Kaʻu News Briefs, Monday, Nov. 7, 2016

Preserving historic sites and responsible stewardship of Ka Pae ‘Āina O Hawaiʻi are “rooted in Hawaiian traditions
that make caring for the land a cultural value,” states OHA which asks everyone to vote for its trustees on Nov. 8.
Photo from OHA

OFFICE OF HAWAIIAN AFFAIRS CANDIDATES are vying for everyone’s vote on Tuesday. Any registered voter, no mater the race or cultural background, can vote for the OHA Board of Trustee members. OHA, a state agency created at the 1978 Hawaiʻi Constitutional Convention, controls many thousands of acres entrusted for the benefit of Hawaiians. Income from real estate, investments and funding goes to grants and loans for health care, charter schools, scholarships, agriculture, economic development, historic preservation, culture, arts, environmental advocacy and many other programs. OHA’s  annual budget is about $40 million and its portfolio value is about $630 million in cash, real estate and investments.

Wao Kele O Puna is a 25,856 acre forest preserve owned by OHA.
Photo from Big Island Video News

    Writing in Civil Beat recently, OHA trustee Peter Apo encourages all citizens to learn about OHA and to consider voting for OHA trustees, stating they “routinely make decisions that affect everyone in Hawaiʻi.” OHA recently supported the successful expansion of Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument in the Northwest Hawaiian Islands to make it the largest marine protected conservation district on the planet. Apo noted that OHA financially supported  the recent global convention of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature, held in Hawaiʻi.    
      Regarding OHA’s land use mission, OHA’s website states: “Our  focus on protecting the ‘āina is part of a larger effort to honor the past while preparing for the future. This particular emphasis for us is rooted in Hawaiian traditions that make caring for the land a cultural value. As a result, a top priority for us is to ensure that Native Hawaiians participate in and benefit from responsible stewardship of Ka Pae ‘Āina O Hawai’i.”
      Near Kaʻu, OHA has title to the 25,856-acre Wao Kele O Puna forest makai of Volcano. It is one of the few remaining tracts of lowland rainforest in the State of Hawaiʻi, a watershed, native plant seed bank for Kīlauea Volcano, endangered species habitat and provides forest resources for native Hawaiian cultural practices.

Teaching the use of native plants for landscaping is a program
 of OHA. Photo from OHA

     OHA points to its advocacy for “laws that provide transparency safeguards in the sale, gift or exchange of public lands as well as ensure that at least one member of the (state) Board of Land and Natural Resources has expertise in Native Hawaiian traditional and customary practices.” OHA's protection of water resources includes becoming a “co-petitioner in the historic Nā Wai ʻEhā stream flow contested case, which helped to reaffirm the state’s responsibility to ensure that water benefits everyone and not just corporate interests.”
     On this island, OHA is attempting to work closely with the U.S. Army at Pōhakuloa Training Area to address community concerns about “destruction of land with significant cultural site and exposure to health hazards caused by residue from depleted uranium used during military exercises.” It is also involved in the analysis and community response to the Thirty Meter Telescope planned for Mauna Kea.
     OHA pledges on its website to support sustainability by “Increasing the percent of Ka Pae ‘Āina O Hawai‘i managed to create economic value, preserve cultural and natural resources and historic properties, and/or provide cultural and social opportunities for Native Hawaiians in a sustainable and balanced manner. One OHA goal is “increasing from 12% to 15%  - the percent of ahupuaʻa that are managed sustainably,” states OHA at www.oha.org
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ROBERT LINDSEY is running to keep his position as an OHA trustee. The Kamuela resident served as a trustee for 14 years and chairs the OHA board. He has also represented other organizations, sitting on the boards for Habitat for Humanity in West Hawaiʻi and West Hawaiʻi Mediation Center. In his professional life, Lindsey is retired from Kamehameha Schools, where he was the director of the Land Assets Division on Hawaiʻi Island. He also worked as a National Park Service ranger and served one term in the Hawaiʻi Legislature.
     Lindsey is endorsed by United Public Workers, United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America, Hawaiʻi Construction Alliance, Laborers International Union, and Operative Plasterers and Cement Masons.

