Ka`u News Briefs Monday, Jan. 20, 2014

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. visited Hawa`i in 1959 and spoke at the state Legislature about Hawai`i's progress in race relations.

TODAY THE NATION HONORS THE LEGACY of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. King visited the newly formed Hawai`i State Legislature on Sept. 17, 1959, where he spoke on Hawai`i’s accomplishments and the nation’s status in race relations at the time.

Marchers wore lei to symbolize their peaceful intentions
during the 1965 march from Selma to Montgomery.

      “I come to you with a great deal of appreciation and great feeling of appreciation, I should say, for what has been accomplished in this beautiful setting and in this beautiful state of our Union,” King said. “As I think of the struggle that we are engaged in in the South land, we look to you for inspiration and as a noble example, where you have already accomplished in the area of racial harmony and racial justice, what we are struggling to accomplish in other sections of the country, and you can never know what it means to those of us caught for the moment in the tragic and often dark midnight of man’s inhumanity to man, to come to a place where we see the glowing daybreak of freedom and dignity and racial justice.
      “We have come a long, long way. We have a long, long way to go. I close, if you will permit me, by quoting the words of an old Negro slave preacher. He didn’t quite have his grammar right, but he uttered some words in the form of a prayer with great symbolic profundity and these are the words he said: ‘Lord, we ain’t what we want to be; we ain’t what we ought to be; we ain’t what we gonna be, but thank God, we ain’t what we was.’ Thank you.”

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“THIS WEEKEND, WE HONOR THE LEGACY of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., a civil rights icon whose powerful voice spoke out for the oppressed and marginalized, said U.S. Sen. Brian Schatz. “When faced with intolerance, injustice and hatred, Dr. King responded with compassion, hopefulness and service. His values and principles have made us a stronger people and a greater country.

      “Having recently made marriage equality a reality in Hawai`i, it is fitting to recall the words of Dr. King to our state Legislature in 1959 when he described Hawai`i as ‘a place where we see the glowing daybreak of freedom and dignity and racial justice.’ We can be proud that Dr. King saw these virtues in our people, and that we are carrying on in dignity and honor the cause of equal rights for all.”

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Duke Aiona visited Ka`u during his 2010 campaign for governor.
Photo by Julia Neal

FORMER LT. GOV. JAMES “DUKE” AIONA plans to run for governor, according to Honolulu Star-Advertiser. Aiona told reporter Derrick DePledge that he would wait until he has formed campaign and fundraising organizations to make a formal announcement of his candidacy.

      Aiona came to Ka`u numerous times during his tenure as lieutenant governor for the Linda Lingle administration, speaking at schools and the Ka`u Chamber of Commerce.

      “I think I’ve got a better perspective right now — knowing what we went through for eight years and then seeing what this administration has done in the last three years,” Aiona told DePledge. “I know for a fact that I am qualified and I have the skills and the ability to be the next governor of the state of Hawai`i.”

      Although Aiona hasn’t raised the amount of money usually needed for a gubernatorial campaign, some believe Gov. Abercrombie may be vulnerable to a “creative, low-budget campaign,” according to the story.
      “I think that in the end he can overcome what would be a disadvantage when it comes to money,” said state Republican Party chair David Chang.
      See staradvertiser.com.

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IN ANTICIPATION OF HIS FOURTH State of the State Address, Gov. Neil Abercrombie shared his administration’s accomplishments over the past three years with the state Legislature, news media and the general public.

One of his accomplishments Gov. Neil Abercrombie mentions is advancements
in education. Photo from Office of the Governor.

      The accomplishments highlight the Abercrombie Administration’s commitment to growing a sustainable economy, investing in people, and transforming state government.
      “This administration has made significant strides in restoring the state’s fiscal health, strengthening the local economy and paving the way for universal access to preschool in Hawai`i,” Abercrombie said. “Prior to my State of the State Address, I felt it important to take stock and review our progress in order to gain perspective and guide our way forward. None of these accomplishments would be possible without dedicated and creative public employees, who work tirelessly, each and every day, to make Hawai`i a better place for all of us.”
      The highlighted accomplishments are available at governor.hawaii.gov.
      The governor’s State of the State Address is scheduled for 10 a.m. tomorrow at the Hawai`i State Capitol, House Chambers.

