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| Swarm Season, a film about the survival of honeybees, premieres at 7 p.m. Saturday, Jan 19 at Ka Lae Coffee at 92-2186 South Point Road. The Sarah Chrisman film features bee expert and Ka`u resident Alson Yahna and her daughter Manu, known for their efforts to save wild hives and take care of honeybees. See more below. Image from Swarm Season |
Ignacio has has served as HELCO president since 2008. When he retires on Feb. 2, Suzuki will be President of two utility companies - HELCO on the Big Island, and Maui Electric, which serves the islands of Maui, Moloka’i, and Lana’i. The new position is a part of the Hawaiian Electric Companies’ “One Company” transformation strategy, through which HECO aims “to bring together the best practices of Hawaiian Electric, Maui Electric and Hawai‘i Electric Light to reduce duplication, share resources and maximize efficiency to provide savings to customers while continuing to honor the cultures and meet the needs of each island’s communities,” according to a press release from the three electric companies.
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Jay Ignacio talks to Pāhala residents about a biofuels proposal in 2011. He retires Feb. 2 as President of HELCO. Photo by Julia Neal |
“I want to thank Jay for his tireless service to the people of Hawai‘i Island and for his steady, decisive leadership of Hawai‘i Electric Light through some of the most challenging situations any of us can remember, including earthquakes, tropical storms and two volcanic eruptions,” Oshima said. “No matter how complex the issue, Jay always brought the question back to what was best for the customers.”
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| Jay Ignacio retires after 28 years at HELCO. |
Ignacio joined HELCO in 1990 as a substation design engineer and was promoted to superintendent of construction and maintenance in 1994. He served as HELCO’s Manager of Transmission and Distribution from November 1996. Ignacio was named president of HELCO in 2008 and in 2015 took on additional responsibilities as senior operations adviser to the president and CEO of Hawaiian Electric.
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| Sharon Suzuki will oversee both Hawai`i Island and Maui Island utility companies. |
Suzuki holds a Master of Business Administration in finance from California State University at Fullerton, and a Bachelor of Arts in economics and Japanese from the University of Michigan. Suzuki has served as president of Maui Electric since 2012. In more than 25 years with Maui Electric and Hawaiian Electric, she has served in many diverse leadership roles in renewable energy, energy efficiency and customer service.
Active in the Maui community, Suzuki serves as treasurer on the board of directors of the Maui Hotel and Lodging Association and vice-chair of the County of Maui Civil Service Commission. She is also on the boards of the Maui Economic Development Board and Boy Scouts of America Maui County Council.
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U.S. SENATE ARMED SERVICES SEAPOWER SUB COMMITTEE is the post accepted by Mazie Hirono, reappointed this week as Ranking Member. The committee oversees the vast majority of U.S. Navy and Marine Corps programs.
U.S. SENATE ARMED SERVICES SEAPOWER SUB COMMITTEE is the post accepted by Mazie Hirono, reappointed this week as Ranking Member. The committee oversees the vast majority of U.S. Navy and Marine Corps programs.
"Our Navy and Marine Corps are at the center of confronting many of our country's most pressing strategic challenges," said Hirono. "I look forward to continuing my role in ensuring that our Armed Forces can meet these challenges in a responsible manner, while also supporting a strong civilian workforce and ensuring that our service members and their families receive the support they deserve."
Hirono was first named Ranking Member of the Seapower Subcommittee in 2015. She oversees Department of the Navy programs including Navy shipbuilding programs, Marine Corps ground modernization, Navy and Marine Corps aviation programs, and the Navy's effort to expand its fleet to 355 ships.
During the 116th Congress, Hirono also serves on the Senate Armed Services Subcommittees on Readiness and Emerging Threats. The Readiness Subcommittee's responsibilities include oversight of public shipyards, including Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard, energy and environmental programs, military construction, operations and maintenance accounts, and facility and housing maintenance and repair. The Emerging Threats Subcommittee's responsibilities include oversight of science and technology, special operations, intelligence, and homeland defense.
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EXPOSURE TO TOXIC FUMES FROM BURN PITS - where toxic waste, human waste and other garbage is destroyed by open fires in remote military outposts - is the "Agent Orange of post 9/11 veterans," says a statement from Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, Founder and Co-Chair of the Post-9/11 Veterans Caucus, and a veteran of Middle East wars.