Robert Lindsey is running to hold his seat as the OHA trustee for Hawai`i Island
Photo from bob4oha.com

     Lindsey said he lives by the Golden Rule, “Do unto others as you would have them do to you.”  He expressed other core principles and values: “I do things always with Aloha and live by the teachings of Pilahi Paki, but always with the caution of Queen Liliʻuokalani. I will always choose being kind, thoughtful and considerate of others and their views. I prefer listening to talking. I believe in ethics, transparency and accountability. I mean what I say and say what I mean.”
     Lindsey is a writer,  authoring three books of fiction: Latitude 20.4 N Longitude 151.71; The 5th of July, God is Aloha.  His most recent work is Sonny Kaniho, A Profile in Hawaiian Courage.
     Former four-time trustee Oswald Stender described Lindsey in a recent Civil Beat editorial as “commiteed to the mission of OHA, hard working, and a servant to the Hawaiian people as well as the broader Hawaiʻi community.” Stender wrote: “It is important to Bob that the community works together to resolve disagreements and come up with solutions that will help the Hawaiian people and the communities in which they live to growand prosper while finding ways to live and work together harmoniousely. As a servant leader, Bob searches out common ground for projects, programs and funding.”
    Lindsey’s community positions include: Chair of Mellon-Hawaiʻi Scholars Committee; President of Kohala Ditch Foundation; Trustee of North Hawaiʻi Community Hospital; Director of Kahua Paʻa Mua; Director of Akaka Foundation for Tropical Forests; Director, Kanu O Ka ‘Aina Learning Ohana, a Charter School; Lifetime Member of Kamehameha Schools Alumni Association; Founder & Director of the Kohala Center; member of Waimea Outdoor Circle; member of Waimea Hawaiian Homesteader’s Association; and member of Hawai`i Island Legislative Delegation. See more at bob4oha.com.
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MILILANI TRASK challenges Bob Lindsey for his OHA position. The Kurtistown resident is an attorney with a law degree from Santa Clara University. She graduated with a degree in political science from University of California at San Jose and she is a graduate of Kamehameha Schools.
     Trask  is an international expert on indigenous rights and a grassroots organizer in Hawaiʻi. Her campaign website says, “Mililani Trask is driven by the abiding conviction that in defending native peoples one should be mindful to do right by the entire community at large as well. One cannot prosper at the expense of the other.”
     Concerning land use, Trask said, I think OHA is uniquely placed to ensure that we don’t just pay lip service to our Hawaiian sense of place. But we must recognize the realities of our times and be open to change to ensure that Hawaiians do not remain on the periphery, but instead have a meaningful stake in the main economy and access to all the opportunities from which they are now too often excluded. That includes being proactive and engaged in addressing the homelessness that afflicts too many Native Hawaiians.”

Mililani Trask is running for the Hawai`i Island tustee post for OHA
Photo from trask4oha.com

     Trask has been appointed to the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues. She is a founding member of the Indigenous Women’s Network, a collation of Native American Women whose work includes community-based economic development, social justice, human rights, housing and health. She has provided expert testimony to the U.S. Senate on Hawaiian Homelands. In recent years, she has advocated for the development of sustainable energy, working with the Maori of New Zealand and Native Hawaiians. She states that OHA should be involved in Hawaiʻi becoming independent from oil and other imported sources of energy.
     Her website says that she has worked with many prominient figures in international communities on human rights, including spending six years with Mother Teresa in Calcutta, India.
     Trask’s endorsements include Hawaiʻi Government Employee’s Union, Local 368 Laborers’ International Union, Hawaiʻi Building Construction Trades Council, Hawaiʻi Carpenters Union, Hawaiian Mason’s Union and Iron Workers Union. Personal endorsements include those form Colleen Hanabusa,who is running to go back to the U.S. Congress, Princess Abigail Kinoiki Kekaulike Kawananakoa, Robert Uluwehi Cazimero, Brother Noland, the late Kumu Leinaʻala Kalama Heini, and more. See www.trask4oha.com.
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THE GRAND RALLY, when Democratic candidates from around the state gather in Hilo on election night eve begins at 5 p.m. at Aunty Sally’s Luʻau Hale. Everyone is invited to hear the speeches. 

ELECTION DAY IS TOMORROW, TUESDAY, NOV. 8, and the last chance for registered voters to make a choice for U.S. President, members of the U.S. Congress and Hawaiʻi State Legislature, Office of Hawaiian Affairs and amendments to law.

     Election Day voting locations, open from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. include: Cooper Center in Volcano at 19-4030 Wright Rd; Ka‘ū High School Cafeteria at 96-3150 Pikake St. - turn into the school grounds; Nā‘ālehu Elementary School Cafeteria at 95-5545 Hwy 11; Ocean View Community Center at 92-5545 Māmalahoa Hwy; and Miloli‘i Halāu. See ballots below.

