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| Mayoral candidate Mitch Roth came to Pāhala with food on Saturday. Helping with distribution of boxed food and plate lunches were members of the ILWU, a union that endorsed him. Roth is the elected county prosecutor. See story below. Photo by Julia Neal |
CHEF KEONE GRACE LAUNCHES A FOOD SERVICE TO THE PUBLIC on the grounds of Kaʻū Hospital on Monday. The chef, and Institutional Food Service Manager at Kaʻū Hospital, produced a menu with his crew, at a cost of $8 per meal. It's ready for takeout at 11 a.m. Mondays through Fridays.
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| A chef salad from the new weekdays lunch service for the public from Chef Keoni Grace and his food service crew at Kaʻū Hospital. See story below. Photo from Keone Grace |
Hot meals come with small salad and dessert, and a change of the entré each day. This Monday is roast pork; Tuesday, hamburger steak; Wednesday, baked chicken; Thursday, pork adobo; and Friday, fried fish.
To order, call Jennifer at 932-4372 between 8 a.m. and 10 a.m. and pre-pay. Pick up is in the back of the hospital at the kitchen's rear entrance, after 11 a.m. Ring the bell for service, wear a mask, and observe social distancing with other persons picking up food.
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| Keone Grace interviewed for a cover story in Japan Airlines magazine. Photo by Julia Neal |
His recipes using Kaʻū Coffee were featured last November in Skyward, the inflight magazine of Japan Airlines in a cover article entitled Kaʻū Coffee The Big Island.
More than 900,000 copies went to subscribers and the story was available on JAL's planes to more than 2.6 million passengers last November.
Pāhala Plantation House hosted the photographer, writer, and editor from JAL. In its dining room, Grace, Kaʻū Coffee farmers, and enthusiasts presented food using Kaʻū Coffee, such as brazed meats and skewered coffee-infused fruits, vegetables, and shrimp. Grace promoted cuisine employing produce from local farmers.
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The kitchen staff at Kaʻū Hospital starts a luncheon takeout service on Monday. Photo from Keone Grace |
MAYORAL CANDIDATE MITCH ROTH arrived in Pāhala on Saturday with food to distribute to seniors and families in need. With face masks on and social distancing, he and campaign staff shared goodwill, boxed fresh fruit and vegetables, and plate lunches. They engaged in some informal discussions of local issues as people arrived to the Longakit driveway on Koali Street, a family home of Roth's campaign manager Pomai Bartolome. Her father, a well-known musician, Lloyd Longakit, played Hawaiian music.
Among Roth's supporters at the food giveaway were leaders and members of the ILWU, including Hawai`i Island Director, Elmer Gorspe. The ILWU endorses Roth for Mayor of Hawaiʻi County.
Roth serves as elected Prosecuting Attorney for County of Hawaiʻi, first elected in 2012. He oversees 124 employees, 34 of them prosecuting attorneys. He is known for his peacekeeping work in Ocean View, supporting neighborhood watch and other programs to reduce drug use and crime in the community. His staff has prosecuted cold cases, implemented a restorative justice project, created a sexual assault unit with attorneys experienced in such cases, and set up community outreach and training about sexual assault.
In support of victims, Roth employs counselors to offer victim services. Victims receiving counseling include those with personal assault and property theft cases. He also works on programs to prevent agricultural theft.
He helped launch the Veterals Treatment Court and Big Island Juvenile Intake and Assessment Center. His campaign website says the Juvenile Intake and Assessment Center has helped cut in half the juvenile crime in this county.
Roth earned his undergraduate degree from University of Hawai‘i -Manoa, his Jurist Doctorate from Whittier Law School. Between undergraduate and law school, he lived in Japan and taught English. There, he met his wife-to-be, Noriko Yamada. Mitch and Noriko Yamada Roth are parents of three adult children, alumni of Waiakea High School in Hilo.
Mitch Roth won the Honolulu Prosecuting Attorney's Award of Excellence. On this island, he oversaw the Asset Forfeiture Program and served as a Special Assistant United States Attorney.
