Ka`u Calendar News Briefs Tuesday, Aug. 16, 2016

National Geographic videos are available at Hawai`i Department of Land & Natural Resources'
new webpage, DLNR & YOU. See more below. Image from DLNR

PRIVATIZATION OF MAUI’S medical facilities could be a precursor for Hawai`i Island. Gov. David Ige told George Lee, of Honolulu Star-Advertiser, that “similar arrangements” could result in public-private partnerships at Hawai`i Health Systems Corp.’s East and West Hawai`i regions. Ka`u Hospital is part of its East Hawai`i Region.

Gov. Ige suggested that public-private partnerships could work
at Hawai`i Island medical facilities, including Ka`u Hospital.
Photo by Julia Neal

      Maui Region facilities are currently moving from state to private operation by Kaiser Permanente.

      Ige told Lee there are no immediate plans for Hawai`i Island’s health care facilities to make such a transition.
      “We need to focus on making sure that this transaction with the Maui region is successful,” Ige said. “I’m optimistic that we’ll be able to successfully transfer the operations and management for the Maui regions, and then we’ll look at other regions.”
      Ige told Lee that Hawai`i Island regions’ managers “have expressed interest in considering partnerships” but that he has not met with any private companies.
      HHSC East Hawai`i Region had previously discussed partnering with Adventist Health. Lee quoted a statement from Hilo Medical Center saying, “In East Hawai`i, we continue to believe that we need choice when it comes to determining the best means for delivering health care to our community.”
      See staradvertiser.com.
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The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals includes Hawai`i.

THE NINTH CIRCUIT COURT of Appeals has upheld Hawai`i’s practice of holding open primary elections. The Democratic Party of Hawai`i had sued the state office of elections in 2013 and sought to limit participation in the Democratic primary election to registered Democrats only.

      In a published opinion issued yesterday, the Ninth Circuit ruled that the Democratic Party did not show that the open primary system burdens its associational rights. The party offered no evidence that the open primary impacted its candidates or messages. The Ninth Circuit noted that Hawai`i’s voters may vote in only one party’s primary election.
      “The Democratic Party’s preference for limiting primary participants to registered party members, coupled with the fact that more people vote in Democratic primaries than are formally registered with the Party, is not sufficient to show that Hawai`i’s open primary system severely burdens the party’s associational rights,” the opinion states.
      The case, Democratic Party of Hawai`i v. Nago, was originally filed in the federal district court of Hawai`i. In November 2013, Judge J. Michael Seabright ruled in the state’s favor, upholding the open primary. The Democratic Party appealed. The Ninth Circuit heard oral arguments in May 2016.
      “The open primary is part of Hawai`i’s commitment to make voting easier and to include more persons in the democratic process,” Attorney General Doug Chin said. “This ruling keeps Hawai`i’s primary elections open to all registered voters, regardless of their formal party affiliation.”
      The ruling has no effect on the 2016 primary or general elections.
      To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see Facebook. Follow us on Instagram and Twitter.

HAWAI`I DEPARTMENT OF LAND and Natural Resources has established a special website for information on the upcoming International Union for Conservation of Nature World Conservation Congress Hawai`i 2016, being held in Honolulu, Sept. 1-10.

      “With the IUCN World Conservation Congress, we have an unprecedented opportunity to show and tell the world about the tremendous variety of efforts underway in Hawai`i to protect our natural, historical and cultural resources,” DLNR Chair Suzanne Case said. “The DLNR & YOU webpage will show the world some of what the state and its many partners are doing in the way of cutting-edge conservation work.”
      The page is available to anyone, as the new DLNR & YOU brand seeks to extend the notion that everyone is responsible for helping protect Hawai`i’s precious natural resources. It will include DLNR news releases, feature videos, photo albums and links to partner pages and websites.
      “We are producing 19 different DLNR & YOU media packages for release prior to and during the IUCN World Conservation Congress,” Case said. “We hope these efforts will give IUCN delegates and some 200 visiting journalists a peek into the broad range of work underway in our island state, directed at addressing a whole host of challenging conservation issues. Additionally, it’s one way to celebrate what’s happening here in Hawai`i; the work of DLNR staff across its 11 different divisions as well as the partnerships with dozens of different organizations and groups.”

      Already featured on the site are several videos produced by National Geographic in its partnership with IUCN.

      See dlnr.hawaii.gov/iucn.
      To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see Facebook. Follow us on Instagram and Twitter.

Provide input on Hawai`i County's General Plan at forums
next week.

