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Sunday, July 06, 2014

Ka`u News Briefs Sunday, July 6, 2014

Rodeo clown distracts as judges, announcer and fans look on at the Fourth of July weekend rodeo in Na`alehu, which continues today.
Photo by Julia Neal
INCUMBENT STATE REP. RICHARD H.K. ONISHI has provided information to the League of Women Voters regarding his campaign for reelection, with the primary to be held on Aug. 9.
      “To address issues and concerns and find solutions to better the communities and the lives of future generations in my district, I pledge to listen to you, stay in touch with you, work tirelessly for you and to work together with you,” Onishi said.
      “I believe I am best qualified to represent the people in my district. My experiences have provided me with a diverse perspective on how to address issues, problems and concerns of our communities. Some of those experiences gave me the opportunity to understand the role of the Legislature and be involved in its processes.”
Young paniolo learn to ride and fall in the mutton busting competition.
Photo by Julia Neal
      Onishi was born on the Big Island, attended public schools and graduated from University of Hawai`i at Hilo with a bachelor of arts degree. He has had variety of jobs in the private sector and government, including service jobs in the visitor industry and in the grocery business, supervisory positions in agriculture and computer technology, service in the Army, teaching computer classes at Hawai`i Community College and computer information system analyst for the county. He has held leadership positions in many organizations including PTAs, School/Community-Based Management Councils, coaching soccer and football, Big Brothers and Big Sisters, Army Community Service, Hawai`i Island Adult Care, Hilo High School Foundation and Jaycees. He has lobbied the Legislature on behalf of PTA, Jaycees, ACS, HIAC and Hawai`i Government Employees Associaton.
Wahine double mugging sees the mounted rider roping and the partner on the ground tackling the calf. Photo by Julia Neal
      “My top two goals are to increase revenues and to assist our communities to become safer, healthier, economically viable and sustainable,” Onishi said. “To achieve these goals I will identify, develop and support programs that will increase revenue, and I will work with our communities to identify issues and problems dealing with the safety, health, economy and sustainability of their community and work with them to find solutions.” See lwv-hawaii.org.To comment on or like this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.


KA`U ROPING & RIDING ASSOCIATION’S annual Fourth of July Rodeo continues today at Na`alehu Rodeo Grounds with Open Dally, Team 90s, Double Mugging, Ranch Mugging and Wahine Mugging.

Thy Word Ministries-Ka`u members walk and ride for the Lord every
Independence Day in Na`alehu. Photo by Julia Neal
RELIGIONS OF MANY FAITHS and denominations joined Fourth of July celebrations over the last week in parades in Volcano and Na`alehu. Lighthouse Baptist Church of Na`alehu, whose members handed out American flags at the Na`alehu event, won Most Patriotic. Ocean View Evangelical won most colorful. Religions represented ranged from Evangelical Protestant to Krsna.
      To comment on or like this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.

FAMILY CHILD CARE HOMES ARE NOW PERMITTED in agriculturally designated districts if located in a farm dwelling, following Gov. Neil Abercrombie’s signing of House Bill 2560 (Act 210.)
      “This legislation makes it easier for farm families to access child care,” Abercrombie said. “Keiki in rural areas can now have a child care setting that provides open space and opportunities to learn about caring for animals and living off the land.”
      Act 210 also changes the definition of family child care home to allow for care of one to six unrelated children.
      In a separate bill signing ceremony at Maui Brewing Co. at Maui Research & Technology Park in Kihei, the governor enacted Senate Bill 3042 (Act 211), which removes a 30,000-barrel-per-year manufacturing cap for malt beverages for class 14 brewpub licensees. Act 211 also increases the manufacturing limit for class 16 winery licensees to not more than 20,000 barrels of wine on the licensee’s premises during the license year.
Lighthouse Baptist Church walked with flags and handed out small flags,
winning Most Patriotic in Na`alehu. Photo by Julia Neal
      In addition, Act 211 establishes a new class 18 liquor license class for small craft producer pubs, prohibits brewpubs from selling intoxicating liquor from class 1 manufacturer licensees for consumption on the premises, and makes conforming amendments relating to liquor license classes and federal labeling and bottling requirements.
      To comment on or like this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.

