Ka`u News Briefs Sunday, Dec. 1, 2013

Taiko drummers helped celebrate the Ka`u Community Lantern Floating Ceremony at Punalu`u Beach Park yesterday to honor past, present and future generations. Photo by Julia Neal

HAWAI`I RANKS BEST IN THE NATION according to The Commonwealth Fund Scorecard on State Health System Performance for Low-Income Populations, 2013, a national scorecard that analyzed 30 indicators within four dimensions.
      Hawai`i ranks in the top quartile for three of four system dimensions – Access to Affordability, Potentially Avoidable Hospital Use, and Healthy Lives. Hawai`i ranks in the second quartile for the fourth indicator, Prevention and Treatment.
      There are currently 292,000 individuals enrolled in Hawai`i Med-QUEST programs, which are administered through the Department of Human Services.

Gene Beck, Matthew Gravela and Demetrius Oliveira bring
music to the post-Thanksgiving dinner at the lantern
ceremony. Photo by Julia Neal

      “This 2013 Commonwealth Fund scorecard demonstrates that Hawai`i is on the right track to improving access to affordable health care, and the state Med-QUEST division is leading the way,” said Gov. Neil Abercrombie, who has made healthcare transformation a top priority of his administration. “Our healthcare system supports the optimum health of all state residents by providing a seamless, integrated and comprehensive healthcare system. This approach consistently demonstrates high-quality care and a commitment to cost-effectiveness. It also enhances the patient experience and engages patients in their own healthcare decisions.”
      For low-income populations whose standard of living is 200 percent of the federal poverty level, Hawai`i reported the second lowest percentage of uninsured adults, the second lowest percentage of uninsured children, and the lowest percentage of adults who went without health care in the past year due to cost.
      Hawai`i also is ranked first for the lowest rate of potentially avoidable hospital use and second for the lowest rate of potentially avoidable emergency department visits for low-income Medicare beneficiaries, and first for the lowest rate of poor health related quality of life for low-income adults 18-64 years old.
      “It’s the prevention component that makes the difference,” said DHS director Patricia McManaman. “When vulnerable individuals have access to affordable and reliable medical services, they are more likely to visit their doctor on a regular basis. The Commonwealth Fund scorecard reflects the commitment of our healthcare providers to our community.”

      While Hawai`i is ranked the top state, it ranked below average on four indicators – older adult preventive care, surgical care to prevent complications, hospital 30-day mortality and hospital discharge instructions for home recovery.
      To read the complete scorecard, see commonwealthfund.org/Publications/Fund-Reports/2013/Sep/Low-Income-Scorecard.aspx.

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Movie from NASA/ESA SOHO satellite shows ISON's pass
near the sun. Image courtesy of Lew Cook

THE DEATH OF COMET ISON was prematurely declared over Thanksgiving weekend, says The Ka`u Calendar’s space and stars writer Lew Cook. After the BBC reported that European Space Agency experts “called the death of the comet at about 21:30 GMI” on Thanksgiving Day, a bright light started to grow along the comet’s previously expected course, and the comet appeared to be reborn. “Wow! Comet ISON has brightened a lot in the last few hours!” Cook reported. The comet passed within one solar diameter of the surface of the sun. 

      “Telescopes saw the giant ball of ice and dust disappear behind the sun but only a dull streamer re-emerge.” The BBC reported that the center of the comet “had gone out with a whimper.” Apparently, however, the nucleus of the comet survived for awhile. Cook reported yesterday, however, that “it appears that Comet ISON has fizzled out. It appears there will be no spectacular show for December. Was the post-perihelion show the last gasp for the comet? I suspect it was,” said Cook.

PUBLIC COMMENT ON A RECENTLY RELEASED draft document for the Ka`u Community Development Plan is due two weeks from tomorrow on Monday, Dec. 16. Appendix V4C: Local Economic Development Plan Analysis is available to read at area libraries and community centers and online at kaucdp.info. The public can submit testimony using feedback forms found with the reference documents and on the website. The appendix discusses opportunities in various sectors of Ka`u’s economy, including tourism.
      “Ka`u is a natural draw to much of the visitor profile, including experience-seekers, culture-seekers, adventure-seekers, and those interested in agri-tourism, health and wellness, edu-tourism and eco-tourism. Such visitors spend $90 million per year in and around Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park,” the draft document states. “However, Ka`u currently captures very little of the economic gains from the visitor market.”

