Ka`u News Briefs, Friday, Nov. 4, 2016

David Okita pilots one of his Volcano Helicopters over eruption at Kilauea. Helicopter transport is the only way HVO scientists and
technicians can install and maintain many monitoring instruments on the Island of Hawaiʻi, conduct field experiments or map new
volcanic deposits ininaccessible areas, and make direct observations of eruptions. Pilots that fly the helicopters and mechanics
that maintain them to thehighest standards are crucial in performing work safely and to report reliably on the status and
 eruptions of Hawaiʻi’s active volcanoes See story below. USGS Photo

TODAY IS THE LAST DAY IN KA`U FOR EARLY VOTING, EVEN FOR THOSE STILL NOT REGISTERED. Voting is available until noon and again from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. at Pahala Community Center.

    Ka‘ū and Volcano residents can also register and vote today and tomorrow at Aupuni Center Conference Room in Hilo, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.; West Hawai‘i Civic Center Community Room, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Waimea Community Center, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. today and through noon tomorrow.
     Election Day voting locations on Tuesday, Nov. 8 are from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m.: Cooper Center in Volcano at 19-4030 Wright Rd; Ka‘ū High School Cafeteria at 96-3150 Pikake St. - turn into the school grounds; Nā‘ālehu Elementary School Cafeteria at 95-5545 Hwy 11; Ocean View Community Center at 92-5545 Mamalahoa Hwy; and Miloli‘i Halāu. See the ballots below.

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New bypass extends Ali`i Drive all the way to Napo`opo`o.
Photo from County of Hawai`i

  BEGINNING TODAY, KAʻŪ MOTORISTS can travel north on a makai, scenic route, a 7.5- mile bypass road all the way from Napoʻopʻo to Keauhou. The new 2.2 mile segment cost $28 million. It begins at the intersection of Hwy 11 and Nāpoʻopoʻo Road. It hooks up to the bypass at the bottom of Halekiʻi Street below Kealakekua’s Kona Scenic Subdivision that runs approximately 3.5 miles to Aliʻi Drive in Keauhou. The entire bypass is now called Ali`i Drive.
     Many Kaʻū residents work and shop in Kona and commute daily along Māmalahoa, Hwy 11. The two-lane bypass gives motorists an alternate, uncrowded and scenic coastal route.

Ground breaking for the southern segment
of the new bypass.
Photo from Big Island Video News

     This bypass was originally envisioned in 1960, and dubbed the Māmalahoa Relief Highway and incorporated into a document known as A Plan For Kona.
     The state began planning for the road in 1979 to relieve traffic resulting from commuters driving to Kailua-Kona from residential areas in Kainaliu and further south. In 1999 an Environmental Impact Statement for the Māmalahoa Highway Bypass was completed.
     The County proposed a number of improvements in 2008 prior to opening the northern segment of the bypass. These improvements allowed residents to use the northern stretch before the southern segment was completed. In March 2009 the northern segment opened for afternoon rush-hour traffic, and in June of 2010, it opened 12 hours a day, all week.
     Beginning in January 2013 the bypass opened for traffic 24 hours a day.
     In July 2014, public officials broke ground for the 2.2 mile southern segment of the bypass that opens today.To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see Facebook. Follow us on Instagram and Twitter.

A satellite GPS station transported by helicopter.
USGS photo

A MOST DANGEROUS AND IMPORTANT WORK is covered in this week’s Volcano Watch, written by scientists of Hawaiian Volcano Observatory: “Ask almost any volcanologist and field technician what they consider to be the most important and yet potentially dangerous aspect of their work on active volcanoes and they will probably say, ‘Flying in a helicopter to remote areas to make observations or install and maintain monitoring instruments and radio systems.’

     The scientists ask readers to “Consider what it takes to land in the middle of a jagged lava flow or near the edge of a deep crater to service the monitoring network many dozens of times in a year. Or, landing at more than 30 sites on many different lava flows at least twice in the span of a week to complete an annual GPS survey to determine the way in which a volcano deforms from year to year.”

     The USGS scientists point out that “Lava flows are highly irregular with surface relief measured in meters (yards), and almost never level even over the narrow width of a small helicopter's skids. A pilot has to pick a landing spot to place the skids so they're level side-to-side and front-to-back, and with plenty of room between the tail rotor and ground. On any single flight day, the pilot might have to repeat this maneuver a few dozen times.

