Ka`u Newsbriefs Thursday, Dec. 5, 2013

The DLNR reminds all fishermen that the minimum size for taking ulua, speared, hooked or otherwise is ten inches.
This includes the juvenile papi`o. Photo from NOAA

NEW INFRASTRUCTURE for Ka`u is included in a county bond proposal, approved by the County Council’s Finance Committee yesterday. The improvements would cost $250,000 for a playground at Na`alehu Park, $150,000 for extending the Kahuku Park water line and $94,000 to develop an Ocean View park-and-ride center. Ocean View is a popular bedroom community for people working in Kona.

Ocean View water well, shown during the drilling days, will
provide water to provide a grassy playing field for Kahuku Park.

    The Ka`u projects were proposed by Ka`u council member Brenda Ford after she noted that District 6, which includes Ka`u, was the only district without projects in the county administration’s bond proposal. “I think it is only fair that all districts get to participate in improvements,” said Ford.
     “Na`alehu’s children’s park – the playground has not had playground equipment for the children for many, many years. It never gets budgeted into the operations budget,” Ka`u’s council member told the Finance Committee.
     The Kahuku water main extension would bring water “from the only well in Ocean View to the only park in Ocean view “so that children could have grass to play on instead of rocks and dirt,” Ford said.
    She said that the Ocean View Park and Ride was put through the CIP process to purchase land to build a bus shelter and put in a street light for safety reasons. She said county mass transit is already paying $500 a month for the land.
     The full County Council takes up approval of the proposal for the county to issue the new bond which would be for $61 million for 23 projects around the island.

THE GMO DEBATE CONTINUES with Merle Inouye weighing in following a recent opinion piece by farmer Richard Ha. Writing in Civil Beat, Inouye, a Big Island natural farmer and food safety advocate, notes that in November, the Hawai`i County Council passed Bill 113 to prohibit open-air cultivation of GMO crops and plants. Tomorrow, Dec. 6, is the deadline for Mayor Billy Kenoi to either sign, veto or let the bill become law without his signature.
     On Kaua`i, the mayor vetoed a related bill, but the County Council voted to override the veto.
     Inouye suggests taking corn as an example of a GMO crop. She writes that the “American Corn Growers Association, representing over 14,000 corn growers, issued more bad news to its members about the impact GMO corn has had on their industry. ‘Japan and South Korea are buying non-GMO corn from Brazil and China instead of buying U.S. corn.’” She states that the U.S. lowered its corn export forecast by another 50 million bushels. American farmers cannot be expected to pick up the tab for a shortsighted U.S. biotech policy that suggests foreign consumers and importers will ultimately be forced to accept GMOs.”
     Inouye predicts that federal farm policies, including support of GMOs, “are throwing away our export markets while driving down corn prices and driving up federal farm program costs. Both policies are major failures. They need ot be changed quickly before their negative impact is reflected in land values and the farm economy is thrown into a major collapse.”
      She contended that “Hawawi`i’s GMO papaya has taken the same path of falling production and shrinking returns. Papaya sales for 2011 hit a low of $9 million in 1998, just before the introduction of the GMO papaya.”

Inouye said that papaya sales have gone down since GMOs were introduced.
Photo from Wikipedia

     Inouye pointed to Richard Ha’s contention that more time is needed to research and think about GMO agriculture.
     She also quoted U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsac writing to stakeholders: “The rapid adoption of GE (genetically engineered) crops has clashed with the rapid expansion of demand for organic and other non-GE products. This clash led to litigation and uncertainty. Such litigation will potentially lead to the courts deciding who gets to farm their way and who will be prevented from doing so.”
Inouye poses the questions: “Why are residents in an uproar over GMO planting? Who will compensate the grower for GMO crop contamination? Who will compensate them for the loss of livelihood of non-GMO growers? Who will regulate the GMO contaminators? How will Hawai`i agriculture fare when non-GMO crops cannot be grown alongside GMOs?”
      Richard Ha responded to the editorial, saying. “My advocacy of GMO crops arises from asking, ‘What about the rest?’ GMO’s are safe. All the major scientific organizations in the world agree with this. “ He said that if local farmers can’t grow GMO, they will become less competitive, fewer people will go into farming and there will be less food security.
      See more at www.civilbeat.com.

