Ka`u Calendar News Briefs Sunday, May 15, 2016

Miss Ka`u Coffee Pageant participants gather on stage after receiving scholarships, crowns, lei, flowers balloons and gifts.
Photo by Pamela Taylor

MISS KA`U COFFEE 2016 is Rochelle Koi, 22, daughter of Rory Koi, of Na`alehu, and Michelle Ortega, of Pahala. She was crowned by Miss Ka`u Coffee 2015 Maria Miranda at the pageant held last night at Ka`u Coffee Mill.  Koi won the Interview and Evening Gown titles and tied for the Career Outfit title at yesterday’s pageant directed by Ka`u Coffee farmer Trini Marques and held at Ka`u Coffee Mill.
     Koi, whose talent is singing, is a University of Hawai`i student and works at Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park as a ranger. Koi takes home scholarships totaling $2750 from the Edmund C. Olson Trust, Pacific Quest and Ka`u Chamber of Commerce.  For all scholarships, sponsors and the pageant program, see http://www.kaucalendar.com/MissKauCoffeeFest_Program2016.pdf

Miss Ka`u Coffee 2016 Rochelle Koi
receives her crown from Miss Ka`u
Coffee 2015 Maria Miranda.
Photo by Michael Worthington

      First Miss Ka`u Coffee Princess is Casey Koi, 21, daughter of Corey and Connie Koi, of Pahala. She tied in Career Outfit and Miss Photogenic categories. She is a student at University of Hawai`i-Hilo.

      Jami Beck, 17, is Second Miss Ka`u Coffee Princess and daughter of James and Sharon Beck, of Na`alehu. She won the Swimsuit competition and tied in the Talent competition. Beck is a student at Ka`u High School.
      Third Miss Ka`u Coffee Princess is Shaira Panganiban Badua, 18, daughter of Mario and Lucia Badua, of Pahala. The senior at Ka`u High School tied in the Talent competition.
      To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see Facebook. Follow us on Instagram and Twitter.

JUNIOR MISS KA`U COFFEE 2016 is Karlee Fukunaga-Camba, 15, daughter of Keala and Justine Camba, of Pahala. She won Talent and Evening Gown categories. She attends Ka`u High School.

      First Junior Miss Ka`u Coffee Princess is Calaysa Koi, 11, daughter of Corey and Connie Koi, of Pahala. She is a student at Ka`u Middle School.
      Lyric Oliveiros, 15, is Second Miss Ka`u Coffee Princess. She is the daughter of Junior and Saydi Llanes. Oliveiros won the Hobby Outfit Competition and attends Ka`u Middle School.
      Third Junior Miss Ka`u Coffee Princess is Helena Nihipali-Sesson, 14, daughter of Guy Sesson and Sherraine Nihipali-Sesson, of Pahala, and Bradford and Jadelyn Moses, of Pahala. She is a student at Ka`u High School. For scholarships, sponsors and the pageant program,
see http://www.kaucalendar.com/MissKauCoffeeFest_Program2016.pdf
      To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see Facebook. Follow us on Instagram and Twitter.

Junior Miss Ka`u Coffee, Miss Ka`u Coffee and Miss Ka`u Peaberry candidates gather on stage in their evening gowns
with Pageant Chair Trinidad Marques, at center. Photo by Michael Worthington

MISS KA`U PEABERRY 2016 is nine-year-old Chazlynn Pua-Queja, daughter of Chad and Queja and Jerilyn Pua, of Pahala. She won the Character Outfit category and attends Pahala Elementary School.
      For sponsors, scholarships and the pageant program, see http://www.kaucalendar.com/MissKauCoffeeFest_Program2016.pdf

Rochelle Koi tied for the Career Outfit
category. Photo by Pamela Taylor

      First Miss Ka`u Peaberry Princess is eight-year-old Jazmyn Navarro, daughter of Jonathan and Jennifer Navarro, of Pahala. Navarro won the Talent competition. She is a student at Pahala Elementary School.

      Second Miss Ka`u Coffee Princess is six-year-old Khloe Moses, daughter of Jack and Brenda Moses, of Pahala. She won the Evening Gown competition. Moses attends Pahala Elementary School.