Ka`u CDP's draft Appendix V4C: Local Economic Development Plan Analysis discusses
the district's tourism sector of the economy.

      The analysis suggests that by pursuing initiatives that preserve Ka`u’s natural and cultural resources, perpetuate Ka`u’s traditions and are scaled to strengthen its sense of community, history and identity, real connections and relationships of reciprocity can be made with people from around the world who visit Ka`u.
      “Consistent with the place-based, Native Hawaiian ho`okipa model, the focus should be on:

• Place-Based Investments in the protection, preservation, and sustainment of Ka`u’s people, culture, and natural resources; 
• Agri-/ Eco-/ Edu-/ and Wellness Tourism; and 
• Authentic Experiences for Repeat Visitors.

      “Such a strategy is a natural complement to other growth sectors in Ka`u, like agriculture, ecosystem services, health and wellness and the creative, education, and research sectors,” the document says.

      “At the same time, a strategy for developing a place-based visitor experience should account for the following factors:

• Contingencies Against Unforeseen External Factors: Because Hawai`i tourism is so sensitive to external factors, any specific visitor strategy should have contingencies included in the approach. Importantly, because the ho`okipa model focuses on place-based investments and authentic experiences, any strategy will first serve the people of Ka`u and therefore benefit the community regardless of fluctuations in the visitor industry. 

• Potential Increase in Retiree Visitors: As the population continues to age it would be reasonable to expect that the proportion of retirees as a percentage of visitors may increase, which would influence the type of experiences they expect and the associated opportunities for economic development ventures. 
• Online Presence: To reach the discerning visitor, Ka`u will need a user-friendly online presence for computers and mobile devices.

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Walking off the turkey and cleaning Hwy 11 are Ocean View Community Association volunteers Gil Robinson, Mike Last, Cindy Clements and Melissa Tveter. Photo by Mo Clements

WALK THE TURKEY OFF was the event sponsored by Ocean View Community Association yesterday. OVCA takes care of a two-mile stretch along Hwy 11 and cleans it four times a year with volunteers from the community as part of a statewide Adopt-a-Highway Litter Control program. Coming up is the Ocean View Community Association annual Keiki Christmas party on Saturday, Dec. 14 at 11 a.m.

Participants in the lantern ceremony honored their
loved ones, including the late Keala Kailiawa.
Photo by Julia Neal

KA`U COMMUNITY FLOATING LANTERN CEREMONY drew people to Punalu`u Beach Park yesterday. The program, sponsored by Ka`u Rural Health Community Association, Inc. in partnership with HMSA featured taiko drumming, the music of Keoki Kahumoku and kids and the music of Demetrius Oliveira, Gene Beck and Matthew Gravella. Participants built their own small rafts, each with a battery candle surrounded by paper with decorations and writings for loved ones. The lanterns floated in the tidepool near the pavillion and were retrieved at the end of the ceremony. Ka`u Rural Health Community Association President Donna Kekoa said she looks forward to the event continuing next year.

THE KA`U FARM BUREAU'S ANNUAL MEETING scheduled for Monday, Dec. 9 has been postponed until sometime in January, according to Farm Bureau members. During the annual meeting, members will elect officers for 2014. Officers for 2013 are president Chris Manfredi, vice president Phil Becker, treasurer Lorie Obra and secretary Brenda Iokepa-Moses. Farmers and businesses that work with farmers are invited to join. The Farm Bureau testifies on behalf of its members to county, state and federal government, assists with the Ka`u Coffee Festival, operates a website at kaucoffeeexchange.com, organizes education and funding opportunities for farmers and hosts speakers for public meetings. During 2013, testimony from president Chris Manfredi, representing Ka`u Farm Bureau, included opposing GMO regulations, supporting a new water line to serve farmers and ranchers in Ka`u and supporting the overall agenda of the statewide Hawai`i Farm Bureau Federation for which Manfredi was a liaison to the state Legislature.
       According to the Hawai`i Farm Bureau website, for its members, the Farm Bureau offers Aloha Air Cargo discounts for ag shipments, medical and dental insurance, discounts of prescription drugs at pharmacies, vehicle insurance, banking through Hawai`i USA Federal Credit Union and the Farm Bureau Bank, a five percent discount on transpacific Hawaiian Airlines tickets when booked online, discounts on Avis and Budget rental cars and at various hotels and discounts on purchasing Chevrolet, GMC and Buick vehicles. See Hawai`i Farm Bureau Federation website at http://hfbf.org.
       Annual dues are $95 for the Ka`u Farm Bureau. The application is available at http://hfbf.org/PDF/Membership%20Application.pdf.

