Ka`u News Briefs Friday, Nov. 11, 2016

Lorilee Lorenzo, of Pahala, rides in the Veterans Day Parade last Sunday in Hilo. Lorenzo is 2016 Panaewa Stampede Rodeo Queen and joined Hawaiʻi Horse Owners Association riders to honor veterans in the 9th Annual Hawaiʻi Island Veterans Day Parade. With the only horses in the parade, riders were welcomed by many children along the parade route, said Lorenzo, at left, with 2014 Panaʻewa Stampede Queen Jensten Andrade  and Panaʻewa Stampede Secretary Nancy Cabral.

IT’S VETERANS DAY AND TULSI GABBARD, who represents Kaʻū, Volcano and the rest of rural Hawaiʻi in the U.S. Congress, is keynote speaker at Kīlauea Military Camp's ceremony at 3 p.m. this afternoon in Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park. Gabbard, of Samoan birth, grew up in Hawaiʻi. She is the first member of Congress of Hindu religion and a member of the House Armed Services Committee and the House Foreign Affairs Committee. She is a graduate of Hawaiʻi Pacific University, with a business administration degree, and U.S. Army Officers Candidate School.

   Gabbard is a Major in the Hawaiʻi National Guard. She joined the Guard in 2004 and received several distinguished honor graduate titles and awards at Basic Combat Training and Advanced Individual Training.

Congresswoman and Hawaiʻi National Guard officer Tulsi Gabbard
receiving her promotion to Major. She is the keynote speaker at Kīlauea
Military Camp’s Veterans Day ceremony at 3 p.m.
Photo from Tulsi Gabbard

  In July 2004, at the age of 21, the youngest person to be elected to the Hawaiʻi Legislature, Gabbard asked to deploy with her Hawaiʻi National Guard unit. She volunteered for a 12-month combat tour in Iraq, where she would serve in a field medical unit as a specialist with a 29th Support Battalion medical company. When she learned she would no longer be able to simultaneously perform her duties as a legislator and deployed member of the National Guard, she chose deployment over running for  a second term in office. In Iraq, Gabbard served with the Guard at Logistical Support Area Anaconda.

   While in England on rest-and-relaxation in August 2005, she presented Hawaiʻi’s condolences to the government of London in the wake of the 7/7 terrorist attacks. She was awarded the Meritorious Service Medal at the end of her Iraq tour.

   Upon her return from Iraq in 2006, Gabbard served as legislative aide for U.S. Sen. Daniel K. Akaka in Washington, DC.,  responsible for issues involving veteran affairs, energy and natural resources, judiciary, and homeland security. She served as a surrogate speaker for Akaka on many occasions, and built a grassroots network with the veteran community in Hawaiʻi.

     While working for the Senator, Gabbard graduated from the Accelerated Officer Candidate School at the Alabama Military Academy in March 2007. She was the first woman to finish as the distinguished honor graduate in the Academy’s 50-year history. She was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant and assigned again to the 29th Brigade Special Troops Battalion of the Hawaiʻi Army National Guard, this time to serve as the Military Police Platoon Leader.

 

Tulsi Gabbard has served in the Hawaiʻi National Guard almost all
of her adult life, along with serving in elective office.
Photo from Tulsi Gabbard

   Gabbard continued to work for Akaka until 2009, when she again voluntarily deployed with her unit to the Middle East. During her second deployment, in addition to leading her platoon on a wide variety of security missions, she conducted non-military host-nation visits and served as a primary trainer for the Kuwait National Guard. She was one of the first women to set foot inside a Kuwait military facility and became the first woman awarded and honored by the Kuwait National Guard for teaching soldiers training and readines.

     In June 2011, Gabbard visited Indonesia as part of a peacekeeping training with the Indonesian Army. In the same year, she was elected to the Honolulu City Council, while continuing her work in the Hawaiʻi National Guard.
     Since becoming a member of Congress in 2012, Gabbard has been frequently interviewed on CNN and other networks for her commentary on veteran, military and foreign affairs. She and was reelected last Tuesday. She is a frequent visitor to Kaʻū.
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VETERANS DAY BUFFET is offered by Kīlauea Military Camp's Crater Rim Cafe today,  Friday, Nov. 11 from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. following Veterans Day ceremonies. Adults $27.95. Children 6-11 years old $14.50

HAWAIʻI VOLCANOES NATIONAL PARK FREE ENTRANCE is today, Nov. 11, when national parks across the country waive fees for Veterans Day in honor of the men and women who have served the nation. Volcanoes Park has dozens of veterans among its employees and volunteers. Active duty U.S. military can obtain a free annual Military Pass at the park’s entrance station all year. For more information on the free Military Pass, visit the park website http://www.nps.gov/havo/planyourvisit/fees.htm.