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Gabbard and Rep. Brian Mast, also a veteran, reintroduced the bipartisan Burn Pits Accountability Act to the House of Representatives this week. Senators Amy Klobuchar and Dan Sullivan reintroduced it to the Senate.
The Burn Pits Accountability Act would evaluate exposure of U.S. service members and veterans to open burn pits and toxic airborne chemicals by requiring the Secretary of Defense to record whether service members have been based or stationed at a location where an open burn pit was used or exposed to toxic airborne chemicals. The records would including information from the Airborne Hazards and Open Burn Pit Registry, in the Periodic Health Assessments, Separation Histories and Physical Examinations, and Post-Deployment Health Assessments.It would require enrolling any service member who meets the criteria in the Airborne Hazards and Open Burn Pit Registry, unless he or she opts-out.
The legislation would require the Secretary of Defense and the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to share information relating to exposure of burn pits and toxic airborne chemicals.
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A bill reintroduced to Congress would provide for research and care for veterans exposed to toxins from burn pits during their deployments. Photo from military.com |
Gabbard said: "I've seen the devastating toll that's taken on my brothers and sisters in arms who survived combat and came home, but are now suffering from rare cancers, lung diseases, neurological disorders, and more."
Iraq & Afghanistan Veterans of America Chief Policy Officer Melissa Bryant said, “IAVA members have been telling us their health concerns from toxic exposures for the last 15 years, and many veterans who I have served with are now becoming sick with cancers and respiratory illnesses. "With 80 percent of IAVA members reporting exposure to burn pits and 63 percent reporting associated symptoms, we know the time to act is now. I often wonder how my own health will continue to be affected in the years to come. As the daughter of Vietnam veteran who was exposed to Agent Orange, I've observed how toxic exposures can plague you for decades long after the wars we fight in - and we know burn pits could be our generation's Agent Orange.This legislation will dramatically increase the quantity and quality of research and data about these exposures and how they have impacted our service members. We urge all Members of Congress to sign onto this bill immediately, and to pass it before the end of this year."
The legislation also has the backing of American Veterans, Veterans of Foreign Wars, Veterans for Common Sense, United States Army Warrant Officers Association, Marine Corps League, Coast Guard Chief Warrant & Warrant Officers Association, and the Fleet Reserve Association and Enlisted Association of the National Guard of the United States.
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SWARM SEASON, a documentary film by Sarah J. Christman, explores survival of honeybees and the human relationship with the natural world in a critical moment of climate change. The film will be
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Swarm Season will screen free to the public at Kalae Coffee on Saturday evening. Image from Swarm Season |
Swarm Season was filmed entirely on Hawai`i Island from 2015-2018 and features Kaʻū bee expert Alison Yahna and her daughter Manu. Swarm Season documents their relationship with bees.
The filmmakers will join the public at the showing for the community, before Swarm Season's launch in European and U.S. film festivals.
The event is sponsored by Bee Boys, Ka Lae Coffee, and Hawai`i Camera. Ka Lae Coffee is located at 94-2166 South Point Road.
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RACIAL PROGRESS IN HAWAIʻI IS STRONG, states Wallethub in a new report focused on diversity, in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Day on Monday. 58 percent of Americans think increased diversity makes the U.S. a better place, says the personal finance site, while only 9 percent say it makes the U.S. worse.
To measure "America 's progress in harmonizing racial groups," WalletHub measured gaps between blacks and whites across "22 key indicators of equality and integration," ranging from median annual income to standardized-test scores to voter turnout.
Says the site, "This report examines the differences between only blacks and whites in light of the high-profile police-brutality incidents that sparked the Black Lives Matter movement and the holiday honoring Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., who played a prominent role in the Civil Rights Movement to end segregation and discrimination against blacks." Hawaiʻi ranks third overall in racial integration, taking second in overall employment and wealth equality.
Hawaiʻi has the lowest gap in median annual household incomes between whites and blacks, at 7.74 percent, and has made the most progress in closing this gap since 1979, with a change of 33.19 percent.
Hawaiʻi also has the lowest gap in poverty rates between whites and blacks, at 0.87 percent, and the lowest labor force participation gap. The gap in standardized test scores in also lowest in the nation.
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| Trojans, in white, tore up Keaʻau on the Kaʻū home court last night. Photos by Julia Neal |
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TROJANS TRIUMPHED IN GIRLS BASKETBALL last night, winning both games played against Keaʻau.
