Ka`u News Briefs, Friday, Feb. 14, 2014

Ka`u High School students ready for science fair competitions on O`ahu. Photo courtesy of Marcus Douglas

KA`U HIGH SCIENCE STUDENTS are headed to O`ahu for statewide competition following success at the East Hawai`i District Science & Engineering Fair held at Imiloa last weekend. Ka`u High School science teacher Marcus Douglas said he is very proud of the Ka`u team members who won awards at the event in Hilo and have put on a science fair at their Pahala campus. Jennifer Tabios, a senior who lives in Na`alehu, took first place in Chemistry while Deisha Gascon, a sophmore at Ka`u High School took the top prize for Environmental Management.
     The statewide Hawai`i State Science & Engineering Fair will be held at the Hawai`i Convention Center, March 31- April 2 in Waikiki and Ka`u High is planning to enter.

Young Ka`u students interact with the older students at a
recent science fair on the Pahala campus.
Photo courtesy of Marcus Douglas

     The competition is sponsored by the Hawai`i Academy of Science, a private, non-profit organization founded in 1925. The Academy promotes scientific research and education in Hawai`i and the Pacific Rim and executes programs and experiences for the science and learning communities. In addition to the Hawai`i Science & Engineering Fair, it hosts The Pacific Symposium for Science & Sustainability, a program called Science Date, as well as STEM Week in Hawai`i. See www.hawaiiacademyofscience.org.

SCIENCE CAMPS OF AMERICA has announced two sessions based in Pahala this summer. The first will be Land & Sea Camp, from June 29 – July 8. According to founder Michael Richards, the focus will be on volcanoes – geology – and the ocean – oceanography. Students will visit Kilauea, the world’s most active and easily studied volcano. Students will visit the footprints trail and see one of the world’s greatest mineral collections, as well as visit beaches made entirely of minerals. Students will learn “not just about the events that take place in the natural world but experience first hand how they affect plants, animals and humans. The Big Island of Hawai`i is the world’s greatest laboratory for Earth Science,” says Richards.
     Through the outdoors, students learn about such topics as plate tectonics, volcanics, erosion, ocean structure, marine life and Hawaiian history and culture. 

Science Camps of America rolls out programs for this summer, based in Ka`u, with scholarship opportunities.
Photo from Science Camps of America

    The second session is Air & Space Camp, July 8 – 17. It teaches students about Earth’s atmosphere, climate and space. Students visit observatories and centers where astronomers work. They learn how scientists study concentrations of substances in the atmosphere. They see alternate energy development in action. Richards says that students “will gain a better understanding of climate change and be better prepared to participate in the solutions to the challenges you will face. The Big Island of Hawai`i is the ideal location for experiencing the air and space sciences.” Students learn about solar system formation, the moon, planets and  space exploration.
    Students come from around the state and mainland and stay at Pahala Plantation House & Cottages with instructors, counselors and program specialists. Some scholarships are available to Ka`u students. To sign up for a scholarship or contribute to a scholarship fund, see http:/sciencecampsamerica.com. Call 678-619-0974.

STAKEHOLDERS IN COFFEE plan to “design the future of Hawai`i’s coffee industry,” during a two-day, $100 a person, planning event at Sheraton Kona Resort & Spa, according to a statement from Hawai`i Coffee Association president Greg Stille.  Processors, roasters, wholesalers, retailers and other stakeholders are invited to the meetings Feb. 28 - March 1.
     Stille said the sessions “will explore the industry’s potentials and address its challenges.”
    Dr. Donna R. Ching, of University of Hawai‘i at Manoa, will facilitate the planning sessions. Times are 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. Friday and 8 a.m. - 4 p.m. Saturday. The $100 fee includes daily continental breakfast, lunch and all supplies.
    Event sponsors include Hawaii Coffee Association, Kona Coffee Council, Maui Coffee Association and Hawai`i Coffee Growers Association. Register at www.hawaiicoffeeassociation.com.  