HAWAI`I COUNTY PLANNING Department encourages Ka`u residents to participate in next week’s General Plan Public Input Forums. The General Plan guides the island’s long-range physical development. As part of the comprehensive review of the General Plan, participants will give feedback on alternatives for future growth. The two forums are identical, so residents can participate in the most convenient one.

      While the forums are held in Hilo and Kona, Na`alehu Community Center will be a live remote site.
      On Tuesday, Aug. 23, the first forum takes place from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at County Council Chambers in Hilo. Then on Thursday, Aug. 25 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., another takes place in Council Chambers at West Hawai`i Civic Center.
      More information about the General Plan comprehensive review is available at http://www.cohplanningdept.com/general-plan/.

      To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see Facebook. Follow us on Instagram and Twitter.

Trojans' girls volleyball season begins today.

KA`U HIGH GIRLS VOLLEYBALL teams start their season today at home, hosting Waiakea at 6 p.m. Varsity follows up with another home match Thursday against Hawai`i Preparatory Academy, also at 6 p.m. Both teams then travel to Ehunui in Kona on Saturday for competition beginning at 10 a.m.

      To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see Facebook. Follow us on Instagram and Twitter.

DEPARTMENT OF HAWAIIAN Home Lands holds a public meeting today from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at Na`alehu Elementary School Cafeteria. The topic is its South Point Resource Management Plan.
      The plan is available at https://dhhl.hawaii.gov/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/South-Point-Public-Review-Draft-Plan-to-DHHL_052616.pdf.
      For more information, contact DHHL Planner Andrew Choy at Andrew.H.Choy@hawaii.gov or 808-620-9279.

JADELYN MONIZ-NAKAMURA discusses the development of Hawai`i National Park today at 7 p.m. at Kilauea Visitor Center Auditorium in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park.
      $2 donations support park programs. Park entrance fees apply.

SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS ATPAHALAPLANTATIONCOTTAGES.COM ANDKAUCOFFEEMILL.COM. KA`U COFFEE MILL IS OPEN SEVEN DAYS A WEEK.

Click on document to enlarge.

See kaucalendar.com/KauCalendar_August_2016.pdf.

See kaucalendar.com/TheDirectory2016.html
and kaucalendar.com/TheDirectory2016.pdf.

Ka`u Calendar News Briefs Monday, Aug. 15. 2016

Department of Hawaiian Home Lands shares its resource management plans for South Point tomorrow.
See more below. Photo by Peter Anderson

WITH THE EXCEPTION of one race at one precinct, the majority of South Hawai`i residents who voted in the 2016 primary election chose their state and federal incumbents. Results released after Election Day on Saturday showed Hawai`i County Council member Greggor Ilagan receiving 68.7 percent of votes in the precinct with Ka`u High School as its polling place. Ilagan challenged incumbent Sen. Russell Ruderman for the District II seat. Ruderman, who garnered 21 percent at Ka`u High, won the Democratic primary with a total vote of 51.9 percent.

State Sen. Russell Ruderman overcame his opponent
in the Democratic primary. Photo by Ron Johnson

      Ruderman took the precinct at Cooper Center with 56.4 percent. At 24.8 percent, Ilagan received less than half of Ruderman’s total, and Libertarian Fred Fogel pulled in 0.82 percent.

      In state Representative District III, Rep. Richard Onishi took 40.5 percent at Cooper Center and 58.7 percent at Ka`u High. Democratic Challenger Ainoa Naniole garnered 33.7 percent at Cooper Center and 29 percent at Ka`u High. Onishi won his district with 60.6 percent overall.
      In state Representative District V, Democrat Rep. Richard Creagan, who ran unchallenged in his party, received 63.5 percent at Na`alehu School, 53 percent at Ocean View Community Center and 62.3 percent at Miloli`i Halau. Michael Last, his Libertarian challenger, receive less that two percent at these precincts. Districtwide, Creagan garnered 2,804 votes, or 71.2 percent. Last received 33 votes, or 84.6 of the Libertarian total.
      U.S. Sen. Brian Schatz’s percentages ranged from 57.5 at Ocean View Community Center to 79 at Ka`u High. He handily beat four Democratic challengers. Republican John Carroll’s highest tally in South Hawai`i was 11.3 percent at Ocean View Community Center. Statewide, Schatz received 80 percent of Democratic votes, and Carroll pulled in 59 percent of Republican votes.
      U.S. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard similarly had much better results than her challengers. In South Hawai`i precincts, she took between 62.6 percent at Ocean View Community Center and 79 percent at Ka`u High School. Challengers, including Democrat Shay Chan Hodges all received 10 percent or less. Gabbard racked up 79.5 percent of state Democratic votes, and Republican Angela Kaaihue received 36.9 percent.
      To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see Facebook. Follow us on Instagram and Twitter.

