Ka'u News Briefs Dec. 26, 2011

Mochi making, starting with a fire to prepare the rice, is a tradition at the Sakata home in Pahala. Photos by Julia Neal

MORE THAN 4,500 JOBS were added to the economy statewide during the past year, according to the state Department of Labor & Industrial Relations. The agency credited the increase to expansions in the tourism, professional and business, and health care sectors.
     Employment in Hawai`i increased by 500 jobs from October to November. The seasonally adjusted labor force totaled 634,700 in November, with 593,150 employed and 41,550 unemployed.
     Initial claims for unemployment benefits fell by 3.7 percent from October to November, while the over-the-year change in weeks claimed was down 12.7 percent. The seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for November was 6.5 percent, the same as in October. Unemployment in this state remains lower than the national average, where the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate also declined - to 8.6 percent from 9.0 percent in October. 

Mitch Roth

MITCH ROTH, A DEPUTY COUNTY PROSECUTOR, came to Ka`u over the weekend and told residents on KAHU radio station that we must do something to make our highways and roads safer. Hawai`i has the highest rate of traffic deaths related to drugs and alcohol in the entire country. Roth, who says he is a community-oriented prosecutor, talked about looking for the root cause of crimes to stop them before they happen, through counseling, education and fair warnings to people. He has worked on a number of initiatives in Ka`u to help train families with domestic violence, to develop neighborhood watch programs and empower community associations. 

     Regarding the alcohol and driving, however, the Hawai`i Police Department will step up DUI checkpoints all across the island through New Year’s Day. 

FIREWORK PERMITS go on sale today. Hawai`i County regulations permit fireworks for only four hours, between 9 p.m. New Year’s Eve and 1 a.m. New Year’s Day. The permits, each good for purchasing up to 5,000 firecrackers, cost $25 and are available for people 18 years of age and older. Individuals can buy multiple permits. They are available at the Hilo Fire Administration Office, Pacific Fireworks, the Golden Dragon tent and Kadota Liquors in Hilo; Pinky’s Five/Eight at Papaikou; and Parker Ranch Center Food Court in Waimea. In Kona, firework permits are available at the Kona Fire Prevention Office and West Hawai`i Civic Center.
     Fireworks are illegal within 1,000 feet of hospitals, schools, churches, community centers public parks and senior housing. It is illegal to give fireworks to children and for children to use them without supervision by parents and guardians.

TREECYCLING is being encouraged by the County of Hawai`i’s Departments of Environmental Management and Public Works. They are teaming up to support on-site tree chipping at locations around the island. 

     “Please help keep our island green and recycle your holiday tree and greenery,” says a statement from the county. “After Christmas, drop your trees at any of eight county recycle and transfer stations: Hilo, Puako, Kailua-Kona, Honoka`a, Kea`au, Keauhou, Waimea and Wai`ohinu.
     This program runs from today through Jan. 15. Trees and greenery should be free of all decorations, lights, tinsel and ornaments. Artificial and flocked trees are rejected.
     “Chipping the trees and making the material available for use in gardens will allow the county to divert thousands of trees from our landfills and add valuable mulch to island soils. In addition, chipping will help reduce the illegal dumping of holiday trees,” the county statement says.
     The county also encourages residents to recycle Kadomatsu decorations, which are normally a combination of bamboo, pine and flowers. Kadomatsu is a tradition that began 600 years ago in Japan as a way of offering luck in the New Year.
     Information about the county’s Treecycling Program and additional recycling and solid waste programs is available on the website at www.HawaiiZeroWaste.org. For further information, please contact the county Solid Waste Division at 961-8270.

Men and boys grind the rice into the paste to make mochi.

THE NEW YEAR CAME EARLY for families in Ka`u making mochi over the weekend. In the backyard of the Carol Sakata house in Pahala, two fires were going for the rice. The men ground the mochi into a smooth paste, and the sweets were formed and sugared by the women. Families brought their own rice for the ritual to make these New Year’s treats to distribute. 

