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| The endemic ʻio, Hawaiian Hawk, is no longer on the federal endangered species list. Learn about what the removal means, and the future of the iconic bird of prey. See more below. Photo from Wildlife Conservation Biology |
NO WAR WITH IRAN, URGED TULSI GABBARD today, following a U.S. airstrike that killed Iran's top general while he was visiting Iraq. Kaʻū's member of the U.S. House of Representatives and candidate for U.S. President said:
"Make no mistake: Trump's actions are an act of war. They were taken without any authorization or declaration of war from Congress, seriously escalating this tit for tat conflict, pushing us deeper into an endless quagmire and dangerously undermining our national security." In a video message, Gabbard called the actions "so incredibly shortsighted, damaging, and dangerous for our country." She asked her constituents to "stand with me in sending a message to Trump and his neocon advisers — no war with Iran, no more regime change wars, and no more delay in bringing our troops home. Millions of people voted for Trump because he promised the American people he would get us out of these stupid wars; that he would bring our troops home. But his actions don't match his rhetoric. He has deployed 15,000 U.S. troops to the Middle East, just in the last eight months. We have more troops in the Middle East now than when he was elected."
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| Kaʻū's Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard opposes war with Iran. |
NO MILITARY ACTION, UNLESS APPROVED BY CONGRESS, was the call today from Sen. Mazie Hirono, after
"General Soleimani was a reprehensible figure responsible for the deaths of hundreds of American service members and thousands of innocent people around the world.
"His death in a U.S. airstrike further escalates hostilities and increases the potential for widespread violence in a part of the world already fraught with peril.
"In normal times, we could have confidence that the President – fully cognizant of the potential ramifications of this strike – was mobilizing a whole of government response and coordinating with our allies to seek a diplomatic outcome. But these are not normal times.
"Congress must reassert its Constitutional responsibility and demand the president seek authorization prior to any military conflict with Iran."To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see Facebook. Follow us on Instagram and Twitter. See our online calendars and our latest print edition at kaucalendar.com.
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| Dark morph of the ʻio. Photo from USFWS |
Removal from the federal list will not diminish ʻio's status under state law. USFWS, in coordination with the State of Hawai‘i, U.S. Geological Survey Biological Resources Discipline, and the National Park Service, plan to conduct islandwide surveys every five years for a period of 20 years.
ʻIo were first listed as endangered on March 11, 1967 . The ʻio's restricted range and small population size, with the loss of native forest habitat from agriculture, logging, and commercial development, influenced the listing. Due to recovery and conservation efforts, the hawk is found all over the island, and is nesting and foraging successfully in both native forests and conserved habitats, and has large areas of protected habitat.
The ʻio is a small, broad-winged species of hawk endemic to the Hawaiian Islands and is the only member of the hawk family that nests and resides in the islands. This bird of prey measures, as an adult, at 16 to 18 inches in length, the female being larger. Two color phases exist: a dark phase (dark brown head, breast, and underwings), and a light color phase (dark head, light breast and light underwings). Feet and legs are yellowish in adults and greenish in immatures.
Hawaiian hawks mate for life and defend their territories year-round. Eggs are laid from March to June and the eggs hatch from May to July. The young birds fledge from July to September. A typical clutch consists of one egg. The hawk is known to breed only on Hawai‘i Island , but there have been at least eight observations of the species on the islands of Kaua‘i, O‘ahu, and Maui since 1978, and fossils are known from the islands of Moloka‘i and Kaua‘i. The hawk's range is estimated to encompass 2,372 square miles, comprising 58.7 percent of the island of Hawai
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| Light morph of the ʻio. Photo from USFWS/Jack Jeffrey |
To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see Facebook. Follow us on Instagram and Twitter. See our online calendars and our latest print edition at kaucalendar.com.
COMMENTS ON THE CORAL REEF CONSERVATION PROGRAM for Hawaiʻi and other coastal waters are due by Monday, Jan. 27. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Office for Coastal Management has prepared a draft programmatic environmental impact statement. Find the draft PEIS here: coralreef.noaa.gov.
