Ka`u News Briefs Tuesday, April 25, 2017

Pahala Equestiran Lorilee Lorenzo is back to her Pahala home after riding in the Merrrie Monarch 
Parade in Hilo over the weekend. She was joined by youth members of the Hawai`i Horse 
Owners Association: Lorenzo, Grace Andrade, Jensten Andrade, Blayk Hanoa and Kassey Hanoa.

A NEW HELE-ON BUS TEMPORARY CHIEF has been named by Mayor Harry Kim. Curtis Sharp, a retired marine who served in Abu Dhabi and other far away places, takes the post on May 1. The post is temporary and called Mass Transit Analyst. Applications to fill the top administration post, called Mass Transit Administrator, will be posted soon.

The Hele-On Bus system operated by County of Hawai`i is getting a
temporary leader and some hands on involvement from
Mayor Harry Kim to improve it. Photo from Hele-On Bus

     An outside consulting company has put people on the buses around the island to evaluate the service and survey the needs of the communities. Mayor Harry Kim told an audience at his talk story in Ocean View in February that the Hele-On system "is a disaster." He told West Hawai`i Today on Monday that he seeks to upgrade the service and that current Transit Administrator Tiffany Kai is stepping down to the position of para-transit coordinator. 

     The Hele-On runs at a loss, according to the story by Nancy Cook Lauer. The report in Tuesday's West Hawai`i Today states that the average ride costs the county about $11.77 a passenger. Passengers pay $1 to $2 per ride. About ten percent of the funding comes from federal money. Bus fares add up to less than $1 million and the annual budget is around $13.8 million.

     Trouble with the Hele-On includes many broken down buses, though five used ones will soon be shipped over from the Honolulu public bus system, reports West Hawai`i Today. The local bus shortage, with a little over half of the 55 buses working, has led to late arrivals at bus stops and routes sometimes cancelled. 

     The Vision Statement of the Hele-On is to “Create a transportation agency the rest of the world recognizes as the best.” Its Mission Statement is to: “Provide safe, clean, convenient transportation services for the residents and visitors to the County of Hawai‘i."

   For Ka`u, Hele-On provides a lifeline for workers to reach the resorts in Hilo, Kona and Kohala and for college students to reach Kona and Hilo. It also provides after school buses for students so they can participate in sports and other activities. Many senior citizens also ride the bus for doctors appointments and to shop. The fare for the general public is $2. Seniors, students through college and the disabled pay $1.

    See more at www.westhawaiitoday.com

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A NEW HEALTH INSURANCE PROPOSAL IN CONGRESS is drawing opposition from Sen. Brian Schatz. The amendment would allow states to allow insurance companies to charge a higher premium to those with preexisting conditions. According to a retweet from Shatz, the first health care bill this congressional session considered would have resulted in 24 million people losing coverage, a Medicaid cut of $880 billion and a tax cut for millionaires. The newest bill would do the same plus gut the rules that prevent those with preexisting conditions from being charged more. In addition, Pres. Donald Trump has threatened to hold back federal subsidies to insurance companies that serve low income people if the companies don't go along with his health care proposals. "Trump's threat of sabotage will increase premiums an additional 20 percent," says the American Academy of Actuaries, whose statement is retweeted by Schatz.

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COFFEE WITH A COP has been announced for Wednesday, May 10 from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. Everyone is invited to the casual, no-agenda, talk-story opportunity to meet local police officers. It will take place at Na`alehu Ace Hardware. May 10 is National Coffee With a Cop Day.

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Weave Ulana Niu, Wed, April 26, 10 a.m. – 12 p.m., Kīlauea Visitor Center lānai in Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park. Learn how to weave coconut fronds into useful and beautiful items. Free, park entrance fees apply.

Hawai‘i’s Reef Fish, Thu, April 27, 7 – 9 p.m., Volcano Art Center in Volcano Village. John Hoover explains how fish take care of their food, security & reproductive needs. Free; donations accepted.

Coffee Talk, Fri, April 28, 9:30 – 11 a.m., Kahuku Unit of Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park. A free monthly series of talks on various subjects. nps.gov/havo or 985-6011

Ocean View Community Development Corp. meeting, Fri, April 28, 5 p.m., Hawaiian Ranchos office.