His community service activities include helping to create Hawai‘i Island Visitor Aloha Society, the Community Coalition for Neighborhood Safety, and NexTech STEM, along with helping to establish training and organization of CERT - Citizens Emergency Response Teams - around the island.
Roth is a board member of Boys & Girls Club of the Big Island and Camp Agape Big Island - a four-day camp for children of incarcerated parents. He volunteers for Rotary Club of Hilo and Hilo Exchange Club and RYLA, the Rotary Youth Leadership. He served on the YMCA corporate
board, and as an officer of Turning Point for Families.
See more on the Mitch Roth campaign website.
KATIE KAMELAMELA, DEMOCRATIC PARTY CHAIR FOR DISTRICT THREE, is reaching out to the community to suggest names of volunteers to serve in posts for the Pāhala Precinct 7 Club. With the Precinct 7 Club's revival, ideas and concerns of local residents would flow through the Democratic Party's District Three Council and on to Hawaiʻi County Democrat's Council, State Central Committee, and Democratic Party of Hawaiʻi. There is one open seat for a woman and one open seat for a man for Precinct 7 with additional seats available to fill positions of President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, and District Council Representative. Members can become Hawaiʻi County Convention Delegates.
Kamelamela said that benefits of an active District 3 Precinct 7 Club would include "the ability to advocate for platforms that directly impact your Precinct," along with the ability to send a nomination to the Governor of Hawaiʻi to name new State Representatives; voting at District 3 Council meetings for President, Vice President and Council Representative; voting at Hawaiʻi County Conventions; participating in the Hawaiʻi County Democrat Council and voting at the State of Hawaiʻi Democratic Convention. The precinct representatives can also participate in the state Central Committee.
Precinct 7 members could also help to nominate, run, and vote for a District 3 National Delegate.
To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see Facebook. Follow us on Instagram and Twitter. See our Fresh Food on The Kaʻū Calendar and our latest print edition at kaucalendar.com.
CONSTRUCTING AN ADDITIONAL KĪLAUEA VISITOR CENTER BUILDING is in Concept 3 of the Disaster Recovery Project plan for the future of facilities of Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park. A visitor center addition would be constructed as a separate building on the west side of the KVC in an existing developed landscape. It would includes a covered lanai and outdoor exhibits along with visitor parking, bus parking, and pedestrian circulation. The lanai would connect to visitor parking and the KVC.
Together, the existing KVC and smaller visitor center addition would accommodate visitor functions currently provided at KVC and previously provided by Jaggar Museum.
The existing KVC lobby would be used for an expanded bookstore and orientation information. Exhibits will be replaced in the new visitor center addition.
The visitor experience would be segmented into two separate buildings with enhanced wayfinding to guide visitors between areas/buildings.
A new USGS HVO & PIERC-KFS Field Station and parking would be constructed in the historic former ballfield area, adjacent to the Kīlauea Military Camp land assignment.
A new water line, water tank, and wastewater system, would be constructed adjacent to the new USGS HVO & PIERC-KFS Field Station.
A new two kiosk entrance station would be constructed to the west of the existing kiosks, which would be demolished. An administrative bypass lane would be added to reduce traffic congestion at the entrance.
Crater Rim Drive would be realigned to improve vehicular circulation in the KVC area.
To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see Facebook. Follow us on Instagram and Twitter. See our Fresh Food on The Kaʻū Calendar and our latest print edition at kaucalendar.com.
Last year's series, called Of Water, featured internationally acclaimed artists Metropolitan Opera Soprano Amy Shoremount-Obra and 2018 International Bach Competition Prize-Winning Pianist Andrew Rosenblum. They performed works by Turina, Mahler, Fauré, Rachmaninoff, Duke, and more.