A VETERANS DAY OPEN HOUSE IS AT KAHUKU UNIT OF HAWAIʻI VOLCANOES NATIONAL PARK from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. today. The Welina Mai Nei Kaikou I Kahuku celebrates Kahuku being open on Fridays, in addition to Saturdays and Sundays. Enjoy Hawaiian music, cultural displays, ranching days exhibit and talk story with Kahuku alumni. Kid's activities include Makahiki games, coloring contest and ʻukulele lessons. Hawaiʻi’s  442nd World War II veteran Iwao Yonemitsu will be honored during this Veterans Day event. Free entry. Sign up for a guided hike at 929-8075.

LIVING WITH VOG, particularly in winter when trade winds blow on and off, is the subject of this week’s Volcano Watch from Hawaiian Volcano Observatory scientists working for the USGS.  “Volcanic air pollution from Kīlauea, known as vog, is distributed across the island, and sometimes the state,” write the scientists.
      “As winter approaches, many Island of Hawai‘i residents eagerly await the appearance of sub-tropical snow atop Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa. Another common occurrence on Hawai‘i Island during winter months is the frequent interruption of the steady northeasterly trade winds. These winds, or the lack of them, play a leading role in determining where volcanic air pollution from Kīlauea, known as vog, is distributed across the island, and sometimes the state.

Vog hangs over the island when trade winds are quiet. Photo form NASA

     “Vog, caused by sulfur dioxide gas (SO2) emitted from Kīlauea, has been a frequent problem on the Island of Hawai‘i for the past 30 years. Since the onset of the summit eruption in 2008, there has been a dramatic increase in the amount of SO2 and other gases released from the volcano and in the damaging effects of vog on the island.
    “From May to September, trade winds blow 80-95 percent of the time, but from October to April, the frequency drops to 50-80 percent. On Hawaiʻi Island, the districts of Ka‘ū and Kona bear the brunt of vog during northeasterly trade winds. But when trade winds are absent, areas impacted by vog can include East Hawai‘i, the whole Island of Hawai‘i, and, at times, the entire State of Hawai`i.
     “For this winter’s vog season, new resources are available to help people become familiar with, and minimize their exposure to, vog.
     “A new internet-based ‘Hawaiʻi Interagency Vog Information Dashboard’ ivhhn.org/vog provides a user-friendly starting point to search for information about vog. Topics on this dashboard include vog forecasts, real-time vog concentrations, health effects and environmental impacts of vog, and how people can protect themselves from vog, as well as links to published scientific literature.  
      “The dashboard also leads users to a new suite of concise vog information products. These products, which include a booklet of frequently asked questions and a brochure and poster on protecting yourself from vog, are available online ivhhn.org/vog/vog-fact-sheets, where they can be viewed or downloaded. Print copies of these vog information products are available through the Hawai‘i Department of Health District offices. They are also in the process of being distributed to public libraries and schools around the Island of Hawai‘i.

     “If you’re interested in how your neighbors cope with vog, check out these new products, as they incorporate information and protection strategies gathered through community surveys in 2015. The surveys, which were conducted by an international researcher in cooperation with the USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory, examined the strategies used by Hawai‘i Island residents who live with vog, and how those people would like to receive information and guidance about vog.