PAHALA PUBLIC & SCHOOL LIBRARY will offer its patrons new public service hours beginning Monday, July 14: Monday, Wednesday and Thursday, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 2 p.m. to 5 p.m.; Tuesday, 12 p.m. to 3 p.m. and 4 p.m. to 7 p.m.; Friday, 12 p.m. to 5 p.m.; and Saturday and Sunday, closed.
      For information about the library’s programs and services, please call 928-2015.
      To comment on or like this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.  

HAWAIIAN VOLCANO OBSERVATORY REPORTS a new lava flow beginning as another ends in the current issue of Volcano Watch.
      “Elevated pressure within Pu`u O`o cone reached a breaking point on June 27 with magma intruding through the cone and erupting from fissures on the northeast flank of the cone. These new vents fed a vigorous, but still relatively short, channelized flow that had reached about 1.5 km northeast of Pu`u O`o by 11 a.m. This new activity was accompanied by minor sagging of the Pu`u O`o crater floor, due to withdrawal of magma within the cone.
Ocean View Evangelical Church took the prize in Na`alehu for Most
Colorful float. Photo by Julia Neal
      “For the past year, the Kahauale`a Two lava flow was erupting from a vent high on the northeast crater rim of Pu`u O`o, on Kilauea’s East Rift Zone, sending lava toward the northeast. Although this lava flow advanced very slowly, and erratically, it was uphill from residential areas and posed a potential future hazard. Several interruptions to the lava supply at the vent occurred over the past year but nothing quite large enough to terminate the flow. In the early morning hours of Friday, June 27, the terminal event finally arrived.
  “Prior to June 27, HVO had been tracking inflation at Pu`u O`o for several weeks. Several small lava flows erupted from spatter cones on the Pu`u O`o crater floor in the week before the event—another sign of pressurization and high lava levels. Slow deflation of the cone began around 5:30 a.m. on June 27, around the time that a handful of small earthquakes appeared. Both the deflation and the earthquakes may have represented magma starting, or trying, to intrude through the cone.   
Followers of Krishna joined Volcano's Fourth of July Parade. Photo by Julia Neal
      “The breaking point was finally reached just before 7 a.m. Our Webcams showed a portion of the northeast flank of Pu`u O`o pushed up slightly—perhaps several yards — as magma forced its way through the side of the cone.
      “Magma reached the surface moments later, tearing open new fissures on the northeast flank and sending out a gush of lava as the built-up pressure was released. Bursts of seismic tremor, sharp deflation and sagging of Pu`u O`o’s crater floor accompanied the opening of the new flank vents as magma stored beneath the cone drained out to feed the new flows.
      “The initial phases of this new activity were impressive. Four fissures opened, with the most vigorous being the lowest in elevation. This fissure sent out a beautiful channelized flow on the opening day, reaching about 0.9 miles in length, but the vigor of the eruption soon abated as the excess pressure in Pu`u O`o was relieved.
      “By the second day, activity had focused on the lowest fissure, and flows were extending only a short distance from this vent. These short flows have been stacking up on one another, building a broad lava shield on the flank of Pu`u O`o. This lava shield activity continues today. …
Na`alehu Assembly of God carried the cross in the Na`alehu Parade.
 Photo by Julia Neal
      “Compared to previous events, the June 27 breakout was relatively small, but it had an important effect on the East Rift Zone eruption. The lava level drop in Pu`u O`o resulted in the lava supply to the Kahauale`a Two flow being shut off. This killed the Kahauale`a Two flow but may have simply replaced it with a new long-term hazard concern. The lava from the June 27 breakout is, like the Kahauale`a Two flow, heading in a northeastern direction and could eventually pose a similar threat to downslope communities. The June 27 flows are, however, very slow-moving and pose no imminent threat. Continued mapping and monitoring of this new flow will help us determine what it could have in store for the future.”
      See hvo.wr.usgs.gov/volcanowatch. To comment on or like this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.

KA`U RESIDENT DICK HERSHBERGER brings Hawaiian Volcano Observatory founder Thomas Jaggar to life Tuesday at 10 a.m., 12 p.m. and 2 p.m. The living history program takes place every other Tuesday at Kilauea Visitor Center and Whitney Vault in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park.
The Village Church, Volcano Assembly of God on Wright Road flew
American flags in Volcano's parade. Photo by Julia Neal
PEGGY STANTON TEACHES ACRYLIC PAINTING to all levels Tuesday, July 8 and 22, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Volcano Art Center’s Niaulani Campus in Volcano Village. Free for VAC members; $20 for nonmembers.
      For more information, email peggystanton007@yahoo.com.