Hawaiian Nativity Scene presented by Dorothy Antolin. Photo by Julia Neal

VOLCANO VILLAGE ART STUDIO TOUR continues today until 4 p.m., featuring items on display and available for purchase. A drawing for pieces contributed by each artist is held at the end of the sale. Maps are available at Volcano Village businesses and at VolcanoVillageArtistsHui.com.
      For more information, call 987-3472 or email eherb@hawaii.rr.com.

HAWAIIAN NATIVITY SCENE, this one presented by Dorothy Antolin, is one of the many from around the wold on display at Na`alehu Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints today from 1 p.m. to 7 p.m. this evening. The non-demoninational event, called the Creche Festival, is for everyone. It features music in an artistic setting, local creche artists, a gallery of nativities and children's rooms with costumes and activites. Yesterday's presentation featured Christmas songs played on a tuba.
      For more information, call 339-7402.

Gloria Camba encourages everyone to attend tomorrow's
concert and to keep giving to victims of the typhoon.
Photo by Julia Neal

FUNDRAISER FOR THE PHILIPPINES disaster victims of typhoon Haiyan, that destroyed Tacloban, and the Bohol earthquake is tomorrow at Hilo Civic Auditorium, 5:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. Organizing the event is Margarita Day Day Hopkins, of Hilo Visayan Club and a supporter of economic development for displaced sugar workers in Ka`u. Co-sponsoring is the county immigration office and Rose Bautista, as well as Dr. Norman Arancon and Dr. Rodney Jubilado.

      Ka`u Coffee Growers Cooperative president Gloria Camba said she encourages everyone to support their brothers and sisters in the Visayan districts of the Philippines, hard hit by the back-to-back disasters.

      Performing will be dancers from the Hilo Visayan Club and the Bayanihan Club of University of Hawai`i at Hilo, the Hawaiian Band, Two Souls and singers Keahi Conjugation, Kristian Lei, Lenny Castillo and Norman Arancon.

      Congress of Visayan Organizations, a nonprofit group, will use money raised to directly support victims. The organization requests a $20 donation from adults and $5 from students for admission to the fundraiser.
     To donate directly, contact Hopkins at dayday@hawaii.rr.com or 938-0474 or drop by R&G Store in Pahala or Will & Grace Store in Na`alehu.

PAHALA CHRISTMAS PARADE IS A WEEK from today on Sunday, Dec. 8. The 35th annual parade begins at 1 p.m., with Santa handing out candy to keiki and making an appearance at Ka`u Hospital. Community groups, coffee farmers, the fire department and many more join in this holiday celebration. To participate, call Eddie Andrade at 928-0808. 

SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS AT PAHALAPLANTATIONCOTTAGES.COM AND KAUCOFFEEMILL.COM. KA`U COFFEE MILL IS OPEN SEVEN DAYS A WEEK.

ALSO SEE KAUCALENDAR.COM AND FACEBOOK.COM/KAUCALENDAR.

Ka`u News Briefs Saturday, Nov. 30, 2013

Ka`u Community Floating Lantern Ceremony, Honoring Past, Present and Future Generations takes place today from
 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. at Punalu`u. Photo by Julia Neal

HAWAI`I 2050 PLAN gained national coverage in the Huffington Post this week. The analysis by Civil Beat contributor Billy Mason explains a local attitude and practice: “`A`ohe hana nui ke alu `ia translates to mean ‘No task is too big when done together by all.’”