Frequently Asked Questions on Vog from Kīlauea Volcano is one of new 

information products online at http://ivhhn.org/vog/vog-fact-sheets

and in print. Also see the Hawaiʻi Interagency Vog Information Dashboard

at http://ivhhn.org/vog/

     “If you’d like to know when vog might be in your area, a dashboard link takes you to vog and wind forecasts, which include the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa Vog Measurement and Prediction Project weather.hawaii.edu/vmap/. This vog model provides an animated two-day forecast of SO2 gas and sulfate particle concentrations for the State of Hawaii. Many people find this forecast useful for planning outdoor activities to minimize their exposure to vog.
    “As SO2 travels away from Kīlauea Volcano’s eruptive vents, it is gradually converted (through chemical reactions in the atmosphere) from a gas to solid particles and liquid droplets. So, in areas close to the vent, SO2 gas is a component of the vog. But in areas distant from Kīlauea, like West Hawai‘i, or on other Hawaiian islands, vog is composed of particles, with virtually no SO2 gas in the mix.
    “The Hawaii Department of Health ‘Hawaiʻi ShortTerm SO2 Advisory’ http://hiso2index.info/, which provides data on current SO2 gas levels, is extremely helpful for areas close to Kīlauea. But for West Hawaiʻi (Kona) residents, the more relevant particle information is available through the vog dashboard link to ‘AirNow particle data’ ivhhn.org/vog/current-air-quality.
     “Gas emissions from Kīlauea have decreased somewhat since the summit eruption began in 2008, but vog continues to challenge Hawaiʻi communities, causing impacts to health, agriculture, and infrastructure. Learning how to identify when vog is in your area, and how to protect yourself and your family when necessary, are adaptations to living with the remarkable volcano in our backyard.
    “Hopefully, the new information products and online dashboard will help Hawaiʻi residents to understand and adopt strategies for living more comfortably with vog,” the scientists conclude.
     Visit the HVO website http://hvo.wr.usgs.gov for past Volcano Watch articles, Kīlauea daily eruption updates, Mauna Loa weekly updates, volcano photos, recent earthquakes info, and more; call for summary updates at 808-967-8862 (Kīlauea) or 808-967-8866 (Mauna Loa); email questions to askHVO@usgs.gov.

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ARTWORK TO BE CHOSEN FOR THE COVER of The Directory, the annual Kaʻū Chamber of Commerce community resource and business guide, will be accepted at Naʻalehu Hongwanji, Monday, Nov. 14, between 9 a.m. and 6:30 p.m. The annual show entitled The Beauty of Kaʻū opens with free entry to the public on Tuesday, Nov. 15 through Friday, Nov. 18, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the Naʻalehu Hongwanji Breezeway. 

      All entries are eligible to win popular vote (the cover) including youth and keiki, with the exception of all previous cover winners. Registration is $5 per adult entry, $2.50 per youth entry and $1 per keiki entry. Prizes will be given for: photography, sculpture, woodworking, quilting, jewelry, lei, graphics, painting and weaving. There are separate youth and keiki categories.
     Entry forms are available at local schools and merchants, on the Chamber website and at the door during art drop-off hours. The Directory is published in January.

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

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

See www.kaucalendar.com

Ka`u News Briefs, Thursday, Nov. 10, 2016

Gov. David Ige at a coffee hour in Pahala when he was running for Hawaiʻi governor in 2014. He released a statement yesterday regarding the future after the Nov. 8 national General Election. Photo by Julia Neal

IN RESPONSE TO GENERAL ELECTION RESULTS NATIONWIDE, including Republican Donald Trump winning the post of U.S. President, Hawaiʻi’s Gov. David Ige, a Democrat, released the following statement yesterday:
     “The people of Hawai‘i are resilient and innovative. We have weathered the storm of the 2016 campaign and emerged stronger as we continue to embrace the values, culture and ethnic diversity that define us. We must respect the democratic process and continue setting the example by moving forward with individual and collective actions that contribute to the greater good of our children and their children, for Hawai‘i and the United States of America. Please join me as we make this happen.”
     Hawaiʻi voted for Hillary Clinton in the General Election. However, its own delegation to Washington, D.C., comprised of Democrats, has long worked with both parties.