NATIVE HAWAIIAN LEGAL CORP, NA PUA NO`EAU educational programs and Alu Like’s social service programs – all for Native Hawaiians - are safe from blood-quantum related legal challenges for now, according to a recent state supreme court ruling. Office of Hawaiian Affairs funding of the services faced a challenge in the state supreme court, but the court ruled in favor of funding specifically for Native Hawaiians. OHA chair Colette Machado called the ruling “a landmark decision. This issue has now been decided in both state and federal court. This is a great day for all Hawaiians.”

CATCHING ULUA, or juvenile ulua – papi`o – that are undersize can bring on a hefty fine from the state, warns the state Department of Land & Natural Resources. The agency issued a press release yesterday reminding fisherman that catching ulua smaller than ten inches is punishable with fines of up to $1,000 and 30 days in jail.  Ulua, when allowed to grow, can reach nearly 200 pounds and can be six feet long, The DLNR made an example of a fisherman on O`ahu taking an undersized ulua. The agency levied a fine of $250.
    Randy Awo, chief of the DLNR’s Division of Conservation and Resource Enforcement stated: “Taking undersized ulua presents a threat to Hawai1`i’s near shore fisheries. DOCARE continues to patrol ocean waters and shorelines to ensure compliance with fishing regulations.” The O`ahu offender, was turned in by an anonymous tipster.

KA`U’S CONGRESSWOMAN TULSI GABBARD opposed a bill that passed the U.S. House of representatives that would exempt private equity fund advisers from registering with the federal government. The Republican proposal also drew a no vote from Rep. Colleen Hanabusa, who issued a statement saying, “The ability to manage and monitor risks in all investment areas is crucial to ensuring that another 2008 financial crisis does not happen again, and I could not vote to create a loophole that would exempt almost all private equity firms from oversight, while weakening investor protections.
     The measure, to amend the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, passed the House 254-159. According to Hanabusa, however, it is not expected to pass a voted in the U.S .Senate.

SCHOLARSHIPS FOR UNIVERSITY OF HAWAI`I – HILO are available for first-generation students. Requirements for these Dorrance Scholarships Hawai`i are that applicants are seniors in good standing at a Big Island high school, are in the first-generation in their families to attend college; a minimum GPA of 3.0, verification of SAT or ACT test score; and acceptance to U.H.Hilo. Applicants must also show financial need and plan to reside on campus for freshman and sophomore year.

     Scholarships are for up to $8,000 annually and are renewable for a four-year college education. Awards will be announced by April 30, 2014. Contact high school counselors or Maria Martin at mmartin@azfoundation.org.

TRAINING TO HELP THE PUBLIC follow the actions of the 2014 State Legislature will take place in Ka`u from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. next Thursday, Dec. 12 at Pahala Plantation House. The training, sponsored by the state of Hawai`i’s Legislative Reference Bureau’s Public Access Room, is free and open to everyone. The meetings are  “designed to demystify the state lawmaking process, and will demonstrate ways that people can speak out at the Legislature without ever having to leave the Big Island,” says a statement from PAR.
     The workshop is entitled, We the Powerful. It is two hours and begins with a session called How the Legislative Process Works (and How to Work It), followed by a session called Delving Deeper – teaching the public how to reach further into the legislature’s website and other resources.
     Covered topics will include an overview of the Legislature;s website, understanding the legislative process, delivering effective testimony and making sense of the calendar and deadlines. “Renewed inspiration to be part of the solution will be the overriding theme.”

A CLASS ACTION SUIT BY FOSTER PARENTS could force the state to pay more for childcare in foster homes. The suit, representing more than 1,000 foster parents in Hawai`i, contends that failure of the state to increase support for foster homes since 1990, violates the federal Child Welfare Act. The act directs the states to cover expense of raising children in foster care. The monthly payment to foster families is now $529 a month. The case is being handled by the Hawai`i Appleseed Center for Law and Economic Justice, which claims that foster families should be receiving more than $950 a month per child to care for them in the state with the highest cost of living – Hawai`i.

