Kaʻū News Briefs Wednesday, June 20, 2018

The growing Halema‘uma‘u crater viewed to the southeast., with HVO and Jagger Museum sitting on the caldera rim, to the right, where the road bends to the left. Estimated total volume loss is about 260 million cubic meters as of June 15th. See story, below. USGS photo

KEEP FAMILIES TOGETHER and create sustainable solutions to the broken immigration system, urged Rep. Tulsi Gabbard today. In response to the Trump Administration's zero-tolerance policy, which separates children from their parents at the U.S. border, Gabbard  joined over 190 Members of Congress in introducing legislation to keep immigrant families together. The Keep Families Together Act, H.R. 6135, “would prevent the Department of Homeland Security from taking children from their parents at the U.S. border, except in extraordinary circumstances such as trafficking, abuse, or neglect,” states the release from Gabbard. She reports that at least 2,342 children have been separated from their parents after crossing the U.S.-Mexico border since May 2018.

     Gabbard says, “The Trump Administration's use of children as pawns in the immigration debate is despicable and must end now. While the President signed an Executive Order today (June 20) intended to end the policy of separating children from their parents, this will not solve the serious challenges we face and could create new ones. The fact is we need comprehensive immigration reform now. I joined my colleagues today in introducing the Keep Families Together Act to prevent migrant children from being taken from their parents, and to begin to fix our highly broken immigration system. We must put politics aside, and come together to address this important issue.”

Beatriz Cantelmo, on behalf of Amnesty
International - Hawaiʻi Chapter, spoke out
in favor of the Keep Families Together
Act. Photo from Cantelmo's LinkedIn

     Beatriz Cantelmo, on behalf of Amnesty International- Hawaiʻi Chapter, said “We wholeheartedly support the Keep Families Together Act and all of the representatives who are co-sponsoring it. Separating families as they seek asylum together is a blatant violation of human rights and must stop immediately! Many of them have been on the run from deadly violence and persecution and are seeking safety in the U.S. As a democratic and civilized society, the United States has a strong legacy of welcoming immigrants. Asylum seeker rights must continue to be protected by our laws.”

     The Keep Families Together Act (H.R. 6135) would:

     Keep Families Together: The bill promotes family unity by prohibiting Department of Homeland Security officials from separating children from their parents, except in extraordinary circumstances. In these limited circumstances, separation could not occur unless parental rights have been terminated, a child welfare agency has issued a best interest determination, or the Port Director or the Chief Border Patrol agent of Customs and Border Protection have approved separation due to trafficking indicators or other concerns of risk to the child. It requires an independent child welfare official to review any such separation and return the child if no harm to the child is present. It imposes financial penalties on officials who violate the prohibition on family separation.

     Limit Criminal Prosecutions for Asylum Seekers: The majority of the parents separated at the border are being criminally prosecuted for illegal entry or re-entry. This bill restricts the prosecution of parents who are asylum seekers by adopting the recommendation of the DHS Office of Inspector General. The bill delays prosecutions for asylum seekers and creates an affirmative defense for asylum seekers. It also codifies our commitment to the Refugee protocol prohibiting the criminal punishment of those seeking protection from persecution.

     Increase Child Welfare Training: The bill requires all CBP officers and agents to complete child welfare training on an annual basis. Port Directors and Chief Border Agents, those who are authorized to make decisions on family separations, must complete an additional 90 minutes of annual child-welfare training.

     Establish Public Policy Preference for Family Reunification: The bill establishes a preference for family unity, discourages the separation of siblings, and creates a presumption that detention is not in the best interests of families and children.

     Add Procedures for Separated Families: The bill requires DHS to develop policies and procedures allowing parents and children to locate each other and reunite if they have been separated.   Such procedures must be public and made available in a language that parents can understand.  In cases of separation, it requires DHS to provide parents with a weekly report containing information about a child, and weekly phone communication.

     Establish Other Required Measures: In order to inform Congressional oversight and promote public understanding of the use family separation, the bill requires a report on the separation of families every six months.

