Ka`u News Briefs Oct. 7, 2011

Miloli`i residents look for fish from their canoes and say that aquarium fish exporters have damaged the fishery.
Photo by Kaiali`i Kahele

BANNING AQUARIUM FISH COLLECTING is the goal of the County Council, which passed a resolution 6-2 yesterday calling for shutting down the industry statewide. Kaimi Kaupiko, of Miloli`i, was one of many who testified, saying that fish collecting was hampering the life of the fishing village. The resolution lacks the authority of law but sends a message to the state Legislature, which could pass the ban into law. The Legislature has been considering phasing out or limiting the collecting. Miloli`i residents have been meeting to discuss programs that would restore the fishery in the area. 

AN OPEN OCEAN ROCKET LAUNCH some 1,400 miles south-southeast of South Point recently put a satellite into space. Ka`u is one of the closest inhabited lands to the launch, with the rocket lifting off from the equator at 54 degrees longitude. The 209-foot-tall Sea Launch rocket blasted off from the Odyssey Launch Platform and carried a 10,000-pound satellite for Eutelsat Communication. The satellite moved into a geostationary orbit for digital broadcasting to the Middle East and North Africa. 

Sea Launch illustration from Boeing, which
developed technology and equipment.

     The Odyssey Launch is a refitted oil rig platform and was unmanned during the blast off. It was accompanied by a command ship where launch control was managed. 

     Ka`u was previously proposed for a spaceport, with one of the prospective sites between Hwy 11 and the ocean just below Pahala. The site would have required Hwy 11 to be shut down during launches.
     Sea Launch officials say their ocean platform is more affordable than most land sites and, on the equator, provides a more direct route to orbit.
     The Odyssey Launch platform made news statewide over the last few days when it pulled into port in Honolulu, en route to its homeport in Long Beach. Sea Launch is owned by Russian and other European investors. 

THE NEW CHIEF OF STAFF for Gov. Neil Abercrombie will be Bruce Coppa, the state’s comptroller. Current chief of staff, Amy Asselbaye, and deputy chief of staff, Andrew Aoki, say they will leave to spend more time with their families. 

     Coppa, the director of the state Department of Accounting and General Services, was head of Coppa Consulting, Inc. before joining the Abercrombie administration in December 2010. Coppa also served as chief operating officer of Communications Pacific and executive director of Pacific Resource Partnership. 

     Asselbaye served Abercrombie for 18 years, first as a legislative assistant in Congress, working her way up to Abercrombie’s Congressional chief of staff.
     Aoki worked with Abercrombie in the 2010 gubernatorial race as deputy campaign manager before joining the Abercrombie administration.

KAISER PERMANENTE health insurance is now available not only to businesses in Ka`u but also to individual residents looking for coverage. Kaiser has clinics in Hilo and Kona, as well as on Maui and O`ahu. Certain approved emergency room services are covered at Ka`u Hospital. Kaiser maintains its own hospital on O`ahu, where it sends its patients when necessary.

Joyce Ibasan made two kills during the second
set playing Kanu `O Ka `Aina Charter School.
Photo by Nalani Parlin

KA`U VARSITY VOLLEYBALL WAHINE dominated Kanu `O Ka `Aina Charter School at last night's match at the Ka`u High gym. In less than an hour, the Trojans swept all three sets. Sophomore Tiana Pascubillo helped her team to clinch the second set with a string of seven or eight serves, two of them aces. In the third set, junior Marley Strand-Nicolaisen's made four aces, contributing to a Trojan eight-point run. Sophomore Toni Beck found Kanu’s defensive weak spot and made four kills in the final set. Scores were 25-16, 25-5 and 25-9.

HAWAI`I WILDLIFE FUND sponsors an anchialine pond cleanup tomorrow. Volunteers meet at Wai`ohinu Park at 7:45 a.m. to carpool to Ho`ono-ua Pool near South Point. Register at 769-7629 or Kahakai.cleanups@gmail.com.

THE PALM TRAIL opens at the Kahuku Section of Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park tomorrow with a celebration and guided hikes at 10 a.m. and 11 a.m. Kahuku is open weekends from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., closed first Saturday of each month. The Palm trail winds through a pasture along a cinder cone with panoramic views.

PETER MOON JOINS CYRIL PAHINUI and Bolo tomorrow, Saturday, at Kilauea Theater in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park at 7 p.m. Tickets are $30 in advance and $35 at the door. Email concerts@volcanoartcenter.org or call 967-8222.

Keoki Kahumoku

ACOUSTIC HAWAIIAN JAM is the theme of this year’s Ka `Ohana O Honu`apo celebration at the oceanfront park this Sunday from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Slack key and `ukulele master Keoki Kahumoku encourages everyone to bring along instruments. The event is free and underscores stewardship of the wetlands and public gathering place at Honu`apo. 

