The Kaʻū Calendar News Briefs, Hawaiʻi Island

Monday, April 04, 2022

Ka‘ū News Briefs, Monday, April 4, 2022

Free 'ukulele classes for all will be taught by Keoki Sereno in Nāʻālehu each Wednesday at 3:30 p.m. from April 13 to
May 15 with a final Kanikapila on Sunday May 29. See more below.
Photo by Julia Neal

FREE COVID-19 TESTS WILL BE AVAILABLE AT LONG'S DRUG STORES, according to an announcement from Medicare on Monday. While the free tests have yet to reach the Longs in Pahala, they will be free to those with Medicare Part B outpatient coverage. The coverage allows for up to eight free at-home tests per month for older people and those with disabilities with Medicare coverage. The federal government estimates that more than 59 people will be covered. Last week the federal government authorized a second round of booster shotes for people 50 and older, plus those with weakened immune system.
In addition to the Longs-CVS in Kaʻū, on this island, Costco Pharmacy and Walmart will offer the free test kits. This is the first time that Medicare has covered an over-the-counter self-administered test at no cost to beneficiaries. This new initiative enables payment from Medicare directly to participating eligible pharmacies and other health care providers to allow Medicare beneficiaries to receive tests at no cost, in addition to the two sets of four free at-home COVID-19 tests Americans can continue to order from covidtests.gov.

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

THE COUNTY ELECTRONIC WASTE COLLECTION PROGRAM IS SUSPENDED DUE TO LACK OF STATE FUNDS. County of Hawai‘i Department of Environmental Management, Solid Waste Division

announced suspension of its E-Waste Collection Program, effective immediately, with a statement saying, "Therefore, all residents and businesses should make alternate plans for disposal or consider holding on to their e-Waste until the program restarts." E-waste refers to electronics at the end of their useful life, such as televisions, computers, cell phones, radios, fax machines and VCRs. They are considered dangerous to the environment due to toxic chemicals that leach from metals when buried in landfills.
State funding Count of Hawai'i's e-waste collection has been exhausted for Fiscal Year 21-22, and the program is suspended. Residents and businesses may still elect to utilize services provided by Mr. K’s Recycle & Redemption, located in Hilo for a fee. Mr. K’s offers pick-up services for customers with larger quantities of electronics.
According to the statement from the county, its e-waste collection program will be restructured, and a redesigned program will be available to the public again sometime after July 1, 2022. "We apologize for the inconvenience and would like to thank the public for doing their part in responsibly disposing of their e-waste." For more information on available electronics recycling, call Mr. K’s Recycle & Redemption at (808) 969-1222. Also visit www.hawaiizerowaste.org website. Call the county's Solid Waste Division Office at (808) 961-8270.

POLICE ARRESTED 17 MOTORISTS FOR DUI between March 28 and April 3. Of the motorists charged with driving under the influence of an intoxicant, two of the were involved in a traffic accident. Two were under the age of 21. So far this year, there have been 286 DUI arrests compared with 326 during the same period last year. This is a decrease of 12.3 percent.

There have been 187 major accidents so far this year compared with 196 during the same period last year. This is a decrease of 4.6 percent.
To date, there were 10 fatal crashes, resulting in 12 fatalities (one of which had multiple deaths), compared with 7 fatal crashes, resulting in 7 fatalities for the same time last year. This represents is an increase of 42.9 percent for fatal crashes, and 71.4 percent for fatalities.
Police announced that DUI roadblocks and patrols will continue islandwide.

Free 'Ukulele classes will be held
Wednesdays from April 13 at the
Na'alehu Methodist Church Pavilion.
This 'Ukulele Pu'uwai was crafted
by Woodley White

KEOKI SERENO TEACHES A FREE 'UKULELE CLASS for seven weeks beginning Wednesday, April 13. The sessions will be every Wednesday at 3:30 p.m. in the Outdoor Pavilion behind United Methodist Church in Nāʻālehu. A Kanakapila Concert will follow the classses on Sunday May 29 at 11 a.m. at the Pavilion, with refreshments to follow.
Nāʻālehu Methodist's Pastor Woodley White, himself a maker of fine guitars and 'ukulele, said," We welcome children of all ages, from six to 106, to learn how to play 'ukulele and also a little about Hawaiian lifestyle. These classes are free. If you don;t have an 'ukulele, we will provide one to use at no cost. If you would like to take an 'ukulele home to practice, you can sign out a loaner 'ukulele. Also Nāʻālehu Library has loner 'ukulele to borrow."
The Pastor noted that Sereno is a talented player and teacher whose music is featured in many venues in Nāʻālehu, Ocean view and outer Ka'u. The Location of the classes at Nāʻālehu United Methodist Church is 95-5668 Mamalahoa Hwy. For more, call Pastor Woodley White at 808-854-9483 or email jkwhite57@aol.com.

