect July 1, 2014. The law would apply to electronic smoking devices as well as cigarettes, chewing and pipe tobacco, snuff, and cigars. The vote by the council included support from Ka`u council member Brenda Ford. It was unanimous, 9-0. The bill was initiated by council member Drew Kanuha.
Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids president Matthew Myers released a statement, saying “Nearly all smokers start as kids or young adults and these age groups are heavily targeted by the tobacco industry. The tobacco industry never lets up in pushing its deadly and addictive products, so policy makers can’t let up in their efforts to reduce smoking and save lives. The Hawai1i County Council has delivered a victory for kids and health.” The statement noted that the vote on the Big Island was only one day after New York’s mayor, Michael Bloomberg signed a new law making the Big Apple the first major U.S. city or state to raise the tobacco sales age to 21. Two other U.S. cities, Needham and Canoton Massachusetts have also enforced the tobacco sales age at 18. See more at www.tobaccofreekids.org. To comment on or “like” this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.

AIRPLANE MODE is allowed during Hawaiian Airlines domestic flights for passengers’ electronic devices, including during takeoffs and landings, the carrier announced yesterday. Hawaiian also expanded use of personal electronic devices on its international flights. The over-water flights to the mainland are considered domestic.
The new rules follow the FAA’s decision at the end of October to allow Personal Electronic Devices during all phases of flights. Such devices include smartphones, tablets, e-readers, music players, GPS receivers, electronic/digital watchers, certain medical devices, one-way receiving pagers, digital and video cameras, calculators, electric shavers and handheld computer games.
However, laptop computers over two pounds, noise reduction headphones, DVD players and other electronic devices over two pounds must be turned off until the plane reaches 10,000 in altitude.
A PED Aviation Rulemaking Committee of industry and government experts determined that most planes in commercial service can fly safely with radio signals from the personal devices.
Devices not allowed during any portion of the flight include wireless keyboards and mouses, electronic cigarettes, radio transmitters like ham and CB, batteries or cord operated radios, two way radios like walkie talkies, two –way pagers, remote controlled toys and tv’s.
Hawaiian Airlines President Mark Dunkerley said in a statement, "We applaud the FAA's new policy and are excited to allow our customers to use their devices throughout their flight when they travel with us. We're committed to improving the travel experience for our customers." For more see www.HawaiianAirlines.com/News/PED.

To comment on or “like” this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.

A CRECHE FESTIVAL will be held for the entire community on Saturday, Nov. 30 from noon until 8 p.m. ad Sunday, Dec. 1 from 1 p.. until 7 p.m. at Latter-day Saints Church on Mamalahoa Hwy in Na`alehu. The congregation invites the community of Ka`u to “celebrate the birth of the Christ child with more than 100 nativities from around the works in an artistic setting and with live music.” The celebration will include: “Local crèche artists; gallery of nativities; a children’s room with costumes and fun activities; and wholesome activity for the entire family,” says a statement from the Ka`u Ward of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
For more information, call 339-7402.

Volcano Art Center is open to new members who can attend Christmas in the
Country this evening at the gallery in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park.
Photo by Julia Neal

KA`U RESIDENTS CAN JOIN VOLCANO ART CENTER and attend Christmas in the Country’s opening event today from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Volcano Art Center Gallery in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park. The celebration continues tomorrow with Christmas in the Country opening to the public. All activities and demos are free of charge; park entrance fees apply. For more information, call 967-7565.

HAWAI`I WILDLIFE FUND SPONSORS A KA`U COAST CLEANUP Saturday. Volunteers meet at 7:45 a.m. at Wai`ohinu Park to carpool to Kamilo Beach. HWF is looking for people with four-wheel-drive vehicles to transport volunteers. Register with coordinator Megan Lamson at 769-7629 or kahakai.cleanups@gmail.com.

HAWAI`I HONEY FESTIVAL is tomorrow at Nani Mau Gardens, with free honey tastings, demonstrations and entertainment from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. The public is invited to cast votes for the People's Choice Honey Tasting Competition.

ST. JUDE’S CHURCH AT PARADISE CIRCLE AND KEAKA in Ocean View hosts events this weekend. Saturday is the church’s annual plant sale fundraiser from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. There will also be baked goods, coffee, books, gourmet mustards and slightly used items for sale.An interfaith service of thanksgiving takes place Sunday at 2 p.m. with speakers from the Christian Science church, the Tibetan Buddhist Mission, Wood Valley and Shepherds from Ka`u. All are welcome to share in this non-denominational service and bring some food to share.

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

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

Ka`u News Briefs Sunday, Nov. 3, 2013

Ka`u News Briefs Monday, Nov. 4, 2013

Ka`u News Briefs Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2013

Ka`u News Briefs, Wednesday, November 6, 2013

Ka`u News Briefs Thursday, Nov. 7, 2013

Ka`u News Briefs, Friday, November 8, 2013

Ka`u News Briefs Saturday, Nov. 9, 2013

Ka`u News Briefs Sunday, Nov. 10, 2013

Ka`u News Briefs Monday, Nov. 11, 2013

Ka`u News Briefs Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2013

Ka`u News Briefs Wednesday, Nov. 13, 2013

Ka`u News Briefs Thursday, Nov. 14, 2013

Ka`u News Briefs Friday, Nov. 15, 2013

Ka`u News Briefs, Saturday, Nov. 16, 2013

Ka`u News Briefs Sunday, Nov. 17, 2013

Ka`u News Briefs Monday, Nov. 18, 2013

Ka`u News Briefs, Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2013

Ka`u News Briefs Wednesday, Nov. 20, 2013

Ka`u News Briefs Thursday, Nov. 21, 2013

Ka`u News Briefs, Friday, Nov. 22, 2013