On land and in the air scientists take risks to study volcanoes.
USGS photo

     “One of the most challenging environments for a small helicopter‘s capability and a pilot's skill is flying at high elevation (considered above 2,440 m or 8,000 ft above sea level). The helicopter's rapidly turning rotors create lift to keep the aircraft aloft, but lift efficiency is strongly affected by air density. At high elevations, lower air density decreases lift, reducing maneuverability and the payload that a helicopter can carry.
     “The top of Mauna Loa Volcano is at 4,170 m (13,680 ft) above sea level. Since the 1984 eruption, we have installed dozens of instruments and radio hubs at high elevation, many of which have solar power and radio systems that need regular maintenance and upgrades. Just a few months ago, HVO installed new web cams on the volcano’s Southwest Rift Zone and south rim of the summit caldera as high as 4,046 m (13,275 ft).

    “These and many other monitoring stations on Kīlauea, Hualālai, and Mauna Kea volcanoes were installed, and subsequently maintained, with helicopter support. The skill and keen observational ability of pilots, and the resolve of mechanics working behind the scenes to maintain the helicopters, make it possible for us to work at remote sites again and again, and return home safely at the end of the day, every day.

USGS scientists reach remote heights of Mauna Loa
by helicopter to document volcanic activity. USGS photo

     “Pilot skill is also critical to position the helicopter at just the right distance from and height above an active lava flow so that we can take a series of photographs (hundreds!) and thermal video that allow us to create accurate maps of the flow that we routinely share with Civil Defense, post on the HVO Web site, and use for research. You can find recent examples of these on our web site: http://hvo.wr.usgs.gov/maps/
     “A helicopter flight may appear as routine as driving to the grocery store, but thinking so invites misfortune. The professionalism shown by pilots and mechanics and their commitment to safe flight–witnessed every time we board their aircraft–means that we can perform our mission with confidence.
     The scientists offer a “Mahalo nui loa to current and past companies, most of all to their pilots and mechanics, who, over the years, have made it possible to build and sustain one of the best volcano-monitoring networks in the world here on the Island of Hawai‘i.” To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see Facebook. Follow us on Instagram and Twitter.

Runners traveling to Bhutan will visit and
stay in remote locations.

VOLCANO RUNS DIRECTOR Sharron Faff, who lives in Volcano and also owns the Kona Marathon, is leading a group of runners to the Himalayas for the Bhutan International Marathon and Half Marathon. The running retreat and marathon is scheduled for March 1-7, 2017 in the Kingdom of Bhutan, often called the Land of Happiness. Faff describes the adventure as a “lifetime chance to run above the clouds in the world’s happiest country.” The event features meeting a diverse group of Bhutanese officials and spiritual leaders, and international runners, guest speakers and coaches. See more at https://sistermarathons.org/destination-marathon/bhutan-international-marathon.

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FIRST FRIDAY FLOWERS offers flower arranging techniques today from Kaipo Ah Chong,  from 2 p.m. to 4 p..m. at Volcano Art Center in Volcano Village. $45. Call 967-8222.

EXPORE MAUNA LOA SOUTHWEST RIFT ZONE on Saturday, Nov. 5 at the Kahuku Unit of Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park, 10:30 a.m - 12:30 p.m.. Hike Upper Palm Trail to an overlook and learn the geology and history from park rangers. Pack a lunch. Free. Entrance off mauka side of Hwy 11 between South Point Road and Ocean View.

HERE ARE THE BALLOTS FOR THE GENERAL ELECTION:



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Ka`u News Briefs, Thursday, Nov. 3, 2016

The classic Moʻoheau Bandstand in Hilo (above), where U.S, Rep, Tulsi Gabbard campaigned during a past election season.
See below for her message on voting.   Photo by Julia Neal

KAʻŪ BOOSTERS LAURENCE J. CAPELLAS AND ROBERT HERKES are being honored with the placing of Capellas’ name on the Pahala Ballfield, and Herkes’ name on the Kaʻū District Gym & Shelter. The recognition was established by Bill 251, passed by the County Council yesterday. Many Kaʻū High School alumni lobbied the county and state to recognize the two citizens who did much to support athletics, education and good health in Kaʻū.
     Capellas, who served as a coach and principal at Kaʻū High, was famouse for starting up the football program, organizing the building of the Pahala swimming pool and inspiring students to seek higher education.