      Mason contends that “local-level and state-level initiatives such as the Hawai`i 2050 Sustainability Plan will help to reduce the risks associated with Hawai`i’s current dependence on imported services and products, build resilience to address unavoidable impacts caused by climate change, preserve the aloha spirit and create new economic opportunities in Hawai`i for present and future generations.”
          Mason writes that “since the late 1980s, sustainability has been globally accepted and sustainable development defined as ... development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. This definition of sustainability can traced to the Brundtland Commission’s concept of sustainable development, which they presented to the United Nations.

       “In line with the Brundtland definition and building upon the Hawai`i State Plan conceived in the mid-1970s, the 2050 Hawai`i Sustainability Plan proclaims sustainability to encompass the following criteria: ‘respects the culture, character, beauty and history of our state’s island communities; strikes a balance between economic, social and community, and environmental priorities; meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.’”
      Mason writes that “in order to meet the defined criteria for sustainability in Hawai`i, the 2050 Hawai`i Sustainability Plan has designated the following five overlying goals:

• Living sustainably is part of our daily practice in Hawai`i. 
• Our diversified and globally competitive economy enables us to meaningfully live, work and play in Hawai`i. 
• Our natural resources are responsibly and respectfully used, replenished and preserved for future generations. 
• Our community is strong, healthy, vibrant and nurturing, providing safety nets for those in need. 
• Our Kanaka Maoli and island cultures and values are thriving and perpetuated. 

          Mason puts forth that “some of the elements that are necessary to facilitate the five primary goals of the 2050 Hawai`i Sustainability Plan include generating public and private sector awareness, engagement and stewardship, supporting the growth of local agriculture, developing renewable energy sources and efficient waste management systems, promoting economic development in local context and creating a comprehensive education program.
           “Among these elements, education plays the most significant role because it serves as the foundation for the success of the other elements and the subsequent implementation of a comprehensive sustainability plan.
         Mason says diffusion of knowledge is “the key to generating public and private sector awareness, engagement and stewardship.” He promotes conducting educational outreach events that present a problem to be solvable and incorporating sustainability into the academic curriculum at all levels to stimulate a shift in behavior of future generations.
        Mason suggests that the 2050 Hawai`i Sustainability Plan could set the benchmark for other states to protect the livelihood and lifestyle of their communities.
       “The future of sustainability in Hawai`i rests in hands of local communities that are willing to engage in the planning process, demand regulatory action and embrace stewardship,” Mason concludes.

      See civilbeat.com.
      To comment on or “like” this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.

Natural resource management has the potential for growth in Ka`u, according to a CDP
draft document. Here, The Nature Conservancy's Hawai`i Island director Shaylan
Crysdale discusses rain forest conservation.
Photo by Andrew Richard Hara

PUBLIC COMMENT ON A RECENTLY RELEASED draft document for the Ka`u Community Development Plan is due Monday, Dec. 16. Appendix V4C: Local Economic Development Plan Analysis is available to read at area libraries and community centers and online at kaucdp.info. The public can submit testimony through Dec. 16 using feedback forms found with the reference documents and on the website. The appendix discusses opportunities in various sectors of Ka`u’s economy, including creative, educational and research sectors. 

      “Due to the area’s significant natural and cultural assets,” as well as growth trends in these sectors, “there is considerable employment and entrepreneurial potential in these sectors in Ka`u,” the document states. “Specifically, potential appears high in the music, cultural activities and natural resource management as well as education and research in agriculture, environmental science, Hawaiian studies and geology.”
      The document says that growth in these sectors complements other economic sectors, including agriculture, renewable energy, payment for ecosystem services and ecotourism. It gives an example of creating authentic visitor experiences or creating an educational and research center focused on agriculture and natural and cultural resource management.
      “However, growth will require partnerships with and investment from outside organizations like the Three Mountain Alliance, the Department of Education, the University of Hawai`i and The Kohala Center,” the analysis concludes.

      To comment on or “like” this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.

John and Hope Keawe perform next month
at Kilauea Visitor Center Auditorium.

EVENTS IN HAWAI`I VOLCANOES NATIONAL PARK next month celebrate the holiday season. For all events, park entrance fees apply. 