KA`U TROJAN VARSITY WAHINE BASKETBALL team fell to Kamehameha at Kea`au in the season opener this week. Trojans lost 14 to 61. High scorer for Ka`u was Denisha Navarro with 6 points. Trojans will host Konawaena on Tuesday, Dec. 10 at 6 p.m.

KA`U BOYS AND GIRLS SOCCER played their season opener on Tuesday against the Kamehameha Warriors in Kea`au. Girls lost 0-9, boys also lost 0-5. Ka`u soccer will host its next match on Saturday, Dec. 7 at 11a.m. and 1 p.m.

VOLUNTEERS ARE NEEDED TO REMOVE INVASIVE Himalayan ginger from Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park trails during Stewardship at the Summit on Friday from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. Meet at Kilauea Visitor Center. Free; park entrance fees apply.

Pahala Christmas Parade is this Sunday at 1 p.m. , featuring Santa and his helpers. To participate, call Eddie Andrade at 928-0808.

THE ANNUAL MAKAHIKI FESTIVAL takes place this weekend at Punalu`u Beach Park, celebrating Hawaiian values, culture, talent and food. The event features free music, dance, crafting and feasting with people gathering and camping as people join together Friday evening, Saturday and Sunday.

PAHALA CHRISTMAS PARADE is this coming Sunday, Dec. 8. The 35th annual parade begins at 1 p.m., with Santa handing out candy to keiki and making an appearance at Ka`u Hospital. Community groups, coffee farmers, the fire department and many more join in this holiday celebration. To participate, call Eddie Andrade at 928-0808.

SUNDAY IS ALSO FALL CREATIVITY DAY from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Discovery Center Community Hall. Ka`u School of the Arts offers batik, ‘ohe kapala (bamboo stamp making, dying, sewing and jewelry making workshops.
For more information, call 854-1540.

SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS AT PAHALAPLANTATIONCOTTAGES.COM AND KAUCOFFEEMILL.COM. KA`U COFFEE MILL IS OPEN SEVEN DAYS A WEEK. 

ALSO SEE KAUCALENDAR.COM AND FACEBOOK.COM/KAUCALENDAR.

Ka`u News Briefs Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2013

Trini and Francis Marques are two of the original Ka`u Coffee farmers and sell under their own brand,
Ali`i Hawaiian Hula Hands Coffee. Photo by Julia Neal

BLENDING KA`U COFFEE with coffees from such origins as Latin America and Africa was the hot topic at Ka`u Coffee Growers Cooperative’s meeting last night. The discussion came on the heels of the rolling out of a 10 percent Ka`u Coffee Blend under the name of famous chef Alan Wong, produced by Hawai`i Coffee Co. and its CEO Jim Wayman in Honolulu. 

      Since the roll out of the 10 percent Alan Wong Ka`u Coffee, KTA and Longs have dropped the Ka`u Coffee Growers Cooperative brand, said the co-op president Gloria Camba, though some members questioned whether this was a coincidence in timing. Co-op vice president Leo Norberte said that Ka`u Coffee 10 percent blend is on sale at KTA for $5.49 for a seven-ounce bag.
      Ka`u Coffee farmer Berta Miranda predicted that if people see the lower-priced coffee with the names Ka`u and Alan Wong on the bag, they will buy blended coffee instead of the more expensive 100 percent Ka`u Coffee. “We work hard to keep our coffee clean and pure. I don’t like the idea of blending coffee because people will choose to buy the cheap coffee.”
      One of the original Ka`u Coffee growers, who started farming with other displaced sugar workers as the cane company was shutting down in 1996, said that she was shocked that the cooperative was not asked for an opinion before the decision to blend was made.
      Trini Marques said that blending Kona Coffee “jammed up their market.” She contended that farmers who have built their own niche markets will be hurt “when they flood the shelves with cheap coffee. We established the name Ka`u, and now they are going to use the name we built to sell cheap coffee. We don’t need somebody like Chef Alan Wong to take credit for our hard work,” said Marques. She said the mayor and the state told the farmers that “we have a niche; we should keep our coffee pure. Why ruin a good thing?”

