Ka`u News Briefs June 6, 2012

Alicia Tsukamoto and Beth Pallota welcome vendors and customers to the new Shaka location
for Ka`u Farmers Market. Photo by Jolene Koi

KA`U FARMERS MARKET reopened this morning in Na`alehu on the makai side of Hwy 11 on the grounds of Shaka Restaurant. The market shut down without notice last Saturday at around 9 a.m. in front of ACE Hardware, where a woman apparently fell several weeks ago and threatened a lawsuit.

Donna Masaniai buys fresh vegetables from Hester's Farm.
Photo by Tanya Ibarra

     At Shaka, vendors set up throughout the front parking lot, grassy yard and lanai. Rory Koi, general manager of Shaka Bar & Restaurant, said, “I am from the community and know most of these people, and know that for many of them their livelihood depends on the farmers market. Everyone was so mad and so sad that day, I just said, 'Come on over here.'”
     Among shoppers at the new location today was Donna Masaniai, of Pahala Quilting, who said, “I depend on the fresh vegetables.” She said she is relieved to find the market still intact.

Shaka welcomed Ka`u Farmers Market vendors this morning, 

after they were evicted from ACE Hardware, after being 

there for more than a decade.  Photo by Jolene Koi

     Farmers Market manager Shari Quensel said, “Everyone is giving a big mahalo to Shaka. This really helps the community. There are usually about 36 vendors and 24 showed up this morning.” She said she expects the rest to come to the new location Wednesdays and Saturdays from 8 a.m. to noon, with the opportunity to stay until 4 p.m.
     For more information about the Ka`u Farmers Market or to become a vendor call Na`alehu Main Street at 339-1032.

VOLUNTEERS TO HELP RECORD news stories from images of Hawaiian language newspaper pages dating back into the 1800s are needed. The project aims to use a body of knowledge in Hawaiian language newspapers to update the history of Hawai`i, since most history books were written without using this resource. Hawaiians were a very literate culture in the 1800s, with newspapers sprouting up across the islands, written in the native language. Hawaiian language papers were published from 1834 to 1949.

Studying Hawaiian language newspapers is changing the
way history of the Islands is understood and written.

     Some 60,000 pages from newspapers have been scanned and put online where volunteers look at each scan and type the stories, notices and ads into text files that can be used by search engines to study Hawaiian history. Schools, halau, civic clubs and almost 6,000 individuals have signed up to help out. Each page typed can be dedicated to a person or community group and the website acknowledges each person who volunteers.
     The host of the project is Awaialu: Perpetuating Past to Present. The project is `Ike Ku`oko`a, Liberating Knowledge. It was presented by Hawaiian language expert, Dr. Puakea Nogelmeier, and project outreach manager Kau`i Sai-Dudoit last night in Volcano at After Dark in the Park. To help out, see www.awaiaulu.org.

NASA captured Venus crossing the edge of the disk of the sun.
Live internet viewing of the Venus Transit was available direct from
Mauna Kea telescopes through NASA's website.

THE TRANSIT OF VENUS ACROSS THE SUN was easily seen by the telescopes on Mauna Kea yesterday afternoon and sent to computer screens with live reporting by scientists. The movement of Venus, a planet closer to the sun than Earth, was seen through protective lenses and by telescope as a small dot marching across the sun for six hours and 40 minutes. The next time Venus will transit the sun for Earth viewers will be 105 years from now. Hawai`i was one of the best places on the planet for yesterday’s viewing.

MORE CANDIDATES filed yesterday on the last day to sign up to run for public office in the Aug. 11 primary. Last minute candidates to file included Lee McIntosh for District 6 County Council, who was the first to announce last December; Harry Kim and Share Christie for Mayor and Jeff LaFrance for state Senate District 3. The latest list of candidates for Ka`u and Volcano areas:
     Mayor of Hawai`i County: Share Christie, Daniel Cunningham, Billy Kenoi, Harry Kim, Anne Marsh, Rand Walls and Dominic Yagong.
     U.S. House: David Crowley, Rafael del Castillo, Matthew DeGeronimo, Tulsi Gabbard, Mufi Hannemann, Esther Kia`aina, Bob Marx and Miles Shiratori.
     State Senate District 2: Bob Herkes, Wendell Ka`ehu`ae`a, Russell Ruderman, Gary Safarik and Daryl Smith.
     State Senate District 3: Josh Green, Jeff LaFrance, Michael Last and John Totten.
     State Representative District 3: Fred Fogel, Marlene Hapai, Richard Onishi and Brittany Smart.
     State Representative District 5: David Bateman, Denny Coffman and Leolani Oyama.
     Hawai`i County Council District 6: Maile David, Brenda Ford, Lee McIntosh and Bradley Westervelt.
     Prosecuting Attorney: Lincoln Ashida, Paul Dolan and Mitch Roth.
     Office of Hawaiian Affairs Trustee for Island of Hawai`i: Bob Lindsey, William Meyers and Edwin Miranda.
     OHA Trustee – No Island Residency Requirement: Suzanne Apoliona, Kealii Makekau and Walter Ritte.