The Hawai'i Philippines Business Economic Council hosts a zoom meeting on the home furnishings business
between Hawai'i and the Philippines on Thursday, April 7 as part of its monthly Talk Story Sessions.

HAWAI'I PHILIPPINES BUSINESS ECONOMIC COUNCIL, which advocates for residents who consider both Hawai'i and the Philippines as home, will hold one of its Talk Story Sessions this Thursday, April 7. The topic is. major import and export enterprise: Home Furnishings & Accessories.

Speakers include Christina Borromeo-Gaston,Creative Director of Hacienda Crafts Company, which has exported since 1996. She is an officer of the Association of Negros Producers, a business support organization, and a trustee of the Cebu Furniture Industries and its Cebu Design Week and Visayas Art Fair. She chairs the Philippines International Furniture Show, alongside other furniture

industry partners and assists with the DTI-Go Negosyo Kapatid Mentor Me Program.

Also featured is Diane Bobek, an award-winning interior designer known for island styles, Hawai'i modern, and coastal. Her grandfather, from Lucban, Quezon was The Rev. Pedro Racelis who came to Hawai'i to minister to Protestant Filipino immigrants in 1920. She specializes in residential, new construction, and remodel/refurbishing of vacation homes.

Jet Yabut is an architect, graduate of the University of the Philippines-Diliman, with an MBA from Waseda University in Tokyo. He has managed multi-million-dollar projects, including high-rise commercial developments and luxury hotels in Singapore and Japan. He designs social spaces and home furnishings. He said his aim is to elevate Filipino furniture design and quality to a level on par with the best available around the world.

See The Ka'u Calendar April edition at
www.kaucalendar.com,
on newsstands and in the mail.

SEE UPCOMING EVENTS IN KAʻŪ & VOLCANO

at http://kaunewsbriefs.blogspot.com/2022/04/upcoming-events-for-kau-and-volcano.html

Sunday, April 03, 2022

Ka‘ū News Briefs, Sunday, April 3, 2022

The late Johnny Lum Ho's halau took first in the Merrie Monarch wahine kahiko competition in 2016.
Photo from Merrie Monarch Festival

JOHNNY LUM HO DIED ON SUNDAY. He was Kumu Hula of Hālau O Ka Ua Kani Lehua on Maka'ala Street in Hilo. He was 81, his halau winner of numerous Merrie Monarch awards. He was also the last of the kumu whose halau have performed at Merrie Monarch since its opening in 1971. He grew up in Keokaha.

Johnny Lum Ho passed away
at 81 on Sunday.

U.S. Congressman Kai Kahele issued the following statement: "Johnny loved to tell stories of Hawaiʻi, its people and places through his unique style of song and dance. He will be remembered for his commitment to perpetuate the Hawaiian culture, in particular, his passion for hula and unsurpassed leadership as a respected kumu. For decades, he and his Hālau O Ka Ua Kani Lehua graced the Merrie Monarch stage with creativity and memorable performances. Maria and I extend our heartfelt condolences to his 'ohana and loved ones. We are grateful for his significant contributions to Hawaiian culture and hula. His legacy will continue through the many lives he touched."
Johnny Lum Ho was known for his compositions, including Can't You Hear Me Calling, which is the title of his album, A He Nani, Sweet Lei Lehua, Ka Pua Loke Lau, Fagatogo and Da Bus Coming.
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-volcan o.

COUNTY HOUSING & COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT'S VIRTUAL RESOURCE FAIR IS MONDAY, April 4th, from 11 a.m. – 12 p.m., and on Tuesday, April 12th, from 9 am – 10 am. This event is free and open to the public.

