Ka`u News Briefs April 26, 2011

The Ninole Hills, as seen from Hwy 11, include Makanau and are proposed as part of the Scenic Byway.
Photo by Julia Neal

SEVENTEEN SITES AND TURNOFFS along Hwy 11 have been nominated by a committee of community members proposing Hwy 11 as a State Scenic Byways route through Ka`u. The scenic route would run from Manuka State Park to the Volcano entrance to Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park. 

Maile Street in Pahala leads to Hwy 11.

Kula Kai Caverns

     The suggested locations were presented last night at a Ka`u Chamber of Commerce meeting in Ocean View. They are: Manuka State Park; Kula Kai Caverns turnoff; Pali o Kulani lookout and Kahuku Ranch; Robert Brown Memorial near mile marker 71; Kahuku Section of Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park; South Point Road turnoff; Plantation Road turnoff in Na`alehu (Ka`alaiki Road); Honu`apo Overlook; Whittington Beach turnoff; Ninole Hills, Punalu`u turnoff, Pahala turnoff at Maile Street, Coastal Overlook near mile marker 48, Kapapala Ranch, Ka`u Desert Trail turnout, Mauna Loa Road turnoff and Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park entrance. The suggested name for the scenic route is Slopes of Mauna Loa.

A NEW GYM AND COMMUNITY SHELTER for Pahala is close to being funded at the state Legislature, according to County Council member Brittany Smart. The initial planned site for the gym would be in the open area where the green campus and open fields are located, providing an ocean view and parking for school events. The building would cost around $20 million and would be funded through a state bond. 

Marc Alexander, the new state Homeless Coordinator, is
 former vicar general of the Catholic Church in Hawai`i.

A NEW HOMELESS HOTLINE has been set up for the Big Island. Those wanting to assist the homeless with shelter, food and other services can call HOPE Services at 935-3050. The program to help the homeless was announced yesterday, with contact numbers on all islands, by Gov. Neil Abercrombie and his Coordinator on Homeless, Marc Alexander. “In Hawai`i, we have a natural inclination to want to help others, but when it comes to homelessness, sometimes people are unsure of how they can contribute,” said Abercrombie. 

     Persons wishing to help someone who may be suffering from homelessness must provide the following information: location and time when the homeless individual is known to frequent the area; detailed description of the individual or group; and caller’s contact information. After a report is made, an outreach team will be assigned to visit the person. Calls can be placed 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Emergency situations or illegal activity should be reported to the police.
     For more information on HOPE Services Hawai`i, visit hopeserviceshawaii.org. The organization manages an emergency drop-in night shelter, homeless and transitional shelters and emergency and affordable housing programs. It also sponsors a reintegration program for those returning to the community following incarceration.

THE VALUE OF YOUR PROPERTY may have gone down, according to county tax assessments. The county is looking at a four percent drop in the value of all real property on the island, following its recent assessments for tax purposes. The drop in value will be considered when the county budget is finalized and sometimes leads to a proposal to raise the property tax rate to make up for the shortfall.
     County Council member Pete Hoffmann said he believes that some commercial and resort properties are getting huge property tax breaks and that the entire valuation system should be reviewed and adjusted to make sure it is fair to everyone. The Associated Press recently reported that one prime commercial property in Kona pays no taxes, as the valuation went from $9.9 million to $100.
     Mayor Billy Kenoi releases his new budget on May 5.

RANGER JASON ZIMMER, SR. shares the art of making poi, or ku`i kalo, tomorrow from 10 a.m. to noon on the lanai of Kilauea Visitor Center in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park. Park entrance fees apply.

The 2010 Ka`u Coffee Recipe Contest drew a large crowd.

THE DEADLINE FOR ENTRIES for the Ka`u Coffee recipe contest has been extended to Saturday, May 7. Categories include desserts, appetizers or pupus and entrees. Applications are available online at www.kaucoffeefest.com. Contact Michelle Galimba at 430-4927 or mgalimba@kuahiwiranch.com for more information.

COUNCIL MEMBER BRITTANY SMART holds a District 6 Matters meeting Thursday at 7 p.m. at Cooper Center in Volcano. Fire Chief Darryl Oliveira answers questions from the public about Fire Department issues and services.