The draft PEIS addresses concerns about the CRCP, including environmental impacts and potential mitigation. NOAA anticipates that some environmental effects will be caused by site-specific, project-level activities implementing the CRCP. The final PEIS will be used to support an environmental decision-making framework that will comply with statutes such as the Endangered Species Act and Marine Mammal Protection Act. Three options are evaluated in the draft: no action, addressing three primary threats, identifying and implementing "a suite of standard, discretionary conservation and mitigation measures." The main difference between no action and the first alternative is the latter would include research and potential application to respond to imminent threats to corals.
Coastal areas and marine waters included in the program are: Hawaiʻi, Florida , Puerto Rico , U.S. Virgin Islands , Gulf of Mexico , Guam , the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands , American Samoa , the U.S. Pacific Remote Islands, and targeted international regions including the wider Caribbean , the Coral Triangle, the South Pacific, and Micronesia . Publication of this document begins the public comment period for the draft PEIS.
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| A healthy coral reef. NOAA photo |
NEW LAWS IN HAWAIʻI that take effect in January include:
Firearms - As of Jan. 1, the Red Flag law allows a judge to temporarily remove firearms from people deemed a danger to themselves or others.
Healthier Drinks Options for Keiki - As of Jan. 1, restaurants will need to offer healthier beverages such as white milk, water, or 100 percent fruit juice as the default drinks with kids meals in restaurants. Drinks like sodas can still be ordered.
Marijuana Possession - As of Jan. 11, penalties for marijuana possession will change to a fine of no more than $130 for 3 grams or less of the drug.To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see Facebook. Follow us on Instagram and Twitter. See our online calendars and our latest print edition at kaucalendar.com.
RESEARCHING HAWAIIAN CULTURAL HISTORY to discover whether Halemaʻumaʻu Crater featured lakes in the past is the subject of this week's Volcano Watch, written by U.S. Geological Survey’s Hawaiian Volcano Observatory scientists and affiliates:
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The growing lake of groundwater within Halemaʻumaʻu at the summit of Kīlauea Volcano as it looked on Dec. 18.
The pond is 189 m (650 ft) long. USGS photo by M. Patrick
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The new Halemaʻumaʻu crater lake at the summit of Kīlauea Volcano is on everyone's mind at USGS HVO as scientists look to Hawaiian chants for mention of past crater lakes:
This is the first lake of groundwater observed on the crater floor in nearly 200 years. So we looked to Hawaiian chants for mention of a crater lake before western contact and whether it was associated with explosive eruptions.
To our knowledge, a lake is not mentioned explicitly, but Hawaiians did tell a few stories where Pelehonuamea faced the threat of water drowning her volcanic fires at Kīlauea . A few are briefly recounted here.
Pele and her older sister Namakaokahaʻi, the eldest in a family of many siblings, were imbued with different powers – Pele reigned over volcanoes and eruptions; Namakaokahaʻi ruled the seas and beaches.
Namaka, as she is known to friends, hated when Pele spread lava over beaches and intruded land into the ocean. Pele didn't appreciate Namaka trying to remove lava from the coasts. They fought frequently. We see these two sisters continuing to fight with spectacular explosive displays each time lava enters the ocean.
Another Pele story involving water features Kamapuaʻa, the pig deity from Oʻahu, who traveled to Kīlauea to woo Pele and take her for his wife. Pele persistently spurned his advances, insulting him and even trying to kill him. Kamapuaʻa's infatuation turned into anger, and the pig-man flooded Pele's crater with water to put out her volcanic fires.
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| One of the late Dietrich Varez's works to address the story of the two sisters. Image from volcanoartcenter.org |
Fortunately, Pele's brother hid her firesticks and used them to reignite the volcanic flames. Some versions of this story describe Pele chasing Kamapuaʻa to the sea as either a lava flow or ejected hot rocks; other versions resolve the conflict in a brief marriage.
A better-known story is the saga of Hiʻiakaikapoliopele, Pele's youngest sister. It's a long story mostly focused on Hiʻiaka’s journey from Kīlauea Crater to Kauaʻi to retrieve Pele's lover, Lohiʻau. Along the way, Hiʻiaka developed into a powerful woman.