Federal funding supported construction of the new Kaʻū District Gym & Shelter.
Photo by Ron Johnson

     Hawaiʻi’s economy depends heavily on the federal funding for such military bases as Naval Station Pearl Harbor, Marine Corps Base Hawaiʻi, Schofield Barracks, Tripler Medical Center, Wheeler Army Airfleld, Hickam Air Force Base, Pacific Missile Range Facility, and on Hawaiʻi Island, the Pohakuloa Training Area and Kīlauea Military Camp.
     Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park, the most visited destination in the state, which brings in millions of dollars a year in fees, is administered through the Department of Interior as are other federal lands on this island.
     In social services, Kaʻū’s Marshallese community depends on federal funding. Rural health clinics and Ka‘ū Hospital receive federal assistance, as do many Native Hawaiian programs, the public schools and low-income housing assistance. Federal money was made available for construction of the new Kaʻū District Gym & Shelter. Twenty years ago, start-up federal money helped launch the Kaʻū Coffee industry and the U.S. Department of Agriculture continues to support the farmers with education and training.
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A VOLCANO FOOD AND FARM fund-raising tour will be launched on Jan. 14, sponsored by the non-profit Volcano Community Foundation. The tour visits three working farms:
     A family-run farm with greenhouses raises leafy greens, herbs and berries for market.

Farmer Jeff McCall at his vegetable stall in Volcano.

      A husband-and-wife flower farm raises orchids shipped all over the world and will provide a tour with a lesson on separating and repotting grown plants.
     A farm with over 300 five-year-old tea plants demonstrates how the processing determines whether the tea is green, white, oolong or black, followed by a tea tasting. olong or black, followed by a tea tasting.
     Funds raised support a scholarship awarded each year to an outstanding high school senior from Volcano.

Picking tea at Hawaiʻi Tart Co.’s tea
farm in Volcano.

     Marilyn Nicholoson of the Volcano Community Foundation describes the Volcano area working farm environment: “Volcano’s cool, wet climate and deep volcanic soils have long made it a popular place for small scale and niche agricultural products. Fruit trees, many vegetable crops, flowers, goats and cattle are still a way of life for many in this small upland community. Newer crops like grapes and tea are finding their place as well as developing a strong and expanding market.”
     The tour begins with a 9:15 a.m. check-in at Kīlauea Lodge, with car-pools to the farms. Comfortable walking shoes (it could be a bit muddy) and a rain jacket are recommended. The cost is $45 per person which includes lunch, and advance registration is required.

Last year's winner for the 2016
Directory cover was Peter Anderson

    To reserve a place on the tour send an email to volcanocommunity@gmail.com or call 967-7366.

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

ARTWORK TO BE CHOSEN FOR THE COVER of The Directory, the annual Kaʻū Chamber of Commerce community resource and business guide, will be accepted at Naʻalehu Hongwanji, Monday, Nov. 14, between 9 a.m. and 6:30 p.m. The annual show entitled The Beauty of Kaʻū opens with free entry to the public on Tuesday, Nov. 15 through Friday, Nov. 18, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the Naʻalehu Hongwanji Breezeway.
     During the week of the show, business owners have the opportunity to sponsor a work of art by making a donation to the Chamber and sponsoring the artist entry fee. Sponsors will be allowed to show the sponsored art at their places of business for up to three weeks.
     During the showing all week at Naʻalehu Honwanji, those works of art that are for sale will be priced on a list available from art show volunteers.
     The results of judging of all categories and the selection for The Directory cover will be announced Saturday, Nov. 19 at 11 a.m. at Naʻalehu Hongwanji, when artists are invited to a reception and awards ceremony.
    All entries are eligible to win popular vote (the cover) including youth and keiki, with the exception of all previous cover winners. Registration is $5 per adult entry, $2.50 per youth entry and $1 per keiki entry. Prizes will be given for: photography, sculpture, woodworking, quilting, jewelry, lei, graphics, painting and weaving. There are separate youth and keiki categories.
     Entry forms are available at local schools and merchants, on the Chamber website and at the door during art drop-off hours. The Directory is published in January.

To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see Facebook. Follow us on Instagram and Twitter.
A RED CROSS VOLUNTEERS MEETING is being held today, Nov. 10, at 7 p.m. at the HOVE Road Maintenance Corp. office for those interested in becoming volunteers. Call Hannah Uribes at 929-9953.

OPEN HOUSE IS THIS FRIDAY AT KAHUKU UNIT OF HAWAIʻI VOLCANOES NATIONAL PARK. The Welina Mai Nei Kaikou I Kahuku celebrates Kahuku being open on Fridays, in addition to Saturdays and Sundays. Hawaiian music, informational displays, children't activities. Free entry. Sign up for a guided hike at 929-8075.

