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| About 90 percent of terrestrial snails described in Hawaiʻi have gone extinct. See the Snail Extinction Prevention Program at dlnr.hawaii.gov/ecosystems/hip/sep. See story, below. Photos from DLNR |
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| Vietnamese boat people were among the refugees taken in by the United States. The Trump administration seeks to change the refugee agreements and deport many refugees from Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam. Photo from Wikipedia |
A letter from Hirono, Harris, and colleagues to the Homeland Security Secretary says that "In Fiscal Year 2018, there was an increase in deportations of Southeast Asian immigrants with more than 350 Laotian, Cambodian, and Vietnamese immigrants who were ordered to be deported. Those processed for deportation by the Trump administration's recent, aggressive deportation efforts include legal permanent residents who have lived in the United States for decades after fleeing violence and genocide in their home countries. We urge you to reexamine policies on the arbitrary detention and deportation of Southeast Asian immigrants who prove no threat to public safety, are interwoven into our communities, and support United States citizen families."
Several leading justice and advocacy groups have spoken out against the Trump Administration's actions, including the Southeast Asia Resource Action Center, Vietnamese Anti-Deportation Network, Asian Americans Advancing Justice, AAJC Atlanta, and AAJC Chicago. Hawaiʻi is home to more than 140,000 foreign born residents from Southeast Asia, Hirono noted.
The full text of the letter is available here.
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THE PARTIAL GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN IS AFFECTING HAWAIʻI more than most other states, says a recent report from WalletHub. Hawaiʻi is the fourth hardest hit. It is first in affecting federal jobs, ninth in affecting access to National Parks, seventeenth in affecting income from real estate as a percentage of Gross State Product, and twenty-ninth in affecting families receiving SNAP (Food Stamps).
This shutdown, into its fifteenth day, is the twenty-first time the federal government has shut down since 1976, the third time during the Trump presidency. The longest shutdown was 21 days.
When the government shuts down, certain federal employees work without pay. Others are off work - on furlough, explains WalletHub. Among those off work nationwide are 41,000 law enforcement officers, 52,000 IRS workers, and 96 percent of NASA employees. "Non-essential" government services also remain inactive and certain benefits are liable to run out of funding, says WalletHub.
At Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park, volunteer groups such as Friends of Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park and Hawaiʻi Pacific Parks Association are raising money to keep the park open. See more in tomorrow's Kaʻū News Briefs.
Read WalletHub's report.
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KAHULI - HAWAIIAN TREE SNAIL - GEORGE, the last known Achatinella apexfulva, died on New Year's Day. The state Department of Land & Natural Resources released this story:
George was approximately 14 years old and his name was derived from the Pinta Island Galapagos tortoise, "Lonesome George," also the last of his species.
The Achatinella apexfulva was the first of over 750 species of land snails from the Hawaiian Islands described in western science. The first mention dates back to at least 1787, when Captain George Dixon was docked on O‘ahu and was given a shell on a lei. These snails were once common on O‘ahu in the Ko‘olau Mountains and were used heavily for lei making as access to them was much easier at lower elevations.
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This shutdown, into its fifteenth day, is the twenty-first time the federal government has shut down since 1976, the third time during the Trump presidency. The longest shutdown was 21 days.
When the government shuts down, certain federal employees work without pay. Others are off work - on furlough, explains WalletHub. Among those off work nationwide are 41,000 law enforcement officers, 52,000 IRS workers, and 96 percent of NASA employees. "Non-essential" government services also remain inactive and certain benefits are liable to run out of funding, says WalletHub.
At Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park, volunteer groups such as Friends of Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park and Hawaiʻi Pacific Parks Association are raising money to keep the park open. See more in tomorrow's Kaʻū News Briefs.
Read WalletHub's report.
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.
