Ka`u News Briefs Monday, Sept. 28, 2015

Trini Marques told her story of growing up in an agricultural community, working for sugar and joining her husband to help start the Ka`u Coffee industry 20 years ago. Photos by Julia Neal

KA`U COFFEE FARMERS ASKED FOR HELP from the community, government officials and current and prospective owners of land where they farm. The public meeting was held last night at Pahala Community Center.

      Farmers talked about the possibility that a new owner could subdivide land where they have farmed for nearly 20 years. A Project Unit Development plan, approved by the county after investors bought the former sugar land from C. Brewer, could allow the land to be divided and sold. Under one proposal, up to a half acre could be cleared within a coffee farm to make room for a house, as in a coffee estate. The estate could be sold, leaving the coffee grower farming around the house until the farmer’s license expires.

Joan Obra talked about coffee berry borers spreading from hot
spots to farm after farm in a circular pattern, with no respect to
farm boundaries.

      State Rep. Richard Onishi asked representatives of current owner Lehman Brothers, of New York, and prospective buyer Resource Land Holdings LLC, of Colorado, whether they would consider selling the land to the farmers. Lehman Brothers’ broker for the sale, Joel LaPinta, said the land is in escrow to Resource Land Holdings and that Lehman is not considering marketing it to anyone else at this time. Tom Yeh, a Hilo attorney representing Resource Land Holdings, said he would take the question back to his client.

      County Council member Maile David said she grew up on a coffee farm and understands land security challenges. She applauded the open dialogue between the farmers and real estate investors. She pointed to the “human element” and the difference between the corporate bottom line of investors needing to make a profit and everyday families needing to make a living.

      In addition to the possibility of the lands being subdivided, Ka`u Coffee Growers Cooperative spokesperson Joan Obra said coffee growers face a proposal of higher land rents from the prospective new corporate owner at a time when costs are climbing to fight the coffee borer and possibly other pests. Should rents go up at the same time as the cost of fighting the coffee berry borer, some farmers could quit, the land left unattended with borers spreading. The Ka`u Coffee industry could go into a tailspin, she said.

Farmers displayed their awards and stories of their journey to build
the Ka`u Coffee industry.

      Another concern is a proposal that would make the new landowner the owner of the coffee trees. Obra said the farmers may not be able to have tree insurance if ownership of the trees is taken away from them. She pointed to natural events in the last 15 years, including flooding, fire and volcanic emissions.

      Listening to these challenges were county and state officials who all promised to help, including state Chair of the House of Representatives Agriculture Committee, Rep. Clift Tusji, deputy chair Onishi, Ka`u state Rep. Richard Creagan and Scott Enright, Chair of the state Department of Agriculture. County economic development staff members were also on hand, as well as University of Hawai`i and state agriculture workers who all regularly help Ka`u Coffee farmers. 

      Ka`u Coffee Grower Cooperative President Gloria Camba said, “Ka`u Coffee is a positive influence in our community. It brings pride, economic independence and jobs. It provides unprecedented economic growth in the form of small, independent, locally owned businesses. Ka`u Coffee has also brought good publicity and esteem to our community with many of our Ka`u Coffees winning state, national and international awards. We have international markets from Europe to Japan and buyers across the U.S.

      “Most importantly, Ka`u Coffee has led to a new confidence and a new entrepreneur spirit among displaced sugar workers who lost their jobs 20 years ago when the sugar industry shut down and our community faced low morale and despair. It is these displaced sugar workers who did not give up. They transferred their hard work ethic and agricultural skills to a new agricultural industry for Ka`u. They built the famous brand – Ka`u Coffee.”

Miguel Meza presented a break-even analysis based on coffee
berry borer infestation, land rent and coffee prices.

      One of the original Ka`u Coffee farmers, Trini Marques, gave a history of the plantation workers setting out to create the new economy and to build a coffee co-op, develop a market and start the Ka`u Coffee Festival. She talked about assistance that first farmers gave newer farmers and how the industry helped the community come out of the sociological and financial crisis of losing the sugar industry. She referred to help provided through the late Sen. Daniel Inouye and federal, state and county programs, as well as education and agricultural consulting by numerous agencies.
      She talked about the success of the Miss Ka`u Coffee Pageant which raises scholarship money for young women and provides a Ka`u Coffee ambassador.
      Miss Ka`u Coffee 2015 Maria Miranda spoke about her family’s journey from El Salvador to the mainland and to Hawai`i where they first worked on Kona coffee farms until they joined the Ka`u Coffee movement by establishing their own farm. She said how much it means to her family to be in the U.S. and to have the opportunity to successfully create their own business, “the American dream.”
      Hawai`i Farm Bureau President Chris Manfredi committed his organization to helping coffee farmers and reviewed his own involvement in helping to market Ka`u Coffee and organize the Ka`u Coffee Festival.
      Coffee broker Malian Lahey, who has her own farm in Wood Valley, said the Ka`u situation is the intersection between agriculture and the real estate business. “Real estate is famous for killing off agriculture.”