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

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Saturday, July 05, 2014

Ka`u News Briefs Saturday, July 5, 2014

Scalloped hammerhead sharks are threatened and endangered internationally but safer in Hawai`i. Photo from NOAA
SCALLOPED HAMMERHEAD SHARKS are the most common hammerheads in Hawai`i, and their populations are considered stable. However, the ever-growing international market for shark fins, where fins go from $50 to $100 a pound, is driving scalloped hammerheads toward extinction, and the federal government and international collaborations are planning to protect them.
The RoyalOrder of Kamehameha walked first in Volcano's Fourth of
July Parade. Photo by Julia Neal
     This week the National Marine Fisheries Service announced that in September it will list scalloped hammerheads in the eastern Atlantic and eastern Pacific oceans as endangered, and in the central and southwest Atlantic and the Indo-West Pacific as threatened. The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora calls for trade in scalloped hammerheads only when export countries issue permits and declare the sharks legally taken, guaranteeing their loss will not harm survival of the species and its place in the ecosystem.
      Internationally, and mostly for the enjoyment of shark fin soup, "finning” crews catch adult and juvenile sharks, harvest their fins and dump them back into the ocean. The disabled sharks drown or die of starvation.
      “Studies indicate the Hawai`i population stays in waters relatively close to shore, which may give them some additional protection. That’s because longline fishing fleets can accidentally catch the species, but the Hawai`i-based fleet fishes further from the coast,” reports an Associate Press story this week by Audrey McAvoy.
Lady Liberty shared the spotlight with Hawai`i County Band. Photo by Julia Neal
      McAvoy quotes Hawai`i Institute of Marine Biology shark expert Carl Meyer saying that high numbers of fibers in scalloped hammerhead fins makes them particularly desirable for shark fin soup. “Fishermen are catching juveniles as well as adults. ‘Of course, if you take away all of the small ones, then you don’t get any big ones, and then your population starts to really decline dramatically.’”
     Scalloped hammerheads “give birth in calm, murky, shallow bays,” reports McAvoy. “They’re better off in Hawai`i than other areas in part because there’s no traditional or modern market for sharks as a commercial species in the islands, said Kim Holland, also a researcher at Hawai`i Institute for Marine Biology.
     “Scalloped hammerheads grow up to 10 feet long and have indentations in their flat, extended heads. They eat stingrays, squid and other sharks,” reports the AP. The story was carried by newspapers and news services internationally.
Mauna Kea Forest Restoration Project staff and volunteers carry
a giant palila bird. Photo by Julia Neal
      To comment on or like this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.

VOLCANO VILLAGE CELEBRATED FOURTH OF JULY yesterday under brilliant blue skies as community organizations, floats, individuals and politicians joined the parade through town from the post office to Cooper Center, where revelers enjoyed ono food, entertainment and vendor and informational booths.
      To comment on or like this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.

QUALIFIED INDIVIDUALS FROM KA`U looking to serve the public can apply for state board or commission openings that will occur as Senate Bill 2682 takes effect this Tuesday, July 8.
      On that date, 15 boards and commissions will be required to have their annual financial disclosure statements made public.
Volcano School of Arts & Sciences skates and walks for Independence Day.
Photo by Julia Neal
      Gov. Neil Abercrombie had placed the bill on his intent-to-veto list. After a detailed analysis, he decided to let it become law without his signature.
      “When it comes to the role of volunteer participation in the policy and decision-making process of governing in a democracy, the power of government to intrude in people’s lives becomes far more than a technical issue,” Abercrombie said. “It goes beyond labels of left and right. The whole rationale of democratic governance, after all, is to ensure the protection of individual rights, particularly in matters of personal information and dignity.
      “There are tough issues to be considered in this bill with competing values: legitimate inquiry into possible conflicts regarding the public interest versus legitimate concerns about personal information on family, finances, credit history and medical records becoming cannon fodder in political battles.
Volcano Parade Grand Marshal Ira Ono waves the flag in yesterday's
Fourth of July celebration. Photo by Julia Neal
      “It seems reasonable in these circumstances, then, to allow this bill to become law with the object of reviewing the disclosure documents to determine what information serves the public interest, what limitations are relevant and most importantly, what constitutes conflict. The issue then, is not about disclosure, but to what end and by what means.”
      The Office of the Governor oversees more than 180 boards and commissions established by the state constitution, statutes or executive orders.
      Members of the public may apply themselves or recommend qualified applicants online at governor.hawaii.gov/about/boards-and-commissions.
      To comment on or like this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.