HAWAIʻI VOLCANOES NATIONAL PARK FREE ENTRANCE is this Friday, Nov. 11, when national parks across the country waive  fees for Veterans Day in honor of the men and women who have served the nation. Volcanoes Park has dozens of veterans among its employees and volunteers. Active duty U.S. military can obtain a free annual Military Pass at the park’s entrance station all year. For more information on the free Military Pass, visit the park website http://www.nps.gov/havo/planyourvisit/fees.htm.

KĪLAUEA MILITARY CAMP VETERANS DAY CEREMONY will be this Friday, Nov. 11. KMC celebrates a century of service with keynote speaker, U.S. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard. The ceremony is on the front lawn at 3 p.m.

VETERANS DAY BUFFET is offered by Kīlauea Military Camp's Crater Rim Cafe this Friday, Nov. 11 from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. following Veterans Day ceremonies. Adults $27.95. Children 6-11 years old $14.50

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

Ka`u News Briefs, Wednesday, Nov. 9, 2016

Sen. Russell Ruderman won the vote yesterday to return to his state Senate seat, after a hard fought victory over
 County Council member Greggor Ilagan in the primary. Above, Ruderman campaigns with his baby at Volcano this summer.
 Photo by Ron Johnson

Rep. Richard Creagan (l) won last night and will return for west Kaʻū to the
state Legislature. Kealiʻi Kahele won his late father's state Senate seat and
 Maile David represents Kaʻū again on the County Council.

INCUMBENTS WON all the races for state and county seats representing Kaʻū in yesterday's General Election.
      Sen. Russell Ruderman, representing east Kaʻū  returns to his post winning 76.5 percent of the vote. The Democrat defeated Libertarian Fredrick Fogel in the General Election after defeating County Council member Greggor Ilagan in the primary. Sen. Josh Green, state Senator for west Kaʻū,  a Democrat, was not on the ballot. He serves two more years until his term is up,
     Rep. Richard Creagan goes back to his state House of Representatives seat for west Kaʻū,  the Democrat defeating Libertarian Michael Last with 68.2 percent of the vote.
       Rep. Richard Onishi goes back to his state House of Representatives seat for east Kaʻū  winning 68 percent of the vote, beating Green Party candidate Kealoha Pisciotta.    
      County Council member Maile David, representing all of Kaʻū, won the primary election over Bernnie Sanders supporter Raina Whiting by a large enough margin to avoid a General Election runoff.

State Rep. Richard Onishi was reelected last night. Photo by Ron Johnson

      Kaiʻaliʻi Kahele, son of the Gil Kahele who was a Kaʻū senator until redistricting, won his late father’s state Senate seat in Hilo and promised to continue to help Kaʻū and particularly Miloliʻi where he does community work and has a second family home.
     County Prosecutor Mitch Roth won his post again in the primary. He has worked with Kaʻū farmers and extensively on community Neighborhood Watch and drug and crime prevention programs.  Mayor Harry Kim also won in the primary, taking back leadership of the county after serving two terms and resting for two terms. He replaces Mayor Billy Kenoi who has reached term limits.

OFFICE OF HAWAIIAN AFFAIRS TRUSTEE for Hawaiʻi Island will be Robert Lindsey, returning to his post with 44.4 percent of the vote, defeating Mililani Trask with 32.5 percent of the vote. The winner of the OHA at-larrge trustee race is Keliʻi Akina with 37 percent of the vote over Haunani Apiliona with 36 percent of the vote.

Mayor Harry Kim says “Thank You” to Kaʻū. Photo by Julia Neal

FOR CONGRESS, REPRESENTING KAʻŪ and rural Hawaiʻi, Sen. Brian Schatz returns to Washington, winning more than 70 percent of the vote and Rep. Tulsi Gabbard returns to Washington with more than 75 percent of the vote.

