Kaʻū News Briefs, Saturday, Jan. 21, 2023

Kaʻū welcomed the towering Hawai'i Preparatory Academy team from the north on Saturday evening 
and beat them during senior night, the last home game of the season for the Trojans. See more below.
Photo by Julia Neal

MARSHALLESE AND MICRONESIAN RESIDENTS OF KA'Ū may be in for some extra funding for health insurance. Pacific Islanders are critical to the agricultural economy of the district and many are without health care. Gov. Josh Green announced Friday that he has accepted $15.8 million from Department of the Interior Assistant Secretary for Insular and International Affairs, Carmen G. Cantor. The federal funding is provided to help defray the state's costs of providing services to citizens of the Freely Associated States who live throughout the Hawaiian Islands. "We welcome this generous assistance from the federal government in helping to care for our brothers and sisters from other Pacific islands," said Green. "We are one ʻohana and as governor, I am committed to helping residents of Hawaiʻi receive the access to services they need," said the governor.

U.S. Assistant Secretary for Insular & International Affairs with
Gov. Josh Green who announced acceptance of $15.8 million
to help Pacific Islanders, particularly with health insurance.
Photo from the Governor's Office

     "During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, we saw Pacific Islanders disproportionately hard-hit, having the worst rate of infections, despite making up only 4 percent of our population," said the governor.
    The Assistant Secretary for Insular and International Affairs said, "I was pleased to meet with Governor Green and reiterate Interior's continued commitment to working with the State of Hawai'i with respect to Compact Impact issues,"
    The statement from the governor's office says, the state "Department of Human Services has been a strong advocate for Hawaiʻi residents from the Federated States of Micronesia, the Republic of the Marshall Islands and the Republic of Palau, which are members of the Compact of Free Association. The department recognizes the barriers to accessing quality health care this community has faced and in December of 2020, Congress restored Medicaid eligibility for U.S. residents from those nations. In State Fiscal Year 2022, approximately 16,300 members of the COFA population residing in Hawai'i received medical insurance coverage or premium assistance.

Pacific Islanders are critical to the labor force in agriculture
in Kaʻū. Many have no health care coverage. Photo by Julia Neal

    Cathy Betts, director of state Department of Human Services, said, "Hawai'i is the beneficiary of added diversity and cultural richness that is brought by our Pacific Island neighbors from these Federal Compact nations. This grant continues to further our commitment to providing access to vital medical insurance coverage. Many of our Pacific Island neighbors from these nations, like other communities, suffer the effects of social drivers of health. This is why maintaining available access to medical insurance coverage is critical," she said.
    The governor's statement noted: "Eligibility for many of the safety net programs for these Pacific islanders was cut off, due to the 1996 Welfare Reform Act, which Hawaiʻi's Congressional delegation has been working to correct. The COFA treaties were first signed into law by then-Pres. Ronald Reagan and allowed citizens of Palau, the Federated States of Micronesia and the Marshall Islands to move to the United States without time limits or the burden of obtaining visas. The treaties recognize the responsibility the U.S. has to these nations for activities including nuclear testing from 1946 to 1958."
    Transfer of the funds to the state is anticipated in a matter of days, said the statement from Green.

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Stacey Bello heads up the state
school district that includes Kaʻū.

STACEY BELLO IS THE NEW CHIEF OF THE SCHOOL DISTRICT THAT INCLUDES KA'Ū. The permanent position follows her appointment to interim complex-area superintendent for the Kaʻū-Keaau-Pahoa Complex Area in May. For 25-years, she has served this part of rural Hawa'i, starting as a student teacher, becoming a substitute teacher, special-education teacher, district special-education resource teacher, vice principal and principal of Keaukaha and Keaau elementary schools.
    Bello earned a bachelor’s degree in liberal studies from University of Hawai'i-Hilo. She earned teaching certifications in elementary and special education. Her master’s degree in teaching comes from from National University.