Fishing is popular among Ka`u families, but sometimes dangerous to
even the most experienced fishermen. Photo by Julia Neal

LIVES LOST ON THE KA`U COAST DURING THE LAST SIX YEARS WERE THOSE OF SKILLED FISHERMEN. While opihi picking is often considered the most dangerous job in Hawai`i as fishermen scrape limpets from rocks in the wave zone, it was free diving, shore fishing, and setting and throwing net that some of Ka`u’s more experienced fishermen were enjoying when they passed away. Among them are: famous opihi picker, fisherman and hiker of the Ka`u Coast John Gali, while retrieving a net set at South Point; experienced free diver Derek Hara while diving on the south shore; Leo Norberte, Jr. while night diving at Honu`apo; Bill Evangelista while shore fishing at South Point; Len Nakano while shore fishing at Pohinapale near Honu`apo; Boyd Yoshida while free diving along Ka`u’s southern coast; and last weekend Chaz Moses while throwing net at South Point. All of these fishermen provided food for family and friends in Ka`u.

OCEAN VIEW NEIGHBORHOOD WATCH meets tomorrow night at 7 p.m. at the Community Center. For more, call 939-7033.

VOLCANO ART CENTER POETRY SLAM is held at the Niaulani Campus in Volcano Village Friday, starting at 8 p.m. Up to 15 poets, chosen at random, compete for prizes awarded to the top three finishers chosen by judges. $6 per person; drinks and snacks available for purchase. For more, contact Dave Wallerstein at 967-8222 or visit volcanoartcenter.org.

RECYCLABLES ARE ACCEPTED Saturday, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., at Atlas Recycling at South Point U-Cart.

ENTRANCE FEES ARE WAIVED to Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park this Saturday in celebration of Get Outdoors Day.

SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS AT WWW.PAHALAPLANTATIONCOTTAGES.COM AND WWW.KAUCOFFEEMILL.COM.

Ka`u News Briefs June 5, 2012

Shaka Restaurant grounds and patio opens up to Ka`u Farmers Market beginning tomorrow. Photo from Trip Advisor

KA`U FARMERS MARKET has found a home at Shaka Restaurant in Na`alehu. Organizers scrambled to find a site for tomorrow’s sale of food, crafts and art after the group was evicted without notice from Na`alehu Ace Hardware grounds last Saturday. Other locations ideas included Island Market, the Methodist Church and Na`alehu Hongwanji. These organizations are considering both the community benefit and liability. The eviction was apparently prompted by women falling during market hours on the grounds of Ace Hardware and threatening or actually suing for damages. Both Ace and the market were apparently covered by liability insurance.

PESTICIDES THAT COULD ENTER WATERWAYS are now under the regulation of the federal Clean Water Act, and farmers and conservationists are working with the state to come up with a set of rules. Some farmers fear that the rules could limit their spraying for weeds. Some conservationists argue for strict rules to prohibit poisons from entering streams and the watershed. However, conservation groups spraying to kill invasive weeds that compete with native vegetation are also concerned that the rules could stymie their efforts. 

      A story in Civil Beat says that Dean Okimoto, head of the Hawai`i Farm Bureau, testified that rules would increase costs for farmers and impede the push for food sustainability. The story quotes Okimoto: “It’s starting to feel like it’s an inordinate burden on farmers in this state to take on…. It comes to the point that farmers are almost endangered species.”
      According to Civil Beat, “Earthjustice, the Surfrider Foundation, Life of the Land and KAHEA argue that the state isn’t doing enough to protect local waterways, aquatic resources and human health.” See more at civilbeat.org.

Harry Kim to run for
 Hawai`i County mayor.

HARRY KIM WILL RUN FOR MAYOR, he announced yesterday. The former two-time Hawai`i mayor and former county Civil Defense director bases his campaign on refraining from taking any more than $10 a person for campaign donations. During his term as mayor he also refused the typical freebies, even lunch at such nonpolitical events as credit union meetings where he was giving public speeches. Kim is 72 years of age and a Puna resident. He took out papers to run for office yesterday and said he will file them today. 

