Ka‘ū News Briefs, Monday, Aug. 22, 2022

KA'Ū COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT PLAN ACTION COMMITTEE MEETINGS are cancelled by the County of Hawai'i. Planning Director Zendo Kern made the announcement today, cancelling all Action Committee meetings for all the districts around the island. He said: "Due to recent staffing changes in the Long-Range Division within the Planning Department, it has become necessary to adjust staff time and resources. This means staff will unfortunately not have the capacity to organize or facilitate AC meetings for the foreseeable future."

   Kaʻū's Action Committee members are: Leina'ala Enos, Babette Morrow, Catherine Williams, Kaohinani Mokuali'i, Pernell Hanoa, Jason Masters, Kaweni Ibarra and Jessie Ke. 

    The Planning Director urged the public to "Please know that this does not prevent your continued participation and involvement in community-driven efforts to implement CDPs. In the time being, we aim to empower your active involvement in community groups and Permitted Interaction Groups (investigatory subcommittees) to continue working and moving forward.
    "We will also continue to aid and promote efforts of AC members to organize independent, official meetings. The CDP Team is continuing to support the implementation of CDPs and to serve as your resource for news and updates regarding our community planning efforts."
    The Planning Director said that "In the absence of County led AC meetings, the CDP Team will engage in a forward-looking approach to help shape the future of this program. This will include a concerted effort to connect with you and the broader community to gather feedback, along with consultation with Corporation Counsel to assess the benefits and limitations relative to Action Committee engagement. This effort will focus on the applicability of Sunshine Law and County mandates that place constraints on AC community-based stewardship of CDPs, and the ongoing challenge to develop a robust approach to Community Planning. In addition, the CDP team will continue to collaborate on other planning initiatives, including but not limited to the continued work of the General Plan Comprehensive Review. We appreciate your ongoing advocacy and diligence in implementing the Community Development Plans of our island. Please reach out to the CDP team at cdp@hawaiicounty.gov if you have any questions or would like additional information or guidance."

To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see www.facebook.com/kaucalendar. See latest print edition at wwwkaucalendar.com. See upcoming events at 

A MAGNITUDE 4.0 EARTHQUAKE ROLLED THROUGH PAHALA Monday evening, following a swarm of eight earthquakes in seven hours, with magnitudes ranging from M 2.2 to M 2.5. No damage was reported. 

To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see www.facebook.com/kaucalendar. See latest print edition at wwwkaucalendar.com. See upcoming events at 

Rory. the Springer Spaniel Narcotics specialist, retires and will live with his handler, Officer Stephen Kishimoto Jr.   Photo from HPD

    Longtime narcotics canine Rory served Hawai‘i Island for seven years. The department acquired Rory in 2015 when he was three years old from a California program that raises and trains narcotics canines. Since then, the energetic floppy-eared springer spaniel has worked as a narcotics canine for the Area II (west Hawai‘i) Vice Section.
     “To an uneducated eye, Rory does not look like your typical narcotics police canine,” said Area II Vice Lt. Edwin Buyten. “He was one of our secret weapons. “Let me tell you, this cute and cuddly ball of energy possesses one of the highest work drives of any narcotic canine I have ever had the pleasure to work with.”
    Area II K9 Supervisor and Vice Detective Chad Taniyama echoed the sentiment, saying “Rory is the epitome of don’t judge a book by its cover.” Taniyama described a situation during Rory’s most recent annual K9 certification in which someone mistook the police dog for a personal pet. “By the end of the day that same person was singing Rory’s praises and asking where could he get a K9 like Rory,” said Taniyama.
    Now ten years old, Rory still has a lot of spunk, says Buyten, but age and health were considerations in his retirement. “We want him to have a good quality of life in his retirement,” said Buyten.
     Rory will enjoy his retirement living with the family of Officer Stephen Kishimoto Jr., who was Rory’s most recent handler.

