Ka‘ū News Briefs, Sunday, Sept. 4, 2022

Intermittent programs to remove junk cars in Kaʻū have focused on Ocean View, with Robyn and David Baglow providing a  staging area along Hwy 11 for pickup more than a decade ago, and the county program in 2021 staging an area at  Ocean View Community Center.

DERELICT VEHICLES COULD BE REMOVED FREE OF CHARGE, under a new bill proposed by County Councilman Kaneali'i-Klienfelder to get junk cars off the landscape around the island. It would also help to reduce the number of cars abandoned on roadsides - more than 1,700 islandwide in 2021. Funding would come from the vehicle registration fee that already includes a cost of disposal. The bill will be discussed Tuesday at the 9:30 a.m. meeting of the Committee on Regenerative Agriculture, Water, Energy & Environmental Management.

County of Hawai'i organized a junk car pickup in 2021 in 2021 with staging at Ocean View Community Center.

    The councilman's proposal notes that disposing cars before they are abandoned on the side of the road, would save county resources. When an abandoned car is found, Hawai'i Police Department attempts to find out who owns it, the county pays for the towing, and the owner, if found, faces a small fine compared to the cost of towing and disposal. The Department of Environmental Management also spends time inspecting abandoned cars on the road and takes care them in order to ensure they don't pollute the road ways, dripping fluids, while being towed.
    The measure before the Council, Bill No 200, would create a "Vehicle Disposal Assistance Program that would allow a property owner or registered vehicle owner to apply for the removal of the abandoned or derelict vehicle," says the County Council notice on the meeting. Live stream of County Council Committee Meetings can be watched at http://hawaiicounty.granicus.com/ViewPublisher.php?view id=l.
    A number of programs over the years have put a dent in junk cars scattered across Kaʻū. More than a decade ago, Robyn and David Baglow provided a staging area just off Hwy 11 for junk car pick up in Ocean View. Last year the county organized a pickup at Ocean View Community Center. 

Kaʻū Girls Varsity Volleyball team members are: Back row # 8 Jazmyn Navarro;  # 3 Precious Mareko-Ke; # 28 Kyia Hashimoto; # 4 Kamalyn Jara; # 5 Shaylie Martinez; Head Coach Joshua Ortega. In front row are: Assistant Coach Kamalani Fujikawa; # 2 Leahi Kaupu; # 7 Jessa Mae Tamayo; # 6 Jaydah Pilanca-Emmsley; # 1 Tehani-Mae Espejo-Navarro; and # 9 Halia Tayamen.

GIRLS HIGH SCHOOL TROJAN VOLLEYBALL TEAM is back from a three-day Labor Day Classic Invitational tournament at Kamehameha Schools in Kea'au from Thursday through Saturday. Twenty-seven teams from around the state, California and Oregon joined in.

Kaʻū Trojan girls warm up before winning their game. Photo by Julia Neal

Kaʻū Volleyball Coach Josh Ortega with is winning team behind him. Photo by Julia Neal

     In early season games, the Trojans beat Kea'au on Friday, Aug. 26. Leahi Kaupu posted 12 Kills and 3 Aces; Precious Mareko-Ke delivered 5 Kills and 5 Aces; Jaydah Pilanca-Emmsley scored 4 Kills and 1 Ace; Tehani-Mae Espejo-Navarro delivered 2 kills and 6 Aces; and Shaylie Martinez and Kya Hashimoto each recorded 1 Kill. The sets were 25-20, 25-15 and 25-20 to make the Trojans the winning team.
  Last Tuesday, Aug. 30, the Trojans took down Christian Liberty academy 25-10, 25-21 and 25-17. Leahi Kaupu managed 13 Kills and 6 Aces; Tehani-Mae Espejo-Navarro nailed 6 Kills and 2 Aces; Jaydah Pilanca-Emmsley pounded 4 Kills and 4 Aces; Kyia Hashimoto provided 4 Kills; Jazmyn Navarro delivered 3 Kills and 1 Ace; Kamalyn Jara scored 1 kill and 1 Ace. 
    The Trojans head for Honoka'a this Tuesday, Sept. 6 with a start time of 6 p.m. for JV, followed by Varsity competition. The next girls home volleyball event is this Thursday, Sept. 8 against St. Joseph at Kaʻū District Gym, with JV play at 5 p.m. and Varsity at 6 p.m. On Friday, the Trojans stay home again to host Hilo High, with a 5 p.m. start for JV and 6 p.m for Varsity.

Kaʻū Girls Varsity Volleyball team members are: Back row Back rowAssistant Coach Kamalani Fujikawa; # 15 Aubrey-Ann Delos Santos-Graig; # 24 Taijah Beck; # 20 Kalesha Hashimoto; # 11 Alajshae Barrios; # 10 McKenzie Decoito; and Head Coach Joshua Ortega. In the Front row are: # 21 Zaela Malia Kainoa Haili-Barawis; # 18 Ha'ale'a Freitas Hashimoto; # 22 Waileia Kainoa Haili-Barawis; # 25 Cherish Gravela-Mareko and # 12 Tyra Wong Yuen.

HAWAI'I IS THE 15TH HARDEST WORKING STATE, according to a report released for Labor Day Weekend by WalletHub, which names people of North Dakota as the hardest working, followed by Alaska, Nebraska and South Dakota.

    In order to determine where Americans work the hardest, WalletHub compared the 50 states across ten key metrics. The data set ranges from average workweek hours to share of workers with multiple jobs to annual volunteer hours per resident.   
    Hawai'i ranked 23rd in average workweek hours, 12 in average commute time, 10th in share of workers with multiple jobs and 11th in average leisure time spent per day.
    WalletHub reports on a World Economic Forum's analysis showing that Americans worked an average of almost 1,800 hours last year, which is "442 hours per year more than Germans work, but 337 fewer than Mexicans do."
    Americans also forfeited an average of 4.6 days of unused time off. "While leaving vacation time on the table may seem strange to some people, there are plenty of reasons why workers choose to do so. Some fear that if they take time off they will look less dedicated to the job than other employees, risking a layoff. Others worry about falling behind on their work or are concerned that the normal workflow will not be able to function without them," stated WalletHub.
    See the study at https://wallethub.com/edu/hardest-working-states-in-america/52400