      Obra and Miguel Meza, who also markets Ka`u Coffee, gave a detailed analysis of break-even scenarios for the farmers given their land cost and coffee berry borer risks.

      Read comments, add your own, and like The Ka`u Calendar News Briefs on Facebook.

Rhonda Balmer at Kama`aina Kuts
Photo by Nalani Parlin

KAMA`AINA KUTS IN NA`ALEHU welcomed hair stylist Rhonda Balmer earlier this month. Balmer, of Ocean View, is a licensed cosmetologist, in business 32 years. Starting out in Los Angeles, Balmer worked several years and trained with Vidal Sassoon. In Sedona, AZ, she operated Denovo salon and spa in the Hilton. In 2001, she made the trek to Hawai`i and worked as cosmetologist at Four Seasons and for the past 12 years at Ocean View Hair Salon. 

      With opportunity to work with Kama`aina Kuts owner and stylist Corrine Kaupu and fellow hair stylist Elise Russell, Balmer is excited to add natural nails and facial waxing to her services. “I love making people beautiful and seeing their smiles, describing it as a powerful job to help someone beautify appearance to boost self-confidence and affect all aspects of life. Pam Spencer, Balmer’s client for a decade, said, “Rhonda has a passion for what she does, and it shows in her work.” She commented that she really liked the Kama`aina Kuts salon space as it gives a “personalized environment” providing a “one-on-one experience.”
      Balmer offers hair services on Sunday, Monday and Friday. She does manicures and pedicures on Sunday, Monday and Tuesday. Call 929-8151.
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U.S. REP. TULSI SHARED the stage with India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi yesterday in San Jose, CA as a crowd of more than 18,000 people welcomed him. Just before the Prime Minister took the stage, he met with Gabbard and other members of Congress to discuss plans to build U.S.-India relations and promote technology partnerships.

 Gabbard is the only member of the U.S. Congress who practices the Hindu religion, which is prevalent in India.

U.S. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard welcomed Prime Minister Narendra Modi with a fresh
ginger lei from Hawai`i, a tradition shared by the people of India.
Photo from Rep. Gabbard's office 

      “There are many different areas and sectors where the United States and India’s growing friendship will cover mutually beneficial ground,” Gabbard said. “Prime Minister Modi’s second visit to the United States has allowed us to continue to strengthen those bonds and explore new opportunities for us to work together.”


      The Prime Minister’s two-day tour of Silicon Valley also included meetings with technology executives who offered their ideas and assistance in bringing India fully into the digital world. India is the world’s fastest-growing economy, and use of the Internet and smart phones is growing rapidly, providing new markets for American companies.
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Cross-secton shows dark staining of sapwood typical in rapid `ohi`a death.

RAPID `OHI`A DEATH IS THE TOPIC at After Dark in the Park tomorrow at 7 p.m. at Kilauea Visitor Center Auditorium in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park. The disease has the potential to threaten forests statewide. 

      For more information, call 985-6011.

E PILI KAUA PA`INA tickets are still available for Uhane Pohaku Na Moku O Hawai`i's fundraiser Thursday from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. Donation is $25.
      The nonprofit works with challenged youth though agriculture and traditional Hawaiian skill building. The evening features entertainment by Mark Yamanaka and a roast pork dinner on the grounds of Pahala Plantation House.
      For tickets, call Kumu Hula Debbie Ryder at 315-7032 or 649-9334.
      The nonprofit also sponsors Ho`okupu Hula No Ka`u Cultural Festival this Friday and Saturday from 4 p.m. to 10 p.m. at Pahala Plantation House. The festival includes music, hula, crafts, food and cultural workshops. Open to the public with no fees both nights.

      See images below for more information.
      See www.hookupukau.com.

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

See kaucalendar.com/KauCalendar_September2015.pdf.