Mayor Mitch Roth said, “As we begin to emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic, it is imperative that we

have a thriving workforce to support our economic resurgence. We are committed to providing as many resources as possible to uplift our communities and bolster our working class. Together we will rebuild our economy, and we thank our partners for helping to host this virtual resource fair in continued support of our island home.”
Representatives from the American Job Center, Goodwill Industries Hawai'i, Hawai'i Community College, and the State of Hawai'i – Workforce Development will be sharing information about their services. This free, online event provides an excellent opportunity for job seekers and those wanting to learn about educational and skills training programs to hear directly from the program experts.

To participate and receive a link to the meeting, you must register. Session registration for the April 4th event is a https://tinyurl.com/AJCFair2, and for the April 12th event is https://tinyurl.com/AJCFair3. For more information, call (808) 961-8379 or email at ohcdadmin@hawaiicounty.gov.

New members of Kaʻū High School's National Honor Society. The Adnisors in the middle
David and Chayanee Brooks. Photo from Kaʻū High School

NEW MEMBERS OF THE NATIONAL HONOR SOCIETY were inducted last Friday at Kaʻū High School. They are front row: Jasmine K. del Rosario, Cherrise Althea D. Calumpit, Calaysa A. Koi, David Zachary Ramos, Kelson A. Gallano, Morgan S. Pieroint, Hidi T. Vidal and Tayler L Rasmussen. Back row: Danny Edder, Kehionalani Forcum, Amelia M. Urie-Bounos, Erica Tailin, Timmothy S. Moskalenko, Mark Angelo Velsco and Semayah Doil. Advisors are David Brooks and Chayanee Brooks (center front). The National Honor Society was founded in 1921 and involves some 18,000 schools worldwide. Its four pillars are Scholarship, Service Leadership, and Character.

A statement from The National Honor Society says, "In the last 100 years, the face of education has changed immensely in this country. It wasn’t until 1938 that federal law regulated minimum age of employment and capped work hours for children so that they could go to school, and Thurgood Marshall didn’t argue Brown vs. Board of Education to end racial segregation in public schools until 1954.
"The Civil Rights Act didn’t outlaw discrimination based on race, color, sex, religion, or national origin until 1964. And it was only in 1990 that the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) changed terminology from “handicap” to “disability,” and that the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) became law prohibiting discrimination against those with disabilities in all areas—which was especially important in education. But NHS, too, has grown up over the years, increasing access to more and more students and supporting schools in shining a light on the values of Everyday Scholarship, Service, Leadership, and Character."

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

See The Ka'u Calendar March edition at
www.kaucalendar.com,
on newsstands and in the mail.

SEE UPCOMING EVENTS IN KAʻŪ & VOLCANO

at http://kaunewsbriefs.blogspot.com/2022/04/upcoming-events-for-kau-and-volcano.html

Saturday, April 02, 2022

Ka‘ū News Briefs, Saturday, April 2, 2022

Photo on June 24, 2018 shows lava fountains from fissure 8, vigorously supplying lava that exited the cinder cone

and dropped over a spillway to enter a well-published lava channel that extended to the sea in lower Puna. Fissure 8

was the dominant vent during Kīlauea’s 2018 lower East Rift Zone eruption.It was officially named Ahuʻailāʻau in 2021.

USGS image

BIG ON A GLOBAL SCALE WAS THE 2018 KILAUEA VOLCANO ERUPTION. That is the subject of this week's Volcano Watch, written by U.S. Geological Survey Hawaiian Volcano Observatory scientists and affiliates:

The 2018 eruption of Kīlauea volcano had devastating effects on the lower Puna district, destroying hundreds of homes, burying subdivisions, and permanently affecting the lives of thousands of residents. The voluminous lava flow had a major impact on the Island of Hawaiʻi, but how does it compare to other lava flow eruptions on Earth in recent history?

Let’s start with what we know about the size of the 2018 eruption. Recent measurements by U.S. Geological Survey researcher Hannah Dietterich and collaborators using digital elevation models and unoccupied aircraft systems have produced an estimate of the volume of the 2018 lava flow. The high-end estimate is 1.4 cubic kilometers (or about 0.34 cubic miles). The estimate has a range because it is difficult to measure the volume of the lava that poured into the ocean.