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HAWAI`I COUNTY MAYOR BILLY KENOI travels to Washington, D.C. today to join more than 280 of the nation’s mayors as well as congressional leaders and members of President Obama’s cabinet at the U.S. Conference of Mayors 82nd Winter Meeting. 

      Kenoi, who is chair of the Hawai`i Conference of Mayors, will attend the meeting with Honolulu Mayor Kirk Caldwell, Maui Mayor Alan Arakawa and Kaua`i Mayor Bernard Carvalho. Mayor Kenoi is also a member of the U.S. Conference of Mayors National Advisory Board.

      The mayors will join President Barack Obama and members of his cabinet at the White House for a discussion of issues that affect municipalities, including trade, technology, climate change and affordable health care.
      Participants at the conference will include U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Secretary Shaun Donovan, Secretary of Department of Homeland Security Jeh Johnson and Secretary of Transportation Anthony Foxx.
      The U.S. Conference of Mayors is designed to strengthen federal-city relationships, and promote effective national urban and suburban policy.
        Managing director Wally Lau will be acting mayor until Mayor Kenoi returns.

HAWAI`I COUNTY OFFICE OF AGING is accepting accepting nominations for its 48th annual Outstanding Older Americans award. Any club, organization or individual nominate candidates by submitting a nomination form, which requires background information and contributions of each individual. Also required is a clear photo of each nominee. Nominees must be 65 years and older and a resident of Hawai`i County.
      Nomination forms for the award can be obtained at 961-8600. The announcement of individual winners will be made at the annual Older Americans luncheon on Friday, May 2.
      A panel of community judges will be selected to determine the winners. Submittal deadline for nominations is Friday, March 7.

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Miss Ka`u Coffee 2013 and attendants at Ka`u Coffee Mill. The 2014 pageant
takes place Sunday, May 4. Photo by Geneveve Fyvie

CALLING ALL CONTESTANTS FOR MISS KA`U COFFEE: The Miss Ka`u Coffee Pageant has been scheduled for the evening of Sunday, May 4 at Ka`u Coffee Mill, one of the opening events of the nine-day-long Ka`u Coffee Festival. Miss Peaberry contestants must be 6 to 8 years old by the date of the pageant. Miss Ka`u Coffee contenders must be 16 - 24 years of age. Contestants must have either been born, have grown up, or now live in Ka`u. Winners receive scholarships. Talent, public speaking and gown categories are included. There is no swimsuit competition. Chair of the event is Gloria Camba, assisted by Nalani Parlin and MIss Ka`u Coffee, Tiare-Lee Shibuya. 

      For more information, call Camba at 928-8558.

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EARTHQUAKES AND EXPLOSIONS: Shocking events at Kapoho and Halema`uma`u in 1924 is the title of tomorrow’s After Dark in the Park program at 7 p.m. at Kilauea Visitor Center Auditorium in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park. Ben Gaddis, a long-time Hawaiian Volcano Observatory volunteer, tells the story of Kilauea Volcano’s most violent eruption of the 20th century from the perspective of the people who lived through it. Free; park entrance fees apply.

A VOLCANO AWARENESS MONTH PROGRAM on Wednesday examines the prominent lava flows and volcanic landscapes along highways from Ka`u to North Kona. USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory scientists Jim Kauahikaua and Janet Babb take attendees on a virtual road trip from Kahuku to Kapalaoa, during which they talk about the volcanic history, stories and impacts of the Mauna Loa and Hualalai lava flows visible along the highways. The program begins at 5:30 p.m. at NELHA Gateway Visitor Center in Kona.
      For more information, email askHVO@usgs.gov or call 967-8844.