See kaucalendar.com/Directory2015.swf
and kaucalendar.com/Directory2015.pdf.

Buy a bag for $7 and fill with books for another $3
at Ka`u libraries.

Ka`u News Briefs Sunday, Sept. 27, 2015

A Flash Flood Watch remains in effect as Tropical Storm Niala passes south of Ka`u. Rain in its outer bands could bring heavy rain.
Map from NOAA

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE has cancelled the Tropical Storm Watch for Hawai`i Island. As of 11 a.m., Tropical Storm Niala was approximately 215 miles south-southeast of South Point and moving in a west-southwest direction. Currently, Niala continues to move away from Hawai`i Island, and the threat of tropical storm conditions is expected to continue to decrease. Although conditions are expected to improve, the Flash Flood Watch for Hawai`i Island remains in effect through tomorrow afternoon. In addition, the High Surf Advisory for southeast-facing shores will remain in effect through 6 a.m. tomorrow. Surf heights of eight to 12 feet can be expected, with highest surf conditions occurring with peak high tides. All roads are open at this time, and motorists are advised to drive with caution, prepare for possible hazardous conditions and anticipate traffic delays.
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Sen. Brian Schatz

“THIS CLIMATE AGREEMENT GIVES US a real reason to be hopeful,” U.S. Sen. Brian Schatz said after President Barack Obama and President Xi Jinping announced significant steps to address climate change, including a pledge by China to curb carbon emissions using a cap-and-trade program.
      “The momentum is palpable,” Schatz said. “People, governments, companies and institutions are beginning to take the kinds of actions that give us a legitimate chance to solve this problem. I've never been so hopeful on this issue. We’ve got a long way to go, but this was enormously important.


      “This agreement marks a historic step toward protecting our planet from the impacts of climate change. What our two countries are saying with this agreement is that climate change is real, caused by humans, and is solvable. 

      “For years, naysayers and deniers said that the U.S. shouldn’t move forward to regulate carbon pollution until and unless China took action. As of today, that argument is no longer valid.
      “This agreement gives momentum to the ongoing international climate negotiations and will inspire other countries to commit to action prior to the Paris talks.
      “While this agreement is an incredibly important foundation and gives people around the world hope, we must not let up. We have to work toward full implementation of the Clean Power Plan, a successful Paris conference, and the eventual passage of carbon fee legislation.”
      Read comments, add your own, and like The Ka`u Calendar News Briefs on Facebook.

U.S. REP. TULSI GABBARD, a member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, co-introduced a bipartisan resolution with California Rep. Duncan Hunter recognizing the persecution of religious and ethnic minorities by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant as genocide and calling for the United States to prioritize providing refugee status to such persecuted families and individuals. The resolution comes as Pope Francis made a historic address to the U.S. Congress, where he stated, “Our world is facing a refugee crisis of a magnitude not seen since the Second World War.”

Mark Arabo with Pres. Obama

      The persecution of minority populations in Iraq by ISIL and related groups has been condemned by the United Nations Secretary General, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and much of the international community. The U.S. State Department recently announced plans to increase the number of refugees resettled in the U.S. to 85,000 in fiscal year 2016, and 100,000 in fiscal year 2017.
      “Christians, Yezidis, and other minority groups in the Middle East are being targeted specifically because of their religious beliefs, and face forced conversions to Islam, mass abductions, sexual enslavements and executions due to this ISIL-inflicted genocide,” Gabbard said. “As the U.S. and international community consider lengthy procedures to address the rapidly growing international refugee crisis, these people continue to be targets of this genocide. These persecuted religious minority groups must be our first priority as the U.S. increases the number of refugees it will accept from that region, not only because it provides humanitarian relief to those who are most in need, but also because there are tens of thousands of them who already have proper identification and sponsors within the U.S., making them least likely to be a national security threat.”
       “We commend Congresswoman Gabbard and Congressman Hunter for their efforts in bringing awareness to the tragedy of the genocide that is occurring against religious minorities of Iraq and Syria,” said human rights activist and community leader Mark Arabo, who has been a spokesperson for the Iraqi Chaldean community. “In light of the Pope’s words, and of the present situation, we as a nation must do more. Our inability to unify as one political body has only led to more death, more destruction, and brutality of some of the world’s oldest Christians. We cannot turn a blind eye to the victims of genocide. This resolution is an important step forward to reaching substantive action on the crisis we face. Our silence must not condemn those who remain displaced by Islamic fundamentalism; it must not condemn those who flee their homes as refugees. It is time that we as a people must act.”
      Read comments, add your own, and like The Ka`u Calendar News Briefs on Facebook.