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| George, the last Hawaiian tree snail of his species died on New Years Day, but his tissue remains in deep freeze for a possible revival in the future. DLNR photo |
The Achatinella apexfulva was the first of over 750 species of land snails from the Hawaiian Islands described in western science. The first mention dates back to at least 1787, when Captain George Dixon was docked on O‘ahu and was given a shell on a lei. These snails were once common on O‘ahu in the Ko‘olau Mountains and were used heavily for lei making as access to them was much easier at lower elevations.
In 1997, the last ten known Achatinella apexfulva were brought to a laboratory at the University of Hawai‘i for captive rearing. Some additional offspring were produced but later all the Achatinella apexfulva died, except for George.
A two-millimeter snippet of George's foot was collected in 2017 for research purposes and the living tissue remains alive in a deep freeze container at San Diego's Frozen Zoo.
George's passing is a significant loss to locals as he was featured in numerous articles and hundreds of school children have viewed him over the years.
The remaining land snails in Hawai‘i face imminent extinction threats from invasive species and climate change. The Snail Extinction Prevention Program is featured prominently in the upcoming television documentary, Forests for Life, which chronicles the vital importance of Hawai‘i's native forests to all life in Hawai‘i. The hour-long special, considered the most comprehensive look at all the benefits native forests provide and the threats they face, debuts on KFVE-TV (K5), at 7 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 18, with a repeat on Monday, Jan. 21, at 8 p.m.
George's passing is a significant loss to locals as he was featured in numerous articles and hundreds of school children have viewed him over the years.
The remaining land snails in Hawai‘i face imminent extinction threats from invasive species and climate change. The Snail Extinction Prevention Program is featured prominently in the upcoming television documentary, Forests for Life, which chronicles the vital importance of Hawai‘i's native forests to all life in Hawai‘i. The hour-long special, considered the most comprehensive look at all the benefits native forests provide and the threats they face, debuts on KFVE-TV (K5), at 7 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 18, with a repeat on Monday, Jan. 21, at 8 p.m.
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.
APPLICATIONS FOR AKAMAI SUMMER INTERNSHIPS are open, with Twenty Meter Telescope sponsors providing $320,000 in funding for the 2019 STEM Internsip Program. A statement from TMT says, "The Akamai Workforce Initiative (is) a program that seeks to develop a skilled STEM workforce to meet the needs of Hawai‘i's growing high tech industry." The program offers college students from Hawai‘i an opportunity to gain summer work experience at an observatory, company, or scientific/technical facility on Hawai‘i Island and Maui for an eight-week program from Sunday, June 16, through Friday, Aug. 16.
TMT is the primary funder of the Akamai Internship Program and provides staff in Hilo and Pasadena, CA, to mentor interns. TMT has supported the Akamai Internship Program since 2009 and contributed a total of nearly $1,000,000 towards developing a skilled Hawai‘i STEM workforce.
TMT is the primary funder of the Akamai Internship Program and provides staff in Hilo and Pasadena, CA, to mentor interns. TMT has supported the Akamai Internship Program since 2009 and contributed a total of nearly $1,000,000 towards developing a skilled Hawai‘i STEM workforce.
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| TMT mentors Amir Sadjadpour, Hiroshi Terada, and Magnolia Ycasas; 2014 Kamehameha Schools - Kapalama graduate Keoki Massad; 2016 Waiakea High School valedictorian Olivia Murray; 2017 Kihei Charter High School graduate Erica Sawczynec; John Miles, TMT mentor;and Warren Skidmore, TMT Scientist together at the TMT Project Office in Pasadena. Photo from TMT |
The Hawai‘i Community Foundation Career Connected Learning program - TMT's THINK Fund at HCF is a major contributor to the Career Connected Learning Program - the Air Force Office of Scientific Research, and the Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope on Maui also provide financial support to the program. Canada-France Hawai‘i Telescope and the University of Hawai‘i at Hilo also provide in-kind support.
