Ka`u News Briefs Thursday, May 21, 2015

Visitors to Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park gather after dark at Jaggar Museum observation deck to observe the glow from a lava lake within Halema`uma`u Crater. NPS Photo courtesy of Alex Werjefelt

HAWAI`I COUNTY COUNCIL’S first June meeting will be broadcast from the old state courthouse in Na`alehu following a move of the teleconferencing facility from Ocean View Community Center. Ka`u’s Council member Maile David said this morning she is happy that the facility on Hwy 11 will have a new purpose and provide a centralized location for the community to witness and provide testimony at council committee and regular council meetings. She said the state has agreed to allow the county to use it rent-free and that it may become available for other community meetings.

      David researched use of courthouse when she worked for the Legislative Research branch of the county and recently looked back at the records to restart the conversation with the state to reopen it.

Services at Ka`u Hospital will continue as HHSC East Hawai`i Region facilities
face layoffs and cutbacks. Photo by Julia Neal

      David also noted that for Na`alehu ballpark, she purchased a scoreboard with her contingency funds, approved last month.
      To comment on or like this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.

KA`U HOSPITAL’S emergency department, acute care, clinic, X-ray and other services will continue as before, Administrator Merilyn Harris said in response to Hawai`i Health Systems Corp.’s announcement of impending layoffs and cuts in services in its East Hawai`i Region.
      According to Harris, the main impact will be having to limit the number of long-term care residents at the facility to 13 instead of 16. “That is because we will only have staff enough to safely care for that number,” Harris said.
      Currently, the hospital houses 14 long-term residents. “The hospital won’t be asking anyone to leave who resides with us now,” Harris said. “Reducing our long-term care beds has been a terribly difficult decision for us to take, but we cannot continue to ignore the reality of insufficient funding.”
      Harris also confirmed that none of the hospital’s permanent staff will be losing their jobs as a result of this service cut, but some temporary positions will not be extended.
      To comment on or like this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT IS THE TOPIC of a Ka`u Community Development Plan focused discussion Tuesday, May 26, starting at 5:30 p.m. at Na`alehu Community Center.

      The purpose of focused discussions, which have so far been held about agriculture, coastal management and proposed development at Discovery Harbour, is to explore specific topics of interest in-depth. They are opportunities for community members to expand their understanding of the CDP and the rationale behind particular strategies. It is also an opportunity to provide new information, suggest alternative CDP strategies and propose additional areas of analysis.
      During the economic development discussion, anticipated topics include the role of government in a market economy; foundations for opportunity (resource protection, public infrastructure and services); room for growth (residential, commercial, industrial and resort); regional coordination; and sector-specific innovation and initiatives (agriculture, renewable energy, health, education, community tourism, retail).
      County planners familiar with these issues will be on hand and equipped with background material to support the discussion.
      Participants’ questions, comments and suggestions will be documented. As appropriate, the CDP Planning Team will use outputs of the discussion to do additional analysis, refine the CDP rationale and/or recommend CDP revisions.
      Public input on the draft Ka`u CDP is due June 1. The CDP is available at local libraries and community centers and online at kaucdp.info.
      To comment on or like this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.

Camping fees at Hawai`i Volcanoes National park will increase.
Photo from NPS 

HAWAI`I VOLCANOES NATIONAL PARK will incrementally increase entrance and camping fees over the next three years in order to fund deferred maintenance and improvement projects within the park, and to meet national standards for parks with similar visitor amenities. Entrance fees for recreational use have not increased since 1997. 