     According to the press release, the Hawai`i Coffee Association’s mission is to represent all sectors of the Hawai‘i coffee industry, including growers, millers, wholesalers, roasters and retailers. “HCA’s primary objective is to increase awareness and consumption of Hawaiian coffees. A major component of HCA’s work is the continuing education of members and consumers.” For more info, visit www.hawaiicoffeeassociation.com. 

FREE ADMISSION TO HAWAI`I VOLCANOES NATIONAL PARK is tomorrow, Sunday and Monday to celebrate Presidents Day weekend,

VALENTINE’S DAY DINNER SPECIALS are available at Hana Hou and South Side Shaka’s in Na`alehu and at Kilauea Military Camp’s Crater Rim Cafe in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park

SEE FEBRUARY’S ISSUE of The Ka`u Calendar newspaper online at kaucalendar.com.

SEE THE DIRECTORY 2014 ONLINE. For a page-turning version, seekaucalendar.com/Directory2014.swf. For a pdf version, see kaucalendar.com/Directory2014.pdf.

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

       

Ka`u News Briefs Thursday, February 13, 2014

Young `Io, Hawaiian hawk, with road kill, along Hwy 11 in Ka`u. `Io could be removed from the endangered species list.
 Photo by Julia Neal

`IO, THE HAWAIIAN HAWK, could be taken off the federal endangered species list where the bird has been protected since 1967 when the population was estimated at a few hundred. With the count now estimated at around 3,000, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service issued a request on the Federal Register yesterday to reopen pubic comment for its proposal to remove `Io from the List of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife under the Endangered Species Act.
      The `Io is seen frequently in Ka`u, from the grounds of Ka`u Hospital to yards, pastures, forests and nearshore parks. Ironically, the `Io prey on the young of another endangered species, the `Alala, Hawaiian crow.
       `Io are also protected by the Migratory Bird Treaty Act. Comments on delisting the `Io were previously accepted in 2008 and 2009, but additional comments will be received. To read more on the proposal for delisting, see http://federalregister.gov/a/2014-02982. Testimony can be submitted through http://www.regulations.gov for 60 days, beginning Feb. 14. To comment on or like this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar

MINIMUM WAGES IN HAWAI`I, which have remained at $7.12 an hour since 2007, are the subject of intense debate at the state legislature this session. Hawai`i has one of the highest costs of living in the U.S. and 21 states have higher minimum wages. Minimum wages by state range from no minimum wage in Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina and Tennessee to Washington state where the minimum wage is $9.32. During his recent State of the State Address, Washington governor Jay Inslee said the wants to again raise the minimum wage, this time to $11.82 or higher to help remedy “50 years of income inequality.”

   While Hawai`i legislators themselves have enjoyed a 12 percent increase in their pay over the last seven years, they have been unable to come to an agreement on how to handle the push to increase minimum pay in Hawai`i.
A bill in the state House of Representatives, HB 2580, would raise the minimum wage over time, reaching $9.50 an hour by January of 2017. Thereafter it would adjust through using the consumer price index. The tip credit would be dropped. State Senate Bill 2609 would raise the minimum wage to $10.10 an hour by January 2017 and would also use the consumer price index as the regulator of future minimum wage increases. The tip credit would be cancelled.
     During the 2013 legislature, the minimum wage increase failed over debates about the tip credit. The tip credit gives restaurant owners tax credits for accurate reporting of tips by their employees.
     A coalition called Hawai`i Needs a Raise held a rally yesterday afternoon at the state Capitol, asking for a $10.10 minimum wage and elimination of the tip credit. Members of the group, which represent Hawai`i Appleseed, Hawai`i Commission on the Status of Women, Local 5 and other anti-poverty groups, gathered at the Capitol and their representatives marched to the office of the Chair of the Senate Ways and Means Committee and also the office of House Finance Committee chair. Honolulu Star Advertiser reporter Derrick Depledge wrote this morning that "Skirmishes over process are often early warning signs that legislation is in trouble. At the start of session in January, there was broad consensus among Abercrombie and majority House and Senate Democrats for a minimum wage increase and some reasonable accommodation on a tip credit. Opponents had largely been pushed into the margins." See more at www.staradvertiser.com.
     To comment on or like this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar

