Ka`u News Briefs Thursday, Nov. 5, 2015

Hawai`i Island Energy Cooperative advocates for public ownership of electric utilities. Image from HIEC's Facebook page

“IF THE NEXTERA MERGER (with Hawaiian Electric Co.) does not go through, a utility co-op system for Hawai`i Island could be part of the solution to prepare us for coming changes,” Richard Ha wrote in a letter to the editor of The Ka`u Calendar. Ha owns Hamakua Springs Country Farms and is a founding member of Hawai`i Island Energy Cooperative.

Richard Ha

“The Kaua`i Island Utility Cooperative has been operating for 12 years, and its results have been impressive. KIUC was 100 percent debt-financed through a co-op financing system, and millions of dollars have gone into equity since then and have been refunded to its ratepayers.
“There are 900 utility co-ops nationwide, which have gotten together and formed co-op banks to help finance utility co-ops. These banks have excellent credit ratings. The Cooperative Financing Corporation has assets of $26 billion, and Co Bank has $100 billion.
“KIUC’s electricity costs were the highest of all the Hawai`i counties when it started. But in 12 years, its costs have risen the least. This is despite its not having geothermal and not being able to use wind because of bird kills.
“This coming weekend, KIUC is having a blessing of its new Anahola photovoltaic system. That system is significant because it is using daytime sun for nighttime use, and it’s one of the first such systems in the nation.
“The co-op system, with its locally managed board of directors, is truly of the people, by the people, and for the people. It’s nimble and practical.

Michael Titterton with KAHU-FM founder
Wendell Kaehuaea.

“A hybrid electricity system for our state might be just what we need to prepare for the future.”
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HAWAI`I PUBLIC RADIO chief Michael Titterton, who came to Pahala to purchase the license from the community radio station and succeeded, is leaving HPR in 2016. The purchase of the KAHU-FM license was the final piece of the pie, obtaining the license which will eventually allow HPR to have statewide coverage. The sale, however, ended the locally broadcast of community radio shows by such favorites as Bobbie and Phoebe Gomes, Demetrius Oliveira, Nadine Ebert and the late Auntie Ba, Bobbie Tucker. The Ka`u Calendar also provided daily news to the station for years.

“HPR has been a large part of my life for over a decade and a half now, and will be a part of me always,” Titterton said. “These years have been high among the most rewarding of my life. While I have no immediate professional plans following my departure, I feel strongly that it is time for me to move on. I do so with optimism and a great deal of gratitude to the many people who have helped with the growth and maturation of HPR into an important resource to this wonderful community.”

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REP. TULSI GABBARD CO-INTRODUCED the Areawide Integrated Pest Management Act of 2015 to support long-term and sustainable solutions to fighting invasive species. The legislation will support farmers, ranchers and land managers by reducing the impact of harmful invasive species on crops, livestock and forest areas.

Rep. Tulsi Gabbard

In a speech on the House floor, Gabbard said, “In Hawai`i, invasive species like the coffee berry borer, fruit flies, macadamia nut felted coccid and others have cost our local farmers and agriculture industry millions in lost revenue. Across the United States, these pests, along with other invasive insects, diseases and weeds cause serious and harmful damage to our farmlands, agricultural production, food supply, environment and public health. In Hawai`i, AIPMs have helped increase the number of commercial farms and have helped local farmers increase their crop diversity, decrease the use of harmful pesticides and manage the pests in a sustainable and cost-effective way. This legislation will help farmers, ranchers and land managers all across the country reduce the impact of these harmful invasive species.”

The AIPM Program Act of 2015: 1) maximizes the efficient use of resources on AIPM projects when addressing pest management; 2) protects the health and safety of humans and the environment through biocontrol applications; 3) ensures AIPM projects are largely influenced by farmers, ranchers and pest management experts most familiar with local needs with the assistance of federal agencies, universities and private individuals important for specific projects; and 4) ensures ongoing positive AIPM project outcomes by requiring a comprehensive business plan showing how the project will continue once federal funding ends.