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VOLUNTEER FIRE DEPARTMENT MEETING will be held today, Monday, Nov. 7 at Ocean View Community Center, 4 p.m. 939-7033.

EARTHQUAKE: DID YOU FEEL THAT?  is the topic on Tuesday, Nov. 8 at After Dark in the Park at Kilauea Visitor Center Auditorium in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park. Hawaiian Volcano Observatory Seismic Network Manager Brian Shiro makes the presentation. Free; park fees apply.

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Ka`u News Briefs, Sunday, Nov. 6, 2016

Kaʻū High students will go to the state Capitol in December for Youth and Government, which provides experience in
writing legislation, debating, taking positions of state Senators and House of Representatives members and joining
the press corps. Above is the delegation from Kaʻū last year, when the Trojans were the first Neighbor Island school
representatives to attend in five years. See story below. Photo from Rowlie John Flores

EARLY VOTING ISLANDWIDE IS PAU and the last chance for registered voters to make a choice for U.S. President, members of the U.S. Congress and Hawaiʻi State Legislature, Office of Hawaiian Affairs and amendments to law is this Tuesday, Nov. 8, a holiday in Hawaiʻi.

     Nearby Election Day voting locations, open from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m.: are: Cooper Center in Volcano at 19-4030 Wright Rd; Ka‘ū High School Cafeteria at 96-3150 Pikake St. - turn into the school grounds; Nā‘ālehu Elementary School Cafeteria at 95-5545 Hwy 11; Ocean View Community Center at 92-5545 Māmalahoa Hwy; and Miloli‘i Halāu. See ballots below.

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Rowlie John Flores represents Kaʻū High at
the Youth and Government Conference
at the Capitol. Photo by J-R Abalos

YOUTH & GOVERNMENT AT THE HAWAIʻI LEGISLATURE: The annual program will welcome Kaʻū High School students to the state Capitol on O`ahu in December. Last school year, the Trojan team represented the first Neighbor Islands school to participate in five years. Ka`u High Junior Rowlie John Flores submitted a story to The Ka`u Calendar and explained:
    Youth and Government allows students to speak freely and openly on political and debate topics that some would not dare put their noses under. The YMCA of Honolulu program has been around for nearly 66 years, longer than Hawaiʻi has been a state.
      Some 100 students each year from grades 6-12 learn how to be more involved in the democratic practices of the state government. The students experience taking the place of real government officials.
    In preparation for the legislative conference, students first research topics in class that range from abortion to euthanasia, composing bills in advance they later debate to determine whether that specific bill is something Hawaiʻi needs for the betterment of its people.
    Before the 65th legislative conference held in January, the Youth and Government program in Hawaiʻi did not receive any Neighbor Island delegations for years. However, thanks to Kaʻū High teacher Kevin Sun, the school sent the first delegation in five years from outside Oʻahu. Kaʻū High sent 11 student delegates: ten took part in the state House and state Senate, and one participated in the Press Corps.
    Kaʻū experienced a good first-year. Out of seven bills proposed by Kaʻū students–ranging from gun control to the distribution of contraceptives in public schools–two were passed.

Chloe Gan, a senior at Kaʻū High, inpired by Youth and Government, attended the Conference on National Affairs at the
Blue Ridge Assembly in North Carolina this Summer after attending youth and Government at the Hawaiʻi Capitol.
Photo from YMCA

    Kaʻū High alumni Kaiminani Rapoza wrote the first bill passed, proposed legislation focused on ending rape culture by requiring that students attend a class that teaches the negative effects of rape culture.
     The second bill passed was written by current Kaʻū High junior, Rowlie John Flores. The bill proposed an increase in the state’s minimum wage by amending the current minimum wage law. Flores also claimed one of the two awards Kaʻū High received by being named the Rookie Legislator Award for the Senate.
     Aislinn Carroll, a former Kaʻū delegate, was given a Rookie Legislator Award for the House of Representatives. Aislinn is now a member of the Hawaii Preparatory Academy’s delegation.