Phil and Merle Becker have built up the Aikane Plantation
100 Percent Ka`u Coffee brand in markets on this island,
O`ahu, Japan and the mainland.

      Marques said that the blending is all about volume and money. “When you put one gold coin in front of your eye and another gold coin in front of your other eye, what do you see?” Nothing, the person is blind, said Marques. She also pointed to her native Hawaiian heritage and said the move toward blending and volume marketing reminds her of the feelings Hawaiians have about lands being sold.
      Camba asked whether local coffee producers would be able to blend their own Ka`u Coffees, and several farmers said it would require a lot of capital to import coffee from the international market.
      Marques and others said they outright oppose the idea of blending. She said farmers who sold their coffee to broker Chris Manfredi believed they were selling for Starbucks to promote 100 percent Ka`u Coffee. She said Manfredi also told farmers to keep the coffee pure and refrain from blending it.
      Wayman said Manfredi sold ten thousand pounds of Ka`u Coffee for Hawai`i Coffee Co.’s blending program for $135,000. Wayman said Ka`u Coffee Mill sold the same amount for the same price for the blend.
      Louis Danielle, Ka`u Coffee Mill manager, said that he sees working with Wayman, the largest coffee roaster and marketer in Hawai`i, as a good thing. He told the coffee farmers that Wayman “dominates the business in Hawai`i,” and that the affordable blend will “open up Ka`u Coffee to a wider market.” He said that Wayman sells more 100 percent Kona Coffee than anyone else and will also be selling 100 percent Ka`u Coffee. Danielle said that “Jim is into helping Ka`u. ... Jim wants three, four, five thousand acres of coffee. This gives us another outlet for the green bean.”
      “Globally, people blend. I think this will propel us,” said Danielle. He said the world price of coffee, the kind of used for the blend, is selling for under a dollar a pound. He said that if the price of Ka`u Coffee keeps rising, it could out-price itself, and it could be hard to sell green beans to anyone outside of Hawai`i.
      Some farmers agreed that making a broader market could keep the parchment price high for farmers while hurting the local brands.
      This morning, Aikane Plantation Coffee owner and coffee marketer Phil Becker, who sells the brand developed with his wife Merle, said, “The farmers have worked so long and hard to get the coffee up to where they can at least make a profit, and to have someone pull the rug out from under them just seems wrong. Alan Wong has said that Ka`u Coffee should be pure and only prepared through a French press. I don’t understand why he is doing this. I don’t understand how selling a cheap blend will help the local, pure Ka`u Coffee brands in any way.”
      To comment on or “like” this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.

COFFEE GROWERS AND OTHER KA`U FARMERS are invited to U.H. Cooperative Extension Service’s free Proper Pesticide Use and Safety Workshop Wednesday, Dec. 18 at 6 p.m. at Pahala Community Center.
      Presenters will talk about Federal Worker Protection Standards for ag workers and pesticide handlers, use, application, storage and disposal, “which are major production, labor, marketing, legal and financial risks that growers face,” says a flyer on the program.
      Farmers are asked to bring their pesticide cards.
      To register, call 322-4892 or email ginab@hawaii.edu by Dec. 16.

      To comment on or “like” this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.

Ruth Coller Forbes is Kulani's new warden.

KULANI CORRECTIONAL FACILITY IS HIRING STAFF in preparation for its scheduled re-opening next July. The minimum-security facility will have 96 full-time positions to oversee about 200 low-risk inmates. 

