Friday, June 09, 2017

Ka`u News Briefs Friday, June 9, 2017

Gov. David Ige today released this image and vowed to continue to align Hawai`i with the Paris Accords.
Image from Gov. David Ige
"PRESIDENT TRUMP MAY NOT THINK OUR CLIMATE IS WORTH PROTECTING, but we know better," said Gov. David Ige in a statement this evening. "We're not going to rest on our laurels when the future of our plant is at stake," he said. Ige called it "my great privilege to make Hawai`i the first U.S. state to officially align with the Paris Climate Accords. By signing into law S.B. 559 and H.B. 1578, we have made a bold statement to the world that Hawai`i will stand up[ for climate science, for our keiki and for children everywhere. On Tuesday, Ige signed SB 559 (Act 032) which expands strategies and mechanisms to reduce greenhouse gas emissions statewide. He also signed HB 1578 (Act 033) which establishes the Carbon Farming Task Force within the Office of Planning.

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FORMER FBI CHIEF JAMES COMEY'S testimony before the U.S. Senate Thursday drew a response from Ka`u's Senator, Mazie Hirono who observed the hearing along with her Special Counsel Jeremy Paris and reporter from HBO's Vice News.
      She later released a statement saying: "Yesterday, James Comey spoke a powerful truth when he called the Trump administration’s reasons for firing him 'lies, plain and simple.' We deserve leaders who believe in fundamental American values, like truth, and democracy that is free from foreign interference. Those shared values define who we are as a nation. And we have a right to know that violations of those values will be investigated fully, and without obstruction.
Hirono observed the Comey testimony with her counsel and Vice News.
Image from Vice News See www.facebook.com/senatorhirono/
     "The Trump administration has made every attempt to slow and misdirect any investigation into their improper relations with Russia. And since Election Day, it has only gotten worse:
     "In January, the FBI, NSA, and CIA concurred that Russia interfered in the 2016 presidential election. Deputy Attorney General Sally Yates warned the White House that Mike Flynn lied about his contacts with Russia. She was later fired.
      "In February, amid controversy, Flynn resigned.
      "In March, Trump’s Attorney General, Jeff Sessions was forced to recuse himself from the Flynn investigation after it was revealed that he too misled the American public about his own meetings with Russia.
      "In May, Trump fired FBI Director James Comey - in the middle of Comey’s investigation of Trump’s Russia ties. Trump then held a meeting in the Oval Office, where he excluded the American press and disclosed classified intel to Russian operatives.
      "In June, Donald Trump’s personal attorney tried to discredit Director Comey’s testimony by falsely accusing him of leaking classified information to the press.
Sen. Mazie Hirono speaking at the American Constitution Society for
Law and Policy today. 
       "It’s clear from Comey’s hearing," said Hirono, that this is just the tip of the iceberg and that much more is left to come. I will do everything in my power to make sure the American people know the truth, and bring this administration’s wrongdoing to light -- but I need your help."
     Hirono, who has announced she will run for reelection, said, "More than ever, we need to have representatives in the Senate who will stand up to the Trump administration's attacks on our democracy."
     She took her own story of her immigration to the U.S. and her work on Capitol Hill to a speech today before the American Constitution Society for Law and Policy.

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CHERYL KA`UHANE LUPENUI will become the president and chief executive officer of the Kohala Center, effective July 3. The Kohala Center has numerous projects around the island including education and business development for Ka`u Coffee farmers.
     "Lupenui brings strong leadership skills, depth and breadth of work experience, and impressive team-building experience to The Kohala Center," said Roberta Chu, chairperson of The Center's board of directors. "It became very clear during the selection process that The Center and its management team would continue to develop and flourish under her leadership. Her thoughtfulness, energy, and enthusiasm are inspiring and will propel our efforts to new heights."
Cheryl Kauhane Lupenui will be the new
President And CEO of Kohala Center.
       For the past five years Lupenui has been the founder and principal of The Leader Project, a business that sources from Hawaiian and Western models to develop leadership capacity throughout organizations. Spanning multiple sectors such as transportation, education, health, human services, and public safety, her practice is based on building place-based leadership where all group members share the responsibility of leading and following.
    She holds a Masters of Business Administration with a concentration in marketing, management, and finance from Tulane University, and a Bachelor of Business Administration in international business from the University of Hawai'i at Mānoa. Over the course of her 30-year career, Lupenui has developed a multidisciplinary skillset that includes business and program development, systems-level policy making, capital improvement project planning and management, fund raising, community engagement, and strategy and leadership development.
    Her career started as a business development associate at one of Hawai'i's largest businesses, but her entrepreneurial spirit soon guided her to open a restaurant that promoted sustainable agriculture by serving healthy meals made with locally grown produce. Lupenui's restaurant management experience led her to the Young Women's Christian Association (YWCA) of O'ahu, where just four years later she became the organization's chief executive officer—the youngest in its history and the first of Native Hawaiian descent. During her 10-year tenure as CEO she helped launch a re-branding effort, a $12 million capital campaign to renovate Laniākea, the organization's historic downtown facility, and an $8 million campaign to expand transitional housing for women and fitness and meeting facilities for the community. 
     At the same time she started The Leader Project, Lupenui was appointed by the Governor to the Hawai'i Board of Education (BOE) for a four-year term. While there she helped develop a new BOE/Department of Education Strategic Plan and several policies that created the Office of Hawaiian Education, Office of Community Engagement, and Nā Hopena A'o, or HĀ (breath), a set of system-wide learning outcomes for the Hawai'i Department of Education grounded in Native Hawaiian culture.
     "My work in recent years has focused on seeing place, culture, community, and leadership as a whole ecosystem," Lupenui said. "The Kohala Center is rich with these same elements that can guide our islands in policy and practice. Following a path to Kohala continues my journey emerging from single practitioner to a community of practice. I see a team of bold leaders making a positive impact and transmitting their stories to guide and strengthen each generation that follows."

