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| Hawai`i's wiliwili tree is battling Missouri's eastern burningbush to get to the championship round of the 2015 National Big Tree Competition. Ka`u residents can vote. Photo from Hawai`i Department of Land & Natural Resources |
The commission also set other dates in the docket’s timetable. April 13 is the deadline to receive direct testimony of the utilities in supporting of their application, and interveners must respond and deliver their direct testimony by July 20.
The Consumer Advocate has until Aug. 10 to provide responses and direct testimony, while applicants must respond to interveners and the Consumer Advocate by Aug. 31.
Once the commission has received and reviewed the prefiled testimony pursuant to the above schedule, the commission will issue a further order concerning hearing dates and related matters.
The Consumer Advocate has until Aug. 10 to provide responses and direct testimony, while applicants must respond to interveners and the Consumer Advocate by Aug. 31.
Once the commission has received and reviewed the prefiled testimony pursuant to the above schedule, the commission will issue a further order concerning hearing dates and related matters.
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THIRTY-ONE PERSONS WERE ARRESTED YESTERDAY after blocking access to construction workers who were en route to the summit of Mauna Kea to begin work on the Thirty Meter Telescope.
Hawai`i County Police made 12 arrests. “During the arrests, our officers practiced the Hawai`i Police Department’s core value of compassion,” said Assistant Chief Henry Tavares, who oversees police operations in East Hawai`i.
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| Gary Oamilda |
Earlier in the week, police were in communication with protesters opposed to the telescope, informing them that they had the right to protest peacefully and asking for a peaceful resolution and cooperation in keeping the roadway open. At that time, police informed the protesters that anyone who blocked the public road leading to the construction site would have to be arrested.
The arrests began at approximately 8 a.m. and were still in progress at noon. Among individuals taken to Hilo Police Station for processing and then released after posting $250 bail was Ocean View resident Gary Oamilda.
The Department of Land and Natural Resources also took action “to preserve and protect public safety and public access on Mauna Kea,” according to a statement from interim Chair Carty Chang.
“We are working with the University of Hawai`i and the Thirty Meter Telescope project to ensure that the Mauna Kea summit road remains clear for workers, and to ensure access to Mauna Kea for other public use,” Chang said. “Persons expressing their views may peacefully protest if not blocking the road. Anyone impeding public safety or public access will be arrested.”
In addition to enforcement action by Hawai`i County Police, DLNR enforcement also arrested eight adults who were obstructing the road for disobedience to police officers, and another eleven adults were arrested for trespass after refusing to leave the TMT construction site at the summit. The arrests were peaceful, and there were no injuries or medical issues.
DLNR will be working closely with its partners to monitor the situation.
“We regret that police action had to be taken to enable our legal access to the project site,” stated Thirty Meter Telescope Project Manager Gary Sanders. “TMT respects the rights of everyone to express their viewpoints. We also respect the laws of the State of Hawai`i and the seven-year public process and authority that granted us permits to build the Thirty Meter Telescope in the Maunakea Science Reserve’s Astronomy Precinct. Like most people in the community we truly believe that science and culture can coexist on Maunakea as it has for the past 50 years along with other public uses.”
The arrests began at approximately 8 a.m. and were still in progress at noon. Among individuals taken to Hilo Police Station for processing and then released after posting $250 bail was Ocean View resident Gary Oamilda.
The Department of Land and Natural Resources also took action “to preserve and protect public safety and public access on Mauna Kea,” according to a statement from interim Chair Carty Chang.
“We are working with the University of Hawai`i and the Thirty Meter Telescope project to ensure that the Mauna Kea summit road remains clear for workers, and to ensure access to Mauna Kea for other public use,” Chang said. “Persons expressing their views may peacefully protest if not blocking the road. Anyone impeding public safety or public access will be arrested.”
In addition to enforcement action by Hawai`i County Police, DLNR enforcement also arrested eight adults who were obstructing the road for disobedience to police officers, and another eleven adults were arrested for trespass after refusing to leave the TMT construction site at the summit. The arrests were peaceful, and there were no injuries or medical issues.
DLNR will be working closely with its partners to monitor the situation.
“We regret that police action had to be taken to enable our legal access to the project site,” stated Thirty Meter Telescope Project Manager Gary Sanders. “TMT respects the rights of everyone to express their viewpoints. We also respect the laws of the State of Hawai`i and the seven-year public process and authority that granted us permits to build the Thirty Meter Telescope in the Maunakea Science Reserve’s Astronomy Precinct. Like most people in the community we truly believe that science and culture can coexist on Maunakea as it has for the past 50 years along with other public uses.”
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| Sen. Russell Ruderman |
KA`U’S STATE SEN. RUSSELL RUDERMAN was named the State of Hawai`i Small Business Person of the Year, 2015 by the U.S. Small Business Administration Hawai`i District Office. Along with awardees in eight other categories, Ruderman was honored by colleagues on the Senate and House floor.
The award was given to Ruderman as President and Founder of Island Naturals, a group of natural and organic food stores known for its commitment to quality and creativity. Established in 1997, Island Naturals now employs 150 people at three locations in Kona, Hilo and Pahoa.
The SBA was founded in 1953, largely as a response to the pressures of the Great Depression and World War II. It has since delivered millions of loans, loan guarantees, contracts, counseling sessions and other forms of assistance to small businesses.
The Hawai`i District Office, under leadership of District Director Jane A. Sawyer, oversees the delivery of SBA’s programs throughout the state, the Territories of Guam and American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, the Republic of Palau and the Republic of the Marshall Islands.
The SBA was founded in 1953, largely as a response to the pressures of the Great Depression and World War II. It has since delivered millions of loans, loan guarantees, contracts, counseling sessions and other forms of assistance to small businesses.
