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Sunday, November 08, 2015

Ka`u News Briefs Sunday, Nov. 8, 2015

Ka`u's state Sen. Russell Ruderman supports imposing a rule to limit movement of `ohi`a material on Hawai`i Island to control the spread of Rapid `Ohi`a Death. Photo from UH-CTAHR
LANI CRAN PETRIE, OF KAPAPALA RANCH, is a Paniolo Hall of Fame inductee. The induction ceremony takes place at Sheraton Kona Resort & Spa at Keauhou Bay on Saturday, Nov. 14. According to her Hall of Fame biography, Petrie, the second child of Gordon and Genevieve Cran, gained a wide perspective on raising livestock while growing up riding O`ahu’s Wai`anae mountain range, where the commercial cow herd grazed. By the time she attended high school, she had decided to pursue a career in animal husbandry.
Lani Cran Petrie
      When her father bought out Parker Ranch’s interest at Kapapala Ranch, Petrie had the opportunity to ride the ranch and take inventory of the cattle to be purchased from Parker. This gave her time to make lifelong friends with Parker Ranch cowboys and their families.
      During her years studying and working at Washington State University, Petrie competed on the school’s rodeo team and traveled the Pacific Northwest with team members competing in rodeos.
      After returning to Kapapala, Petrie organized the Hawai`i Cattle Producer’s Cooperative transportation division to assist ranchers transporting cattle to West Coast ports.
      Petrie’s father handed the ranch management reins over to her in 2004.
      See hicattle.org/2015inductees.aspx.
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TOTUS AWARD WINNERS include farms and processors from Hawai`i, California and Mississippi. The Tea of the United States competition took place on ­­­­Wednesday, Nov. 4 at Volcano Art Center’s Niaulani Campus in Volcano Village.
      Hawai`i-grown teas dominated the commercial division. First and third places for white tea went to Volcano Winery and grower Alex Wood. Hawai`i Rainforest Tea grown and processed by Bob Jacobson won second place. For green tea, grower/processor Longo Nunally, of Onomea Tea Co., took first and third places. Chiu Leong, of Tea Hawai`i in Volcano, won second place. Volcano Tea Garden and Mike Riley placed first in oolong tea. Second and third places in oolong and black categories went to Onomea Tea Co. First place in Black went to Tea Hawai`i and Chiu Leong.
TOTUS award winners included farms, growers and processors from California
and Mississippi as well as Hawai`i. Photo from TOTUS
      In the non-commercial division, Bai-Alla Finley took first and third for white tea. Tea from University of Hawai`i College of Tropical Agriculture & Human Resource’s Volcano Experiment Station and processed by Tea Hawai`i won second place in white as well as third place for green tea. The Great Mississippi Tea Co. won first and second place, as well as first in oolong and black tea categories. Golden Feather Tea, from California, placed second in oolong, and Hawai`i’s Second Alarm Farm with Jim Chestnut place third. In the black tea category, Bai-Alla Finley took second and third places.
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HAWAI`I PUBLIC UTILITIES COMMISSION is not satisfied with Hawaiian Electric companies’ power supply improvement plans. HECO filed the plans in August 2014.
      “Several shortcomings need to be addressed, including changes in modeling methods, assumptions and constraints; several aspects of the PSIPs require further analytical support; and several assumptions and objectives need to be updated to reflect recent’ changes in laws and other circumstances,” the PUC concluded.
      According to the PUC, HECO’s “PSIP cost impacts and risks have not been demonstrated to be reasonable. PSIPs do not appear to aggressively seek lower-cost, new utility-scale renewable resources. PSIPs do not adequately address utilization and integration of distributed energy resources. Proposed plans for fossil-fueled power plants are not sufficiently justified. System security requirements appear costly and are not sufficiently justified. The proposed plan for provision of ancillary services lacks transparency and may not be the most cost-effective option. Analysis on inter-island transmission lacks sufficient detail. Customer and implementation risks are not adequately addressed.”
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IN A UNANIMOUS FLOOR VOTE, members of the Hawai`i State Senate on Friday confirmed District Family Court judge Melvin H. Fujino to the Third Circuit on Hawai`i Island.