Donations accepted at the 2019 concert went to Kaʻū Coast non-profit stewardship organizations Nā Mamo O Kāwā, nmok.org; Ka ʻOhana O Honuʻapo, honuapopark.org; Ala Kahakai Trail Association, alakahakaitrail.org; Hawaiʻi Wildlife Fund, wildhawaii.org; and Hoʻomalu Kaʻū, hoomalukau@gmail.com.
Attendees can support Hawaiʻi International Music Festival by reserving best seats at each concert. See the concert schedule for 2021 at himusicfestival.com. Overnight accommodations should be available at Pāhala Plantation Cottages, 928-9811.
Daily, weekly, and monthly recurring Kaʻū and Volcano Events, Meetings, Entertainment, Exercise, Meditation, and more are listed at kaucalendar.com. However, all non-essential activities are canceled through the end of May.
MOST EVENTS ARE CANCELLED to stem the spread of the novel coronavirus. The state is under a stay-at-home order, with l4 days of quarantine required for anyone coming into the state. Interisland travel is restricted. Those in Hawaiʻi should stay at home unless needing to obtain food or medical care.
The Pāhala location is Kaʻū District Gym at 96-1149 Kamani Street, distributed by the ʻO Kaʻū Kākou Pantry, on Tuesday, May 26, 10 a.m. to noon. Call The Food Basket, 933-6030.
The Volcano location is Cooper Center at 19-4030 Wright Road Wednesday, May 27 from 10 a.m. to noon. Call Kehau at 443-4130.
The Nāʻālehu location Sacred Heart Church at 95-558 Mamālahoa Hwy, under their Loaves and Fishes program, on Thursday, May 28 from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. Call 928-8208.
The Ocean View location for May was Kahuku Park on Monday, May 11, 10 a.m. to noon. Call The Food Basket, 933-6030, for the next date.
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Roth serves as elected Prosecuting Attorney for County of Hawaiʻi, first elected in 2012. He oversees 124 employees, 34 of them prosecuting attorneys. He is known for his peacekeeping work in Ocean View, supporting neighborhood watch and other programs to reduce drug use and crime in the community. His staff has prosecuted cold cases, implemented a restorative justice project, created a sexual assault unit with attorneys experienced in such cases, and set up community outreach and training about sexual assault.
In support of victims, Roth employs counselors to offer victim services. Victims receiving counseling include those with personal assault and property theft cases. He also works on programs to prevent agricultural theft.
He helped launch the Veterals Treatment Court and Big Island Juvenile Intake and Assessment Center. His campaign website says the Juvenile Intake and Assessment Center has helped cut in half the juvenile crime in this county.
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| ILWU leader Elmer Gorospe gives a food box to a Pāhala family, in support of the Mitch Roth for Mayor campaign. Photo by Julia Neal |
Mitch Roth won the Honolulu Prosecuting Attorney's Award of Excellence. On this island, he oversaw the Asset Forfeiture Program and served as a Special Assistant United States Attorney.
His community service activities include helping to create Hawai‘i Island Visitor Aloha Society, the Community Coalition for Neighborhood Safety, and NexTech STEM, along with helping to establish training and organization of CERT - Citizens Emergency Response Teams - around the island.
Roth is a board member of Boys & Girls Club of the Big Island and Camp Agape Big Island - a four-day camp for children of incarcerated parents. He volunteers for Rotary Club of Hilo and Hilo Exchange Club and RYLA, the Rotary Youth Leadership. He served on the YMCA corporate
board, and as an officer of Turning Point for Families.
See more on the Mitch Roth campaign website.
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| Families drove to the Longakit house in Pāhala Saturday to pick up food from mayoral candidate Mitch Roth. Photo by Julia Neal |
KATIE KAMELAMELA, DEMOCRATIC PARTY CHAIR FOR DISTRICT THREE, is reaching out to the community to suggest names of volunteers to serve in posts for the Pāhala Precinct 7 Club. With the Precinct 7 Club's revival, ideas and concerns of local residents would flow through the Democratic Party's District Three Council and on to Hawaiʻi County Democrat's Council, State Central Committee, and Democratic Party of Hawaiʻi. There is one open seat for a woman and one open seat for a man for Precinct 7 with additional seats available to fill positions of President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, and District Council Representative. Members can become Hawaiʻi County Convention Delegates.