According to the TMT statement, "The Akamai Workforce Initiative premise is that Hawai‘i's STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering & Math) workforce needs are attainable through a modest increase in retaining STEM undergraduates and broadening participation to include more Native Hawaiians, women, and other underrepresented groups in STEM."
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| Local students work with mentors who are top in their fields. Photo from TMT |
Upon acceptance, Akamai interns are matched with a project, and a mentor who will supervise them throughout the project and integrate the intern into the work environment. All Akamai interns complete a one-week intensive residency preparatory course in Hilo where they gain the skills needed to be successful in the workplace and meet other interns, along with Akamai staff and mentors. Throughout the program, interns get coaching on communication skills. They do a presentation of their project at the end of the summer at a public symposium. Interns receive credit from UH Hilo.
Interns are paid a $3,200 stipend and are provided with housing, if needed, and travel to and from their home island to an internship site. Interns complete projects with a mentor at a company or observatory on Maui, Hawai‘i Island, or with the Thirty Meter Telescope International Observatory at their headquarters in Pasadena, or with one of TMT's instrument teams, such as the Wide-Field Optical Spectrograph at the University of California, Santa Cruz.
FUNDS FOR CONSTRUCTION RENOVATIONS AT KAʻŪ HOSPITAL in the
amount of $144,000 have been released by the state. Sen. Russell Ruderman
applied for the Capital Improvement Project funds.
NEW and UPCOMING
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Exhibit: From the Slopes of Two Mountains, daily, Sat., Jan. 5 - Sun., Feb. 10, 9-5pm , Volcano Art Center Gallery. Features glass works of Michael Mortara, Misato Mochizuki Mortara, W. Chris Lowry and Marianne J. Lowry. Opening reception with artists Jan. 5, 5-7pm. Free; park entrance fees apply. volcanoartcenter.org
Keiki Science Class, Sat., Jan. 5, 11-noon, Ace Hardware Stores islandwide; Nā‘ālehu, 929-9030 and Ocean View, 929-7315. Free. 1st Saturday, monthly. acehardware.com
Ham Radio Potluck Picnic, Sun., Jan. 6, noon-2pm, Manukā State Park
Ka‘ū Homeschool Co–op Group, Mon., Jan. 7 and 21, 1pm, Ocean View Community Center. Parent-led homeschool activity and social group, building community in Ka‘ū. Confirm location in case of field trip. Laura Roberts, 406-249-3351
C.E.R.T. Discovery Harbour/Nā‘ālehu, Tue., Jan. 8, 4-6pm, Discovery Harbour Community Hall. Community Emergency Response Team info and training scenarios. Public welcome. Dina Shisler, dinashisler24@yahoo.com, 410-935-8087
Lau Hala - ‘Ike Hana No‘eau - Experience the Skillful Work - Wed., Jan. 9, 10-noon, Kīlauea Visitor Center lānai. Free; park entrance fees apply. Co-sponsored by Hawai‘i Pacific Parks Association. 985-6011, nps.gov/havo
Hawaiian Civic Club of Ka‘ū, Thu., Jan. 10, 6:30pm, United Methodist Church, Nā‘ālehu. Pres. Berkley Yoshida, 747-0197
PATCH Class #219, Building Relationships, Fri., Jan. 11, noon-3pm, back pavilion, Punalu‘u Bakery, Nā‘ālehu. Making connection between social and emotional development and challenging behaviors - specifically relating to pre-school, home day care, etc. No childcare provided. 238-3472, rhall@patch-hi.org
Free Artist in Residence Lecture and Concert w/Celebrated Composer Glenn McClure, Fri., Jan. 11, 6pm, Kīlauea Visitor Center. McClure is a composer, educator, and data scientist. Park entrance fees apply. 985-6011, nps.gov/havo
Dr. Daniel Belcher, Chair of the East Hawaiʻi Regional Board of HHSC, said, "I would like to encourage everyone who has an interest in our hospitals and regional health system to bring your questions and concerns to this meeting."