      Beginning June 1, Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park will increase its per-vehicle entrance fee in $5 increments from the current price of $10 per vehicle to $15 per-vehicle this year, $20 in 2016, and $25 in 2017. The vehicle pass is valid for seven days. The per-person entrance fee (the rate bicyclists and pedestrians pay) will increase from the current rate of $5 to $8 on June 1, $10 in 2016, and to $12 in 2017. The motorcycle fee will go up from $5 to $10 on June 1, $15 in 2016, and to $20 in 2017.
      One significant modification to the new fee structure was based on public input. The annual Tri-Park Pass, considered by many as the kama`aina, or residents pass, will remain at the current rate of $25 for 2015 and 2016 and will increase to $30 in 2017. Based on public input, the park proposed a $30 fee for the Tri-Park Pass, instead of the national standard of $50. The annual Tri-Park Pass is available to all visitors and allows unlimited entry for one year to three national parks: Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park, Pu`uhonua o Honaunau National Historical Park and Haleakala National Park.
      New fees are also slated for all backcountry and front-country campsites, including Kulanaokuaiki Campground, and will be $10 per site per night. Backcountry campsites will have a stay limit of three consecutive nights, while the front-country campsites will have a stay limit of seven consecutive nights. Currently, camping is free, except at Namakanipaio Campground, which is managed by Hawai`i Volcanoes Lodge Company, LLC. The new camping permit fees are similar to other public camping fees statewide.
      “The increases over the next few years will enable us to continue to provide a safe and enjoyable experience for all visitors, while upgrading some basic services like our campgrounds,” said Park Superintendent Cindy Orlando. “We reached out to our community for their feedback on the new fees, and many comments were supportive of the increase as long as the Tri-Park Pass continued to be offered,” she said.

      Recreational entrance fees are not charged to persons under 16 years old or holders of the Tri-Park, America the Beautiful National Parks and Federal Recreational Senior, Access or Military passes. These passes may be obtained at the park or online.

Richard Wallsgrove

      The current National Park Service fee program began in 1997 and allows parks to retain 80 percent of monies collected. Projects funded by entrance fees at Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park include ongoing trail maintenance, cabin repairs, hike pamphlets, restrooms, picnic tables and more. The transformation of the 1932 Administration Building (`Ohi`a Wing) into a cultural museum that visitors will soon enjoy is also a fee-funded project. Entrance fees also protect the Hawaiian ecosystem by funding fencing projects that prevent non-native ungulates like pigs and goats from devouring rare native plants.
      To comment on or like this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.

ENVIRONMENTAL GROUPS IN HAWAI`I are questioning the state Legislature’s approval of a tax break on coal while expanding taxes on oil, propane and liquefied natural gas. 

      AES Hawai`i, Inc, which uses coal to produce 20 percent of O`ahu’s electricity, lobbied for the tax break, according to a story in Honolulu Star-Advertiser. Jeff Walsh, the company’s president and general manager, said AES sells power to Hawaiian Electric Co. by contract at a fixed price, and the company would have no way to pass the cost of a new tax on to HECO or the utility’s customers.
      Walsh claimed in the article that power the company produces with coal is “by far” the cheapest electricity being produced in the state. He described AES as “the bridge and the backbone of the grid.”
       Life Of The Land Executive Director Henry Curtis said, “Fossil fuel is fossil fuel. Coal, oil and natural gas should all have the same tax rate imposed on them.”
      Richard Wallsgrove, program director for Blue Planet Foundation, said, “It seems pretty nonsensical to me.” Blue Planet is a nonprofit organization that promotes use of clean energy.
      See staradvertiser.com.
      To comment on or like this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.

KA`U AG WATER COOPERATIVE DISTRICT meets today at 4 p.m. at Royal Hawaiian Macnut Office in Pahala. Call Jeffrey McCall at 937-1056 for more information.

KAHO`OKAHI KANUHA and Lanakila Mangauil present information about the proposed Thirty Meter Telescope on Mauna Kea today at 6 p.m. at Wai`ohinu Park. For more information, call Nohea at 808-205-9843.

EARTH MATTERS FARM invites Ka`u residents to share their garden eats at the monthly Ka`u Farmers Union United meeting and potluck Saturday from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. The farm is at the corner of South Point and Kama`oa Roads.
      Speakers include Bob Shaffer, a soil consultant; Gabriel Howearth, founder of Seeds of Change; and Anna Lisa Okoye, from The Kohala Center.
       For more information, call HFUU Ka`u Chapter President Greg Smith at 443-3300.

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

See kaucalendar.com/KauCalendar_May2015.pdf.

See kaucalendar.com/Directory2015.pdf and
kaucalendar.com/Directory2015.swf.

Ka`u News Briefs Wednesday, May 20, 2015

Hawai`i Health Systems Corp. East Hawai`i Region Board of Directors held a public meeting at Ka`u Hospital 10 months ago. The board recently announced that Ka`u Hospital is one of three facilities in the region to face layoffs and service cutbacks. Photo by Julia Neal

KA`U HOSPITAL IS FACING LAYOFFS and reductions in services despite success in controlling costs while growing and improving. Hawai`i Health Systems Corp. announced that its East Hawai`i Region, which includes Ka`u Hospital, Hale Ho`ola Hamakua and Hilo Medical Center, must deal with a $50 million budget shortfall.

