The Kaʻū Calendar News Briefs, Hawaiʻi Island

Wednesday, March 23, 2022

Ka‘ū News Briefs, Wednesday, March 23, 2022

Sen. Brian Schatz with the late Madeleine Albright and Sen. Chris Coons. Schatz praised Albright today and explained that she is family to him. Albright's daughter is married to Schatz's brother. Photo from twitter.

"MADELEINE ALBRIGHT'S STORY IS AN INSPIRATION TO MANY IN HAWAI'I," said Gov. Ige today, after the announcement of her death at age 84.
"She was a refugee and immigrant who believed in the ideals of our nation and dedicated her life to upholding them. Her leadership as the nation's top diplomat and first female Secretary of State changed the course of world history. During her years of unwavering service, she was a source of inspiration to women and girls everywhere. Dawn and I send our deepest condolences to her family and loved ones," said the governor.

Sen. Brian Schatz knew Albright as family and tweeted: "Madeleine Albright is a towering figure in American and world history, but I knew her as family. She is my oldest brother’s mother in law, and when I came to Washington, we became friends. Actual friends. She was thrilled to have a politician in the family, and wanted to help without casting a long shadow, so she discreetly asked her friend Sen. Barbara Mikulski to keep an eye out for me."
Schatz described Albright as "a tireless and sharp political strategist, the kind of person who would watch CSPAN for fun, who was endlessly fascinated by politics at all levels, from municipal elections to the United Nations. I remember all of our long talks about everything, but mostly about our two shared loves, family and politics over a meal, which she would let me pay for occasionally.

"But most of all I will remember Grandma Maddie, who was kind and curious with my kids, taking us out to dinner in Georgetown, and being one of the most giving, decent human beings that I have ever known. May her memory be a blessing."
Albright spoke at a League of Conservation Voters Action Fund fundraising breakfast for Schatz in 2013. Both Albright and Schatz served on the board of the Harry S. Truman Scholarship Foundation. According to a Civil Beat report, contributions to Schatz campaigns have come from Albright herself as well as Albright Capital Management executive Gregory Bowes, Wyoming rancher Joe Albright, Katie Albright, and Schatz's brother, San Francisco attorney Jacob Schatz.

Brian Schatz has recommended the reading of Madeleine Albrights' book, Fascism, A Warning.

Read My Pins was a slogan of the late Madeline Albright, who who loved and wore images of turtles. Photo from Department

of State's National Museum of Diplomacy. See https://readmypins.state.gov/see-the-pins/

To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see www.facebook.com/kaucalendar/. See latest print edition at www.kaucalendar.com. See upcoming events at https://kaunewsbriefs.blogspot.com/2022/03/upcoming-events-for-kau-and-volcano.html

NEW ELECTRIC BUSES SUPPORTED BY A CHARGING NETWORK, along with new hydrogen buses, are in the future of the county's Hele-On fleet, according to a plan brought to the County Council on Tuesday. The county is planning to transition away from leasing buses from transportation companies as it builds its fleet, with the arrival of 26 vehicles ranging from 26 to 45 feet long in 2023, followed by 18 in 2024. One hydrogen bus was scheduled to arrive on Wednesday.
With 55 vehicles and free ridership, the county aims to attract more people to forgo their private vehicles for public transportation.