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A MEETING ON NEW SEWAGE SYSTEM OPTIONS FOR PĀHALA'S old sugar cane housing area will be held at 6 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 23 at Pāhala Community Center. It will be a public information session on the large capacity cesspool closure project and will be held by the county Department of Environmental Management. Notices will be mailed to those who attended earlier meetings and provided contact information. One of the issues is whether the county will be able to provide individual waste water systems for each home or provide a piped sewage treatment system to replace the old gang cesspools, which are illegal across the country, banned by the EPA.

Bringing HPA down to earth,
Ka'ū beat the tall ones from 
the north. Photo by Julia Neal

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KA'Ū TOOK DOWN THE TOWERING TEAM FROM THE NORTH on Saturday evening, beating Hawai'i Preparatory Academy 47-38. It was senior night for the Trojans and the final home game for Boys Basketball for the season. The Trojans, under coach Troy Gacayan, showed their ability to hunker down and nimbly and aggressively maneuver around HPA players as tall as six-foot-six and six-foot-three. Some of the Kaʻū players are five-foot-four and seemed to move carefully, and with ease, under the radar of the tall ones.

     Kaʻū's high point player was TJ Faafia with 13. Emman Badua scored 10, while Kaimana Kaupu Manini scored 9. 

    In the JV game, Kaʻū won 40-35 against Hawai'i Preparatory Academy.

    In the Varsity Girls Basketball game against Kohala, earlier in the day, the score was Kohala 44, Kaʻū 26 on the Trojan home court.

 

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EXTENSIVE TREE TRIMMING along Old Mamalahoa Hwy from Hwy 11 to Hwy 11 is planned by the county from Jan. 23 through 27, with large trucks, flaggers directing traffic and other personnel on the roadway and potential lane closures. The work will go from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. daily, according to a notice from County of Hawai'i.

FREE FOOD

St. Jude's Hot Meals are free to those in need on Saturdays from 9 a.m. until food runs out, no later than noon. Volunteers from the community are welcome to help and can contact Karen at pooch53@gmail.com. Location is 96-8606 Paradise Circle Drive in Ocean View. Those in need can also take hot showers from 9 a.m. to noon and use the computer lab from 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Free Meals Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays are served from 12:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. at Nā'ālehu Hongwanji. Volunteers prepare the food provided by 'O Ka'ū Kākou with fresh produce from its gardens on the farm of Eva Liu, who supports the project. Other community members also make donations and approximately 150 meals are served each day, according to OKK President Wayne Kawachi.

OUTDOOR MARKETS
Volcano Evening Market, Cooper Center, Volcano Village, Thursdays, 3 p.m. to 6 p.m., with live music, artisan crafts, ono grinds, and fresh produce. See facebook.com.

Volcano Swap Meet, fourth Saturday of the month from 8 a.m. to noon. Large variety of vendors with numerous products. Tools, clothes, books, toys, local made healing extract and creams, antiques, jewelry, gemstones, crystals, food, music, plants, fruits, and vegetables. Also offered are cakes, coffee, and shave ice. Live music.

Volcano Farmers Market, Cooper Center, Volcano Village on Sundays, 6 a.m. to 10 a.m., with local produce, baked goods, food to go, island beef and Ka'ū Coffee. EBT is used for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, formerly Food Stamps. Call 808-967-7800.

'O Ka'ū Kākou Market, Nā'ālehu, Wednesdays, 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Contact Nadine Ebert at 808-938-5124 or June Domondon 808-938-4875. See facebook.com/OKauKakouMarket.

Ocean View Community Market, Saturdays and Wednesdays, 6:30 a.m. to 2 p.m., corner of Kona Drive and Highway 11, where Thai Grindz is located. Masks mandatory. 100-person limit, social distancing required. Gate unlocked for vendors at 5:30 a.m., $15 dollars, no reservations needed. Parking in the upper lot only. Vendors must provide their own sanitizer. Food vendor permits required. Carpooling is encouraged.

Ocean View Swap Meet at Ocean View makai shopping center, near Mālama Market. Hours for patrons are 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., Saturday and Sunday. Vendor set-up time is 5 a.m. Masks required.

The Book Shack is open every Wednesday, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on the Kauaha'ao Congregational Church grounds at 95-1642 Pinao St. in Wai'ōhinu.