      Volcano Festival Chorus presents its free Christmas concert Saturday, Dec. 7 at 7:30 p.m. at Kilauea Military Camp Theater. Sponsored by Kilauea Drama and Entertainment Network.
      Dinner is available at Kilauea Military Camp’s Crater Rim Café before the concert. KMC is open to authorized patrons and sponsored guests. Call 967-8371 for more information.
      Carl Ray Villaverde performs in concert Tuesday, Dec. 10 from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Kilauea Visitor Center Auditorium. After spending more than a decade on the mainland teaching `ukulele and guitar at Santa Barbara City College and performing throughout California, Villaverde returns to the islands with his new CD, Hawaiian Magic, on sale at the free show. $2 donations support park programs.
      `Ike Hana No`eau: Lauhala Weaving takes place Wednesday, Dec. 11 from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. on Kilauea Visitor Center’s lanai. Members of `Aha Puhala o Puna share the art during this free program, and participants weave bracelets. Lauhala ornaments are available for sale.
      Recording artist John Keawe rings in the holidays with his music Tuesday, Dec. 17 at 7 p.m. at Kilauea Visitor Center Auditorium, and his wife Hope interprets with her hula. $2 donations support park programs.
      Na Leo Manu: Haku Mele Ho`ike presents new, original Hawaiian music by local, island songwriters who attended a three-day Hawaiian music songwriter’s workshop with Kenneth Makuakane and UH-Hilo Hawaiian language instructor Kaliko Beamer-Trapp. The free program is scheduled for Wednesday, Dec. 18 from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Kilauea Visitor Center Auditorium.
      Kilauea Military Camp’s Crater Rim Café offers holiday buffets. On Christmas Day, Wednesday, Dec. 25, the buffet is from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. New Year’s Day’s buffet on Wed, Jan. 1 is served from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. KMC is open to authorized patrons and sponsored guests. Call 967-8356 for more information.

      To comment on or “like” this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.

Mike and Misato Mortara present their handblown art glass at Volcano Village
Art Studio Tour. Photo from Volcano Village Artists Hui

VOLCANO VILLAGE ART STUDIO TOUR continues today and tomorrow from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., featuring items on display and available for purchase. A drawing for pieces contributed by each artist is held at the end of the sale. Maps are available at Volcano Village businesses and at VolcanoVillageArtistsHui.com. 

      For more information, call 987-3472 or email eherb@hawaii.rr.com.

KA`U COMMUNITY FLOATING LANTERN CEREMONY, Honoring Past, Present and Future Generations is at Punalu`u Beach Park today from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. with a community Thanksgiving potluck, Taiko drummers, music and cultural dance.

CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST OF LATTER-DAY SAINTS in Na`alehu presents a Crèche Festival today from noon to 8 p.m. and tomorrow from 1 p.m. to 7 p.m. with works by local crèche artists, a gallery of nativities, a children’s room with costumes and activities for the entire family.
      For more information, call 339-7402.

SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS AT PAHALAPLANTATIONCOTTAGES.COM AND KAUCOFFEEMILL.COM. KA`U COFFEE MILL IS OPEN SEVEN DAYS A WEEK.

ALSO SEE KAUCALENDAR.COM AND FACEBOOK.COM/KAUCALENDAR.

Ka`u News Briefs Friday, Nov. 29, 2013

Free Thanksgiving dinner drew 439 at Ocean View Community Center yesterday. Walk Off the Turkey event is tomorrow at 9 a.m.
Photo by Melissa Tveter

THE HISTORY CHANNEL’S NEW SERIES AMERICAN JUNGLE misrepresents 
hunting in Hawai`i, according to a statement from Department of Land & Natural Resources.  DLNR finds the series’ depiction of hunting activities “to be inaccurate, offensive, and in some cases, potentially illegal.” The department has launched an investigation into possible law violations occurring during filming of the show. Activities such as night hunting depicted in the show, both on public and private land, are illegal.

      Division of Forestry and Wildlife, which oversees DLNR’s hunting program, denied a permit request last spring for the production to film on state forest lands.

