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| Voting in Ka`u this Saturday will be held at Pahala School Cafeteria, Naalehu Community Center, and Ocean View Community Center. Volcano voting will be held at Cooper Center. Polls are open 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Photo by http://advocacy.britannica.com. |
LAST DAY FOR EARLY ABSENTEE WALK-IN VOTING is tomorrow, leading up to the primary election on Saturday. Voters can cast ballots from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. through Thursday at West Hawai`i Civic Center Community Room, Waimea Community Center and Aupuni Center Conference Room in Hilo. The Pahala early walk in voting center was not funded this year.
The polling places in Ka`u for this Saturday’s primary are at Pahala School Cafeteria, Na`alehu Elementary School and Ocean View Community Center. Closer to Kona, polling places are at Miloli`i Halau, Ho`okena Elementary School and St. Benedict Catholic Church. In Volcano, the polling place is at Cooper Center with the next location towards Hilo at Mt. View Elementary School. Polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m.
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| Pastures between Pahala and Naalehu would be turned over to `Aina Koa Pono to grow biofuel crops. Photo by Julia Neal |
MOST OF THE PASTURE LANDS between Na`alehu and Pahala that are owned by the Edmund C. Olson Trust and the Mallick Family Trust would go into the `Aina Koa Pono biofuel crop growing project, according to the merchant bank working on the proposal to build a refinery in Ka`u and grow feedstock to make biofuel.
The website of Sennet Capital, headed by `Aina Koa Pono partner Kenton Eldridge, says that “AKP currently has a 23 year lease in place with the Olson Trust and the Mallick family for use of 13,000 acres of farmland for growing our feedstock. The land was previously owned by C. Brewer and sugar cane was grown until 1996. The land has been lying fallow for the last 14 years,” the website says at www.sennetcapital.com.
In addition to land once planted in sugar cane that is now in pasture, there is Olson and Mallick land that has been covered in Christmas berry. Ranchers leasing the land for more than a decade have been removing the invasive Christmas Berry and turning it into pasture. `Aina Koa Pono representatives have said they will work with the ranchers to keep their operations going and that they want to use any Christmas berry remaining as feedstock for their biofuel plant.
The website of Sennet Capital, headed by `Aina Koa Pono partner Kenton Eldridge, says that “AKP currently has a 23 year lease in place with the Olson Trust and the Mallick family for use of 13,000 acres of farmland for growing our feedstock. The land was previously owned by C. Brewer and sugar cane was grown until 1996. The land has been lying fallow for the last 14 years,” the website says at www.sennetcapital.com.
In addition to land once planted in sugar cane that is now in pasture, there is Olson and Mallick land that has been covered in Christmas berry. Ranchers leasing the land for more than a decade have been removing the invasive Christmas Berry and turning it into pasture. `Aina Koa Pono representatives have said they will work with the ranchers to keep their operations going and that they want to use any Christmas berry remaining as feedstock for their biofuel plant.
Says the `Aina Koa Pono website: “Our facility should be beneficial to our Ka‘ū neighbors who grow coffee and macadamia nuts and who farm cattle. We can use the waste products from their operations, such as macadamia nut hulls, old nonproductive trees, and coffee fruit pulp for biomass. We are looking to partner with cattle ranchers to develop dual land use by selecting a non-invasive grass that meets our energy needs as well as the nutritional needs of cattle stock.”
`Aina Koa Pono is listed in the Transactions section of the Sennet Capital website. Other Transactions include Hoku Solar, Inovasc, Sprout, Anthology Marketing Group, UBoost, Hooike Technology/Century Computers, PCLender.com, Broadband TV and Growers Secret.
Sennet’s Board of Directors includes former Hawai`i Electric Industries President Robert Clarke and Larry Gilbert, the CEO of the Kairos Energy Capital LLC, which is described on the website as a “boutique investment bank focused on providing financing for renewable energy products.” The board also includes Mark Polivka, president and founder of Monarch Insurance Services, Inc.; and Larry Rodriguez, former Chief Financial Officer of Central Pacific Financial Corp. and Central Pacific Bank.
MARIJUANA PLANTS were confiscated by police on Monday in Ocean View, Na`alehu, Hawaiian Ranchos and Green Sands neighborhoods. According to Kona Vice Officer, Lt. Sherry Bird, the plants ranged from seedlings to more mature marijuana plants about six-feet high. Crews on helicopters flown by the state Narcotics Enforcement Division were assisted by local police. There were no arrests. However, seven cases were opened to investigate first-degree commercial promotion of marijuana. Police were also checking on whether any of the marijuana growing was allowable under medical marijuana permitting.
MARIJUANA PLANTS were confiscated by police on Monday in Ocean View, Na`alehu, Hawaiian Ranchos and Green Sands neighborhoods. According to Kona Vice Officer, Lt. Sherry Bird, the plants ranged from seedlings to more mature marijuana plants about six-feet high. Crews on helicopters flown by the state Narcotics Enforcement Division were assisted by local police. There were no arrests. However, seven cases were opened to investigate first-degree commercial promotion of marijuana. Police were also checking on whether any of the marijuana growing was allowable under medical marijuana permitting.
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| Kathy Long to teach in Volcano Image courtesy of VAC |
Known for her portraiture work in pastel and graphite, Long depicts the people and culture of Hawai`i. She has been featured on the PBS Hawai`i Spectrum program and her work can be found in nearly 30 galleries throughout the state.
Long has been commissioned by the Hawai`i Visitors and Convention Bureau, Hawaiian Airlines and the Moku O Keawe International Festival to help shape the cultural identity of Hawaii and promote such notable events as the Merrie Monarch Hula Festival. She has opened over 50 one-woman exhibitions, and has works displayed in public and major private collections around the world.
Tuition is $60 or $54 for VAC members, which includes supplies and a keepsake print from the artist. Class size is limited and pre-registration is required. For more information, visit www.volcanoartcenter.org or contact Julie to register at (808) 967-8222 or julie@volcanoartcenter.org.
Tuition is $60 or $54 for VAC members, which includes supplies and a keepsake print from the artist. Class size is limited and pre-registration is required. For more information, visit www.volcanoartcenter.org or contact Julie to register at (808) 967-8222 or julie@volcanoartcenter.org.