Ka'u News Briefs Nov. 30, 2011

The county now claims ownership of lands around Kawa Beach for park and wildlife management. Photos by Julia Neal

THE ATTEMPT OF ABEL SIMIONA LUI and his hui to have the court quash a possible eviction from Kawa was turned away by Judge Joseph Florendo yesterday in Third Circuit Court. The ruling was technical. The judge said that the motion filed to stay an eviction improperly included a person named Han Phua, who was not named in the eviction order being appealed, and therefore didn’t have standing in the case. The judge did say, however, that the motion could be re-filed with corrected names, according to a Hawai`i Tribune-Herald story this morning. 

Abel Simeona Lui says he is the rightful caretaker of Kawa
and opposes a county park and preserve there. 

     The article by Chelsea Jensen also reported that Lui talked openly in the courtroom and after several warnings from the judge was removed by the guards. As he was being taken away Lui said, “I oppose everything you’re doing here,” Jensen reported.
     Eviction was approved by the court years ago, when the property was still in the hands of Thomas Okuna, who sold it to the Edmund C. Olson Trust, which held the Kawa land until the community, county, state and federal agencies could raise money to make the popular surfing and fishing spot into a park and preserve for recreation and wildlife. That sale was recently completed in two sections, with the county first purchasing more than 200 acres which were being held and advertised for sale by former Ka`u realtor Marcia Johnson and her hui. The second county purchase at Kawa recently closed and includes more than 500 acres, with acreage at Kawa and other parcels on the coastline stretching toward Punalu`u.
     However, Lui, who has lived there for more than 20 years, claims Kawa was unfairly taken from his family generations ago and that he is the legitimate caretaker of the land.
     As Okuna was unable to carry out the eviction of Lui and the Olson Trust did not evict him while it was holding the property, Lui, over the years, has gathered supporters of Hawaiian sovereignty around him. They claim that the U.S. courts have no jurisdiction over the property. Lui has also filed claims of ownership, which have clouded the land title at Kawa and are involved in a separate court case. Lui vows to stay on at Kawa.

Kawa Flats floods, cutting Na`alehu off from Pahala and its
hospital and school.

KAWA FLOODING is also being targeted by public officials, as a meeting will be held on Thursday, Dec. 8 at 6 p.m. at Na`alehu School Cafeteria on state plans to raise Hwy 11 some ten feet above grade to keep traffic moving during heavy rains. 

     A draft Environmental Assessment has been published and is available at the DOT’s Hawai`i District Office, Pahala and Na`alehu public libraries, and online at http://hawaii.gov/ health/environmental/oeqc/index.html.
     “The highway was constructed over 50 years ago with no drainage facilities for this low-lying section,” the EA states. “Flood waters from an intermittent stream frequently overtop the highway and completely close this round-the-island highway – the only route connecting the two main towns of Ka`u. The flooding is a hazard to motorists, prevents the passage of emergency vehicles, and damages the roadway structure,” the EA says.
     The highway’s surface would be raised a maximum of about 10 feet, to an elevation of 46 feet above mean sea level, placing the road surface approximately two feet above the 50-year flood level. A reinforced concrete box culvert measuring 84 feet wide by eight feet high would be placed beneath the highway.

THINK LOCAL, BUY LOCAL month begins tomorrow. The campaign is a public education initiative that highlights how purchasing locally made and grown products and shopping at locally owned businesses can benefit the community, environment and economy of Hawai`i Island. The campaign is by the Hawai`i Alliance for a Local Economy, under contract with County of Hawai`i Department of Research and Development.
     Mayor Billy Kenoi has declared the month of December Think Local, Buy Local month, with a ceremony Dec. 1 at the Mo`oheau Bandstand in Hilo. 

     Participating businesses can display Think Local, Buy Local window signs and highlight Made on Hawai`i Island products. Ka`u businesses can be a part of the campaign by signing up as a HALE member and paying a $25 membership fee. Benefits include a large media presence that will drive people to the Think Local, Buy Local website; a local business profile; inclusion in a Local Business Directory and Green Map being developed; Think Local, Buy Local signage for retail locations; and Made on Hawai`i Island product stickers for products with 51 percent or more value added on Hawai`i Island.

     “A 2010 national report on Buy Local campaigns found that communities with an active Buy Local campaign experienced markedly stronger revenue growth compared to communities without such a campaign, and independent retailers in Buy Local communities saw a 5.2 percent increase in holiday sales, while those elsewhere reported an average gain of 0.8 percent. During the holiday season, the Think Local, Buy Local campaign is focusing attention on Hawai`i Island grown and made products and locally owned businesses,” said Andrea Dean, principal of Sustainable Initiatives.
     To learn more and participate in Think Local, Buy Local visit www.ThinkLocalBuyLocal.org or call Andrea Dean at 960-3727.