THE NEW U.S. PRESIDENT, announced this morning after General Election voting yesterday, will be Republican Donald Trump. He lost Hawaiʻi, earning about half the number of votes here as the Democrat, Hillary Clinton. However, nationwide the close race ended in a Clinton concession with Trump winning the electoral votes and Clinton winning the popular vote. The electoral college vote prevails.
      In his acceptance speech, Trump, the New York developer and hotelier, said, “Now it’s time for America to bind together as one united people.” He also said the nation owes Clinton “a major debt of gratitude for her service to our country.” Trump promised to rebuild the country’s infrastructure, create more jobs and allow fewer jobs to be shipped offshore. He has also promised a better health care system than Obamacare.
     In speeches this morning, outgoing President Barack Obama and Clinton both urged a peaceful transition to the Trump presidency. They and Trump urged everyone to work together as citizens of the United States to better the country.
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HAWAIʻI COUNTY'S GENERAL PLAN AMENDMENT to take the public's health into consideration when planning for the island was approved yesterday with a yes vote with 65.4 percent of the vote.

Reelected last night, U.S. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard visited leaders of
two Kaʻū Coffee cooperatives this Summer. She will give the
 Kilauea Military  address this Friday at 3 p.m. Photo by Julia Neal

THE STATE CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT setting a  higher value in civil cases to qualify them for jury trials, was passed yesterday by the Hawaiʻi electorate with 46.3 percent of the vote. Another amendment which directs the state to use excess funds to pay debt and other costs also passed with 50.4 percent of the vote.
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A GATHERING WILL BE HELD TO HONOR the life of Ocean View Community leader Don Nitsche this Saturday, Nov. 12 at 3 p.m. at Bougainvillea Bed and Breakfast in Ranchos. A military funeral will be at noon today at the West Hawaiʻi Veterans’ Cemetery.

Don Nitsche

     Nitsche, a well-known Kaʻū personality, died peacefully on Oct. 27 in his Ocean View home at age 86, bringing a full and active life to a sudden and unexpected end.
     Nitsche was a builder, paver, fisherman, pilot, skier, sailor, war vet, host, water hauler and entrepreneur. His legacy is advocating for many Ocean View community services and facilities including the new well for potable water for the community, which, without his perseverance, may never have been built. He was born in Seattle, WA and graduated from Garfield High School. He served in the Navy for two years and was a Korean war veteran. After marrying his wife, Martie, in 1952, he joined an Alaskan fishing fleet to earn capital for land and to build a home on Mercer Island. Entrepreneurship came early to Don – he was able to build a mountain cabin while simultaneously managing a ski chalet and selling commercial ski equipment and also building his home.
     In 1976 he and Martie moved to Maui with their two children to run an Orange Julius concession and sell Buck Alum steel-frame home kits to home builders who wanted strong, durable, termite-proof materials. In 1989 the family moved to Ocean View and Don took over the gas station. Today it is Spirit gas, but at the time it was Texaco. It was a full-service facility, that offered repairs, tires and batteries. Don also built the Bougainvillea Bed and Breakfast in Hawaiian Ranchos, which he and Martie ran for 25 years.

Seeking funding for drilling an Ocean View well was one of
 Don Nitsche’s long-term community projects.

     At one time, the roads in Ranchos were inadequately maintained. Exeter Equity Inc. held about $400,000 in trust, as required by the county, for road maintenance, but were not doing the work. In 1991, Nitsche, as President of the Hawaiian Ranchos Community Association, threatened to sue Exeter for non-performance, unless that company gave the funds to the community. They finally agreed, and in 1992 the Hawaiian Ranchos Road Maintenance Corp. was formed with Nitsche as its first President. Nitsche acquired equipment, and the cindered roads were chipsealed over time – about six miles per year.
     Long time Ocean View resident Richard Rogers affectionately described Nitsche as the “Crusty Old Buzzard who gets things done.” He recalled a time, circa 1996, when the Legislature voted to give Ocean View a water well and storage tank, but, according to Rogers, the Governor refused to release the funds as retribution for Ocean View residents refusing to allow the development of both a prison and a rocket launching site in Kaʻū.
     “Gov. Ben Cayetano told us straight,” recalled Rogers. He said: ‘You are not getting any money while I’m in office.’
     “We in Ocean View, led by Don and Martie, were not taking ‘no’ for an answer,” recalled Rogers. “Martie arranged flights to Oʻahu for about 20 of us, and a bus to take us to the capitol. We called ourselves ‘The Well-Wishers.’ We picketed all day, shouting ‘Give us our money!’ Cayetano arranged to be absent that day, so we flew back a second time. That time we picketed a huge hotel where they were holding the Pacific Business Economic Summit – Bill Gates was there – and we hoped that picketing Cayetano in front of these VIPs would embarrass him into releasing the funds, but it only made him madder.
     “I still remember Don standing on a median picketing, when a hotel guard ordered him to move, which Don refused to do. The big, beefy guard asked, threateningly, ‘You want trouble?’ to which Don replied, ‘Yes, what do you think we came here for?’ The guard stomped off. We later heard that Cayetano had a paddy wagon around the corner, ready to haul us off if we got out of hand.”