New transportation chief for Hawai'i County,

John Andoh. Photo from Hele On

County Council Chair Maile David said after the meeting: "It's a huge step in the right direction, building back the county's mass transit system with electric and hydrogen busses will begin to address historical maintenance challenges and antiquated equipment issues. More importantly, it is good for our environment. The expertise of Mass Transit Administrator John Andoh has moved Mass Transit forward and has begun the much talked about, and critical goal, of becoming less dependent on fossil fuels and thee goal of moving this county forward with environmentally efficient methods with respect to public transportation."
Andoh, who assumed the county's top transportation post in early January, presented the mass transit master plan to County Council's Committee on Public Works & Mass Transportation. He said that five of the electric buses plus solar voltaic charging stations at Hilo baseyard, Mo'oheau bus station and Puna Kai shopping center will be operated through a state contract with Sustainability Partners, LLC. Five additional electric buses will come through a federal grant. According to the plan, which requires Council approval, Sustainability Partners will receive income from the county for their buses, maintenance and for building out and running the charging stations to serve some 20 electric buses.
With he busses running at no cost to riders, the county will pay for public transportation using income from general excise taxes. The goal is to use solar and hydrogen to eventually get the fleet off fossil fuel and avoid drawing electricity from the grid to run the buses. Another proposal presented by Andoh to the County Council is approval of accepting a dozen buses being retired from the City & County of Honolulu as a stopgap along the way to fossil-fuel free transportation.

HAWAIIAN ELECTRIC'S SHARED SOLAR PROJECT PROPOSALS, due in May, got another boost at the County Council committee meetings on Tuesday during discussion on soaring electric bills and a review of the status of alternative energies on this island. See the March 11 Ka'u News Briefs story on Shared Solar opportunities at http://kaunewsbriefs.blogspot.com/2022_03_11_archive.html

COUNTY COVID TESTING EVENTS WILL SHUT DOWN THIS WEEK, according to a statement from the county on Wednesday. "The decision comes as on-island case counts and hospitalizations related to COVID have drastically decreased, significantly reducing community need for largescale testing sites. Additionally, the suspension will supplement the sunsetting of Governor Ige's Emergency Proclamation related to COVID-19, which will end Friday, March 25, at 11:59 pm.
"However, some private vendors may maintain COVID-19 testing operations islandwide, and the County of Hawaiʻi Civil Defense Administration will maintain its database on alternative testing locations, which may be found at hawaiicounty.gov/testing."

SEE UPCOMING EVENTS IN KAʻŪ & VOLCANO

at https://kaunewsbriefs.blogspot.com/2022/03/upcoming-events-for-kau-and-volcano.html.

See March edition of The Kaʻū Calendar newspaper at

www.kaucalendar.com

Tuesday, March 22, 2022

Ka‘ū News Briefs, Tuesday, March 22, 2022

Native Hawaiian plant Heliotropium curassavicum and ilima.
USGS photo by James D. Jacovi, Pacific Island Ecosystems Research Center

APRIL IS NATIONAL NATIVE PLANT MONTH, as proclaimed in a bi-partisan resolution by U.S.
Senators Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI) and Rob Portman (R-OH). The resolution recognizes the importance of native plants to environmental conservation and restoration as well as supporting a diversity of wildlife.
“Native plants are an important piece of Hawai'i’s history, culture, and environment. As home to 44 percent of our country’s threatened and endangered plant species, in Hawai'i, we understand the importance of protecting and preserving our native biodiversity. I’m pleased to introduce this bipartisan resolution to recognize April as National Native Plant Month and encourage all Americans to protect and

Native Hawaiian plant Ka'u Silversword. USGS Photo

incorporate native plants in their own communities,” said Hirono.
The Republican Senator from Ohio said, “I am proud to introduce this bipartisan resolution designating April 2022 as National Native Plant Month. From stabilizing soil and filtering air and water to providing shelter and food for wildlife, native plants play an indispensable role in supporting resilient ecosystems as well as in our everyday lives. This bipartisan resolution highlights the importance of native plants and celebrates our rich ecological heritage here in Ohio and across the nation.”