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| Katie Kamelamela, Democratic Chair for District Three, is urging Precint 7 - Pāhala - to organize for representation in the Democratic Party. Photo from UH |
Precinct 7 members could also help to nominate, run, and vote for a District 3 National Delegate.
To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see Facebook. Follow us on Instagram and Twitter. See our Fresh Food on The Kaʻū Calendar and our latest print edition at kaucalendar.com.
CONSTRUCTING AN ADDITIONAL KĪLAUEA VISITOR CENTER BUILDING is in Concept 3 of the Disaster Recovery Project plan for the future of facilities of Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park. A visitor center addition would be constructed as a separate building on the west side of the KVC in an existing developed landscape. It would includes a covered lanai and outdoor exhibits along with visitor parking, bus parking, and pedestrian circulation. The lanai would connect to visitor parking and the KVC.
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| In Concept 3, Kīlauea Visitor Center would be renovated to include an additional building. Photo from NSP |
The existing KVC lobby would be used for an expanded bookstore and orientation information. Exhibits will be replaced in the new visitor center addition.
The visitor experience would be segmented into two separate buildings with enhanced wayfinding to guide visitors between areas/buildings.
A new USGS HVO & PIERC-KFS Field Station and parking would be constructed in the historic former ballfield area, adjacent to the Kīlauea Military Camp land assignment.
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Concept 3 in the plans for renovating and rebuilding facilities at Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park. See the larger design maps and give input at Disaster Recovery Project. |
A new two kiosk entrance station would be constructed to the west of the existing kiosks, which would be demolished. An administrative bypass lane would be added to reduce traffic congestion at the entrance.
Crater Rim Drive would be realigned to improve vehicular circulation in the KVC area.
NPS released A Concept 3 Statement: "Maximize reuse of existing visitor space by repurposing the existing visitor center and auditorium area and constructing an adjacent smaller new visitor center and expanded parking area. Leverage existing parking and utilities with expansion needed to accommodate replacement facilities and visitor use levels. USGS functions are separated from NPS functions and relocated to the former ball field area, west of the Kīlauea Military Camp land assignment."
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To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see Facebook. Follow us on Instagram and Twitter. See our Fresh Food on The Kaʻū Calendar and our latest print edition at kaucalendar.com.
ENROLL IN KUA O KA LĀ'S HĪPUʻU VIRTUAL ACADEMY for school year 2020-2021, grades four through eight. Join a virtual tour of the award wining Hīpuʻu program on Wednesday, May 20 at 1 p.m. The Hawaiian Focused Charter School
Kua O Ka Lā offers a specialized program which provides students with core curriculum, content area, and electives in-keeping with State of Hawaiʻi requirements. Combined with Native Hawaiian values, culture, and a place-based approach to education, from the early morning wehena – ceremonial school opening – Kua O Ka Lā students are encouraged to walk Ke Ala Pono – the right and balanced path.
The school's website says Kua O Ka Lā has adopted Ke Ala Pono "to describe our goal of nurturing and developing our youth. We believe that every individual has a unique potential and that it is our responsibility to help our students learn to work together within the local community to create a future that is pono – right." The school aims to provide students with "the knowledge and skills, through Hawaiian values and place-based educational opportunities, that prepare receptive, responsive, and self-sustaining individuals that live 'ke ala pono.'"
See kuaokala.orgto apply and to learn more about the school. Call 808-981-5866 or 808-825-8811, or email info@kuaokala.org for more. |
No COVID-19 cases so far in the zip code areas of Volcano, Pāhala, and Ocean View. White indicates zero cases, light yellow indicates one to five cases. The 96772 area in Kaʻū has one case recorded. Map from DOH |
ONE NEW COVID-19 case was reported on Hawaiʻi Island Sunday, the second consecutive day of a new confirmation.