Jonathan Roddy Eric DePeralta and Kalei Fernandez in American Jungle.
Photo from The History Channel

      “We denied the film permit request because it failed to provide sufficient details to indicate the show’s content and raised concerns as to possible illegal activities that might be depicted in the series,” stated DLNR chair William Aila, Jr.
      “Cultural insensitivity of the series is also a concern to DLNR,” the statement said. “The series depicts ‘clans’ that are fighting over access trails to territorial hunting grounds that inaccurately portray restrictive access to Hawai`i’s public lands, which are held in public trust for the people.”
      In the first episode of the series, spears and dogs were used to hunt a cow. “However, in an archival review of more than 60,000 historical documents, there is no evidence that native Hawaiians hunted pigs in the forest with spears, let alone cattle,” the statement said. Cattle are not recognized as game animals in Hawai`i and are illegal to hunt without a special feral cattle control permit.
      “Hunting serves important historical, cultural and practical roles in Hawai`i,” said Gov. Neil Abercrombie. “When guided by lawful and ethical hunting practices, hunting supports worthy conservation objectives in protection of native species and habitats against invasive and destructive elements. Portraying our local hunters as primitives demeans our people and their contributions to subsistence and wildlife conservation. This appears to be a fictional ‘reality’ production with no connection to actual hunters in Hawai`i. If we discover any laws or regulations have been broken, we will vigorously pursue legal and/or criminal charges.”

      Others expressing concern in the statement are Hawai`i County Game Management Advisory Commissioner Willie-Joe Camara, Division of Conservation and Resources Enforcement chief Randy Awo and Inga Gibson, Hawai`i director of The Humane Society.
      On the Facebook page for rustyboar.com, TJaye Ailama Forsythe, who came up with the idea for the series, responded to DLNR’s statement: “This is a television show, not a documentary. Television shows have fictional and non-fictional elements to them. American Jungle was considered more of a reality show because these are not actors, and they are not reading from a script. If the show was meant to be an accurate depiction of hunting in Hawai`i, we would have created a documentary.”
      See dlnr.hawaii.gov/huntered/2013/11/28/nr13-154h.
      To comment on or “like” this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.

Arroya Rivas, of Na`alehu, questions AKP's plan to produce feedstock and refine it into biofuel. Photo by Julia Neal

`AINA KOA PONO’S PLAN to harvest trees, shrubs and grasses from lands between Pahala and Na`alehu and to plant biofuel crops to feed a $400 million refinery to be built off Wood Valley Road has gained more testimony. In a letter to the state Public Utilities Commission, Arroya Rivas, of Na`alehu, questions whether `Aina Koa Pono’s plan is, in fact, pono.
      “The use of a good-sounding name (`Aina Koa Pono) to promote a project without allowing appropriate time for an independent (i.e. not AKP-related or funded) [review] of the environmental impact report is not “pono” and does not have the `Aina or, for that matter, the community of people who live close by, in their best interest,” Rivas writes.
      “At a time when we need to be move forward with sustainability by empowering the people to grow food, along comes AKP with an idea of a project that struggles with what has been called ‘adolescent technology.’ That is, unleashing the forces of technology without fully understanding the consequences. This is not ‘pono,’ but rather irresponsible and unacceptable.
      “The only project worth our cooperation is one where we can look forward to a better life for our children, our elders, and the people who live here precisely because it is, without a doubt, ‘pono’ for the `aina, the air and the water quality. Proven beyond a shadow of a doubt by an independent and extensive environmental impact study. This `aina and the people of Hawai`i deserve nothing less. 

      “How long can you keep pushing the `aina to produce 900 tons of feedstock every day using invasive species of plants while at the same time applying great and eventually even greater amounts of pesticides and synthetic fertilizers before the same soil becomes infertile? And this as food prices continue to rise, and the demand for food is on the rise.
      “Keep in mind, too, that eight or more diesel fuel trucks roaring down Hwy 11 would send toxic fumes into the atmosphere where families and children can be seen strolling. And the fact that we do, after all, have an elementary school in Na`alehu directly right off of Hwy 11 along with a preschool program, a much-used family park and a family clinic. …
      “Let’s also consider that 100 or even 300 hundred jobs is nothing compared to the amount and variety of food that can instead be grown in the same area to feed the hundreds of thousands of Hawaiian people who are facing the rise of food prices as you read this letter as well as generate very green and sustainable jobs. 

