Ka`u News Briefs, Sunday, Jan. 1, 2016

This lava viewing area is closed after a large section of the 26-acre delta fell into the ocean. It was created by a lava flow, then
hardened, then undercut by ocean waves and crashed into the water yesterday at Kamokuna. This image was taken on Dec. 25. 
NPS Photo/Janice Wei

A large plume of rock debris and gas emanates from the Kamokuna lava ocean entry within
Hawai`i Volcanoes NationalPark, yesterday, just moments after the lava delta began

to collapse. NPS Photo/Travis Delimont

NEW LAND FORMED BY KILAUEA VOLCANO crashed into the ocean at Kamokuna on New Years Eve. A large section of the 26-acre lava delta formed by the 61g lava flow collapsed into the water around 2:45 p.m., launching showers of volcanic rock into the air, and creating a flurry of large waves that eroded away a portion of the older sea cliff and viewing area.
     As a result, the Kamokuna ocean entry within Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park remained closed today as park rangers and USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory scientists surveyed the area. Rangers on duty New Year’s Day reported that the former viewing area is gone, and that loud cracks continue to be heard throughout the unstable area.
     Although park rangers temporarily closed the Kamokuna lava viewing area last night, five visitors ducked beneath the white rope closure line and made a beeline for the coastal cliffs around 7 p.m. on New Year’s Eve. Eruption Crew Ranger Travis Delimont and a co-worker had to chase after them before they turned around. Within 15 minutes, the section of cliff where the visitors were standing crashed into the ocean.
     “It was a really close brush with death for them,” Ranger Delimont said. “Luckily, they finally listened to us and turned around in time,” he said.
     The lava viewing area will remain closed until it is determined safe to reopen. The County of Hawai‘i also closed the Kalapana access to the park.
      “Fortunately, there were no aircraft or boats reported in the area at the time of the collapse, nor were any visitors on the delta itself, which is closed for public safety,” said Park Superintendent Cindy Orlando. “Had anyone been close by on land, water or air, lives would have surely been lost,” she said.
     There is a temporary flight restriction of 1,000 feet above ground level at the Kamokuna ocean entry.

      Lava deltas are extremely hazardous volcanic features and are formed when lava enters the ocean and builds new land on loose and unstable substrate. In addition to the threat of collapse, lava entering the ocean produces a highly a corrosive plume of hydrochloric acid and volcanic particles that irritate the lungs, skin and eyes. Visitors are strongly urged to stay out of closed areas and heed all posted warning signs.  See additional images and video from the park's official Flickr site.
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Leo Norberte celebrates a banner harvest of Ka`u Coffee on
New Year's Eve. Photo by Julia Neal

KA`U COFFEE FARMERS celebrated New Year's Eve last night at homes throughout the district, which huge fireworks displays, celebrating a massive crop and good sales this season. Leo Norberte, who farms 30 acres in Moa`ula and Wood Valley, said pickers harvested 7,000 pounds on his busiest one day. His harvest is more than half done for the year and very
successful, he said.
      Norberte's coffee is sold under his own brand name, and to Starbucks and other buyers. He provides housing for pickers and his extended family does much of the processing. His wife Hermie, a retired Ka`u High School teacher does much of the bookkeeping and helps with the lab and packaging. Their JN brand is one of the most prosperous in Ka`u. Leo and Herme circle the island two to three times a week, delivering their coffee in person to stores from Waikoloa to Kona, Waimea and Hilo.
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GUN CONTROL ADVOCATE ROSS RAMMELMEYER, of Volcano, who sends out daily email on news of gun control and gun violence. is urging residents to start the New Year by supporting various gun safety organizations like the Americans for Responsible Solutions, led by Gabby Giffords and her husband, astronaut and retired Navy Captain Mark Kelly.  Giffords, a congresswoman from Arizona, was shot is the head and severely injured at a public function. She and her Kelly became leaders in gun control campaigns. "When gun violence prevention was on the ballot, we won," said Giffords and Kelly in a New Year's message to Rammelmeyer.

Mark Kelly and Gabby Gifford's work on gun safety, supported
by Ross Rammelmeyer, of Volcano. Photo from Americans
for Responsible Solutions.