THIRD-GENERATION QUILTER CYNDY LEINANI MARTINEZ shares the traditional art of kapa kuiki, traditional Hawaiian quilting, Wednesday from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. on the lanai of Kilauea Visitor Center in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park. The workshop, part of the park’s ongoing `Ike Hana No`eau: Experience the Skillful Work series, is free; park entrance fees apply.

KA`U HOSPITAL URGES RESIDENTS to complete its Community Health Needs Assessment at surveymonkey.com/s/93HQ5MX. The deadline is Jan. 31.

SEE THE DIRECTORY from the Ka`u Chamber of Commerce at http://snack.to/fzpfg59c.

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

Ka`u News Briefs Sunday, Jan. 19, 2014

Lava flows from Ka`u to North Kona are topics at a Volcano Awareness program Wednesday. Photo from USDA Forest Service

FOLLOWING ITS ACQUISITION OF KAHU-FM from Ka`u Community Radio, Inc. in August, Hawai`i Public Radio has launched a $150,000 capital campaign to raise money needed to cover costs of bringing a new transmitter to Hilo so that more Big Island residents can hear HPR-2, according to a story in Pacific Business News.

      Acquisition of KAHU-FM allowed HPR to broadcast its HPR-2 network on Hawai`i Island, said vice president and assistant general manager Valerie Yee. KAHU-FM broadcasts HPR’s news, information, jazz and blues programs from Pahala while planning for improved transmission. 

      Areas of the Big Island have had HPR-1, the fine arts and classical music stream, since 2000. HPR-2 has been available in areas of West Hawai`i since Feb. 2013.
      “We’ve been building awareness of this campaign quietly on the ground in Hilo,” Yee told PBN. “So far, we have received 73 gifts totaling $13,408.”
      HPR also announced a matching pledge from KTA Super Stores being made in memory of Koichi and Taniyo Taniguchi, founders of KTA Super Stores and K. Taniguchi Ltd. The company will match contributions when community support amounts to $20,000.
      See bizjournals.com/pacific.
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Russell Kokubun

FORMER STATE SEN. RUSSELL KOKUBUN, a Volcano resident, is Big Island campaign chair for U.S. Rep. Colleen Hanabusa in her run for U.S. Senate, according to a story in West Hawai`i Today. 

      Kokubun served 10 years in the state Senate, ending as vice president under Hanabusa. He retired from his gubernatorial appointment as chair of the state Department of Agriculture in December.
      Hanabusa discussed her accomplishments and future role in Washington with reporter Nancy Cook Lauer after the candidate’s meeting with supporters in Hilo. Hanubusa said her accomplishments were numerous, including serving as president of the state Senate. She listed helping craft the Felix Consent Decree that required the state to provide services to special needs students, taking the first official legislative hearings to neighbor islands on a Hawaiian homestead issue and a  middle-school crystal meth prevention program. 

      “We need someone who can get things done,” Hanabusa said.
      Cook Lauer said Hanabusa has better statewide name recognition than opponent Sen. Brian Schatz “because of her tenure as state Senate president and a deathbed endorsement from the greatly respected” late Sen. Daniel Inouye.
      Regarding her three years in the U.S. House representing Hawai`i’s urban O`ahu 1st District, according to the story, Hanabusa said, “It’s difficult to gauge success in Congress by specific bills passed.” She noted her status as a ranking member on the Armed Services Committee, where she said she has worked to ensure Hawai`i’s role in a proposed rebalancing of military priorities.

Richard Ha

      See westhawaiitoday.com.

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KA`U’S STATE SEN. RUSSELL RUDERMAN should recuse himself from all discussions and votes regarding genetically modified organisms, said Richard Ha, owner of Hamakua Springs Country Farms and a supporter of GMOs in agriculture. In an opinion piece in Civil Beat, Ha said that because Ruderman owns Island Naturals, a chain of natural foods stores, “it certainly seems to be a conflict of interest for him to be supporting the Big Island’s anti-GMO movement.” 