      Kim recently re-entered public debate over the state’s proposal to exempt geothermal drilling from environmental reviews. Kim flew to Honolulu and gave an impassioned speech objecting to such exemptions, leading to the state Department of Health’s Environmental Council rejecting the exemptions. Kim said he is not against geothermal and other alterative energies for the Big Island but wants to make sure they are done safely for people and the environment.
      Kim is also campaigning against the continuing use of landfills to get rid of garbage, saying he would like to see a garbage-to-energy plant on the island, according to a report at bigislandnow.com.

DEADLINE TO FILE TO RUN for public office is 4:30 p.m. today. Candidates must turn in their papers to the County Clerk. So far, for Ka`u and Volcano public offices, the following candidates have filed:
      Mayor of Hawai`i County: Daniel Cunningham, Billy Kenoi, Anne Marsh (W), Rand Walls and Dominic Yagong.
      U.S. Senate: Heath Beasley, John Carroll, Ed Case, Charles Collins, Michael Dane Gillespie, Antonio Gimbernat, Mazie Hirono, Linda Lingle and Arturo Reyes.
      U.S. House: David Crowley, Rafael del Castillo, Matthew DeGeronimo, Tulsi Gabbard, Mufi Hannemann, Esther Kia`aina, Bob Marx and Miles Shiratori.
      State Senate District 2: Bob Herkes, Wendell Ka`ehu`ae`a, Russell Ruderman, Gary Safarik and Daryl Smith.
      State Senate District 3: Josh Green, Michael Last and John Totten.
      State Representative District 3: Fred Fogel, Marlene Hapai, Richard Onishi and Brittany Smart.
      State Representative District 5: David Bateman, Denny Coffman Leolani Oyama. 

      Hawai`i County Council: Maile David, Brenda Ford and Bradley Westervelt.
      Prosecuting Attorney: Lincoln Ashida, Paul Dolan and Mitch Roth.
      Office of Hawaiian Affairs Trustee for Island of Hawai`i: Bob Lindsey, William Meyers and Edwin Miranda.
      OHA Trustee – No Island Residency Requirement: Suzanne Apoliona, Kealii Makekau and Walter Ritte.

Buffer zones may be drawn around geothermal plants.
Photo from Puna Geothermal Venture

BUFFER ZONES around geothermal wells are proposed by County Council chair Dominic Yagong. He is also proposing that the County Council create a Geothermal Relocation and Public Safety Program. The current Community Benefits plan expends funds coming from the Puna geothermal plant for the benefit of Puna. The proposal is to redirect the money to study health effects of geothermal and to spend on relocating residents away from the geothermal plant when needed. Management of the fund would be moved to Civil Defense from the Planning Department. 

      According to an Erin Miller story in this morning’s Hawai`i Tribune Herald, Ormat Technologies, owner of Puna Geothermal Ventures, is reaching out to the community to explain its noise, water and safety standards and monitoring that is reported regularly to the state Department of Health.
      The Hawai`i Tribune Herald story quotes a letter from Ormat saying, “PGV continually monitors (hydrogen sulfide) through 35 point-source detectors placed throughout the power plant. PGV also maintains three monitoring stations that are located on the perimeter of the facility. These stations monitor meteorological and noise data, which can be viewed on the company website and is provided in a formal report given to the (Health Department) on a monthly basis, or as requested. For over 20 years, PGV has complied with state-mandated emissions standards.”
      Ka`u areas considered for possible geothermal expansion in the future are at South Point, the Ka`u Desert and upper Ocean View.

Venus' transit of the sun occurs today.

THE TRANSIT OF VENUS, when Venus makes its final trek across the face of the sun until the year 2117, occurs today. Lew Cook, a local astronomer and contributor to the The Ka`u Calendar, warns people not to look directly at the sun without proper eye protection. Welder’s goggles and masks can be used only if they are #14 or above. If the landscape is visible through them, they are not dark enough. Other safe viewing techniques are available at venustransit.nasa.gov/2012/transit. 

      A live webcast from Mauna Kea is scheduled to begin at 11:45 a.m. and last through the event. “This location will give a wonderful view of the entire transit with little chance of cloud cover to a worldwide audience,” according to the website. Visit venustransit.nasa.gov/webcasts/nasaedge.