Ka`u News Briefs. Monday April 24, 2017

Teachers rallied at the Capitol for better education., and will vote on their union contract Thursday.
 Photo from HSTA

THE BARGAINING UNION FOR HAWAI`I PUBLIC SCHOOL TEACHERS, after nine months of negotiations, has reached a tentative agreement with the state of Hawai`i for a 13.6 percent pay increase in a four-year contract from July 1, 2017 to June 30, 2021. The pay hike is aimed at keeping teachers in the Hawaiian Islands where the cost of living is one of the highest in the country, but the teacher pay is lower than in other expensive places to live.
     The teachers' union, the Hawai`i State Teachers Association, made the announcement today following the Negotiations Committee meeting on Saturday and the HSTA Board of Directors' unanimous acceptance of the proposal.
     A contract ratification vote is set for this Thursday, April 27. Teachers from Ka`u High and Pahala Elementary, Ka`u Learning Academy, Na`alehu Elementary and Intermediate and Volcano School of the Arts & Sciences will vote at the Ka`u High Band Room from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m.

Ka`u teachers held signs on the March 7 Day of Action, along
with teachers outside schools around the state.
Photo by David Berry

   Informational meetings to brief teachers on the settlement and answer questions began around the state today. The Ka`u meeting is set for Wednesday at the Ka`u High Band Room from 3:30 p.m. to 5 p.m.
     In a statement, the HSTA describes the tentative agreement as "a win for teachers." Over a four-year period, it would provide for "pay raises through across-the-board salary increases, step movements and bonuses for teachers at Step 14B. The increases will be equivalent to a compounded 13.6 percent raise over that four-year period." In addition, the state has agreed to provide more money toward teachers’ health premiums.
     The agreement also includes language about one of the major negotiations sticking points — teacher evaluations. For the next two years, the great majority of tenured members will go through the streamlined evaluation process while the Joint Committee works to change and improve evaluation, HSTA reported.
     Other highlights, according to HSTA, include improvements to the assignment and transfers process, the establishment of a committee to address our English language learners and the continuation of the 21 professional development hours with pay and credits. The agreement allows HSTA to renegotiate health plan contributions and 21 hours in years three and four.

Ka`u teachers joined Hilo teachers earlier this year to strategize their
new contract with the State of Hawai`i.
Photo from HSTA

   The Negotiations Team is comprised of HSTA President Corey Rosenlee, Paul Daugherty and Shannon Kaa`a, under the leadership of Chair Osa Tui and Vice Chair Diane Mokuau.
     The HSTA statement said, "The team rolled with the punches and continued to come up with innovative ways to get the best deal possible for teachers within the confines of the state’s difficult fiscal situation. Our Chief Negotiator Andrea Eshelman has kept us on track and provided positive, excellent leadership, even when things looked grim."
     HSTA also thanked Gov. David Ige "for personally getting deeply involved in our negotiations. We send a heart-felt mahalo to the governor and his chief of staff, Mike McCartney, who spent hours and hours at HSTA during bargaining sessions over the last three days, sometimes coming back twice in the same day and staying past midnight.

     "But most important, we’d like to thank every teacher who took the time to speak up and speak out at rallies, on petitions, in testimony, emails, letters and phone calls over the last few months. Your collective voice was heard loud and clear.:" HSTA President Corey Rosenlee said, “Thank you for standing up for public education and the schools our keiki deserve. The collective action taken by teachers this school year played a major role in helping us to reach this tentative agreement that serves the best interests of teachers and students.”

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SUPPORTING HAWAI`I'S PUBLIC SCHOOLS THROUGH A NEW VISITOR TAX on accommodations failed at the 2017 Hawai`i Legislature last week when House and Senate negotiators could not reach agreement. HSTA President Corey Rosenlee said that nearly 4,000

HSTA President Corey Rosenlee (center)  joined
numerous citizens groups supporting public school
initiatives at the legislature. He supported a new visitor
tax to help pay for better schools.
Photo from HSTA

testimonials, a thousand emails and a successful lobby day contributed to a nearly successful effort to place a Hawai`i Constitutional Amendment on the ballot next election.
     Some legislators said that the ongoing taxation for the rail project on O`ahu makes it difficult to add another tax. Others said it could be challenged in court.
     The HSTA president said, "A few lawmakers decided not to give the public a chance to vote on whether they want to fund the schools our keiki deserve, even though our polling shows that two-thirds of the voters would have supported this Constitutional Amendment.
     “The last two years have shown that legislators will not vote to increase funding for our schools, nor will they allow the public to vote. Our legislators must make education a priority. If they did not support the Constitutional Amendment, what are their solutions to our chronically underfunded public school system?” Rosenlee said, “Our keiki can’t wait any longer.”