Supporters of Native Plant Month include: Ohio Native Plant Month, Arizona Native Plant Society, Aullwood Audubon, Cincinnati Nature Center, Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden, Colorado Native Plant Society, Cuyahoga Soil & Water Conservation District, Davey Resource Group, Inc, Dawes Arboretum, Denver Botanic Gardens, Florida Native Plant Society, The Garden Club of America, Great Healthy Yard Project, Keep America Beautiful, Klyn Nurseries, Inc., Lake Erie Allegheny Partnership, Lani-Kailua Branch of the Outdoor Circle, Longwood Gardens, Medina County Park District, National Audubon Society, National Parks Conservation Association, National Wildlife Federation, Native Plant Society of Northeastern Ohio, Native Plant Society of Oregon, Nature Conservancy, Nature Scoop, New York Botanical Garden, North Carolina Botanical Garden, Ohio Environmental Council, Pollinator Partnership, Great Lakes Region, Summit Soil and Water Conservation District, University of Delaware, Utah Native Plant Society, Virginia Native Plant Society, Weed Wrangle®, Western Reserve Land Conservancy, Wild Ones: Native Plants, Audubon Society of Ohio, Civic Garden Center, California Native Plant Society, Keep Ohio Beautiful, Montana

Native Hawaiian plant Heliotropium curassavicum and Naupaka

USGS Photo from Pacific Island Ecosystem Research Center

Native Hawaiian plant Dicranopteris linearis. USGS Photo
by James D. Jacobi Pacific Island Ecosystem Research Center

Native Plant Society, Native Plant Society of New Jersey, The Wilderness Center, Washington Native Plant Society, Save Ohio Bees, Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District, Coventry Township (Summit County, OH).

Garden Club of America President Debbie Oliver said her organization "commends Senators Portman and Hirono for the passage of a renewal resolution to designate April as National Native Plant Month. Since all life on earth depends on the health of our planet, and plants are the foundation of life, legislation of this type is very important. Our ecosystems benefit from native plants – stabilizing soil, filtering water, cleaning air, and supporting pollinators and wildlife. The GCA is committed to preserving and expanding our system of richly varied natural habitats and protecting native plant biodiversity. This official designation will create an opportunity to educate gardeners about the benefits of using native plants and, hopefully, result in more native plants being introduced into local landscapes.”

Assistant Professor Rebecca Chong explores lava tube caves on Hawaiʻi Island. Photo by Megan Porter

LAVA TUBES ON HAWAI'I ISLAND, MANY OF THEM IN KA'U, are the focus of a four-year, $1.29-million grant from the National Science Foundation. The funding has been awarded to University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa researchers from the School of Life Sciences to study subterranean biodiversity associated with lava tubes in Hawaiʻi. The grant was awarded to Assistant Professor Rebecca Chong and Associate Professor Megan Porter, and collaborator Professor Annette Engel at the University of Tennessee-Knoxville.

Associate Professor Megan Porter searches
for cave-adapted arthropods in a lava tube cave
on Hawai'i Island. Photo by Michael E. Slay

“With significant potential to discover more subterranean diversity, we will conduct systematic biological surveys of lava tubes on Hawaiʻi Island to compare arthropod species diversity and ecological roles across different volcanoes,” said Chong. “Our research will uncover important ecosystem-level feedbacks between the surface and subsurface that explain how Hawaiian subterranean ecosystems form.”
On Hawaiʻi Island, continuous volcanic activities over hundreds of thousands of years created subterranean habitats, known as lava tubes, that are of different geologic ages. The lava tubes are occupied by communities of cave-adapted arthropod species, such as planthoppers, millipedes and spiders, which are sustained by the roots of the native ʻōhiʻa tree.
The lava tube species on Hawaiʻi Island are found nowhere else in the world. Ecological threats facing lava tubes are similar to threats facing native forests and other Hawaiian ecosystems, including urbanization, climate change, biodiversity loss, and the spread of invasive species and pathogens, such as Rapid ʻŌhiʻa Death.
Recent exploration of lava tubes on Hawaiʻi Island by the team and their collaborators has already uncovered species that are new to science and new distributions for species underground in different lava flows across the island.

