Kaʻū News Briefs Tuesday, September 25, 2018

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

50 percent of Hawaiʻi papaya crops were destroyed in the recent eruption. Photo from Wikipedia

DISPLACED PUNA FARMERS ARE SEEKING LAND AND MONEY, according to a story in today's Pacific Business News. With some $20 million in farm damages and 500 acres of farmland destroyed during the recent eruption of Kīlaeua volcano, some farmers seek to reestablish their agricultural businesses elsewhere on Hawaiʻi Island.

     Hard hit was the papaya industry, with Puna contributing about 50 percent of the state's crop before the lava flow.

     Randy Cabral, president of the Hawaiʻi Farm Bureau, told Pacific Business News that it will be a "long road to recovery to get these farmers reestablished." In addition to the volcano, damaging impacts came from Hurricane Lane. Cabral told PNB the farmers "can't go back to this land, they have to start over. The challenge for these farmers is finding new land and finding the capital to get reestablished again. A lot of these guys have very low profit margins, and papaya takes more than a year to grow, so they don't have the revenue to start over."

Flower farmers need help to re-establish after the devastation of the recent eruption. Photo from Wikipedia

     Also needing a new start are flower farmers. About 10 percent of the flower farms in Puna were lost to the volcano.

     Cabral told PBN The Hawaiʻi Farm Bureau is reaching out to businesses, state, county, and individuals for land and grants to reinvigorate local food production. Even raw land can cost up to $10,000 an acre to clear and prepare for planting, he said. See more at pacificbusinessnews.com.

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

Hawaiian, Mexican, and Japanese dancers and musicians shared their cultures at last year's Ho‘okupu Hula No Ka‘ū Cultural Festival in Pāhala. Photo by Julia Neal

HOʻOKUPU HULA NO KAʻŪ CULTURAL FESTIVAL is set for Saturday, Nov. 3, at PāhalaCommunity Center. Hoʻaikāne, Wailau Ryder, Keaiwa, Victor Chock, and Steven Sioloa headline the music at the free event.

     Hula will be performed by halau from Mexico, Japan, West Virginia, Oʻahu, South America, and Hawaiʻi Island. Traditional ethnic dance performances will come from Mexico, as well as the University of Hawaiʻi-Hilo Filipino Dancers. Taiko Drummers will perform.

A big stage at Pāhala Community Center drew more than 1,000 people to the hula fest last year. Photo by Julia Neal

     The festival will run from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. The day will feature Master Cultural Practitioners, Kukakuka (talk story), and many educational and cultural experiences with hands-on demonstrations.

     At sunset, a ceremony will be held to honor ancestors. The festival is preceded by ceremonies at Punaluʻu Beach at dawn. A ceremony will be held to close the festival at Makanau.

     There is still room for craft vendors, food vendors, and informational booths. Contact Kumu Hula Debbie Ryder at leionalani47@hotmail.com or (808) 649-9334 for an application.

     Sponsors include County Council member Maile David and community contributions through fundraising. See hookupukau.com.

     José A. Fajardo, the station's president and general manager, says "Amidst volatile news cycles and extreme weather events, HPR has demonstrated its value as a source of calm and reliable information and culture. During the next ten days, our audiences will hear how valuable they are to the station. We are appealing especially to those who have been listening for a while, but not yet contributed. Growing the number of donors in our listener base is what will sustain HPR and make possible our dreams for the future."
     On August 1, Charity Navigator, the nation's largest charity evaluator, recognized HPR with its seventh consecutive four-star designation, says the release. "This highest possible rating indicates that HPR executes its mission in a financially efficient way and even exceeds industry standards."

     Michael Thatcher, CEO of Charity Navigator, wrote, "Only 5% of the charities we evaluate have received at least 7 consecutive 4-star evaluations, indicating that Hawaii Public Radio outperforms most other charities in America. This exceptional designation from Charity Navigator sets Hawaiʻi Public Radio apart from its peers and demonstrates to the public its trustworthiness."
     The release says, "Unlike many other public radio stations around the country, HPR enlivens its pledge drives by inviting the participation of community partners. In the coming days, representatives from such groups as Ulupono Initiative and the YMCA, as well as numerous local businesses and arts organizations, will go on the air and/or staff the phone banks in support of HPR. Many of these groups also contribute unique thank you items, even a grand prize for the opening day's sweepstakes. Community voices will also be featured on HPR's classical music station, HPR-2, remembering how they discovered the music that became a lifelong passion."
     Fajardo continues, "This fund drive celebrates the diversity of perspectives one can find on our air and the power of a story well-told to bring our community together. With its reliance on the human voice and language, radio can connect us to another's lived experience in a surprisingly intimate and powerful way. We believe that everyone has a story."
     Like other public radio stations around the county, HPR pays content providers, such as NPR, for selected programs. The flagship news magazines Morning Edition and All Things Considered together cost HPR approximately $1000 a day. Other popular programs, Fresh Air and Wait Wait...Don't Tell Me! each cost between $33,000 and $41,000 per year. HPR also produces about a third of its programming locally and maintains a network of 15 facilities across the Hawaiian islands.
    Contributions to HPR may be made online at any time at bit.ly/isupporthpr, as well as through the free HPR mobile app. Fund drive phone lines open at 6 a.m. on September 26. Donations may be made at (808) 944-8800, toll-free (888) 970-8800, and after 8 p.m. at (808) 941-3689, toll-free (877) 941-3689.

     HPR-1 broadcasts news, talk, entertainment, jazz, blues, and world music on Hawaiʻi Island at KANO89.1, KHPH 88.7, KKUA 90.7, K235CN 94.9, and K239BV 95.7. HPR-2, "your home for classical music," can be listened to on Hawaiʻi Island at KIPH 88.3, KIPM 89.7, KAHU 91.3, and K283CR 104.5. HPR is online and streaming at hawaiipublicradio.org; as well as on Facebook: FB/hawaiipublicradio, Twitter, Instagram, and other social media platforms @WeAreHPR. Free iOS and Android apps for "Hawaii Public Radio" are available for download from the App Store or Google Play. HPR-1 and HPR-2 may also be heard via cable broadcasts from Spectrum channels 864 and 865, or Hawaiian Telcom TV channels 661 and 662. Hawaiʻi Public Radio is also an Amazon Echo skill.