      To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see Facebook. Follow us on Instagram and Twitter.

MISS KA`U COFFEE PAGEANT COMMITTEE thanks the following sponsors: Ka`u Coffee Mill, Edmund C. Olson Trust II, Hawai`i Coffee Co., Crop Rx, Ka`u Mahi, Pacific Quest, Ka`u Royal Hawaiian Coffee & Tea Co., Punalu`u Bake Shop, CU Hawai`i Federal Credit Union, Ka`u Local Products, Crop Production Services, Paradise Helicopters, Ka`u Chamber of Commerce, Science Camps of America, Ka`u Specialty Coffee, Hawai`i Forest & Trail, OK Farms, Genny Aiona, Sen. Russell Ruderman, Sen. Josh Green, Rep. Richard Onishi, Rep. Richard Creagan, County Council Member Maile David, Aunty Ba Fund, Donna Butler, Masako Sakata and donors at the Pahala Plantation House Pa`ina Kick-off for Ka`u Coffee Festival Week.
     See more on the pageant in Monday's Ka`u News Briefs.
     To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see Facebook. Follow us on Instagram and Twitter.

SCIENCE CAMPS OF AMERICA and Edmund C. Olson Trust II presented a full scholarship at the Miss Ka`u Coffee Pageant. It will be made available to a Miss Ka`u Coffee candidate between ages 13 and 17.

      Science Camps, founded by Executive Director Michael Richards, are based at Pahala Plantation Cottages. Participants have the opportunity to interact with scientists at remote research stations. Disciplines range from field biology, marine biology and geology to astronomy. Land & Sea Camp is from June 29 to July 8, and Air & Space Camp is July 9-18.
      See sciencecampsamerica.com for more information.

      To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see Facebook. Follow us on Instagram and Twitter.

HAWAI`I COUNTY COUNCIL COMMITTEES meet tomorrow. Public Works and Parks & Recreation Committee meets at 10 a.m.; Finance, 10:15 a.m.; Planning, 11 a.m.; Environmental Management, 1:30 p.m.

      Environmental Management continues its discussion of a proposed ban on Styrofoam food containers. Statements from the public were concluded during a May 3 meeting and are closed.
      Ka`u residents can participate via videoconferencing at Na`alehu State Office Building. Meeting are streamed live, and agendas are available, at hawaiicounty.gov.
      To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see Facebook. Follow us on Instagram and Twitter.

Mina Morita

FORMER HAWAI`I PUBLIC UTILITIES CHAIR Mina Morita shared her thoughts on the proposed merger of Hawaiian Electric Co. and NextEra Energy. Closing briefs have been filed in the application.

      “Hawai`i’s clean energy transformation cannot be achieved without a financially strong, technology savvy, analytical and data-driven electric utility,” Morita said on her blog at minamoritaenergydynamics.com. “To be successful, it will have to be an electric utility whose focus is on its customers and its responsibility to provide a public good under the supervision of a capable and independent regulator to monitor its performance and serve as a buffer from the antics of politics. …
      “For more than fifteen years, as a legislator and later as the Public Utilities Commission Chair, I worked with key legislators (including the governor) to give the Hawai`i PUC its independence and the resources it needed to reform and revitalize the agency to tackle the policy, economic and technical challenges to oversee the transformation of the electricity sector by Hawai`i’s electric utilities. Recently, this effort has finally come to fruition, but, unfortunately, all will be for naught if the biggest decision before the PUC, the merger application, becomes a decision of just doing the governor’s bidding rather than the decision of a capable and independent regulator.
      “NextEra is recognized as a top performing utility and company nationally. There is little doubt about NextEra being financially and technically fit, willing and able, the typical standard in judging the capabilities of an entity to acquire a public utility. Other than this question of ‘fitness,’ the larger issue is whether the approval can be conditioned to satisfy a broader concern of the PUC to address public interest as defined by the PUC. It has been a failure on the part of the state parties, that the Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism, Office of State Planning and the Consumer Advocate, have not made an attempt to negotiate a settlement to condition an approval.
      “We need to put into perspective the state of Hawai`i’s responsibilities in this very important transaction between two private businesses subject to regulation. The aforementioned State agencies are responsible for our state’s business climate. The state has the ability and duty to regulate and govern the environment NextEra functions in; to align a public utility providing a public good with the public interest. However, it appears that this isn’t a question of ‘fitness’ anymore. It has become an issue of an intransigent administration refusing to negotiate in an attempt to stymie a business transaction between private companies at any cost, including the already damaged business climate in Hawai`i. Unfortunately, this appears more indicative of the Ige administration lacking confidence in its ability to regulate when the state of Hawai`i has the authority and power to do so.
      “Whether it’s a go or no go, a timely PUC decision before the June 3 walk-away date allows all parties to move on rather than being held captive to further political drama.”

