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Sunday, October 12, 2014

Ka`u News Briefs Sunday, Oct. 12, 2014

Ka`u High Trojans are BIIF inaugural eight-man football champions following their win in Kohala yesterday. Photo from Facebook
KA`U HIGH TROJANS ARE INAUGURAL CHAMPIONS in Big Island Interscholastic Federation eight-man football after their win in Kohala yesterday. With a final score of 62-36, the team finished the season with six wins and one pre-season loss.
Kupuna who studied under the late Edna Aguil continue their hula tradition
at Ka`u Plantation Days yesterday. Photo by Julia Neal
      Trojans dominated every quarter yesterday. Three touchdowns and two extra points brought the first-quarter score to 20-14. Cy Tamura scored two of the touchdowns with runs of three and 43 yards.
      Kupono Palakiko-Leffew took the ball one yard into the end zone for the first touchdown of the second quarter. Two minutes later, Anthony Emmsley-Ah Yee carried the ball into the end zone for another six points, followed by a two-point conversion by Tamura. With a minute left in the first half, Palakiko-Leffew ran 18 yards for a touchdown, and Tamura scored another two points. Halftime score was 42-22.
      In the third quarter, Tamura made a 43-yard touchdown pass to Emmsley-Ah Yee. Kainalu Ke made an interception and returned 27 yards for another touchdown. Two extra points by Kaimanu Medeiros-Dancel brought the third-quarter score to 56-22.
A drummer joins Keoki Kahumoku & the `Ukulele Kids. Photo by Julia Neal
      In the fourth quarter, quarterback Jordan DeRamos ran the ball 13 yards for the final Trojan touchdown of the game and the season.
      Before their game, the champs attended Ka`u girls varsity volleyball team’s final match of the regular season at Parker, where the Trojans won in three straight sets. Scores were 25-7, 25-11 and 25-16.
      To comment on or like this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.

A RESOLUTION TO BE CONSIDERED by Hawai`i County Council Wednesday urges the Board of Water Supply to authorize acquisition of land required for development of Ocean View Well Number Two, a reservoir, support facilities and water main to connect with Ocean View Well Number One in its five-year plan. It also authorizes the Department of Water Supply to engineer and construct a second well and all accessory facilities.
Kupuna of Hannah's Makana `Ohana perform at Ka`u Plantation Days.
Photo by Julia Neal
      The meeting begins at 9 a.m. at West Hawai`i Civic Center in Kona. Ka`u residents can participate via videoconferencing at Ocean View Community Center.
      Agenda is available at hawaiicounty.gov.
      To comment on or like this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.

REP. RICHARD ONISHI, DEMOCRATIC CANDIDATE for state House District Three, gave his views on issues and answered questions posed by Civil Beat.
      The first question was, “Why are you running for the Hawai`i Legislature?”
      “I am running for re-election to a second term to represent the House of Representatives Third District because I believe that there is still more that I can do to fulfill the vision for our Third District communities that I pledged to support in my initial campaign in 2012,” Onishi replied. “That vision was for our communities to be safe, healthy, economically viable and sustainable. I feel that I have worked hard to accomplish this vision through my record of legislation introduced, issues supported, and the securing of funds for projects within the Third District. However, there are still more issues to address and projects that require funding. I believe that I can make it happen as the Third District’s state representative.”
Organizer Darlyne Vierra, at right, with supporters.
Photo by Julia Neal
      Onishi answered questions regarding the state’s unfunded liabilities, homelessness, genetically modified food and pesticides, Hawai`i’s cost of living, energy, public records, the public school system, the economy, environmental resources and health care.
      Regarding health care, Onishi said Hawai`i Health System Corporation, the state’s medical services safety net in rural communities, faces financial and administrative issues at the corporate level and in all five regions. “State support for the system is critical to the continuation of medical care, but the question of what level of care the system is required to provide has not been fully established and has to be determined by all of the stakeholders of the system.
      “The lack of primary care family physicians is at a critical point in Hawai`i as well as across the U.S. The development of the Hilo Medical Center’s Rural Primary Care Physician Training Program is very crucial throughout the state, especially in our rural communities. This program must have continued state support to solidify and establish itself. Once the program is established, it will then be able to receive federal physician training funds.
      See civilbeat.com.
      To comment on or like this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.