The Hawaiian Bat and Kamehameha Butterfly represented Hawai`i Volcanoes
National Park in yesterday's parade. Photo by Julia Neal
PEOPLE ATTENTIVE TO CHILDREN, or PATCH, is currently holding training classes at Pahala Preschool. “The Infant & Toddler Social Emotional Series is a great opportunity for early educators interested in their professional development and in continuous quality improvement,” said spokesperson Kathryn Foster. 
       The following classes are held from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.:
  • Temperament and Secure Relationships, Tuesday, July 8; 
  • Development of Social Emotional Wellness, Friday, July 11; 
  • Observation and Responsive Routines, Tuesday, July 15; 
  • Building Emotional Literacy, Friday, July 18; 
  • Working in Partnerships with Families, Tuesday, July 22; 
  • Individualized Intervention with Infants & Toddlers, Friday, July 25; 
  • When Behavior goes off Track, Tuesday, July 29; 
  • Effects of Challenging Behaviors, Friday, Aug. 1; and 
  • Developing a Support plan for Infants & Toddlers, Tuesday, Aug. 5.
American Red Cross encourages volunteerism and disaster preparedness.
Photo by Julia Neal
      For more information and to register, call 322-3500.
      To comment on or like this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.

KA`U ROPING & RIDING ASSOCIATION’S annual Fourth of July Rodeo takes place today and tomorrow at Na`alehu Rodeo Grounds. Events include Open Dally, Team 90s, Double Mugging, Ranch Mugging and Wahine Mugging.

HAWAI`I FARMERS UNION UNITED’S KA`U chapter holds its next meeting a week from today on Saturday, July 12 at Ka`u Coffeehouse & Guesthouse in Na`alehu at 5 p.m.
      “There is a vibrant, active, committed community of mahi`ai, or land stewards, participating in our organization, and we are making great strides forward,” said organizer Malian Lahey.
Friends of Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park befriended parade-goers.
Photo by Julia Neal
      On the agenda is election of the board and organization of the group’s Farmers Market booth. Richard Perea, of Ka`u Natural Farming, presents photos and talks about his fig farm in Ocean View and how he uses natural farming.
      Those who would like to vote for officers must be members of HFUU. Interested persons can enroll online at hfuuhi.org or bring a check for $45 in person to the meeting.
      “Remember that the more organized we are in support of smallholder, family farms in Ka`u, the better we can advocate for ourselves at the county and state level,” Lahey said. “Joining HFUU is a statement about what kind of future you want for Ka`u.
      “HFUU Ka`u Chapter is working hard to build a future where regular people can succeed and thrive as businesspeople and farmers.”
Science Camps of America stopped their field explorations to join the parade.
Photo by Julia Neal
      To comment on or like this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.

HAWAI`I WILDFIRE MANAGEMENT ORGANIZATION, a nonprofit based in Waimea, hosts a series of free community wildfire preparedness workshops in some of the most fire-prone areas of the Big Island this month. Those who attend will learn about Hawai`i’s wildfire issues and how to mitigate those issues through proper home landscaping techniques and home structure modifications. They will also learn about how to develop a concrete family emergency plan, what actions to take during a wildfire and proper evacuation procedures. HWMO makes each workshop a fun, interactive and casual event that the whole `ohana can enjoy. Each family also receives a free copy of the Ready, Set, Go! Hawai`i Wildland Fire Action Guide that can be used as a step-by-step tool for carrying out the previously mentioned actions.
      Each of the following local workshops is from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m.:
Volcano Senior Citizens march patriotically with the throng. Photo by Julia Neal
  • Monday, July 21 — Ocean View Community Center, 92-8924 Leilani Circle; 
  • Friday, July 25 — Cooper Center, 19-4030 Wright Road, Volcano; and 
  • Monday, July 28 — Pahala Elementary School, 96-3150 Pikake Place. 
       For more information, contact pablo@hawaiiwildfire.org or 885-0900, or visit hawaiiwildfire.org.
      To comment on or like this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.