RADIATION MONITORING is closer to reality as SB 3049 proposed by Pahala resident Sara Witt has passed the state Senate health committee and was sent to the Committee on Energy & Environmental Protection. If it passes that committee, it would go to the Senate’s Ways & Means Committee, which takes care of funding. The bill would fund monitoring around the state of Hawai`i to determine radiation levels in the wake of the Japan Tohoku earthquake, tsunami and nuclear power plant disaster on March 11, 2011. The nuclear power plant at Fukushima continues to leak radiation into the ocean where it can be lifted into the air and re-depostited here. Senate Bill 3049 was introduced by east Ka`u Sen. Russell Ruderman and west Ka`u Sen. Josh Green, a physician who heads the Senate health committee. West Ka`u Rep. Richard Creagan, also a physician, and Rep. Fay Hanohano introduced the House version.
     The monitoring would be in food, dairy products, rainwater, aquifers and drainage ditches. The state Department of Health would report radiation levels on a website. The program would start July 1 and run through June 30, 2019.
     To comment on or like this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar. 

As shown in orange, Ka`u and Volcano have hot spots
for prospective geothermal development.

GEOTHERMAL PROJECTS would be come under more county control if either state House of Representatives measure, up for consideration today, passes through committees and earn legislature approval. House Bill 1766, introduced by Faye Hanohano, of Puna, would would revise Hawai`i law on regulating mineral resources to limit geothermal plants to geothermal subzones which were eliminated by the legislature in 2012 through Act 97.
    The state Board of Land & Natural Resources would establish the geothermal zones and issue permits for geothermal development on lands classified Conservation. The county would handle permitting on other lands. The bill would establish permit requirements requiring assessments of geologic hazards; environmental, cultural and social impacts; compatibility with allowed uses in the
surrounding area; and determining whether potential benefits are in the interests of the resident population, county and state. The geothermal developer would be required to state potential for health, safety and nuisance impacts and would set up buffer zones between geothermal development and adjoining lands.
     A different bill, HB 2639, would return authority to the counties for issuing permits on all land but Conservation district property. State Board of Land & Natural Resources chair William Aila, Jr. testified that his deparment "does not oppose restoring home rule authority throught the issuance of geothermal resource permits, as we believe each individual county should maintain its authority to regulate use that occurs within its appropriate land use districts."
     There would be no geothermal subzones. However, there would be standards for approval of projects when they are without unreasonable health, environmental or socioeconomic impacts on nearby residents; when they don’t burden government with new infrastructure costs; and when the geothermal developers are able to prove reasonable measures to mitigate impacts. This bill would require some of the revenues from geothermal to be placed in a fund for land, administered by the state Department of Land & Natural Resources. Both bills were up for public hearings today in committees.
     To comment on or like this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar .

Halema`uma`u at dawn. Photo by Park Ranger Stephan Geiger

FREE ADMISSION TO HAWAI`I VOLCANOES NATIONAL PARK celebrates, on Saturday, Sunday and Monday, the connections between national leaders and all 401 National Park Service sites during Presidents Day weekend, Feb 15-17.  The National Park Service will also waive admission fees on five additional days in 2014 – the first weekend of National Park Week (April 19
and 20), the National Park Service’s 98th birthday Aug. 25, National Public Lands Day on Sept. 27, and Veterans Day Nov. 11.
     Hawai‘i Volcanoes is one of five national park units on the Island of Hawai‘i. Pu‘uhonua o Hōnaunau National Historical Park is also free of charge on the NPS fee-free 2014 dates. Pu‘ukoholā Heiau National Historic Site, Kaloko-Honokōhau National Historical Park, and the Ala Kahakai National Historic Trail do not charge entrance fees. National park passes that provide free or discounted admission year round are available for active duty military members and their dependents, senior citizens, and people with permanent disabilities. To comment on or like this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.

HANA HOU RESTAURANT in Na`alehu offers Valentine’s Day dinners Friday and Saturday from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. Special menu items include prime rib, crab lasagna and garlic shrimp, baby back ribs with guava BBQ glaze and baked mahi mahi stuffed with crab and scallops. Meals include starter and dessert for $30 per person. Earnest Kalani provides entertainment on Friday.
Call 929-9717 for reservations.

