Ka`u Calendar News Briefs Thursday, May 12, 2016

GOV. DAVID IGE SIGNED into law HB1581 (Act 48), which aims to expedite the resolution of disputes on actions by state agencies.

      The new law allows contested case hearings before the commissions on Water Resource Management, Land Use, Public Utilities, the Hawai`i Community Development Authority and cases involving conservation districts, to be directly appealed to the Hawai`i Supreme Court. The law also requires the Supreme Court to give priority to contested case appeals of significant statewide importance.
      This law will expedite the review process and decisions in important cases involving constitutional matters.
      “The ability to directly appeal a contested case decision to the Hawai`i Supreme Court will be very efficient, saving both time and money for all parties involved,” said House Majority Leader Scott Saiki, who introduced the measure. “A Supreme Court decision will provide finality for a contested case much sooner than if appeals must be taken at various court levels.”
      The new law takes effect on Aug. 1.
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PRESIDENT OBAMA WILL BE THE FIRST sitting U.S. President to visit Hiroshima Memorial. Sen. Mazie Hirono said his decision shows commitment to a nuclear-free future.

      “I commend President Obama's decision to visit the Hiroshima Peace Memorial, which serves as a poignant reminder of the devastating cost of nuclear warfare, especially on civilian communities,” Hirono said. “When I last visited the memorial, students from a Hawai`i elementary school asked me to present 1,000 paper cranes they folded as a tribute to Sadako Sasaki, a Japanese girl who was stricken with cancer caused by the nuclear blast and who is depicted at the Children’s Peace Monument. The students had just read her story in class and were very moved by it. I know the President, too, will be moved by his visit to the Peace Memorial, a reminder to the world of the dangers of nuclear proliferation.”

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NEARLY 5,000 CONSTITUENTS of Hawai`i’s Second Congressional District joined U.S. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard’s Telephone Town Hall yesterday. They received updates as well as answers to questions and concerns regarding dengue fever, Zika and other mosquito-borne illnesses. Chief Darryl Oliveira, from Hawai`i County Civil Defense, and state Epidemiologist Dr. Sarah Park were featured to share important updates with listeners and respond to their live questions and concerns.

      “There were important questions about how the state and our community can gather lessons learned from Hawai`i Island’s dengue outbreak and apply them going forward, what preventive steps are important for members of our community to continue to take, as well as some startling facts about the Zika virus,” Gabbard said. “The reality is, Hawai`i is a gateway to the Asia-Pacific and makes us susceptible to visitors who may be carrying different illnesses. It’s important for us to learn from Hawai`i Island’s recent outbreak, remain vigilant and work together to make sure these mosquito-borne illnesses are not allowed to take hold in our communities.
      Gabbard called in from Washington, DC; Dr. Sarah Park called in from Honolulu; and Chief Darryl Oliveira called in from Hilo. They reported on the status of the dengue fever outbreak on the Big Island, as well as what is being done at the federal, state and county levels to protect Hawai`i residents and guests from a future outbreak.

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AN UPCOMING EXHIBIT at Volcano Art Center benefits Ka`u Hospital Charitable Foundation. Ka`u and Kilauea Reflections features works by former Ka`u Hospital Dr. Douglas Davenport in an effort to raise funds for the foundation.

      From June 25 through July 10, Davenport’s paintings and ceramics by will be available for viewing Tuesday through Sunday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at VAC’s Niaulani campus in Volcano Village. The works display his appreciation for the unique district of Ka`u through a multitude of landscapes.

      “I came to the Big Island with my wife and three children 25 years ago and fell in love with Volcano,” Davenport said. “We built a small house as a refuge from the busy life on O`ahu. Volcano became a place for us to be together as a family. We worked the land, the children included, hand-clearing the forest of ginger and tibouchina. As the years went by, our love of the place grew, as did our family.” 