INDIVIDUALS RESIDING IN LOW-INCOME neighborhoods in Hawai`i experience higher barriers to the adoption of healthier behaviors, according to research by Dr. Vanessa Buchthal, of University of Hawai`i-Manoa’s Office of Public Health.
      Also, patterns of change in obesity-related behaviors suggest that disparities may be increasing between low-income and moderate/high-income Hawai`i residents.
Members of Pahala Dojo share their karate skills. Photo by Julia Neal
      “In 2001, the percentage of Hawai`i residents consuming the recommended two fruits and three vegetables per day was 12.8 percent among middle/upper income Hawai`i residents, 12.2 percent among low-income Hawai`i residents and 10.9 percent among those in poverty,” Buchthal reported in the October issue of Hawai`i Journal of Medicine & Public Health. “By 2009, consumption of the recommended servings of fruits and vegetables increased modestly among moderate/upper-income individuals (15.3 percent) while remaining nearly flat among low-income individuals (12.7 percent). Those living in poverty (13.7 percent) surpassed the low-income group, but still lagged several percentage points behind moderate/high income Hawai`i residents.
Kumu hula Debbie Ryder dances in from of spectators and members of her halau.
Photo by Julia Neal
      “Similar results can be seen for physical activity. In 2001 there was no appreciable difference in the percentage meeting physical activity recommendations among moderate/upper income (52.9 percent) and low-income (51.6 percent) Hawai`i residents. Those in poverty (45.2 percent) had the lowest percentage of individuals meeting physical activity recommendations. Between 2001-2009, the moderate/upper income group showed steady improvement over time (55.1 percent), while the percentage meeting recommendations among the low-income group (51.5 percent) remained unchanged. Those in poverty (49.7 percent) caught up to the low-income group, but lagged substantially behind the middle/ upper-income group.
Ka`u Plantation Days emcee Clyde Silva Photo by Julia Neal
      “We cannot assume that campaigns, programs, and policy/environmental interventions aimed at improving obesity outcomes in the general population are benefitting low-income households, unless these interventions include components that address the specific needs and barriers within low-income communities. The additional barriers and needs of low-income households should not be relegated to a subset of ‘low-income’ projects, but rather need to be integrated into the planning of physical activity and nutrition campaigns overall. The first element, however, is awareness – recognition of poverty as not just a demographic variable, but as a driving force in health disparities, and awareness of the potential for an emerging gap in physical activity and nutrition outcomes between lower-income Hawai`i residents and the rest of our state. We cannot progress, either as a state or as a nation, towards reaching the Healthy People 2020 goals if our obesity-prevention efforts are not reaching those most at-risk for lifestyle-related chronic disease, disability and death,” Buchthal concluded
      See hjmph.org.
      To comment on or like this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.

KA`U PLANTATION DAYS in Pahala yesterday featured a lineup of entertainment from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. While the sun was shining all day, performers and spectators were protected by the shade of massive banyan trees at Pahala Plantation House.

THE PUBLIC IS INVITED TO TUESDAY'S MEETING of the Ka`u Community Development Plan Steering Committee at 8:30 a.m. at Na`alehu Community Center. Committee members will discuss the first comprehensive draft of the CDP, which was developed by the CDP Planning Team, including consultants and county planners. It has not yet been reviewed by the Ka`u CDP Steering Committee or other community stakeholders. It is presented as an initial working draft for discussion and improvement.
      When the Steering Committee thinks the CDP is ready for full community review, then the broader community and stakeholders will have a thorough opportunity for review and recommendations. Only after the Steering Committee is satisfied that the CDP truly reflects community preferences will it recommend that the CDP be adopted by the County Council.
      The meeting will include presentations, questions from members and short activities to assess members' understanding of the draft. Planner Ron Whitmore anticipates that this meeting will recess in the late afternoon and continue on Oct. 28, Nov. 15 and Dec. 13.
      Working draft CDP materials will be available at the conclusion of the Oct. 14 portion of the meeting. They will also be available at kaucdp.info, community centers and libraries by Wednesday.
      For more information, contact Whitmore at 961-8137 or rwhitmore@co.hawaii.hi.us.

THE SETTLEMENT OF THE PACIFIC AND HAWAIIAN ORIGINS: A Perspective from Archaeology is the title of Tuesday’s After Dark in the Park program. When Captain James Cook and other European explorers entered the Pacific in the 18th century, they were astounded to find that virtually every single island was already populated by indigenous island cultures. Where had the ancestors of these island people come from, and how did they manage to discover and settle even the most remote islands, including Hawai`i? Over the past century, archaeologists have sought the answers to these questions. Dr. Patrick V. Kirch, Chancellor’s Professor Emeritus at the University of California at Berkeley, reviews the history and presents current evidence for the history of human settlement throughout the Pacific.
South Side Serenaders, from left, are Ti Chun, Elijah Navarro and Terrie Louis.
Photo by Julia Neal
      The free program takes place Tuesday from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Kilauea Visitor Center Auditorium in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park.
      Park entrance fees apply.

HAWAI`I VOLCANOES NATIONAL PARK commemorates Hawaiian Archaeology Week with ranger-guided hikes to Pu`u Loa Petroglyphs. Participants visit the largest ki`i pohaku (petroglyph) field in Hawai`i and ponder the meaning behind the tens of thousands of carvings that Hawaiians etched into lava there. The hike is 0.7 miles one way and takes about 1.5 hours roundtrip.
      Meet the park ranger at 2 p.m. at the Pu`u Loa Petroglyph parking area on Chain of Craters Road, a 45-minute drive from the park entrance, this Thursday, Friday and Saturday, Oct. 16, 17 and 18.
      The hikes are free; park entrance fees apply.

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







See kaucalendar.com/Directory2014.swf.