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| Today marks the 30th anniversary of Kilauea Volcano's current eruption. Photo from USGS/HVO |
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| Sen. Mazie Hirono was sworn in this morning by Vice Pres. Joe Biden, who is President of the U.S. Senate. Pool Press Photo |
Hirono told Diane Sawyer of ABC News that more women in the Senate will help because “women are problem solvers.”
Veteran Senator Barbara Mikulkski, a Democrat from Maryland, told Sawyer, “I can’t tell you the joy that I feel in my heart to look at these 20 gifted and talented women from two different parties, different zip codes to fill this room. In all of American history, only 16 women had served. Now there are 20 of us.”
California Senator Barbara Boxer, also a Democrat, said that women are still “underrepresented” in the Senate. I think that because of this new class and the caliber of the people coming and the quality of the people coming, I think that hopefully in my lifetime - and I really do hope and pray this is the case - we will see 50 percent.”
Veteran Senator Barbara Mikulkski, a Democrat from Maryland, told Sawyer, “I can’t tell you the joy that I feel in my heart to look at these 20 gifted and talented women from two different parties, different zip codes to fill this room. In all of American history, only 16 women had served. Now there are 20 of us.”
California Senator Barbara Boxer, also a Democrat, said that women are still “underrepresented” in the Senate. I think that because of this new class and the caliber of the people coming and the quality of the people coming, I think that hopefully in my lifetime - and I really do hope and pray this is the case - we will see 50 percent.”
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| Sen. Hirono visited a Boys & Girls Club `ukulele class at Pahala Plantation House in 2007. |
Sen. Dianne Feinstein, a Democrat from California, said that the mix of women Republicans and Democrats ensures that they are not forming a “sorority.” She said these women don’t want gender to define them as senators.
Republican Senator Susan Collins of Maine said, “What I find is, with all due deference to our male colleagues, that women’s styles tend to be more collaborative.” In an online ABC News presentation from the women senators, called Advice for Young Girls and Boys, Hirono stated, “My Mother, who changed my life by bringing me to this country, showed me, not told me, to take risks and never give up.”
The Sawyer interview with Hirono and the other women senators will be shown this evening on ABC’s World News.
Republican Senator Susan Collins of Maine said, “What I find is, with all due deference to our male colleagues, that women’s styles tend to be more collaborative.” In an online ABC News presentation from the women senators, called Advice for Young Girls and Boys, Hirono stated, “My Mother, who changed my life by bringing me to this country, showed me, not told me, to take risks and never give up.”
The Sawyer interview with Hirono and the other women senators will be shown this evening on ABC’s World News.
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| The late Sen. Dan Inouye said Mazie is the bipartisan person the Senate needs. Photo by Julia Neal |
Hirono has come to Ka`u numerous times as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives, including a 2007 meeting with local Boys & Girls Club members who serenaded her with their `ukulele music learned from Keoki Kahumoku. She was also key in legislation that provided funding for preserving lands along the Ka`u Coast.
After she won the election in November, Sen. Dan Inouye said, “Since the moment she declared her candidacy, I have said that Mazie is the person Hawai`i needs in the Senate. She is the bipartisan partner I need.” Inouye did not live to see that day. He died on Dec. 17.
After she won the election in November, Sen. Dan Inouye said, “Since the moment she declared her candidacy, I have said that Mazie is the person Hawai`i needs in the Senate. She is the bipartisan partner I need.” Inouye did not live to see that day. He died on Dec. 17.
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| Tulsi Gabbard, third in the top row, joined women of the U.S. House of Representatives this morning for a group photo. Photo from the Office of Rep. Nancy Pelosi |
TULSI GABBARD was sworn into the U.S. Congress today. At 31, she is the youngest member of the House of Representatives, the first American-Samoan congresswoman and the first Hindu. She takes the place of Mazie Hirono, who left the post to successfully run for the Senate. She is an Iraq War veteran, a former member of the state Legislature and a former member of Honolulu City Council.
TODAY IS THE FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL for Ka`u’s children returning from the holiday break. Na`alehu School reports a total enrollment of 437 students. Pahala School has 156 students from pre-kindergarten to 6th grade and 133 in middle school, and Ka`u High has 251 students, with 54 in the Class of 2013.
While driving in school zones, drivers should use caution and be attentive of children walking to school and crossing in crosswalks.
Sergeant Robert Pauole, of the Traffic Services Section, reminds motorists that drivers must use vehicle headlights from a half hour after sunset to a half hour before sunrise and at any other time when visibility is diminished due to insufficient light or unfavorable atmospheric conditions. Using headlights during those hours and conditions provides better visibility for the driver and for other motorists and pedestrians.
As part of its It Can Wait campaign, AT&T reminds drivers that texting and driving can be a deadly combination. Texting drivers are 23 times more likely to be in an accident. A car crashes once every five minutes, on average, while a driver is texting. The campaign tells drivers that no text is worth dying for – it can wait. Find out more at www.ItCanWait.com.
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| Kilauea's 30-year-old eruption began at Pu`o `O`o Jan. 3, 1983. Photo from USGS/HVO |
TODAY IS THE 30TH ANNIVERSARY of Kilauea Volcano’s current eruption. The ongoing Pu`u `O`o–Kupaianaha eruption, which began in January 1983, ranks as the most voluminous outpouring of lava from the volcano’s east rift zone in the past five centuries, according to U.S. Geological Survey’s Hawaiian Volcano Observatory. To date, lava from the eruption has destroyed 214 structures. “This destruction is a reminder of why it’s important to understand how Hawaiian volcanoes work,” said HVO scientist Tim Orr. To mark the anniversary, he presents a program at UH-Hilo tonight at 7 p.m. More programs take place in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park and around the island throughout the January, Volcano Awareness Month.
See hvo.wr.usgs.gov for a complete program schedule.
TOMORROW IS THE DEADLINE to enroll in Community School GED/Diploma classes to be held at Ocean View Community Center through Waipahu Community School for Adults’ Kona Campus. Registration is in person only at the Kona Campus from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Registrants must bring a valid government-issued photo ID and $20 cash. Following registration, required assessment testing takes place on Monday, Jan. 7 at 6 p.m. at Kealakehe High School Cafeteria. For more information, call 327-4692.
SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS AT PAHALAPLANTATIONCOTTAGES.COM AND KAUCOFFEEMILL.COM. KA`U COFFEE MILL IS OPEN SEVEN DAYS A WEEK.
TOMORROW IS THE DEADLINE to enroll in Community School GED/Diploma classes to be held at Ocean View Community Center through Waipahu Community School for Adults’ Kona Campus. Registration is in person only at the Kona Campus from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Registrants must bring a valid government-issued photo ID and $20 cash. Following registration, required assessment testing takes place on Monday, Jan. 7 at 6 p.m. at Kealakehe High School Cafeteria. For more information, call 327-4692.
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.