REGISTRATION IS OPEN for the annual humpback whale count around the state. Volunteers go to selected sites along the Ka`u Coast to help out on Saturdays, Jan. 28, Feb. 25 and March 31. The count takes place over a four-hour period when volunteers record the behavior of the whales, which come to Hawaiian waters to spend the winter each year. The Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary, which is recruiting the volunteers, has announced that it is seeking a limited number of site leaders, who must be able to
 participate in all three counts and must attend training. For more information, call
 1-888-55-WHALE ext 253, or see hawaiihumpbackwhale.noaa.gov.

Women form and sugar the mochi treats.

KUMU MAILE YAMANAKA shares the Arts and Traditions of Hula at Kilauea tomorrow at Volcano Art Center Gallery in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park. Hula lessons begin at 10:30 a.m., lei making at noon and `ukulele playing at 1:30 p.m. Bring your `ukulele if you have one. Sign up on a first-come, first-served basis tomorrow. Open to all ages and levels. 

ALSO AT HAWAI`I VOLCANOES NATIONAL PARK, on Wednesday from 10 a.m. to noon on the lanai of Kilauea Visitor Center, Oral Abihai shares his passion for creating `ukulele from discarded or naturally fallen pieces of wood. He has used pieces of `ohi`a lehua and native myrtle from a firewood stack. Scraps from a cabinetmaker friend commonly end up as necks or saddles. His favorite `ukulele is the first instrument he made from scraps of koa wood given to him by his teacher.

     This `Ike Hana No`eau Hawaiian cultural program is one in a series sponsored in part by Friends of Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park.

Ka'u News Briefs Dec. 25, 2011

Thy Word Ministry-Ka`u says Aloha Ke Akua during the recent Pahala Christmas Parade. Photo by Julia Neal

WHAT MAKES CHRISTMAS SPECIAL? Gov. Neil Abercrombie released his Christmas message, saying, “We feel we need to remind ourselves about values that represent the holiday season. The value of giving, of sharing joy, of spreading the meaning of Aloha near and far – to family, friends, and even those we meet or scarcely know. 

Gov. Neil Abercrombie, Dr. Nancie Caraway and
Hawai`i's First Dog Kanoa. Photo from the
Office of the Governor

     “We emphasize these things during the holidays because we fear we may have forgotten them more than a little bit since last Christmas. The idea of the greetings – Mele Kalikimaka, Hauoli Makahiki Hou – is to remind ourselves that perhaps this year we can keep their meaning fresh in our hearts and minds all through the year to come.”

HAWAI`I ISLAND YOUTH have started the Sustainable Hawai`i Youth Leadership Initiative and invite young people from all the schools on the island to join. The group recently premiered a film in which they describe dreams from the island becoming self-sustaining to ending racism, sexism and promoting the aloha spirit. Some of the activities include 17-year-old Wainani Traub, founder of the organization, becoming Hawai`i’s first youth delegate to the Youth Leadership Summit for Sustainable Development on Martha’s Vineyard with island youth from around the world. She also spoke at the recent APEC Summit in Honolulu.
     Founding member Skyla Graig-Murray wrote in Civil Beat recently: “I’m afraid we are throwing away our world. We are destroying our land and habitats to lay down concrete roads. This should be our top priority! SHYLI is important because our young people pledge to move forward to improve; to use what we can; and do so without hurting the environment around us. SHYLI is not just to teach people how to live with the world, but to show us how. We have an important vision for the future – a sustainable Hawai`i, and a sustainable world.”
     Ka`u youth can join. See. www.shyli.org.