Joey Wells' Lehua Nani

ENTRIES IN VOLCANO ART CENTER’S 12th annual Invitational Wreath Exhibit are on display at the gallery this month. Gallery artists present their concepts of wreath, with creations ranging from the traditional to the whimsical, using a variety of media, materials and techniques. The winning wreath is called Lehua Nani and was created by Joey Wells. 

CHRISTMAS MUSIC FILLS KA`U this weekend. Free concerts featuring the Ka`u Community Chorus, Hannah’s Makana `Ohana and the Ka`u `Ohana Band take place at 2:30 p.m. on Saturday at Ocean View Community Center and Sunday at Discovery Harbour Community Hall.
     The Volcano Festival Chorus Concert is set for Saturday at 7 p.m. at Kilauea Military Camp Chapel in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park. This free concert is a gift to the community from Kilauea Drama and Entertainment Network and the chorus. Park entrance fees may apply.

Ka'u News Briefs Nov. 29, 2011

Kumu Hula Hannah Uribes (left) and Hannah's Makana `Ohana perform at Ka`u School of the Arts'
Music for Christmas concerts this weekend. Photo by Nalani Parlin

BANNING PLASTIC BAGS used for carrying food and goods purchased from stores and restaurants on the Big Island could become law soon. The measure already passed first reading at the County Council with a 5 to 3 vote, and the final vote is likely to take place at the Dec. 21 council meeting, according to a Stephens Media report this morning.
     The vote follows public hearings around the island. Council member Pete Hoffmann, who champions the measure, said he is comfortable with the final version and that the mayor is OK with it. “Let’s not sacrifice the environment on the altar of convenience,” Hoffmann told reporter Jason Armstrong. 

     Hoffmann noted that the bill is not an outright ban on plastic bags. Council member Dennis Onishi, who opposes the bill, says that people would still buy plastic bags for lining trash cans in homes and offices, instead of using plastic bags acquired free during shopping. There will still be plastic bags going into the landfill, he said.
     If passed, stores would be given a year to use up their inventory of plastic bags and build up paper bag supplies and to encourage people to bring cloth or other reusable bags for shopping.
     According to the Stephens Media story, the eleven Subway franchises on the Big Island have already turned to paper.
     Maui and Kaua`i already have plastic bag bans, and surveys show that more than half of Maui customers are not using bags provided by stores and restaurants there, the story said.
     County Council chair Dominic Yagong said he will refrain from voting on the bill when it comes before the Big Island Council. He said his long-time employer Foodland will suffer a large cost increase as paper bags are much more expensive.

Rodney Naiole Kahele

POLICE ARE SEARCHING FOR Rodney Naiole Kahele, of Ocean View, who is wanted on seven warrants with bail that totals $300,300. A statement from the Hawai`i Police Department describes Kahele as 6-foot-1, 180 pounds with black hair and tattoos on his back, arms and legs. Anyone with information can call Officer Dane Shibuya at 939-2520 or the non-emergency number 935-3311. 

A 100-TON BOULDER CRUSHED their car on Hwy 11 near Kahuku Ranch in 2007, and victims Michael Patrick O’Grady and Leiloni O’Grady, of Ocean View, have gone to court. The Ocean View residents, one a school social worker and the other a speech pathologist, seek millions of dollars in medical expenses, wages and future lost wages. The trial began yesterday in Circuit Court in Hilo. Their attorney is Ron Self, of Wood Valley, and the judge is Greg Nakamura.
     The defendant is the state Department of Transportation, which plaintiffs claim was negligent when it cut the road through the mountainside, leaving rocks and a giant boulder with no place to fall but the highway. A story in today’s Hawai`i Tribune-Herald by reporter John Burnett quotes Leiloni O’Grady recalling the rock slide coming toward her vehicle: “It looked like something on TV, with fingers of dirt coming down and the dust going up. Then this big boulder came down.” The boulder turned the car over and sent it sliding upside down.
     According to the Tribune-Herald story, Patrick O’Grady recalled that he found himself “hanging upside down in the seatbelt, trying to breath. I was lying on the road, and one of my students came up and said, ‘Oh my God, Mr. O’Grady.” Patrick O’Grady has since recovered from most of his injuries and has gone back to work in the Ka`u public schools, but his wife says she may never work again. 

Cyndi Napper, Mary Ramsdell and Sandy Ooka, of
Hannah's Makana `Ohana. Photo by Nalani Parlin

MUSIC FOR CHRISTMAS is featured at concerts this weekend. The Ka`u Community Chorus, Hannah’s Makana `Ohana and the Ka`u `Ohana Band perform at 2:30 p.m. at Ocean View Community Center on Saturday and Discovery Harbour Community Hall on Sunday.

SUBMISSIONS OF WORKS for Volcano Art Center’s upcoming exhibit called Occupy Art are being accepted today between 2 p.m. and 6 p.m. at the Niaulani Campus in Volcano Village. This exhibit is open to all who care to express their opinions on the Occupy Wall Street movement, using art as a vehicle for creative and healthy expression. Any and all media are accepted, and there is no entry fee. Call 967-8222 for more information.

