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Wednesday, May 21, 2014

Ka`u News Briefs Wednesday, May 21, 2014

Tiare-Lee Shibuya not only won Miss Ka`u Coffee last year, she won the 2014 Ka`u Chamber of Commerce Scholarship yesterday. Photo by Geneveve Fyvie
TIARE-LEE SHIBUYA, OF NA`ALEHU, WON the 2014 Ka‘ū Chamber of Commerce Scholarship Essay Contest with her Smile in the Face of Fear, it was announced  yesterday. The 2013 Miss Ka‘ū Coffee plans to become a registered nurse. Shibuya attends Hawai‘i Community College and is a Kamehameha Schools at Kea‘au 2012 graduate. Her parents are Terry and Dane Shibuya. She is a returning scholar, studying nursing.
      Funding for the Chamber’s scholarship program comes from advertisers in The Directory, the annual business and community publication, as well as other donations. See kauchamber.org and kaucalendar.com/Directory2014.swf. Click on bottom right to turn pages.
            Several contenders received scholarships for college through the program this year.
Benjamin Houghton with Chamber
President Dallas Decker
Kamrie Koi
      Tyler Amaral, of Na`alehu, attends Hawai`i Community College in Hilo. He is a Ka`u High School graduate of 2013. His parents are Peter and Kelly Amaral, and he is a returning scholar, studying computer science.
      Kayla Andrade, of Na`alehu, attends University of Hawai`i at Manoa, where she studies business. She is a Kamehameha Schools Hawai`i graduate of 2012. Her parents are Zenaida and Leslie Andrade, and she is a returning scholar.
      Chazlyn Fuerte Castaneda, of Na`alehu, is a Ka`u High School graduating senior. Her parent is Aurea Fuerte Castaneda, and she plans to attend University of Hawai`i at Hilo;
      Benjamin Houghton, from Ocean View, is advancing his musical education and is a returning scholar.
      Kamrie Koi, of Na`alehu, is a Ka`u High School graduating senior. Her parents are Rorie Koi and Michelle Ortega. She plans to attend University of Hawai`i at Hilo. She announced last night that she plans to go to law school.
Anjulie Larson with Scholarship
Chair Lee McIntosh
Chazlyn Fuerte
Castaneda
      Anjulie Larson of Ocean View, attends University of Hawai`i at Hilo. She is a Ka`u High School graduate of 2011.
      Jennifer Kau`i Losalio, of Ocean View, is a student at University of Hawai`i at Manoa. She is a Konawaena High School graduate, 2005.
      Marley Strand-Nicolaisen, of Na`alehu, is a University of Hawai`i at Hilo student and Ka`u High School graduate, 2013. Her parents are Laurie Strand and Robert Nicolaisen, and she is a returning scholar.
      Maria Miranda, of Na`alehu, is a University of Hawai`i at Hilo and Hawai`i Community College student. She is a Safe Haven Christian Coop graduate, 2012.
      Siena Okimoto, of Na`alehu, is a Ka`u High School graduating senior. Her parents are Malcom and Sheilah Okimoto, and she plans to attend University of Hawai`i at Manoa.
      The scholarships were presented by Chamber Scholarship Chair Lee McIntosh and Chamber President Dallas Decker at a gathering at Pahala Plantation House last night.
     Decker said that the Chamber encourages students to submit essays year after year to earn continued support until their higher education goals are met.
Siena Okimoto
     The following is the essay by Shibuya:
Smile in The Face of Fear 
      I could smell hand sanitizer and a minced smell of coffee. The air was very still with a musty fringe. This was definitely in a hospital, and I was in the waiting room. As I look around, I see many faces of despair, sorrow and wariness. I sit patiently awaiting the news of my grandfather with a serious, concerned face. I have contemplated over and over in my mind of what the different scenarios could be, but I didn’t see this one coming. My grandfather Clarence Abraham Andrade has just been diagnosed with lung cancer said to be the size of an orange. I was completely speechless, and my tear ducts filled.
      Cautiously, we make sure to smile and show no concern of death in our faces as I greet my grandfather in the hospital bed. My family and I sat listening to his minimal options he had and watch as he decides what he wants to do. He decides that life is not over for him yet and he wants to fight this cancer away. So in a span of two years, he fought his hardest with all his might and never complained of any pain. We all right there standing next to him every step of the way. We would take him to his radiation chemotherapy and he would be the guy making jokes about the chemo not affecting his hair because he was already bald. This is the exact moment where I knew exactly what I wanted to do and how I wanted to do it and where I wanted to do it.
Jennifer Losalio read Tiare-Lee Shibuya's winning essay at Pahala Plantation
House last night.
      Consequently, my goal was to always be a Registered Nurse and graduate with my BSN degree. Now, I can say I want to be an Oncology RN and eventually expand the Ka`u Hospital branch to have its own oncology department. Just take a second and think of all the possibilities and the many lives that can be saved. According to the Cancer Journal for Clinicians in 2014 there have been 1,340,400 deaths from cancer this year, and we are only in April. I could help so many families in the district I love called Ka`u. It would be the only way I feel accomplished by having and supporting the district’s needs health wise.
      Similarly, I would be able to relate to the patients on a deeper level because I have been there. I have not personally experienced cancer, but I have been a family member to experience it four times. My grandfather had lung cancer, and his wife had a tumor in her breast. My other grandparents, my grandfather had kidney cancer, and my grandmother had colon cancer. I know that the family would want the best available help, and I would be right there by their side coaching them on what to expect but also keeping that hope alive because a cancer patient wants their family and to be loved during this tragic time.
      Finally, I would like to be a registered nurse and help my community have the strongest oncology system it could have. There are many lives to be saved, and I feel that I was set here to help cancer patients. I will provide the best service and a caring support system. I would like to bring smiles in the face of fear for all those people. It would be such an honor to devote myself to my community and to keep everyone healthy.
      Shibuya’s winning essay was read by Jennifer Losalio, who also won a scholarship for her studies toward a master’s degree in library and information science. She works at Na`alehu Library and said she hopes to serve some day as librarian in Pahala.
      To comment on or like this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.

