Ka`u News Briefs, Sunday, Nov. 6, 2016

Kaʻū High students will go to the state Capitol in December for Youth and Government, which provides experience in
writing legislation, debating, taking positions of state Senators and House of Representatives members and joining
the press corps. Above is the delegation from Kaʻū last year, when the Trojans were the first Neighbor Island school
representatives to attend in five years. See story below. Photo from Rowlie John Flores

EARLY VOTING ISLANDWIDE IS PAU and the last chance for registered voters to make a choice for U.S. President, members of the U.S. Congress and Hawaiʻi State Legislature, Office of Hawaiian Affairs and amendments to law is this Tuesday, Nov. 8, a holiday in Hawaiʻi.

     Nearby Election Day voting locations, open from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m.: are: Cooper Center in Volcano at 19-4030 Wright Rd; Ka‘ū High School Cafeteria at 96-3150 Pikake St. - turn into the school grounds; Nā‘ālehu Elementary School Cafeteria at 95-5545 Hwy 11; Ocean View Community Center at 92-5545 Māmalahoa Hwy; and Miloli‘i Halāu. See ballots below.

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Rowlie John Flores represents Kaʻū High at
the Youth and Government Conference
at the Capitol. Photo by J-R Abalos

YOUTH & GOVERNMENT AT THE HAWAIʻI LEGISLATURE: The annual program will welcome Kaʻū High School students to the state Capitol on O`ahu in December. Last school year, the Trojan team represented the first Neighbor Islands school to participate in five years. Ka`u High Junior Rowlie John Flores submitted a story to The Ka`u Calendar and explained:
    Youth and Government allows students to speak freely and openly on political and debate topics that some would not dare put their noses under. The YMCA of Honolulu program has been around for nearly 66 years, longer than Hawaiʻi has been a state.
      Some 100 students each year from grades 6-12 learn how to be more involved in the democratic practices of the state government. The students experience taking the place of real government officials.
    In preparation for the legislative conference, students first research topics in class that range from abortion to euthanasia, composing bills in advance they later debate to determine whether that specific bill is something Hawaiʻi needs for the betterment of its people.
    Before the 65th legislative conference held in January, the Youth and Government program in Hawaiʻi did not receive any Neighbor Island delegations for years. However, thanks to Kaʻū High teacher Kevin Sun, the school sent the first delegation in five years from outside Oʻahu. Kaʻū High sent 11 student delegates: ten took part in the state House and state Senate, and one participated in the Press Corps.
    Kaʻū experienced a good first-year. Out of seven bills proposed by Kaʻū students–ranging from gun control to the distribution of contraceptives in public schools–two were passed.

Chloe Gan, a senior at Kaʻū High, inpired by Youth and Government, attended the Conference on National Affairs at the
Blue Ridge Assembly in North Carolina this Summer after attending youth and Government at the Hawaiʻi Capitol.
Photo from YMCA

    Kaʻū High alumni Kaiminani Rapoza wrote the first bill passed, proposed legislation focused on ending rape culture by requiring that students attend a class that teaches the negative effects of rape culture.
     The second bill passed was written by current Kaʻū High junior, Rowlie John Flores. The bill proposed an increase in the state’s minimum wage by amending the current minimum wage law. Flores also claimed one of the two awards Kaʻū High received by being named the Rookie Legislator Award for the Senate.
     Aislinn Carroll, a former Kaʻū delegate, was given a Rookie Legislator Award for the House of Representatives. Aislinn is now a member of the Hawaii Preparatory Academy’s delegation.

Chloe Gan is the first Kaʻū High student
 to attend the Conference on National Affairs.
Photo by J-R Abalos

   Kaʻū students inspired by the Youth and Government program are now attending similar conferences outside Hawaiʻi. This summer Chloe Gan, a current Kaʻū High senior, joined six other Hawaiʻi students at the Conference on National Affairs held at the Blue Ridge Assembly in North Carolina. Gan is the first Kaʻū High student to represent the school at the national level. At Blue Ridge students discussed and debated national and international issues. Gan proposed a four-day school week.
    With the successes of Kaʻū High during its first year in the Youth and Government program, Kaʻū students are working hard to continue to represent the school and Hawai‘i Island. The students are hard at work composing drafts of their bills, and learning how to properly debate and present their bills. Experienced members are helping new members draft bills and finding sources to support their bills.
     Kaʻū High plans to represent the community well this December, whether it is to claim more awards, pass more bills, or simply display the aloha and true spirit of the Kaʻū community at the State Capitol.
     The students are selling shave ice to raise money for this year'r trip and have seed funding form O Ka`u Kakou.