Activities at Cooper Center will be on holiday while the county
reroofs the main building. Photo from Cooper Center

COOPER CENTER IS GETTING A NEW ROOF.

      The popular community center in Volcano Village will be closed for all classes, meetings, bookstore and thrift store patrons from Monday, Aug. 29 through Friday, Sept. 2 for work by the county. There will also be no access to the playground.
      Skateboard ramps will be open with access through the exit driveway for the duration. Regular hours are expected to resume on Saturday, Sept. 3.
      To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see Facebook. Follow us on Instagram and Twitter.

KILAUEA’S RECENT SUMMIT lava lake explosion is a reminder of significant, ongoing hazards around Halema`uma`u Crater. Hawaiian Volcano Observatory scientists discuss these in the current issue of Volcano Watch.
      “At 10:02 p.m., HST, on Saturday, Aug. 6, a section of altered, thermally stressed rock enclosing the Halema`uma`u Crater lava lake detached from the vent wall and plummeted into the molten lava,” the article states. “Tons of rocky debris impacting the lake surface triggered a violent explosion of volcanic gas, incandescent spatter (blobs of molten lava), and pieces of solid rock that sent a jet of glowing debris skyward.
      “Within seconds, tephra (airborne volcanic rock fragments) began falling to the ground, blanketing the rim of Halema`uma`u Crater – about 120 meters (400 feet) above the lava lake surface – with a continuous layer of spatter and dense rock fragments that covered an area of about 50 m by 80 m (165 ft by 260 ft). In places, this tephra layer was up to 20 centimeters (eight inches) thick. Almost certainly, anyone who had been near the crater rim in this area would have been killed or severely injured.
      “Trade winds influenced the trajectory of the fallout. So, while most of the tephra fell just east of the vent, pebble-sized debris also pelted the Halema`uma`u Crater parking lot, about 500 m (0.3 miles) to the southwest.

      “As testimony to the heat and violence of the event, images captured two days later (posted at http://hvo.wr.usgs.gov/multimedia/index.php) show the blanket of spatter and solid rock fragments, with individual pieces up to 70 cm (28 in) across, on the crater rim.

An explosion triggered by a rockfall in Kīlauea Volcano's summit lava lake
on August 6 blanketed the rim of Halemaʻumaʻu Crater with a layer
of tephra up to about eight inches thick. Photo from USGS/HVO

      “Spatter that landed on a plastic case housing batteries and electrical components for a gravity monitoring instrument about 35 m (115 ft) from the rim of Halema`uma`u melted the case and ignited a fire that incinerated its contents. The gravimeter itself survived, but is being systematically assessed for possible unseen damage. Other nearby HVO monitoring instruments remain operational.
      “Saturday night’s event was recorded by HVO web cameras, and HVO seismometers around Halema`uma`u Crater detected a distinctive long-period signal related to sloshing of the lava lake set in motion by the rockfall. Following the 10:02 p.m. event, the lava lake surface remained agitated for a few hours, something also observed following past rockfall-triggered lava lake explosions.
      “Late-night visitors at the Jaggar Museum Overlook in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park likely witnessed a dramatic and rapidly ascending bright orange glow as the explosion cloud rose above the summit vent rim. They might have also heard a low rumble followed by a loud boom as the vent wall gave way and impacted the lava lake. Diners at Volcano House Hotel, 3.5 kilometers (2.1 mi) across the caldera, reported seeing an especially bright glow above the east margin of the lava lake. The distant glow was also noted by residents of nearby subdivisions.
      “In the aftermath of the event, HVO scientists and University of Hawai`i colleagues carefully mapped and sampled the debris field before rain and wind could take a toll on the deposit. Analyses of the tephra may provide insight into how these lava lake explosions happen and what conditions favor their occurrence – information that could enable HVO to quantify the probability of future events and the likely range of dangerous impacts.
      “Rockfalls and the resulting lava lake interactions that produce a severe hazard are challenging, if not impossible, events to forecast. To date, HVO scientists have seen no evidence of precursory signals before an explosion, and the magnitude of the event likely depends on the location and size of the rockfall, the lava lake level at the time of the rockfall, wind velocity, and other dynamic factors.
      “Most rockfalls from the vent wall have occurred during rising lava lake levels, when large areas of the wall rock are heated and develop internal cracks due to expansion. But some rockfalls, like the Aug. 6 event, occur after the lake level drops, possibly when the buttressing effect of the lake is lost, facilitating wall failure. These ideas are part of ongoing research examining the evolution of the summit vent since it opened in March 2008.
      “What is certain is that Saturday night’s explosive event reinforces our awareness of inherent dangers in the vicinity of an active lava lake in a deep crater. Residents and visitors alike are reminded to heed National Park Service and USGS advisories regarding volcanic activity and ongoing hazards.”
      See hvo.wr.usgs.gov.
      To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see Facebook. Follow us on Instagram and Twitter.