Interns are paid a $3,200 stipend and are provided with housing, if needed, and travel to and from their home island to an internship site. Interns complete projects with a mentor at a company or observatory on Maui, Hawai‘i Island, or with the Thirty Meter Telescope International Observatory at their headquarters in Pasadena, or with one of TMT's instrument teams, such as the Wide-Field Optical Spectrograph at the University of California, Santa Cruz.
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| Rendition of the Thirty Meter Telescope planned for Mauna Kea. Image from TMT |
Interns in recent years have been placed at many Hawai‘i Island firms including Akabotics, Big Island Abalone, Canada-France-Hawai‘i Telescope, Cellana, Hawai‘i Electric Light Company, Gemini North Observatory, Liquid Robotics, Natural Energy Laboratory of Hawai‘i Authority, Pacific International Space Center for Exploration Systems, Smithsonian Submillimeter Array, Academia Sinica Institute for Astronomy and Astrophysics, Subaru Telescope, UH Hilo, UH Institute for Astronomy Hilo, and W. M. Keck Observatory.
To learn more about the Akamai internship program, go to akamaihawaii.org Applications are due by February 14, with applications available at akamaihawaii.org/interning/application.
To learn more about the Akamai internship program, go to akamaihawaii.org Applications are due by February 14, with applications available at akamaihawaii.org/interning/application.
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| Sen. Russell Ruderman |
Ruderman posted to his Facebook: "Great news! We have been informed that funds have been
released for the renovations at Kaʻū Hospital."
A letter from
Gov. David Ige about the funds confirmation says, "Mahalo for your work on
behalf of the resident of your district to secure these funds. Projects such as
these are critical components of the
public infrastructure and contribute to building a better home for our kupuna,
keiki, and all the residents of Hawaiʻi… By working collaboratively, we can
climb the mountains of challenges that face Hawaiʻi."
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See public Kaʻū events, meetings, entertainment.
Print edition of The Kaʻū Calendar is free to 5,500 mailboxes
throughout Kaʻū, from Miloliʻi through Volcano, and free on
stands throughout the district. Read online at kaucalendar.com
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Kaʻū High Winter Sports Schedule
Girls Basketball:
Jan. 4, Fri., host Hilo , 6pm
Jan. 7, Mon., @Honokaʻa, 6pm
Jan. 9, Wed., @Kamehameha, 6pm
Jan. 14, Mon., host Kealakehe, 6pm
Jan. 17, Thu., host Keaʻau
Boys Basketball:
Jan. 5, Sat., @HPA, 6pm
Jan. 8, Tue., host Kamehameha, 6pm
Jan. 11, Fri., host Konawaena, 6pm
Jan. 16, Wed., host Waiakea, 6pm
Jan. 18, Fri., @Kohala, 6pm
Wrestling:
Jan. 5, Sat., @Waiakea
Jan. 12, Sat., @Kealakeha
Soccer:
Jan. 5, Sat., Boys host Kealakehe
Jan. 7, Mon., @Hilo
Jan. 9, Wed., @Keaʻau
Jan. 12, Sat., host Honokaʻa
Jan. 14, Mon., @Makualani
Jan. 16, Wed., Boys host Kona
Jan. 18, Fri., Boys host Pāhoa
Swimming:
Jan. 5, Sat., @KCAC, 10am
Jan. 12, Sat., @Kamehameha, 10am
HUI MĀLAMA OLA NĀ ʻŌIWI classes in January include Expanded
Food and Nutrition Program (EFNEP) in Ka‘ū on Wednesdays, from Jan. 16 through
Feb. 19. See more at hmono.org.