      To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see Facebook. Follow us on Instagram and Twitter.

Auditions for The Music Man are tomorrow
and Tuesday. Image from wikipedia

KILAUEA DRAMA & ENTERTAINMENT NETWORK holds auditions for its summer production of The Music Man tomorrow and Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. at Kilauea Military Camp Theater in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park. All ages, singers and dancers must be prepared to sing, read scenes and move on stage. Presentation dates are July 8 – 24.

      Call 982-7344 for more information.

I OLA NA `AINA MOMONA raises funds to work toward Ka`u farmer land security with a Locavore Benefit Dinner Tuesday at 6 p.m. at Pahala Plantation House. $48 includes food and drink by `Ohelo Café, Café Pesto and Big Island Brewhaus, with entertainment by Hawane Rios & Band. Call 808-206-9983 for more information.

HAWAI`I VOLCANOES NATIONAL PARK’S artist-in-residence Emma Stibbon, noted for her dramatic and extreme monochrome landscape drawings, displays and discusses her work Tuesday at 7 p.m. at Kilauea Visitor Center Auditorium.
      $2 donations support After Dark in the Park programs; park entrance fees apply.

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

See kaucalendar.com/KauCalendar_May2016.pdf.

See kaucalendar.com/TheDirectory2016.html
and kaucalendar.com/TheDirectory2016.pdf.

Ka`u Calendar News Briefs Saturday, May 14, 2016

Dancers fill Pahala Plantation House's foyer during Ka`u Coffee Festival's Pa`ina to swing to the Kachi Kachi music of El Leo, with Ka`u's state Sen. Russell Ruderman on guitar. Photo by Ron Johnson

A COLLABORATIVE EFFORT of government and non-government organizations from across the state will raise awareness about the threat of wildfire and drought to Hawai`i’s natural resources and to private and public property.

      Wildfire & Drought Look Out! is a continuing campaign to keep people across the state informed of current fire and drought conditions, provide tips on protecting life and property from wildfire and provide information and education on how to deal with prolonged drought.

A new effort raises awareness of wildfire and drought.
Image from Hawai`i DLNR

      The Department of Land and Natural Resources’ Division of Forestry and Wildlife is the lead agency charged with wildfire prevention and suppression on public lands across the state. DLNR Chair Suzanne Case said, “We hope this campaign, which has both a public and a media component, will educate and inform everyone living in and visiting Hawai`i about the year-around threat of wildfires. While fires here in Hawai`i burn smaller acreages than in much larger western states, the percentage of forest land we lose each year to wildfire, based on Hawai`i’s actual land mass, is equal to states like California.”

      This year, 10,865 acres have already burned, over twice the number of acres burned during all of 2015.
      The campaign has two components. Hawai`i Wildfire Management Organization is one of the primary partners in the Wildfire & Drought Look Out! Project. HWMO Executive Director Elizabeth Pickett said, “We have set up both a public and a media page on the HWMO website. The public page will have loads of information for home and property owners on how best to prepare for the possibility of wildfire well in advance. We’ll include water saving information which is really topical during this prolonged drought event in many areas across the state, largely caused by El Nino weather conditions.”

      HWMO will also maintain and manage a media page, where partners can contribute story ideas and leads for reporters and their news organizations. “We hope media outlets across the state will find this information valuable and topical and join all of us in spreading prevention and preparedness messages widely,” Pickett said.
      There was a time when wildfire season in Hawai`i typically started in late spring or early summer and lasted until late fall. “Now with prolonged drought across large regions of the Hawaiian Islands and long-range predictions that show no apparent relief soon, the timing of the Wildfire & Drought Look Out! campaign couldn’t be better,” said Derek Wroe, a forecaster with NOAA’s National Weather Service office in Honolulu, another of the project partners.
      To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see Facebook. Follow us on Instagram and Twitter.