      “I urge AKP to put your energies and monies toward an earth-friendly energy base technology if that really is your intention. And I urge PUC commissioners to stand firm in the knowing that without an independent and not AKP environmental study, the commissioners would essentially surrender their responsibility to support projects that are indeed without a doubt pono for the `aina and the people.
      “Commissioners, it would be wise on your part to gather information on the truly alternative and sustainable energies available and get informed on what is best for the people and the `aina, or else individuals claiming ‘pono’ will do your business for you and fill their pockets despite the short- and long-term effect to the health of our children, our youth, our elders and the `aina.
      Rivas provides links to articles that she says may be “encouraging and educational:” naturalnews.com/023092_corn_ethanol_biofuels.html and livemint.com/2011/03/23001656/Tata-siqns-up-MIT-energy-quru.html.
      This and other testimony is available at puc.hawaii.gov. Docket number is 2012-0185.

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Bong Aquino loads up donations from Ka`u to be shipped free to the Philippines.

DONATIONS FROM KA`U are on their way to the Philippines, with free transport donated by LBC shipping company. The effort is organized by the Big Island Filipino Community Council, with Ka`u board member Gloria Camba. The deadline for donating goods is over, but money is being accepted through a nonprofit to help the victims of the typhoon that killed more than 5,800 people in the Visayan area of the country. 

      A well-known person to Ka`u with family affected by the typhoon is economic development expert Margarita Day Day Hopkins, who has long supported Ka`u Coffee farmers. She planned to travel to the Philippines to reconnect with family in the storm-ravaged areas. 

      To arrange donations, call Camba at 928-8558, Amy Peralta at 928-8470 or Will and Grace Tabios at 929-9993.

      To comment on or “like” this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.

Punalu`u is the site of a floating lantern
ceremony tomorrow. Photo by Julia Neal

THANKSGIVING AT OCEAN VIEW COMMUNITY CENTER “was decorated like a five-star restaurant” for yesterday’s community Thanksgiving Dinner, said farmer James Hanka, who grew some of the food that was served there. The community association served 439 people at no cost to those who dined on turkey, local purple sweet potatoes, salads, a variety of cooked vegetables and pumpkin, cherry and apple pies. Many volunteers cooked and served the food. Ocean View Community Association board president Gil Robinson said the group wants to thank everyone who donated and volunteered. A silent auction helped raise money for the annual event.

      To comment on or “like” this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.

WALK THE TURKEY OFF tomorrow, Saturday, with Ocean View Community Association starting at 9 a.m. at mile marker 79 along Hwy 11. The annual event is under the state Adopt-a-Highway program. Association members clean from Iolani Street to Lehua, a two-mile stretch, four times a year.

VOLCANO VILLAGE ART STUDIO TOUR is 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. today through Sunday, featuring items on display and available for purchase. A drawing for pieces contributed by each artist is held at the end of the sale. Maps are available at Volcano Village businesses and at VolcanoVillageArtistsHui.com.
      For more information, call 987-3472 or email eherb@hawaii.rr.com.

KA`U COMMUNITY FLOATING LANTERN CEREMONY, Honoring Past, Present and Future Generations is at Punalu`u Beach Park tomorrow, fro 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. with a community Thanksgiving potluck, Taiko drummers, music and cultural dance are also on the schedule. Sign up for a lantern at Ka`u Resource & Distance Learning Center in Pahala or call 928-0101.

CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST OF LATTER-DAY SAINTS in Na`alehu presents a Crèche Festival tomorrow from noon until 8 p.m. and Sunday from 1 p.m. until 7 p.m. The celebration includes works by local crèche artists, a gallery of nativities, a children’s room with costumes and activities for the entire family.
      For more information, call 339-7402.

SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS AT PAHALAPLANTATIONCOTTAGES.COM AND KAUCOFFEEMILL.COM. KA`U COFFEE MILL IS OPEN SEVEN DAYS A WEEK.

ALSO SEE KAUCALENDAR.COM AND FACEBOOK.COM/KAUCALENDAR.