     Giffords is also the namesake of a new 421-long trimaran ship called the USS Gabrielle Giffords, which was delivered to the U.S. Navy on Dec. 23. "Courage comes in many, many forms - physical, mental, spiritual and political. Gabby has truly modeled courage and resilience," said Vice Admiral Phillip Cullom during the christening ceremony.

    Another organization supported by Rammelmeyer is Everytown for Gun Safety. Its News Year's message says, "We'll never stop fighting when our children's futures are at stake. (President-elect Donald's) Trump's election presents and unprecedented threat to that future---which is why we need to be ready on Day One of his presidency to fight back.

      "Gun extremists are afraid of losing their guns. We're afraid of losing our kids. You tell me who's going to win. This movement is not stranger to setbacks --and this past election is no different. Every time we've gotten knocked down, we've dusted ourselves off and picked each other up. Right now, we're (sometimes literally) pulling ourselves up by our bootstraps."

     Contract Rammelmeyer at rossrammelmeyer@hawaiiantel.net.
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VOLUNTEER FIRE DEPARTMENT MEETING is tomorrow, Monday, Jan. 2 at Ocean View community Center at 4 p.m. 939-7033.

KA`U COFFEE GROWERS MEETING is Tuesday, Jan. 3 at 6 p.m., Pahala Community Center.

34 YEARS AND COUNTING is the talk by Tina Neal, USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory Scientist in Charge on Tuesday, Jan. 3 at Kilauea Visitor Center Auditorium at 7 p.m. She will discuss the ongoing eruption and etail the past year's activity at Kilauea Volcano. Free; park entrance fees apply.

www.kaucalendar.com

Ka`u News Briefs, Saturday, Dec. 31, 2016

Kilauea Military Camp offers a New Year's Eve Toast until midnight and a brunch on New Years Day. See more below.
Photo from Kilauea Military Camp

NEW YEAR'S DAY MARKS A HIKE IN MINIMUM WAGES for anyone working in Hawai`i. The new minimum wage will be $9.25 an hour, with another hike on Jan. 1, 2018 to $10.10. The increases, over time were put in motion by the 2014 Hawai`i Legislature when the minimum was at $7.25. It went to $7.75 on Jan. 1, 2015 and $8.50 on Jan. 1, 2016. Next year ends the series of minimum wage increases and new legislation would be needed to continue minimum wage hikes.

       According to a story in this morning's Honolulu Star Advertiser, "The state Department of Labor and Industrial Relations advocated for the increases partly on the premise that low-wage workers would spend most or all of the resulting additional income and stimulate economic activity, including more job creation."

Altres staffing reminds employers that the minimum wage increases tomorrow.

      With unemployment at 3 percent in Hawai`i, "higher pay for largely entry-level jobs is expected to bubble up to more skilled jobs as employers face pressure to keep higher-paid positions competitive," states the Advertiser. The paper pointed out that minimum wage employees earn far less than most of the workforce in Honolulu. "A full-time worker at a minimum-wage job would earn $19,240 a year. That's about one-fourth of the $70,400 annual median income for a single person in Honolulu last year."

      The Advertiser story also pointed to the Hawai`i Appleseed Center for Law and Economic Justice, which testified during wage-increase hearings that "thousands of low-income workers would benefit from higher minimum wages, especially given that the cost of living here is almost 60 percent more than the national average. Peter Mattson, a representative of nonprofit Partners in Care, said in written testimony that higher wages would help people escape poverty and homelessness. Patricia McManaman, director of the state Department of Human Services, said in 2014 that the four annual minimum wage steps were the right thing to do: 'It’s time for Hawai`i to ensure that (the) poorest of our wage workers can at least support their most basic needs.'” 

     See more at www.honolulu-advertiser.com.

Sen. Mazie Hirono

U.S. SENATORS ELIZABETH WARREN AND MAZIE HIRONO are teammates, according to a statement from Warren, issued on New Year's Eve:

Sen. Elizabeth Warren issued a statement saying
she and Mazie Hieono will stand up to
Donald Trump.   