     The Keep Families Together Act is endorsed by the ACLU, Women's Refugee Commission, Third Way, Young Center for Immigrant Children's Rights, Indivisible, MomsRising, Legal Aid Justice Center, Amnesty International USA, Anti-Defamation League, Center for Gender & Refugee Studies, UnidosUS, The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, National Immigrant Justice Center, The Children's Partnership, and more.

Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, in favor of the
Keep Families Together Act.

     Immigration reform has been one of Gabbard's top priorities throughout her time in Congress, states the release. In addition to the DREAM Act, she co-sponsored two measures to protect families and children, including the DREAMer Information Protection Act (H.R. 532), which prohibits DHS's Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program  from being used for immigration enforcement proceedings and the BRIDGE Act (H.R. 496), which codifies the DACA program. In October, she hosted an immigration-focused telephone townhall to update Hawaiʻi constituents on the status of DACA, and answer questions about education rights for DREAMers, fees for naturalization, qualifications to receive DACA, backlogs on citizenship applications, rules regarding re-entry for foreign-born relatives of U.S. military personnel, and more. A full recording of the event is available here. Most recently, Gabbard sent a letter to the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Homeland Security, urging the subcommittee to limit DHS's ability to separate parents from their children.

     Follow Rep. Tulsi Gabbard on social media: Facebook.com/RepTulsiGabbard, Twitter.com/TulsiPress, YouTube.com/TulsiPress, Flickr.com/RepTulsiGabbard.

To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see Facebook. Follow us on Instagram and Twitter. See our online calendars and our latest print edition at kaucalendar.com.

“NO END IN SIGHT,” FOR CURRENT KĪLAUEA ERUTPION, says USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory Deputy Scientist in Charge Steve Brantley.
     Hawaiʻi News Now reporter Mileka Lincoln

Fissure 8 cone, lava fountain, and channelized lava flow 

on the morning overflight of June 19 at 6:10 a.m. Overflows 

from the channel are sluggish and move slowly downslope 

as they build up the levees. USGS photo

reported Brantley said that what shocks him most is “the significant change to Halemaʻumaʻu Crater, which is now almost unrecognizable as it doubled in size from rim to rim and continues to slump inward as a result of constant intense seismicity and steam explosions.” Brantley said the ongoing activity at Kīlauea’s summit “indicates magma is still draining and being fed into the lower East Rift Zone - which is why (we) can no longer use the two most recent events of 1955 and 1960 as models of what to anticipate.”

     Brantley explained, “This eruption has exceeded the volume of either one of those (1955 and 1960) eruptions, and it’s erupting more every day. We’ve exceeded the length of time of the 1960 eruption, but not the 1955 eruption - but I think it looks like we’re on mark for having a longer eruption than both of those, and erupting a considerably larger volume of magma onto the surface before this is all said and done.”

Geologist makes early morning observations of the lava
fountain and channelized flow at Fissure 8 in
Leilani Estates on June 20. USGS photo

     The Hawai`i News Now reporter said USGS officials have been asked by residents, why Fissure 8 hasn’t been named like Puʻu ʻŌʻō was.  Lincoln relayed that HVO scientists say “Fissure 8 is probably not done building yet as a cinder cone in either shape and size - and it could also stop at any time with another fissure taking over.”
     Brantley explained, “It’s a bit early to think that Fissure 8 will be the only eruption site from now moving forward, given how much magma is still fueling the lower East Rift Zone. However, if the time comes, it will not be the role of USGS to name Fissure 8, but rather input from affected areas and guidance from Native Hawaiian community leaders.”

Fissure 8 fountaining increased up to 200 feet.
Spatter built up the cone to the east and
into the channel. USGS photo

    The reporter was at the Pāhoa community meeting last night, June 19, where she said there were fewer residents in attendance than at previous community meetings. She said low attendance could be from “fatigue and weariness that has set in for those who have spent the last seven weeks either displaced or discouraged by the ongoing eruption.”

To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see Facebook. Follow us on Instagram and Twitter. See our online calendars and our latest print edition at kaucalendar.com.