HFUU President Vincent Mina with Miss Ka`u Coffee 2015
Maria Miranda and Miss Peaberry 2016 candidate
Khloe Moses. Photo by Jesse Tunison

KA`U COFFEE FESTIVAL OPENED yesterday with the Pa`ina at Pahala Plantation House. Attendees enjoyed music by Bolo & Friends and Puerto Rican music by El Leo, with Ka`u’s state Sen. Russell Ruderman on guitar. They also met young ladies who will participate this evening to be named Miss Ka`u Coffee, Junior Miss Ka`u Coffee and Miss Peaberry. Local farmers provided fresh foods cooked by chefs from around the state for a feast that filled the dining room table.

      Hawai`i Farmers Union United and Ka`u Chamber of Commerce co-sponsored the event.

      To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see Facebook. Follow us on Instagram and Twitter.

HAWAI`I GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS welcome new direct Kona-Japan air service.
      Mayor Billy Kenoi said he is thrilled that the U.S. Department of Transportation has approved the Hawaiian Airlines’ application to provide passenger air service to Tokyo’s Haneda International Airport from Honolulu and Kona International Airports.
      “Our economy is uniquely tied to air service,” Kenoi said. “Thousands of our working families depend on the visitor industry, not only at resorts and hotels but also at attractions, activities, restaurants and retailers. This is great news for our state and especially for Hawai`i Island.”
      Entrepreneurs on Hawai`i Island who specialize in agriculture and aquaculture niche markets will also benefit from added market opportunities since this flight will be able to carry air cargo. “These products no longer have to be sent to Honolulu before being flown to Japan,” Kenoi said. “This increases freshness and reduces cost.”
      The new route will bring a regularly scheduled international flight to Hawai`i Island for the first time since 2010, the last year Japan Airlines offered service between Kona and Tokyo’s Narita airport. Hawaiian Airlines will start flying directly into Kona from Haneda three times a week by Jan. 29, 2017.

Miss Peaberry candidate Chazlynn Pua Queja introduced herself
at yesterday's Ka`u Coffee Festival Pa`ina. Photo by Jesse Tunison

      Assisting in restoration of this route has been a priority of the Kenoi administration ever since Japan Air Lines ended its service. “The County of Hawai`i has done everything it could to support Hawaiian Airlines’ application for the flight, including discussions and communications with U.S. Secretary of Transportation Anthony Foxx and Department of Homeland Defense Secretary Jeh Johnson regarding Customs and Border Protection in Kona,” Kenoi said.

      Kenoi thanked Hawaiian Airlines for never giving up its pursuit to expand its Hawai`i-Japan routes, significantly the direct flight into Kona. “Our residents are keenly aware of the great economic impact this will have for the entire island,” he said. “This is also a win-win as it strengthens the competitiveness of Hawaiian Airlines in this market and fulfills a U.S. Department of Transportation mandate to strengthen smaller carriers.”
      “This creates the opportunity for us to open up Kona as an international point of entry. This is a significant step toward making that happen,” said Mike McCartney, Gov. Ige’s chief of staff.
      “Today’s announcement that Hawaiian Airlines will now have authority to fly a route from Haneda Airport in Tokyo to Kona is good for Hawai`i’s visitor industry and an important first step in restoring direct service from Kona International Airport to Japan,” U.S. Sen. Mazie Hirono said. “We haven’t had direct commercial flights from Japan to Kona since October 2010, and I have been working closely with our state and federal departments of transportation as well as CBP to make this happen as soon as possible.”
      “Secretary Foxx shared this good news this morning, and I continue to appreciate the excellent work the Secretary has done to add new routes between Tokyo and the U.S.,” Sen Brian Schatz said. “It is important to keep in mind there are five more routes up for competition, and I will continue to strongly advocate for Hawaiian Airlines in their effort to secure more direct flights from Tokyo to Hawai`i. Hawaiian has a proven record of success in the Tokyo market, and there continues to be tremendous demand to fly into Hawai`i.”
      To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see Facebook. Follow us on Instagram and Twitter.