Unoccupied Aircraft Systems and digital elevation models helped to determine
the volume of the 2028 eruption of Kilauea. USGS photo

To get a sense of how voluminous the 2018 lava is, imagine a giant cube of lava sitting on the ground that is 0.7 miles tall—or about three times as tall as the Empire State Building. For Island of Hawaiʻi residents, this is about 27 times as tall as Bayshore Towers in Hilo. It turns out, there are only a handful of lava flow eruptions worldwide in the past few hundred years that have produced more than a cubic kilometer (0.24 cubic miles) of lava.
The largest in Hawaiʻi in recent centuries was the Puʻuʻōʻō eruption, which produced 4.4 cubic kilometers (1.1 cubic miles) of lava. However, that eruption lasted 35 years compared to the 4 months of the 2018 LERZ eruption. The Puʻuʻōʻō eruption destroyed 215 structures, compared to over 700 destroyed in the 2018 eruption.
Other large volume lava flows occurred in Russia and Iceland. The Tolbachik eruption of 1975–76, in

The largest volume of lava in Hawaiʻi in recent centuries
came from Puʻuʻōʻō, which produced 4.4 cubic
kilometers (1.1 cubic miles) of lava. USGS photo

Kamchatka, Russia, lasted a year and a half and produced about 2 cubic kilometers (0.48 cubic miles) of lava. In 2014–15, the six-month-long eruption of Bárðarbunga in Iceland produced the Holuhraun lava flow, about 1.4 cubic kilometers (0.34 cubic miles) in volume.
In both the Tolbachik and Bárðarbunga eruptions, the lava flows issued from the flanks of the volcano and triggered subsidence at the summit as the magma chamber drained, similar to what happened in 2018 at Kīlauea. The Tolbachik and Bárðarbunga eruptions occurred in remote areas, with no significant destruction of populated areas.
An eruption in the Canary Islands, Spain, made the list as well. The Lanzarote eruption of 1730–1736 produced 2 cubic kilometers (0.48 cubic miles) of lava and destroyed numerous villages on the flank of the volcano.
The recent eruption of Cumbre Vieja, on La Palma in the Canary Islands, in 2021 was impressive in vigor but we could not yet find published volume estimates for the lava flow. Regardless of the flow volume, the destruction was immense, with about 3,000 buildings destroyed.
Another large eruption happened at Paricutin volcano, in Mexico, in 1943, when a fissure opened in a cornfield and continued erupting for 9 years, producing a lava flow with a volume of 1.6 cubic kilometers (0.38 cubic miles).
None of these eruptions, however, come close to the size and impact of the Laki eruption in Iceland in 1783. Over eight months about 14.7 cubic kilometers (3.5 cubic miles) of lava covered the landscape, destroying several dozen villages. The volcanic gases poisoned livestock and destroyed crops, leading to a major famine in Iceland that killed thousands. It also affected weather in Europe. Ben Franklin, the U.S. ambassador living in France at the time, remarked on how the strange fog that summer may have come from the Iceland volcano.
That giant cube of lava from Laki would be 1.5 miles (2.4 kilometers) tall.
There may be other lava flows greater than one cubic kilometer that we’ve missed in our quick compilation here, but the fact remains these are very rare events. We can see that the 2018 Kīlauea lava flow was among the top lava flow eruptions on Earth in recent centuries. The eruption was not only remarkable in scale for Hawaiʻi, but also worldwide.

What are the takeaways from a compilation like this? Like earthquakes, most lava flows are small, and only a tiny fraction are massive like the ones mentioned here. But even though these large lava flows are rare events, when they occur in populated areas, the impacts can be devastating and long lasting.

Activity continued in Halema‘uma‘u crater, at the summit of Kīlauea over the last week. This photo from Marcy 29 shows spattering at the margin of the active lava lake, along with lava pouring from a small cone in the northeast portion of the
crater floor. USGS image by M. Patrick

