Ka'u News Briefs March 10, 2011

Herb Kane's Punalu`u Bay Painting was stolen from the ruins of the museum but recreated by the artist.

HERB KAWAINUI KANE who painted the famous mural of Punalu‘u Bay, the Madame Pele portrait at Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park, and so many more depictions of Hawaiian culture, died March 8 at the age of 82.

Along with Volcano architect Boone Morrison, Kane designed the old museum and restaurant at Sea Mountain Resort at Punalu‘u. The museum was home to his nine foot tall by 22 feet wide Punalu‘u Bay mural that depicted ancient days at the black sand beach and pond; a chief sailing into shore on a double-hulled canoe; the village people at work; and the Kane‘ele‘ele Heiau. Though the museum closed after a tidal wave in 1975 and it fell into disrepair, the painting was often visited by locals and their guests and remained in tact in the rubble.

In 2005, however, someone sawed the mural into pieces and carried it away. Though detectives were hired and awards offered, no one has come forward to reveal the location of the Punalu‘u Bay mural.

Herb Kane

     
As a result, in May of 2007 Herb Kane revealed a new original painting of the same Punalu‘u Bay mural – this time on canvas. Prints of Punalu‘u Bay have been made and are on display in homes and in public places.

During his long career, Herb Kane created illustrations for National Geographic Magazine, and for postage stamps in the U.S., the Marshall Islands, Micronesia and French Polynesia. His paintings hang in the Four Seasons Resort at Hualalai and many other locations throughout the Pacific.

Kane also helped design the Hokule‘a sailing canoe and was deeply involved with the Polynesian Voyaging Society.

Herb Kane grew up in Waipio Valley and Hilo, served in the Navy, and received a Masters Degree from Chicago Art Institute. A skilled illustrator, he worked for advertising agencies on the mainland before moving back to Hawai‘i. He lived in Kona until his very last day, which was the birthday of the first launching of his beloved Hokule‘a sailing canoe.

Dignitaries from Mayor Billy Kenoi to Sen. Dan Akaka and Sen. Dan Inouye praised Kane for a lifetime of public service through the arts.

A SMALL INCREASE IN ELECTRIC RATES IN Hawai‘i, O‘ahu and Maui counties to help pay for the ‘Aina Koa Pono’s proposed biodiesel refinery near Pahala has been rejected by the state Public Utilities Commission. In its ruling, the PUC said that it could not approve Hawaiian Electric Company charging customers in O‘ahu and Maui counties for the biofuels used only here, even though the plan is to expand to other islands. ‘Aina Koa Pono partner Kenton Eldridge said yesterday that his team is moving ahead with their plans to gain approvals for the project. The PUC will consider other aspects of the contract between HECO and ‘Aina Koa Pono. ‘Aina Koa Pono President Melvin Chiogioji told Pacific Business News that his hui could renegotiate the HECO contract so that Hawai’i county residents would not suffer from large electric bill hikes to help pay for the proposed biofuels farm and refinery.

Non-union members have been  

responding to trouble calls during the

strike on the Big Island.

HAWAIIAN ELECTRIC LIGHT CO. unionized workers are voting on a new agreement to end their strike. The International Brotherhood of Electric Workers went on strike late last week in O‘ahu, Maui and Hawai'i counties. Details of the agreement are undisclosed but the workers could be back on the job by this weekend if they agree to the settlement.

A STATE BUDGET OF $10.9 BILLION a year was passed by the state House of Representatives Finance Committee yesterday and some tax increases are riding along with the measure to help makeup for a shortfall. The legislature and governor declined to increase the 4 percent excise tax but would make the state’s hefty liquor tax even higher. Taxes on soda and other sugary drinks were turned down. For the first time, pension income would be taxed for the wealthy. Liquor taxes would go up 20 percent and tax exemptions would end for airlines and some other businesses. Negotiations are also underway for a 5 percent reduction in the cost of state labor. However, the Gov. Neil Abercrombie is ending all state furlough days for government workers. The budget goes to the full House next week and then on to the state Senate.

Thermal image of a channelized lava flow yesterday at Kilauea
Volcano, courtesy of Hawaiian Volcanoes Observatory.

HELICOPTER TRAFFIC to see the new activity at Kilauea Volcano was up sharply yesterday for viewing the 1.4 mile Kamoamoa fissure between Pu`u `O`o and Napau Crater. Lava spatters reached as high as 160 feet. Scientists installed webcams to record the Kamoamoa eruption. The images can be accessed at volcanoes.usgs.gov/hvo/activity/kilaueastatus.php. Activity along the fissure paused late last night. The lava lake remained deep inside the Halema‘uma‘u Crater vent, some 720 ft below the rim.

SEN. GIL KAHELE AND REP. BOB HERKES are coming to Ocean View Community Center this Saturday at 4 p.m. for a talk story session. Everyone is invited to attend to find out how their initiatives have fared during the current legislative session.