The JV game was a clean sweep, with Kaʻū scoring 7 in the first quarter to Keaʻau's 5, and not letting that lead go. The Trojans scored 17 in the second, 10 in both the third and fourth, winning the game 44 to 22.
Kaʻū gave Keaʻau a hard fight in the Varsity game. For the first quarter, the Cougars lead by 9 points, 15 to Kaʻū's 6. But the Trojans ladies weren't going down without a fight, and rallied back, scoring 16 points in the second, 10 in the third, and tying with 16 points in the fourth. Overtime was a hard battle, won by the Trojans, 54 to 53. Kianie Medeiros-Dancel scored 26 of those points, Reishalyn Jara 17.
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See public Kaʻū events, meetings, entertainment. Print edition of The Kaʻū Calendar is free to 5,500 mailboxes throughout Kaʻū, from Miloliʻi through Volcano, and free on stands throughout the district. Read online at kaucalendar.com |
Kaʻū High Winter Sports Schedule
Girls Basketball:
Jan. 25, Fri., BIIF Div. II Semi-Finals
Jan. 26, Sat., BIIF Div. II Finals
Feb. 6-9, Wed.-Sat., HHSAA
Boys Basketball:
Jan. 21, Mon., @Hilo 6pm
Jan. 23, Wed., @Laupāhoehoe, 6pm , Varsity
Jan. 28, Mon. host Kanu, 6pm , Varsity
Feb. 5, Tue., BIIF Div. II Semi-Finals
Feb. 6, Wed., BIIF Div. II Finals
Wrestling:
Jan. 19, Sat., @Keaʻau
Jan. 26, Sat., @HPA
Feb. 2, Sat., @Hilo
Soccer:
Jan. 21, Mon., Girls BIIF Div. II Semi-Finals
Jan. 22, Tue., Boys @Kohala
Jan. 23, Wed., Girls BIIF Div. II Finals
Jan. 28, Mon., Boys BIIF Div. II Semi-Finals
Jan. 30, Wed., Boys BIIF Div. II Finals
Jan. 30-Feb. 2, Wed.-Sat., Girls HHSAA
Feb. 7-9, Thu.-Sat., Boys HHSAA
Swimming:
Jan. 19, Sat., @KCAC, 10am
Jan. 25, Fri., BIIF Trials @KCAC, 3:30pm
Jan. 26, Sat., BIIF Finals @KCAC, 1pm
Feb. 8-9, Fri.-Sat., HHSAA
For more, contact Recreation Technician Teresa Anderson at 929-9113. Kahuku Park is located at 92-8607 Paradise Circle Mauka, Ocean View. See hawaiicounty.gov/pr-recreation/ for hours.
GLITTER SNOW FLAKE ARTS AND CRAFT ACTIVITY, for keiki 6 to 12 years old, happens at Kahuku Park on Tuesday, Jan. 22, from 2:45 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. Registration takes place through Friday, Jan. 18. Free.
For more, contact Recreation Technician Teresa Anderson at 929-9113. Kahuku Park is located at 92-8607 Paradise Circle Mauka, Ocean View. See hawaiicounty.gov/pr-recreation/ for hours.
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SATURDAY, JANUARY 19Hawai‘i Wildlife Fund Community Clean-Up at Kamilo, Sat., Jan. 19, contact in advance for meet up details. Space may be available; BYO-4WD welcome. Free; donations appreciated. RSVP to kahakai.cleanups@gmail.com or call 769-7629.