Newly-described cave beetle species Paratachys aaa occupies
the dark zone of recently developed lava tube caves on
Hawaiʻi Island. Photo by Michael E. Slay

The project also has important outreach goals that include educating both the next generation of diverse scientists and the public about integrative biological research, including collaborative training for students and researchers, year-long cross-disciplinary research internships for undergraduate students, and public outreach programs for the local community with researchers at the Bernice Pauahi Bishop Museum.

FIFTEEN MOTORISTS WERE ARRESTED FOR DUI during the week of March 14 through March 20. Hawai`i Island police arrested the 15 for driving under the influence of an intoxicant. Three of the drivers were involved in a traffic accident. One of the drivers was under the age of 21.

So far this year, there have been 250 DUI arrests compared with 281 during the same period last year, a decrease of 11.03 percent.
There have been 158 major accidents so far this year compared with 167 during the same period last year, a decrease of 5.4 percent.
To date, there were eight fatal crashes, resulting in 10 fatalities (one of which had multiple deaths), compared with six fatal crashes, resulting in six fatalities for the same time last year. This represents is an increase of 33.3 percent for fatal crashes, and 66.7 DUI roadblocks and patrols will continue island wide.

SEE UPCOMING EVENTS IN KAʻŪ & VOLCANO

at https://kaunewsbriefs.blogspot.com/2022/03/upcoming-events-for-kau-and-volcano.html.

See March edition of The Kaʻū Calendar newspaper at

www.kaucalendar.com

Monday, March 21, 2022

Ka‘ū News Briefs, Monday, March 21, 2022

Hawai‘i Institute of Marine Biology will explore the potential use of engineered coral reef “living shoreline” approaches
for coastal protection and restoration, with new federal funding approved last week. See more below on federal
funding for University of Hawai'i. Photo from Hawai'i Institute of Marine Biology

SEN. MAZIE HIRONO GAVE OPENING REMARKS ON CONFIRMATION OF U.S. SUPREME COURT NOMINEE KETANJI BROWN JACKSON on Monday. Hirono highlighted Jackson's extensive professional qualifications, her personal background, and the historic nature of her nomination to be the first Black woman ever to serve on the Supreme Court.
"Your experiences and your background as a trial court judge, a public defender, a mother, a Black woman, and so much more—provide you with a uniquely different perspective than any of the eight other Justices on the Court," said Hirono. "Like your mentor Justice Breyer, I know you will engage with the other justices—both liberal and conservative to share these perspectives, challenge their views, and shape the Court's direction for the better. With the personal and professional diversity you bring, you will expand the experience and knowledge of the Court and the decisions the Court makes will be better as a result."

Sen. Mazie Hirono and U.S. Supreme Court nominee Ketanji Brown Jackson. Hirono gave
opening remarks on Monday during the first day of hearings before the Senate Judiciary
Committee. Photo from Office of Sen. Mazie Hirono

Hirono also spoke to Jackson's track-record as a fair and impartial jurist with a commitment to the Constitution and the rule of law. "You are an accomplished jurist, having issued nearly 600 opinions that demonstrate a clear, even-handed approach to the law," Hirono continued. "You have sided with workers and with employers, for and against the government, and for prosecutors and for criminal defendants."

Hirono said,
"Former D.C. Circuit Judge Thomas Griffith, a George W. Bush appointee, summed it up best when he said you 'will adjudicate based on the facts and the law and not as a partisan.' Having reviewed your record, I strongly agree with that statement."
Hirono's full remarks can be viewed at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GP3Ifh3S8ms.
A statement from Hirono's office noted that Jackson has many accomplishments throughout her life and career: national champion in speech and debate as a high schooler; undergraduate and law degrees from Harvard—each with honors; three clerkships in federal court, including one at the Supreme Court for Justice Breyer, the retiring judge she would replace; an accomplished career as a lawyer at the trial and appellate level, both in private practice and as a public defender; two stints at the U.S. Sentencing Commission, including as Vice Chair; nine years as a federal judge—first in the D.C. District Court and then on the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals.