VALENTINE’S DAY DINNER SPECIALS are available Friday at South Side Shaka’s in Na`alehu. Prime rib is $21.95, snow crab is $26.95, and a combination is $29.95. Music by Kaleo Peters.
For reservations, call 929-7404.

VALENTINE’S DAY BUFFET is available at Kilauea Military Camp’s Crater Rim Cafe in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park Friday from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. The buffet features prime rib, chicken piccata, shrimp and mushroom alfredo and more for $24.95 for adults and $14.50 for children ages 6 to 11. Open to authorized patrons and sponsored guests. Park entrance fees apply. Call 967-8356 for more information.

SEE FEBRUARY’S ISSUE of The Ka`u Calendar newspaper online at kaucalendar.com.

SEE THE DIRECTORY 2014 ONLINE. For a page-turning version, seekaucalendar.com/Directory2014.swf. For a pdf version, see kaucalendar.com/Directory2014.pdf.

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

Ka`u News Briefs Wednesday, Feb. 12, 2014

Cold fronts from the north have brought precipitation, helping dry areas of Hawai`i Island out of severe drought. Photo by Julia Neal

HAWAI`I DEMOCRATIC PARTY PLANS to develop clearer rules regarding replacement of state legislators who leave office before their terms expire, according to a story in Hawai`i Tribune-Herald. This follows an appeal of the party’s recent election of Na`alehu resident Richard Creagan to replace state Rep. Denny Coffman, who resigned. Lei Kihoi, one of nine candidates who submitted applications for the seat, claimed the election was rigged. According to reporter Nancy Cook Lauer, Kihoi said she was barred from the election meeting even though she was eligible to vote as a president of a district precinct.

Rep. Richard Creagan

      “The core question is whether the election on Dec. 27, 2013 was ‘rigged’ in order to bring an expected result,” Kihoi said in a Jan. 6 memo to party chair Dante Carpenter. “My answer is yes.”
      Kihoi asked the party to re-do the election, but, according to Cook Lauer, several Hawai`i Island Democratic Party officials said they and Carpenter “looked into the allegations and determined they were without merit.”
      Carpenter told Cook Lauer, “The Democratic Party examined all of the concerns that were raised and determined that what did transpire was in compliance with the Democratic Party constitution and bylaws as well as the Hawai`i County party rules.
      “Things were brought up … we know to be not perfect by any stretch,” he added. “We look forward to lots of discussion and changes of rules regarding elections.”
      Creagan, who recused himself from the election meeting, told Cook Lauer he questioned the process because of his concerns it could be more transparent. “I didn’t want to take a position where there was any question,” Creagan said. “I was concerned that things were done properly because we hadn’t done them before.”

      See hawaiitribune-herald.com.

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

KA`U HAS RECEIVED LESS SEVERE RATINGS on the national drought monitor in the last several months, reported Colin M. Stewart, of Hawai`i Tribune-Herald.

Drought conditions have improved in Ka`u.
Map from National Drought Monitor

      “So far, the wet season has been kind of what we expected since the early fall,” Kevin Kodama, hydrologist with the National Weather Service in Honolulu, told Stewart. “At the start of the season, we were thinking it was going to be wet until at least the beginning of 2014, and then we’d see how it goes from there. The drought has been getting a lot better.”
      Despite lower-than-average rainfall totals for many of the island’s rainiest areas, many of the usual dry areas have seen increases in rainfall amounts.
      “We still need additional rain as we head into the dry season (beginning in May),” Kodama said. “As for the long-term outlook for the next couple of months, the Climate Prediction Center is still calling for above normal rainfall.”
      See hawaiitribune-herald.com.

