Ka`u News Briefs May 10, 2013

THE MARSHALL ISLANDS COMMUNITY of Ka`u has been hearing from relatives back home about a drought that has dried up banana, taro, breadfruit and other food crops and created a shortage of drinking water. The cabinet of Marshall Islands government yesterday declared a disaster area for the northern Marshall Islands and a state of emergency, with many families living on a gallon of water a day, according to Chief Secretary Castern Nemra. The lack of water has caused an increase of pink eye, flu, diarrhea and other diseases, he said. 

      Yesterday the Marshall Islands Journal reported that “people’s lives and health are in imminent danger. Many of the affected communities have less than 11 days of drinking water left and are already rationing households to one gallon of drinking water for six people per day.”
      “The Northern Marshall Islands is under incredible level of hardship, and reports indicate that conditions will get worse in the coming days,” the Chief Secretary said.
       Boats carrying food and water from the capital of Marjuro are reaching the affected islands. The population of the Marshall Islands is about 70,000. Ka`u is home to a Marshall Islands community which sends its children to school here. Some of the Marshall Islands were used by the United States government to test nuclear bombs more than 50 years ago, and the U.S. government continues to provides health and educational assistance to the Marshallese and their offspring in various parts of the U.S., where many of them relocated.

THE ROASTERS GUILD has announced the placement of the top ten coffees in the worldwide competition recently held at the Specialty Coffee Association of America convention in Boston. Ka`u Coffee and Ka`u toasters took two spots in the top ten. Here are the final results and placements of each roaster in the competition: First place went to Caitlin McCarthy-Garcia, Equator Coffees & Teas, San Rafael, CA. Second went to Winston Harrison, CREMA, of Nashville, TN. Third went to Steve Souphanhong, of Social Coffee & Tea Co., in Ontario, Canada. Fourth went to Jason Burkum, of Beansmith Coffee, in Omaha, NE. Fifth went to Lorie Obra, of Rusty’s Hawaiian, in Pahala. Sixth went to Adam Bad, of Deeper Roots Coffee, in Cincinnati, Ohio. Seventh went to Ed Strachan, of Single Origin Roasters, in Sydney, Australia. Eighth went to Allen Leibowitz, of Zingerman’s Coffee, in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Ninth went to Lee Segawa and roasting partner Kalikoweo Keolanui-Daniele, of Ka`u Coffee Mill; and tenth went to Shih Ru Wang, of Just Go Coffee, from Taiwan. 

      The coffees used by these roasters were from all over the world - Colombia, El Salvador, Guatemala, Ecuador, Ethiopia and Rwanda. Two coffees were from Hawai`i, and they were both grown and roasted in Ka`u.

A SPECIAL MEETING OF HAWAI`I COUNTY COUNCIL takes place Monday at Council chambers in Hilo. The meeting focuses on the budget for the next fiscal year beginning July 1. Ka`u residents can participate from Ocean View Community Center’s remote videoconferencing site. Ka`u Council member Brenda Ford urges residents to make use of the facility, which the Council is considering closing down due to lack of use.
      The agenda is available at hawaiicounty.gov.

FRIENDS OF HAWAI`I VOLCANOES NATIONAL PARK present their monthly Walk in the Park tomorrow from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. The program brings together members of FHVNP to share in the park’s trails. 

      Cheryl Gansecki leads this four-mile, moderately difficult hike exploring Kilauea Iki Crater. Kilauea Iki Trail begins on the crater’s forested rim and descends through the rain forest onto the crater floor. Hikers cross the still-steaming crater, pass the gaping throat of the vent that built Pu`u Pua`i cinder cone and ascend the far rim. Of interest on the hike are forest plants, birds, insects, the 1959 lava lake, steam vents and cinder and spatter cones. 

      The walk is free for Friends members, and non-members are welcome to join the organization in order to attend.
     For more information and to register, call 985-7373 or email admin@fhvnp.org. Park entrance fees apply.

TICKETS ARE STILL AVAILABLE for Arts in Bloom, a Mother’s Day orchid sale and fundraising event taking place tomorrow from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Volcano Art Center’s Ni`aulani Campus in Volcano Village. The event features live music, giveaways, a Ni`aulani Rain Forest photo tour with local photographer Britten Traughber, a talk story with a local native fauna expert and tea education by JoAnn Aguirre. Pupus, mimosas, champagne, orchids and native plants will be available for purchase. Tickets are $5 in advance and $8 at the door and are available at VAC Gallery in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park, the Ni`aulani Campus, the office of The Ka`u Calendar in Pahala, online at volcanoartcenter.org or by calling 967-8222. 

A FUNDRAISING DINNER FOR Ocean View’s Summer Fun program takes place tomorrow from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. at Kahuku Park. Chef Jason Lofland is planning a Cinco de Mayo theme. For $7, the meal includes homemade carnitas, rice and beans. Beverages are $1.
      Summer Fun registration will also be available. Coordinator Genny Galletes said that, thanks to fundraising efforts, the per-child fee to sign up for the program has been lowered from $100 to $20.
      To donate or volunteer, contact Genny at 217-5593 or gengalletes@gmail.com.

PARTICIPANTS LEARN ABOUT THE VITAL ROLE of the `ohi`a lehua in native Hawaiian forests, the many forms of the `ohi`a tree and the lehua flower on Sunday from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the Kahuku Unit of Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park. Visitors traveling through the park area will be able to identify the many differences of this most prominent tree in the Kahuku Unit. Pack a lunch to enjoy during the program. 

KA`U CELEBRATES MOTHER’S DAY on Sunday with many dining options. In Na`alehu, South Side Shaka’s restaurant offers a champagne breakfast and brunch buffet from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Prime rib dinner starts at 5 p.m.
      Hana Hou Restaurant’s lunch options, available from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m., include Italian seafood in a red clam sauce or roast beef sirloin and shrimp. Dinner features prime rib or a seafood platter and includes a special dessert.
      Kilauea Military Camp’s Crater Rim Café in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park has a buffet from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. Menu items include prime rib au jus, blackened shrimp alfredo, macadamia nut-crusted fish, salad and potato bar, mashed potatoes, rice, green beans, pineapple-upside-down cake, ice cream bar and beverage. KMC is open to authorized patrons and sponsored guests, and park entrance fees apply.

EVAN ENRIQUES, of Punalu`u in Ka`u, led the Kamehameha Warriors with 16 kills in the state high school volleyball finals being held on O`ahu. However, it was not enough to take Kamehameha past number one seed Punahou, which beat the Warriors of the Big Island. Punahou took down Kamehameha-Hawai`i 25-14, 25-22, 25-19. Kamehameha takes on Maui’s Baldwin High School this evening at Waipahu High School on O`ahu for a fifth-place semifinal. Coach for the Warriors is Guy Enriques.