Kaʻū News Briefs, Saturday, Dec. 10, 2022

NĀ’ALEHU SCHOOL WAS CONGRESSMAN KAI KAHELE'S DESTINATION on Friday just off the plane for 72 hours in state. He travelled straight to Nāʻālehu Elementary School and said his aim was "to inspire 500 pre-K through sixth grade students in one of Hawai'i’s rural, country communities. Every student received a personalized letter, pocket constitution and U.S. House swag!" He proceeded to other schools in Hilo, including a Junior Achievement speakers program at Waiakea High School.

     Other news from Kahele this week, as he begins to wrap up his term in Congress, includes meeting with outgoing Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and incoming Democratic House Leader Hakeem Jeffries. 

    On Saturday, Kahele posted Ola i ka wai #ShutDownRedHill. He earlier posted: "#OnThisDayInHistory in 2021, I first raised the unfolding crisis at Red Hill in a House Armed Services Committee Democrats hearing with the U.S. Navy. In that bottle was petroleum contaminated water from faucets of military families homes that I collected earlier that week and brought to Washington.Exactly 270 days later the Secretary of Defense announced the permanent closure of #RedHill." On Saturday evening, Kahele posted: "Our ‘ohana was proud to “walk for wai” this afternoon to support Ernie Lau and the Honolulu Board of Water Supply to #ShutDownRedHill.

     The pollution of domestic water on O'ahu from the military storage of fuel in its Red Hill facility is one of the biggest stories in Hawai'i over the past year.

    This week, Kahele also honored the late Congresswoman Patsy Mink on her 95th birthday, saying: "The first Asian American Pacific Islander woman and first woman of color elected to the U.S. House, Congresswoman Mink championed #TitleIX and fearlessly fought to prevent discrimination across our nation’s educational institutions." Title IX says: "No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance." It is credited with women and all genders having increased participation in education and in school sports.

THE CIVIL DEFENSE ERUPTION UPDATE for Saturday, Dec. 10 at 3 p.m. says, "Hawaiian Volcano Observatory has reduced the Mauna Loa Volcano alert level from Warning to Watch and reports that Fissure 3 continues to erupt with greatly reduced output of lava and gas emissions. Short outbreaks of lava continue above the 10,000 foot elevation and are no risk to any communities at this time. A Volcanic Alert Level, Watch means an eruption is underway but with limited hazards."

    Saddle Road, the Daniel K. Inouye Hwy, remains open in both directions.
    "The reduced level of activity is resulting in a minimal to no red lava viewing," says Civil Defense, reminding the public that all areas adjacent to Daniel K. Inouye Highway, Old Saddle Road, and near the lava flow are closed and "prohibited from access to the public for your safety. You will be updated of any changes that affect your safety."

Aerial view of the fissure 3 cone on the Northeast Rift Zone of Mauna Loa. On Dec. 10, Hawaiian Volcano Observatory geologists noted there are no fountains present in fissure 3. Only a lava pond is present with minor circulating activity. USGS Photograph by K. Mulliken

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COMMUNITY INPUT ON THE FUTURE OF THE KAHUKU-PŌHU'E unit of Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park was gathered by the Park, Trust for Public Land and other partnering organizations for the planning of public access and other programs. The venue was Nāʻālehu Hongwanji on Saturday. See coverage in the Sunday Kaʻū News Briefs.