      Ruth Coller Forbes, the new warden for Kulani, is responsible for getting it ready for re-opening July 1.
      “I’m excited for this opportunity, not only to grow in my career but to be a part of the re-opening of the Kulani Correctional Facility because I was around when it closed,” Forbes told Hawai`i Tribune-Herald. “So, I do know the impact it had on the community and the staff and the inmates.
      “Our focus primarily right now is getting the staff on board, and once we do that, we’ll have the staff necessary for the screening of the inmates that will be coming in,” Forbes said. “We’ll be hiring new staff as well as bringing back former Kulani employees. They were given the option to return to the facility in their previous positions.”
      Forbes told reporters Tom Callis and John Burnett the facility will be both a social and economic boon locally.
      “I think it will have a big impact on the community and, not only the community at large, but also for the inmates that will be returning home to the islands,” she said. “For them, it’s really important to be close to their families. And also, it has a big impact for hiring … as it provides employment opportunities for people in the community.”
      Kulani closed in 2009 due to budget cutbacks. Before it re-opens, upgrades are being made to kitchen equipment and electrical systems, along with other minor repairs.

      To comment on or “like” this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.

KA`U HIGH & PAHALA ELEMENTARY STUDENTS in the English Language Learner program won third place in East Hawai`i during the Pacific and Asian Affairs Council WorldQuest quiz held on Nov. 23 in Hilo.

      Academic WorldQuest is a team quiz game designed to enhance international education. Teams of four compete in six rounds, and the winning team wins a trip to Washington, D.C. to compete in the National Academic WorldQuest Competition.

Ka`u students participated in the 2013 PAAC Academic WorldQuest competition.

      Kealakehe High School, Mid-Pacific Institute and Seabury Hall teams placed first, second, and third in the state, respectively, in a field of 204 students on 51 teams from 34 schools who competed in PAAC’s 14th Annual Academic WorldQuest Competition. Emcee Howard Dicus led the competition, which took place simultaneously on O`ahu, Maui, Kaua`i, Moloka`i and the Big Island. Categories included Current Events, Cybersecurity, Global Economic Realignment, Global Health, U.S. Energy Policy and UN Millennium Goal 1: Eradicate Extreme Poverty & Hunger.
      KHPES ELL coordinator David Santos prepared the students to showcase their knowledge in this event.

      To comment on or “like” this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.   

VOLUNTEERS HELP REMOVE INVASIVE Himalayan ginger from Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park trails during Stewardship at the Summit on Friday from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. Meet at Kilauea Visitor Center. Free; park entrance fees apply.

THE ANNUAL MAKAHIKI FESTIVAL takes place this weekend at Punalu`u Beach Park, celebrating Hawaiian values, culture, talent and food. The event features free music, dance, crafting and feasting with people gathering and camping as people join together Friday evening, Saturday and Sunday.

PAHALA CHRISTMAS PARADE is this coming Sunday, Dec. 8. The 35th annual parade begins at 1 p.m., with Santa handing out candy to keiki and making an appearance at Ka`u Hospital. Community groups, coffee farmers, the fire department and many more join in this holiday celebration.
      To participate, call Eddie Andrade at 928-0808.

SUNDAY IS ALSO FALL CREATIVITY DAY from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Discovery Center Community Hall. Ka`u School of the Arts offers batik, ‘ohe kapala (bamboo stamp making, dying, sewing and jewelry making workshops.
      For more information, call 854-1540.

SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS AT PAHALAPLANTATIONCOTTAGES.COM AND KAUCOFFEEMILL.COM. KA`U COFFEE MILL IS OPEN SEVEN DAYS A WEEK.

ALSO SEE KAUCALENDAR.COM AND FACEBOOK.COM/KAUCALENDAR.

Ka`u News Briefs Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2013

Miss Hawaiian Islands Ulu Makuakane flew to the Solomon Islands to participate in the Miss South Pacific pageant, and votes are being
taken online for Miss Internet. She danced for Ka`u Plantation Days in October. Photo by Julia Neal

“WE DO WANT TO LOWER THE ELECTRICAL RATES FOR THE CUSTOMERS,” Hawai`i Electric Light Co. administration manager Rhea Lee told Tom Callis, of Hawai`i Tribune-Herald. Lee spoke with Callis about delays in awarding a contract for 50 megawatts of geothermal power and attempts to re-negotiate other contracts to detach them from the price of oil. 

      “We want to make sure that geothermal that we add will not be tied to the price of oil,” Lee said.