Sen. Josh Green discusses Breathing in Hawai`i with Kim Nguyen
and Dr. Eric Crawley. Image from Think Tech

KAU`S STATE SEN. JOSH GREEN, M.D. hosted a discussion about lung health and disease prevention in Hawai`i. He spoke with Kim Nguyen, of the American Lung Association and pulmonologist Dr. Eric Crawley. The experts discussed vog and smoking and how they effect illnesses such as asthma and COPD.
      The Think Tech: Hawai`i’s Global Future program entitled Breathing in Hawai`i is available at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wycCUbGLvCU&feature=youtu.be.
      Read comments, add your own, and like The Ka`u Calendar News Briefs on Facebook.

THE STATE INVITES TEAMS to sign up for LifeSmarts Hawai`i Competition after the Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs Office of the Securities Commissioner announcement of the start of the 2015-2016 competition. LifeSmarts is a fun, free, national educational program, which teaches youth critical life skills in five areas covering Personal Finance, Consumer Rights & Responsibilities, Health & Safety, Environment and Technology through online quizzes and in-person competitions.

      High school teams are invited to sign up now. Teams must consist of a minimum of four students and one adult coach. LifeSmarts Hawai`i begins at the local level with an online competition, found at www.lifesmarts.org, which will be open from Oct. 26 to Dec. 4. The four highest scoring teams will be invited to compete at the state championship competition in Honolulu on Feb. 20, 2016. The winning team will represent Hawai`i at the national LifeSmarts competition, scheduled for April 9-12, 2016, in Denver.
      Middle school or Junior Varsity teams with students in grades 6-8 may participate in an online-only competition through February 2016. Winners of the JV competition will be recognized online.
      For more information about the LifeSmarts Hawai`i program, including up-to-date consumer educational resources for coaches, see www.lifesmartshawaii.com. For team registration, see lifesmarts.org or contact the LifeSmarts State Coordinator, Theresa Kong Kee, at 587-7400 or tkongkee@dcca.hawaii.gov.
      Over 850 local students have participated in LifeSmarts in the past 11 years that DCCA has sponsored the competition. Local businesses interested in becoming a sponsor are welcome to contact the State Coordinator for more information.
      Read comments, add your own, and like The Ka`u Calendar News Briefs on Facebook.

Ka`u residents can share their thoughts regarding the future of Ka`u Coffee growers today at 4 p.m. at Pahala Community Center.

A PUBLIC MEETING FOR THE FUTURE of Ka`u Coffee Growers takes place today at 4 p.m. at Pahala Community Center. Its purpose is to explain the 20-year history of the farmers who planted coffee for a new economic future when the sugar plantation shut down in 1996. The farmers said they also plan to talk about risks to their future land security, as the land is in escrow to be sold to a new owner.

RAPID `OHI`A DEATH IS THE TOPIC at After Dark in the Park on Tuesday. The disease is caused by a fungus known as Ceratocytis fimbriata. In 2012, it had killed `ohi`a trees across about 1,000 hectares (nearly 2,500 acres). By the summer of 2014, that number had swollen to over 6,000 hectares. Still isolated to Hawai`i Island, researchers have yet to determine the origin of this virulent strain.
      Plant pathologist Lisa Keith, of the Pacific Basin Agricultural Research Center; Flint Hughes, Research Ecologist with USDA Forest Service Institute of Pacific Islands Forestry; and J.B. Friday, University of Hawai`i College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources provide an update on this new threat to Hawai`i’s native forests. Research so far has determined that within two to three years of detection, a majority of trees in some measured stands have succumbed to the disease. This means the fungus has the potential to threaten forests statewide, resembling not so much a tree disease as a house on fire.
      The program begins at 7 p.m. at Kilauea Visitor Center Auditorium in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park.
      For more information, see nps.gov/havo or call 985-6011.

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

See kaucalendar.com/KauCalendar_September2015.pdf.

See kaucalendar.com/Directory2015.swf
and kaucalendar.com/Directory2015.pdf.

Buy a bag for $7; fill it with books for $3 more
at Ka`u libraries.