Seventy seven COVID-19 cases have been confirmed on Hawaiʻi Island since the pandemic began, with all but this weekend's two victim recovered.
DOH confirms 640 cases statewide since the pandemic began, with 415 on Oʻahu, 117 in Maui County, 21 in Kauaʻi County and 10 cases involving residents diagnosed outside the state.
Seventy seven COVID-19 cases have been confirmed on Hawaiʻi Island since the pandemic began, with all but this weekend's two victim recovered.
DOH confirms 640 cases statewide since the pandemic began, with 415 on Oʻahu, 117 in Maui County, 21 in Kauaʻi County and 10 cases involving residents diagnosed outside the state.
In the United States, more than 1.52 million cases have been confirmed. The death toll is over 89,932.
Worldwide, more than 4.71 million have contracted COVID-19. The death toll is over 315,000.To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see Facebook. Follow us on Instagram and Twitter. See our Fresh Food on The Kaʻū Calendar and our latest print edition at kaucalendar.com.
In Hawai‘i, David had a leading role installing continuous GPS sites on Mauna Loa Volcano in 2005 as part of a collaborative project involving UNAVCO, USGS and the University of Hawai‘i. He has also installed continuous GPS sites on Kīlauea Volcano, at the Hilo airport, and on O‘ahu and Kaua‘i to support sea level and atmospheric studies in addition to volcano monitoring. Thus, he is no stranger to the challenges and wonders of working on Hawaiian volcanoes with local communities and with profound respect for Hawaiian culture.
As HVO DSIC, David will supervise the field engineering staff and monitoring network managers, essentially the critical infrastructure backbone of the HVO instrumentation that tracks activity at our volcanoes. He will also oversee work on HVO facilities, play a pivotal role in the planning our new buildings, and facilitate important interagency relationships with Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park
To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see Facebook. Follow us on Instagram and Twitter. See our Fresh Food on The Kaʻū Calendar and our latest print edition at kaucalendar.com.
USGS HVO WELCOMES NEW DEPUTY SCIENTIST-IN-CHARGE DAVID PHILLIPS in this week's Volcano Watch, a weekly article and activity update written by U.S. Geological Survey Hawaiian Volcano Observatory scientists and affiliates. Today's article is by Hawaiian Volcano Observatory Scientist-in-Charge Tina Neal:
Coming home: HVO welcomes Deputy Scientist-in-Charge David Phillips
It takes a village to run a volcano observatory. The position of Deputy Scientist-in-Charge, once called Operations Manager but always known as the right hand to the Scientist-in-Charge, has long been key to the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory's success, especially as technology has advanced and staff size increased. Continuing in the tradition of skilled and dedicated leaders including Reggie Okamura, his brother Arnold Okamura, and recently retired Steve Brantley, HVO is proud to welcome David Phillips to the team.
This belated Volcano Watchshould have been written in January when David and his wife Francine Coloma, who is a scientist with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, moved to Hilo . David and Fran come (back) to us from Boulder , Colorado
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New Hawaiian Volcano Observatory Deputy Scientist-in-Charge David Phillips and his wife Francine Coloma, with Japan's iconic Mt. |
David has utilized high precision Global Positioning System and Light Detection and Ranging instruments to support state-of-the-art geophysical research projects in Hawai‘i, the mainland US, Japan, Italy, Croatia, Puerto Rico, and other locales. As examples, he conducted terrestrial lidar fieldwork in Japan following the 2011 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami, and coordinated airborne lidar and satellite radar imaging of the San Andreas fault , Yellowstone , and other important geologic features.
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HVO technician inspects power/communication station at Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō on |
David has a PhD in geophysics from the University of Hawai University of Hawai Hilo . His dissertation focused on collecting and analyzing GPS data to study plate tectonics in the South Pacific, and also included work in South America and Antarctica .