Ka`u Hospital Adminstrator
Merilyn Harris

      Following HHSC’s previous request to the state Legislature for emergency funding, Administrator Merilyn Harris said, “We cannot exist without some funding from the state as over 76 percent of our patients are covered by either Medicare or Medicaid, neither of which covers the full cost of care. We’re very proud of the fact that we are safety net facilities because we believe that care should be available for everyone, but it sure is challenging.”
      The state-funded hospital system is cutting almost 90 jobs at the facilities, according to Pacific Business News.
      Increased costs and low rates of reimbursement from a growing, rural population have contributed to the reductions. About 75 percent of hospital payments are from Medicare and Medicaid and don’t cover the cost of care.
      East Hawai`i Regional Board Chair Gary Yoshiyama said cutbacks and layoffs are the last option to cover the deficit. “Our budget shortfall will have considerable impact on health care facilities in East Hawai`i,” Yoshiyama said. “Regionwide cost-cutting measures have already been implemented, and service cutbacks and layoffs are the only remaining option for our financial viability. Many scenarios were carefully weighed in our preparations to maintain essential health care services and minimize any potential harm to patients.” 

      According to HHSC, the East Hawai`i Region is the Big Island’s second-largest employer with an operating budget of $160 million and a payroll exceeding $100 million.

      See bizjournals.com/pacific.
      To comment on or like this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.

KA`U DRAFT COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT PLAN, for which feedback is due by June 1, discusses zoning changes.
      “It is important that future rezones in Ka`u be consistent with the objectives and policies of the CDP,” the document states. “When considering a proposed amendment to the zoning code, the Planning Director shall recommend a change in a district boundary only where it would, among other things, be consistent with the goals, policies and standards of the General Plan. The Director shall recommend either the approval or denial of the proposed amendment to the Planning Commission subject to conditions which would further the intent of the Zoning Code and the General Plan and other related ordinances (e.g., Community Development Plans). Though it appears that ‘other related ordinances’ would naturally include CDPs, this policy ensures that the Planning Director’s recommendations on future rezones will be consistent with the Ka`u CDP.
      According to the draft, the Planning Director can approve variances from provisions of the zoning and subdivision codes to accommodate special circumstances, where no alternatives exist, and “if they are consistent with the General Plan and are not detrimental to the public welfare or cause substantial adverse impact to the area’s character or adjoining properties. The Director may also impose conditions on variances.
      “This policy simply requires that the Director consider and approve variances in a manner consistent with the Ka`u CDP.”  

      See the draft and provide feedback at kaucdp.info.
      To comment on or like this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.

Mauna Loa is the topic of the current issue of Volcano Watch.
Photo from USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory

HAWAIIAN VOLCANO OBSERVATORY SCIENTISTS turn their attention from Kilauea Volcano to Mauna Loa, on whose slopes Ka`u sits, in the current issue of Volcano Watch. 

      “Ongoing inflation in the upper Southwest Rift Zone and summit areas of Mauna Loa suggests that magma continues to rise into the volcano,” the article states. “The current rate and pattern of deformation are similar to the most recent episode of rapid inflation on Mauna Loa in 2004-2005. Earthquakes have also been occurring at elevated rates, particularly around the areas of inflation in the upper Southwest Rift Zone and summit.
      “Throughout its history, the USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory has taken advantage of advances in technology to better monitor volcanoes and earthquakes. Computers have become faster, methods of transmitting information have improved and instrumentation has become smaller and more energy efficient. All these advances have been utilized to create an improved geophysical network that better supports HVO’s monitoring and science efforts.
      “In 2009, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act enabled a major upgrade to HVO’s monitoring networks on Mauna Loa and Kilauea, including a conversion to digital telemetry, additional monitoring sites and improved instrumentation. These enhanced networks can now detect earlier stages of unrest, and the resulting data enables more sophisticated analyses of volcanic processes than were previously possible.
      “Since the two most recent eruptions of Mauna Loa in 1975 and 1984, HVO started using GPS, broadband seismometers and several types of analyses that were not possible with previous geophysical networks and computers. Certainly, these new data streams and analysis techniques have led to an improved understanding of Mauna Loa and its magma storage system.