To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see www.facebook.com/kaucalendar. See latest print edition at wwwkaucalendar.com. See upcoming events at 

Walter Hammond was reported missing on Mauna Loa's summit, then  then found by Monday morning. Photo from HPD

A MAN REPORTED MISSING AT THE SUMMIT OF MAUNA LOA was found in good health. Hawai'i Police Department on Monday morning reported Walter E. Hammond, a 75 year old, Caucasian, 5'10, 185 lb. man, was last seen at 4 p.m. on Sunday, wearing jeans, orange U of Texas pullover, tennis shoes and carrying a green drawstring bag at the summit of Mauna Loa. Later, Monday morning, HPD reported that Hammond was found alive and well, with no other detail.

To read comments, add your own, like this story, see www.facebook.com/kaucalendar. 

Missing man named Henry Henry

See latest print edition at wwwkaucalendar.com. See upcoming events at
https://kaunewsbriefs.blogspot.com/2022/04/upcoming-events-for-kau-and-volcano.htm.

CREATORS OF THE ISLAND OF HAWAI'I PONO PLEDGE video received praise from County of Hawai'i on Monday, after winning a 2022 Silver Telly Award. Hawai'i Visitors Bureau and County of Hawai'i made the announcement at the mayor's office. See The Pono Pledge video at https://www.ponopledge.com.
    The Island of Hawaiʻi Pono Pledge "advocates for mindful, safe, and pono interactions by travelers while on Hawai‘i Island," says the statement. The Telly Award in the Online General, Public Interest/Awareness category recognizes the video for sharing the Pono Pledge in ‘Ōlelo Hawai‘i (Hawaiian language) and English.  Also winning in the same Telly category were productions by Comcast, NBC News/MSNBC, CBS News, 60 minutes, and Honolulu Star Advertiser.

Lito Arkangel Photo from U.H. Hilo

   The public information Pono Pledge video, created in 2018 in partnership between the Island of Hawaiʻi Visitors Bureau and the County of Hawaiʻi, is "a collaborative effort to accurately depict the people and place from which the pledge aims to protect," says the statement. 

    The Pono Pledge is also identified in Hawai‘i Tourism Authority’s Hawaiʻi Island Destination Management Action Plan and Hawaiʻi County’s Tourism Strategic Plan as a vessel to communicate with and educate visitors on pono practices.
    Ross Birch, Island of Hawai‘i Visitors Bureau Executive Director, said, “The Pono Pledge is a direct ask to our Hawai‘i Island visitors on the behaviors and actions we expect them to take while they’re enjoying the island’s splendor. The island of Hawai‘i is a special place, and our community comes first, which is why we continue to advocate for our visitors to not only traverse the island with respect and safety, but to take it a step further and give back to protect our natural resources and wildlife.”
    Lito Arkangel, who teaches at University of Hawai'i-Hilo, directed and produced The Pono Pledge video, featuring Hawaiʻi Island residents who embody the pledge and apply it in their everyday lives. Another Hilo-born creative, Tracey Niimi, of TN Photography, and a U.H. Hilo alum, assisted with the video’s creative direction and videography. Arkangel and Niimi said it was important to involve the community and have representation from residents of diverse backgrounds, upbringings, and ethnicities.

Tracey Niimi Photo from U.H.-Hilo

The entire Pono Pledge and its website was translated to ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi by Bruce Torres Fischer, a Master’s student of the Hawaiian language and literature program at the Ka Haka ʻUla O Keʻelikōlani College of Hawaiian Language at the at U.H.-Hilo. Larry Lindsey Kauanoe Kimura, associate professor of Hawaiian language and Hawaiian studies at the Ka Haka ʻUla O Keʻelikōlani College of Hawaiian Language at the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo, and internationally recognized grandfather of Hawaiian language revitalization, also assisted Torres Fischer in The Pono Pledge video and website’s ‘Ōlelo Hawai‘i translation.
    Arkangel said, “Mahalo nui to all of you who contributed to an awesome expression of who we are as residents and what it means to be pono on Hawaiʻi Island. “We believe in The Pono Pledge and its teachings full heartedly and we’re honored to be able to work on this project and accept this award on behalf of the Island of Hawai‘i Visitors Bureau and the County of Hawai‘i.”
    Arkangel added, “Whether you are a visitor or resident, you must understand that not being pono is detrimental to the welfare and safety of not only yourself and your ʻohana, but to the ʻāina and all of the ʻohana here at home as well. Please help by sharing The Pono Pledge with friends and family near and far. Together, we can make a difference and protect the island of Hawaiʻi and all that makes it special.”
    The Island of Hawai‘i Visitors Bureau and the County of Hawai‘i held the ceremony on Monday at Mayor Mitch Roth’s office to recognize Arkangel, Niimi, Fischer and all those involved in the video. The mayor acknowledged them for "their great work in perpetuating The Pono Pledge and educating visitors on the appropriate behaviors to take while visiting the island of Hawai‘i," said the announcement.