Camp `IMI-Possible participants explore Hawai`i
Island's diverse life. Photo from `Imiloa

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KA`U STUDENTS CAN JOIN `Imiloa Astronomy Center’s popular intersession program next month, when junior explorers and innovators in grades K-3 take part in Camp `IMI-Possible Winter intersession program, scheduled for Dec. 21-24.
The camp runs Monday through Thursday from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Drop-off is available as early as 7:30 a.m. with pick up by 4:15 p.m. Students will be immersed in a four-day adventure of exciting science experiments, hands-on activities and art projects, all focused on exploring the diversity of life on Hawai`i Island.
Enrollment for the intersession program is open to public beginning today. Tuition is $175 for members and $200 for non-members. Partial scholarships are available for families demonstrating financial need.
Application and information can be found at www.imiloahawaii.org/183. Space is limited, and previous programs have filled up.

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Fred Koehnen holds a talk story next month.
Image from VCA

FRED KOEHNEN, WHO HAS CLOSE TIES to Ka`u and Volcano, promises to bring some of his most memorable and colorful stories off of the page of his new book and back to life in a talk-story on Thursday, Dec. 3. Koehnen has transformed a lifetime of memories into a memoir entitled Been There Done That Back to Hilo: a Nine Decade Odyssey.

Koehnen’s family summered in Volcano to escape the heat and humidity of Hilo. He signed on as a cowboy at Kapapala Ranch, where his duties included everything from rounding up stray cattle to maintaining the water flumes above Wood Valley. His extensive community volunteerism included serving on the Board of Volcano Art Center and being race director for the Kilauea Volcano Wilderness Runs. He still visits Volcano at least once a week to play golf.

Along with many accomplishments worldwide, Koehnen served on the first Charter Commission for the County of Hawai`i. He has always taken advantage of opportunities, traveling all over the world, but always returning to Hilo. Over the past ninety years, these opportunities have led him to try everything from cowboying to woodworking, retail business to government service, being a securities broker to military service during two wars. He has hunted, hiked, fished and ridden horseback over nearly all of the Big Island and been a keen observer of changes over the decades.
Volcano Community Foundation and Volcano Art Center host the free event at VAC’s Niaulani Campus in Volcano Village at 7 p.m.

The Beauty of Ka`u
closes today.

Books will be available for sale for $20, with the author available to sign them after the program.
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KILAUEA MILITARY CAMP REQUESTS that eligible veterans register by tomorrow to be guests at Crater Rim Café’s Veterans Day buffet. The meal follows a ceremony that begins at 4 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 11. Call 967-8371 to sign up.

TODAY IS THE LAST DAY to vote for your favorite work in The Beauty of Ka`u art show. CU Hawai`i Federal Credit Union in Na`alehu hosts the show from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Winners are announced at a reception Saturday from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m.

Janice Morimoto

JANICE MORIMOTO TRAVELS to Pahala Public & School Library for Island Kine Stories with Auntie Jan tomorrow at 1:30 p.m. Morimoto shares humorous folktales, poetry and participatory games from around the world adapted to local style.

The program is suitable for ages 5 and older, and parents or caregivers must accompany young children.
Call 928-2015 for more information.

THE SECOND ANNUAL MILOLI`I FALL Ocean Festival takes place Saturday. The last official canoe regatta event of the 2015 paddling season begins at 8:30 a.m. with a traditional Hawaiian protocol welcoming ceremony.
Booths will feature `opelu lunch plates with fish caught in Miloli`i as well as a craft fair.
The event is a fundraiser to restore the club’s koa canoe, the Keahonui, which was destroyed in a car accident in July.

KOREAN NATURAL FARMING is the topic 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.
For more information, email malian@kauspecialtycoffee.com.

Discovery Harbour Community Hall is the site of a holiday bazaar
this weekend. Photo from DHCA

HOLIDAY BAZAAR FUNDRAISER Saturday and Sunday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Discovery Harbour Community Hall features handmade crafts and foods. Pit ham and beef sandwiches are on sale Saturday. For more information, call Dina Shisler at 410-935-8087.

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.