Locations of earthquakes in Mauna Loa's summit area within
the past two weeks are yellow, and those within the past
two days are blue. Map from USGS/HVO

      “Scientists often try to compare previous periods of unrest, such as those in 1975 and 1984, to current unrest to gain perspective on and understanding of what might happen next. With our improved ability to detect smaller and smaller earthquakes and deformation, it is important to keep in mind that signals being recorded now might not have been detectable in past years. This leads to some interesting questions that we’re trying to answer.
      “Were the small earthquakes that we can now record present during previous periods of unrest on Mauna Loa? If so, what was their pattern?
      “With entirely new techniques available, such as GPS and interferometric radar (InSAR), we can measure the deformation of wide areas on the volcano, which allows us to detect a large, inflating magma reservoir beneath Mauna Loa that previously could not have been detected. But, was this same reservoir active before previous eruptions?
      “Continuously recording GPS receivers measure episodes of hugely varying rates of inflation interspersed with times of no inflation, which might indicate fluctuations in magma supply to Mauna Loa’s shallow storage system. Did these fluctuations occur in the past? The comparison of current and past activity is not as trivial as one might think.
      “And finally, what will be the outcome of Mauna Loa”s current unrest? Scientists cannot be sure at this point.

      “Seismic unrest is currently much less energetic than it was before the 1975 and 1984 eruptions. Several episodes of increased inflation since 1984 slowed and stopped without eruption. Each of these episodes, however, resulted in greater pressurization of the shallow storage system within Mauna Loa. “Unfortunately, we do not yet completely understand exactly how much pressure is involved, or how much internal pressure the overlying rock can bear before it breaks and allows magma to move toward the surface. 

      “Our knowledge and characterization of volcanic systems constantly evolves as improved geophysical networks lead to new scientific discoveries. But before scientists can clearly distinguish between episodes of inflation and elevated earthquake activity that accompany only the intrusion of magma (with no eruption) and those that actually lead to an eruption, there is still much work to be done.

      “So, HVO scientists continue their diligent efforts to fully understand the processes at work beneath Mauna Loa and to monitor the volcano’s restless activity. If any significant changes are observed, HVO will issue public notifications through media releases and our website updates (http://hvo.wr.usgs.gov/activity/maunaloastatus.php).
      See hvo.wr.usgs.gov/volcanowatch.
      To comment on or like this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.

EARTH MATTERS FARM invites Ka`u residents to join the monthly Ka`u Farmers Union United meeting Saturday from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. The farm is at the corner of South Point and Kama`oa Roads.
      Bob Shaffer, a soil consultant, will speak about composting in Ka`u, and Gabriel Howearth, founder of Seeds of Change, will talk about seed saving and GMO issues with seeds. Anna Lisa Okoye, from The Kohala Center, will discuss the Farm-to-School Program.
      A potluck follows the meeting. “Bring a dish of local food and join in the fun,” said HFUU Ka`u Chapter President Greg Smith.
       For more information, call 443-3300.
      To comment on or like this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.

HAWAIIAN CIVIC CLUB OF KA`U meets tomorrow at 5:30 p.m. Call 929-9731 or 936-7262 for location and more information.

KA`U AG WATER COOPERATIVE DISTRICT meeting is tomorrow at 4 p.m. at Royal Hawaiian Macnut Office in Pahala. Call Jeffrey McCall at 937-1056 for more information.

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

See kaucalendar.com/Directory2015.swf and
kaucalendar.com/Directory2015.pdf.

See kaucalendar.com/KauCalendar_May2015.pdf.

Ka`u News Briefs Tuesday, May 19, 2015

A proposed development at Discovery Harbour includes a small hotel, condominiums and shopping center
. Map from South Point Investment Group

DISCOVERY HARBOUR RESORT DEVELOPMENT PLANS are part of the discussion surrounding the Ka`u Community Development Plan. Deadline for community comments for the entire draft Ka`u plan is June 1. See kaucdp.info.
      Last week, Discovery Harbour community members studied a plan presented by South Point Investment Group that would add a small hotel, condominiums and shopping center to Discovery Harbour, as well as renovate its golf course.
      About 75 attended the meeting run by the county Planning Department with planner Ron Whitmore, who is in charge of the Ka`u Community Development Plan.