FORTY-SEVEN PEOPLE HAVE BEEN CITED FOR LOITERING IN LOWER PUNA since early May, according to Hawai‘i Department of Land & Natural Resources. Officers from the Hawai‘i County Police Department and the DLNR Division of Conservation and Resources Enforcement cited six more people within the past few days “for loitering and refusing to evacuate” in lower Puna.

Police headlights shine on a person walking in a restricted
zone near an eruptive vent. Photo from Big Island Video News

     Gov. David Ige issued a supplemental proclamation earlier in June, giving judges the option of imposing fines of up to $5,000 and up to a year in jail for people convicted of being in a closed area. The Governor said there is a need to strengthen enforcement tools in controlling access to dangerous areas.

     Last week three people cited at Lava Tree State Park pleaded no contest to their charges, says DLNR. Two of them were fined $500 each and the third person will serve 50 hours of community service in lieu of a fine, DLNR says.

     The officer who cited two people on June 19 said they were wearing respirators and that they were enticed by social media postings which continue to show others illegally entering the evacuation zone to photograph or tape active lava flows, says DLNR. DOCARE officers report many of the people cited claim they did not know they were in a closed area, even though in many cases they walked past barricades or used unmanned back roads to get around checkpoints.

To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see Facebook. Follow us on Instagram and Twitter. See our online calendars and our latest print edition at kaucalendar.com.

PROPOSED NĀʻĀLEHU AND PĀHALA WASTEWATER TREATMENT PLANT LOCATIONS AND DESIGNS ARE NOT FINALIZED. The projects were addressed in a release from the Mayor’s Office on June 19. The release states the EPA is requiring County of Hawaiʻi to close Large Capacity Cesspools in Pāhala and Nāʻālehu. Specifics about technology and sites are not finalized. Required environmental studies have not yet been completed. Department of Environmental Management Director William Kucharski stresses that “Preliminary designs for these potential sites were prepared to elicit comments, commence dialogue and satisfy obligations in the EPA Administrative Order and Consent.”

     The release says DEM “is working to find the best replacement technology and a suitable location for a new wastewater treatment plant. The current proposed technology is an environment-friendly option that fully complies with regulatory requirements that help protect our precious ground and ocean water quality. It is a low- energy natural process that will treat wastewater in lagoons and then in a subsurface wetland, after which the treated water will be used for irrigation of native tree groves introduced specifically for this purpose. This process will be low maintenance and monitored to ensure quality control.”

Keiki playing on he field at Nāʻālehu Elementary School. The present site of the proposed wastewater treatment plant is right next to the school. Photo from Darlene Javar's Twitter

     The release says the search for suitable sites is a complex process. “There are several factors that need to be considered,” says the release, “such as potential impacts to significant archaeological and cultural resources, soil quality, the presence of drinking water wells, and other environmental factors. Location also impacts ratepayers.”

     The release says public input “is factored into project planning, including site selection.” DEM has begun community outreach programs in Nāʻālehu and Pāhala “to share current project information, answer questions, and listen to people’s reactions. In these outreach activities, the project team continually stresses that it is early in the formal review process.”

     Interviews and talk story sessions were held in Nāʻālehu in early April. About a hundred people participated. They expressed strong concerns about the site that was presented at these gatherings, next to Nāʻālehu Elementary School. To date, over 30 sites have been evaluated and the site selection process continues.

     “No property may be purchased before an Environmental Assessment / Impact Statement has been fully completed,” Kucharski said. The EA/EIS process provides opportunities for community review and comments, says the release. A proposed final draft EA has not yet been published for the Nāʻālehu project.

     “DEM will conduct a second round of community outreach as the Department prepares and finalizes the required environmental studies. Mahalo for your continued interest and patience as DEM explores the best solutions to meet the wastewater needs of the Nāʻālehu community,” says the release.

     For more information, contact Rana Rodillas at (808) 961-8615. records.hawaiicounty.gov/Weblink/1/doc/93809/Page1.aspx

To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see Facebook. Follow us on Instagram and Twitter. See our online calendars and our latest print edition at kaucalendar.com.