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The 1011 Japan Tsunami reached this Okoa Bay house
in South Kona.  Photo by Kaiali`i Kahele

WORLD TSUNAMI AWARENESS DAY was observed for the first time ever, yesterday, Nov. 5 with arrival of a Japanese government delegation to the Hawaiʻi County Civil Defense Command Center and the Hilo Airport Incident Command Center. Jointly proposed by 142 nations including the U.S. and Japan, the United Nations General Assembly voted in December 2015 to designate Nov. 5 as World Tsunami Awareness Day. The Assembly called on all nations and communities to observe the day to raise tsunami awareness and share approaches to risk reduction.   The visit by the Japan delegation followed their participation in an evacuation drill in Valparaiso, Chile, involving 100,000 people. In Hilo, the group toured the Pacific Tsunami Museum.
     Ryota Takeda, Secretary General for the House of Representatives, Japan Diet, led the visiting delegation. “We human beings cannot escape from natural disasters, but we can minimize the damage. Preparedness makes a big difference in the outcome of a disaster,” Takeda said. “I trust that our cooperation and collaboration with Hawaiʻi will boost preparedness in years to come.” He also noted that a million people worldwide participated in inaugural World Tsunami Day programs.
     Takeda was accompanied by Takeshi Ogino, a deputy director in the Japan Ministry of Defense, Kimihito Aguin, also of the Ministry of Defense, and Satomi Okagaki, from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. They were joined in Hilo by Yasushi Misawa, Consul General of Japan in Honolulu, and Rumi Ariyoshi of the Consul General’s office.

World Tsunami Awareness Day participatnts (clockwise from top left): 

Marlene Murray, Hawaiʻi County Managing Director Randy Kurohawa, 

Secretary General Ryota Takeda, Ed Teixeira, Ilihia Gionson, Tiffinie Smith,

Rumi Ariyoshi, Consul General Yasushi Misawa, Satomi Okaga

and Honorary Consul General of Hilo Art Taniguchi.

       The Japan delegation was hosted by Hawaiʻi County Managing Director Randy Kurohara, Civil Defense Director Ed Teixeira, Hawaiʻi Island District Airports Manager Chauncey Wong Yuen, members of Hawaiʻi County’s emergency management team, and Marlene Murray, Director of the Pacific Tsunami Museum.
     One briefing covered the annual tsunami evacuation drill conducted by schools in Keaukaha,and the the Nov. 1 statewide test of the emergency warning system. Another covered tsunami evacuation drills in Japan and Chile. The group participated in a communications exercise with the Hawaiʻi Emergency Management Agency, the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center, and amateur HAM radio operators.
     The Hawaiʻi County Managing Director said, “We hope that all we have been through will go far in making our community stronger and more prepared for disasters.” Kurohara referenced the multitude of natural disasters challenging the Hawaiʻi Island community in recent years, including tsunami threats like the one generated by the 2011 Tohoku earthquake in Japan that caused damage in West Hawaiʻi, multiple hurricane warnings, wildfires, flooding, the dengue outbreak, Tropical Storm Iselle, and the Puna Lava Flow.

    The debut World Tsunami Awareness Day also focused on education. Exchange students from Hawaiʻi Island will go to Japan to participate in a disaster risk reduction summit for high school students, Nov. 25-26 in Kuroshio. The summit will host 350 students from 30 countries. For more World Tsunami Awareness Day info, visit World Tsunami Awareness VideoWorld Tsunami Awareness Video. For tsunami preparedness tips, visit http://www.prh.noaa.gov/hnl/pages/tsunami_safety.php. Sign up for Civil Defense alerts athttps://countyofhawaii.bbcportal.com/.

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THIS IS ARBOR DAY WEEKEND and Arbor Day organizers across the country encourage people to plant trees. On this island participants, including Hawai`i Electric Light Co., Kua O Ka La Public Charter School and others are giving away one native tree per family: milo, niu, kou, kokiʻo ke‘oke‘o, kukui, koʻokoʻolau, and māmaki. Each tree comes with information on planting a tree and siting it properly to avoid safety hazards and to provide cooling shade for homes. The giveaway continues today at Makua`u Farmers; Market in Pāhoa.

HELCO, a charter school and others are giving away native trees this
weekend, wrapping up at Maku`u Farmers' Market in Pahoa today.
Photo frrom HELCO

AN UPCYCLE FASHION SHOW is drawing artists, clothes designers and models to create outfits out of found and reused things. To enter the competition: Upcycle Fashions must be made of recycled or reused materials that otherwise would be thrown away or recycled. Vintage clothes will not be accepted. Complete outfits are recommended. Upcycle Fashion creators write a detailed and entertaining description in a few sentences on what the outfit is made from and why sustainability is important to the community. Categories are for adults, businesses, teens and children. Entrants must sign up by Nov. 18. The Upcycle16 Fashion show will be at East Hawaiʻi Cultural Center in Hilo on Saturday, Dec. 3. A $100 prize goes to the People’s Choice. See www.ehcc.org.
     Upcycle16 Art Show opens on Saturday, Nov. 12 at 5:30 p.m. and runs Wednesdays through Fridays from noon to 6 p.m. and Saturdays form 10 a.m. through Dec. 2 at East Hawaiʻi Cultural Center. Recycle Hawaiʻi will be on hand for the Tutu Hana Hou Award presentation with a display and information on Hawai`iRecycles Day, BeRecycled Pledge and Be Recycled Sweepstakes.

Ballots for the General Election this Tuesday, Nov. 8:

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

See www.kaucalendar.com

See kaucalendar.com/TheDirectory2016.html.