Chloe Gan is the first Kaʻū High student
 to attend the Conference on National Affairs.
Photo by J-R Abalos

   Kaʻū students inspired by the Youth and Government program are now attending similar conferences outside Hawaiʻi. This summer Chloe Gan, a current Kaʻū High senior, joined six other Hawaiʻi students at the Conference on National Affairs held at the Blue Ridge Assembly in North Carolina. Gan is the first Kaʻū High student to represent the school at the national level. At Blue Ridge students discussed and debated national and international issues. Gan proposed a four-day school week.
    With the successes of Kaʻū High during its first year in the Youth and Government program, Kaʻū students are working hard to continue to represent the school and Hawai‘i Island. The students are hard at work composing drafts of their bills, and learning how to properly debate and present their bills. Experienced members are helping new members draft bills and finding sources to support their bills.
     Kaʻū High plans to represent the community well this December, whether it is to claim more awards, pass more bills, or simply display the aloha and true spirit of the Kaʻū community at the State Capitol.
     The students are selling shave ice to raise money for this year'r trip and have seed funding form O Ka`u Kakou.

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The 1011 Japan Tsunami reached this Okoa Bay house
in South Kona.  Photo by Kaiali`i Kahele

WORLD TSUNAMI AWARENESS DAY was observed for the first time ever, yesterday, Nov. 5 with arrival of a Japanese government delegation to the Hawaiʻi County Civil Defense Command Center and the Hilo Airport Incident Command Center. Jointly proposed by 142 nations including the U.S. and Japan, the United Nations General Assembly voted in December 2015 to designate Nov. 5 as World Tsunami Awareness Day. The Assembly called on all nations and communities to observe the day to raise tsunami awareness and share approaches to risk reduction.   The visit by the Japan delegation followed their participation in an evacuation drill in Valparaiso, Chile, involving 100,000 people. In Hilo, the group toured the Pacific Tsunami Museum.
     Ryota Takeda, Secretary General for the House of Representatives, Japan Diet, led the visiting delegation. “We human beings cannot escape from natural disasters, but we can minimize the damage. Preparedness makes a big difference in the outcome of a disaster,” Takeda said. “I trust that our cooperation and collaboration with Hawaiʻi will boost preparedness in years to come.” He also noted that a million people worldwide participated in inaugural World Tsunami Day programs.
     Takeda was accompanied by Takeshi Ogino, a deputy director in the Japan Ministry of Defense, Kimihito Aguin, also of the Ministry of Defense, and Satomi Okagaki, from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. They were joined in Hilo by Yasushi Misawa, Consul General of Japan in Honolulu, and Rumi Ariyoshi of the Consul General’s office.

World Tsunami Awareness Day participatnts (clockwise from top left): 

Marlene Murray, Hawaiʻi County Managing Director Randy Kurohawa, 

Secretary General Ryota Takeda, Ed Teixeira, Ilihia Gionson, Tiffinie Smith,

Rumi Ariyoshi, Consul General Yasushi Misawa, Satomi Okaga

and Honorary Consul General of Hilo Art Taniguchi.

       The Japan delegation was hosted by Hawaiʻi County Managing Director Randy Kurohara, Civil Defense Director Ed Teixeira, Hawaiʻi Island District Airports Manager Chauncey Wong Yuen, members of Hawaiʻi County’s emergency management team, and Marlene Murray, Director of the Pacific Tsunami Museum.
     One briefing covered the annual tsunami evacuation drill conducted by schools in Keaukaha,and the the Nov. 1 statewide test of the emergency warning system. Another covered tsunami evacuation drills in Japan and Chile. The group participated in a communications exercise with the Hawaiʻi Emergency Management Agency, the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center, and amateur HAM radio operators.
     The Hawaiʻi County Managing Director said, “We hope that all we have been through will go far in making our community stronger and more prepared for disasters.” Kurohara referenced the multitude of natural disasters challenging the Hawaiʻi Island community in recent years, including tsunami threats like the one generated by the 2011 Tohoku earthquake in Japan that caused damage in West Hawaiʻi, multiple hurricane warnings, wildfires, flooding, the dengue outbreak, Tropical Storm Iselle, and the Puna Lava Flow.

    The debut World Tsunami Awareness Day also focused on education. Exchange students from Hawaiʻi Island will go to Japan to participate in a disaster risk reduction summit for high school students, Nov. 25-26 in Kuroshio. The summit will host 350 students from 30 countries. For more World Tsunami Awareness Day info, visit World Tsunami Awareness VideoWorld Tsunami Awareness Video. For tsunami preparedness tips, visit http://www.prh.noaa.gov/hnl/pages/tsunami_safety.php. Sign up for Civil Defense alerts athttps://countyofhawaii.bbcportal.com/.