VACATION RENTAL BILL STILL UNDECIDED: Hawai‘i County Council has again postponed any decision making on Bill 108 until July. The bill proposes county code changes, to define “where short-term vacation rentals would be allowed, establishes regulations for their use, and provides a way for an owner or operator to obtain a nonconforming use certificate that would allow them to operate in a non-permitted district.” Council members did not interact with any testifiers, many of whom disagree with all or part of the changes proposed.

See public Ka‘ū events, meetings, entertainment. 

See Ka‘ū exercise, meditation, daily, and weekly events. 

Print edition of The Ka‘ū Calendar is free to 5,500 mailboxes 

throughout Ka‘ū, from Miloli‘i through Volcano, and free on 

stands throughout the district. Read online at kaucalendar.com 
and facebook.com/kaucalendar.

To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see Facebook. Follow us on Instagram and Twitter. See our online calendars and our latest print edition at kaucalendar.com.

THURSDAY, JUNE 21

Hawai‘i Disability Legal Services, Thu, Jun 21, 9-1pm, Ocean View Community Center. ovcahi.org, 939-7033, ovcahawaii@gmail.com

Hawaiian Civic Club of Ka‘ū, Thu, Jun 21, 6:30pm, United Methodist Church in Nā‘ālehu. Pres. Berkley Yoshida, 747-0197

FRIDAY, JUNE 22
Hawaiʻi Farmers Union United Kaʻū Chapter community meeting Fri, June 22, 5pm, Pāhala Plantation House. “Come chat about agriculture in Kaʻū, local food production, ag related legislation, and make connections with folks in the community. All Kaʻū Farmers and Ranchers are encouraged to attend.” Light pupus available; welcome to bring something to share. Any questions call Raina Whiting, Kaʻū Chapter President, at 464-0799 or rainawhiting@gmail.com.

SATURDAY, JUNE 23
Ocean View Skateboard Sessions, Saturday, June 23, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., Kukuhu Park basketball courts. All ages are welcome to “show the need for a real community skatepark for the youth of Ocean View.” Parents must register minors from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m. and sign a waiver. A $1 million liability insurance policy has been provided by the Surfrider Foundation, said Organizer Travis Aicorn. The sponsor is Pueo Skate, LLC. Pack a lunch and bring water. For more information, call Aicorn at 808-494-5192 or contact him through grindcurbs@yahoo.com.

Birth of Kahuku, Sat, Jun 23, 9:30-11:30am, Kahuku Unit of Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park. Explore rich geologic history of Kahuku on this easy-to-moderate hike that traverses the vast 1868 lava flow, with different volcano features and formations. Learn about the Hawaiian hotspot and the creation of Kahuku. nps.gov/HAVO

SUNDAY, JUNE 24
‘Ōhi‘a Lehua, Sun, Jun 24, 9:30-11am, Kahuku Unit of Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park. Learn about vital role of ‘ōhi‘a lehua in native Hawaiian forests, and many forms of ‘ōhi‘a tree and its flower on this free, easy, one-mile walk. nps.gov/HAVO

TUESDAY, JUNE 26

Exploring Your Senses, Tue, Jun 26, 2-3pm, Kahuku Park, H.O.V.E. For ages 6-12 years. Register Jun 18-22. Teresa Anderson, 929-9113, hawaiicounty.gov/pr-recreation

Ka‘ū Food Pantry, Tue, Jun 26, 11:30-1pm, St. Jude's Episcopal Church in Ocean View.