To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see www.facebook.com/kaucalendar/. See latest print edition at www.kaucalendar.com. See upcoming events at https://kaunewsbriefs.blogspot.com/2022/03/upcoming-events-for-kau-and-volcano.html

MAYOR MITCH ROTH INVITES STUDENTS TO ENTER THE YOUNG ARTISTS AND AUTHORS SHOWCASE. It is an annual contest that encourages youth worldwide to express the mission of Sister Cities International through original artwork, literature, photography, and music. This year's theme is Generation Rescue: Sustainable Water for All. Deadline for submission is April 1.
The County of Hawaiʻi is a member of Sister Cities International, which aims to promote peace through mutual respect, understanding, and cooperation – one individual, one community at a time. Submissions

are centered around an annual theme and judged based on creativity, composition, and theme interpretation. A statement from the mayor's office says, "Sustainable Water for All, given climate change, has become an undeniably harsh reality in our lives, making the importance of raising awareness and taking action more essential every day. As temperatures rise, water patterns are disrupted, ecosystems are disturbed, cultures are affected, and energy resources are proven to be unsustainable for long-term use. "These ongoing changes impact our local and global communities in every aspect, and youth are the key to tackling this global reality."
The mayor said, "Participating in this contest will be a great opportunity for our young artists to showcase their skills while simultaneously promoting the conservation of our precious water resources. We have a lot of really great talent here on our island, and we are excited to share that talent with the world."
Selected grand prize winners in each category will win a $1,000 prize, second place winners will win $250, and third place winners will be awarded $100. In addition, winners' artwork will be displayed on the Sister Cities Website after the winners are announced during the Youth Leadership Summit. There is NO fee to submit an entry to YAAS at the national office. Students must be 13-18 years old to participate. Students interested in participating should call Jane Clement, Sister Cities Protocol Officer for the County of Hawaiʻi, at 323-4441. More information is available at www.sistercities.org.

The Education for Native Hawaiians Program at U.H. will receive $38.9 million. Photo from U.H.

HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS OF DOLLARS IN FEDERAL FUNDING was recently approved by congress for the ten-campus University of Hawai'i system. Its research program alone will receive $500 million. Congressman Ed Case said today that not only is U.H. "our flagship institution of higher education," it has been "regularly ranked as one of the top research universities in the world.”

U.H. Pres. David Lassner’s recent report to the UH Board of Regents referred to the federal funding as "an excellent year for UH." He thanked Hawai‘i's Congressional delegation "all of whom have been actively working on behalf of the State of Hawai‘i and the University of Hawai‘i with programs that will really help us serve our communities on every island.”

Lassner also reported that UH was on track to a record-breaking research funding year, with $397 million year-to-date and a projected $500 million total.”

H.R. 2471, the Consolidated Appropriations Act 2022, was passed by Congress and signed into law by the President earlier this month. Provisions of specific relevance to UH funding include: Low-income and Minority Serving Institutions; the maximum Pell Grant award, increased by $400, to $6,895, for the 2022–23 academic year, the biggest increase to the Pell maximum in more than a decade; $10.9 million for the Strengthening Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-Serving Institutions program, a $5.8-million increase from federal Fiscal Year (FY) 2021, which runs from Oct. 1, 2021 to Sept. 30, 2022.

Other federal programs received increases including the Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant, Federal Work Study, TRIO, GEAR UP and the Graduate Assistance in Areas of National Need programs. Funding of $38.9 million will go for the Education for Native Hawaiians program, an increase of $1.5 million from FY 2021; and $4 million for the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Education Grants for Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Institutions program, an increase of $806,000 from FY 2021, the first increase the program has received in years.

