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Kaʻū News Briefs March 15, 2024

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HAWAI'I COFFEE ASSOCIATION ANNOUNCED ITS 29TH ANNUAL Conference, Trade Show, and 15th Statewide Cupping Competition update on Friday. Kaʻū Coffee growers have been big winners in the past and can submit their entries between May 6 and May 31 under new rules expected by April 1.
    The Conference will return to Ala Moana Hotel in Honolulu. Special room rates start at $209. The HCA statement says the committee is meeting weekly to discuss lecture and schedule details. "As soon as they are finalized in the coming weeks, we will let you all know."
    HCA's Workshop Series will return to the Conference with coffee education. Past workshops have included Coffee Cupping, Roasting, Water for Coffee, Grafting, and Post Harvest Processing. The announcement says, "We know that there are many talented educators and leaders in our local community and broader networks. If you have, or someone you know has, a topic for a hands-on, engaging and educational workshops, we are interested to learn about it!" See https://hawaiicoffeeassoc.us11.list-manage.com/track/click?u=903dbacfc5f15daf97277cc28&id=4e4586b81d&e=2a99e2fced for more details on the Workshop Series and a questionnaire for those proposing to present. There are a few slots available and the conference committee will review proposals the first week of April.
    Interested in volunteering? HCA is looking for community volunteers for the Conference and the Workshop Series. A two-hour volunteer commitment nets access to daily lectures and updates in the main hall and Trade Show. Prospective volunteers can email events@hawaiicoffeeassoc.org

To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see facebook.com/kaucalendar. See latest events, print edition and archive at kaunews.com. See 7,500 copies the mail and on stands. 

HONOLULU CIVIL BEAT COVERED THE PUNALU'U DEVELOPMENT PROPOSAL this week, with a lead saying, "A battle is brewing on the Big Island over a proposed development in Punalu'u, a stretch of black sand beach and ponds along the rugged Kaʻū coastline that's popular among locals, tourists, fishermen and many others." 
    Writer Paula Dobbyn reports on a written statement from Mayor Mitch Roth who "said his administration was pleased to see the community actively engaging and being heard about the proposed development." It quotes the Mayor saying, "The process is designed to give all of us a voice in
Punalu'u's exposed rocky shoreline. Photo by Bob Martin

transparently shaping our community’s future.” 
    The story also notes that with the recommendation of the county planning director, the Planning Commission is "considering granting a Special Management Area permit to Black Sand Beach, a limited liability company that wants to develop 147 of the 434 acres it owns at Punalu'u.
    "The company's permit application for its Punalu'u Village entails building 225 residential and vacation rentals, a retail and wellness center, a fish market and seafood restaurant and rehabilitating an existing golf course, among other features. The company estimates the construction cost at between $200 million and $350 million."
     The story reports that Planning Director Zendo Kern recommends approval, "without making the developers prepare an updated environmental impact statement or environmental assessment because the project did not meet the criteria set out in state law for such a requirement." The last EIS came out in 1988. One was drafted in 2008 but not completed.
     The story states that hundreds protested the project on the March 7 hearing day. It points to signs that were held by citizens outside the planing commission hearing, "like Keep Kaʻū Country" and "Protect our Land and Natural Resources," and says testifiers "shared concerns over an outdated wastewater treatment plant in Punalu'u, increased population and traffic, an influx of tourists, lack of a disaster mitigation plan in an area vulnerable to king tides and tsunamis, and the potential disruption of culturally important areas and ancient burial grounds."
    The story quotes Kaʻū residents Nohea Ka'awa, Nora Kawachi, Dane Shibuya, and Elsa Dedman, along with cultural practitioner Jonah Maikahoku I and developer consultant Daryn Arai.
    See the entire Civil Beat story at https://www.civilbeat.org/2024/03/hundreds-of-hawaii-island-residents-protest-proposed-housing-project-in-punaluu/?fbclid=IwAR18STe0twfnmchLB12gMz9CJaVb9NG2SmUsMbYAXAC5T2i-NnyHiB6uw1E

To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see facebook.com/kaucalendar. See latest events, print edition and archive at kaunews.com. See 7,500 copies the mail and on stands.

O KAʻŪ KAKOU SCHOLARSHIPS ARE AVAILABLE with the deadline to apply this April 30. A statement from OKK says, "Our children are our future and to secure that future, many will need a competitive edge in our changing, fast-paced world. For those students who qualify, OKK is offering scholarships to Ka'ū student undergraduates currently enrolled in secondary education institutions." Students will each receive a $500 scholarship per semester.
    Applicants must be residents of Ka'ū District and graduating seniors in either public, private or home-school and headed to higher education, or they must be full-time undergraduates already attending two or four year colleges. Download scholarship form at https://www.okaukakou.org/_files/ugd/c5d967_18c03f8ca28f41c99c10d6962c31a028.pdf.
    The application includes the requirement to answer the questions, "What are your future plans to use your degree to improve life in Ka'ū?" and another asking the applicant to state intentions and goals to "give back to the community in the decade following your graduation from college or trade school."
For answer to questions, email okaukakou.or.scholarship@gmail.com.
Soto No Michi Aikido is open for 
new students at Pahala Hongwanji.

To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see facebook.com/kaucalendar. See latest events, print edition and archive at kaunews.com. See 7,500 copies the mail and on stands.

SOTO NO MICHI AIKIDO MARTIAL ARTS & MOVEMENT CLASSES are open to new students at Pāhala Hongwanji on Thursdays and Sundays from 4:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. Students are adults and keiki and must be at least eight years of age. Sensei Gabriel Cuevas leads the classes. For more information and answers to questions call him at 206-281-8821.

To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see facebook.com/kaucalendar. See latest events, print edition and archive at kaunews.com. See 7,500 copies the mail and on stands.

A CAR FIRE SHUT DOWN HWY 11 for a short period early Friday evening near mile marker 65, Waiohinu at Konohiki Road. Hwy 11 closed about 6 p.m. with traffic detoured down South Point Road and Kamaoa. Hawai'i Police and Fire Departments responded to multiple 911 calls. The car was a Toyota Camry LE.


Toyota Camry on fire this evening near Waiohinu. Photo by Bob Martin

To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see facebook.com/kaucalendar. See latest events, print edition and archive at kaunews.com. See 7,500 copies the mail and on stands.

HULA SHOWCASE AND DINNER AT VOLCANO ART CENTER'S Nia'ulani Campus is this Saturday, March 16 with two seatings, 4:20 p.m. and 6:25 p.m. The presentation by Hula Halau Ke 'Olu Makani O Mauna Loa is directed by Kumu Hula Meleana Manuel. The dinner is by Mexi-Cali Street Tacos following each show. Tickets are $55 via Eventbrite: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/hula-in-the-moonlight-tickets-843134386647.



To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see facebook.com/kaucalendar. See latest events, print edition and archive at kaunews.com. See 7,500 copies the mail and on stands.


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