THE KA`U COMMUNITY FOOD DRIVE begins Sunday. “Our pantry is kept stocked purely by donations,” said Ka`u Family Center coordinator Teresa Alderdyce. Those needing food can stop by the center with a photo I.D. Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and receive emergency food for their family once a month. Normally the center gives a two-day supply, but lately, due to low rations, only a one-day supply is available.
     Food drive collection sites are Pahala Community Center, Monday to Friday, 12 p.m. to 2 p.m.; Na`alehu Island Market, Monday to Saturday, 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Sunday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Ka`u Family Center, Monday to Friday, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.; Discovery Harbour Community Association, Monday to Wednesday and Friday, 8 a.m. to 12 p.m.; and Kahuku Country Market, daily 6 a.m. to 8 p.m.
     For more information, call Alderdyce at 929-9611, ext. 10. 

Ka`u News Briefs Oct. 6, 2011

Matson, which has been bringing cargo in and out of Big Island ports for generations, lowered its cargo rates again.
Painting of Hilo Bay by Charles Allen

MATSON WILL REDUCE its fuel surcharge again, meaning that reductions will total more than seven percent since Sept. 25. The decrease in shipping prices parallels the drop in the cost of bunker fuel. 

THE BUILDING CODE changes proposed by the County Council are facing more scrutiny, particularly when it comes to making housing less expensive and more adaptive to Big Island living. A county attorney told the council yesterday that the state building code overrides any county building code. The county is tasked with adopting the state building code with any additions that would make the building code stricter, which disallows some of the amendments aimed at affordability.

Three thousand acres have been preserved at
Road to the Sea using 2 Percent funding.

A TWO PERCENT LAND FUND BILL will likely go onto the 2012 General Election ballot. The measure would lock in two percent of county property tax revenues for purchasing lands for parks, natural resources and other public use. The County Council open space committee voted 7-0 yesterday for the public access, open space and natural resources preservation initiative.
     The measure faces one more vote by the full council and the mayor’s signature.
     The sponsor of the bill is South Kona council member Brenda Ford, who pointed to the ordinance passed by voters in 2006. While it set aside two percent of property tax money for the land fund, the ordinance was subject to changes by the County Council, which suspended it during tough economic times.
     A charter amendment guaranteeing at least one percent of property taxes being set aside for the land fund was certified by the voters last year. This measure would take it back to two percent.
     Land preservation involving public money in Ka`u has included Kawa, Honu`apo and 3,000 acres and a mile of coastline around Road to the Sea near Ocean View.

THE NUMBER OF HOME SALES rose on the Big Island in September by 10 percent, but the prices dropped some 10.5 percent, according to Hawai`i Information Services. The median price of houses sold in September on this island was $251,000.

Clyde Namu`o

CLYDE NAMU`O is leaving his post as the chief executive officer of the Office of Hawaiian Affairs, and OHA is looking for a replacement, expecting the changeover by early next year. 

THE COMMITTEE ON HUMAN SERVICES at the state Legislature is taking testimony and discussing the public health of Micronesians and the obligation of the U.S. to care for these people, whose island homes were subjected to nuclear weapons testing generations ago. Ka`u has one of the largest Micronesian populations in the state, and Micronesians have been organizing to improve their education, health and housing.

THIS IS FILIPINO AMERICAN HISTORY MONTH. The Filipino community in Ka`u has been critical in the region’s economic development capacity, having helped build the coffee industry and other commerce after the demise of the sugar industry. Culturally, Filipino community groups have been the teachers of dance, music, language and ethnic foods.

Lorilee Lorenzo's Paniolo Pride

LORILEE LORENZO, of Pahala, won third place at the Ka`u Chamber of Commerce’s Directory 2012 cover contest with her photograph entitled Paniolo Pride. Lorenzo is in the fifth grade at an Internet-based charter school. The photo is of her four-year-old quarter-horse mare named Ualani and her rare Hawaiian tree saddle made in 1973. Lorenzo took the photo at Phil and Merle Becker’s Aikane Plantation, where Ualani is boarded. 

     The deadline to submit changes or new listings and ads for The Directory 2012 is Monday, Oct. 31. Call 928-6471.

HOVE ROAD MAINTENANCE Corporation holds its annual meeting Saturday at 10 a.m. at the Ocean View Community Center.

A NEW TRAIL AT THE KAHUKU UNIT of Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park opens Saturday. The Palm Trail crosses scenic pasture along an ancient cinder cone with panoramic views. A celebration takes place at the trailhead at 10 a.m., followed by a guided hike. Another guided hike begins at 11 a.m.
     On Sunday, a different hike at the Kahuku Unit focuses on the area’s human history from the earliest Hawaiians through today. This two-mile hike begins at 9:30 a.m.
     The Kahuku Unit is open weekends from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. except for the first Saturday of each month.

CYRIL PAHINUI PERFORMS at the Kilauea Theater in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park Saturday at 7 p.m. Special guests are Peter Moon and Bolo. Tickets are $30 in advance or $35 at the door. Call 967-8222 or email concerts@volcanoartcenter.org.