A $5 million increase goes to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s Minority University Research and Education Project, which has been directed to utilize funds to connect science, Indigenous culture and community at minority-serving higher education institutions, including Native Hawaiian-serving institutions. A $1 million increase, for a total of $3 million, was provided for the Center for Indigenous Innovation and Health Equity, a partnership between UH, Oklahoma State University and the University of Alaska. The measure encourages Office of the Director in the National Institutes of Health to prioritize the research needs of Native Hawaiians and to partner with entities that have a proven record of working closely with Native Hawaiian communities and organizations to allow for the development of NIH researchers.

UH Programs include $1 million for the UH Hilo ʻImiloa Astronomy Center for the Hale Pōhaku Exhibition and Planetarium Expansion; $1 million for Asia-Pacific Microgrid Development and Training through Hawaiʻi Natural Energy Institute, a unit of the UH Mānoa School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology; $1 million for a Strategic Center for Indo-Pacific Studies in the UH Mānoa School of Pacific and Asian Studies; and $1 million for a Rural Health Research Center in the UH System Office of Strategic Health Initiatives.

'Imiloa will receive $1 million for its Hale Pōhaku Exhibition and Planetarium
Expansion. Photo from U.H.

Funding of $900,000 will go to a new post-harvest processing facility at MAʻO Organic Farms, a UH partner, to provide more locally produced foods in the community while expanding their youth internship program, training and other educational opportunities through UH.

Funding of $200,000 for the Hawaiʻi Institute of Marine Biology, a unit of UH Mānoa SOEST, for the Nature-Based Coral Reef Features for Coastal Protection project.

The act also funds a $3-million increase for the U.S. Geological Survey Volcano Hazards Program, which provides continuing support to the UH Hilo Center for the Study of Active Volcanos; a $7-million increase for the Energy Transitions Initiative, which helps remote and island communities design their own resilience and clean energy solutions; and $2.5-million increase in the Alternative Energy Research program, which supports the UH Hawaiʻi Natural Energy Institute and climate resiliency work in SOEST.

Funding of $7.5 million will go for a new program called Resilient Innovative Sustainable Economies via University Partnerships will support a collaboration between universities in isolated and island states with expertise in energy, marine and blue economy technologies to diversify their state economies.

Funding of $1.2 million will go to coffee leaf rust research; and $1 million for science-based pest management strategies for invasive insect species that affect tropical grazing lands.

Case said the federal funding measure also included his request for $1 million to fund rural health

initiatives for the University of Hawai‘i and $200,000 for the Hawai‘i Institute of Marine Biology. The funding came through Congress’ Community Project Funding process. Using the CPF, the Rural Health Research Center will focus on rural health workforce policy and health equity in its Office of Strategic Health Initiatives to conduct high-quality and policy-relevant research and develop policy recommendations to improve rural health care in Hawaiʻi. This project is part of the existing UHealthy Hawaiʻi initiative and in partnership with key local rural health stakeholders.

The Nature-Based Coral Reef Features for Coastal Protection project at the Hawai‘i Institute of Marine Biology will explore the potential use of engineered coral reef “living shoreline” approaches for coastal protection and restoration. This project will pilot bio-enhancing concrete materials, textures and shapes (e.g. eco-concrete, composite pumice, or carbon infused concrete) on small sections of seawall at the institute to promote habitat for native organisms including corals, other invertebrates and fish, to achieve ecofriendly designs that simultaneously restore reef habitat and protect the shoreline.

SEE UPCOMING EVENTS IN KAʻŪ & VOLCANO

at https://kaunewsbriefs.blogspot.com/2022/03/upcoming-events-for-kau-and-volcano.html.

See March edition of The Kaʻū Calendar newspaper at

www.kaucalendar.com

About The Kaʻū Calendar

Wednesday, March 23, 2022

Ka‘ū News Briefs, Wednesday, March 23, 2022

Tuesday, March 22, 2022

Ka‘ū News Briefs, Tuesday, March 22, 2022

Monday, March 21, 2022

Ka‘ū News Briefs, Monday, March 21, 2022