Ka‘ū News Briefs, Friday, June 10, 2022

SATURDAY, JUNE 11 IS KAMEHAMEHA DAY, with Friday the state and county holiday for workers, as well as an Order of King Kamehameha procession in Hilo and lei draping at the King Kamehameha statues in Hilo and Honolulu. On Saturday there is the parade in Kona and lei draping of his statue in Kapa'au, and at the U.S. Capitol. In Kaʻū, on Kamehameha Day, June 11, from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. will be the launch of a new book on the Place Names and Legends of Ka'u at Punalu'u Bake Shop. See more below.

    The holiday celebrates the life of the king who unified all the Hawaiian Islands from the Big Island to Ni'ihau in the decades just before the arrival of missionaries. 

     Kamehameha I established the Hawaiian Kingdom as an internationally recognized government in 1810. During his reign from 1795 to 1818, fur traders and merchants, picking up local sandalwood on their way to markets in China, stopped in Hawai`i on their sailing ships. Pineapple and coffee crops were introduced. 
    Kamehameha’s great-grandson Kamehameha V established the holiday in 1871, and Kamehameha Day quickly grew to include such events as carnivals, horse and foot races, parades featuring pa`u riders – the flower-bedecked horseback contingents representing each island – hula competitions and ho`olaule`a. The holiday continued as Hawai`i became a part of the U.S. It was one of the first holidays to be written into law when Hawai`i became a state in 1959.

ALL REQUIREMENTS FOR COVID PRETESTING OF TRAVELERS COMING INTO THE U.S. EXPIRE this Saturday, just after 6 p.m. Hawai'i time. The federal mandate required testing within 24

hours before boarding flights to the U.S.  Dropping the requirement received the blessing of Centers for Disease Control & Prevention determined it is no longer necessary. CDC is expected to review its policy every three months to see if the testing should be reinstated
    According to the state Department of Health, Hawai'i County had an average over the last week of a 13.1 percent positivity rate for testing for Covid, much lower than Kaua'i's at 26.5 percent, Honolulu's at 21.9 percent, and Maui's at 17.2 percent. Hawai'i County also has the lowest rate of completing vaccinations, at 60 percent, compared to 81 percent in Honolulu, 72 percent on Kaua'i and 71 percent in Maui County. See all the Department of Health metrics on Covid at https://health.hawaii.gov/coronavirusdisease2019/

A THIRD CASE OF MONKEYPOX was reported by the state Department of Health on Friday. Like the other two, the victims are on O'ahu. The latest patient is believed to have contracted the disease through community contact. According to the Department of Health, contact tracing is difficult because incubation can be as long as 21 days. Symptoms of monkeypox are "fever, headache, muscle aches, chills, exhaustion, and swollen lymph nodes. Infection progresses to a rash or sores, often on the hands, feet, chest, face, or genitals," according to DOH.  As with covid, the virus is spread through droplets and mask wearing can cut the risk.

The Zonta Club invites women who own businesses on this island to apply for micro-grants to help them grow in the Pay it Forward program. Photo from Zonta Club of Hilo

Club of Hilo, which oversees this island.
    The Pay It Forward program goal is to help women in this community start up or expand a business through a microgrant intended to give a helping hand. The grant will be up to $2,000. Awardees are required to submit a written report after one year, and will be asked to present the report to the club.                Awardees are encouraged to Pay It Forward when they are financially able. The Pay It Forward program

of the local chapter of Zonta was launched in 2014 with an initial donation from Nancy Cabral, a Zonta member and owner of Day-Lum Rentals & Management, Inc. "Cabral's desire was to encourage other women to achieve financial independence and business success. Since its inception, many other generous donors have contributed to these microgrants for women entrepreneurs," says the Zonta statement.
    Applications are available online at https://zontahilo.org/pay-it-forward-microgrant/ and are being accepted via email by midnight July 31. Send to info@zontahilo.org or by mail postmarked by Friday, July 31, 2022 to Zonta Club of Hilo, Pay It Forward Program, P.O. Box 1915, Hilo, HI 96721-1915.

For more information, visit zontahilo.org or email info@zontahilo.org.
    The Zonta Club of Hilo is a member of Zonta International, whose mission is to empower women through service and advocacy. Hilo Club projects include Fashion Frenzy, Magnificent Me Girls Conference, college scholarships, and Amelia Earhart Girls in Engineering Day. Website: www.zontahilo.org.