     "There's only one way we're going to stop Donald Trump: By standing together. All of us. That's why I'm proud to stand alongside my friend, Sen. Mazie Hirono. Hard-working families in Hawai`i and all across the country can count on Mazie and me to fight for them in the U.S. Senate, every single day -- and to stand up to Donald Trump's dangerous policies that threaten America.
     "Mazie is one of my closest allies in the Senate, said Warren, calling on Hawai`i residents to look ahead toward Hirono's reelection.
     "Mazie and I both arrived in the Senate in 2013 at the start of President Obama’s second term. Since then, we've been allies on issue after issue -- fighting to advance comprehensive immigration reform, defend Obamacare, protect women's health, raise the minimum wage, and ensure equal rights for all Americans. And we're going to keep up that fight, with your help.

     "Over the past eight years, our country has made incredible progress. We have boosted the economy with more than 15 million new jobs, delivered quality, affordable healthcare to more than 17 million Americans, and fought to defend civil liberties for countless more.
     "But too many Americans still feel like the system is rigged for the millionaires and billionaires and giant corporations – and as Donald Trump prepares to take office (as much as it pains me to say that), that feeling will only get worse. All our progress hangs in the balance. We must fight to protect what we have won, and must fight our way forward," stated Warren.

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SEN. JOSHUA BOOTH GREEN, who represents west Ka`u into Kona in the Hawai`i Legislature, issued a News Year's Eve message this morning: "I want to wish you all a happy, healthy and safe New Year!"
    Looking toward the opening of the Legislature in January, he said, "As chair of the Human Services Committee, I will be focused on protecting our state's safety net. This includes addressing the homelessness crisis, increasing our capacity to help people who suffer with addiction and mental illness, and beginning the debate on implementing a living wage of $15/hr for Hawai`i's people."
    Considering federal government, with Donald Trump as President, Green said, "It is no secret that the new administration in Washington has a very different view of critical American programs like Social Security, Medicare and the stability of our healthcare system than many of us are accustomed to.  

      "I will do all that I can, using my experience as both a practicing physician and legislator, to fight for the survival of programs that make America strong and compassionate. Going forward, I will bring new ideas to the table for debate, so that Hawai`i can lead the nation on key emerging policy challenges."
     Green invites everyone to a Talk Story session on Jan. 5 at King Kamehameha Hotel in Kona from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. "so that I can continue to hear what is most important to you and your families."
      During the 2017 Hawai`i Legislature, Green will be located at the Hawai`i State Capitol, Room 407, 415 South Beretania Street, Honolulu, HI 96813. Email josh@joshgreen.org.
      Reviewing more than a decade of work in the legislature, Green said online,
    “Working together over the last 11 years, we have achieved extraordinary results for our community with over $1 billion committed to improve roads, schools, and hospitals in West Hawai`i, including:

 $90 million to begin building and ultimately complete a Kona Judiciary Complex, which will house 230 full-time employees and make our local justice system safer and efficient; 

over $20 million to build the new West Hawai`i Community College Campus at Palamanui, which will allow our students to pursue higher education at home and serve as an important educational resource for our entire community; 

over $150 million to expand Queen Ka`ahumanu Highway and other critical roads in the region, meant to decrease fatal, tragic accidents and long waits on the road,; and over $75 million annually from the Hospital Sustainability Act which we created together, to strengthen all of Hawai`i’s hospitals, including Kona Community Hospital, Ka`u Hospital, and North Hawai`i Community Hospital (now partnered with Queens Hospital, bringing more specialists to our Island).
    “

At your urging I have sponsored important new laws to care for Hawai`i's children, such as the 2015 mandates for insurance to cover autism and surgery for children with cleft palate. No state is more compassionate in its commitment to children's health needs now, and in 2014 we were named the healthiest state in the nation.”
      Concerning sustainability, Green said, “We have fought side by side against powerful special interests to protect our environment and I've supported renewable energy at every turn possible.

 All of these new projects and initiatives will create jobs, stimulate our economy, build our community and protect those who need us most to advocate for them for years to come. 

I am positive we will keep working together to achieve even greater results in the coming years, to make all of Hawai`i an even better place to live. Of course there is always more work to do.

”
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CHRISTMAS IN THE COUNTRY is ongoing through the holidays at Volcano Art Center in Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park. Free; park entrance fees apply.

VOTE FOR THE BEST DECORATED Kilauea Military Camp cottage through the holidays.

NEW YEAR'S DAY BRUNCH is this Sunday, Jan. 1 at Kilauea Military Camp's Crater Rim Cafe. Open to authorized patrons and sponsored guests. Park entrance fees apply 967-0835.