While an undergraduate at UH-Hilo, he was a student assistant at the Center for Study of Active Volcanoes, where he worked directly with HVO staff on volcano monitoring and outreach. David continued to be involved with CSAV as an instructor while at UH-Mānoa and UNAVCO, always returning to teach. He is passionate about science education and the encouragement of local youth to enter science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) careers. He has taught youth programs at the Lyman Museum, led fieldtrips for Upward Bound, and helped Jim Kauahikaua of HVO and Jim Anderson of UHH teach a program for Nā Pua No‘eau. David is excited to contribute to HVO's outreach program going forward.
David brings professional ties to scientists and technical experts at major research institutions and other U.S. Government agencies such as NOAA and NASA who utilize technology and generate data very familiar to HVO. These ties will prove extremely useful to HVO as we enter the era of National Volcano Early Warning System expansion and integration of our efforts with the other US volcano observatories.
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A view from the south rim of Halema‘uma‘u shows a lower collapsed block which has remains of the Halema‘uma‘u parking lot. The white feature in the lower right is a stop sign that was present at the eastern exit of the parking lot. Near the top of the photo, a lower collapsed block is formed from the remains of the pre-2018 Halema‘uma‘u crater floor. USGS photo taken May 6 by M. Patrick |
In many ways, David and Fran are coming full circle. David's career in geophysics and volcano monitoring began when he was a geology major at UH-Hilo. Fran was born and raised in Hilo , was also a geology major at UH-Hilo, and previously worked at HVO. And, David and Fran first met while surveying in front of an active lava flow! Please join me in welcoming David and Fran back to Hawai‘i and to the HVO family.
Volcano Activity Updates
Kīlauea Volcano is not erupting. Its USGS Volcano Alert level remains at NORMAL (https://volcanoes.usgs.gov/vhp/about_alerts.html). Kīlauea updates are issued monthly.
Kīlauea monitoring data for the past month show variable but typical rates of seismicity and ground deformation, low rates of sulfur dioxide emissions, and only minor geologic changes since the end of eruptive activity in September 2018. The water lake at the bottom of Halema‘uma‘u continues to slowly expand and deepen. For the most current information on the lake, see https://volcanoes.usgs.gov/volcanoes/kilauea/summit_water_resources.html.
Mauna Loa is not erupting and remains at Volcano Alert Level ADVISORY. This alert level does not mean that an eruption is imminent or that progression to eruption from current level of unrest is certain. Mauna Loa updates are issued weekly.
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No major changes were observed this week at slowly rise, and the water surface has a sharp color boundary separating the east and west portions of the lake. USGS photo by M. Patrick |
This past week, about 92 small-magnitude earthquakes were recorded beneath the upper elevations of Mauna Loa ; most of these occurred at shallow depths less than 8 kilometers (~5 miles). GPS measurements show slowly increasing summit inflation, consistent with magma supply to the volcano's shallow storage system. Gas concentrations at the Sulphur Cone monitoring site on the Southwest Rift Zone remain stable. Fumarole temperatures as measured at both Sulphur Cone and the summit have not changed significantly. For more information on current monitoring of Mauna Loa Volcano, see https://volcanoes.usgs.gov/volcanoes/mauna_loa/monitoring_summary.html
There were 2 events with 3 or more felt reports in the Hawaiian islands during the past week: a magnitude-3.2 earthquake 8 km (5 mi) NE of Pāhala at 32 km (20 mi) depth on May 10, 2020 at 12:20 p.m., and a magnitude-3.7 earthquake 25 km (16 mi) W of Kailua-Kona at 41 km (25 mi) depth on May 06, 2020 at 10:55 p.m.
HVO continues to closely monitor both Kīlauea and Mauna Loa .
Visit HVO's website for past Volcano Watch articles, for past Volcano Watch articles, Kīlauea and Mauna Loa updates, volcano photos, maps, recent earthquake info, and more. Email questions to askHVO@usgs.gov.
To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see Facebook. Follow us on Instagram and Twitter. See our Fresh Food on The Kaʻū Calendar and our latest print edition at kaucalendar.com.
