Tuesday, October 27, 2015

Ka`u News Briefs Tuesday, Oct. 27, 2015

Ka`u Libraries offer safe ways to celebrate Halloween, with parties on Friday afternoon. Na`alehu Library staff members Jennifer Losalio and Sara Kamibayashi invite the public to participate in a costume contest. See more below.
NA`ALEHU’S WASTEWATER TREATMENT plant is planned for state land east of town, makai of Hwy 11. Tom Callis, of Hawai`i Tribune-Herald, reported that the preferred site selected by the Environmental Management Department borders Kahua `Olohu, the 13-acre Makahiki Grounds being considered for acquisition and preservation by the county.
      Twelve other sites were considered, but Environmental Management Director Bobby Jean Leithead-Todd told Callis that issues with them included being too small, having archaeological features and lava tubes and requiring pumping sewage uphill.
      According to Todd, the department will hold a public meeting before the end of the year and then draft an environmental assessment.
      See hawaiitribune-herald.com.
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Anna-Lisa Okoye gave a class for Ka`u Coffee growers Sunday.
Photo by Julia Neal
KA`U COFFEE FARMERS took a four-hour workshop on financing their businesses and land on Sunday. Anna-Lisa Okoye, a Rural Business Development Specialist, gave the class and encouraged farmers to further educate themselves in the creation of business plans, cash flow projections, tax returns, record keeping and financial statements. She also displayed various financing options available to farmers, including operating and ownership loans. One from the state Department of Agriculture offers loans of up to $800,000 each. A 40-year loan for buying property has a current interest rate of 3.75 percent. A similar federal loan has an interest rate of four percent for buying land. 
     Farmers said they are learning more about financing as they seek land security for their Ka`u Coffee farms that created a new industry after sugar shut down almost 20 years ago. The land where most of them grow coffee at Moa`ula and Pear Tree is being sold to Resource Land Holdings, LLC, of Denver, and the property could eventually be subdivided and sold. The farmers are currently negotiating for licenses from Resource Land Holdings, which is proposing 15-year rental terms, as the growers attempt to find a longer-term, more secure solution. The workshop for the farmers was sponsored by The Kohala Center.
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Image from wikipedia
TWO PEOPLE ON HAWAI`I ISLAND are being tested for dengue fever, chikungunya and zika. Rosemarie Bernardo reported in Honolulu Star-Advertiser. Infected mosquitoes can spread the diseases through their bites. So far this year, 13 cases have been confirmed statewide. There were 14 cases last year.
      “We hope to receive the (test) results sometime next week,” state Department of Health spokeswoman Janice Okubo told Bernardo.
      Characteristic symptoms of dengue are sudden-onset fever, headache (typically located behind the eyes), muscle and joint pains and a rash that blanches when pressed. The alternative name for dengue, breakbone fever, comes from associated muscle and joint pains.
      As there is no commercially available vaccine, prevention is sought by reducing the habitat and number of mosquitoes and limiting exposure to bites.
      DOH recommends bed rest and acetaminophen to treat fever and pain.
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EIGHT OF 22 KA`U YOUTH SWIMMERS earned ribbons at the novice swim team championships held Saturday, Oct. 24 at Kawamoto Swim Stadium in Hilo. The county Parks & Recreation event followed an islandwide meet at Pahala Pool on Oct. 10 with more than 200 swimmers.
      Ka`u swimmers who placed in the Kawamoto championship are:
      In the boys 25-yard races, Diesel Kaleohana took fifth in freestyle with 21.49 seconds. He also took fourth in breaststroke with 29.53 seconds and third in butterfly with 26.56.
      In the girls 25 yard races, Kawena Brown took sixth in breaststroke with 25.06.
      In the boys 50-yard races, Justin Denny took first in freestyle with 27.25, second in butterfly with 16.34 and first in the individual medley with one minute, 18.72 seconds.
      Ryder Brown took third in freestyle with 30.64, first in backstroke with 38.58 and first in breaststroke with 40.15.
      In girls 50-yard races, Olivia Kanahele took second in freestyle with 32.41. Tiare Wong Yuen took third in freestyle with 34.44, fourth in breaststroke at 47.09 and third in butterfly in 18.34.
      In the 100-yard races, Weston Davis took first in freestyle with one minute, 07.30 seconds, third in breaststroke at one minute, 32.47 seconds and first in butterfly with one minute, 35.13 seconds. Zachary Blanco-Louis took fifth in freestyle with one minute and 17.50 seconds, fourth in backstroke with one minute, 45.32 seconds and fourth in butterfly with one minute, 42.07 seconds.
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Is this trick or treater safe? Photo from wikipedia
HAWAI`I COUNTY POLICE DEPARTMENT shares information to keep children safe to enjoy the festivities. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, roughly four times as many children ages 5-14 are killed while walking on Halloween evening than other time of the year. Here are some tips for staying safe while having fun:
      Trick or Treaters should plan routes and share them with family. If possible, have an adult go along. Carry flashlights to see and be seen. Use reflective tape or stickers on bags or costumes. Cross the street only at corners, using crosswalks when available. Walk on sidewalks. If no sidewalks are available, walk facing traffic as far to the left as possible. Look both ways before crossing the street. Use face paint or makeup instead of masks, which can obstruct vision. Avoid costumes that are so long that they become tripping hazards. Only visit homes that have porch lights on. Accept treats at the door, and never go into a stranger’s house. Be cautious of strangers and animals. Have a grown-up inspect treats before eating.
      Motorists need to be especially careful in residential areas by slowing down and looking for keiki on roadways, medians and curbs. Watch for keiki darting out from between parked cars. Enter and exit driveways and alleys carefully. Don’t drink and drive; make sure to have a reliable, licensed designated driver before starting to drink.
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KA`U LIBRARIES OFFER SAFE WAYS to celebrate Halloween on Friday afternoon.
      Na`alehu Library holds a party from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. with goodies, crafts, activities and a costume contest. Call 939-2442 for more information.
      Pahala Library’s Halloween Bash begins at 2:15 p.m. and continues to closing at 5 p.m. Manager Debbie Wong Yuen invites residents to be creative in a food decorating contest. Entries are due by 3:30 p.m. on Thursday. “No need to go out and buy things; use household items,” she said. The winner will be announced at the party Friday afternoon.
      For the movie matinee on Friday, the Pahala Library features two Halloween movies. There will also be games and a snack-making demonstration. For more information, call 928-2015.
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At the first of many upcoming community forums, Gov. Ige said he supports
the TMT project. Photo from Office of the Governor
GOV. DAVID IGE REAFFIRMED his support of the Thirty Meter Telescope planned to be built at the summit of Mauna Kea. At the first of several community forums to be scheduled, Ige said, “When I became governor on Dec. 1, the courts had already made a decision to approve the TMT project. As governor, I must support that decision.
      “On a personal note, I support the Thirty Meter Telescope as it is an opportunity for Hawai`i to become a leader in astronomy, but the state must do a better job of managing Mauna Kea.”
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THE PUBLIC IS INVITED to Ka`u Community Development Plan Steering Committee meeting today at 5:30 p.m. at Na`alehu Community Center. The committee will make final CDP recommendations to the county.
      Testimony on agenda items is welcomed.
      See kaucdp.info for more.