KA`U SCHOOL OF THE ARTS hosts the Spring Fling at Punalu`u Bake Shop this Saturday, April 30. The event features over three dozen artists and a full day of entertainment beginning at 9 a.m. The Na`alehu Civic Club Singers, the Ka`u `Ohana Band, Hands of Time, Keoki Kahumoku and others will perform at the new pavilion. Surrounding the pavilion, Ka`u artists and artisans will display their creations and offer them for sale, give demonstrations and lead art activities.

Ka`u News Briefs April 25, 2011

Sen. Gil Kahele launches his social media sites tomorrow to keep in touch with his constituents. He is seen here with Miss Ka`u Coffee Brandy Shibuya (r) and First Princess Jaeneise Cuison.  Photo by Julia Neal

KA`U’S STATE SENATOR GIL KAHELE will launch a new website tomorrow to help him stay in contact with the large population of his Senate District II. Kahele can often be seen stopping in at community events as he drive from his home in Hilo to his birthplace in Miloli`i when he has time off from the Legislature. The district is so big he wants to keep in contact online, too. While preferring to meet people face to face, Kahele said that social media provides a valuable way to interact and listen to the unique communities he represents. The website will include his latest news, priorities for the district, tracking the bills he sponsors and supports, a calendar of his activities and scheduled monthly live web chats when constituents can talk story with the senator.
     See http://www.senatorkahele.com and watch the live streaming of the launch on Tuesday at 6 p.m.

ONE JOURNEY is back at school on the Ka`u High School campus after battling bands from across the state to take home the coveted Brown Bags to Stardom trophy. The band was set to perform this morning during recess at the school for an overwhelming spontaneous homecoming welcome. The eight performers traveled to Honolulu accompanied by two chaperones. One Journey competed against 20 high school finalists on O`ahu.
     Producer Johnny Kai said he plans to soon come to Ka`u to visit this district of talented young people and their `ohana.

Miss Ka`u Coffee Pageant director Gloria Camba and
  her partner Rogelio Aquino.  Photo by Julia Neal

WINNERS OF THE MISS KA`U COFFEE PAGEANT are already gearing up for their first public appearance. It will be this Saturday at the Merrie Monarch Parade in Hilo. The 2011 Ka`u Coffee Queen Brandy Shibuya will be accompanied by her court, first Princess Janeise Cuison and Second Princess Brandy Eder. Also representing Ka`u Coffee in the parade will be Miss Ka`u Peaberry Rebecca Lynn-Kailiawa Escobar and Young Miss Ka`u Coffee Dayse Meleani Andrade. The two floats are sponsored by the Ka`u Coffee Growers Cooperative. The sold-out pageant drew many scholarship contributions and was emceed by Kahikina and KAHU public radio’s own Deevah. 

     Pageant director Gloria Camba said that all the work was worthwhile since so much of the community participated and enjoyed supporting the talent and education of Ka`u youth. 

Top Hawai`i winner at the SCAA Bull Kailiawa works with a volunteer volleyball
 team on new coffee fields along Hwy 11 at Pahala.  Photo by Julia Neal

IN OTHER COFFEE NEWS, Bull Kailiawa, who kept Ka`u in the top ten of coffees worldwide in the recent SCAA competition, noted that all three of the Ka`u Coffee SCAA winners in the last five years are former plantation workers who were leased land by the sugar plantation when it shut down in 1996. Kailiawa said the three have been like brothers, working in the fields and as truck and crane operators in the sugar industry, then helping each other out on their coffee farms. Kailiawa has scored in the top ten internationally two times, Willie Tabios twice, and Manuel Marques once in five straight years of Ka`u Coffee making a name for Hawai`i at the annual Coffee of the Year event. Kailiawa heads for Texas this week to serve up Ka`u Coffee at a pavilion showing off the winners at the Houston Convention Center. 

Volunteers pull weeds at the coffee farm along Hwy 11 in Pahala to raise funds to go to nationals.  Photo by Julia Neal

EIGHT YOUNG KA`U VOLLEYBALL PLAYERS are raising money for airfare to join the Southside Junior Boys Volleyball Team, which is traveling to Minneapolis, Minnesota for international competition. Southside has been extremely successful over the past two years, finishing as the highest USA Team in the national tournament. Southside Junior Boys finished seventh and eighth in the last two years, only outplayed by international teams from Puerto Rico and Brazil. The Southside Boys program is the only Junior Boys program in this county and has opened its roster to players from around the island to give boys who love volleyball a chance to compete. 