Hawai`i is vulnerable to tsunamis
created by earthquakes in the Aleutian
Islands. Map from UH-Manoa

THE PROBABILITY OF A MAGNITUDE-9 or stronger earthquake in the Aleutian Islands in the next 50 years — an event with sufficient power to create a mega-tsunami especially threatening to Hawai`i – is nine percent, according to a new study by researchers at University of Hawai`i Manoa. 

      An earlier state of Hawai`i report estimated the damage from such an event would be nearly $40 billion, with more than 300,000 people affected.
      Hawai`i is especially vulnerable to a tsunami created by an earthquake in the subduction zone, where sections of the Earth’s crust slip past one another, of the Aleutian Islands.
      Researchers created a numerical model based on the basics of plate tectonics. They also used recorded histories and seismic/tsunami evidence related to the five largest earthquakes (greater than magnitude nine) since 1900.
      “These five events represent half of the seismic energy that has been released globally since 1900,” said lead author Rhett Butler. “The events differed in details, but all of them generated great tsunamis that caused enormous destruction.”
      To further refine the probability estimates, they took into account tsunamis prior to recorded history, evidence of which is preserved in geological layers in coastal sediments, volcanic tephra and archaeological sites.

MISS KA`U COFFEE PAGEANT is this evening at 6 p.m. at Ka`u Coffee Mill. Candidates also vie for Junior Miss Ka`u Coffee and Miss Peaberry.
      Contact Trinidad Marques at 936-0015 or aliihhhcoffee@yahoo.com.

VISIT `IMAKAKOLOA HEIAU tomorrow from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. Participants meet Edith Kanaka`ole Foundation representatives at Na`alehu Shopping Center parking lot or in front of Edmund C. Olson office building in Pahala for a 9 a.m. departure.

LEARN ABOUT `OHI`A LEHUA tomorrow at 9:30 a.m. at Kahuku Unit of Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park. Participants learn about the vital role of `ohi`a lehua in native Hawaiian forests, its many forms and flower on this free, easy, one-mile walk.

LOBSTERPALOOZA IS TOMORROW at 2 p.m. A new event for 2016, Ka`u Coffee Festival Lobsterpalooza on the lawn of the beach house at Punalu`u Black Sand Beach is presented in concert with Hana Hou Restaurant and `O Ka`u Kakou. $75 per person in advance includes a choice of surf or turf menu and live entertainment. Call 929-9550.

Meet old and new friends a week from today at Ka`u Coffee
Festival Ho`olaule`a. Photo from Ka`u Coffee Festival

KA`U COFFEE FESTIVAL HO`OLAULE`A is a week from today on Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Many coffee growers will donate their time, giving tours of coffee farms and manning coffee tasting and sales booths, as well as public information booths and putting out the manpower it takes to put on the festival.

      Enjoy a free, full day of music, hula, Ka`u Coffee Experience, educational displays and demonstrations, farm tours, vendors, and meet the farmers. Skylark and Debbie Ryder are emcees announcing entertainers including Halau Hula Kalehuaki`ki`eika`iu, Hands of Time, Hannah’s Makana `Ohana Halau, Miss Ka`u Coffee, Junior Miss Ka`u Coffee, Miss Peaberry and their courts, Kupuna `O Pahala, Bolo, Keaiwa & Demetrius, Halau Hula O Leonalani, Inoue `Ohana, Sammi Fo & Halau Kahokukauahiahionalani, Phoebe & Bobby Gomes Family, Makana Kamahele and Harry Evangelista & Kukubird.

 

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

See kaucalendar.com/KauCalendar.com_May2016.pdf.

See kaucalendar.com/TheDirectory2016.html
and kaucalendar.com/TheDirectory2016.pdf.

Ka`u Calendar News Briefs Friday, May 13, 2016

Star Gazing atop Makanau is a week from today as part of the Ka`u Coffee Festival. See more below.
Photo from Ka`u Coffee Festival

HAWAIIAN AIRLINES’ WILL OFFER nonstop service between Japan and Hawai`i Island. The U.S. Department of Transportation this morning approved the airlines’ application to serve Kona from Haneda Airport in Tokyo three times per week. The DOT has given Hawai`i’s largest and longest serving carrier until Jan. 29, 2017 to start the new service.