The journey was long, and Pele became suspicious that Lohiʻau was being unfaithful to her.
When Hiʻiaka arrived at the Kīlauea Crater rim with her new husband, Lohiʻau, Pele was incensed and ordered her siblings to kill him as punishment. This enraged Hiʻiaka and she decided to retrieve Lohiʻau's spirit to revive him, and to seek revenge and destroy Pele by flooding Kīlauea Crater with water.
Hiʻiaka jumped down to the crater floor, and not finding the spirit of her husband, stomped her feet. "The entire crater of Kīlauea was rocked and the cliff walls of Uēkahuna trembled," from The Epic Tale of Hiʻiakaikapoliopele, translated by Nogelmeier – and the first layer of Kīlauea cracked open. She looked down, but still not seeing her husband, she stomped again.
She continued stomping through several layers without finding her husband's spirit. The described effects of Hiʻiaka repeatedly stomping to get deeper beneath the crater floor are eerily like the continuous strong shaking of the 2018 collapse events.
Hiʻiaka finally got down to the fifth layer that was holding back water, which, if released, would rise and flood the crater, turning Kīlauea into a lake and putting out Pele's fires forever. At the last instant, Hiʻiaka was dissuaded from her destructive task and reconciled with her sister.
Hiʻiaka was seeking groundwater like that which appears in Halemaʻumaʻu today. Geophysical studies over the past 30-40 years showed the presence of a water table, elevated about 600-800 m (2,000-2,600 ft) above sea level, beneath the caldera floor. HVO scientists hypothesize that the currently growing lake is an exposure of this groundwater returning to its former level following the 2018 summit collapse. It is only visible to us because of the deep pit formed by that collapse.
An analogy is digging a hole in beach sand. If you dig deep enough, water will start to flow through the sand into the hole.
HVO geologists think this Hiʻiaka story may have been inspired by an earlier Kīlauea caldera collapse about 1500 CE. Although in most versions of the story Kamapuaʻa's deluge didn't result in explosions and Hiʻiaka never unleashed subterranean water, geologic study of post-collapse explosive deposits suggests at least an intermittent presence of a lake.
These legends are but a few from the rich Hawaiian literature on Pelehonuamea and her volcanoes. Along with geologic studies, they can provide insight to understanding the ever-changing volcanic landscape of Kīlauea Volcano.
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| The first photos of the pond show how rapidly it grew. The image on the left was taken July 25, the one on the right on Aug. 1. USGS photos by S. Conway |
Volcano Activity Updates
Kīlauea Volcano is not erupting and its USGS Volcano Alert level remains at NORMAL . Monitoring data showed no significant changes in activity over the past month. Seismicity was relatively consistent with some episodic increased rates at the summit coincident with inflation. Sulfur dioxide emission rates are low at the summit and below detection limits at Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō and the lower East Rift Zone. The water lake at the bottom of Halema‘uma‘u continues to slowly expand and deepen.
Three earthquakes with three or more felt reports occurred on the Island of Hawai‘i this past week: a magnitude-2.6 quake 11 km (7 mi) southeast of Leilani Estates at 6 km (4 mi) depth on Dec. 31 at 4:12 a.m., a magnitude-2.9 quake 7 km (4 mi) southwest of Volcano at 3 km (2 mi) depth on Dec. 29 at 7:33 p.m., and a magnitude-3.0 quake 20 km (12 mi) E of Hōnaunau-Nāpō‘opo‘o at 3 km (2 mi) depth on Dec. 26 at 7:00 a.m.
Visit volcanoes.usgs.gov/hvo for past Volcano Watch articles, Kīlauea and Mauna Loa updates, volcano photos, maps, recent earthquake info, and more. Email questions to askHVO@usgs.gov.
To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see Facebook. Follow us on Instagram and Twitter. See our online calendars and our latest print edition at kaucalendar.com.
See monthly and weekly Kaʻū and Volcano Events, Meetings, Entertainment, Exercise, and Meditation at kaucalendar.com.