Rion Schmidt

Katy Rexford

BLUE GRASS MEETS PILI GRASS this Saturday night at 7 p.m. during a free concert at Pahala Plantation House. Bluegrass musicians from Alaska to Appalachia will teach classes to local students all day Saturday and open up for a public concert in the evening. These musicians are noted for their crystal harmonies as well as their skills on mandolin, guitar, base fiddle, banjo, ukulele and slack key. They mix original and traditional songs while bringing in a fresh approach to this traditional music. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. this Saturday. Free concert. Pahala Plantation House.

Alyssa Bivings

YOUNG MISS KA`U COFFEE candidate Alyssa Bivings has been learning how to pick coffee, paying particular attention to selecting only the ripest red coffee cherry for the milling and roasting. She will compete in the MIss Ka`u Coffee pageant in her age category on Saturday, April 23 at Ka`u High School gym. Tickets and sponsorships are available from the candidates.

Ka`u News Briefs March 9, 2011

Demetrius Oliveira with his new band Keaiwa raised money for One Journey
last Sunday, before Demetrius left for San Francisco for surgery.

KA`U RESIDENTS took their concerns to Mayor Billy Kenoi at a talk story meeting at Na`alehu School last night. He said he spoke recently to Gov. Neil Abercrombie and is hoping that the construction of the gymnasium and emergency shelter next to Ka`u High School will be funded soon. He said the county is fast-tracking the planning for the $20 million building, which would be owned by the county but used by the high school as its new gym. It would also be the only certified emergency shelter in Pahala. The funding would come from a state bond float.

POLICE SUBSTATIONS were a concern of the public during the mayor’s Ka`u meeting last night. Ocean View residents asked for a substation to be manned 24/7, saying many crimes in Ocean View occur at scenes too remote for police to respond in a timely fashion. Police Department representatives said that having a full-time police officer stationed at Ocean View is a priority and that new communications equipment planned for the substation could allow police to make their reports from Ocean View without driving all the way to the Ka`u headquarters in Na`alehu. Budget is a problem, but the police department is working toward a full-time officer for Ocean View.

Mayor Billy Kenoi met with Ka`u residents
in Na`alehu yesterday.

THE MAYOR explained his view of balancing environmental and cultural protection with economic development. He said he was born across from Kaimu on the coast in Puna - in a community with outhouses and kerosene lamps. He said he understands the need for open space and respecting the culture. He said he also understands the need for a thriving economy: “We are not out to take away any of the special beauty that makes our island unique,” Kenoi proclaimed. However, “All - we all like - a healthy, safe family. We need one thriving, vibrant economy,” said the mayor. “When people working? Families working: Pay the mortgage, pay the car note, can support the family. Then children are in a safe environment and have chance to have a good education.” High unemployment leads to high foreclosures, said Kenoi, causing skyrocketing divorces from financial stress. No more house, no more job, no more car - kids are not safe and many of them quit school, turn to gangs and drugs, said the mayor. 

THE INCREDIBLE ASSETS of the Big Island make the future bright for this county, the mayor predicted. He talked about two deep draft harbors, the best astronomy in the world, a college of pharmacy, open farmlands, and geothermal and biofuels potential. He pointed to renewable energy, saying that during an upcoming summit of world leaders on O`ahu, he hopes to host energy ministers from many countries and show them the Big Island’s potential. He also said that the U.S. and Japan may partner on ocean thermal energy. “We have one of the few places where it works,” said Kenoi.

Puna Geothermal Venture provides power for 30,000 homes
and will also produce hydrogen for transportation. It claims
to have the potential to provide all of the energy needs
of the Big Island.

HYDROGEN will be part of the energy future, said Kenoi, mentioning that the county will soon take possession of two hydrogen buses and that a hydrogen fuel station will be located at the Puna Geothermal facility. With hydrogen fuel being produced at the geothermal plant, a fuel tanker truck will be provided to fuel up county hydrogen vehicles. The geothermal plant will be able to make hydrogen for transportation fuel during off hours of the electric grid when the capacity of geothermal is underused. 

KAMOAMOA is the name of the new eruption at Kilauea. Pu`u `O`o Crater floor dropped more than 300 feet in a few hours over the weekend and the show continues near Kapau Crater.

UNITED & CONTINENTAL AIRLINES are expected to reduce flights because of increased fuel prices. Fuel prices are of concern to the local visitor industry since this increases the cost of coming to Hawai`i. United and Continental, which are now one company, are planning direct flights, daily from Los Angeles and weekly from San Francisco to Hilo, starting June 9. During the first quarter of this year there is a 13 percent increase in airline seats to Kona from the West Coast.

A NEW STATE TAX ON PENSIONS would only affect those single seniors earning at least $100,000 a year and $200,000 for couples. Seniors in Pahala petitioned against the measure when an earlier version of the bill would have taxed the pension of less wealthy seniors. The new version would tax five to six percent of seniors receiving pensions. The measure has passed the state House of Representatives and was sent to the Senate.

SEN. GIL KAHELE AND REP. ROBERT HERKES will host a talk story session this Saturday from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. in Ocean View. The two have been working on the Ocean View water well system, emergency shelters, and many more CIP projects for the district.