Hawaiian Airlines' proposed nonstop route between Japan
and Hawai`i Island has been approved.
Map from Hawaiian Airlines

      In an order issued this morning, the DOT wrote, “Hawaiian, and Hawaiian alone, requested the nighttime slot pair (which includes a Honolulu route), and the Department finds that prompt approval of Hawaiian’s request is consistent with the public interest.”

      According to Hawaiian Airlines, Kona is a larger local market than Dallas, Minneapolis and Atlanta.
      “This is tremendous news for Hawaiian Airlines, for our employees, our customers and for the economies of Kona and our entire state,” Hawaiian Airlines President and CEO Mark Dunkerley said. “Flights between Hawai`i and Japan are the most traveled and most beneficial to the U.S. economy, so being able to expand the number that we can offer to Tokyo’s Haneda Airport is especially important. We have estimated that the Kona portion alone will generate $35 million in visitor spending and $12.5 million in wages and benefits.
      “Many thanks go to our entire Congressional Delegation for advocating so strongly for Hawaiian Airlines and Hawai`i in this proceeding. Mahalo also to Gov. David Ige, Mayor Billy Kenoi and all of the businesses and individuals who offered letters of support for this service.”
      To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see Facebook. Follow us on Instagram and Twitter.

A task force will study rat lungworm disease.

ASSESSING THE THREAT of rat lungworm disease is the job of a Joint Task Force established today, Hawai`i Department of Health and the East Hawai`i Liaison to the Office of the Governor announced. The mission of the task force is to share scientific knowledge in the application of diagnostics, treatment, mitigation and public education activities.

      Rat lungworm disease is caused by a nematode, which is a roundworm parasite called Angiostrongylus cantonensis. The parasitic nematode can be passed from the feces of infected rodents to snails, slugs and certain other animals, which become intermediate hosts for the parasite. Humans can become infected when they consume, either intentionally or otherwise, infected raw or undercooked intermediate hosts.
      Although rat lungworm has been found throughout the state, Hawai`i Island has a majority of the cases. Some infected people don’t show any symptoms or only have mild symptoms. For others, the symptoms can be much more severe, which can include headaches, stiffness of the neck, tingling or painful feelings in the skin or extremities, low-grade fever, nausea and vomiting. Sometimes, a temporary paralysis of the face may also be present, as well as light sensitivity. This infection can also cause a rare type of meningitis.
      “Establishing a joint task force with local experts in the medical field and leaders in government will produce a set of best practices that can be used to target rat lungworm disease not only on Hawai`i Island but on a statewide scale as well,” said Wil Okabe, East Hawai`i Liaison to the Office of the Governor. “There is no specific treatment yet identified for this disease, so finding the best ways to prevent its spread and educate the public is crucial.”
      To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see Facebook. Follow us on Instagram and Twitter.

REP. TULSI GABBARD URGED CONGRESS to take action on legislation regarding prescription opioid abuse.
      “As we look at treatment options and support for those dealing with this addiction, it’s important that we actually focus on the root cause of the problem,” Gabbard said. “We have seen for decades how major pharmaceutical companies have misled the Food & Drug Administration, doctors and patients about the safety and risks of opioid dependency on commonly prescribed prescription drugs in their efforts to sell more drugs.”

Rep. Tulsi Gabbard urged Congress to take action
on opioid abuse.

      Gabbard referenced a recent L.A. Times report detailing how Purdue Pharma has made over $31 billion off of OxyContin, America’s bestselling pain killer, by advertising the drug’s 12-hour pain relief. Investigations have found that in many people the drug doesn’t last for 12 hours – it wears off hours earlier. According to the investigation and other research, this often leads to “excruciating symptoms of withdrawal, including an intense craving for the drug.”