Girls Basketball
UPCOMING
SUNDAY, JAN. 5
TUESDAY, JAN. 7
Blended Learning Computer Class, Tuesday, Jan. 7, 14, 21, and 28, and Wednesday, Jan. 8, 15, 22, and 29 – every Tuesday and Wednesday, monthly – 8a.m.-3p.m. , St. Jude's computer lab. Free. 939-7033, ovcahi.org
Family Yoga Class, Tuesday, Jan. 7, 14, 21, and 28 – every Tuesday, monthly – 9:30-10:30a.m., PARENTS, Inc., Nā‘ālehu. 0-12 years old and caregivers. All levels welcome. Wear comfortable clothes. Bring mat, if can - supplies limited. Free. 333-3460, lindsey@hawaiiparents.org
Papa ‘Ōlelo Hawai‘i: Hawaiian Language Classes Level 1, Tuesdays, Jan. 7-Feb. 4, 4-5p.m. , Volcano Art Center
Papa ‘Ōlelo Hawai‘i: Hawaiian Language Classes Level 3, Tuesdays, Jan. 7-Feb. 4, 6:30-8p.m. , Volcano Art Center
After Dark in the Park - Transitions: What's Next for HVO and the Volcanoes it Monitors?, Tuesday, Jan. 7, 7-8p.m. , Kīlauea Visitor Center Auditorium. Tina Neal, Scientist-in-Charge of HVO, describes the current status of Kīlauea and Mauna Loa and what might be coming next, and gives update on HVO's new volcano observatory. Free; park entrance fees apply. 985-6011, nps.gov/havo
ʻAi Pono: Healthy Hawaiian Foods, Wednesday, Jan. 8, 10a.m. -noon , Kīlauea Visitor Center
THURSDAY, JAN. 9
FRIDAY, JAN. 10
Tūtū & Me Home Visiting Program is a free service to Pāhala families with keiki, birth to five years old. This caregiver support program offers those taking care of young keiki "a compassionate listening ear, helpful parenting tips and strategies, fun and exciting activities, and wonderful educational resources" from Tūtū & Me Traveling Preschool. Home visits are one hour in length, two to four times per month, for 12 to 15 visits. Snacks are provided. See pidfoundation.org or call 808-938-1088.
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See public Kaʻū events, meetings, entertainment.
Print edition of The Kaʻū Calendar is free to 5,500 mailboxes
throughout Kaʻū, from Miloliʻi through Volcano, and free on
stands throughout the district. Read online at kaucalendar.com
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Kaʻū Winter Sports Schedule
Girls Basketball
Tue., Jan. 7 @Kohala
Fri., Jan. 10 host Honokaʻa
Boys Basketball
Sat., Jan. 4 host Pāhoa
Thu., Jan. 9 @Waiakea
Sat., Jan. 11, @Konawaena
Mon., Jan. 13 host Hilo
Soccer
Sat., Jan. 4 Girls host Honokaʻa, 3pm
Mon., Jan. 6 @HPA
Wed., Jan. 8 host Kealakehe, 2pm
Sat., Jan. 11 @Honokaʻa
Wrestling
Sat., Jan. 4 @Waiakea
Sat., Jan. 11 @Kealakehe
Swimming
Sat., Jan. 4 @Kamehameha
Sat., Jan. 11 @Kona Community Aquatic Center
SATURDAY, JAN. 4
Free Hot Shower and Hot Lunch Day, Saturday, Jan. 4, 11, 18, and 25, 9a.m.-2p.m. , St. Jude's Episcopal Church. Last Saturday of the month, Kady and Drew Foster give haircuts – 12 slots available – and Big Island Giving Tree hands out clothes and items like razors and toothbrushes. 939-7000, stjudeshawaii.org
Nature & Culture: An Unseverable Relationship, Saturday, Jan. 4, 9:30-11:30a.m. , Kahuku Unit, HVNP. Free, moderately difficult, two-mile, hike. Bring snack and water. nps.gov/havo
Keiki Science Class, Saturday, Jan. 7 – 1st Saturday, monthly – 11a.m. -noon , Ace Hardware Stores islandwide; Nā‘ālehu, 929-9030 and Ocean View, 929-7315. Free. acehardware.com
Grand Slam Band, Saturday, Jan. 4, 7-10p.m. , Kīlauea Military Camp's Lava Lounge, in HVNP. $5 cover charge, free to in-house guests. Open to authorized patrons and sponsored guests. Park entrance fees apply. kilaueamilitarycamp.com
Farmers Market, Sunday, Jan. 5, 12, 19, and 26 – every Sunday, monthly – 6-10a.m. , Cooper Center