Miss Peaberry contestant
Cherrisse Althea Calumpit

CHERRISSE ALTHEA CALUMPIT is working on her talent for the Miss Peaberry category of the Miss Ka`u Coffee competition on Saturday, April 23 at Ka`u High School Gym. Sponsorships are available and tickets are on sale. 

WHERE IS DEMETRIUS OLIVEIRA? The KAHU radio host and composer spent Sunday supporting the fundraiser for the One Journey band that is headed from Ka`u High School to O`ahu for the Brown Bags to Stardom competition. Then he headed off to San Francisco on Tuesday for his much needed surgery for which the community has raised $20,000. Said Demetrius, “I’m scared but know that I need this surgery and believe that this will give others in Hawai`i the strength to decide that living healthier is a better option.”

Ka`u News Briefs March 8, 2011

Spatters fly as high as 100 feet from the new fissures between
Pu`u `O`o and Halema`uma`u Craters. Photos from Hawaiian Volcano Observatory

KILAUEA VOLCANO continues to spew along a mile-long line of fissures between Pu`o `O`o and Halema`uma`u Craters. Some of the lava has been flying 50 to 100 feet into the air and providing a spectacular show for scientists who have been flying over the area and hiking into the lava flows. Hawaiian Volcano Observatory head scientist Jim Kauahikaua said this morning that the lava was spattering in two places.

This kind of activity was last seen
15 years ago.

Lava is flowing through the rain forest
and burning trees.

     This kind of activity at Kilauea last occurred almost 15 years ago. He said he doesn’t expect people outside of the park to be negatively affected by the new lava activity. However, the vog may travel over communities, as always, depending on which way the wind blows. This morning the air quality across Ka`u was good. Heavier trade winds were expected this afternoon that could bring some vog our way. 

     Inside Halema`uma`u, the lava remains deep in the vent, where more of the vent wall fell away yesterday, sending up huge dust plumes. The lava had come as close as 150 feet of the rim of the crater floor late last month, but is now more than 650 feet deep. The emissions rate is many times higher than during recent months. On March 7 it was measured at 1,100 tons per day.
     Emissions are also up from the fissures closer to Pu`u `O`o.

FOUR OF THE FIVE GAS STATIONS IN KA`U WERE POSTING PRICES OVER $4 a gallon for regular this morning. Nationwide this marks the highest price ever for gasoline in the month of March. Regular gas this morning was $3.95 at Kahuku Country Market, $4.01 at Kahala Gas and Ocean View Market, $4.03 at Ka`u Gas in Pahala and $4.09 at the 76 station in Na`alehu. Propane is also going up and was $5.55 a gallon at the 76 station in Na`alehu and $4.69 daily and $4.59 on Wednesdays and Saturdays at South Point U-Cart. At ACE in Ocean View it was $4.99 a gallon.

THE INTERNATIONAL BROTHERHOOD OF ELECTRICAL WORKERS union leadership has come to an agreement with Hawaiian Electric Company, and the strike could end later this week at its subsidiary Hawaiian Electric Light Company and other HECO companies around the state, if the union membership approves the agreement.

Mayor Billy Kenoi

MAYOR BILLY KENOI comes to Na`alehu School Cafeteria at 5:30 p.m. today to present his county budget message and to answer questions about anything having to do with county operations. Kenoi is expected to talk about his three-year program that has rolled back government to make it more affordable. Some of these cutbacks have been painful, he said, including discontinuing funding for the police cadet program, some of the funding for the Hawai`i Island Humane Society animal control, and cutting hours at solid waste transfer stations. 

     County agencies cancelled and delayed buying vehicles. They cut mileage payments for workers and delayed replacement of aging computers and the purchase of new software. Agencies cut advertising budgets for the mass transit system and other public education campaigns. Departments deferred and sometimes eliminated employee training.
     The budgets for law clerks’ salaries and expert witnesses and depositions were cut. The Fire Department delayed buying new trucks. Overtime spending was reduced 22 percent last year. There are 141 fewer people working for the county than when Kenoi took office. His new budget proposes to cut funding for an additional 100 currently vacant positions. The cut in the number of employees saves the county $7.1 million over three years, he said.

ONE JOURNEY is still raising money for the high school band’s trip to the statewide talent contest Brown Bags to Stardom to be held on Saturday, April 23. Money is needed for air and ground transportation and hotel rooms. The students almost sold out their CDs at $8 each, which has raised substantial money toward the effort. Donations can be dropped by KAHU radio station in Pahala or given to the members of the band or to their music teacher Laura Saijo at Ka`u High School.

Young Miss Ka`u Coffee candidate
Malia Nicole Corpuz

YOUNG MISS KA`U COFFEE candidate Malia Nicole Corpuz joins the new age category for the pageant, which also includes Miss Ka`u Coffee and Miss Peaberry, to be held Saturday, April 23 at Ka`u High School Gym. Sponsorships through tickets, advertising in the programs and $5 donations to become a Friend of the Miss Ka`u Coffee pageant are welcome.