Ka`u News Briefs, Friday Dec. 30, 2016

Firework displays have toned down in Ka`u since more than a thousand people came to Pahala to see the spectacular Rodney
 Freitas show in 2009. However, lots of backyard and street action is expected in all the villages.on Dec. 3 and  Fire Chief
Darren Rosario warns everyone to be careful. See story below. Photo by Kris Bakken

Alina Jerong helped her famly to pick coffee and in 2011 

became the first Marshallese community member to run 

for Miss Ka`u Coffee. Now the Marshallese need child

 care to free them up to help Ka`u Coffee farmers harvest

 their crop. A picker shortage threatens the livelihood of

 the farmers and health of Ka`u Coffee orchards.

KA`U COFFEE FARMERS' COFFEE PICKER SHORTAGE was covered by Hawai`i News Now this morning. John Ah San, President of the Palehua Coffee Cooperative, and Delvin Navarro, Vice-president of Ka`u Coffee Growers Cooperative, told the television news crew that coffee cherry left on coffee trees can lead to a large loss in the annual crop. Overripe coffee falling onto the soil can become a breeding ground for the dreaded coffee berry borer, which is already devouring a portion of the crop.
     Ka`u Coffee contributes 1.5 million pounds of coffee a year to the famous grown-in Hawai`i coffee market.
    Regarding the picker shortage, Ah San, told Lisa Kubota of Hawai`i News Now that "It's hard to recruit younger people so we're depending more on the Marshallese, migrant workers and a few local people. We've heard of several farmers not having enough pickers on time or couldn't get pickers and pretty much lost an entire round."
     The unusual weather this year has led to an overlap in the picking season. Usually Kona starts first and at the end of the Kona season, coffee pickers move down to Ka`u. Kona farmers are still harvesting, leaving Ka`u short of pickers. Some farmers are losing their income and subjecting their farms to becoming a borer breeding ground.
     Ka`u Coffee farmers are also hoping to keep up with picking to maintain their relationship with a major buyer, Starbucks.
     Navarro told The Ka`u Calendar today that farmers are hoping to work out arrangements with the Marshallese community which has provided pickers for years but is running up against labor laws that prohibit bringing children to the fields and also require that pickers be paid minimum wage against pay per volume of coffee picked. Marshallese community people often pick for payment by the pound, work at a family pace and take breaks for the non-working children they bring with them. The mix of working and caring for family sometimes keeps the volume under the amount required to reach minimum wage.
      Navarro said the farmers are working on organizing child care and a pre-school to satisfy the various Marshallese community groups so they can safely leave their children with teachers or caregivers while they pick coffee. "They are part of our community and we want to work with and help the Marshallese," said Navarro.
   Miss Ka`u Coffee 2015 Maria Miranda has also been working with nonprofit organizations to help provide child care for Marshallese coffee pickers.

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Lucille wold enjoy the outdoors with
improvements at Ka`u Hospital.
Photo from Ka`u Hospital
Charitable Foundation

KA`U HOSPITAL CHARITABLE FOUNDATION is reaching out for funding to help long term patients enjoy gardening and other outdoor activities. One funding request tells the story of a resident named Lucile and says, "I met Lucille neary ten years ago as a volunteer. We have shared many stories. She grew up in Ka'u, having lived both on the mountain and at the ocean. She even had a pet mongoose once. Ka`u is her favorite place on earth. Lucille loves flowers, especially roses. With your support, when the outdoor garden/lanai is completed, Lucille and the other residents who live at Ka`u Hospital can enjoy many wonderful times outdoors, including the beautiful flowers, warm breezes and scenery that will be accessible to them." Ka`u Hospital Chritable Foundation is a 501(c)3 corporation. One hundred percent tax-deducatible checks can be made out to Ka`u Hospital Charitable Foundation, Box 773, Pahala, HI 96777.