      “The problems created by companies like Purdue Pharma are felt deeply by families all across the country,” Gabbard said. “In my home state of Hawai`i, the rate of pain medicine abuse is more than 10 percent above the national average. According to Hawai`i State Department of Health, opioid-related deaths have increased 133 percent from 2000 to 2016. Further, many of those who used to take prescription drugs … have turned to heroin, which is made from the same poppy plant and has the same effect but is much cheaper. …

      Gabbard pointed out that prescriptions for opiates spiked 270 percent over 12 years, according to a 2013 analysis by the Center for Investigative Reporting. This led to addictions and a fatal overdose amongst veterans at a rate twice the national average.
      “A national health crisis of this magnitude requires leadership, commitment, resolve and partnership at every level of government, within our medical community and within our community itself,” Gabbard said. “I urge my colleagues to join me to call for further action that holds pharmaceutical companies accountable who are profiting off America’s addiction problem, and that holds doctors accountable who are irresponsibly overprescribing these highly addictive drugs. We must focus instead on finding real solutions that can truly help people.
      “I also urge the U.S. Surgeon General to make combating opioid abuse the 2016 Call to Action, a yearly initiative that helps to stimulate nationwide action to solve a major public health problem in the U.S. In the past few years, the national Call to Action has addressed exercise, walkable communities, skin cancer prevention, breast-feeding, deep vein thrombosis and underage drinking. With 78 Americans dying every single day from opioid overdose, this is an issue that demands our national attention and action.”
      To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see Facebook. Follow us on Instagram and Twitter.

Goodies adorn the tasting table at Ka`u Coffee
Recipe Contest, Ka`u Coffee Mill.
Photo from Ka`u Coffee Festival

TODAY IS THE LAST DAY to enter tomorrow’s Ka`u Coffee Recipe Contest to be held tomorrow at 11 a.m. at Ka`u Coffee Mill. The Ka`u Coffee Festival event includes live entertainment, tours, free coffee and recipe tastings.

      See kaucoffeefest.com.

VISION VAN SCREENS KA`U RESIDENTS tomorrow from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. during Ocean View Community Center’s Pancake Breakfast. Breakfast ends at 11 p.m.

PEOPLE & LANDS OF KAHUKU is a free program tomorrow from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park’s Kahuku Unit. This guided 2.5-mile, moderately difficult hike over rugged terrain focuses on the area’s human history. See https://www.nps.gov/havo.

A MUSIC FESTIVAL BENEFITS Volcano School of Arts & Sciences tomorrow from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. at Cooper Center in Volcano Village.

      The event includes food, games and fun for the whole family. Tickets are $15, $25 for two adults, or $25 for a VIP ticket that includes preferred seating and a gift bag. Tickets are available at VSAS school office at 985-9800, Punalu`u Bakeshop in Na`alehu and Ka`u Business Center in Ocean View.

NOE NOE KEKAUALUA and `ohana present Hula Kahiko tomorrow at 10:30 a.m. on the hula platform near Volcano Art Center Gallery in Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park.

Noe Noe Kekaualua Photo from VAC

      Born and raised in Hilo, Kekaualua has a love and passion for Hawaiian culture that has taken her around the world. She began studying the art of hula at age four and has been engaged in this art ever since.

      Kumu hula Loke Kamanu and `ohana present Na Mea Hula from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on the gallery’s front porch. Call 967-8222 for more information.

KILAUEA MILITARY CAMP’S Crater Rim Café in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park offers Mongolian BBQ tomorrow from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.

      KMC is open to authorized patrons and sponsored guests. Call 967-8371 for more information.
      Park entrance fees apply.

MISS KA`U COFFEE PAGEANT is tomorrow at 6 p.m. at Ka`u Coffee Mill. Candidates also vie for Junior Miss Ka`u Coffee and Miss Peaberry.

      Contact Trinidad Marques at 936-0015 or aliihhhcoffee@yahoo.com.
      Tickets are $10 adults, $5 keiki available at Punalu‘u Bake Shop, Shaka’s and from candidates.

STAR GAZING ATOP MAKANAU is a week from today on Friday, May 20 at 5:30 p.m. The Ka`u Coffee Festival event is $35 per person, including refreshments and rides. Participants meet at Ka`u Coffee Mill and travel together to Makanau.
      To sign up, email lisa@kaucoffeemill.com, or call 928-0550.

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

See kaucalendar.com/TheDirectory2016.html
and kaucalendar.com/TheDirectory2016.pdf.

See kaucalendar.com/KauCalendar_May2016.pdf.