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A BRIGHT SMILES AWARD has gone to Ka`u Rural Health Community Association and its founder Jessie Marques. A project of the Hawai`i Public Health Association, it is supported by the DentaQuest Foundation’s Oral Health 2020 Initiative. 

   The award to Ka`u is one of four Bright Smiles Hawai`i Community Innovation Awards in oral health outreach, education, and information-gathering provided to Hawai`i communities at-risk for poor oral health. 

Ka`u Rural Health Community
Association won a Bright Smiles
award to help improve oral health.
Photo from KRHCA

  The purpose is to encourage and incentivize more direct interest from at-risk communities, increase community engagement, motivate change, as well as identify disparities and effectively address them in meaningful ways, with tangible results. The awards range from $2,300 to $5,000 per project. They focus on ethnic, geographic, and population-specific partners to share their knowledge regarding innovative and successful approaches to engage their own respective communities. BSH supports community efforts to identify root causes of their oral health disparities and help lead efforts to develop innovative and community-supportive responses to address the social determinants of oral health.
    Bright Smiles Ka’u, sponsored by the Ka’u Rural Health Community Association and its executive director Jessie Marques, will provide community outreach on oral health via a series of community fairs and also survey Ka’u residents about oral health disparities.

     Ka`u Rural Health Community Association also operates a telemedicine kiosk at its location near Pahala Library.

  

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Kīlauea’s Summit Eruption: Nine Years and Counting, Tue, April 25, 7 p.m., Kīlauea Visitor Center Auditorium in Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park. USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory geologist Matt Patrick presents an update and overview, including stunning imagery. Free; park entrance fees apply. 

Ka‘ū Food Pantry, Tue, April 25, 11:30 a.m. – 1 p.m., St. Jude’s Episcopal Church in Ocean View.

THE KA`U COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT PLAN goes to a public Steering Committee meeting this coming Tuesday, April 25, at Na`alehu Community Center, beginning at 5:30 p.m.

     The Windward Planning commission will hold a Ka`u CDP public hearing on Wednesday, May 10 at 5:30 p.m. at Na`alehu Community Center and Thursday, June 1 at 9 a.m. at the County of Hawai`i Aupuni Center Conference Room in Hilo. Following the Windward Planning Commission making recommendations, the County Council will hold Ka`u CDP public hearings and take action. With approval, Mayor Harry Kim will sign the Ka`u CDP into law and an Action Committee will be appointed to guide the Ka`u CDP implementation. The Draft Ka`u CDP and the Planning Director's "non-substantive revisions" are available at the site: www.kaucdep.info.

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Ka`u News Briefs Sunday, April 23, 2017

Ben Gaddis, a volunteer at the USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory, works on historical documentation of volcanic products from the 1924 explosive eruption of Halemaʻumaʻu Crater within Kīlauea’s summit caldera. He recently
received the U.S. Department of Interior's Citizen’s Award for Exceptional Service for years of volunteer service at HVO.  USGS photo. See story below

"THE IDIOT SENATOR MAZIE HIRONO," is how conservative radio host Mark Levin described her on Sunday, after Hirono and Sen. Brian Schatz denounced U.S. Attorney General "Jeff Sessions’ prejudiced attack on Hawai`i and our independent judiciary. As one publication put it -- 'an overtly racist and geographic move toward discrediting the legitimacy of federal judges.'"      The reference was to Hawai`i Judge Derrick Kahala Watson's rejection of the second travel ban attempted by President Donald Trump to turn away refugees and people from six Muslim-majority countries at U.S. borders. Sessions responded to the ruling by saying, "I really am amazed that a judge sitting on an island in the Pacific can issue an order that stops the President of the United Staes from what appears to be clearly his statutory and Constitutional power."      Hirono and Schatz referred to Session's statement as dangerous and today stated, "We must have really gotten under their skin because today, extreme conservative talk radio host Mark Levin, whose interview with Jeff Sessions started this whole fiasco, was back on the airwaves. And this time, we were his target."       Levin parroted Hirono on his Sunday talk show: "Well, his comments are dangerous, says the idiot Senator Mazie Hirono. Mazie Hirono...this is the kind of representation Hawai`i wants for the United States Senate? Apparently so. And these two knuckleheads (Schatz included) vote on every issue that matters to the rest of us."     Concluded Hirono, "We should wear these, frankly, unimaginative insults with pride because they show that our resistance is working." She posted a signup sheet: "We need to keep this activist energy up. Will you join me in denouncing Attorney General Sessions' remarks?"