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HAWAI`I'S BETTER BUSINESS BUREAU has published a list of the Top 10 reported scams in 2016. The number of types of scams rose, and the people who reported being scammed in Hawai`i more than doubled this year.  The BBB has an online scam tracker and encourages victims of scams to report the incident. Tax scams are still top for the year, despite a big crack down on a ring in India. According to news reports, there were 770 employees working at a Mumbai call center when a midnight raid by Indian police was conducted; 70 were charged with fraud and other crimes as a result of the raid.
     The top scam is the tax scam (also known as the IRS scam), which has accounted for about one in four reports to BBB Scam Tracker during its first year of operation. The tax scam involves call center con artists posing as IRS agents in the U.S. and Canadian Revenue agents in Canada. They threaten their targets with financial penalties, lawsuits, deportation, and even arrest if they don’t pay the back taxes they supposedly owe. Some IRS impersonation scams are demanding tax payments be made with iTunes and other gift cards. In a typical week, BBB Scam Tracker receives approximately 200 reports on tax scams. That number has dropped to just 11 reports of this scam in the past week, nearly a 95 percent decline.
     The BBB’s Top Ten list was compiled based on nearly 900 scam reports filed by consumers in Hawai`i on bbb.org/scamtracker, a free interactive online tool launched last year by the BBB Institute for Marketplace Trust. Not all reported scams resulted in lost money and consumers are encouraged to report any scam they come across using the BBB Scam Tracker.
     As in 2015, tax scams (#1) and sweepstakes/prizes/gifts scams (#2) take the top two spots as the most-reported scams in 2016. New to the top ten list is online purchase scams (#7), which although common in 2015 was not added as a BBB Scam Tracker category until 2016. Credit repair/debt relief (#9) and fake check/money order (#10) scams are also new to the top ten.
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WITH NEW YEARS EVE CELEBRATIONS BEGINNING, County of Hawai`i Fire Chief Darren Rosario has issued a safety notice and said he would like to remind the public that it is illegal for anyone to: Remove the powder or pyrotechnic contents from any firework; throw fireworks from, at, or into any vehicle; set off any fireworks at any time not within the specified time periods (9 p.m to 2 a.m. on New Years Eve), within 1,000 feet of any hospital, convalescent home, care home for the elderly, zoo, animal hospital or shelter, or church when services are held.    
     It is also illegal to set off fireworks on any school property without authorization from the school official and on any public way such as a highway, alley, street, sidewalk, or park.

Backyard and street side fireworks displays are expected throughout Ka`u on New
Years Eve. Photo by Julia Neal

     The Fire Chief notes that it is illegal to offer for sale, sell, or give any fireworks to minors; or for any minor to possess, purchase, sell, or set off, ignite, or otherwise cause to explode any fireworks, except under the immediate supervision of an adult and to set off any aerial luminary devices, commonly called Sky Lanterns or Hawai`i Lanterns; or any other aerial devices, such as bottle rockets, sky rockets, roman candles, cakes, mortars, or shells.    
     "The Hawai`i Fire Department humbly asks everyone to please Kokua in helping us to prevent fires, and also to avoid the unnecessary injuries caused by fireworks each year. You can help us by: Using extreme care when setting off fireworks. Children playing with fireworks should be under an adult’s close supervision at all times. Even the smallest of fireworks can cause severe injuries that will quickly ruin the Holidays. Please help us, to help you, start the New Year off safely," said the fire chief.   
     He said that fireworks should be set off in an area well away from dry grass or flammable materials and urged everyone to be sure Fireworks are completely extinguished before being disposed of. "Most importantly, have a fire extinguisher and/ or a water hose ready to use in the event of an unplanned or unexpected fire. Be sure the water hose(s) can reach all areas of where fireworks activities are being conducted, especially around the entire house. It’s also a great idea to wet down any dry, grassy area before and after setting off fireworks. Doing it before will also let you know the capability of your water source."

      For more information on the purchasing of Fireworks permits, or the use of Fireworks, call the Fire Prevention Bureau at 932-2911 (Hilo) or 323-4760 (Kona).

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CHRISTMAS IN THE COUNTRY is ongoing through the holidays at Volcano Art Center in Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park. Free; park entrance fees apply.

VOTE FOR THE BEST DECORATED Kilauea Military Camp cottage through the holidays.

NEW YEARS DAY BRUNCH, Sunday, Jan. 1 from 7 a.m. to noon at Kilauea Military Camp's Crater Rim Cafe in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park. Roast pork, chicken picata, omelet station, pancakes, breakfast potatoes, patties, bacon, fresh fruit and beverags. Adults $16.95, children 6-11 for $9.50. Open to authorized patrons and sponsored guests. Park entrance fees apply. 967-8356.

www.kaucalendar.com