DHHL plans call for managing natural and cultural

resources at South Point. Photo from DHHL

LEARN ABOUT SOUTH POINT Resource Management Plan tomorrow. Department Of Hawaiian Home Lands holds a public meeting from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at Na`alehu Elementary School Cafeteria.

      The plan is available at https://dhhl.hawaii.gov/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/South-Point-Public-Review-Draft-Plan-to-DHHL_052616.pdf.
      For more information, contact DHHL Planner Andrew Choy at Andrew.H.Choy@hawaii.gov or 808-620-9279.

JADELYN MONIZ-NAKAMURA discusses the development of Hawai`i National Park tomorrow at 7 p.m. at Kilauea Visitor Center Auditorium in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park.
      $2 donations support park programs. Park entrance fees apply.

SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS ATPAHALAPLANTATIONCOTTAGES.COM ANDKAUCOFFEEMILL.COM. KA`U COFFEE MILL IS OPEN SEVEN DAYS A WEEK.

Click on document to enlarge.

See kaucalendar.com/KauCalendar_August_2016.pdf.

See kaucalendar.com/TheDirectory2016.html
and kaucalendar.com/TheDirectory2016.pdf.

Ka`u Calendar News Briefs Sunday, Aug. 14, 2016

The message Harry Kim's granddaughter promoted at Na`alehu Independence Day Celebration worked.
 Kim received a majority of votes and will return as Hawai`i County mayor. Photo by Ron Johnson

HANA HOU HARRY. With primary election votes tallied yesterday, Hawai`i County voters chose former Mayor Harry Kim to replace Billy Kenoi, who has reached his term limit. Kim was mayor for two terms from 2000 to 2008. Before that, he served Hawai`i County as Civil Defense administrator for 24 years and Law Enforcement Assistance Agency director for four years.

      Kim received 50.4 percent of the vote islandwide. Combining Election Day and absentee votes, the precinct with its polling place at Cooper Center in Volcano Village gave Kim 63.6 percent of votes. For precincts at Ka`u High School, 50.6 percent; Na`alehu School, 50.3 percent; Ocean View Community Center, 46.5 percent; and Miloli`i Halau, 47.8 percent. Average for these precincts is 51.8 percent.

      “When I first considered placing my name on the ballot, it was in part due to people asking me to just give them an additional choice in the election,” Kim said. “A choice on a difference in management style, priorities, and just as important, how things are done.

      “However, as time went on, some ‘home rule’ issues became more the focus and concerns of many. An issue was the status of the Community Development Plan program and the lack of support felt by especially those who contributed so much of their time on this issue. …
      “It became very clear that the issues were not just how … projects were developed, but more importantly, the taking away of the people’s opportunity for input, the role of the local county government and the determination of the kinds of developments that affected their lifestyle and their home. These issues are at the very heart of what we believed to be the role and relationship of the people and their government.”
      To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see Facebook. Follow us on Instagram and Twitter.

Council member Maile David and Mayor Billy Kenoi, wearing lei,
celebrated new playgrounds in Ka`u. Photo by Ron Johnson

MAILE MEDEIROS DAVID CONTINUES as Ka`u’s Hawai`i County Council member. David, of Captain Cook, received 57 percent of votes in Council District VI. Her opponent Raina Whiting received 31.4 percent.

      Whiting faired well in her hometown of Ocean View, where she received 303 votes compared to David’s 233, or 52 percent. That precinct, however had the lowest voter turnout – 27.8 percent – of those covered here.

      David dominated in other precincts in the South Hawai`i region. At Cooper Center, she received 55 percent; Ka`u High, 79.4 percent; Na`alehu School, 52.5 percent; and Miloli`i, 46.9 percent. Although a few more people voted for Whiting at Na`alehu School, where she teaches kindergarten, higher absentee voting brought David’s count above Whiting’s.
      To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see Facebook. Follow us on Instagram and Twitter.

Mitch Roth won by nearly 400 votes in Volcano, where he participated
in the Fourth of July Celebration. Photo by Ron Johnson

ANOTHER HAWAI`I COUNTY INCUMBENT, Mitch Roth, keeps his job as prosecutor. He received 59.5 percent of votes cast by county residents, while his opponent Michael Kagami received 27 percent. Roth overcame Kagami in South Hawai`i precincts. For Cooper Center precinct, the count was 565 to 166; Ka`u High, 190 to 92; Na`alehu, 324 to 100; Ocean View, 357 to 132; and Miloli`i, 129 to 42.