Ka'u News Briefs Nov. 28, 2011

Public ownership of Kawa for recreation and wildlife protection is opposed by Abel Simeona Lui,
 who goes to court tomorrow. Photo by Julia Neal

KAWA RESIDENT and Hawaiian sovereignty supporter Abel Simeona Lui goes to Third Circuit Court in Kona tomorrow. He is making claims that the county cannot hold onto land it purchased to create a park and restore wildlife and the estuaries at Kawa. Lui, who has lived at Kawa for more than 20 years and has welcomed traveling and more permanent residents to stay there in tents and other self-built housing, said he is the caretaker of Kawa land and beyond. However, the land has been sold several times, most recently to the county, which plans to keep it in the public domain. 

CHILD PROTECTION SERVICES that were cut in Ka`u will be restored, according to a statement from the state Department of Human Services. The programs are managed by Kapi`olani Child Protection Center, which provides counseling and treatment to parents with substance abuse problems. An estimated 160 children and 100 parents received services last year. Kapi`olani has been operating for more than 15 years and employs five people, including three part-time counselors. 

     It receives funding from Child Welfare Services under the state Department of Human Services, which suffered a $5.8 million cut in funding from the federal government in October.
     Child Welfare Services help with child protection, foster care, adoption, independent living and licensing of resource family homes, group homes and child-placing organizations.
     DHS director Patricia McManaman said that, “After listening to community concerns about limited service options and the fact that other Kona-based service providers will be unable to fill the gaps, the DHS reconsidered service reductions in the Ka`u area.”
     She said a new stream of federal funding will enable the department to sustain Ka`u-area services.

Final draft map of Hawai`i County
Council districts.

THE COUNTY REDISTRICTING COMMISSION meets on Wednesday at 10 a.m. at Hilo Council chambers to finalize its redistricting plan, which changes District 6 boundaries. The plan removes Kurtistown and Mountain View from District 6 and adds Napo`opo`o, Captain Cook and Kealakekua. 

     The new boundaries put Council members Brittany Smart and Brenda Ford in the same district. Neither has announced candidacy for next year’s election, but Ford has said she will not move, setting up a possibility that two incumbents may run for the same County Council seat. Ford is eligible for one more term on the Council.
     If Ford and Smart decide to run, they would face a challenge from Lee McIntosh, of Discovery Harbour, who recently announced his candidacy.

GASOLINE PRICES statewide were the highest ever over any Thanksgiving weekend, but they dropped .7 cents from the previous week, according to hawaiigasprices.com. Statewide, gas prices yesterday were $4.12 a gallon, while the national average was down 4.1 cents to $3.32 a gallon. Prices statewide were 59.6 cents a gallon higher than last year here in Hawai`i.
     Prices this morning in Ocean View were $4.32 at Kahuku Country Market's Flying K Gasoline; Ocean View market declined to give out its price; Kahala Gas across the street was $4.36; the 76 station in Na`alehu was selling for $4.37 a gallon; and Ka`u gas in Pahala was $4.40 a gallon.

Alexandre Ribeiro

Amber Monforte

THE ULTRAMAN WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS concluded yesterday. The three-day event which passed through Ka`u with a grueling bicycle race crowned 46-year-old Alexandre Ribeiro, of Brazil, as its winner after leader Jonas Colting, of Sweden, pulled out of the race with injuries. Amber Monforte, of Reno, NV, who works as a nurse, was the first woman across the finish line. Ultraman, considered one of the toughest multi-sport events in the world, is comprised of a 6.2-mile swim, a 90-mile bike ride through Ka`u from Keauhou Bay to Volcano, a second day 171.4-mile bike ride from Volcano, through Puna and Hilo to Hawi, and a third day double marathon – 52.4-mile run from Hawi past Kawaihae to Old Airport State Park in Kailua-Kona. 

Moses Espaniola III

THE NA`ALEHU THEATRE will present `Ukulele Classes with Moses Espaniola III from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. on Sunday mornings in the Old Pahala Community Clubhouse. Free lessons for persons of all ages will be on Dec. 4, 11 and 18, and on Sundays, Jan. 1, 8, 15 and 22. Snacks will be included. The lessons are sponsored in part by the State Foundation on Culture and the Arts through mentor Cyril Pahinui. The venue is provided by the Edmund C. Olson Trust. To attend, please come by and bring an `ukulele. 

     For more information contact Espaniola at ekolu23@yahoo.com or 345-6917 or Chelle Pahinui at chelle@cyrilpahinui.com.

RED FLAG WARNINGS remain, as windy conditions are expected to create a severe fire hazard today with 15 to 20 mph winds and 25 mph gusts until 6 p.m. Most in danger is the west side of Ka`u from South Point to South Kona, as drought conditions remain, and the air is very dry.