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

TRINETY S. CRAPSER, OF OCEAN VIEW, has pleaded not guilty to first-degree robbery, second-degree attempted assault, third-degree assault, first-degree unauthorized entry into a motor vehicle and attempted unauthorized control of a propelled vehicle, according to a story in West Hawai`i Today. The charges follow a robbery last month where the victim, Discovery Harbour resident Trudi Grentz, alleged that Crapser, wielding a hatchet, attacked her.
      At a preliminary hearing, Grentz said Crapser demanded possession of her purple Corvette parked on South Point Road.
      Kainoa Kahele-Bishop, of Ocean View, a second suspect in this robbery as well as another reported that same day, is scheduled for an arraignment and plea hearing Feb. 19.

      See westhawaiitoday.com.

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

Sen. Brian Schatz

THE U.S. SENATE HAS ADVANCED the Military Retirement Pay Restoration Act, co-sponsored by U.S. Sen. Brian Schatz, which would safeguard military retirees from changes in cost of living adjustments that are set to take effect in 2015. Schatz helped to introduce similar legislation that would protect military retiree pay in December and fought to include this provision as part of the Unemployment Compensation Extension Act last month. 

      “The last place we should be looking for savings is in reductions in military retiree benefits. These people put their lives on the line, and we need to hold up our end of the bargain and make sure they get every dollar they were promised after careers of service to our country,” said Schatz. “We need to pass this bill and reverse any pay changes before they have a chance to go into effect.”

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

EMPLOYMENT SERVICES ARE SENDING out an email that reminds employers that a state of Hawai`i Department of Labor notice reviews a new law that expands employee rights to express milk in the workplace.
      Employers must provide a reasonable break time for employees to express milk for the employee’s nursing child for one year after the child’s birth each time the employee has a need to express breast milk.
      They must also provide a location, other than the restroom, that is shielded from view and free from intrusion from coworkers and the public that may be used by an employee to express breast milk.
      The law requires employers to post a notice in a conspicuous place accessible to employees and use other appropriate means to keep employees informed of this right.
      Employers with fewer than twenty employees may be exempt from this requirement if they can show that accommodating the first two points would cause undue hardship.

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

WANT TO LEARN JAPANESE? The first class today at 4 p.m. at Na`alehu Hongwanji gauges interest for future classes and starts with the absolute beginner; more advanced students are also welcome. Space is limited.
      Contact Maiki at 989-4259 or hawaiiislandlife@gmail.com.

NA`ALEHU ASSEMBLY OF GOD hosts guest speakers today and this weekend. A Missions Service with Jeff & Pam Gregory takes place today at 6:30 p.m. 

      John & Meleana Harke present Camp Meeting 2014 Saturday at 6:30 p.m. and Sunday at 9:30 a.m.
      For more information, call 929-7278 or email office@naalehuag.org.

STEWARDSHIP AT THE SUMMIT takes place Friday from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m., when volunteers meet at Kilauea Visitor Center Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park to help remove invasive Himalayan ginger from park trails. Free; park entrance fees apply.

HANA HOU RESTAURANT in Na`alehu offers Valentine’s Day dinners Friday and Saturday from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. Special menu items include prime rib, crab lasagna and garlic shrimp, baby back ribs with guava BBQ glaze and baked mahi mahi stuffed with crab and scallops. Meals include starter and dessert for $30 per person. Earnest Kalani provides entertainment on Friday.
      Call 929-9717 for reservations.

VALENTINE’S DAY DINNER SPECIALS are available Friday at South Side Shaka’s in Na`alehu. Prime rib is $21.95, snow crab is $26.95, and a combination is $29.95. Music by Kaleo Peters.

      For reservations, call 929-7404.

VALENTINE’S DAY BUFFET is available at Kilauea Military Camp’s Crater Rim Cafe in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park Friday from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. The buffet features prime rib, chicken piccata, shrimp and mushroom alfredo and more for $24.95 for adults and $14.50 for children ages 6 to 11. Open to authorized patrons and sponsored guests. Park entrance fees apply. Call 967-8356 for more information.

SEE FEBRUARY’S ISSUE of The Ka`u Calendar newspaper online at kaucalendar.com.

SEE THE DIRECTORY 2014 ONLINE. For a page-turning version, see kaucalendar.com/Directory2014.swf. For a pdf version, see kaucalendar.com/Directory2014.pdf.

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