The Nitsche home in Ranchos was the site of many community
planning and strategy meetings. 

    Unfortunately for Nitsche and Ocean View, said Rogers, the oft-criticized Cayetano was elected to a second term by a single percentage point, so they had to wait until 2002 for Linda Lingle to take office. “We had to start all over again, getting the Legislature to again approve the project,” explained Rogers.

     “Even then we had to wait for her second term. She wanted to give us a smaller well, with a single pump and a smaller tank. Don argued vehemently that it was not adequate. Gov. Lingle got frustrated and said ‘What’s the matter with you – won’t you accept what we are giving you?’ to which Don replied, ‘No, we are not accepting it.’ The Crusty Old Buzzard got his way and now Ocean View has two pumps, a deeper well and a larger storage tank.”
     Martie recalled that it was State Rep. Bob Herkes who pushed the proposal through the Legislature, winning $6.4 million for the project. “It took Don 14 years, but Ocean View now has a well, so it was worth it,” added Martie. “I think of it as Don’s legacy to our town.”
     While the saga of the water well played out, Nitsche was hauling water from Waiohinu in his truck with a 2,000-gallon water tank. On Easter eve in 2008, he turned into Ranchos at the Kohala gate and was driving makai when the truck’s brakes failed. He turned the rig towards a ditch to slow it down, but the truck jack-knifed and then somersaulted and rolled before coming to rest on the lava as a mangled wreck. Luckily Nitsche was not wearing a seat belt. He was thrown out and landed on the lava, where he lay, concussed, until a police officer stopped, expecting to find a fatality. Miraculously, the Crusty Old Buzzard survived with a brain concussion, a broken rib and a punctured lung.
      When not working hard, which was most of the time, Don enjoyed skiing, flying small aircraft and sailing. He is survived by Martie, his son Karl, daughter Jahna Brown, five grandchildren and one great grandson.

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A RED CROSS VOLUNTEERS MEETING will be held tomorrow, Nov. 10 at 7 p.m. at the HOVE Road Maintenance Corp. office for those interested in becoming volunteers. Call Hannah Uribes at 929-9953.

 OPEN HOUSE IS THIS FRIDAY AT KAHUKU UNIT OF HAWAI`I VOLCANOES NATIONAL PARK. The Welina Mai Nei Kaikou I Kahuku celebrates Kahuku being open on Fridays, in addition to Saturdays and Sundays. Hawaiian music, informational displays, children't activities. Free entry. Sign up for a guided hike at 929-8075.

Free admission, hike, music and displays this Friday in
Kahuku Unit of Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park.
Photo from NPS

FREE ENTRANCE TO HAWAI`I VOLCANOES NATIONAL PARK will be this Friday, Nov. 11, National parks across the country will waive entrance fees for Veterans Day in honor of the men and women who have served the nation. The park has dozens of veterans among its employees and volunteers. Active duty U.S. military can obtain a free annual Military Pass at the park’s entrance station all year. For more information on the free Military Pass, visit the park website http://www.nps.gov/havo/planyourvisit/fees.htm.

KĪLAUEA MILITARY CAMP VETERAN'S DAY CEREMONY will be this Friday, Nov. 11. KMC celebrates a century of service with keynote speaker, U.S. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard. The ceremony is on the front lawn at 3 p.m.

VETERANS DAY BUFFET is offered by Kilauea Military Camp's Crater Rim Cafe this Friday, Nov. 11 from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. following Veterans Day ceremonies. Adults $27.95. Children 6-11 years old $14.50

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

See www.kaucalendar.com