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THIS IS ARBOR DAY WEEKEND and Arbor Day organizers across the country encourage people to plant trees. On this island participants, including Hawai`i Electric Light Co., Kua O Ka La Public Charter School and others are giving away one native tree per family: milo, niu, kou, kokiʻo ke‘oke‘o, kukui, koʻokoʻolau, and māmaki. Each tree comes with information on planting a tree and siting it properly to avoid safety hazards and to provide cooling shade for homes. The giveaway continues today at Makua`u Farmers; Market in Pāhoa.

HELCO, a charter school and others are giving away native trees this
weekend, wrapping up at Maku`u Farmers' Market in Pahoa today.
Photo frrom HELCO

AN UPCYCLE FASHION SHOW is drawing artists, clothes designers and models to create outfits out of found and reused things. To enter the competition: Upcycle Fashions must be made of recycled or reused materials that otherwise would be thrown away or recycled. Vintage clothes will not be accepted. Complete outfits are recommended. Upcycle Fashion creators write a detailed and entertaining description in a few sentences on what the outfit is made from and why sustainability is important to the community. Categories are for adults, businesses, teens and children. Entrants must sign up by Nov. 18. The Upcycle16 Fashion show will be at East Hawaiʻi Cultural Center in Hilo on Saturday, Dec. 3. A $100 prize goes to the People’s Choice. See www.ehcc.org.
     Upcycle16 Art Show opens on Saturday, Nov. 12 at 5:30 p.m. and runs Wednesdays through Fridays from noon to 6 p.m. and Saturdays form 10 a.m. through Dec. 2 at East Hawaiʻi Cultural Center. Recycle Hawaiʻi will be on hand for the Tutu Hana Hou Award presentation with a display and information on Hawai`iRecycles Day, BeRecycled Pledge and Be Recycled Sweepstakes.

Ballots for the General Election this Tuesday, Nov. 8:

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Ka`u News Briefs, Saturday, Nov. 5, 2016

Humpback whales are back to give birth and raise calves for the winter. Photo by Flip Nicklin/Minden Pictures  
Photo from NOAA

HUMPBACK WHALE SEASON is here. Members of the Northern Pacific stock of humpback whales have already been seen off Hawai`i Island, as early as late October. The humpbacks winter in southern waters from western Mexico to Hawai`i and southern Japan islands. They give birth and raise their calves until they leave in Spring, swimming to northern waters to feed all Summer. According to a Hawaiian Island Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary statement: "Scientists estimate that approximately 12,000 humpback whales migrate from their high-latitude feeding grounds off Alaska to breed, calve and nurse their young each year in Hawai`i’s warm waters. While some have already begun to arrive, the majority will be here between January and March – the peak of the whale season."

Humpback whales are headed here and to Japan and Mexico to winter.
Image from NOAA

     The Sanctuary reports that the humpbacks "have increased in numbers since the days they were hunted. While Hawai`i’s iconic humpback whales are no longer protected by the Endangered Species Act, threats and concerns still exist and protections are still afforded by different state and federal agencies, including Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary."
     Staff at the Sanctuary warn that "Collisions between whales and vessels occur annually and these events present serious risks to boaters as well as the whales. Whale calves are vulnerable to vessel strikes because they are difficult to see as they rest just under the surface. Young whales also must surface more frequently."
    Ocean users are required to keep a safe distance and refrain from approaching humpback whales within 100 yards by any means – in a vessel, on a surf board or swimming. While these annual visitors attract wildlife enthusiasts, they also pose safety hazards to ocean users "when these 45-ton marine mammals surface, breach or slap their massive tails or flippers."
    Entanglement is another major threat to humpback whales, cautions the Marine Sanctuary, which receives dozens of reports of whales entangled in gear each whale season. "While large whales are not in immediate risk of drowning, entanglement may result in starvation, physical trauma, infections, and may contribute to ship strikes since the animals are less mobile."

