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Wednesday, August 29, 2012

Ka`u News Briefs Aug. 29, 2012

The new Volcano Quarter can be acquired after today's ceremonies and online.  See www.govmint.com. Image from U.S. Mint
THE U.S. MINT and Sen. Daniel Inouye come to Volcano today for the  release of the Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park quarter. Activities will be from 1:30 p.m. to 3 p.m. at the park’s Kahua Hula, with a ceremony and an opportunity for the public to exchange for $10 rolls of the commemorative quarters. 
Sen. Dan Inouye.
Photo by Frank Chow
      The new quarter is part of the U.S. Mint’s America the Beautiful Quarters Program. The coin features an engraved image of an eruption on Kilauea’s East Rift Zone on its tails side and inscriptions that read HAWAII VOLCANOES, HAWAII 2012 and E PLURIBUS UNUM.
      It was designed and sculpted by U.S. Mint Sculptor-Engraver Charles L. Vickers.  The Hawai`i Volcanoes’ quarter is the fourth quarter to be launched in 2012, and the 14th in a series of 56 circulating America the Beautiful Quarters.
      Designs are symbolic of a national park or other national site in each state, the District of Columbia and five U.S. territories.
Charles Vickers, of the U.S. Mint,
designed the new quarter, honoring
Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park.
Photo from U.S. Mint
     All coins in the program feature a portrait of George Washington and the inscriptions UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, LIBERTY, IN GOD WE TRUST and QUARTER DOLLAR, on the heads side.
      “This highly collectible quarter is a significant milestone for Hawai`i
 Volcanoes National Park, for the residents of Hawai`i, and for the Hawai`i Island destination. Now everyone can carry a reminder of Hawai`i’s first World Heritage Site in their pocket,” said Park Superintendent Cindy Orlando.
      County of Hawai`i Tourism Specialist Stephanie Donoho will serve as master of ceremonies, and representatives from the U.S. Mint, the governor’s office, and the state delegation will participate.
The ceremony will take place at the park’s Kahua Hula, south of Kilauea Visitor Center, on Crater Rim Drive. The event is free, but park entrance fees apply.

SOLICITING RENEWABLE ENERGIES to power public schools is a goal of the state Department of Education, which is looking for companies to execute a plan to reach renewable energy goals of 90 percent sustainability by 2040. According to a Duane Shimogawa report in Pacific Business News, the state will issue a request for proposals by the year’s end, asking that renewable-energy developers come up with power-purchase agreements that carry no upfront costs to the DOE.
Russell Ruderman, running for state Senate to represent
residents from Punalu`u through Volcano and Puna.
Photo from Russell Ruderman
     “If successful, it would lower the state’s largest single expense – education – which accounts for roughly one-fourth of the more than $5.5 billion general fund,” says the story in PBN.
      Russell Ruderman, who won the primary election for the state Senate seat that runs from Punalu`u through Volcano and Puna, said that "now would be the time" to make sure that solar voltaics will be installed on the rooftops of the new $20 million Ka`u shelter and gym complex in Pahala that breaks ground this fall. Whether the photo voltaics are funded by private enterprise, the county or the state, “it makes sense to set up voltaics as the complex is built,” said Ruderman. He also said that photo voltaics should be designed for the shelter in order to stand alone during emergency situations when HELCO could be cut off from the community. “It is important that this renewable energy instalation will have the ability to operate independently of the grid.”
      One of Ruderman’s campaign promises is to take down barriers to solar power becoming a major contributor to creating electricity in Hawai`i.

FREE FARM AND MILL TOURS begin seven days a week, this weekend at Ka`u Coffee. The tours take visitors through the processing from pulping to drying, husking and roasting. The Ka`u Coffee Mill Visitor Center, on Wood Valley Road, also hosts a collection of original art by Kathleen Kam, including murals that depict the wildlife, volcanoes, seascape and agricultural history of Ka`u. The visitor center also provides Ka`u Coffee tasting, a Ka`u Coffee Wall of Fame, featuring Ka`u’s famed coffee farmers. and a store with coffee, macadamia, logo wear and gift sales. Hours are 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. daily.

At last years event a sugar truck was decorated in flowers, ti leaves and cane to open Ka`u Plantation Days.
Photo by Michael Neal
THE KA`U PLANTATION DAYS event is set for Saturday, Oct. 6 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on the grounds of the Manager’s House, also known as Pahala Plantation House, on the corner of Maile and Pikake Streets. Hawaiian, Japanese, Portuguese, Filipino and Chinese family members will offer displays and storytelling about the multiethnic evolution of the local community. Ethnic dance and food, historic photos of ranches, villages and the sugar can era will go on display. Poi pounding and an `ukulele jam are on the schedule. A parade with pa`u riders and sugar cane trucks begins at 9 a.m. following a pule. The event was originally set for Oct. 13, but moved to Oct. 6. Entrance and activities are free. For information call 928-0303.

KA`U LADIES VARSITY VOLLEYBALL team beat the Waiakea Warriors at Ka`u High School gymnasium, 25-23, 25-12, 25-18. “The whole team worked together for a great victory last night,” head coach Joshua Ortega said. This is the first time that Ka`u Ladies have outscored Waiakea in the memory of fans who attended the game, said Ortega.

DEPT. OF WATER SUPPLY INVITES THE PUBLIC to meet with representatives tonight at 5:30 p.m. at Ocean View Community Center to discuss Ocean View’s well and distribution of water. According to DWS, the meeting is in response to “increased reports of incorrect information in the community.” A report with answers to frequently asked questions is available online at hawaii.dws.org.

OCEAN VIEW DEVELOPMENT CORP. meets Thursday night at 5:30 p.m. at the community center. 

Free health screenings, including retinal scans, are offered in Ka`u this
Saturday. Photo from projectvisionhawaii.com
FREE MOBILE HEALTH-SCREENINGS are offered this Saturday in Ka`u by WE … A Hui For Health. The mobile health van will be at Ocean View farmers market from 8 a.m. to noon and at Ka`u Resource & Distance Learning Center in Pahala from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. Health screenings include retinal, lung function, glucose, blood pressure, take-home kidney function, women’s health, hepatitis and hearing. Counseling regarding learning disabilities, smoking cessation, family caregiving, organ donating and more is also available. Screenings are on a walk-in basis. For more, contact Annie at 808-282-2265 or annie@projectvisionhawaii.com.

AN EVENING OF COMEDY - LOL, Ladies Out Loud - is hosted Saturday at 7 p.m. at Volcano Art Center’s Niaulani Campus in Volcano Village. Scheduled to perform are Ki MiChele, Kathleen Butler, Shena Jungle Queen, Katie Schuerch and Karen Blue, Angie Libadisos, Jenny Chin, Jennifer Wharton, Tanya Aynessazian and Sherri Carden; $10 admission. For more information, call 967-8222 or visit volcanoartcenter.org.


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