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







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Friday, July 04, 2014

Ka`u News Briefs Friday, July 4, 2014

Friends of the Ka`u Libraries help raise money for the operation of the Pahala and Na`alehu Libraries. Photo by Julia Neal
COMMUNITY & GOVERNMENT ORGANIZATIONS in Ka`u have been marching in parades, today in Volcano and last Saturday in Na`alehu, promoting their good works from cleaning up debris from the Ka`u Coast to encouraging reading and the continuing services of local libraries and fighting fires.
      To comment on or like this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.

HIGHLIGHTING COLLABORATION BETWEEN the executive, legislative and judicial branches of state government, Gov. Neil Abercrombie this week signed House Bill 2490 (Act 201) into law. This measure aims to reduce Hawai`i’s secure juvenile facility population by half over the next five years and directs investment in community supervision and treatment programs that will be more effective at steering troubled youth toward productive, law-abiding lives.
Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park provides an honor guard, a banner and flags
in the annual parades in Ka`u. Photo by Julia Neal 
      “This legislation is the result of extensive research, collaboration and consensus by stakeholders and policymakers across Hawai`i,” Abercrombie said. “By using our resources more effectively, we will be able to reduce juvenile crime and achieve better outcomes for youth, families and communities across our islands.”
      In 2013, the state spent $199,000 a year for each bed at Hawai`i Youth Correctional Facility, yet 75 percent of youth released from HYCF were re-adjudicated or convicted as an adult within three years. To improve those results, Abercrombie, Senate President Donna Mercado Kim, House Speaker Joseph Souki and Chief Justice Mark Recktenwald last year launched a bipartisan, inter-branch working group that analyzed the Hawai`i’s juvenile justice system and recommended the policy reforms contained in this legislation.
Hawai`i Pacific Parks has offices in Volcano and supports many programs
in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park. Photo by Julia Neal
      Hawai`i County Prosecutor Mitch Roth was a member of the working group. “A lot of times, you can put juveniles in prison and they come out a lot worse,” Roth told John Burnett, of Hawai`i Tribune-Herald. “If we can have the outside services — on our island, things like the Salvation Army, Boys and Girls Clubs, YMCA, all of our youth organizations, and strengthen those, then we can reduce recidivism.
      “With this law, probation (officers) and judges have an option to send kids to better treatment facilities — or to treatment facilities in the first place, drug treatment facilities, mental health facilities,” Roth said. “Getting any services for our kids is a huge problem in our state, especially here on our neighbor islands.
      “We’re hoping this will reduce recidivism, keeping kids from going through the revolving door as an adult through the system.”
      In conjunction with enactment of HB2490, the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention announced a partnership with Hawai`i to support implementation of the new policies.
      OJJDP will fund a technical assistance team over the next year to provide wide-ranging training, planning activities, education, assessment assistance and other tools for the state in recognition of Hawai`i’s forward-thinking adoption of this new law. The partnership is expected to begin this fall. 
      To comment on or like this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.

Classic Hawai`i County fire truck, ready for the hot summer in Ka`u where a
range fire has already burned more than 1,000 acres. Photo by Julia 
HAWAI`I WILL RECEIVE TWO GRANTS TOTALING $1,752,905 from the U.S. Department of Labor to help unemployed individuals train for and transition to new employment. Hawai`i will receive $897,420 through the Job-Driven National Emergency Grant program to train unemployed workers for jobs in high-demand industries and $855,485 through the Reemployment and Eligibility Assessment Program grant to help Unemployment Insurance claimants return to work quickly.
      “The best way to help those who are unemployed is to help them get back to work,” U.S. Sen. Brian Schatz said. “These funds support Hawai`i’s job centers and help those who are unemployed with the job training and services they need to find a good paying job.”
      The Job-Driven National Emergency Grant program expands employer occupational training partnerships that result in an industry-recognized credential, such as on-the-job training or registered apprenticeships. Funding from this grant will also be used for career coaching and job placement.
Hawaiian Civic Club of Ka`u walked in the Na`alehu parade last weekend.
Photo by Julia Neal
      The Reemployment and Eligibility Assessment Program grant will be used to conduct in-person assessments at American Job Centers that assist unemployed individuals in the creation of reemployment plans based on their skills and the job market. These assessments also help evaluate Unemployment Insurance benefits and provide job training services. Since the initiative began in March 2005, Hawai`i has assisted more than 36,000 UI claimants with their reemployment efforts. 
      One of eight American Job Centers in the state is located at Big Island Workplace Connection, 1990 Kino`ole Street in Hilo. Call 981-2860 for more information.
      To comment on or like this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.

