Ka`u News Briefs Wednesday, Nov. 4, 2015

Miloli`i Fall Ocean Festival this Saturday is a fundraiser to restore Keahonui, which was destroyed in a car accident in July. See story below. Photos from Pa`a Pono Miloli`i and Miloli`i Canoe Club

COFFEE BERRY BORER on the Big Island is the worst he’s seen after traveling to many coffee growing areas in the world, said coffee expert Fernando Augusto Vicentini. He spoke to Ka`u Coffee farmers last night at Pahala Community Center and encouraged everyone to keep the floors of their orchards clean and strip all coffee berries between seasons to avoid providing an incubator site for the pest.

The Big Island's coffee berry borer infestation is the worst a worldwide coffee
expert has ever seen.

Agronomists explained that farmers in other places have also experienced the sometimes overwhelming presence of the borer as they got their footing to control the pest. Ka`u farmers are learning to control it as well, they said.
A mechanical engineer by training, Vicentini also showed films of machines that sweep the ground around coffee trees, machines that pick up rubbish and even small hand-held machines that help to pick coffee. A Brazilian, from a country of giant coffee plantations with mechanical harvesting and inexpensive coffee, much of it grown on flatlands, he also showed industrialized coffee picking and processing.
Vicentini explained that labor-saving mechanization is also available to cooperative groups and can be designed to fit each situation. He talked about sprayers for coffee berry borer that ionize the spray and use less chemicals since they focus the spray on the trees rather than distributing to the air and ground. He also showed a hand-harvest machine with batteries that strips beans but not the leaves. Another innovation is a UV-light sorter that separates high- and poor-quality coffee beans.
Vicentini helped researchers who traveled from Hawai`i to Brazil to study coffee berry borer strategies in his country. His trip to Hawai`i was partially funded by Hawai`i Coffee Association. The presentation was co-sponsored by the USDA and University of Hawai`i College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources.
Read comments, add your own, and like The Ka`u Calendar News Briefs on Facebook.

Sen. Josh Green, M.D.

KA`U’S STATE SEN. JOSH GREEN said Hawai`i Department of Health has mobilized resources to limit spread of dengue fever. “In the coming days, we should have a good idea if they are clustered geographically on our island,” Green said. As of today, DOH has confirmed 11 cases of the disease on Hawai`i Island.

“In the meantime, know the following about dengue: it is a virus, and it causes high fevers, severe aches and muscle pains and often eye pain in those who get it. It is not usually fatal in the U.S. but can be serious. There is no treatment for the virus per se (antibiotics don’t help), but it is helpful to see your doctor to receive fluids and treatment for high fevers. A blood test confirms it. The most severe symptoms usually last only a few days, then recovery occurs.”
Green urged residents to eliminate breeding areas. “The mosquito spreads the disease, so please make sure there is no stagnant water on your property that would allow mosquitoes to breed,” he said. “If you are concerned you might have this virus, call your health provider or write me anytime.”
Green will be hosting a live TV update on Nov. 17 at 2 p.m. at thinktechhawaii.com.
See facebook.com/SenatorJoshGreen.
Read comments, add your own, and like The Ka`u Calendar News Briefs on Facebook.

A NEW RESOURCE FOR INFORMATION on public health data about communities in Hawai`i is now available from the state Department of Health. The department’s Hawai`i Health Data Warehouse has introduced a new easy-to-use interactive query/reporting tool – the Indicator-Based Information System – that provides users more control to find and access the data they want. An online step-by-step guide walks users through the user-friendly query process.

“The new HHDW platform puts Hawai`i’s health data at the public’s fingertips,” said Health Director Virginia Pressler. “Giving Hawai`i residents easy access to this information, including the ability to track our progress toward meeting state and national health goals and objectives, is an important priority for the Department of Health.” Hawai`i joins nine other states and two federal agencies that already use the IBIS system for public health data.

Health data is at the public's fingertips at HHDW.org.

HHDW has served as an online clearinghouse for state health data since its establishment in 2004, providing access to hundreds of statistics about the health of Hawaii’s people from five public health survey datasets including data related to births, deaths and marriages in the state. Based on feedback from current users, the new site now gives users the ability to pinpoint the data they need and select how they would like it displayed. Even with no prior data experience, the IBIS system makes it easy to find data and create custom reports. The default report includes a chart, data table and a map, and users have the ability to modify reports by applying filters or changing how the results are displayed.
Besides the addition of IBIS, HHDW’s Healthy People 2020 Tracker tracks Hawai`i’s progress towards national Healthy People 2020 targets. Objectives listed in Hawai`i state health plans are also measured; for example, the Physical Activity and Nutrition Tracker displays the state’s progress toward achieving the objectives of the Hawai`i Physical Activity and Nutrition Plan. HHDW also houses more than 600 pre-loaded standardized health indicator reports on a variety of topics that are searchable by category, by data source and by Healthy People 2020 objective.