Discovery Harbour and its golf course would benefit from small-scale lodging, like
Ko`ele Lodge on Lana`i, says South Point Investment Group. photo by Hawai`i Flight
Imaging Service. See aerial footage at www.youtube.com/watch?v=digfV141OqY.
See www.hawaiiflightimaging.com

      Gary McMickle, managing partner for South Point Investment Group, presented the idea of a small resort development with a 40-room lodge at Discovery Harbour, away from the uninhabited Ka`u coastline. He and his partners propose their development to be located at the entrance to Discovery Harbour off of Wakea Avenue with a total of 225 resort units, including hotel rooms, cottages and low-rise condos. McMickle showed photos of resort developments as examples of what could be done there. He showed Ko`ele Lodge on Lana`i as a hotel. He showed Po`ipu Shopping Village on Kaua`i, the Kukui`ula shopping center, also on Kaua`i, and the Shops at Mauna Lani. He showed footprints of these buildings superimposed on a Discovery Harbour plan.
      Among enterprise examples listed as possibilities for the proposed Discovery Harbour commercial center are a gourmet food store, snack shop, gift shop, tourist activity business, seven clothing stores, three art galleries and five restaurants.

According to Gary McMickle, only about 25 percent of Discovery
Harbour's lots have homes on them.

      McMickle said that the golf course will be improved and stressed that visitor accommodations are needed to support the cost of maintaining the golf course. He said that the golf course failed years ago when owners were spending $50,000 a month to maintain it with little income.
       Calling Discovery Harbour “a diamond in the rough,” McMickle said that one reason his group thinks their plan will put Discovery Harbour into recovery is because so much infrastructure, including water lines for the commercial center and the roads, were installed in the past for unbuilt development.
      The plan suggests that Discovery Harbour could not only be reached from Kama`oa Road and Wakea Avenue but also Ka`alu`alu-Wai`ohinu Road.
      The plans were drawn by RTKL, an ARCADIS Company, which McMickle described as one the top visitor accommodation designers in the world. He promised that the buildings would be very Hawaiian with a lot of vegetation.
      The parcels where the development would go are currently classified Agriculture by the state and Open by the county. For the parcels, the draft Ka`u Community Development Plan suggests: “Explore with the community the possibility of establishing a ‘Low Density Urban’ or ‘Retreat Resort Area.’”
      During the public meeting, county planner Whitmore put forth options landowners could choose to gain approvals for their project at Discovery Harbour.
      One option is to apply for a Special Permit. The Windward Planning Commission would review and make recommendations, but the State Land Use Commission would make the final decision. Public hearings would be held at both steps, and the permit can be specific to particular uses and be conditioned.

      A second option is Rezone, in which the State Land Use Commission would have to change the property from Ag to Urban, and the county would have to approve a General Plan amendment and change of zoning. This process would likely have three steps: Windward Planning Commission, County Council and State Land Use Commission. Public hearings would be held at each step, and the permits can be conditioned.
      Both routes for the development would include environmental review, including historic preservation, water, wastewater and traffic. Whitmore explained that permits would very likely include conditions to mitigate impacts and require infrastructure improvements, such as water system improvements and a wastewater treatment system.

Ka`u Learning Academy, currently at Discovery Harbour Clubhouse, would move
to a new building on five acres donated by the developer.  

      McMickle said in an interview that a permit for a project on the land was approved by the county in the early 1970s and that he has proposed sitting down with representatives of the county to update that permit, adjusting the permit for the smaller resort development planned by his group.
      Community members supportive of the plan said that it would be a way to put Discovery Harbour and its golf course not only into recovery but also provide economic development. Only about 25 percent of the lots have houses on them, the golf course clubhouse is now used by a school, its pool abandoned, and the golf course is largely cared for by volunteers. There are currently no neighborhood stores for food and other items. A petition with 134 signatures supporting the project was presented to the county during the meeting.
      Local business owners Wally Young and Wally Andrade both offered their support for the project, talking about the need for jobs for young people.
      More than 520 acres owned by McMickle are makai of the Discovery Harbour houses and golf course and could be used to expand the community in the distant future, McMickle said. He also noted that he will to donate five acres at a place called the Bunker, where he had planned to build a house with a spectacular view of the coast toward Volcano, to the new charter school located at the old golf clubhouse.
      To comment on or like this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.