KA `OHANA O HONU`APO and Keoki Kahumoku invite everyone to bring their acoustic instruments to the Acoustic Hawaiian Jam at Honu`apo this Sunday from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. This free family event celebrates another year of Ka `Ohana’s stewardship of the park.

Ka`u News Briefs Oct. 5, 2011

Axis deer have grown into huge herds on Maui and have been seen in Ka`u.  Photo by Eric Nishibayashi

AXIS DEER are the subject of a proposed official ban by the County Council. The council’s Environmental Management Committee took up a bill proposed by County Council member Dominic Yagong, which would make importation of the deer a misdemeanor punishable by a fine of up to $2,000 and up to a year in jail.
     Yagong said he had hoped to make the fine $50,000 but was limited by the council’s inability to establish laws that result in felony convictions. He said, however, he wants the proposed legislation to also prohibit the harboring or storing of the deer as well as transporting them.
     The Nature Conservancy’s John Replogle testified, calling for the penalty to be a Class C felony with a $200,000 fine. He pointed to the failure in controlling coqui frogs and said there should be “good teeth in this legislation.” He also said that whoever brought the axis deer to this island did so “for selfish reasons.”
     The problem to farmers, cattlemen and conservationists on Maui was discussed in length, including the extra cost of building fences much higher than needed for keeping out goats and pigs.

Teresa Tico

MISS SOUTH PACIFIC: BEAUTY & THE SEA is the name of a new award-winning film produced by part-time Pahala resident Teresa Tico. The film will be introduced tomorrow evening by actor Pierce Brosnan and Keely Shaye Brosnan at the Malibu Film Festival, followed by more screenings in California, Florida and Grand Bahama. It will be shown at the 2011 Hawai`i International Film Festival on Oct. 19 in Honolulu. The film has already won eight awards in LA, New York, Massachusetts and Colorado. 

     The film explores the worry and the mission of intelligent and beautiful young women from Miss Tonga to Miss Fiji who are seeing sea levels rise and their islands sinking into the Pacific as the result of the melting of polar ice, carbon emissions and global warming. “One day you are playing in your playground and the next day it’s gone,” said Miss Tonga Paea Williams.
     “Our failure to act aggressively on climate change generates within me a fear for the security of my island home and the island homes of my Pacific brothers and sisters,” said Miss Fiji Merewalesi Nailatikau.

THE COUNTY ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT DEPARTMENT will be testing the sewage lines along Pikake Street in Palala from today through mid-November. Wastewater maintenance crews will lower cameras into the sewage lines to look for problems. They will also install cleanouts wherever they can in preparation for any emergencies. The work area will be between Huapala and Pakalana Streets.
     The county took over management of the lines several years ago from former sugar plantation owner C. Brewer Corp., which sold the houses along the line to former employees and other buyers. The county plans to replace the gang cesspool on Maile Street with a new sewage treatment plant and eventually install new sewage lines in the public right of way. Residents along the sewage lines are being charged a monthly fee for maintenance by the county.

Peter Anderson's Sunset at Punalu`u

PETER ANDERSON, OF NA`ALEHU, won second place at the Ka`u Chamber of Commerce’s Directory 2012 cover contest with his photo on canvas entitled Sunset at Punalu`u. The art show and contest took place last week at the Ka`u Federal Credit Union, where 211 people voted for their favorite of 21 artworks that included photography, painting, pen-and-ink drawing, hand-made paper, mirror etching, gourd decoration and wood carving. 

     The deadline to submit changes or new listings and ads for The Directory 2012 is Monday, Oct. 31.

HOVE ROAD MAINTENANCE Corporation holds its annual meeting Saturday at 10 a.m. at the Ocean View Community Center.

A NEW TRAIL AT THE KAHUKU UNIT of Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park opens Saturday. The Palm Trail crosses scenic pasture along an ancient cinder cone with panoramic views. A celebration takes place at the trailhead at 10 a.m., followed by a guided hike. Another guided hike begins at 11 a.m. The Kahuku Unit is open weekends from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. except for the first Saturday of each month.

Pili Kailiawa and Kaila Olson
block Kealakehe's offense.

KA`U HIGH GIRLS VOLLEYBALL TEAMS emerged victorious over Kealakehe in the Ka`u High gym last night. JV lost the first set, but battled back to win best two out of three. Set scores were 21-15, 35-18, and 15-9. The Varsity ladies beat the Waveriders in just three sets. The Waveriders took the lead several times, but Ka`u battled back with juniors Kaila Olson and Marley Strand-Nicolaisen leading in kills. Olson made six kills and Strand-Nicolaisen added five. Seniors Brooke Medeiros-Shibuya and Joyce Ibasan successfully blocked Kealakehe to finish the third set and win the game. Set scores were 25-19, 25-19 and 25-17.

THE ACOUSTIC HAWAIIAN JAM at Honu`apo happens Sunday from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Ka `Ohana O Honu`apo and Keoki Kahumoku invite everyone to bring their acoustic instruments to this free family event to celebrate another year of Ka `Ohana’s stewardship of the park.