ʻŌhiʻa Lehua, Sunday, Jan. 5, 9:30-11a.m. , Kahuku Unit, HVNP. Free. nps.gov/havo
Clay – High Fire!, Sunday, Jan. 5 through Feb. 23, 11:30a.m.-2:30p.m. or 2:45-5:45p.m. 8-week morning or afternoon pottery series with Erik Wold. 967-8222, volcanoartcenter.org
Ham Radio Potluck Picnic, Sunday, Jan. 5 – 1st Sunday, monthly – noon-2p.m., Manukā State Park
MONDAY, JAN. 6
Guided Hike of Kīlauea Iki Crater, Monday, Jan. 6, 13, 20, and 27, 10a.m.-1p.m. Meet Ranger Mike at Kīlauea Iki Overlook Parking Lot. Iconic four mile, moderately difficult hike, with an elevation gain of 400 feet. Crosses steaming crater floor through the intersection of eruption and native rainforest. Free; Park entrance fees apply except Jan. 20. nps.gov/havo
Cultural Understanding Through Art & the Environment: Dietrich Varez Block Printing with Desiree Moana Cruz, Monday, Jan. 6 – first Monday, monthly – 11a.m.-1p.m., Volcano Art Center. No registration required. $10 per person supply fee. 967-8222, volcanoartcenter.org
Ocean View Volunteer Fire Department Mtg., Monday, Jan. 6 – first Monday, monthly – 4-6p.m. , Ocean View Community Center
Hawai‘i County Council Committee Mtgs., Tuesday, Jan. 7 (Hilo ālehu State Office Building
Bookstore and Thrift Shop, Tuesday-Saturday, 8-11:30a.m. , and Sunday, 6:30-10a.m. , weekly, Cooper Center
A Walk into the Past with Dr. Thomas A. Jaggar, Tuesday, Jan. 7, 14, 21, and 28 10a.m., noon, and 2p.m. One hour performance includes climbing stairs and entering a confined space. Meet at Kīlauea Visitor Center Visitor Center Kīlauea Drama Entertainment Network. Free; Park entrance fees apply. nps.gov/havo
Papa ‘Ōlelo Hawai‘i: Hawaiian Language Classes Level 2, Tuesdays, Jan. 7-Feb. 4, 4-5p.m. , Volcano Art Center
Ka‘ū Coffee Growers Mtg., Tuesday, Jan. 7– 1st Tuesday, monthly – 6-8p.m. , Pāhala Community Center
WEDNESDAY, JAN. 8
Hawai‘i County Council Mtg., Wednesday, Jan. 8 (Hilo ālehu State Office Building
Restoring Hope Group, Wednesday, Jan. 8, 15, 22, and 29 – every Wednesday, monthly – 4-6p.m., PARENTS Inc. Office, Nā‘ālehu. For families with keiki ages ages 3-17. Free, dinner included. Registration required. For more info, 333-3460
A Walk Through Kīlauea Volcano's Summit History, Thursday, Jan. 9, Friday, Jan. 17, Wednesday, Jan. 22, Saturday, Jan. 25, 8-10a.m., Devastation Trail Parking Lot. Join USGS HVO scientist emeritus Don Swanson on a two-hour walk. Learn about the past 500 years of Kīlauea Volcano's history. Free; Park entrance fees apply. 985-6101, nps.gov/havo
Beginning Improv for Adults, Thursday, Jan. 9 through Feb. 13, 1-3p.m. Learn to live more in the moment, think on your feet, let go of self-judgment, bring more joy in your life, and recapture your playful spirit in the 6-week workshop series with improv legend Keli Semelsberger. Attendance to all 6 classes is not required – classes may be attended individually. No prior experience is necessary. 967-8222, volcanoartcenter.org
Hawaiian Civic Club of Ka‘ū, Thursday, Jan. 9 – second Thursday, monthly – 6:30p.m. , United Methodist Church
FRIDAY, JAN. 10
Hawai‘i Disability Legal Services, Friday, Jan. 10 – second Friday, monthly – 9a.m. -noon , Ocean View Community Center
ONGOING
ONGOING
Deadline to Sign Up for Aloha Kidney in Kaʻū is Friday, Jan. 10. Classes run Thursday afternoons, 1-3:30p.m., Jan. 16 through Feb 20, at Kaʻū Resource Center, 96-3126 Puahala St. in Pāhala. The free class series on Chronic Kidney Disease is lead by retired kidney doctor Ramona Wong. Bring a pen and whomever cares/cooks/shops for the person(s) with CKD. Enroll online at alohakidney.com or call (808) 585-8404.