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| Metropolitan Opera Soprano Amy Shoremount-Obra and 2018 International Bach Competition Prize-Winning Pianist Andrew Rosenblum performed works by Turina, Mahler, Fauré, Rachmaninoff, Duke, and more at Pāhala Plantation House in May of 2019. Photo by Julia Neal |
Kaʻū Life: The Way We Were Last Year
Last year, Pāhala Plantation House was filled with music. Inside, a concert to raise money for stewardship of the Kaʻū Coast filled attendees' ears. The recital was one in a series of annual performances of the Hawaiʻi International Music Festival. Last year was its third season in the islands. The fourth festival's performance in Kaʻū was held this year in the first week of March, just ahead of the Stay-At-Home measures for COVID-19 mitigation.
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Metropolitan Opera Soprano Amy Shoremount-Obra. HIMF photo |
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2018 International Bach Competition Prize Winning Pianist Andrew Rosenblum. HIMF photo |
Donations accepted at the 2019 concert went to Kaʻū Coast non-profit stewardship organizations Nā Mamo O Kāwā, nmok.org; Ka ʻOhana O Honuʻapo, honuapopark.org; Ala Kahakai Trail Association, alakahakaitrail.org; Hawaiʻi Wildlife Fund, wildhawaii.org; and Hoʻomalu Kaʻū, hoomalukau@gmail.com.
Attendees can support Hawaiʻi International Music Festival by reserving best seats at each concert. See the concert schedule for 2021 at himusicfestival.com. Overnight accommodations should be available at Pāhala Plantation Cottages, 928-9811.
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Read online at kaucalendar.com. See our Fresh Food on The Kaʻū Calendar directory for farms, ranches, takeout. Print edition of The Kaʻū Calendar is free, with 7,500 distributed on stands and to all postal addresses throughout Kaʻū, from Miloliʻi through Volcano throughout the district. Read online at kaucalendar.com and facebook.com/kaucalendar. To advertise your business or your social cause, contact kaucalendarads@gmail.com. |
To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see Facebook. Follow us on Instagram and Twitter. See our Fresh Food on The Kaʻū Calendar and our latest print edition at kaucalendar.com.
Daily, weekly, and monthly recurring Kaʻū and Volcano Events, Meetings, Entertainment, Exercise, Meditation, and more are listed at kaucalendar.com. However, all non-essential activities are canceled through the end of May.
MOST EVENTS ARE CANCELLED to stem the spread of the novel coronavirus. The state is under a stay-at-home order, with l4 days of quarantine required for anyone coming into the state. Interisland travel is restricted. Those in Hawaiʻi should stay at home unless needing to obtain food or medical care.
ONGOING
Free COVID-19 Screenings are at Bay Clinic during business hours, with appointment. Call 333-3600.
A wide selection of fresh vegetables and fruits, prepared take away foods, assorted added value foods, breads and baked goods, honey, cheese, grass-fed beef, fish, vegetable plants, masks, handmade soaps, coffee, and more are offered on various days. Contact Sue Barnett, OKK Market Manager, at 808-345-9374, for more and to apply to vend.
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Free Breakfast and Lunch for Anyone Eighteen and Under is available at Kaʻū High & Pāhala Elementary and at Nāʻālehu Elementary weekdays through May. Each youth must be present to receive a meal. Service is drive-up or walk-up, and social distancing rules (at least six feet away) are observed. Breakfast is served 7:30 a.m. to 8 a.m., lunch from 11:30 a.m. to noon. Food is being delivered to Ocean View.
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The Food Basket Food Pantries Distribution, where families can receive 14 days of food per family: The next drive-thru screening at Nāʻālehu Community Center will be held Wednesday, May 13 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Screening will be carried out by Aliʻi Health, with support from County of Hawai‘i COVID-19 Task Force, Premier Medical Group and Pathways Telehealth.
A testing team from Aloha Critical Care in Kona will provide testing at St. Jude's every other Wednesday. The next date is May 20 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Wearing masks is required for everyone.
