Ka`u Calendar News Briefs Tuesday, May 24, 2016

PRESENTERS AT KA`U Coffee College on Sunday focused on quality.

      Andrea Kawabata discussed the reality of farming with coffee berry borer for six years and the need to adapt to the change of growing coffee in Hawai`i. She and other staff of University of Hawai`i CTAHR identified some of the strengths, weaknesses, real threats and opportunities for Ka`u farmers.

      “Ka`u has world-class coffee, but farmers still must uphold their quality by implementing CBB control and while acknowledging highly rated specialty coffees grown in regions under the stressor of coffee rust, a disease not yet occurring in Hawai`i,” Kawabata said.

      Other presenters who discussed coffee quality included award-winning roast master Mike Perry, of Klatch Coffee; Robert G. Hollingsworth, research entomologist of Hilo’s USDA-ARS-Pacific Basin Agricultural Research Center; and Miguel Meza, owner and director of Paradise Coffee Roasters in Hawai`i and Minnesota, with Lee Paterson, owner of Hula Daddy Kona Coffee.

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The late Lopaka Ryder, a Kona musician,  was murdered, allegedly for being a police informant for a drug bust.

DEBBIE RYDER, OF PAHALA, and two sons Buddy and Wailau, are suing Hawai`i County over the death of Debbie Ryder’s son Robert Keawe Lopaka.  Lopaka Ryder, 37, went missing around Thanksgiving in 2013 and was found buried in a shallow grave north of Kona between Hwy 11 and the ocean near Puako on March 12, 2014. Lopaka Ryder was a talented and well known musician, a beach boy and friend to everyone. While living in Kona, he was allegedly asked by police to become an informant in a drug bust.
      According to a story by Graham Milldrum in West Hawai`i Today, the suit alleges that “Lopaka was murdered because (Martin Frank) Booth learned that he was acting as an informant against him. This action is premised upon the Kona Police Department’s failure to protect Lopaka’s identity, which led to his murder.”
      Milldrum reported that Lopaka Ryder agreed to be an informant in Oct. 2013 after being sentenced to a year in prison for violating probation.
      According to the story, the county prosecutor’s office denied county responsibility. A county court filing from the office stated that “Booth told numerous people that he killed Ryder because Ryder had sexually assaulted a young woman living on Booth’s property,” Milldrum wrote.
      See westhawaiitoday.com.
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KAMEHAMEHA SCHOOLS TRUSTEE selection is open to comment by the public. The public can weigh in by Tuesday, June 14 at 4 p.m. regarding three court-approved candidates. Testimony can be sent to jobs@inkinen.com.

      The state Probate Court named the finalists last week for the trusteeship for Kamehameha Schools and the Bernice Pauahi Bishop estate. Kamehameha Schools, with its $11 billion endowment and its financial strength as largest non-government landowner in the state, provides education to native Hawaiian youth. The trust also leases land for agriculture, forestry and housing.

      In Ka`u, Kamehameha lands include parcels located adjacent to Punalu`u Beach Park, at Ka Lae, above Pahala where eucalyptus was planted and koa reforestation has begun, at Volcano and across thousands of acres of pasture and open land in the district.

      The three finalists are Kamanamaikalani Beamer, executive director of The Kohala Center; Maenette K.P. Ah Nee-Benham, dean of the Hawaiinuiakea School of Hawaiian Knowledge, University of Hawai`i at Manoa; and C. Kanoelani Naone, CEO of the Institute for Native Pacific Education and Culture, or INPEACE.

      The pay for trustees is $165,000 annually, with the chairman receiving $207,000 a year.

      Inkinen & Associates conducted the candidate search. Screening was accomplished by a committee comprised of volunteers Wendy Crabb, George “Keoki” Freeland, Joanne Lo Grimes, Michelle Ho, Cheryl Kauhane Lupenui, Michael Rawlins and Kaiulani Sodaro.
      The Probate Court can appoint a trustee for a term through June 30, 2022, with a possible extension by the court for another five-years. The position opened up when extension of a trusteeship of a sitting trustee was turned down by the court.
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HAWAI`I ISLAND POLICE ARE INFORMING the public that the enforcement period for the National “Click It or Ticket” campaign that runs through June 5. During this period, police are increasing islandwide enforcement of seat belt and child restraint laws.

      Under a law signed on May 20, 2013, the driver now is responsible for all other occupants of the vehicle. If the driver is stopped and any passenger is not using a seat belt, car seat or booster seat – whether in the front seat or back seat – the driver will be the one cited.

      Police will enforce child passenger restraint laws and ticket drivers if children under the age of four are not properly restrained in a child safety seat, or in a booster seat until age seven. Child restraint and booster seat violators must go to court. They face a fine of $100-$500 depending upon the number of offenses and must attend a mandatory four-hour class.
      National statistics have shown that use of seat belts is the single most effective step drivers and passengers can take to protect themselves in a traffic crash. In 2014, use of seat belts in passenger vehicles saved an estimated 12,802 lives. From 2010 to 2014, seat belts saved an estimated 63,000 lives.
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U.S. SEN. BRIAN SCHATZ CALLED for immediate action from the Department of the Interior to stop the spread of Rapid `Ohi`a Death. In a letter to Interior Department Secretary Sally Jewell, Schatz called for additional personnel and resources to protect `ohi`a on Hawai`i Island and prevent spread of the tree disease.

      “If this was a forest fire, there would be no question about an all-hands-on-deck, no-holds-barred response. Rapid `Ohi`a Death is bigger than a forest fire in size and scope, and we need to treat it as such,” Schatz said. “Researchers have given us clear guidance on how we can stay ahead of this tree disease and prevent its spread to the rest of the state. That is why I have requested Secretary Jewell to direct the Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Park Service to provide the additional personnel and resources that will be necessary to protect our `ohi`a.”
      In addition to the Department of the Interior, Schatz is rallying support from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. On Thursday, the Senate passed the agriculture appropriations bill for fiscal year 2017, which included a provision introduced by Schatz that would direct the USDA to study reported recent outbreaks of Rapid `Ohi`a Death in Hawai`i and report recommended action for response and management within 90 days.

      The disease was first reported in 2010 and has become a major threat to Hawai`i Island’s native forests and the watersheds that depend on them. More than 35,000 acres have been infected by the fungus that causes Rapid `Ohi`a Death.
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ONO CHOCOLATE BARS from Big Island Candies are still available during Tutu & Me’s current fundraiser. Cost per bar is $3.50. 

      “These bars are available only through fundraisers, and I’ve been told on good authority that they freeze well, so this is your chance to stock up!” site manager Betty Clark said.
      To purchase, call 929-8571 or 430-1802.
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LEARN ABOUT HAWAI`I ISLAND Hawksbill Turtle Recovery Project, the differences between hawksbill and green sea turtles (honu), threats to hawksbills and the latest conservation efforts to protect the species from extinction this evening at 7 p.m. at Kilauea Visitor Center Auditorium in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park.
      $2 donations support park programs; park entrance fees apply.

LEARN TO PLAIT Lau Hala tomorrow from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. at Kilauea Visitor Center lanai in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park. Many Pacific cultures weave leaves of pandanus (called lau hala in Hawai`i) into useful and decorative items.

      Free; park entrance fees apply.

LEGAL AID IS AVAILABLE Thursday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Ocean View Community Center.

      Call 800-499-4302 for more information.

DONATIONS FOR DOLLARAMA can be dropped off at Ocean View Community Center this week from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. At the event on Saturday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., everything is $1 or less, including food and beverages. Funds raised go toward a new roof for the facility.

      Call 939-7033 for more information.

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