THEFT OF AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTS will be the subject of new and tougher laws against agricultural theft, according to a Colin M. Stewart story in the Hawai`i Tribune-Herald. The story quotes Big Islander and state House of Representatives ag committee chair Clift Tsuji saying, “One of my priorities in my legislation this year will be agricultural theft and vandalism, and what it does to the agriculture industry.” Tsuji called for more public support for ag theft laws. “My concern is that when we introduce the legislation we include the agricultural community as a whole. Sometimes we don’t have enough public comment during the public hearings, and we would like more participation from the public,” Tsuji told the reporter. 

Moa`ula Coffee farmers are on the lookout for thieves after one reported
incident in which a farmer claimed a large loss of coffee cherry. 

     The story also covers the reported theft of thousands of pounds of coffee cherry at Manuel Marques’ farm at Moa`ula. The Hawai`i Tribune-Herald quotes Marques saying he hopes the thieves return so he can catch them. He is claiming some $10,000 in losses and damage to the coffee fields by thieves breaking branches and shredding the coffee from the trees. 

     Nearby farmers said they have not seen any suspicious coffee pickers or noticed unusual activity in the area.
     Chris Manfredi, who represents the development company that owns the Moa`ula land where the farms of Marques and most of the other Ka`u Coffee Growers Cooperative members are located, also weighed in. The Tribune-Herald story quotes him as saying: “We understand that the value of coffee this year is especially very high. There appears to be a higher threat of agricultural theft. It’s something we have to watch out for. We’re being increasingly wary.” The story also reports Manfredi saying that lower yields in Kona from coffee berry borer invasions and other issues lowered supply and increased demand. He also pointed to the increase in popularity of Ka`u Coffee. Manfredi recently brokered a deal with Starbucks to sell Ka`u Coffee and is ordering a second container load from the Ka`u farmers. Competition has recently grown, with good markets established by the cooperative itself, the new Ka`u Coffee Mill and individual Ka`u Coffee farmers.

CHRISTMAS DINNER IS BEING SERVED at restaurants in Ka`u today. Hana Hou’s special menu begins at noon and includes prime rib, crab-stuffed lobster, scallop and shrimp fettuccine, salad bar and dessert.
     South Side Shaka’s closes at 9 p.m. today.

     Crater Rim Café at Kilauea Military Camp in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park offers brunch from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Park entrance fees apply.

Ka'u News Briefs Dec. 24, 2011

Mantracker crew films prey hiding from Mantracker during a recent shoot in Ka`u. Photo from Mantracker

KA`U HOSPITAL AND THE REST OF EAST HAWAI`I may benefit from Hawai`i Medical Center shutting down two facilities, including a major hospital on O`ahu. East Hawai`i hospitals, including Ka`u, often import traveling nurses, medical technicians and physicians to keep positions filled. Some 1,000 employees have lost their jobs on O`ahu with the closing of Hawai`i Medical Center. State Department of Labor & Industrial Relations director Dwight Takamine, himself a Big Islander, said that East Hawai`i vacant positions have been posted on the state website. Perhaps some of the people let go on O`ahu would be willing to move to Hilo, Hamakua or Ka`u. Takamine, who witnessed mass job losses when sugar shut down in his hometown on the Big Island, also said, “Our hearts go out to the nearly thousand employees and their families who received this news during the holiday season.” 

Kapapala paniolo Leon Chow is Mantracker's local guide
and sidekick. Photo from Mantracker.

Prey from Kona runs from Mantracker at Kapapala Ranch.
Photo from Mantracker

MANTRACKER, the television program that shows two men on horseback hunting down two people on foot, chose Ka`u again, and filming wrapped up this week. The location was entirely on Kapapala Ranch between Pahala and Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park. Kapapala paniolo Leon Chow was once again cast as Mantracker’s local guide and sidekick. Two of the human prey came from Kona, and the other two were a father and daughter team from Miloli`i. The prey and Mantracker called the landscape they crossed, hiding and running from Mantracker, “very thick.” They crossed open forest and took refuge in lava tubes. Whether the prey made it to their destination is a secret until the two shows air in 2012. Mantracker first filmed in Hawai`i two years ago, also in Ka`u. 