Hawai`i County Council District Six candidate Jim Wilson
“I WANT TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE,” said Volcano resident Jim Wilson regarding his candidacy for County Council District Six. “I believe it is time for the County Council to start using more ‘common sense’ and a practical business approach in some of its decisions and plans for the future. 
      “I feel I can contribute to that common sense attitude if elected. I have no pre-conceived agenda, no political alliances and am an independent thinker.”
      After working in the private sector and serving on volunteer boards for over six decades, Wilson said he has learned what works and what doesn’t. “My approach is to listen to all the facts and then make good solid business decisions.”
      Wilson retired after 39 years as publisher of Hawai`i Tribune-Herald. He has lived in Hawai`i for 47 years and in Volcano for 21 years.
      His current community service includes Pacific Tsunami Museum Board President since 1994, Volcano Art Center Board of Directors, Hawai`i Island Chamber of Commerce member, Big Island Press Club member, Hospice of Hilo Community Relations Committee and Rotary Club of South Hilo Secretary.
      He has a bachelor of science degree in Business and Journalism from Oklahoma State University.
      Wilson plans to hold a series of coffee hours to meet District Six voters. The first is scheduled for June 22 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Volcano Art Center’s Niaulani Campus Great Room. More events will be announced on his Facebook page, Friends of Jim Wilson.
      Wilson can be contacted at jimwilsoncouncil@gmail.com.
      To comment on or like this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.

Kamana`opono Crabbe
EFFORTS TO BUILD A HAWAIIAN NATION WILL CONTINUE, the Office of Hawaiian Affairs announced after meeting Monday. OHA trustees met to reconcile and move forward following disagreement over a letter CEO Kamana`opono Crabbe sent to U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, asking if pursuing a Native Hawaiian governing entity could be a violation of international law. The trustees rescinded the letter and said it did not reflect board policy. 
      Timothy Hurley, of Honolulu Star-Advertiser, reports Crabbe saying after the meeting, “We are a stronger people today. We are a stronger organization, a stronger OHA. We will continue to rebuild a beloved nation. We look forward to that task. We’ve agreed to move forward together with one voice, in one path, not just for the betterment of the Office of Hawaiian Affairs, but for the future of our haumana (students), the next generation, so that we can be responsive to our community and bring dignity to the process.” 
      OHA recently held 18 meetings throughout the state urging Hawaiians to sign up for the Official Roll, with the first one held April 5 in Pahala.
      At the Pahala meeting, Dr. Kehaunani Abad, whose OHA title is Ka Poukihi, Director of Ka Paia Lono, Community Engagement, said the move toward self-governance “is about the seizure of 1.8 million acres from our queen.” She was referring to the lands absorbed by the U.S. government when Hawai`i became a territory in 1898. Almost two million of the 4.1 million acres that make up the Hawaiian Islands were under the stewardship of Queen Lili`uokalani when she was overthrown. The queen’s image is depicted on the Official Roll poster with her words, “Never cease to act because you fear you may fail.”
      OHA, which is governed by a board chosen through state of Hawai`i general elections, plans to serve as a facilitator for the process for Native Hawaiians to form a governing entity, according to Kawika Riley, whose OHA title is Ka Pou Kihi Ko, Chief Advocate. A third party would oversee elections.
      See staradvertiser.com.
      To comment on or like this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.

KA`U COFFEE FARMERS are invited to Ka`u Coffee Mill tomorrow, May 22 at 8 a.m. to learn more about BotaniGard, the pesticide made of a live fungus, considered to be the best hope in the fight against the coffee berry borer that threatens the Ka`u Coffee industry. Crop Production Services representatives will talk about the effective use of BotaniGard, offering latest research and best practices. Ka`u Coffee Growers Cooperative President Gloria Camba said she encourages all farmers, whether or not they are members of the cooperative, to take advantage of the free education to protect their coffee farms.

Michael Holl
FARMING & TAXES is the subject of a Risk Management Workshop tomorrow, Thursday, May 22 at Pahala Community Center from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Michael Holl, EA, is an enrolled agent who is a federally authorized tax practitioner licensed by the U.S. Department of Treasury to negotiate with the IRS on behalf of taxpayers. He plans to update farmers and ranchers on business taxes and to help Hawai`i farmers lower tax liabilities through increased understanding of deductions, tax preparation and record keeping; business entities related to farming; employment laws; and income averaging. The workshop aims to help manage labor, financial and legals risks. Holl is experienced in resolving issues between taxpayers and the IRS including “appealing unfair or prohibitive penalties; halting and lifting garnishments, liens and levies; preparing and filing late returns; and negotiating installment plans and offers in compromise. He is President of Tax Services of Hawai`i. He has advised the members of many organizations including the SBA Woment' Business Center, National Association of Tax Preparers, University of Hawai`i, Kapiolani Community College and other nonprofits and foundations. The workshop is sponsored by Risk Management Hawai`i, the U.S. Department of Agriculture and University of Hawai`i College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources.

OCEAN VIEW COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE meets Friday at 5 p.m. at Hawaiian Ranchos office. Usually held on the last Friday of each month, OVDCDC changed this month's date to accommodate schedules of those wanting to attend.

SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS AT PAHALAPLANTATIONCOTTAGES.COM AND KAUCOFFEEMILL.COM. KA`U COFFEE MILL IS OPEN SEVEN DAYS A WEEK.



See kaucalendar.com/Directory2014.swf.