Volcano Activity Updates: Kīlauea volcano is erupting. Its USGS Volcano Alert level is at WATCH (https://www.usgs.gov/natural-hazards/volcano-hazards/about-alert-levels). Kīlauea updates are issued daily.
Over the past week, lava has continued to erupt from the western vent within Halemaʻumaʻu crater. All lava is confined within Halemaʻumaʻu crater in Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park. Sulfur dioxide emission rates remain elevated and were last measured at approximately 1,400 tonnes per day (t/d) on March 23, 2022. Seismicity is elevated but stable, with few earthquakes and ongoing volcanic tremor. Summit tiltmeters show relatively little ground deformation over the past week. For more information on the current eruption of Kīlauea, see https://www.usgs.gov/volcanoes/kilauea/recent-eruption.
Mauna Loa is not erupting and remains at Volcano Alert Level ADVISORY. This alert level does not mean that an eruption is imminent or that progression to an eruption from the current level of unrest is certain. Mauna Loa updates are issued weekly.
This past week, about 65 small-magnitude earthquakes were recorded below the summit and upper elevation flanks of Mauna Loa—the majority of these occurred at shallow depths less than 15 kilometers (9 miles) below sea level. Global Positioning System (GPS) measurements show low rates of ground deformation over the past week. Gas concentrations and fumarole temperatures at both the summit and at Sulphur Cone on the Southwest Rift Zone have remained stable over the past week. Webcams show no changes to the landscape. For more information on current monitoring of Mauna Loa, see: https://www.usgs.gov/volcanoes/mauna-loa/monitoring.

DECRIMINALIZATION OF MARIJUANA received two thumbs up votes from Hawai'i Congressmen Kai Kaehele and Ed Case this week. A statement from Kahele;s office said, "U.S. Rep. Kaialiʻi Kahele voted for historic criminal justice reform legislation to advance racial and economic justice. The Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement (MORE) Act will expunge the records of those harmed by cannabis criminalization, create opportunities for all to participate in the legal cannabis industry and decriminalize cannabis at the federal level."

Kai Kahele visits a legal cannabis farm and votes
to federally decriminalize cannabis. Photo from Kahele

Kahele said, “I joined my colleagues in the House and voted in favor of delivering justice for those harmed by decades of unjust federal drug laws. The MORE Act means implementing smarter, fairer cannabis policies for Hawaiʻi. This landmark legislation advances racial, economic and social justice. It opens the door to prosperity for minority-owned cannabis businesses and would federally decriminalize cannabis.”
Despite reform laws passed in 47 states, the enforcement of federal cannabis criminalization continues to "disproportionately harm people of color and hold many back from the benefits of the legal cannabis marketplace," said Kahele's office statement. "People of color are four times more likely to be arrested on cannabis charges – and are often targeted for longer prison sentences. Because prior cannabis convictions bar many individuals from entering the cannabis industry, only one-fifth of cannabis businesses are minority-owned and only four percent of owners are Black."
Similar to previous legislation passed by the Democratic House in 2020, the MORE Act will help ensure that those harmed by criminalization can take full advantage of the legal and growing cannabis industry. In addition to expunging cannabis-related convictions and removing cannabis from the Controlled Substances Act, this legislation establishes the Opportunity Trust Fund to provide loans for small disadvantaged cannabis businesses, promote equitable cannabis licensing programs and fund re-entry services for those harmed by cannabis criminalization. It also prohibits the denial of any federal benefit based on the legal use or possession of cannabis, including housing.

HAWAI'I FARMERS UNION UNITED is urging the public to support bills that go to public hearings on Monday at the Hawai'i Legislature.

SB3197 would establish a Farmer Apprenticeship Mentoring Program and make an appropriation to the Hawaii Department of Agriculture to support it.

SB2989 would require Department of Agriculture to establish a Healthy Soils Program with a Special Fund.

SB3004 would establish and appropriate funds for a compost reimbursement program within the Department of Agriculture and one full-time permanent compost reimbursement program manager position to oversee it. It would require an annual progress report of the program to the legislature prior to each regular session.

SB2865 would authorize issuance of special purpose revenue bonds to assist DIBSHawaii LLC in the construction of a net-zero carbon capture storage utilization platform that will recover vented carbon dioxide emissions and scrub and liquify them into food grade liquid carbon dioxide.

To submit testimony, go to https://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/

See The Ka'u Calendar April edition at
www.kaucalendar.com,
on newsstands and in the mail.

SEE UPCOMING EVENTS IN KAʻŪ & VOLCANO

at http://kaunewsbriefs.blogspot.com/2022/04/upcoming-events-for-kau-and-volcano.html

About The Kaʻū Calendar

Monday, April 04, 2022

Ka‘ū News Briefs, Monday, April 4, 2022

Sunday, April 03, 2022

Ka‘ū News Briefs, Sunday, April 3, 2022

Saturday, April 02, 2022

Ka‘ū News Briefs, Saturday, April 2, 2022