Bruce Torres Fischer Photo from U.H.-Hilo

    “Ensuring that our visitors who come to enjoy our beautiful island home have a clear understanding of how to interact with our ʻāina and our people is critical to how we reimagine tourism moving forward,” said Roth. “A huge mahalo for all who played a role in creating The Pono Pledge, as it offers our guests a perfect snapshot of our island and its values.”
    Roth added, “If all of our visitors can get on board and take the pledge, both our residents and visitors alike will benefit greatly.”

    For more information, visit PonoPledge.com and follow Pono Pledge on Facebook (@PonoPledgeHawaii) and Instagram (@PonoPledge).  Here are words to The Pono Pledge in Hawaiian and English:
E kū i ka pono ke kipa i Hawaiʻi.
I pledge to be pono (righteous) on the island of Hawaiʻi.

E nanea i ka ʻikena, ʻaʻole hoʻi e kiʻihele hewa i kahi kuleana ʻole.
I will mindfully seek wonder, but not wander where I do not belong.

E nihi ka helena i ka uka o Puna, mai pūlale i ka ʻike a ka maka.
I will not defy death for breathtaking photos, trespass or venture beyond safety.

E mālama ʻia ke kai a me ka honua, a e mahalo ʻia ko laila mau ola lōhiu mai kahi mamao aku.
I will mālama (care for) land and sea, and admire wildlife only from afar.

Hoʻohihi ka maka i ke ahi a ka Wahine, he ahi ʻenaʻena e akahele ai.
Molten lava will mesmerize me, but I will not disrupt its flow.

ʻAʻole e kāʻili ʻia kā haʻi, e waiho ʻia ka pōhaku a me ke one i kona wahi ponoʻī.
I will not take what is not mine, leaving lava rocks and sand as originally found.

E nānā pono i ke kai, ʻaʻole e huli kua ʻia.
I will heed ocean conditions, never turning my back to the Pacific.

Ke loku mai ka ua i uka, e ao aʻe i ia wai makamakaʻole.
When rain falls ma uka (inland), I will remain high above ground, out of rivers and streams.

He aliʻi ka ʻāina, he kauā ke kanaka.
I will embrace the concept of being a steward of the land, revered as my loving chief.

To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see www.facebook.com/kaucalendar. See latest print edition at wwwkaucalendar.com. See upcoming events athttps://kaunewsbriefs.blogspot.com/2022/04/upcoming-events-for-kau-and-volcano.htm

OCEAN VIEW KA'U PANTRY FOOD DISTRIBUTION is  Tuesday, Aug. 23, 9:30 a.m. - Pau. at St. Jude's Episcopal Church above the county Kahuku Park, Sponsored by Hawai'i Island Food Basket.

O KA'U KAKOU FOOD PANTRY DISTRIBUTION is Tuesday, Aug. 23, 10 a.m. - Pau. Ka'u District Gym in Pahala. Sponsored by Hawai'i Island Food Basket.

COOPER CENTER COMMUNITY PANTRY FOOD DISTRIBUTION is Wednesday, Aug. 24, 9:30 a.m. - 11 a.m. at 19-4030 Wright Road in Volcano. Sponsored by Hawai

i Island Food Basket.

SIGN UP FOR KAʻŪ COFFEE TRAIL RUNS with a change of date from July 3 to Sept. 17. Registration deadline for the annual event is Sept. 14. Organized by Hawaiʻi Island Racers, the 50K begins at 6 a.m., Half Marathon at 7 a.m., and 5K at 7:15 a.m., all starting from Kaʻū Coffee Mill at 96-2696 Wood Valley Road in Pāhala. Proceeds go to support ʻO Kaʻū Kakou. For more details on the event and registration fees, visit https://www.kaucoffeetrailruns.com/.