Jack and Kobe Moses help clean up the
coffee farm along Hwy 11 in Pahala.
Photo by Julia Neal

     This year Southside Volleyball Club is taking three teams to the nationals. Ka`u boys Brian Gascon, Kameron Moses, Nai`a Makuakane, Avery and Addie Enriques, Kai Enriques, Emmett Enriques and Grant Galimba are all working hard to raise funds for the trip. The team has participated in car washes, weed pulling at the new coffee farm along Hwy 11 in Pahala, hosting volleyball tournaments, a Zumba Jamboree, bake sales and BBQ plate sales. The boys are selling miniature anthurium plants through Katherine Okamura at 895-2550. 

     The team is open to anyone willing to donate or provide opportunities to work to earn money for their trip. They will participate in the Kamehameha Schools Ho`olaule`a in Kea`au on Saturday, May 7; the Ka`u Coffee Festival on Saturday, May 14; produce another fundraiser at the Ka`u Family Fun Fest in Na`alehu on Saturday, June 11; and host a BBQ Plate Fundraiser at KTA in Hilo on Sunday, June 12. To help, call Katherine at 895-2550 or Guy Enriques at 217-2253.

The famous Honu`apo lookout on Hwy 11 shows pole
fishermen camped on top of the cliffs.  Photo by Julia Neal

THE SCENIC BYWAYS PROGRAM for Ka`u is taking shape with a formal proposal sent to the federal government. A meeting sponsored by the Ka`u Chamber of Commerce will be held tonight at Ocean View Community Center at 6:30 p.m., and the public is invited. A committee studying the proposal has come up with a number of suggestions, including that all of Hwy 11 passing through Ka`u be nominated as a State Scenic Byway. The suggested theme is The Slopes of Mauna Loa. The nomination papers emphasize that Ka`u has the longest sections of untouched highway in the state. “We hope that designation will help preservation efforts,” said committee member Dennis Elwell. The nomination listed 17 sites and turnoffs between Manuka Park and the Volcano entrance to Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park. 

     The committee drawing up the plan has included chair Marge Elwell, Dallas Decker, John Replogle, Dan Taylor, council member Brittany Smart, Dennis Elwell, Rell Woodward, Lora Gale, Laura Schuster, Doug Sensenig, Blossom DaSilva and Kenny Joyce. The Scenic Byways program will help provide for planning for more scenic overlooks, turnouts and signage to educate and celebrate the beauty and history of Ka`u.

MARK YOU CALENDARS FOR THE SPRING FLING at Punalu`u Bake Shop this Saturday, April 30. Ka`u School of the Arts hosts the event that features over three dozen artists and a full day of entertainment beginning at 9 a.m. The Na`alehu Civic Club Singers, the Ka`u `Ohana Band, Hands of Time, Keoki Kahumoku and others will perform at the new pavilion. Surrounding the pavilion, Ka`u artists and artisans will display and offer their creations for sale, give demonstrations and lead art activities.

DO YOU HAVE YOUR KA`U COFFEE RECIPE ready for the Ka`u Coffee Festival recipe contest on Saturday, May 14? The deadline for entries has been extended to Saturday, May 7. Applications are available online at www.kaucoffeefest.com. Contact Michelle Galimba at 430-4927 or mgalimba@kuahiwiranch.com for more information.

Ka`u News Briefs April 24, 2011

Miss Ka`u Coffee Brandy Shibuya shares the spotlight with Young Miss Ka`u Coffee Dayse Meleani Andrade and
Miss Ka`u Peaberry Rebecca Lynn Kailiawa-Escobar.  Photos by Julia Neal

LAST NIGHT WAS A WINNING NIGHT for the youth of Ka`u with the band from Ka`u High School, One Journey, winning the statewide Brown Bags to Stardom and Brandy Shibuya, Dayse Meleani Andrade and Rebecca Lynn Kailiawa-Escobar taking the Ka`u Coffee Pageant titles. 