      Ha writes, “We need to hold Sen. Ruderman to a higher standard than he’s holding himself to, because he’s our elected official and making decisions on behalf of all of us. I have asked Sen. Ruderman many times how his stance, which does not even seem to be supported by science, will help the Big Island and its food security status. How will it help the rubbah slippah folk in his district? I have never received an answer.”
      See civilbeat.com.

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Sizes of Hawai`i's volcanoes are related to their eruption rates, according to
the latest issue of Volcano Watch. Map from USGS/HVO

VOLCANO SIZE AND ERUPTION RATE ARE RELATED, according to the latest issue of Hawaiian Volcano Observatory’s Volcano Watch. The issue asks whether Kilauea is a “small bump on Mauna Loa’s side” or separate volcano. This information is important, not only for understanding the evolution of Kilauea and other Hawaiian volcanoes, but also their hazard potential, the article says. 

      Kilauea has been erupting vigorously for about 100,000 years. Yet, if Kilauea is considered to be a small volcano, its eruption rate over that period must be low, since size and eruption rate are related. In this sense, the last several decades of continuous eruptive activity may be unusual (and might not continue far into the future), according to the article.
      If, on the other hand, Kilauea is considered to be a large volcano, the eruption rate over the past 100,000 years must have been high, and the current eruptive activity would be normal. 

      "The same holds true for other volcanoes of Hawai`i Island—if we know their size, we can deduce their long-term eruption rates,” the article concludes.
      See hvo.wr.usgs.gov.

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HAWAI`I VOLCANOES NATIONAL PARK WAIVES entrance fees tomorrow. Ka`u residents can celebrate the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. by volunteering to remove invasive ginger along the summit of Kilauea from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. Participants meet at Kilauea Visitor Center and should bring a hat, raingear, garden gloves, daypack, snacks and water and wear sturdy hiking shoes and long pants. No advance registration is required. Entrance is free all day.

After Dark in the Park explores Kilauea's
violent eruptions. Photo from NPS

VOLCANO AWARENESS MONTH CONTINUES at After Dark in the Park Tuesday at 7 p.m. at Kilauea Visitor Center Auditorium in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park. Using USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory logs, geologic field notes, National Park Service reports, newspaper accounts, photographs, and other records from 1924, Ben Gaddis, a long-time HVO volunteer, tells the story of Kilauea Volcano’s most violent eruption of the 20th century from the perspective of the people who lived through it. In April 1924, Kapoho residents were evacuated as hundreds of earthquakes shook their village. In the weeks that followed, huge explosions wracked the summit of Kilauea Volcano. Free; park entrance fees apply. 

FROM KA`U TO NORTH KONA, another Volcano Awareness Month program, examines the prominent lava flows and volcanic landscapes along Queen Ka`ahumanu and Mamalahoa Highways Wednesday at 5:30 p.m. at NELHA Gateway Visitor Center in Kona. USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory scientists Jim Kauahikaua and Janet Babb take attendees on a virtual road trip from Kahuku to Kapalaoa, during which they talk about the volcanic history, stories and impacts of the Mauna Loa and Hualalai lava flows visible along the highways.
      For more information, email askHVO@usgs.gov or call 967-8844.

KA`U HIGH GIRLS VARSITY BASKETBALL team won their game at Kealakehe Friday, with a final score of 57 – 40. Denisha Navarro scored 37 points. Junior Varsity, with Deisha Gascon scoring 29 points, lost 36 – 43.
      The teams host Waiakea tomorrow at 6 p.m.

KA`U HIGH BOYS JUNIOR VARSITY basketball team won their home game against Hawai`i Preparatory Academy yesterday. The final score was 57 – 43, with 
Evan Manoha scoring 19 points. Ka`u Varsity 
lost 38 – 70. 
Larry-Dan Al-Navarro scored 16
 points.
      The teams travel to Kohala Tuesday.

KA`U HOSPITAL URGES RESIDENTS to complete its Community Health Needs Assessment at surveymonkey.com/s/93HQ5MX. The deadline is Jan. 31.

SEE THE DIRECTORY from the Ka`u Chamber of Commerce at http://snack.to/fzpfg59c.