Rep. Robert Herkes and Laurence Capellas are honored with their
 names chosen for the new Ka`u District Gym & Shelter
 and Pahala Ballpark. Photo by Ron Johnson

     The late Bob Herkes was a member of the state House of Representatives, representing Kaʻū. He fought for the funding to build the new gym as a regional disaster shelter. He helped save the Pahala Library and assisted in securing mobile medical services for the region, including a medical van and staff that provided free physicals for athletes.
     A statement this morning from Kaʻū High alumni leaders who lobbied to honor Capellas said, “For us, it was long time coming and we are very satisfied. Mr. Capellas finally receives a special place of honor in Kaʻū. He made a huge impact in our community and left a legacy for generations to come. The Pahala Ballfield with his name and the display case at the entrance of the district gym containing his portrait, list of Kaʻū accomplishments and a County proclamation citing his outstanding public service record will serve as a reminder of his contributions to the people of Hawaiʻi.”
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URGING EVERYONE TO VOTE, KAʻŪ’S REPRESENTATIVE IN THE U.S. CONGRESS sent out a message yesterday. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, a progressive Democrat, wrote: “We are all connected in an incredible chain of cause and effect in this great web of life. Our votes as progressives in this election can affect the lives of millions of people in this country.
     “If we fail to turnout and vote on Tuesday, it will mean virtually no progress on many of the issues we care about–like reining in greed on Wall Street, breaking up the big banks, advancing common-sense gun safety reforms, protecting our environment from disastrous and unsafe pipelines, and stopping bad trade deals like the Trans-Pacific Partnership.”
     She acknowledged that, “This has been a bitter and contentious election across this country–there‘s no sense in denying that. But we must choose to focus on what we believe in as progressives, not what we oppose or are offended by. We must stand up for our values. That means a vision of this country where the ultra rich can’t game our political and economic systems for their own benefit.

Mo`oheau Bandstand has been the election eve Grand Rally site for more than
 60 years. On Monday, the rally moves to Auntie Sally's Lu`au Hale.
Photo by Julia Neal

     “It means protecting our civil liberties and reining in the NSA’s mass collection of Americans’ data. An agenda that advances criminal justice reform to end needless mass incarceration, raising the minimum wage so working people don‘t have to decide between putting food on the table or paying their rent, and fighting so that our friends in the LGBT community have the same rights and freedoms to live as the rest of us.
     “It’s about net neutrality, equal pay for equal work, protecting our environment, and ending the counterproductive, regime-change war in Syria which has caused tremendous suffering, devastation, and which has strengthened groups like al-Qaeda and ISIS.
     “There is not one part of our agenda that can become a reality if we fail to vote on Tuesday. So I urge you: no regrets–that’s what we should wake up on November 9th and say, both individually, and as a movement of progressives,” the Congresswoman concluded.
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THE GRAND RALLY FOR THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY has been changed from Mo‘oheau Bandstand on the Hilo waterfront to Auntie Sally‘s Luʻau Hale at 7 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 6. Moving from the Bandstand breaks a more-than 60-year tradition of candidates in the Democratic Party from all over the state hosting their election eve rally there.

Aedes aegypti is one of two mosquitoes that
can transmit dengue fever and Zika.
Photo from state Department of Health

ENCOURAGING DISPOSAL OF TIRES, which collect standing water where mosquitoes breed, is one tactic taken by the Fight the Bite campaign, which is off to a head start this Fall to protect residents against dengue fever, and the possibility of the introduction of Zika fever onto the island.
     This year’s wet season probabilities favor near to above average rainfall through next Spring, the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration recently reported. The county Civil Defense announced Wednesday that, “Because rainwater can collect in spare tires and create mosquito breeding environments, the County of Hawaiʻi is encouraging tire clean up in our communities.”
     In Kaʻū, the county Department of Environmental Management has decided to accept tires through November at Wai‘ōhinu Transfer Station, open from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily, and other full-service transfer stations around the island that are open seven days a week. Hawaiʻi Island households may bring in up to four passenger vehicle, motorcycle or ATV tires per vehicle per day. Tires should be empty of any liquids, dirt or any other foreign material before bringing them in for disposal.

Tires are standing-water breeding containers for mosquitoes. The
county is accepting them at no charge at Wai`ohinu Transfer
 Station through November.