BRANDY SHIBUYA became Miss Ka`u Coffee last night after performing a hula to Poliahu. “It has always been a dream of mine to represent Hawai`i and make a difference in the world,” she said. She described her home of Ka`u as “over 922 square miles of rich sacred land, holding the most powerful Hawaiian history.” She said she is “intrigued by its cultural diversity and natural beauty.” 

First Miss Ka`u Coffee Princess Janeise Cuison, Miss Ka`u Coffee Brandy Shibuya
and Second Miss Ka`u Coffee Princess Brandy Eder

     First Ka`u Coffee Princess, Janeise Cuison, danced Tahitian. She said she has a “passion for volleyball, baking assorted desserts and spending time at the beach with family.” She plans to become a nurse and “help the needy and the sick in our community.”
     Second Princess is Brandy Eder, who performed her own piano composition. She said she would love to be a doctor. “What I love the most about Ka`u is the aloha spirit, the way everyone is like family.” She said she wants to help solve the problem of domestic abuse, especially identifying teens with physical and verbal abuse problems through counseling in the schools. 

Miss Ka`u Peaberry,
Rebecca Lynn Kailiawa Escobar

Young Miss Ka`u Coffee,
Dayse Meleani Andrade

     The new Young Miss Ka`u Coffee is Dayse Meleani Andrade. She said she likes to dance, sing and play sports and wants to become a pediatrician. She says she loves living in Ka`u because “all of my family and friends are here, and because the beaches are beautiful.” Her talent was dance. 

     The new Miss Ka`u Peaberry is Rebecca Lynn Kailiawa-Escobar. She likes to play soccer and volleyball and make beaded jewelry. She says she wants to be a scientist because she loves nature and could “warn everyone in the world before anything happened.” She said she loves living in Ka`u because we have “fishing, farming hunting, and ranching. Ka`u is the only district with untouched beauty,” she proclaimed. Her talent was hip hop.

One Journey star Eunice Longakit and her friends sang to raise money to go to Brown Bags to Stardom,
 where they won the statewide competition in Honolulu last night.  Photos by Julia Neal

ONE JOURNEY came from one of the smallest schools in the state. “It was like David conquering Goliath,” said Brown Bags to Stardom producer Johnny Kai this morning. With lead singer Eunice Longakit and her back up band of fellow Ka`u High School students, One Journey won it all at the statewide talent competition on O`ahu last night. Kai said he became emotional with all the teamwork and sense of ‘ohana he felt from the One Journey band. He joked during the competition that the One Journey performers had known each other since “small kid time” something unheard of in bands from the big city, who are always “breaking up” instead of coming together. He said he couldn’t believe the Ka`u support for the group, having raised the funding to send One Journey to O`ahu for the competition. 

Bands came from near and far, and CDs
sold out to help One Journey.

     In addition to winning first against the big city schools, One Journey’s music video of the original song Lovers Dream, written by Longakit and James Tyson, is in the top six in the competition on OC16, and those results will soon be announced. 

THE REDISTRICTING COMMISSION for Hawai`i County will meet in Hilo Monday, and over many months of study and negotiation, is expected to re-draw the political map of the island, particularly for the County Council elections. Puna, one of the fastest growing populations in the state, may end up with two council members, perhaps making Ka`u’s council person more exclusively about Ka`u and South Kona than Puna. The area between Kea`au and Mountain View is particularly fast growing. Ka`u itself only grew by 2,624 in the last decade, according to the census, so its boundaries are not likely to contract, except perhaps slightly on the Puna side. The new process for drawing the election maps also allows the public to weigh in with their own suggested maps and gives priority to keeping towns and neighborhoods together, without political districting lines running through a community, when possible.

THE NEW SCENIC BYWAYS designation for Hwy 11 through Ka`u will be the topic of the Ka`u Chamber of Commerce meeting tomorrow at Ocean View Community Center at 6:30 p.m. Such topics as how long and where to make the scenic byway, what to name it, and what elements of Ka`u to stress in the signage will be discussed.

LOCAL ARTS, CRAFTS AND MUSIC fill the new pavilion and tropical gardens surrounding Punalu`u Bake Shop next Saturday, April 30. Ka'u School of the Arts hosts the Spring Fling event that features over three dozen artists and a full day of entertainment beginning at 9 a.m.