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

Ka`u News Briefs Saturday, Jan. 18, 2014

Daryl "Sammy" Sampaga arrived in Pahala yesterday on the fourth day of his walk around Hawal`i Island raising awareness
of muscular dystrophy. Photo by Julia Neal

“HUNTERS ARE REALLY CONSERVATIONISTS: They’re our eyes. They’re the ones that walk the land. They’re the ones that see what’s going on, and they really are in the forefront of protecting our habitat and protecting what we have in Hawai`i.” This is how the local pig, goat, sheep and bird hunting community was described yesterday at a press conference at the state Legislature. Honolulu Star-Advertiser quoted Hawai`i Island Rep. Cindy Evans and wrote that she “hopes a package of five hunting bills being introducing at the state Capitol this session will strengthen and unite the hunting community at a time when conflicts between land conservation and hunting are growing.”

The Mauka Legend Hunting Tournament, held in late 2012 in honor of the late
Chaz Moses, drew many Ka`u hunters. Photo by Julia Neal

      One of the bills would prevent shrinking public hunting areas, requiring the state Department of Land & Natural Resources to replace hunting land restricted for other uses such as conservation of native species or ranching and farming.
      Evans, whose district includes North Kohala, where sugar shut down decades ago, the land sold off, subdivided and fenced, was described in the Star-Advertiser by writer Rob Shikina as saying that Hawai`i’s hunters “play a key role in how the state manages its forests. But several hunters have approached her about concerns that hunting grounds are being fenced off and lost to conservation efforts.”
      Evans proposes a “legislative package to help organize a hunting community that currently has no formal organization,” the Star-Advertiser story says.
      “We’re hoping this year that they come together, learn how to work with the Legislature and get their voice heard,” the story reports her saying.
      The other four hunter bills being introduced would require the Department of Land and Natural Resources to issue hunting permits to children to hunt under adult supervision; authorize the Board of Land and Natural Resources to enter into an agreement with other states for the mutual enforcement of wildlife laws and to enter into the wildlife violators compact and adopt necessary rules; establish a lifetime hunting license for veterans who are at least 60 percent disabled or who are Purple Heart recipients; and designate September as Outdoor Heritage Month to celebrate Hawai`i’s natural environment and recreational activities.
State Rep. Faye Hanohano, who attended the news conference, said she grew up hunting in Puna.
      See more at www.staradvertiser.com.
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"Never give up" is is the message of Operation Sammy Muscular
Dystrophy, Sampaga's nonprofit. Photo by Julia Neal

“WE FOCUS ON FINDING WHAT CAN MAKE us happy now,” Hilo native Daryl “Sammy” Sampaga told Stephens Media reporter Megan Moseley. Sampaga arrived in Pahala yesterday on the fourth day of his walk around Hawai`i Island to raise funds for his nonprofit Operation Sammy Muscular Dystrophy. Sampaga plans to use money raised from the walk to purchase two Hawaiian canoes that he plans to use to teach handicapped keiki how to paddle. 

      Sampaga, whose legs have been significantly affected by the disease and whose daughter also has it, told Moseley, “Sometimes, I would catch myself staring at people. I might envy their thighs and their calves. I used to grumble, ‘Why me? Why me, God?’ “But then I realized I was given this disease for a reason.”
      OSMD’s slogan is “Block out muscle disease; pursue happiness.”

      See westhawaiitoday.com.
      Follow Sampaga’s journey on Facebook by liking OSMD Hawaii.