Ka`u News Briefs Saturday, Sept. 26, 2015

Tropical Storm Niala is expected to pass well south of Ka`u but drop heavy rain here this weekend. Map from NOAA

FLASH FLOOD AND TROPICAL STORM watches continue as Niala approaches Hawai`i Island. At 8 a.m., the storm was 275 east-southeast of South Point. Although the center of the storm is expected to pass 100 to 150 miles south of Ka`u, tropical storm conditions can extend well out from the center. According to the Central Pacific Hurricane Center, total rainfall amounts of six to 12 inches, with isolated maximum amounts to 16 inches, are expected within the watch area. These rainfall amounts could cause life-threatening flash floods as well as rockslides and mudslides.
       Swells associated with Niala will produce large surf along southeast facing shores this weekend and continue into early next week.
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Concervation and recovery of Hawai`i's false killer whales is receiving
support from NOAA Fisheries. NOAA Photo by Colin Cornforth

NATIONAL OCEANIC & ATMOSPHERIC ADMINISTRATION Fisheries has awarded nearly $1.2 million dollars over three years to Hawai`i Department of Land and Natural Resources, in partnership with Cascadia Research Collective and Hawai`i Pacific University, to support conservation and recovery of the state’s endangered false killer whales. 

      The grant will support tagging research on movements and habitat use of false killer whales and will also examine the potential overlap of the species with state fisheries. Work in June by Cascadia Research Collective included tagging three false killer whales that are part of a rare social group that is one of the focuses of the grant.
      The grant will allow DLNR to build on the successful outreach work it is already conducting with shoreline fishermen to help reduce harmful interactions with monk seals and sea turtles. “With this new funding, DLNR will now be able to partner with boat-based fishermen who may be sighting and interacting with false killer whales, in order to collect new data and develop new ways to reduce harmful interactions that may be occurring,” DLNR Chairperson Suzanne Case said.
      The grant will also support stranding investigations of false killer whales, sperm whales, and humpbacks.
      The award is part of NOAA Fisheries Species Recovery Grants for 2015. This year’s award also provides continued support to DLNR for monk seal and sea turtle conservation outreach efforts, including the successful Barbless Circle Hook Project that is conducted in partnership with NOAA Fisheries.
      To view the latest information on false killer whales in Hawai`i, see 
facebook.com/False-Killer-Whales-Hawaii-342365899233834/timeline/.
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HAWAI`I’S ECONOMIC OUTLOOK CONTINUES to look bright, according to a new report from the Economic Research Organization at the University of Hawai`i. Tourism is pushing toward new records, and the construction upswing is building in strength. The overall expansion remains solidly on track, delivering better labor market conditions and the prospect of further household income gains.

      The visitor industry continues to exceed last year’s performance and expectations. Through the first seven months of the year, visitor arrivals, days and real spending are all up three to four percent, and visitor numbers will almost certainly end the year in record territory. This reflects a surge in activity on the Neighbor Islands, which has pushed hotel occupancy above 70 percent, even if this still lags pre-recession levels.
      The number of visitors to Hawai`i will top 8.4 million for the first time this year, a greater than three percent rise over 2014. With statewide occupancy pushing toward 80 percent, gains will be smaller in 2016, falling to roughly one percent for the next several years. Spending will slow as well, rising at a rate below local inflation in 2016.
      Construction activity is ramping up, although high variability and long delays in permit issuance continue to make it difficult to assess how far along the state is in the current upswing, according to the report. Through the first half of the year, the real (cost-adjusted) value of issued private construction permits was up more than 27 percent from the same period in 2014. Job growth has accelerated after a rather weak showing in 2014.
      Going forward, the employment outlook remains positive. Incremental gains will be smaller, with job growth easing from 1.5 percent this year to one percent by 2018. But this reflects a labor market that by now has largely completed the long and painful recovery from the 2008-2009 recession. Unemployment has settled near its long-run average, and job growth will converge to a level consistent with trend growth of Hawai`i’s population and labor force.

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HAWAIIAN VOLCANO OBSERVATORY scientists discuss the commonly used analogy for volcanic eruptions - bottled soda, when opened suddenly after shaking - in the current issue of Volcano Watch.
      “Perhaps the first use of this analogy for Hawaiian volcanoes was during the 1899 Mauna Loa eruption, when Sereno Bishop, a missionary with an interest in science, suggested the idea in a letter to the Hawaiian Star newspaper on July 20,” the article states.

      “The 1899 eruption started with explosions and high lava fountains visible tens of miles from the eruption site on the Northeast Rift Zone of Mauna Loa. In his letter, Reverend Bishop asked the question, ‘Whence and what is the force which ejects such enormous quantities of molten rock from the earth’s interior with such stupendous explosions?’