      HELCO received bids from six companies for the geothermal power contract and was initially expecting to make a selection by September, according to the story. “It later pushed that timeline to the end of November,” Callis reported.
      Lee said, “We are really looking at these proposals very closely.”

      Of the 38 MW of geothermal power HELCO currently buys from Puna Geothermal Venture, 25 MW are linked to the cost of oil. PGV is one of the companies seeking the new contract.
      HELCO is also talking to some other power producers about renegotiating contracts to detach the cost of buying the electricity from the price of oil, Lee said. Some of them “are willing to talk with us and are talking with us,” Lee told Callis. “Some are not.”
      See hawaiitribune-herald.com.
      To comment on or “like” this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.

Central Pacific Basin experienced six tropical cyclones during 2013 hurricane season. Map from NOAA/NWS

HURRICANE SEASON ENDED NOV. 30 with more storms than expected. The National Weather Service reported that while the initial season forecast was for one to three tropical cyclones, a total of six either formed in or passed into the Central Pacific Basin. Only one, Flossie, threatened land. 

      Neutral El Nino Southern Oscillation conditions lingered throughout the season. Atmospheric conditions became favorable for development during late July through late August and coincided with the increase in tropical cyclone activity.
      The six Central Pacific tropical cyclones of 2013 represent an above-average year. Normally, four to five tropical cyclones occur in the Central Pacific Basin each year during the hurricane season, which extends from June 1 to Nov. 30.
      2013 was the second busiest year since 1998. The other two busy years during this stretch, 1997 and 2009, were both El Nino years.
      2013 tied with 1971 and 1983 as the sixth busiest season since 1970, and August was once again the busiest month during the season.

      Five tropical cyclones occurred during August 2013, and since 1970, 74 tropical cyclones have occurred during August. It is, by far, the busiest month of the season on average, NWS said.
      Since 1957, five or more August tropical cyclones have only occurred three times: 1978, 2009, 2013. August 2013 is tied with August 2009 for the second busiest August since 1957.

Ka`u residents can vote for Ulu in the Miss South Pacific
contest at facebook.com/misssouthpacific2013.

      Summaries of Central Pacific hurricane seasons back through the 1950s can be found at weather.gov/cphc/summaries.
      To comment on or “like” this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.

ALESHA ULUWEHI MAKUAKANE, former Miss Ka`u Coffee and current Miss Hawaiian Islands, is in the Solomon Islands participating in the Miss South Pacific Pageant 2013. The pageant includes contestants and delegates from Vanuatu, Fiji, Tokelau, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Cook Islands, American Samoa, Hawaiian Islands and Tonga. 

      Ka`u residents can support Makuakane by voting for her photo on Facebook’s Miss South Pacific 2013 page, facebook.com/missshouthpacific2013. The contestant with the most votes becomes Miss Internet. 

      The pageant runs through Dec. 7, culminating with the crowning gala on Saturday night.
      To comment on or “like” this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.

KA`U TROJANS GIRLS BASKETBALL plays the season opener tonight in Kea`au against the Kamehamaha Warriors.
            Coach Cy Lopez recently described his team to Hawai`i Tribune-Herald writer Matt Gerhard: “I give the girls credit. No matter what the score, from start to finish, they play 110 percent.”
           The story in today’s Tribune-Herald also quoted Trojan junior Deisha Navarro saying, “It’s basically just keeping our heads up and fighting no matter what the score is. We’re working hard, we’re improving, and I feel like as long as all of us keep our teamwork together, we’ll be fine.” She described Lopez: “He tells us to never give up. If we put our hearts on the court, we’ll get better results.”
        “Everybody fights until the end,” Navarro told the Tribune-Herald sports writer.

