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| Tropical Storm Nora continues to weaken and track well south of Hawai`i Island. Map from NOAA |
OFFICE OF HAWAIIAN AFFAIRS APPLAUDED the Circuit Court decision invalidating the Department of Land and Natural Resource’s Mauna Kea emergency rule.
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| Photo of Mauna Kea emergency rules sign from OHA |
Judge Ibarra last week ruled that the department did not comply with the requirements for rulemaking because it failed to provide its reasoning supporting a finding that the rule was necessary to prevent “imminent peril to the public health, safety, or morals, or to natural resources.”
“OHA questions whether such ‘imminent peril’ can be demonstrated. For this reason, and our concern that the rule violated constitutionally protected rights of Native Hawaiians to reasonably engage in traditional and customary practices, OHA urges the DLNR to refrain from seeking reinstatement of the rule,” OHA Ka Pouhana and CEO Kamana`opono Crabbe said. “We appreciate the significant efforts of plaintiff Kalani Flores and his attorneys from the Native Hawaiian Legal Corporation for their work in calling to the attention of the courts the shortcomings of the Mauna Kea emergency rule.”
OHA said it is the key funder of NHLC, a nonprofit law firm that seeks “to perpetuate, through legal and other advocacy, the rights, customs and practices that strengthen Native Hawaiian identity and culture.”
THE NET ENERGY METERING PROGRAM for Hawaiian Electric Companies’ customers “is fully subscribed … and is closed to new participants,” Hawai`i Public Utilities Commission announced in a decision yesterday. Applications submitted after the date of the order are not eligible for the program, which significantly drops electric bills for customers who have rooftop solar and sell excess energy back the utilities.
According to the commission, it approved revised interconnection standards “to streamline and improve the HECO Companies’ interconnection process.”
“This Order initiates the first step in an evolution of distributed energy resource policies in the state,” the decision says.
KA`U INSPIRED, A SHOW/FAIR of artists who live and work in Ka`u, takes place Saturday, Nov. 14 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Ocean View Community Center. Dee Dee Bodine and Suzanne Dix host the event in conjunction with Ocean View Community Association. All proceeds from the show benefit OVCA.
A sampling of the artists participating is: Anita Broennimann (Fine Art Prints), Dale Addlesberger (Pastels & Mixed Media), Susan O’Malley (Handmade Books), Hosoi (Mixed Media), Olivia Ling (Ceramics & Fine Jewelry), Dee Dee Bodine (Hawaiian Landscapes & Photos), Sandy Mayville (Abstract Paintings), Don Elwing (Trash Art Sculpture), Suzanne Dix (Hawaiian Landscape Paintings), Ronald Kaliko (Hawaiian Shell Jewelry) and more.
Don Elwing will have his Trash Art car in the upper parking lot. He will be inviting people to contribute to environmental awareness by working on the art car at the show.
Mars Cavers will have Wayne Stier’s wood sculptures & books available.
For Affordable Computer Help, call John Derry at 936-1872.
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“OHA questions whether such ‘imminent peril’ can be demonstrated. For this reason, and our concern that the rule violated constitutionally protected rights of Native Hawaiians to reasonably engage in traditional and customary practices, OHA urges the DLNR to refrain from seeking reinstatement of the rule,” OHA Ka Pouhana and CEO Kamana`opono Crabbe said. “We appreciate the significant efforts of plaintiff Kalani Flores and his attorneys from the Native Hawaiian Legal Corporation for their work in calling to the attention of the courts the shortcomings of the Mauna Kea emergency rule.”
OHA said it is the key funder of NHLC, a nonprofit law firm that seeks “to perpetuate, through legal and other advocacy, the rights, customs and practices that strengthen Native Hawaiian identity and culture.”
Read comments, add your own, and like The Ka`u Calendar News Briefs on Facebook.
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| Gary Oamilda, of Ocean View, was one of 20 arrested on Mauna Kea in April. |
CHARGES HAVE BEEN DROPPED for 20 people who were arrested for violating Department of Land & Natural Resources’ emergency rule limiting access to Mauna Kea. According to Tom Callis, of Hawai`i Tribune-Herald, Hawai`i County Prosecuting Attorney Mitch Roth based his decision on Third Circuit Judge Robert Ibarra’s invalidation of the rule.
Officers arrested Thirty Meter Telescope opponents at the site twice after Gov. David Ige signed the rule closing the area between 10 p.m. and 4 a.m., except for vehicles moving on the road.
Native Hawaiian Legal Corp. attorney David Kauila Kopper said dropping the charges is the “right thing to do,” Callis reported. “However, it does not make up for the months on Mauna Kea that Native Hawaiian cultural practitioners and the public lost to the state’s invalid rule.”
See hawaiitribune-herald.com.
Read comments, add your own, and like The Ka`u Calendar News Briefs on Facebook.