AFTER DARK IN THE PARK presents a program about The Last Volcano this evening at 7 p.m. at Kilauea Visitor Center in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park.
`Ulana lauhala is the topic tomorrow at Kilauea Visitor Center. Photo from NPS
      Author John Dvorak, a former staff member of HVO, discusses and signs his book that tells how Thomas Jaggar and his wife Isabel Maydwell solved the mystery of why volcanoes erupt and found something else – enduring love.

PARK RANGERS AND CULTURAL practitioners share the art of pandanus weaving tomorrow from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. on Kilauea Visitor Center’s lanai in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park. Free; park entrance fees apply.    Call 985-6011 for more information.

KA`U HIGH SWIM TRYOUTS AND PRACTICE start early in November under coach Bruce Simmerman. The girls and boys Trojan swim teams will travel to schools around the island into February. Swim tryouts and practice are from 2:15 p.m. to 4 p.m. on weekdays at Pahala Pool. This is the first year for coaching for Simmerman, who teaches pre-algebra, `ukulele and art at the school. He swam competitively as a student.

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

FOR AFFORDABLE COMPUTER HELP, call John Derry at 936-1872.

NOW ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS for Retail Sales Associate: Full-Time, Competitive Wages, Medical & Dental Plans. Apply at Ka`u Coffee Mill. Call 928-0550 for an appointment.





See kaucalendar.com/KauCalendar_October2015.pdf.
See kaucalendar.com/Directory2015.swf
and kaucalendar.com/Directory2015.pdf.