Ocean View C.E.R.T. Mtg., Sat., Jan. 19, 10-1pm, Ocean View Community Center. Community Emergency Response Team monthly meeting and training. 939-7033, ovcahi.org
Ocean View Community Association Annual Members Mtg., Sat., Jan. 19, 12:30-1:30pm, Ocean View Community Center. 939-7033, ovcahi.org
Ham Radio Mtg., Sat., Jan. 19, 2-3pm, Ocean View Community Center. ovcahi.org
MONDAY, JANUARY 21
Discovery Harbour Neighborhood Watch Mtg., Mon., Jan. 21, 5-6:30pm, Discovery Harbour Community Hall. 929-9576, discoveryharbour.net
TUESDAY, JANUARY 22Hawai‘i County Council Mtgs., Tue., Jan. 22 (Committees), Wed., Jan. 23, (Council), Kona. Ka‘ū residents can participate via videoconferencing at Nā‘ālehu State Office Building. Agendas at hawaiicounty.gov
HOVE Road Maintenance Board Mtg., Tue., Jan. 22, 10am, HOVE Road Maintenance office. hoveroad.com, 929-9910, gm@hoveroad.com
WILL BE CANCELLED IF GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN PERSISTS: After Dark in the Park: Volcano Awareness Month - What Happened at the Summit of Kīlauea in 2018?, Tue., Jan. 22, 7pm, Kīlauea Visitor Center Auditorium. USGS geophysicist Kyle Anderson presents. Free; donations accepted. Park entrance fees apply. 985-6011, nps.gov/havo
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 23
Lei - ‘Ike Hana No‘eau - Experience the Skillful Work, Wed., Jan. 23, 10-noon, Kīlauea Visitor Center lānai. Free; park entrance fees apply. Co-sponsored by Hawai‘i Pacific Parks Association. 985-6011, nps.gov/havo
THURSDAY, JANUARY 24Ka‘ū Community Children's Council, Thu., Jan. 24, 12-1:30pm, Punalu‘u Bake Shop. Monthly meeting provides local forum for all community members to come together as equal partners to discuss and positively affect multiple systems' issues for the benefit of all students, families, and communities. Chad Domingo, text 808-381-2584, domingoc1975@yahoo.com, ccco.k12.hi.us
Thursday Night at the Center: Stories from the Summit, Thu., Jan. 24, 6:30-8:30pm, Volcano Art Center's Ni‘aulani Campus. An evening of personal accounts by Volcano residents from the 90 consecutive days of earthquakes this past summer. Hosted by Volcano novelist Tom Peek. Includes tales from USGS HVO Scientist-in-Charge Tina Neal and others living and working at Kīlauea's summit. Free, $5 donation suggested. volcanoartcenter.org, 967-8222
FRIDAY, JANUARY 25
Human Trafficking Workshop, Fri., Jan. 25, 9:30-12:30pm, PARENTS, Inc. Office, Nā‘ālehu. Conducted by Melody Stone. Open to interested educators and community leaders: non-profit organizations, police dept., etc. Pre-registration appreciated. 430-5710
ONGOINGApplications for the first annual Acton Children's Business Fair in Pāhala are open through Friday, Jan. 25. The fair, on Saturday, Feb. 9, from
Planned for keiki ages 7 to 18 from all over the island, the event is hosted at River of Life Assembly of God, 96-2345 Paʻauau St. , Pāhala.
The flyer for the event says, "Whether an entrepreneur is famous like Elon Musk or Oprah Winfrey, or they are one of the thousands of unsung business owners across the country, these are the people who make sacrifices to innovate, create jobs, and serve their communities. We want to encourage our youth to reach whatever goals they may have in owning their own businesses. This event gives them the experience at doing so."
Up to 15 businesses will be accepted to show their business at the fair. Up to three children are allowed per business. A donation of $5 per business is required. Booths will not have electricity. Parents are not allowed to sell or promote a child's product or service, though parents of younger children may sit in the booth so long as the child is responsible for set up, customer interactions, and sales. Parents may help their child fill out the application; however, the child should do as much as possible by themselves.
To submit an application, visit childrensbuisnessfair.org/pahala. For more details, contact Regina Walker at 400-4722 or email pahalacbf@gmail.com.
The Pāhala event is sponsored by Acton Academy
Hui Mālama Ola Nā ʻŌiwi classes include Expanded Food and Nutrition Program (EFNEP) in Ka‘ū on Wednesdays through Feb. 19. See more at hmono.org.
Applications for a Paid Internship in Kaʻū for Kupu Hawai‘i and The Nature Conservancy are being accepted. The year-long, full-time position is in TNC's Hawai‘i Island Terrestrial Program, which stewards native forest preserves in Ka‘ū and
Applicants must be at least 17 years old, and possess or be working towards a high school diploma or equivalent. Applicants must also have their own housing and transportation, a driver's license, and be able to pass a criminal history check.
The internship is offered through Kupu Hawai‘i. Those interested are asked to fill out an application at kupuhawaii.org/conservation under Conservation Leaders Program as soon as possible. For more, call The Nature Conservancy at 443-5401 or call Kupu Hawai‘i at 808-735-1221.
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