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HAWAI`I FARMERS UNION is promoting three bills in the 2014 Hawai`i Legislature, according to its legislative chair Simon Russell.
      Good Agricultural Practices Bill establishes food safety certification for commercial sales of food produced in Hawai`i, including fresh produce and value-added products made here. Russell said he advocates for food safety requirements to be less expensive and under the jurisdiction of the state Department of Agriculture. The bill would eliminate an expensive and cumbersome third-party certification, Russell said, noting that “Gov. Neil Abercrombie supports this.” Russell said that Hawai`i Farmers Union hopes to help set standards in Hawai`i that will also be acceptable by the FDA.
      On-Farm Mentoring, as supported by the Hawai`i Farmers Union, is part of a Food Policy Bill at the Legislature and would allocate $50,000 to an entity on each island. Recipients would be farms and schools that use 75 to 100 percent of inputs from the land on the farm. “This means composting and indigenous microorganisms to build soil health,” Russell said. The funding would be used by the farms or schools, which would be mentored by University of Hawai`i’s College of Tropical Agriculture & Human Services.
      Russell said the Farmers Union is also advocating for additional money for a program to move toward “zero reliance on the mainland. Stop buying chemicals means developing excellent soil health.”

      In the future, said Russell, Hawai`i Farmers Union plans to introduce a food origins bill requiring labeling to show where food is grown. The organization advocates for the establishment of a Hawai`i Origin Products Commission comprised of famers who would recommend producer-driven standards for food labeling. The bill was pulled this year, as some interests in the coffee industry opposed the origins labeling, Russell said.
      A separate coffee bill is proposed, mostly by Kona Coffee farmers. It would require that all origins of coffee be displayed on packaging, with countries of origin.
      Russell said that Hawai`i Farmers Union United has been working on the coffee berry borer problem. He said he attended a national Farmers Union meeting and provided pure Hawaiian coffee to a U.S. undersecretary of Agriculture with a letter to the head of the U.S. Department of Agriculture and Pres. Barack Obama, pleading for funding to fight the borer. He said that the Farmers Union has offices in Washington, D.C. to help farmers interact with the federal government and Congress. See more at www.hawaiifarmersunionunited.com.

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TEACHERS IN KA`U are invited to fly to Maui for a Project Learning Tree Teacher Workshop Saturday, Feb. 22 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. The environmental education workshop is for kindergarten through eighth-grade teachers. Fee is $20, registration deadline is Friday, Feb. 14. For more information contact Kuhea Aslu at 808-572-4452 or kuhea_paracuelles@nps.gov. 

THE NATIVE HAWAIIAN EDUCATION COUNCIL is sponsoring a community listening session at Na`alehu School Room 34 today from 1 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. to gather information that will be given directly to the U.S. Department of Education. “Your participation may directly impact federal education grant-making decisions that affect your `ohana,” said Bernie Frank, of Pacific Resources for Education and Learning.
      For more information, call 808-523-6432 or see nhec.org.

THE AHU MOKU COUNCIL OF KA`U invites the public to a community forum tomorrow at 5 p.m. at Na`alehu elementary School, Room 31, to discuss the proposed location of the wastewater treatment facility to be built by the county for Na`alehu. The forum will also include and the county nomination of 1,363 acres in Kaunamano for purchase and preservations. The proposed location of the sewer facility is near the preservation site. Both are state property makai of Hwy 11 near mile marker 63, between Honu`apo Scenic Lookout and Na`alehu School.
      For more information, contact the Aha Moku Council of Ka`u through Darlyne Vierra at 640-8740 or dpvierra@yahoo.com.

KAHUKU UNIT OF HAWAI`I VOLCANOES National Park offers its Palm Trail Hike tomorrow from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. This relatively easy, guided, 2.6-mile loop crosses scenic pasture along an ancient cinder cone with some of the best panoramic views Kahuku has to offer. For more information, call 985-6011 or see nps.gov/havo.

MONDAY IS ONE OF NINE FEE-FREE DATES at Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park in 2014. The park invites Ka`u residents to celebrate the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and volunteer to remove invasive ginger along the summit of Kilauea from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. Participants meet at Kilauea Visitor Center and should bring a hat, raingear, garden gloves, daypack, snacks and water and wear sturdy hiking shoes and long pants. No advance registration is required. Entrance is free all day.

KA`U HOSPITAL URGES RESIDENTS to complete its Community Health Needs Assessment at surveymonkey.com/s/93HQ5MX. The deadline has been extended to Jan. 31.

SEE THE DIRECTORY from the Ka`u Chamber of Commerce at http://snack.to/fzpfg59c.

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