     Tires are breeding containers for mosquitoes. The county is accepting them at no charge in Waiʻohinu through November.
     Anyone bringing in tires should locate the Solid Waste Facility Attendant wearing a fluorescent safety vest. The attendant will provide guidance for properly placing the tires.
    Tires dropped off before or after normal operating hours will be considered illegal dumping. Tires from businesses, commercial haulers, non-profits or farms; including industrial tires for such large machines as backhoes, tractors and forklift are not accepted. Businesses, commercial haulers, non-profits or farms can contact Hawai‘i County Civil Defense program is in addition to mosquito control efforts by the recently-staffed County Vector Control team that sprays and conducts surveys at county facilities.
     For directions to locations accepting tires, see Map and Directions to County of Hawaii Solid Waste FacilitiesThe Fight the Bite Temporary Residential Tire Amnesty Collection Program may be extended if conditions warrant. For more information on ways to Fight the Bite, see the state Department of Health information website: fightthebitehawaii.com
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BANNING SUNSCREENS WITH REEF-BLEACHING CHEMICALS and educating the public about them is the aim of a County Council resolution that passed Wednesday and goes up to the 2017 Hawaiʻi Legislature to support a proposed law.
     Kaʻū’s concilwoman Maile David voted for Resolution 672, which supports the efforts of state Sen. Will Espero of Oʻahu to ban the sunscreen chemicals oxybenzone and octinoxate. The two chemicals are named in numerous scientific papers, linking them to bleaching and death of coral reefs, along with global warming of the oceans. The sunscreen chemicals wash off into the ocean from the bodies of people According to research by National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) scientists, the chemicals are also found in some fragrances, soaps and cosmetics. In some places around the planet they are dumped, along with other sewage, directly into the ocean.  

Sunscreen ingredients are believed to be one of the causes of
coral bleaching and coral death. Photo from NOAA

     C.A. Downs, lead author of the NOAA study, suggests a range of options to reduce impact on reefs: “…from working with manufacturers and innovating more environmentally sustainable products to educating consumers regarding product selection and product disposal.”
     West Hawaiʻi Today newspaper reported this morning that Espero, the author of the Hawaiʻi legislation, said banning the chemicals in the sunscreens “will automatically provide a huge reduction in use in Hawaiʻi. This will help the coral and other marine life.”
     Reporter Nancy Cook Lauer wrote that “Kohala Councilwoman Margaret Wille, sponsor of the resolution, noted that more than 50 percent of coral off the West Hawaiʻi coastline had bleached and possibly died this summer. While the warming ocean was likely the cause, oxybenzone has been shown to cause coral to bleach at lower temperatures.”
     Council members Dennis Fresh Onishi and Greggor IIagan were hesitant to support the measure. Cook Lauer reported that Onishi “pointed to the problem of urine in the water when swimmers let loose.” She also quoted IIagan: “There’s a lot of things happening in our oceans just because we exist as humans.” Read more at westhawaiitoday.com.

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EARLY VOTING, EVEN FOR THOSE STILL NOT REGISTERED, continues in Ka‘ū until Friday, Nov. 4 at Pāhala Community Center. Hours through Friday from 9 a.m. to noon and 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.
      Ka‘ū and Volcano residents can also register and vote the same day at Aupuni Center Conference Room in Hilo, Monday - Saturday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. through Nov. 5; West Hawai‘i Civic Center Community Room, Monday - Saturday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. through Nov. 5 and Waimea Community Center, Monday-Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Saturday, 8 a.m. to noon, through Nov. 5.
     Election Day voting locations on Tusday, Nov. 8  are from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m.: Cooper Center in Volcano at 19-4030 Wright Rd; Ka‘ū High School Cafeteria at 96-3150 Pikake St. - turn into the school grounds; Nā‘ālehu Elementary School Cafeteria at 95-5545 Hwy 11; Ocean View Community Center at 92-5545 Mamalahoa Hwy; and Miloli‘i Halāu.

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

     See the sample ballot here:

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Ka`u News Briefs, Wednesday, Nov. 2, 2016

Kaunāmano coastal lands extend south from Honu`apo Lookout and include ancient Hawaiian fishing sites and
the Ala Kahakai Trail. Photo from Trust for Public Land

MONEY TOWARD ACQUIRING 1,363 ACRES at Kaunāmano, adjacent to Honuʻapo Lookout, may become available through the federal Land and Water Conservation Fund. The fund, created by Congress in 1964, provides money to federal, state and local governments to purchase land, water and wetlands. It receives much of its money through royalty payments from offshore oil and gas revenues to mitigate the environmental impacts of those activities. Kaunāmano is part of an ahupuaʻa known to be an important watershed in Kaʻū, and for its native Hawaiian historical and cultural significance.