The selected intern will assist with the development of education curriculum for Kīpukapuaulu and Pu‘u Loa trails in Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park
For more information, contact Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park Education Specialist Jody Anastasio by email at jody_anastasio@nps.gov. To apply go to go.nps.gov/mosaics or mosaicsinscience.org.
T-Ball and Coach Pitch Baseball League: Ocean View Team - Mondays and Wednesdays, Kahuku Park. Nā‘ālehu Team - Tuesdays and Thursdays, Nā‘ālehu Park. Pāhala Team (seeking coaches) - attend Nā‘ālehu practice. T-Ball, 3:30-4:30pm, ages 5-6. Coach Pitch, 4:30-6p.m., ages 7-8. Programs take place through April 16. Wear cleats or tennis shoes, bring a glove if possible. Extras gloves available for use. All skills and genders welcome. $35 per teammate. See Ka‘ū Youth Baseball on Facebook. Josh or Elizabeth Crook, 345-0511
Apply for Mosaics of Science by Monday, Feb. 3. Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park's 12-week paid summer internship position is designed to engage university students and recent graduates with on-the-ground work experience in the National Park Service. A $4,800 stipend, and all travel costs are covered, including a week-long career workshop in Washington , D.C.
The internship is open to U.S. citizens and permanent legal residents ages 18-30, and to military veterans up to age 35. Funding is provided under a cooperative agreement for youth conservation activities as part of the Public Lands Corps program, which mandates that these age ranges are followed.
The selected intern will assist with the development of education curriculum for Kīpukapuaulu and Pu‘u Loa trails in Hawai‘i For more information, contact Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park Education Specialist Jody Anastasio by email at jody_anastasio@nps.gov. To apply go to go.nps.gov/mosaics or mosaicsinscience.org.
T-Ball and Coach Pitch Baseball League: Ocean View Team - Mondays and Wednesdays, Kahuku Park. Nā‘ālehu Team - Tuesdays and Thursdays, Nā‘ālehu Park. Pāhala Team (seeking coaches) - attend Nā‘ālehu practice. T-Ball, 3:30-4:30pm, ages 5-6. Coach Pitch, 4:30-6p.m., ages 7-8. Programs take place through April 16. Wear cleats or tennis shoes, bring a glove if possible. Extras gloves available for use. All skills and genders welcome. $35 per teammate. See Ka‘ū Youth Baseball on Facebook. Josh or Elizabeth Crook, 345-0511
Tūtū & Me Home Visiting Program is a free service to Pāhala families with keiki, birth to five years old. This caregiver support program offers those taking care of young keiki "a compassionate listening ear, helpful parenting tips and strategies, fun and exciting activities, and wonderful educational resources" from Tūtū & Me Traveling Preschool. Home visits are one hour in length, two to four times per month, for 12 to 15 visits. Snacks are provided. See pidfoundation.org or call 808-938-1088.
To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see Facebook. Follow us on Instagram and Twitter. See our online calendars and our latest print edition at kaucalendar.com.