Soda bottles like this replica of a 19th century one played a part in creating
the analogy of how and why volcanoes erupt. Photo from USGS

      “James Dwight Dana, an American volcanologist, favored steam as the propellant for all volcanic eruptions. ‘Steam is generated by the contact of the interior molten masses with surface water or sea water percolating down through the intervening rocks.’ But it was difficult to visualize how this worked for all eruptions —how surface or sea water could get under or into magma before expanding into steam to propel it out of the earth — although it has worked for some events, like the 1924 Halema`uma`u eruption. 

      “Bishop favored another theory: ‘The whole of the superheated magma or lava of the interior is saturated with condensed gases under pressure in liquid or solid form, but ready to expand and effervesce when the superincumbent pressure is removed. This condition is analogous to that of the water in a soda bottle. It is heavily charged with carbonic acid gas, but looks like simple water. Remove the stopper, and the liquid particles of carbon dioxide instantly fly into vapor with explosive force. Just so, the various gases included in solid or liquid form throughout the molecules of the hot magma, fly into vapor wherever an exit is opened. …’
      “Bishop made one mistake in his analogy statement. He hypothesized that the carbon dioxide was pressurized into a liquid or solid before being combined with water in a carbonated drink. Another letter writer, using the pen name of Scribendi Caccoethes (Latin for ‘insatiable desire to write’), took him to task for this error and pointed out that the carbon dioxide gas was dissolved into water.
      “The discussion between Sereno Bishop and Scribendi Caccoethes consisted of eight letters. Afterward, the Pacific Commercial Advertiser labeled it ‘A Painful Controversy’ and suggested that a well be drilled in Punchbowl Crater on O`ahu ‘10,000 feet to the locality of the Earth’s hot innards’ where the truth will be found. They also suggested that if the well were to allow lava to come up to the surface and fountain, it would act as ‘volcanic fly paper which will attract and catch all of the tourists of the world.’
      “This controversy has been largely forgotten, but the soda bottle analogy for erupting volcanoes has endured the test of time. Other methods of simulating an eruption by mixing two ingredients can be found online — for example, Mentos® candy and diet cola or baking soda and vinegar — but carbonated soda is a better analogy because only the release of the confining pressure is needed for an ‘eruption.’
      “On active volcanoes, as magma rises and pressure drops, dissolved gases come out of solution to effervesce, expand and drive lava out of the ground in fountains and flows, just as soda effervesces and sometimes foams out of an opened bottle. Both eruptions can be delightful, but both can also pose some danger.”
      See hvo.wr.usgs.gov/volcanowatch.
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HAWAI`I VOLCANOES NATIONAL PARK waives entry fees today to celebrate National Public Lands Day. Also, Kilauea Military Camp offers an open house.

OPERATION CHRISTMAS CHILD holds a kick-of event today from 12 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. at Na`alehu Assembly of God. Pastor Devon Rachae, of Grenada, will be guest speaker. Operation Christmas Child collects and distributes shoeboxes full of age-appropriate toys, hygiene items and school supplies to children in need around the globe.
      Free shoeboxes and supplies will be available at the event.

UNCERTAIN FUTURE: HOW MANY KA`U COFFEE FARMERS WILL KEEP THEIR FARMS? This is the subject of a public meeting tomorrow at 4 p.m. at Pahala Community Center. Called A Public Meeting for the Future of Coffee Growers, its purpose is to explain the 20-year history of the farmers who planted coffee for a new economic future when the sugar plantation shut down in 1996. The farmers said they also plan to talk about risks to their future land security, as the land is in escrow to be sold to a new owner.

E PILI KAUA PA`INA tickets are still available. The fundraiser is for Uhane Pohaku Na Moku O Hawai`i, a nonprofit that works with challenged youth though agriculture and traditional Hawaiian skill building. The evening features entertainment by Mark Yamanaka and a roast pork dinner on the grounds of Pahala Plantation House on Thursday, Oct. 1 from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. Donation is $25.
      For tickets, call Kumu Hula Debbie Ryder at 315-7032 or 649-9334.

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

See kaucalendar.com/KauCalendar_September2015.pdf.

See kaucalendar.com/Directory2015.swf
and kaucalendar.com/Directory2015.pdf.

Buy a book bag for $7 and fill it with books for $3 more
at Ka`u libraries