HOVE Road Maintenance Monthly Meeting, Tue, Jun 26, 10am, RMC Office in Ocean View. hoveroad.com, 929-9910

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 27

Kōkua Kupuna Project, Wed, Jun 27, 9-11am, St. Jude's Episcopal Church, Ocean View. Seniors 60 years and older encouraged to attend, ask questions, and inquire about services offered through Legal Aid Society of Hawai‘i - referral required from Hawai‘i County Office of Aging at 961-8626 for free legal services. Under 60, call 1-800-499-4302. More info: tahisha.despontes@legalaidhawaii.org, 329-3910 ext. 925. legalaidhawaii.org

THURSDAY, JUNE 28

Kona Vet Center visits to Ocean View Community Center are Suspended until further notice. Veterans may call 329-0574 for VA benefit information. ovcahi.org

Ka‘ū Community Children's Council, Thu, Jun 28, 12:30-1:30pm, Punalu‘u Bake Shop. Monthly meeting provides local forum for all community members to come together as equal partners to discuss and positively affect multiple systems' issues for the benefit of all students, families, and communities. Chad Domingo, text 808-381-2584, domingoc1975@yahoo.com

Volcano Friends Feeding Friends, Thu, Jun 28, 4-6pm, Cooper Center, Volcano Village. Free community dinner for all. Additional packaged goods to take home for those in need. Donations and volunteers encouraged. 967-7800

NEW and UPCOMING

Ready with her skateboard at the Kahuku 

county park. Photo from Kevin Aicorn

OCEAN VIEW SKATEBOARD SESSIONS will be held on Saturday, June 23, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., at the county’s Kukuhu Park basketball courts. Organizer Travis Aicorn said that all ages are welcome to “show the need for a real community skatepark for the youth of Ocean View.”
     Aicorn said that parents must register minors from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m. and sign a waiver. A $1 million liability insurance policy has been provided by the Surfrider Foundation, he said. The sponsor is Pueo Skate, LLC.
     Organizers ask that families pack a lunch and bring water. For more information, call Aicorn at 808-494-5192 or contact him through grindcurbs@yahoo.com.

To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see Facebook. Follow us on Instagram and Twitter. See our online calendars and our latest print edition at kaucalendar.com.

THE RETURN OF AFTER DARK …NEAR THE PARK at the Volcano Art Center’s Ni‘aulani Campus, Tuesday, June 26, 7 p.m. Free. Sealed with Aloha: Hawaiian Monk Seals and Hawai‘i, presented by Tara Spiegel “and the dedicated staff of Ke Kai Ola (The Healing Sea),” says the release. “This amazing facility, operated by the Marine Mammal Center, has grown to include science-based rehabilitation techniques, a highly trained stranding response network and much more. Learn how these heroes of hope heal and rehabilitate endangered Hawaiian monk seals.”

To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see Facebook. Follow us on Instagram and Twitter. See our online calendars and our latest print edition at kaucalendar.com.

ONGOING

Tropic Care 2018 - providing medical, dental, and eye care for any community member, free of charge, whether they have insurance or not - lasts through June 28, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., at Keaʻau High School gym. First come-first served. Bring any current prescriptions or eye glasses. Long waits are expected; bring water and snacks. Free breakfast and lunch provided to those aged 3 to 18, Monday thru Friday. Food carts may be on site for purchases throughout the event. Questions can be directed to the public health nurse at 808-974-6035, or Adria Maderios, Vice Principal of Keaʻau High School, at 313-3333.

Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park invites kamaʻaina and tourist alike to visit the Kahuku Unit. There are no entry fees, and all programs are free of charge. In addition to regularly scheduled Guided Hikes and the monthly Coffee Talk, Kahuku Unit has added daily Ranger Talks, and cultural demonstrations and activities on weekends.

     Artist in Residence Talk, in the Visitor Center on Fri, June 22, at 10 a.m.
     Visitor Contact Station hosts Ike Hana Noe ʻAu, Cultural Demonstrations and Activities, at 12:30 p.m. every Saturday and Sunday in June, made possible by Hawaiʻi Pacific Parks Association. Make an ͑Ohe Hana Ihu (Nose Flute), Sat, June 23. Make a Mini Feather Kahili, Sun, June 24.

     Visitor Contact Station hosts Ranger Talks on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday at 10:30 a.m. and 1 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday at 10:30 a.m.

     Guided Hikes begin at 9:30 a.m. every Saturday and Sunday in June. Meet the ranger at the welcome tent. Sat, June 23: Birth of Kahuku. Sun, June 24: ͑Ōhi͑a Lehua.