ELECTRIC BILLS HAVE GONE up by more than 50 percent in the last year, and Hawaiian Electric Co. is trying to explain with television advertising. Since the Japan tsunami and nuclear crisis in Japan, nuclear energy has been replaced by oil in many places from Europe to Japan, sending prices for oil used by HECO into a skyrocketing trajectory. HECO vice president Robbie Alm said Hawai`i should get off fossil fuel as fast as possible with sun, wind, biomass, geothermal and biofuel. People can help out with conservation. “Small, everyday things add up,” said Alm. He mentioned natural lighting and air ventilation during a KITV interview.

DEATH BY 1,000 CUTS is what Small Business Hawai`i executive director Sam Slom is calling the recent surge in costs for health insurance, electricity and transportation fuel. Slom, who is also a state senator, said that “it’s not one thing necessarily that puts small business over the edge. It is all the costs adding up over time, like recent increases in water and motor vehicle and sewer fees, that can make it difficult to operate any business, he said. The latest big increase is in Kaiser Permanente Health Insurance, which only recently reached out to cover Ka`u residents and businesses. Around the state, about 162,000 Kaiser members will see premiums rise 8.8 percent on Jan. 1. 

Harming a monk seal is a felony, reminds DLNR chief
William Aila, Jr. Photo by Julia Neal

WATCH OUT FOR ENDANGERED ANIMALS, including monk seals and nene, warns the National Park Service and the state Department of Land and Natural Resources. During this holiday season two monk seals were either killed by boats running into them or on purpose by people. DLNR chief William Aila, Jr. said his staff is investigating the death of the seals, which both happened on Moloka`i. It is a felony to intentionally harm a monk seal, Aila reminds the community. 

     A nene was run over on the road to Haleakala on Maui. The most dangerous location for nene on the Big Island is on Hwy 11 in the Ka`u Desert near Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park and Kapapala Ranch.

Watch out for nene between Pahala and Hawai`i
Volcanoes National Park. Photo by Julia Neal

A NEW MANAGER is taking over the administration of public housing in Pahala and other communities around the state. Hakim Ouansafi was hired recently by the Hawai`i Public Housing Administration to manage more than 6,000 public housing units on more than 80 sites statewide. His background is in hotel management and public service.
     The major source of funding is the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The mission is to provide Hawai`i residents with affordable housing and shelter without discrimination. Efforts focus on operating and maintaining low-income public housing, administering a large Housing Choice Voucher program, and striving for the efficient and fair delivery of housing services to the people of Hawai`i. 

THE GREAT PACIFIC GARBAGE PATCH will be the subject of a presentation by the man who discovered it. Capt. Charles Moore will give a talk and present his book Plastic Ocean on Jan. 6 at Volcano Art Center’s Niaulani Campus from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. The event is sponsored by the Hawai`i Wildlife Fund. Moore has visited Kamilo and other Ka`u Coast locations to bring attention to the plastics that are growing in volume as one of the main ingredients of the soup of the ocean on which many sea life species depend. He is the founder of the Algalita Marine Research Foundation. 

     Megan Lamson, of Hawai`i Wildlife Fund, will also give a presentation at the Jan. 6 event in Volcano. Moore will make a separate presentation on Jan. 4 at West Hawai`i Civic Center at 5 p.m.

CHRISTMAS DINNER IS BEING SERVED at restaurants in Ka`u. Hana Hou has a special menu beginning at 4 p.m. today and noon tomorrow. The menu includes prime rib, crab-stuffed lobster, scallop and shrimp fettuccine, salad bar and dessert.
     South Side Shaka’s, also in Na`alehu, closes at 4 p.m. today, Christmas Eve, and 9 p.m. tomorrow.
     Crater Rim Café at Kilauea Military Camp in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park offers Christmas Day brunch tomorrow from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Park entrance fees apply.