Coach Cy Lopez credited Leah Apia Dolan, No. 70,  for her "animal instincts."
Photo by Julia Neal

         Gerhard described the spirit of the team during the recent preseason tournament: “The score was out of hand and had been for some time, but you wouldn’t have known it by watching Cy Lopez or his Ka`u girls basketball team. Sophomore Lea Aipia-Dolan and her teammates continued to try to attack the basket as if the game was tied, while Lopez did everything he could to keep his team in the game. With the undersized Trojans trailing Waiakea by more than 40 points, the coach called three second-half timeouts to rally the troops.” 
        In another game, such strategy led to a win “when Lopez called a timeout with Ka`u trailing by one against Kealakehe in the waning seconds to draw up a ‘secret inbounds play.’ Bridget Pasion missed a shot from the perimeter, but Kerri Domondon corralled the rebound and hit a buzzer-beater to give the Trojans the victory,” reported the Tribune-Herald.

          The story also reported that “the second-year coach would like to make winning a custom at Ka`u, but he knows that player development is crucial. Save for a long drive to the north or south, age-group club basketball options are sparse, and as a result Lopez said many of his players haven’t touched the ball before they get to high school. In addition, many of his players’ first focus is volleyball.” Gerhard wrote that Lopez and “his coaches are aiming to start a Parks and Recreation league in the district.

Trojan girls say their coach teaches them to never give up.
Photo by Julia Neal

         “We live out in the sticks, and we’re a small school, but we can’t get intimidated,” Lopez told the Tribune-Herald.
          The sports writer sized up the team: “Ka`u, which has only one senior, can’t match up with most teams size-wise, but it will try to make up for it with quickness and will feature a three-guard lineup with juniors Navarro and Domondon capable of running the point. Pasion, a junior, is the best pure shooter on the team, and Aipia-Dolan, a sophomore, can play either guard or forward. At roughly five-feet eight-inches tall, junior Maka Flores-Carvalho is the tallest player on the roster and can provide muscle inside.
         Lopez also talked about the team: “Denisha is a real team leader, and Kerri has unreal quickness with the ball.” Lopez “praised Aipia-Dolan for her ‘animal instincts’ to always keep fighting on the court.”
          Lopez told the Tribune-Herald that “the Trojans may have to play some two-three zone defense to overcome lack of height, and he’d also like to see crisper passing develop so that Ka`u can play up-tempo on offense.”
         See more at hawaiitribune-herald.com.

         To comment on or “like” this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.  

IN OTHER TROJAN SPORTS, boys and girls soccer teams also play at Kamehameha today at 4 p.m. and 6 p.m. Boys basketball team participates in Waiakea High School’s tournament tomorrow through Saturday.

HAWAI`I COUNTY COUNCIL MEETINGS take place this week at West Hawai`i Civic Center in Kona. Committees meeting this afternoon are Finance, 1:30 p.m.; Environmental Management, 3:30 p.m.; Human Services and Social Services, 4 p.m.; and Public Works and Parks & Recreation, 4:15 p.m.
      Full Council meets tomorrow at 9 a.m. Ka`u residents can participate in all meetings via videoconferencing from Ocean View Community Center.

Frosty the Snowman plans to return to Pahala for Sunday's Christmas Parade.
Photo by Julia Neal

LEARN TO MEDITATE WITH MARY GRACE ORR tomorrow and next Wednesday from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. at Volcano Art Center’s Ni`aulani Campus in Volcano Village. Call 967-8222. 

THE ANNUAL MAKAHIKI FESTIVAL takes place this weekend at Punalu`u Beach Park, celebrating Hawaiian values, culture, talent and food. The event features free music, dance, crafting and feasting with people gathering and camping as people join together Friday evening, Saturday and Sunday.

PAHALA CHRISTMAS PARADE is this coming Sunday, Dec. 8. The 35th annual parade begins at 1 p.m., with Santa handing out candy to keiki and making an appearance at Ka`u Hospital. Community groups, coffee farmers, the fire department and many more join in this holiday celebration.
      To participate, call Eddie Andrade at 928-0808.

SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS AT PAHALAPLANTATIONCOTTAGES.COM AND KAUCOFFEEMILL.COM. KA`U COFFEE MILL IS OPEN SEVEN DAYS A WEEK.

ALSO SEE KAUCALENDAR.COM AND FACEBOOK.COM/KAUCALENDAR.