Native Hawaiian Legal Corp. attorney David Kauila Kopper said dropping the charges is the “right thing to do,” Callis reported. “However, it does not make up for the months on Mauna Kea that Native Hawaiian cultural practitioners and the public lost to the state’s invalid rule.”
See hawaiitribune-herald.com.
Read comments, add your own, and like The Ka`u Calendar News Briefs on Facebook.
THE NET ENERGY METERING PROGRAM for Hawaiian Electric Companies’ customers “is fully subscribed … and is closed to new participants,” Hawai`i Public Utilities Commission announced in a decision yesterday. Applications submitted after the date of the order are not eligible for the program, which significantly drops electric bills for customers who have rooftop solar and sell excess energy back the utilities.
According to the commission, it approved revised interconnection standards “to streamline and improve the HECO Companies’ interconnection process.”
“This Order initiates the first step in an evolution of distributed energy resource policies in the state,” the decision says.
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| Hawai`i PUC Chair Randy Iwase |
Nothing about the NEM program will change for existing NEM customers or customers who have already applied and are waiting for approval. HECO will continue to process new interconnection applications as they normally would, and new customers will be able to apply for fast-track approval to interconnect their distribute energy resource systems under the self-supply option or standard review for the grid-supply option.
“This evolution in DER policies is essential given the extraordinary levels of distributed renewable energy already achieved in Hawai`i and the state’s commitment to meet a 100 percent renewable portfolio standard by 2045,” the PUC stated.
Sierra Club of Hawai`i Director Marti Townsend said, “It is not clear why the PUC just threw net metering off the cliff, when it has been so effective at moving people off fossil fuels. All of us need to be off fossil fuels by 2045. To get there, we need to be expanding policies that encourage renewable energy use, not ending them.
“Without net metering and such a low cap on the amount of energy solar producers can export to the grid, the transition to renewable energy will certainly slow down. It will be even harder for Hawai`i’s poorer residents to make the transition to renewable energy.
“Without net metering and such a low cap on the amount of energy solar producers can export to the grid, the transition to renewable energy will certainly slow down. It will be even harder for Hawai`i’s poorer residents to make the transition to renewable energy.
“This is an unfortunate setback in the battle against climate change. The PUC has an opportunity to salvage this messy shift in local energy policy by establishing well-reasoned ‘time-of-use rates’” that could encourage customers to consume less electricity and actually increase electricity generation to the grid during peak hours of use.
Read comments, add your own, and like The Ka`u Calendar News Briefs on Facebook.
NORA, 400 MILES SOUTHEAST of South Point at 11 a.m., is barely holding on as a tropical cyclone. According to Central Pacific Hurricane Center, Nora will become a shallow post-tropical low and be steered completely by low-level trade winds as it passes well south of the Big Island over the next few days.
Read comments, add your own, and like The Ka`u Calendar News Briefs on Facebook.
NORA, 400 MILES SOUTHEAST of South Point at 11 a.m., is barely holding on as a tropical cyclone. According to Central Pacific Hurricane Center, Nora will become a shallow post-tropical low and be steered completely by low-level trade winds as it passes well south of the Big Island over the next few days.
Read comments, add your own, and like The Ka`u Calendar News Briefs on Facebook.
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| A new book by local historians features the story of Ka`u in photos. |
DISCOVER THE HISTORY OF KA`U in a new book. Images of America: Ka`u District is available for purchase beginning Monday, Nov. 2. The book by historians Dennis and Marge Elwell, of Discovery Harbour, tells a story in pictures, many which have never been published.
Chapters include The Discovery of Hawai`i an Fishhooks Revelations; Sugar, Plantations and Population Change; Wai`ohinu and Mark Twain’s Monkeypod Tree; Na`alehu, a Plantation Town; Pahala and the End of the Sugar Industry; Ranching and the Paniolo in Ka`u; Ocean View and Kula Kai Caverns; Coastal Ka`u, a Hidden Treasure; and Life on the Slopes of Mauna Loa.
“Sometimes, we forget how incredibly fortunate we are to live here,” said Ka`u resident and Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park Superintendent Cindy Orlando in the foreword. “The remarkable convergence of culture, geology, biology, history and numerous other factors enhancing our quality of life contributes to all that is unique about Ka`u and its rich heritage.”
The book can be purchases at bookstores, independent and online retailers or through the publisher at 888-313-2665 or arcadiapublishing.com.
“Sometimes, we forget how incredibly fortunate we are to live here,” said Ka`u resident and Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park Superintendent Cindy Orlando in the foreword. “The remarkable convergence of culture, geology, biology, history and numerous other factors enhancing our quality of life contributes to all that is unique about Ka`u and its rich heritage.”
The book can be purchases at bookstores, independent and online retailers or through the publisher at 888-313-2665 or arcadiapublishing.com.
Read comments, add your own, and like The Ka`u Calendar News Briefs on Facebook.