      Davenport retired as an ER doctor after 25 years on O`ahu and took up a part-time position at Ka`u Hospital. With his background as a professional potter on O`ahu’s North Shore and a family history in oil painting from his grandfather and brother, Davenport said his artistic endeavors in Ka`u were “a natural progression.”
      “The paintings and painted ceramic vases depicting scenes around Ka`u and Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park are the result of my time here,” Davenport said. “These works reflect the varying landscapes that grace this land, which I have been so lucky to experience.
      “I feel fortunate to have been able to work in Pahala and, in my small way, give back to the community and to the island that has enriched my life immeasurably.”
      “Volcano Art Center is pleased to support Ka`u Hospital through this exhibition of art by Dr. Douglas Davenport, MD. The hospital provides invaluable resources to the people of Hawai`i Island when they need it most,” VAC’s Executive Director Michael Nelson said.
      Proceeds from artwork sold as well as donations received go directly to Ka`u Hospital Charitable Foundation and its mission “to be the very best it can be for the community,” Nelson said.
      A special opening reception takes place on Saturday, June 25 from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the campus. For more information, see volcanoartcenter.org or call 967-8222.
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PAHALA PUBLIC & SCHOOL LIBRARY and Ho`omalu Ka`u co-sponsor a free, one-hour Native Dryland Plants Workshop, on Tuesday, June 14 at from 5:30 p.m. Participants learn about environmental and cultural values and uses of native Hawaiian dryland plants, many of which have grown here for thousands of years. The workshop is open to all residents and visitors on Hawai`i Island.

      Participants receive the booklet, Native Plants of the Ka`u Dryland Forest, a catalog of 15 native species, published by Ho`omalu Ka`u. Each species in the book includes a scientific description along with cultural and medicinal uses as well as propagation techniques.
      Workshop presenters include Edward Rau, a horticulturist with a licensed rare-plant nursery in Discovery Harbour and owner of Sustainable Resources. Rau will present information on Rapid `Ohi`a Death, a fungus killing `ohi``a trees on more than 35,000 acres throughout the island and here in Ka`u, as well as propagation techniques that he uses to grow native and non-native plants.
      Lehua Lopez-Mau, a native Hawaiian cultural anthropologist and president of Ho`omalu Ka`u, will discuss the cultural values and historical uses of keystone dryland forest species, especially `ohi`a lehua. Both Rau and Lopez-Mau will showcase several dryland species in their plant forms as well as in artifacts.
      For more information, call Debbie Wong Yuen at 928-2015. For more information about the dryland species booklet, call Lopez-Mau at Ho`omalu Ka`u, 929-8526, or email hoomalukau@gmail.com.
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KA`U RESIDENTS ARE INVITED to a Music Festival Benefit for Volcano School of Arts & Sciences on Saturday from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. at Cooper Center in Volcano Village. Live music features the Kuahiwis with Hawaiian classics, William Kauhane and Moses Ahuna of One Rhythm with reggae, Wendell Ing & The Ing Crowd playing funky rhythm and blues, the Over-the-Hillbillies with folk and bluegrass, and Ti Chun’s Hawaiian melodies.

      The event also includes food, games and fun for the whole family. Tickets are $15, $25 for two adults, or $25 for a VIP ticket that includes preferred seating and a gift bag. Tickets are available at VSAS school office at 985-9800, Punalu`u Bakeshop in
Na`alehu and Ka`u Business Center in Ocean View.

COFFEE & CATTLE DAY IS A WEEK from tomorrow. During the Ka`u Coffee Festival event, enjoy touring through Aikane Plantation Coffee Farm, where descendants of the first coffee farmer in Ka`u explain how coffee is integrated into cattle ranching and other agriculture. Join owners Phil and Merle Becker at 10 a.m. on Friday, May 20 for ranch and coffee tours and a paniolo lunch. Tickets are $25 per person or $20 for seniors.
      Email aikaneplantation@hawaii.rr.com, or call 808-927-2252.

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