American Red Cross volunteers respond to the brushfire at Green Sands.
Photo by Yukie Ohashi

AMERICAN RED CROSS’ RESPONSE to the May 11 Green Sands brushfire underscored the urgent need for disaster volunteers who reside in the Ka`u District, said spokesperson Yukie Ohashi. While firefighters battled the blaze that burned one home and threatened many others, Red Cross was called into action by Civil Defense to open up an evacuation shelter at Na`alehu Community Center. Shelter workers from Ocean View quickly mobilized and housed 23 residents until the blaze was under control and roadways re-opened. 

      In the days following the outbreak, volunteers from Hilo, Kea`au, Volcano and Kona provided community outreach and individual assistance to affected families. Ongoing support is being provided to the homeowner whose home burned to the ground.
      “Our volunteers are ready to respond islandwide, but ideally, we would like to have disaster responders in each community,” says Barney Sheffield, Hawai`i Red Cross Disaster Coordinator for Hawai`i County. “The unfortunate Green Sands fire highlights the need for Red Cross to recruit volunteers in Ka`u. This is especially crucial as we head into hurricane season.”
      Red Cross has scheduled disaster training classes for new volunteers on July 11 and 18 at Pahala Hongwanji Mission. Interested persons can call or email Ohashi at 990-4777 or yohashi@hawaiiantel.net for online application instructions. Use of computers at Pahala Public Library can be arranged for individuals needing computer and Internet access.
      To comment on or like this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.

Rep. Tulsi Gabbard asks her Ka`u constituents to Say No to GMOs.

U.S. REP. TULSI GABBARD IS CALLING for constituents to voice their opposition to the DARK Act, or Deny Americans the Right to Know Act. According to signforgood.com, the act “would not only block all states from labeling genetically engineered foods but also make it much harder for the Food & Drug Administration to ever mandate national labeling.” 

      “Hawai`i is such a beautiful place, and we have many resources right at our fingertips,” Gabbard said. “One of the best is our ability to grow our own food, and to do it in a way that’s sustainable. But our farmers and our communities are dealing with huge multi-national agribusiness corporations that keep their use of GMOs secret from consumers. That’s just plain wrong. Each of us has a basic right to know what’s in our food.
      “Congress is on the verge of passing the DARK Act – a bill that would ban states from requiring GMO labeling. If all of us speak up together, we can stop this disastrous bill from becoming law.
      “Hawai`i is a leader on this issue and one of 20 states seeking laws to require GMO labeling. But we also have to think of our brothers and sisters elsewhere, and fight to require GMO labeling across the country.
      “For more than a decade, federal GMO labeling legislation has been introduced, but has failed to pass. With everyone speaking out, I know we can stop the DARK Act from becoming law.”
      See http://signforgood.com/noGMOs/?code=tulsigabbard.
      To comment on or like this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.

Kai Ho`opi`i

NELSON DOI, one of the pioneers of Japanese Americans serving in government, passed away yesterday at 93 years of age. A Big Island native, Doi was one of the authors of the State of Hawai`i Constitution. He served as lieutenant governor, as a territorial and state senator and judge. He grew up in a family that founded T.W. Doi Store in Kawaihae. Doi advocated for statehood and education and prison reform. He retired to Kamuela and helped establish the North Hawai`i Community Hospital.
      To comment on or like this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.

KAI HO`OPI`I RETURNS TO SHARE music of his `ohana from Maui tomorrow at 6:30 p.m. at Kilauea Visitor Center Auditorium in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park.

HAWAI`I WILDLIFE FUND HOLDS an estuary restoration workday Thursday. Volunteers meet staff at 7:45 a.m. at Wai`ohinu Park. Potluck-style lunch. RSVP at kahakai.cleaups@gmail.com.

KA`U AG WATER COOPERATIVE DISTRICT meeting is Thursday at 4 p.m. at Royal Hawaiian Macnut Office in Pahala. Call Jeffrey McCall at 937-1056 for more information.

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

See kaucalendar.com/KauCalendar_May2015.pdf.

See kaucalendar.com/Directory2015.pdf and
kaucalendar.com/Directory2015.swf.