KA`U INSPIRED, A SHOW/FAIR of artists who live and work in Ka`u, takes place Saturday, Nov. 14 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Ocean View Community Center. Dee Dee Bodine and Suzanne Dix host the event in conjunction with Ocean View Community Association. All proceeds from the show benefit OVCA.
A sampling of the artists participating is: Anita Broennimann (Fine Art Prints), Dale Addlesberger (Pastels & Mixed Media), Susan O’Malley (Handmade Books), Hosoi (Mixed Media), Olivia Ling (Ceramics & Fine Jewelry), Dee Dee Bodine (Hawaiian Landscapes & Photos), Sandy Mayville (Abstract Paintings), Don Elwing (Trash Art Sculpture), Suzanne Dix (Hawaiian Landscape Paintings), Ronald Kaliko (Hawaiian Shell Jewelry) and more.
Don Elwing will have his Trash Art car in the upper parking lot. He will be inviting people to contribute to environmental awareness by working on the art car at the show.
Mars Cavers will have Wayne Stier’s wood sculptures & books available.
There will be a Silent Auction of artworks donated by participating artists.
For more information, email suzanne@dixstudios.com.
Read comments, add your own, and like The Ka`u Calendar News Briefs on Facebook.
Read comments, add your own, and like The Ka`u Calendar News Briefs on Facebook.
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| The Hawaiian Room in New York City is the subject of a film screening tomorrow. Hula Preservation Society photo from Volcano Art Center |
VOLCANO ART CENTER in Volcano Village screens The Hawaiian Room by Ann Marie Kirk tomorrow at 7 p.m. The film documents the Hotel Lexington when young Hawaiian girls wooed New York City with their songs and entertainment.
Between 1937 and 1966, hundreds of Hawaiian dancers, singers and musicians from the Hawaiian isles became part of the legacy of the pioneering Hawaiian Room.
Over the course of three decades, the Hawaiian Room became an incomparable venue through which aloha and Hawaiian culture were shared.
After the film, several original Hawaiian Room talents appear in person. Sammi Fo, who lived in Ocean View and teaches hula there, is a former Lexi Girl.
VAC appreciates $5 donations.
For more information, see volcanoartcenter.org or call 967-8222.
HAPA HAOLE HULA WORKSHOP takes place Friday from 4:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. at Volcano Art Center in Volcano Village. Participants learn how to hula with TeMoana Makolo, one of the Lexi Girls who performed at the Hawaiian Room in New York City’s Hotel Lexington. $15 members; $18 non-members. 967-8222
THE UNTOLD STORY: Internment of Japanese Americans in Hawai`i is the title of one of several films to be screened during Ka`u Plantation Days on Saturday. Within hours of the Pearl Harbor attack on Dec. 7, 1941, people of Japanese ancestry in Hawai`i were rounded up, arrested and kept in holding cells and local jails before being transferred to camps across the islands. Mainly male leaders of the immigrant community, a handful of women and some Nisei, including about 100 local Germans and Italians, were interned. This abrupt aftermath diminished the quality of life for many local Japanese, stripping dignity and separating families. Children often had minimal contact with their fathers, and many people didn’t even know if their loved ones were alive long after they were taken away.
Kilauea Military Camp was one of several sites where detention occurred.
SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS AT PAHALAPLANTATIONCOTTAGES.COM AND KAUCOFFEEMILL.COM. KA`U COFFEE MILL IS OPEN SEVEN DAYS A WEEK.
Over the course of three decades, the Hawaiian Room became an incomparable venue through which aloha and Hawaiian culture were shared.
After the film, several original Hawaiian Room talents appear in person. Sammi Fo, who lived in Ocean View and teaches hula there, is a former Lexi Girl.
VAC appreciates $5 donations.
For more information, see volcanoartcenter.org or call 967-8222.
HAPA HAOLE HULA WORKSHOP takes place Friday from 4:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. at Volcano Art Center in Volcano Village. Participants learn how to hula with TeMoana Makolo, one of the Lexi Girls who performed at the Hawaiian Room in New York City’s Hotel Lexington. $15 members; $18 non-members. 967-8222
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| People of Japanese ancestry were detained at Kilauea Military Camp after the attack on Pearl Harbor. Photo from NPS |
Kilauea Military Camp was one of several sites where detention occurred.
Ka`u Plantation Days takes place at Pahala Plantation House Saturday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS AT PAHALAPLANTATIONCOTTAGES.COM AND KAUCOFFEEMILL.COM. KA`U COFFEE MILL IS OPEN SEVEN DAYS A WEEK.
For Affordable Computer Help, call John Derry at 936-1872.
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| See kaucalendar.com/KauCalendar_October2015.pdf. |
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| See kaucalendar.com/Directory2015.swf and kaucalendar.com/Directory2015.pdf. |