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U.S. REP. TULSI GABBARD is inviting constituents in Ka`u to People’s Climate Change Marches this Saturday, April 29. One will be in Hilo, starting at noon at Mo`oheau Bandstand and the other in Kona at Hale Halewai Park on Ali`i Drive, beginning at 2 p.m.

     Another will be in Washington, D.C. where walkers will march from the Capitol, across the Mall, to surround the White House on the 100th day of the administration of President Donald Trump.
    Said Gabbard on Sunday, “For all of us in Hawai'i, climate change is a reality we're already experiencing, as our fragile island ecosystem is impacted by rising temperatures and sea levels. Maybe Jeff Sessions would be OK if Hawai'i disappeared into the ocean, but we are not. Change is coming, and it's up to us whether that change will be transformative or catastrophic. We don't have time to fight amongst each other. We don't have time to engage in partisan rhetoric and bickering. We must be the change we want to see in the world. The future of the human race depends on it.
     Stated the Congresswoman, “There are powerful people who refuse to acknowledge the reality of climate change - and one of them is sitting in the White House. Climate change is not a hoax as President Trump has said in the past, and we must not ignore the rising tide.
    “In addition to climate change, we are dealing with threats to clean water -- whether on O`ahu, at Red Hill and Kalihi, or in Flint, Michigan, or at Standing Rock, we must always remember that water is life. We must fight to protect the right of all people to clean water.”
   Gabbard said that "the scope of the problem and of the opposition can feel overwhelming, but in every crisis, there is also immense opportunity. We must meet ignorance with truth, fear with love and greed with a fullness of heart. We can create transformative change by coming together in solidarity, getting inspired and inspiring others to live in a new way - a way of love, peace, respect and harmony.”
     She offered her own signup list for the event at Will you join the People’s Climate March on April 29?

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Miss Ka`u Coffee Rochelle Koi in Saturday's Merrie Monarch Royal
Parade in Hilo. Miss Ka`u Coffee Pageant is Saturday, May 13 at 
Ka`u Coffee Mill. Photo by David Corrigan/Big Island Video News

MISS KA`U COFFEE, COFFEE. PRINCESSES and contenders for the 2017 titles rolled through the Merrie Monarch Parade in Hilo on Saturday. Miss Ka`u Coffee Rochelle Koi was joined by Miss Peaberry Cazlyn Pua-Queja and other members of the 2016 and 2017 court.     

      The pageant, directed by Ka`u Coffee farmer Trini Marques, will be held on Saturday, May 13 at Ka`u Coffee Mill. 

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Miss Ka`u Peaberry Cazlynn Pua-Queja in the Merrie Monarch Parade 

Saturday in Hilo. Photo by David Corrigan/Big Island Video News

THE WORK OF BEN GADDIS is featured in Volcano Watch, the weekly column by Hawai`i Volcano Observatory scientists:
     “Ben, do we have a photo of ... ?” This seemingly simple question is asked every week of Ben Gaddis, retired judge and Photo Archive volunteer at the USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory. Ever since he learned about the volcano Parícutin’s eruption in a cornfield in Michoacán, Mexico, as a youngster, Gaddis has been fascinated by volcanoes. In 1970, his interest drove him to move with his wife, Mary, from Texas to Hawai‘i. A course in volcanology at the University of Hawai‘i at Hilo led to associations with HVO and, subsequently, to helping with field work on weekends during the eruptions of both Mauna Ulu and Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō until 1986, when his duties as a judge left him no time for volcano monitoring.
     After retiring in 2008, Gaddis decided to devote more time to helping HVO. His volunteer work in the Photo Archive began when Frank Trusdell, HVO’s Mauna Loa scientist, engaged his services to scan 35 mm slides for public presentations and publications.
     HVO’s collection of more than 300,000 images dates back to the mid-1800s, when the first photograph of Kīlauea Volcano (that we know of) was taken. Like many other institutions and individuals with collections of pre-digital photographs, negatives, and prints, HVO’s long-term goal is to scan and archive its images to preserve them for posterity.

