Ka`u News Briefs Sunday, Sept. 15, 2013

Del Bothof, of Volcano Winery, shows Japanese visitor Ko Ueno a new crop of grapes. The winery holds its first
Harvest Festival this afternoon. Photo by Julia Neal 

ERADICATION OF LITTLE FIRE ANTS on Hawai`i Island, including Ka`u, would cost about a billion dollars, according to University of Hawai`i planning student Mike Motoki. 

      Teresa Dawson reported in Environment Hawai`i that, at the 21st annual Hawai`i Conservation Conference, Motoki said mitigating the ants and preventing their spread would be a more economical and successful approach, costing about $70 million over 10 years.

Little fire ants live on the ground and in trees.
Photo from hawaiiinvasivespecies.org

      Motoki estimated that damages from the ants could add up to $170 million per year, including interruptions in interisland trade and tourism. His model showed 23 percent of plant nurseries on the island being infested, causing businesses on other islands to stop importing plants from here.
      Motoki suggests that a strategy focusing on suppression in the agricultural, nursery, and lodging sectors would likely yield more economic benefits than focusing on residential, school, and park sectors.
      See more at environment-hawaii.org.
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Sen. Mazie Hirono

“I HAVE BEEN A LONG-TIME SUPPORTER OF MARRIAGE EQUALITY,” U.S. Sen. Mazie Hirono said in a statement supporting Gov. Neil Abercrombie’s call for a special legislative session on the issue. “In 1998, when I was running for re-election as Hawai`i’s lieutenant governor, I bucked the conventional political wisdom of the day – which was that anyone in Hawai`i seeking office should support a constitutional amendment that would have, in effect, banned same-sex marriage – and became the only statewide official to oppose the amendment. 

      “We’ve come a long way in the 15-plus years since that event: a majority of Americans now believe that any loving, committed couple should have the right to marry. We have a sitting president who championed marriage equality and won a second term. The people of Maine, Maryland, Minnesota, and Washington all voted overwhelmingly in favor of equality. And just this summer, the Supreme Court overturned the discriminatory Defense of Marriage Act.
      “That is tremendous progress.
      “Now it’s Hawai`i’s turn. We shouldn’t have to wait any longer for this fundamental civil right to be recognized in our state. Let’s get it done.”

      To comment on or “Like” this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.

Ka`u fifth-grade girls are invited to sign up for GEMS.
Photo from Jamie Pardau

KA`U’S FIFTH-GRADE GIRLS CAN STILL SIGN UP for 2013 Girls Exploring Math and Science program at Sheraton Kona Resort and Spa at Keauhou on Thursday, Nov. 14. Registration deadline for forms to be postmarked is Friday, Sept. 20. Forms are available at public and private schools. 

      Registration is on a first-come, first-served basis. The fee is $20 per girl. Scholarships are available, and no girl will be turned away for financial reasons. Sponsorship of girls from individuals or businesses will be accepted.
      Some of the workshop topics this year are SCUBA diving, architecture, veterinary medicine, astronomy, dentistry, land surveying, Zumba, archaeology, robotics, chemistry and culinary science. Early registrations offers best choice of workshops.
      For more information about GEMS, to sponsor a girl, or to request a registration packet, call Laurel Gregory at 969-8833 or lgregory@hawaii.edu.
      To comment on or “Like” this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.

THE ANNUAL KA`U CHAMBER OF COMMERCE ART SHOW begins two weeks from tomorrow, on Monday, Sept. 30, at CU Hawai`i credit union building in Na`alehu. The theme is The Beauty of Ka`u. There are five categories for entries: graphic, sculpture, wood, photography, and craft. The fee is $5 per entry, and no more than three entries may come from one artist, with no more than one entry per category. All pieces must have been completed in the last 12 months and be for sale for the usual price. Entries are accepted Friday afternoon, Sept. 27 and Saturday morning, Sept. 28.

Aloha Honu, by Nancy Stafford, won first place in photography
at last year's Ka`u Chamber of Commerce art show.

      The keiki division is for children in grades 1 through 6, one entry per keiki. Keiki categories are graphics and photos, no larger than 8.5 by 11 inches, including frames, if any. The entry fee is $1. Keiki art is not eligible for the cover of The Directory and not for sale. Only the first 60 keiki exhibits are accepted.
      A reception to view the winners and greet the artists takes place from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. on Saturday, Oct. 5, with light refreshments at the CU Hawai`i credit union building in Na`alehu. Announcement of the adult winner of the popular vote takes place at 11:30 a.m. This art will be featured on the cover of The Directory 2014, with appropriate credit being given inside. The ballot, a numbered ticket, will also be entered into a drawing for door prizes to be held each hour, and the winner does not need to be present. Various Ka`u merchants are donating prizes.
     A panel of local artists judges entries and awards prizes in each category, including Best in Show. Each category has first-, second-, and third-place awards and, if appropriate, as many as two honorable mentions. Ribbons will be given for each of the prizes, and all first-prize winners will appear in The Directory 2014.
      Entry forms are available at local schools and merchants and at the door during art drop-off hours on Sept. 27 and 28. All entries must be picked up from the building by the artist between 11 a.m. and 11:30 a.m. on Saturday, Oct. 5 or between 9 a.m. and 12 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 7.
      For more information, call 939-8449.
      To comment on or “Like” this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.

VOLCANO WINERY’S FIRST HARVEST FESTIVAL is today from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. The event includes wine, pupus and music. Tickets are $25 in advance and $30 at the door. Call 967-7772 or email volcanowinery.com.

KA`U HIGH & PAHALA ELEMENTARY SCHOOL Community Council meets tomorrow at 4 p.m. at the SCC room near the main office.

Dick Hershberger, of Ocean View, portrays Thomas
Jaggar every other Tuesday.

KA`U RESIDENT DICK HERSHBERGER BRINGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory founder Thomas Jaggar to life Tuesday during A Walk into the Past. Programs begin at 10 a.m., 12 p.m. and 2 p.m. at Kilauea Visitor Center then explore Jaggar’s work space, the Whitney Vault, in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park. 

MIND, BODY, SOUL & TEA is the topic at Tea for Tuesdays this month. JoAnn Aguirre, tea educator and member of the Hawai`i Tea Society, offers an hour of tea talk, a delicious scone and a cuppa. In honor of breast and ovarian cancer awareness, Tuesday’s tea talk focuses on the health benefits of tea – the second most widely consumed beverage in the world, after water. The free program at Volcano Art Center’s Ni`aulani Campus in Volcano Village begins at 2 p.m. For more information, call 967-8222 or visit teachingtea.com.

KA`U RESIDENTS ARE INVITED TO PARTICIPATE in this week’s Hawai`i County government meetings via videoconferencing from Ocean View Community Center. Committees meet Tuesday, and the full Council meets Wednesday at 9 a.m.
      All meetings take place at Council Chambers in Hilo.
      Agendas for are available at hawaiicounty.gov.

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

ALSO SEE KAUCALENDAR.COM AND FACEBOOK.COM/KAUCALENDAR.

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