      To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see Facebook. Follow us on Instagram and Twitter.

KA`U’S INCUMBENT CANDIDATES in state and federal races also won their primary bids. 

      Sen. Russell Ruderman’s 51.9 percent felled challenger Greggor Ilagan, a Hawai`i County Council member, who racked up 43.5 percent.
      Rep. Richard Onishi won state Representative District III with 60.6 percent, compared to opponent Ainoa Naniole’s 29.4 percent.
      In state District V, Rep. Richard Creagan was unchallenged in the Democratic Party.
      U.S. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard beat her challenger Shay Chan Hodges 77.6 percent to 14.2 percent.
      U.S. Sen. Brian Schatz took 80.5 percent of votes, with four opponents each receiving less than six percent each.
      See how South Hawai`i precincts voted for these offices in tomorrow’s Ka`u News Briefs.
      To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see Facebook. Follow us on Instagram and Twitter.

Miss Ka`u Coffee, Rochelle Koi, center, joined in the celebration

of 20 years of Ka`u Coffee at last night's classical music concert.

Musicians included (l-r) Ian Parker, Eric Silberger and

Amy Shoremount-Obra. Photo by William Neal

MISS KA`U COFFEE Rochelle Koi supported the industry last night at a classical music concert dedicated to the 20th anniversary of the Ka`u Coffee economy following the shutdown of the sugar plantation. 

      “I’m very proud to come from such a deeply historical agricultural community,” she said. “We’ve come such a long way. We’ve been a self-sustaining community for so long from the sugar plantations to the transition to coffee. We have such a sense of pride and community, and we come together and help one another. I feel that’s one of the most important qualities and strengths that we have in our community here, and we continue to have it, and we continue to push forward with our coffee industry.”
      Koi works at her family’s Shaka’s restaurant in Na`alehu and is a Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park ranger. She attends university in Hilo.
      During the concert, sopranos Amy Shoremount-Obra and Mikayla Sager, musical director and pianist Carlin Ma, violinist Eric Silberger, pianist Ian Parker and cellist Daniel Lelchuk paired Ka`u Coffee grown in micro-regions of the district with selected performances.

      The concert, held at Pahala Plantation House, raised funds for an annual Hawai`i International Music Festival and for improving the broadcast of Hawai`i Public Radio throughout Ka`u.

South Point Resource Management Plan is the topic of a meeting
Tuesday in Na`alehu. Photo from DHHL

      To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see Facebook. Follow us on Instagram and Twitter.

DEPARTMENT OF HAWAIIAN HOME LANDS holds a public meeting Tuesday from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at Na`alehu Elementary School Cafeteria regarding its management plan for lands and resources in Kama`oa. The DHHL 2012 Ka`u Regional Plan identified the need to protect and preserve the natural and cultural sites in Kama`oa as one of the top five priority projects.
      DHHL’s Draft South Point Resources Management Plan is available at https://dhhl.hawaii.gov/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/South-Point-Public-Review-Draft-Plan-to-DHHL_052616.pdf.

Learn about establishment of Hawai`i National Park Tuesday.
Image from NPS

      For more information, contact DHHL Planner Andrew Choy at Andrew.H.Choy@hawaii.gov or 808-620-9279.

ON TUESDAY, TRAVEL BACK in time to 1916 with Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park Archaeologist Dr. Jadelyn Moniz-Nakamura as she shares the story of the development of Hawai`i National Park. Learn about the individuals who pushed for a park because of their fascination for this place and because they recognized the need for preservation so that future generations could enjoy the fantastic eruptions and magnificent landscapes. 

      The After Dark in the Park program begins at 7 p.m. $2 donations support park programs. Park entrance fees apply.

REGULAR REGISTRATION for Ka`u Coffee Trail Run ends Tuesday at midnight. Late registration will continue through race morning, Sept. 17, at 6:30 a.m.
      The event includes a 5K, 10K and Half Marathon through coffee and former sugar cane fields, macadamia nut groves, eucalyptus forests and grazing pastures, with the Half Marathon reaching an elevation of 3,100 feet.
      All races begin and finish at Ka`u Coffee Mill.

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

Click on document to enlarge.

See kaucalendar.com/KauCalendar_August_2016.pdf.

See kaucalendar.com/TheDirectory2016.html
and kaucalendar.com/TheDirectory2016.pdf.