Kuahiwi Ranch runs cattle in the mauka portions of Kaunāmano and
supports protection of the coastline. Photo from Hawai`i Pacific Brokers

     The funding for Kaunāmano would go to the Ala Kahakai National Historic Trail, a unit of the National Park Service with its own superintendent, Aric Arakaki, and chief archaeologist Rick Gmirkin. They manage the Ala Kahakai National Historic Trail that crosses through Kaunāmano.
     The Ala Kahakai National Historic Trail Association, which advises the Ala Kahakai Trail staff and supports acquisition of Kaunāmano, held a retreat at Pahala Plantation House this summer and studied the land. They talked about the possible funding through the federal oil and gas income. With assistance from the non-profit Trust for Public Land, an application for Kaunāmano was sent to the federal government for funding as early as 2017.
     If successful, the purchase in Kaʻū would become the second acquisition of land for the Ala Kahakai Trail. In August, Trust for Public Land conveyed 59 acres makai of and including Ala Kahakai Trail at Kauleoli in South Kona.
     Ala Kahakai National Historic Trail was established in 2000, running 175 miles from the east side of the island from a point near Wahaʻula Heiau within Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park, around Ka Lae, South Point, and up the west side to Upolu Point, at the north end of the island. The corridor and trail network is “of historical significance. It traverses through hundreds of ancient Hawaiian settlement sites and over 200 ahupuaʻa,” says the Ala Kahakai Trail website at nps.gov/alka/index.htm.

Four miles of Ala Kahakai Trail skirt the Kaunāmano coast.

Photo from Lands of America

     Trust for Public Land also helped the community to purchase for preservation a thousand acres on the Kaʻū Coast at Honuʻapo, Kawa and toward Punaluʻu.
     At TPL, Laura Kaʻakua is the Native Lands Project Manager working on Kaunāmano. Partners include the Ala Kahakai Trail staff, Ala Kahakai Trail Association, the Keanu ʻOhana, Ka ʻOhana O Honuʻapo and Michelle Galimba and Kuahiwi Ranch, who run cattle on the mauka lands and support the aquisition.
     Keoni Fox, a member of the Ala Kahakai Trail Association, and representative of the Keanu ʻOhana, said the family is committed to the vision to preserve the Kaʻū coastline, including Kaunāmano. “This is a very realistic goal as there have been many successful efforts in preserving the coastal lands here in Kaʻū, and there are only a handful of privately held properties remaining, which are under threat of development. Kaʻū is one of the few places in Hawaiʻi that remains unspoiled by urban sprawl. We have the unique opportunity to protect our lands,” said Fox.

Kaunāmano is in red stretches south from 
Honu`apo Bay

     The TPL website says the purpose of the acquisition is to “protect Kaunāmano as a living legacy of the storied district of Kaʻū.”  At  www.tpl.org/our-work/kaunamano, TPL describes the land:            
      “Kaunāmano means ‘multitudes are placed here,’ reflecting the thriving Hawaiian fishing community that once lived and trained in lua (a traditional Hawaiian martial art) on the southeastern coast of Hawaiʻi Island. These 1,363-acres of Kaʻū shoreline and pasture include four miles of the ancient Ala Kahakai National Historic Trail, and traditional trails leading to the hundreds of ancient Hawaiian cultural sites throughout the property. Kaunāmano boasts more than 400 ancient Hawaiian cultural sites with over 3,900 features, including Paʻula Fishing Village, Puhiʻula Cave, heiau (place of worship), burial sites, petroglyphs, and pictographs.
     “Preserving the land will honor the stately, resilient people who once lived at Kaunāmano and whose descendants continue to make Ka‘ū their home,” writes TPL.
     Several attempts have been made to raise money to preserve Kaunāmano. E.W. Moody, who owns the land, has taken it off the market in the past to give the community a chance to raise the funds to buy it. The county put the property on an acquisition list, but later gave higher priority to acquiring 3,000 acres along the coast at Ocean View.
     In 2015, Alexandra Kelepolo, of Hawaiʻi County Finance Department’s Property Management Division, said she sent a letter to Charlie Anderson, who represents the Kaunāmano owner, saying the county is no longer pursuing its purchase. She said, however, that the property remains on the county’s acquisition list and could be purchased in the future either in its entirety, or a portion of it.

Hawaiʻi Wildlife Fund volunteers helped clean the shoreline

at Kaunāmano in 2015. Photo from Hawaiʻi Wildlife Fund

     The 1,363 acres went back on the market for $11.5 million. Anderson said he was hopeful that the community could still make the purchase. A real estate listing for Kaunāmano describes the land: “Located between Whittington Beach Park and Naʻalehu Village, the Kaunāmano Ranch offers approximately four miles of ocean frontage including a small rocky beach. Incredible ocean sunrise and coastal views all the way to Volcano National Park. Property currently provides excellent pasture for livestock. The ranch consists of nine separate Lots of Record, has subdivision potential and County Water commitments.”