 

Ben Gaddis, left, and photographer Andrew Hara hold a photo of
HVO founder Thomas Jaggar in his gas lab in 1919.
Photo from HVO

     Since 2009, Gaddis has organized, labeled, scanned, and entered metadata for thousands of color slides and black and white photos. In order to make the digitized images more accessible to researchers and to the public, he created an image catalog searchable by name of photographer, ID, date, event, location, and keywords.
     He often goes the extra mile to research and correct erroneous information, thereby increasing the scientific value of the images. Among the treasures he discovered while rummaging through old materials were unpublished administrative records on the early days of HVO and the explosive eruption of Kīlauea in 1924. His work resulted in public presentations by Gaddis and HVO scientists Don Swanson and Jim Kauahikaua on historical eruptions, illuminated by the newly discovered images.

A photo of the 1924 eruption of Kilaeua 

Volcano, in the archives that Ben Gaddis has 

cared for. Photo from HVO

     With the opportunity and vision to go beyond the limits of HVO's collection, Gaddis took snapshots of museum collections (with permission), increasing staff access to those resources and, at the same time, promoting awareness of the museums' holdings through collaborative outreach.
     He used the expanded collections to assist scientists—through the evidence of images—in illustrating and refining their ideas and observations about geological processes and eruption dynamics on the Island of Hawai‘i. These insights have facilitated HVO’s work in hazards mitigation, increased awareness during eruptions and seismic crises, and enhanced publications, public lectures, outreach activities, and educational forums.
     In addition to HVO, Gaddis has served the National Park Service, Hawai‘i County Civil Defense, publishers, writers, artists, engineers, exhibit coordinators of museums all over the world, and scientists, teachers, and students of all ages. He considers his volunteer work a labor of love, and we are profoundly grateful for his singular, peerless contributions to the USGS-HVO’s work and to the Department of Interior’s mission. 

     For all of this and more, Gaddis was recently honored by the U.S. Geological Survey for his many years of service as HVO’s volunteer photo archivist. The HVO staff congratulated him for accepting the U.S. Department of Interior's Citizen’s Award for Exceptional Service.
     As a historical note, volunteers have been a crucial part of HVO since the early days of scientific study at Kīlauea. In 1911, volunteers helped scientist Frank Perret erect A-frame supports for a cable across Halemaʻumaʻu Crater to measure temperatures in “Old Faithful.” Also, when operational funds were scarce, as they were during the 1924 explosive eruption, volunteers from the community pitched in to help HVO record details of the eruption. Volunteers were also key to HVO operations during the Great Depression.

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Kīlauea’s Summit Eruption: Nine Years and Counting, Tue, April 25, 7 p.m., Kīlauea Visitor Center Auditorium in Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park. USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory geologist Matt Patrick presents an update and overview, including stunning imagery. Free; park entrance fees apply.

Ka‘ū Food Pantry, Tue, April 25, 11:30 a.m. – 1 p.m., St. Jude’s Episcopal Church in Ocean View.

THE KA`U COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT PLAN goes to a public Steering Committee meeting this coming Tuesday, April 25, at Na`alehu Community Center, beginning at 5:30 p.m.

     The Windward Planning commission will hold a Ka`u CDP public hearing on Wednesday, May 10 at 5:30 p.m. at Na`alehu Community Center and Thursday, June 1 at 9 a.m. at the County of Hawai`i Aupuni Center Conference Room in Hilo. Following the Windward Planning Commission making recommendations, the County Council will hold Ka`u CDP public hearings and take action. With approval, Mayor Harry Kim will sign the Ka`u CDP into law and an Action Committee will be appointed to guide the Ka`u CDP implementation. The Draft Ka`u CDP and the Planning Director's "non-substantive revisions" are available at the site: www.kaucdep.info.

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