WES AWANA TEACHES Intermediate `Ukulele today and every Tuesday from 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. at Volcano Art Center’s Niaulani Campus in Volcano Village. Students should have a basic knowledge of chords and strums. Fee is $40 per month. Kanikapila jam sessions open to all musicians follow from 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Donations are appreciated. For more information, call 967-8222.

Alma Gorali, seen here at Spring Fling, will guide participates in macrame
during Ka`u School of the Arts' Summer Creations event.  

AT AFTER DARK IN THE PARK this evening, Puakea Nogelmeier discusses the project to make over 125,000 pages of Hawaiian-language newspapers printed from 1834 to 1948 readily available. It is possibly the largest native-language cache in the western world, he said. The program begins at 7 p.m. at Kilauea Visitor Center Auditorium in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park. Two-dollar donations support park programs, and park entrance fees apply.

ALMA GORALI, JYM DUNCAN, Betina Wajar, Terri Chapot, Bobbie Beebe, Suzshi Lang and Iris Bishoff are some of the artists who will guide participants in art activities during Ka`u School of the Arts’ Summer Creations event happening on Monday, June 11. The event at Pahala Plantation House is free, and some activities may have a modest materials fee.

SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS AT WWW.PAHALAPLANTATIONCOTTAGES.COM AND WWW.KAUCOFFEEMILL.COM.

Ka`u News Briefs June 4, 2012

Search and rescue teams covered more than 1,500 square miles of ocean and Ka`u Coastline looking for Ceasare "Chaz" Moses, whose body was found this morning. Photo by Peter Anderson

THE SEARCH FOR CHAZ MOSES, of Pahala, ended this morning with the fire department rescue team locating his body in waters off of South Point, ending an all out search since Saturday afternoon.

Ceasare "Chaz" Moses

      After searching the coast and the ocean, buoys were launched Sunday to follow currents that could have taken him out to sea after a series of unexpected large waves pulled him away from shore while he was retrieving a throw net at South Point on Saturday before 3 p.m.. According to a report to KHON2 News from close friend Cyboy Lopez, friends cast flotation devices toward Moses but were unable to reach him. Friends lost sight of Moses as he floated about 200 yards offshore.
       Ceasare “Chaz” Moses was 29, a year 2000 graduate of Ka`u High School, a father and an ardent fisherman who was planning to enter an ulua fishing contest this summer at South Point, reported Hawai`i News Now. He was planning to attend college this fall in Hilo and hoped to become a police officer. He is the son of Jovena and John Moses, Jr. of Pahala.
      County helicopters, Choppers One and Two, searched for Moses over the weekend, along with a Coast Guard helicopter, C-130 plane and search and rescue boats covering more than 1,500 square miles.

`Aina Koa Pono's vision of its biofuel farm and refinery in Ka`u.

BIOFUEL RESEARCH ON NAPIER GRASS, SUGAR CANE, ENERGY CANE SWEET SORGHUM received a boost from Congress last week, when Hawai`i’s congressional delegation announced a $6 million grant for University of Hawai`i. A press release from Sen. Dan Inouye, Sen. Dan Akaka, Rep. Mazie Hirono and Rep. Colleen Hanabusa said the money will be used to “continue efforts to convert grass and other biomass into sustainable, commercial biofuel.” The money comes from a grant administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture. 

      U.H. College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources “will use the funds to help pay for the Biomass Research and Development Initiative, a project designed to convert napier grass, sugarcane, energy cane, sweet sorghum and other plant products into sustainable, economically viable biofuel,” the press release states.
      Said Inouye, “Continuing to invest in a sustainable energy future is vital to the health of our environment and our economy. At this time, fuel used for air, sea, and land transportation accounts for more than 60 percent of the oil imported into Hawai`i. These funds will help convert various species of grass and plants into clean fuel.” The senator wrote that “Hawai`i is at the forefront of clean energy research and development, and the projects and initiatives underway in our islands are helping to lessen our dependence on imported oil and moving us toward a time when the majority of our power is generated from clean, sustainable sources.”

Napier grass is one of the biofuel crops to
be studied by University of Hawai`i.