      Fujino has served as a presiding judge with the District Family Court of the Third Circuit since 2008. Since April 2015, he has been assigned to sit as a temporary Circuit Court Judge in Kona. Prior to his appointment to the District Family Court Bench, Fujino worked as Deputy Attorney General where he was a team leader responsible for the statewide Wiretap Review Unit and Asset Forfeiture program. Fujino was also a District Prosecuting Attorney for Hawai`i County. He is a 1981 graduate of the University of Washington and 1985 graduate of the Gonzaga University School of Law. Fujino will serve for a term of 10 years.
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Sen. Josh Green, M.D.
DENGUE FEVER IS THE TOPIC at a public meeting on Tuesday, Nov.10 at 6 p.m. at Na`alehu Community Center. 
      Ka`u’s state Sen. Josh Green, M.D. said he is concerned not only about the immediate well-being and safety of residents and visitors, but also the real long-term health and economic impacts an outbreak like this can have on the state. “Unless people become aware of the seriousness of this virus and take action, I’m worried the infection will spread and impact will grow,” he said. “There may likely be more confirmed, as well as real but unconfirmed, clinical cases in the coming weeks. However, Dengue can be stopped if we all do our part to reverse the outbreak.”
      Green said anyone who believes they may have contracted Dengue should see a doctor immediately. He said people should take Tylenol for high fevers that may stem from dengue fever instead of aspirin or ibuprofen, which can add to complications of this disease.
      “Preventing dengue fever from becoming endemic in Hawai`i will require a prolonged response from Department of Health, the county and state, but most importantly, take good care now and call a healthcare provider if you feel sick,” Green said.
      He said anyone worried they may have contracted dengue fever should also contact DOH’s Disease Investigation Branch at 974-4000, extension 68362.
      For additional information on dengue fever and preventing its spread, see health.hawaii.gov.
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KA`U’S STATE SEN. RUSSELL RUDERMAN supports limiting movement of `ohi`a material on Hawai`i Island. He spoke last week at a community meeting in Pahoa recorded by Big Island Video News. Responding to a question from an audience member, he said that having the state Department of Agriculture impose an administrative rule forbidding intra-island transportation of `ohi`a products “is a great idea” that would not require legislative action.
      The discussion comes in the wake of Rapid `Ohia` Death, a fungal infection that is wreaking havoc on `ohi`a forests in Puna and other areas of Hawai`i Island. In 2012, it had killed `ohi`a trees across about 1,000 hectares (nearly 2,500 acres). By the summer of 2014, that number had swollen to over 6,000 hectares.
      Hawai`i Board of Agriculture imposed a quarantine on intrastate movement of `ohi`a products in August as an attempt to keep the disease from spreading to other islands. Interim rules are valid for only one year and are meant to address emergency situations, which gives the department time to develop more permanent rules.
      See bigislandvideonews.com.
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From the Ground, Up closes next Sunday. Image from VAC
FROM THE GROUND, UP is on display for one more week. Robert Weiss’ solo exhibit features a new collection of plein air oil paintings of landscapes within Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park. Volcano Art Center Gallery in the park is open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. 

SENIOR ID CARDS ARE AVAILABLE tomorrow from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m. at Pahala Housing Center and from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. at Na`alehu Community Center. Call 928-3100 for more information.

A WALK INTO THE PAST takes place this and every other Tuesday at 10 a.m., 12 p.m. and 2 p.m. Ka`u resident Dick Hershberger brings Hawaiian Volcano Observatory founder Thomas Jaggar to life at Kilauea Visitor Center and Whitney Vault in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park.

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.

See kaucalendar.com/Directory2015.swf
and kaucalendar.com/Directory2015.pdf.
See kaucalendar.com/KauCalendar_November2015.pdf.