Humpback whales are identified by markings on their tails.
Photo from NOAA

    Hawaiian Islands Large Whale Entanglement Response Network formed in 2002 to support response efforts and to learn more about sources and impacts of entanglements to humpback whales and other marine animals. The network partners with state and federal agencies, including the state Department of Land and Natural Resources, NOAA Fisheries Pacific Islands Regional Office, the U.S. Coast Guard, private non-governmental organizations, fishermen, researchers, and other individuals.
     While public help is appreciated, "People who haven't been authorized should not try to help an entangled or otherwise injured whales," warns sanctuary staff.  Instead, maintain the required safe distance and call the NOAA Marine Mammal Hotline at 1-888-256-9840, or the U.S. Coast Guard on VHF channel 16 immediately. "Ocean users can play an important role, by reporting and providing information and images of the animal and threat. Prompt reporting is the best way to help a distressed humpback whale."
     If reporting a suspected approach violation, call NOAA Fisheries Enforcement Hotline at 800-853-1964. Additional guidelines and safety tips can be found at http://hawaiihumpbackwhale.noaa.gov.

A person of Native Hawaiian heritage and knowledge sought to become
an advisor to the Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine
Sanctuary. Photo by Nicklin/Minden Pictures
Photo from NOAA

HAWAIIAN ISLANDS HUMPBACK WHALE NATIONAL MARINE SANCTUARY seeks to fill a primary seat on its advisory council with a person of Native Hawaiian ancestry and knowledge of the Kohola. The sanctuary is also accepting applications for a Maui County alternate and Molokaʻi Island primary and alternate. The council ensures public participation in sanctuary matters and provides advice to sanctuary management.

“The members of our advisory council represent an extremely important element of our community,” said Malia Chow, sanctuary superintendent. “Their input, experience and expertise assist sanctuary managers in making informed and timely decisions on how best to protect and conserve our important cultural and natural resources.”

   Candidates are selected based on expertise and experience in relation to the seat for which they are applying, community and professional affiliations, and views regarding protection and management of marine resources. Applicants chosen as primaries or alternates expect to serve a two-year term.

     Applications are due by Wednesday, Nov. 30. To receive an application kit or for further information, contact Kate Spidalieri via email at Kate.Spidalieri@noaa.gov; by phone at (240) 533-0679; or visit the sanctuary website at http://hawaiihumpbackwhale.noaa.gov/council/council_app_accepting.html

    Completed applications should be submitted to: NOAA Inouye Regional Center, NOS/HIHWNMS/Kate Spidalieri, 1845 Wasp Boulevard, Building 176, Honolulu, HI 96818.

The sanctuary is administered by a partnership of NOAA’s Office of National Marine Sanctuaries and state Department of Land and Natural Resources. The sanctuary works to protect humpback whales through research, education, conservation and stewardship. See facebook.

EARLY VOTING, EVEN FOR THOSE STILL NOT REGISTERED is pau in Kaʻū but still available only today, Saturday, at Aupuni Center Conference Room in Hilo, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.; West Hawai‘i Civic Center Community Room, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Waimea Community Center, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. through noon tomorrow.

Election Day voting locations this coming Tuesday, Nov. 8, open from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m.: Cooper Center in Volcano at 19-4030 Wright Rd; Ka‘ū High School Cafeteria at 96-3150 Pikake St. - turn into the school grounds; Nā‘ālehu Elementary School Cafeteria at 95-5545 Hwy 11; Ocean View Community Center at 92-5545 Māmalahoa Hwy; and Miloli‘i Halāu. See ballots below

HAM RADIO OPERATORS POTLUCK picnic is this Sunday, Nov. 6 at  11 a.m. at Manuka Park. All American Radio Emergency Service members, anyone interested in learning how to operate ham radio and their families are invited. Call Dennis Smith, 989-3028.

PUʻU O LOKUANA hike this Sunday, Nov. 6 from 9:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. in Kahuku Unit of Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park. Free. Entrance mauka off Hwy 11 between South Point Road and Ocean View. See nps.gov/havo.  

WOMEN'S VOLLEYBALL TEAM FROM U.H. HILO will provide a volleyball clinic at the new Kaʻū Gym on Thursday, Dec. 1, from 5 p.m. to 7 p..m. The volleyball workshop is open to men and women and boys and girls of all ages. With no fee for participants, it is sponsored by the county Department of Parks and Recreation and Hawaiʻi Police Activities League and Kaʻū community policing officers. Marley Strand-Nicolaisen is a Kaʻū High alumni and Trojan volleyball champion who is a member of the Vulcan team, expected to assist with the workshop. For more information, call Nona Makuakane, Pahala Recreation Director at 854-7316 or officer Blaine Morishita at 936-7192.

Here are the General Election Ballots, with registration and early voting at places outside Ka`u and for General Election Day on Tuesday. See locations above.

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