The Hawai`i District Office, under leadership of District Director Jane A. Sawyer, oversees the delivery of SBA’s programs throughout the state, the Territories of Guam and American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, the Republic of Palau and the Republic of the Marshall Islands.
To comment on or like this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.
HAWAI`I’S WILIWILI TREE HAS MADE IT to the Final Four and is competing against Missouri’s Eastern Burningbush in the 2015 National Big Tree Competition. Ka`u residents can help move Hawai`i into Monday’s championship round by voting.
Missouri’s eastern burningbush measures 41 feet high, 106 inches in circumference and 36 feet in crown spread. Hawai`i’s wiliwili is 40 feet high, 187 inches in circumference and covers 42.5 feet in crown spread.
To vote before the 4 a.m. deadline tomorrow morning, go to #Wiliwili #BigTreeMadness or https://www.facebook.com/AmericanForests?fref=nf.
To comment on or like this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.
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| What's in Your Ocean? by Na`alehu School fifth-graders for Recycle Hawai`i's Art of Recycling competition. Photo from Recycle Hawai`i |
RECYCLE HAWAI`I CONTINUES ITS FUNDRAISING to reach $60,000 by April 25 to continue its Outreach and Education Programs.
While the development of the organization has been largely funded by contracts with Hawai`i County’s Department of Environmental Management, the recent loss of one of those contracts, worth $100,000, has brought its zero waste outreach and education programs to a halt, compelling them to launch this fundraising campaign.
Over the past nine years, RH’s Art of Recycling project has attracted 4,500 participants, with 1,650 of them being student artists. This program encourages everyone involved to appreciate the inherent value of commonly discarded items as a means to promote ingenuity and respect for resources. For many of the students involved, the competition is a formative experience that allows them to re-imagine wasteful practices they are exposed to on a regular basis.
Since its inception in 2004, Composting is Recycling, Too! home composting and vermiculture workshops have brought experts in the recovery of discarded organic materials to teach islandwide participants how to turn food scraps, food contaminated paper and yard trimmings into valuable soil amendments. In addition, a total of 4,050 Earth Machines were distributed to schools and households, providing the potential to divert up to 405,000 tons of materials from the landfill. Based on the cost to purchase and distribute these units, RH said the cost of processing these materials is $5.50 per ton, a $79.50 savings per ton on what it costs the county to landfill.
RH’s Zero Waste Initiative assists community event organizers who collaborate with vendors and attendees to create a waste-free event by installing and managing sort stations that protect the value of discarded items. Over the years this hands-on diversion method has achieved an average 90 percent diversion rate.
No donation is too small, and all amounts are greatly appreciated. Contribution are accepted at indiegogo.com/projects/zero-waste-for-recycle-hawai-i#home, recyclehawaii.org/memberdonate.html and Recycle Hawai`i, PO Box 4847, Hilo, HI 96720. Make checks payable to Recycle Hawai`i.
Over the past nine years, RH’s Art of Recycling project has attracted 4,500 participants, with 1,650 of them being student artists. This program encourages everyone involved to appreciate the inherent value of commonly discarded items as a means to promote ingenuity and respect for resources. For many of the students involved, the competition is a formative experience that allows them to re-imagine wasteful practices they are exposed to on a regular basis.
Since its inception in 2004, Composting is Recycling, Too! home composting and vermiculture workshops have brought experts in the recovery of discarded organic materials to teach islandwide participants how to turn food scraps, food contaminated paper and yard trimmings into valuable soil amendments. In addition, a total of 4,050 Earth Machines were distributed to schools and households, providing the potential to divert up to 405,000 tons of materials from the landfill. Based on the cost to purchase and distribute these units, RH said the cost of processing these materials is $5.50 per ton, a $79.50 savings per ton on what it costs the county to landfill.
RH’s Zero Waste Initiative assists community event organizers who collaborate with vendors and attendees to create a waste-free event by installing and managing sort stations that protect the value of discarded items. Over the years this hands-on diversion method has achieved an average 90 percent diversion rate.
No donation is too small, and all amounts are greatly appreciated. Contribution are accepted at indiegogo.com/projects/zero-waste-for-recycle-hawai-i#home, recyclehawaii.org/memberdonate.html and Recycle Hawai`i, PO Box 4847, Hilo, HI 96720. Make checks payable to Recycle Hawai`i.
To comment on or like this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.
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| Hikers to the top of Pu`u o Lokuana are rewarded with a breathtaking view of lower Ka`u. NPS Photo by Jessica Ferracane |
LAWFUL HAWAIIAN GOVERNMENT meets tomorrow at Miloli`i. Naliko Kahoali`i Markel, Minister of Interior of The Lawful Hawaiian Government, discusses the movement. For more information, call 238-0428.
KA`U RESIDENTS CAN LEARN about Pu`u o Lokuana and various uses of this grassy cinder cone in the Kahuku unit of Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park tomorrow from 9:30 a.m. The one-hour moderately difficult 0.4-mile hike to the top offers a breathtaking view of lower Ka`u.
KA`U AGRICULTURAL WATER COOPERATIVE DISTRICT holds its next meeting at Royal Hawaiian Orchards Macadamia Field Office in Pahala on Thursday, April 16 at 4 p.m. For more information, call Jeff McCall at 937-1056.
SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS AT PAHALAPLANTATIONCOTTAGES.COM AND KAUCOFFEEMILL.COM. KA`U COFFEE MILL IS OPEN SEVEN DAYS A WEEK.
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| See kaucalendar.com/Directory2015.pdf and kaucalendar.com/Directory2015.swf. |
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| See kaucalendar.com/KauCalendar_April2015.pdf. |