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To bypass the screening queue at community test sites, patients can call ahead to Pathways Telehealth, option 5 at 808-747-8321. The free clinic will also offer on-site screening to meet testing criteria. Physicians qualify those for testing, under the guidance of Center for Disease Control & Prevention and Hawaiʻi's COVID-19 Response Task Force.
Those visiting screening clinics will be asked to show photo ID, and any health insurance cards – though health insurance is not required to be tested. They are also asked to bring their own pen to fill in forms.
For further information, call Civil Defense at 935-0031.
ʻO Kaʻū Kākou Market in Nāʻālehu is open three days per week – Monday, Wednesday, and Friday – from 8 a.m. to noon. The goal is no more than 50 customers on the grounds at a time. Vendor booths per day are limited to 25, with 30 feet of space between vendors. Masks and hand sanitizing are required to attend the market. Social distancing will be enforced.A testing team from Aloha Critical Care in Kona will provide testing at St. Jude's every other Wednesday. The next date is May 20 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Wearing masks is required for everyone.
Those visiting screening clinics will be asked to show photo ID, and any health insurance cards – though health insurance is not required to be tested. They are also asked to bring their own pen to fill in forms.
For further information, call Civil Defense at 935-0031.
A wide selection of fresh vegetables and fruits, prepared take away foods, assorted added value foods, breads and baked goods, honey, cheese, grass-fed beef, fish, vegetable plants, masks, handmade soaps, coffee, and more are offered on various days. Contact Sue Barnett, OKK Market Manager, at 808-345-9374, for more and to apply to vend.
Volcano Farmers Market at Cooper Center Wright Road , off of Old Volcano Highway , is open on Sundays from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m. , with much local produce, island beef, and prepared foods. Call 808-967-7800.
St. Jude's Episcopal Church Soup Kitchen is open, with a modified menu and increased health & safety standards, every Saturday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Hot showers, the computer lab, and in-person services and bible studies are suspended. Services are posted online on Sundays at stjudeshawaii.org.
The Pāhala location is Kaʻū District Gym at 96-1149 Kamani Street, distributed by the ʻO Kaʻū Kākou Pantry, on Tuesday, May 26, 10 a.m. to noon. Call The Food Basket, 933-6030.
The Volcano location is Cooper Center at 19-4030 Wright Road Wednesday, May 27 from 10 a.m. to noon. Call Kehau at 443-4130.
The Nāʻālehu location Sacred Heart Church at 95-558 Mamālahoa Hwy, under their Loaves and Fishes program, on Thursday, May 28 from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. Call 928-8208.
The Ocean View location for May was Kahuku Park on Monday, May 11, 10 a.m. to noon. Call The Food Basket, 933-6030, for the next date.
On-Call Emergency Box Food Pantry is open at Cooper Center Tuesdays through Saturdays from 11 a.m. to noon. Call 967-7800 to confirm.
Free Book Exchanges at the laundromats in Ocean View and Nāʻālehu are provided by Friends of the Kaʻū Libraries. Everyone is invited to take books they want to read. They may keep the books, pass them on to other readers, or return them to the Book Exchange to make them available to others in the community. The selection of books is replenished weekly at both sites.
Make Reservations for Father's Day at Crater Rim Café in Kīlauea Military Camp for Sunday, June 21 from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. Seating limited due to social distancing. Dinner also available to go. The main course is Prime Rib and Vegetable Alfredo Pasta Bake, with side dishes and dessert, for $27.95 per person. Call 967-8356 for dine-in reservations, to-go orders, and current event information. KMC is open to all authorized patrons and sponsored guests. Park entrance fees apply.
Kīlauea Visitor Center Auditorium Closed for Renovation through June 30. The Park is closed until further notice due to COVID-19 spread mitigation. A popular seven-and-a-half minute 2018 eruption video will be shown on a television in the exhibits area, once the Park and center reopen, and is available online for free download.
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