     In the Visitor Contact Station, Coffee Talk, a monthly, casual get together, is held the last Friday of the month. On June 29 at 9:30 a.m., Hawaiʻi Wildlife Fund will present Removing Trash, Restoring Habitat.

     Join in the Cultural Festival, Pu ͑uhonua O Hōnaunau National Historical Park, in Hōnaunau, Sat and Sun, June 23 and 24, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

     See the Kahuku Unit Rangers,The Kahuku Cowgirls, in the Na ͑alehu 4th of July Parade Sat, June 30, beginning at 10 a.m.

Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program will take sign-ups in Kaʻū, through June 29.
     In Nā’ālehu, it will take place at the Hawai‘i County Economic Opportunity Council office, back of Senior Center, Wed-Fri, 8-1pm, 929-9263.
     In Ocean View, it will take place at Ocean View Community Center, Mon and Tue, 8-4:30pm.
     In Pāhala, it will take place at the Edmund Olson Trust Office, Tue and Wed, 8:30-12:30pm. See more for eligibility requirements and application.

Libraries Rock Summer Reading Program: Hawai‘i State Public Library System, through July 14, statewide and online. Register and log reading at librarieshawaii.beanstack.org or at a local library. Free. Reading rewards, activities, and programs for children, teens, and adults. 2018 participants have a chance to win a Roundtrip for four to anywhere Alaska Airlines flies.

Park Rangers invite the public to downtown Hilo to learn about the volcanic activity, to get their NPS Passport Book stamped, and to experience the Hawaiian cultural connection to volcanoes. Rangers are providing programs at the Mokupāpapa Discovery Center at 76 Kamehameha Avenue, Tuesday through Saturdays, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission is free.
     Two Park Rangers are stationed at the Grand Naniloa Hotel in downtown Hilo, from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., every Sunday and Monday, in the Willie K Crown Room - as long as nothing else is scheduled in the space. The rangers will be doing daily talks at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. about the eruption. They will show the park film that is normally available to visitors to see at the Kilauea Visitor’s Center at the Summit, Born of Fire, Born in the Sea, every half-hour beginning at 9:30 a.m.

Sign Up for the Nāʻālehu Independence Day Parade, to be held June 30. If interested, call Debra McIntosh at 929-9872.

Tūtū and Me Offers Home Visits to those with keiki zero to five years old: home visits to aid with helpful parenting tips and strategies, educational resources, and a compassionate listening ear. Home visits are free, last 1.5 hours, two to four times a month, for a total of 12 visits, and snacks are provided. For info and to register, call Linda Bong 464-9634.

St. Jude's Episcopal Church Calls For More Volunteers for the Saturday community outreach. Especially needed are cooks for the soup served to those in need, and organizers for the hot showers. "Volunteering for St. Jude's Saturday Shower and Soup ministry is an opportunity to serve God in a powerful way," states St. Jude's April newsletter. Volunteer by contacting Dave Breskin at 319-8333.

Volcano Forest Runs Registration Open through Friday, August 17, at 6 p.m. Half marathon $85, 10K $45, 5K $30. Registration increases August 1: half marathon to $95, 10K to $55, and 5K to $35. Race is run from Cooper Center on Wright Road in Volcano Village on Saturday, August 18.

5th annual Ka‘ū Coffee Trail Run registration open. Race day Sat, Sept 22, 7 a.m.; begins and ends at Ka‘ū Coffee Mill. Register online before Mon, July 9: 5K, $25/person; 10K, $35/person; and 1/2 Marathon, $45/person. From July 9 to Aug 11: $30/person, $40/person, and $45/person, respectively. From Aug 13 to Sept 20: $35/person, $45/person, and $55/person. Race day registration ends Sat, Sept 22, at 6:30 a.m. Event organizers, ‘O Ka‘ū Kākou; start location, Ka‘ū Coffee Mill.

To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see Facebook. Follow us on Instagram and Twitter. See our online calendars and our latest print edition at kaucalendar.com.