      Akaka stated that “biofuels offer much promise for our economy and environment since they can be locally produced and have the potential to significantly reduce pollution. The University of Hawai`i is a leader in renewable energy technologies, including biomass-to-biofuels research, and I look forward to continued advancements being made at CTAHR.”
      Hirono stated that “part of our challenge when it comes to making our state energy independent is determining how Hawai`i’s unique climate and year-round growing season affect things like crop yields for biomass. Research conducted on the mainland doesn’t take those factors into account. That’s why investments like this help us learn the types of yields we can expect or the requirements we’d need to plan for when growing various biomass crops. That information is essential for companies and potential investors interested in developing alternative energy projects.”
      The press release said that Hirono has long supported this program and recently released an energy sustainability plan. “I congratulate the University of Hawai`i for winning this important investment that will help Hawai`i create more of our own energy," the congresswoman sated
      Wrote Hanabusa: “Hawai`i is the ideal laboratory for developing biofuel because our climate allows a diverse array of plant species to grow in the quantities necessary to test and convert to energy.” Hanabusa, a member of the House Committee on Natural Resources, stated: “Investing in and promoting renewable energy initiatives helps lessen our dependence on imported fossil fuels, protects our environment and creates jobs. I would like to thank the administration for their continued support of Hawai`i’s renewable energy industries.”

      One biofuel farm is planned by investors and several landowners in Ka`u. `Aina Koa Pono plans a biofuel farm on pasture land between Pahala and Na`alehu and a refinery off Wood Valley Road above Pahala.

BAY CLINIC IN NA`ALEHU has reduced hours, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on the first Thursday of each month. Previous hours were 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monica Adams, Bay Clinic’s director of Development, Public Relations and Marketing, said that although hours of operation are being reduced, more appointments will be made available during those hours. She reported that most patients typically request appointments within the timeframe of the new hours. Provider schedules have been reworked to better serve the needs of Bay Clinic patients, she said. 

      For more information and appointments, call 929-7311.

DEADLINE TO FILE to run for the Aug. 11 primary election is 4:30 p.m. tomorrow. Candidates for Congress, the state Legislature, mayor, County Council and other elected positions must already have petitions from voters to qualify.

Phases of last night's lunar eclipse were captured by Ka`u photographer Peter Anderson.

A PARTIAL LUNAR ECLIPSE was easily seen in Ka`u skies last night, with about a third of the moon in shadow. A lunar eclipse occurs when the moon passes behind the Earth so that the Earth blocks the sun’s rays from striking the moon. This can occur only when the sun, Earth, and moon are aligned exactly, or very closely so, with the Earth in the middle.

A 3.7 EARTHQUAKE HIT the ocean floor just before 1 a.m. this morning between the Loihi Seamount and the Ka`u Coast, eight miles southeast of Na`alehu and 13 miles east- northeast of South Point. Neither damage nor tsunami threat was reported. The depth of the quake was 23.6 miles.

Venus' orbit lines up between the Earth and sun tomorrow
to create a transit. Image from NASA

DON’T LOOK AT THE SUN tomorrow to see the planet Venus transiting across the sun’s surface, unless you are wearing welding goggles or special glasses made for the event. It will take place from 12:09 p.m. to 6:42 p.m., when Venus will be seen by those wearing the glasses as a small dot marching across the sun. The next time that Venus, which is closer to the sun than the Earth, will cross the Earth’s orbit will be more than a century from now. The next Venus Transit will occur in 2117, even though the last one was eight years ago in June 2004. 

      The rarity of the event has to do with the shape and speed of the orbits of the two planets around the sun. Other Venus transits were in 1631 and 1639, 1761 and 1769, and 1874 and 1882.

KA`U SCHOOL OF THE ARTS celebrates King Kamehameha Day a week from today with its Summer Creations event at Pahala Plantation House. From 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., guided art activities take place. They will include macrame with Alma Gorali, stitchery dolls with Kepi Davis, poetrix with Jym Duncan, traditional Pacific Island dances with Betina Wajar, batik with Terri Chapot, clay miniatures with Bobbie Beebe, metal intaglio with Suzshi Lang, acrylics on textile with Iris Bishoff and more. The event is free, and some activities may have a modest materials fee.

      KSA aims to introduce and practice Aloha, `Ohana, Ho`olaulima, Lokahi, Malama and Kokua in an active art setting and provide a safe, encouraging environment for creativity within the community. Call Theresa at 938-9767 for more information.

Image from www.awaiaulu.org

`IKE KU`OKO`A: LIBERATING KNOWLEDGE is the topic at After Dark in the Park tomorrow. Project director Puakea Nogelmeier discusses making over 125,000 pages of Hawaiian-language newspapers printed in more than 100 different papers from 1834 to 1948 readily available. It possibly the largest native-language cache in the western world, he said. The program begins at 7 p.m. at Kilauea Visitor Center Auditorium in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park. Two-dollar donations support park programs, and park entrance fees apply. 

SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS AT WWW.PAHALAPLANTATIONCOTTAGES.COM AND WWW.KAUCOFFEEMILL.COM.