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SMOKE DETECTOR SOLICITATIONS FOR INSPECTIONS AND INSTALLATIONS may be a
Fire Chief Darren Rosario
scam, according to Hawai`i County Fire Chief Darren Rosario. He said the Fire Department has received numerous complaints of offers of free smoke detector inspections and battery replacement, with the sales people attempting to sell new systems and claiming approvals by the Fire Department.
     "The Hawai‘i County Fire Department would like to stress that the Department has not promised any individual or company with an support or approval for smoke detector inspections on behalf of the Fire Department," said the chief. He advised that anyone approach ask the solicitor for identification and to cll the Hawi`i County Fire Department at 932-2900 Mondays through Fridays from 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m, and at  961-8336 after hours and on weekends.
    He also suggested reporting the solicitors drivers license number and any id information.
     The Hawai‘i County Fire Department does have a smoke detector installation program
for select population demographics. "Hawai‘i County Fire Department personnel will always be
in their Hawai‘i County Fire Department uniform and arrive in an Official Hawai‘i County Fire
Department vehicle," said Rosario.

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VETERANS ARE INVITED TO OCEAN VIEW COMMUNITY CENTER on Thursdays between 8:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. Dave Willard, Director of the Kona Veterans Center, covers West Hawai`i for military veterans from Kohala to Na`alehu. The Thursday sessions help veterans connect with services. A licensed Mental Health and Substance Abuse Counselor, along with Rick Ruchty, outreach counselor and Army Veteran regularly meet with vets at the Ocean View Community Center.
     Willard is a 22-year veteran of the Air Force, whose primary objective is to reach out to vets and their families to help provide them with health care options, assist them in filing disability claims, and connect them with possible VA home loans, Counseling and other services.
     No appointments are necessary. Anyone with questions can call 329-0575 open Monday, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Thursdays and Fridays, 7 a.m. to 4:30p.m. Calls are also taken on the secon Saturday of each month, 7a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
     The outreach comes from the VA’s Readjustment Counseling Services with a primary task of helping combat veterans re-adjust when they come home. "Since there are so few Veterans services available, we help all vets," said Willard.

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Pancake Breakfast, Sat, June 10, 8 – 11 a.m., Ocean View Community Center. 939-7033

Atlas Recycling at South Point U-Cart, Sat, June 10, 9 a.m. – 1 p.m.

Lampworking, Sat/Sun, June 10 and 11, 1 – 3 p.m., Volcano Art Center in Volcano Village. An introductory, two-session class taught by Nash Adams-Pruitt is designed for students who have never touched a torch. 967-8222

Jazz in the Forest
, Sat, June 10, 4:30 & 7:30 p.m., Volcano Art Center in Volcano Village. Two performances feature Jean Pierre Thoma & The Jazztones.

Kanikapila, Sat, June 10 & 24, 6 – 9 p.m., Nā‘ālehu Methodist Church Hall. Acoustic instruments, drums, singers & dancers welcome. Desmond, 937-6305

www.kaucalendar.com
‘Ōhi‘a Lehua, Sun, June 11, 9:30 – 11 a.m., Kahuku Unit of Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park. Learn about the vital role of ‘ōhi‘a lehua in native Hawaiian forests, the many forms of the ‘ōhi‘a tree and its flower on this free, easy, one-mile walk.

Medicine for the Mind, Sun, June 11, 4 – 5:45 p.m., Volcano Art Center in Volcano Village. Buddhist healing meditation for beginners through advanced. Free. Patty, 985-7470

Managing Rapid ‘Ōhi‘a Death at Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park, Tue, June 13, 7 p.m., Kīlauea Visitor Center Auditorium in Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park. Ecologist David Benitez shares lessons learned since ROD was first identified in 2014 and discusses management of ROD within and beyond park boundaries. Free; park entrance fees apply.