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BOYS & GIRLS CLUB on the Big Island will
be gifted a Smart electric car from Hawaiian
Electric Industries Charitable Foundation. HEI is the parent company of Hawaiʻi Electric Light Co. Pahala Community Center is one of the Boys & Girls Club campuses on this island, serving many Kaʻū children. The car is expected to arrive this month.

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The late Yisrael Gorali and
his wife Alma

YISRAEL GORALI, 80, a longtime community volunteer in Kaʻū and former President of the Hawaiian Ranchos Community Association, died on Oct. 30 at Hilo Medical Center. Gorali was a leading member of the Kaʻū community dating from his retirement from computer company Triad Systems and moving to Ocean View in 1993. In 1996 he served as Vice President of the HRCA, and then became President in about 1999 – a position he held until a year ago, when he resigned due to ill health.
     As President of the HRCA, he wrote regular newsletters, each missive having the feel of a personal letter from Gorali to his neighbors.

     “Yisrael gave unselfishly of his time, energy and talent,” said HRCA Secretary Sandy Shelton. “He was on the board for over 20 years, a time of growth and change in Ocean View, especially Ranchos. He will be missed by us all.”

Yisrael Gorali was active in community associations throughout his life in

 Kaʻū, including (at right) volunteering for Ka`u Hospital. Photo by Julia Neal

     As a long-serving member of the Board of the Hawaiʻi Ranchos Road maintenance Corp., Gorali helped oversea the maintenance of 55 miles of private road in the subdivision. He was also a member of the Kaʻū Hospital Charitable Foundation, and worked as a volunteer at Kaʻū Hospital.

     Gorali was born in Louisville, Kentucky in 1935. He studied at the University of California, San Francisco, and also UC Berkeley, graduating with a degree in Business Administration. As a member of the U.S. armed forces, he served in Vietnam. He lived in Israel for ten years, learning Hebrew and fighting with the armed forces there. His interests included woodworking and research.

     Gorali is survived by his wife, Alma Gorali, his two sons, Riegel Gorali of California, and John Gilbert Gorali of Oʻahu, and a granddaughter. A memorial service and burial will be held at 11 a.m. this Friday, Nov. 4, at West Hawaiʻi Veterans Cemetery.
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FARMWORKS HAWAI`I  sponsors an informational meeting on Natural Resources Conservation Service cost-share programs available to farmers on Monday, Nov. 14   at the Cooperative Extension Service office in Kainaliu, across from the Aloha Theater. With the deadlines on Friday, Nov. 18  to submit applications for several of the programs, this is an opportunity to find out how soil and water conservation programs can help with irrigation, fencing, mulching, weed control, plant protection and other improvements and practices. Easy to fill out application forms will be available at the meeting and help with filing the paperwork and developing a farm plan will also be offered.  Jessica Schmeltz, NRCS District Conservationist will lead the discussion.

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VOICES: RISING FROM THE PAGE, will take place this Thursday, Nov 3, 7 p.m., Volcano Art Center in Volcano Village. Big Island poets gather for an evening of poetry. $5 donations appreciated. 967-8222

OCEAN VIEW NEIGHBORHOOD WATCH MEETING, this Thursday, Nov. 3 at Ocean View Community Center, 7 p.m. Call 939-2442 or 928-2015.

EARLY VOTING, EVEN FOR THOSE STILL NOT REGISTERED, continues in Ka‘ū until Friday, Nov. 4 at Pāhala Community Center. Hours through Friday from 9 a.m. to noon and 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. 

     Ka‘ū and Volcano residents can also register and vote the same day at Aupuni Center Conference Room in Hilo, Monday - Saturday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. through Nov. 5; West Hawai‘i Civic Center Community Room, Monday - Saturday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. through Nov. 5 and Waimea Community Center, Monday-Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Saturday, 8 a.m. to noon, through Nov. 5. 

     Election Day Nov. 8 General Election, from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m., are: Cooper Center in Volcano at 19-4030 Wright Rd; Ka‘ū High School Cafeteria at 96-3150 Pikake St. - turn into the school grounds; Nā‘ālehu Elementary School Cafeteria at 95-5545 Hwy 11; Ocean View Community Center at 92-5545 Mamalahoa Hwy; and Miloli‘i Halāu. 

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

     See the sample ballot here:

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