Hawai`i Wildlife Fund teams up with state Division of Forestry & Wildlife to
promote clean beaches and volunteerism to pick up trash. Photo by Julia Neal

ARMY OFFICIALS ARE OPENING SEVERAL TRAINING AREAS at Pohakula for bow hunting tomorrow and Sunday from 5 a.m. to 7 p.m. 
      Training areas One through Four will be open for bow hunting of mammals only. Hunters are allowed one pig, one goat and one sheep, per day, in keeping with state bag limits. Shooting sheep with blue collars is not permitted.
      Keamuku Training Area will be open for bow hunting of goats only. Hunting of sheep is not permitted there this weekend.
      All hunters must check in and check out at one of the following hunter’s check-in stations: Kilohana, located on Saddle Road between mile markers 43 and 44; Pu`u Huluhulu, located at the intersection of Mauna Kea Access Road and Saddle Road near mile marker 28; or or Pu`u Anahulu on Hwy 190 across from mile marker 15. Checkout time is no later than 7:30 p.m. each day.
      Hunting passes will be provided today after 5 p.m. These passes must be signed and placed on the vehicle’s dashboard.
      Firearms, alcoholic beverages, all-terrain vehicles, dirt bikes and/or recreational vehicles are not allowed in the training and hunting areas.
      For more information, call PTA’s Hunters’ Hotline at 969-3474, see garrison.hawaii.army.mil/pta and click on the Hunting tab or refer to instructions on the hunting pass.
      To comment on or like this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.

Hawai`i Wildlife Fund seeks volunteers for its Ka`u Coast Cleanup
Sunday, July 13. Photo from HWF
HAWAI`I WILDLIFE FUND STAFF MEMBERS wish Ka`u a happy Fourth of July. They invite residents to take the Plastic-Free July Challenge and also volunteer for this month’s Ka`u Coast Cleanup.
      “The challenge is quite simple,” HWF staff member Megan Lamson. “Attempt to refuse single-use plastic during July. ‘Single-use’ includes plastic shopping bags, plastic cups, straws, plastic packaging – basically anything that’s intended only to be used once and then discarded. If refusing all single-use plastic sounds too daunting this time, try the TOP FOUR challenge – straws, plastic bags, plastic bottles and coffee cup lids. 
       Lamson also suggests collecting any unavoidable single-use plastic you buy and keeping it in a “dilemma bag and share it with us at the end of the challenge.
       “It’s up to you regarding how long you participate. You might decide to go plastic-free for a day, a week, a month or longer. However long you choose will still make a contribution.”  
       Sign up at plasticfreejuly.org and use the hashtag #plasticfreehawaii on related Facebook and Instagram posts. Follow HWF on Twitter at @wildhawaii.
       Another Ka`u Coast Cleanup takes place Sunday, July 13. Participants meet at Wai`ohinu Park to carpool and caravan to Kamilo Point. Call 769-7629, email kahakai.cleanups@gmail.com or see facebook.com/events/1514410668782953 for details and to sign up.
      To comment on or like this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.

Pacific Quest, with its Ka`u facilities at the old Shirakawa Motel and a farm
between Pahala and Na`alehu, employs many young professionals to counsel
teens, most of them coming from urban environments. Photo by Julia Neal
KA`U ROPING & RIDING ASSOCIATION’S annual Fourth of July Rodeo takes place tomorrow and Sunday at Na`alehu Rodeo Grounds. Events include Open Dally, Team 90s, Double Mugging, Ranch Mugging and Wahine Mugging.

KILAUEA DRAMA & ENTERTAINMENT NETWORK presents its fifth Gilbert and Sullivan comic opera Ruddigore, or The Witch’s Curse, starting next Friday, July 11 and running through Sunday, July 27. Performances are at 7:30 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays and 2:30 p.m. on Sundays at Kilauea Militar Camp Theater in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park.
      Tickets are $15 general, $12 for students and seniors over 60 and $10 for children 12 and under. They may be purchased at Kilauea General Store in Volcano, Kea`au Natural Foods and The Most Irresistible Shop in Hilo.
      Reservations can be made by calling 982-7344. For more information, call this number, email kden73@aol.com or visit KDEN’s Facebook page.

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



See kaucalendar.com/Directory2014.swf.
Click at bottom right to turn pages.