“Providing multiple ways to access and share data increases the likelihood that the public will use the information,” said Ranjani Starr, epidemiologist for the Department of Health Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion Division. “Hawai`i students, researchers, concerned citizens and policy makers now have a variety of tools available to them to generate data for their diverse needs.” For more information about HHDW, the IBIS system or Hawai`i Health Matters, see www.HHDW.org.

Read comments, add your own, and like The Ka`u Calendar News Briefs on Facebook.

UNIVERSITY CENTER AT PALAMANUI hosts a Degree Preparation Workshop at the new Hawai`i Community College Palamanui campus on Tuesday, Nov. 10 from 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.

The University Center delivers over 40 degree and certificate programs from across the 10-campus University of Hawai`i system. Residents can obtain degrees from UH-Manoa, UH-Hilo and UH-West O`ahu while living on Hawai`i Island. The University Center provides local students support for the distance learning degrees offered there.
At the workshop, students can learn what degrees are offered in West Hawai`i; the necessary steps to move forward; key deadlines; methods of program delivery; what it takes to be a successful distance learning student; and more.
To attend, contact Carrie Kuwada Phipps, Educational Specialist, at carriekp@hawaii.edu.
Read comments, add your own, and like The Ka`u Calendar News Briefs on Facebook.

Ka`u residents can vote for their favorite from a variety of art through tomorrow.

THE BEAUTY OF KA`U continues through tomorrow at CU Hawai`i Federal Credit Union in Na`alehu. Hours for public viewing and voting are 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. The public may sign in and receive a ballot for their favorite entry. Each ballot, a numbered ticket, will also be entered into a drawing for door prizes to be held each hour, and the winner does not need to be present. Prizes are being donated by various Ka`u merchants.

The winner of the popular vote will be featured on the cover of The Directory 2016 and receive $100 and an article inside The Directory.

PAHALA PUBLIC & SCHOOL LIBRARY hosts Janice Morimoto on Friday at 1:30 p.m. During Island Kine Stories with Auntie Jan, Morimoto shares humorous folktales, poetry and participatory games from around the world adapted to local style. She has performed with the Honolulu Theatre for Youths, Kumu Kahua Theatre, and the Los Angeles West Players.
The program is suitable for ages 5 and older, and parents or caregivers must accompany young children.
Call 928-2015 for more information.

Paddlers from throughout the state close the official 2015 season
in Miloli`i Saturday.

SOUTH KONA MILOLI`I FISHING VILLAGE holds the second annual Miloli`i Fall Ocean Festival this Saturday. Hosted by Pa`a Pono Miloli`i and Miloli`i Canoe Club, the event begins at 8:30 a.m. with a traditional Hawaiian protocol welcoming ceremony.
Paddlers from all over the island and state have been invited to compete in the last official regatta event of the 2015 paddling season. Participants can compete in OC1, V1 and OC2 individual races as well as OC6 kane, wahine and mixed races. There will also be a keiki competition, and the regatta will culminate with a kupuna race in the afternoon. Top finishers will compete for prizes and medals.
Booths will feature `opelu lunch plates with fish caught in Miloli`i as well as a craft fair.
The event will also serve as a fundraiser to restore the club’s koa canoe, the Keahonui, which was destroyed in a car accident in July.

DRAKE WEINERT SHARES HIS KNOWLEDGE of Korean Natural Farming at a free workshop Saturday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Sponsored by Ka`u Specialty Coffee, the event takes place at 96-2384 Wood Valley Road above Pahala. Go past Ka`u Coffee Mill. About five minutes later on the left there is a small gravel road. Go past the gravel road until on the left appear a big pasture with some little green and gray buildings at the bottom and a small blue house with white roof at the top of the hill.
For more information, email malian@kauspecialtycoffee.com.

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.

NOW ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS for Retail Sales Associate: Full-Time, Competitive Wages, Medical & Dental Plans. Apply at Ka`u Coffee Mill. Call 928-0550 for an appointment.