SATURDAY, JANUARY 5
Big Island Road Runners Hilo to Volcano 50 Kilometer Ultra Marathon and Team Relay, Sat., Jan. 5, 6am, Moku Ola - Coconut Island, Hilo - parking area to Cooper Center, Volcano Village. Race Director David Cotter, 339-7210, bigislandroadrunners.org
Art Express, Sat., Jan. 5, 10-3pm , Discovery Harbour Community Hall. 1st Saturday, monthly. Learn something new or work on a forgotten project. Instructions on oil, acrylic, watercolor, and other mediums. Class size limited to 25. Meliha Corcoran 319-8989, himeliha@yahoo.com, discoveryharbour.net/art-express
Spiritual Healing, Sat., Jan. 5, 3-4:30pm , Ocean View Community Center
SUNDAY, JANUARY 6
Sunday Clay - High Fire!, new sessions, Sundays, Jan. 6 - Mar. 3, no class Jan. 20. Morning session 11:30-2:30pm , afternoon session 2:45-5:45pm , Volcano Art Center
Overflow 2019: Unleashing Your Untapped Potential, Sun., Jan. 6, through Sat., Jan. 16, 6 p.m., and Sun, Jan, 13, 9:45 a.m., Nā‘ālehu Assembly of God. Seven days of prayer and fasting. Music by Ola Shaw. Special Guest Musician Ricky "RNB" Brown. Event features five guest speakers. 929-7278, naalehuag.org
MONDAY, JANUARY 7
Painting w/Peggy, Mon., Jan. 7, noon-3pm, Volcano Art Center's Ni‘aulani Campus. Monthly acrylic painting session, artists of all levels. Students bring own supplies and easels - suggested material list at margaretstantonart.com. $15/VAC member, $20/non-member. Register at volcanoartcenter.org or call 967-8222. Questions, email peggystanton007@yahoo.com
Ocean View Volunteer Fire Department Mtg., Mon., Jan. 7, 4-6pm, Ocean View Community Center. 939-7033, ovcahi.org
TUESDAY, JANUARY 8
Hawai‘i County Council Meetings, Tue., Jan. 8 (Committees), Wed., Jan. 9, (Council), Hilo. Ka‘ū residents can participate via videoconferencing at Nā‘ālehu State Office Building. Agendas at hawaiicounty.gov
Ka‘ū Coffee Growers Mtg., Tue., Jan. 8, 6-8pm, Pāhala Community Center.
After Dark in the Park: Volcano Awareness Month - Kīlauea Volcano's 2018 Lower East Rift Zone Eruption, Tue., Jan. 8, 7pm, Kīlauea Visitor Center Auditorium. USGS HVO geologist Carolyn Parcheta presents. Park entrance fees apply. 985-6011, nps.gov/havo
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 9
Volcano Bay Clinic Mobile Health Unit Visits. Dental, Wed., Jan. 9, 8-5pm. Medical, Thu., Jan. 31, 1-5pm. Cooper Center, Volcano Village. Must be Bay Clinic, Inc. patient. 333-3600 for appt. thecoopercenter.org
Basic Stretch & Strengthening Exercise Class, Wed., Jan. 9, 16, and 31, 9:30-10:30am, Nā‘ālehu Community Center. All ages; geared toward those needing to maintain or increase mobility, and those wanting a gentle stretch. Call 969-9220 to sign up. Free; donations accepted.
Compassionate Communication Group, Wed., Jan. 9 and 23, 2-3:30pm, PARENTS Inc., Nā‘ālehu. 2nd and last Wednesday, monthly. Free. Pre-registration required. Lindsey Miller, 333-3460
THURSDAY, JANUARY 10
Basic Stretch & Strengthening Exercise Class, Thu., Jan. 10, 17, & 31, 9:30-10:30am, Pāhala Senior Center. All ages; geared toward those needing to maintain or increase mobility, and those wanting a gentle stretch. Call 969-9220 to sign up. Free; donations accepted.
Story Time with Auntie Linda from Tūtū & Me, Thu., Jan. 10, 10:30-noon, Nā‘ālehu Public Library. 929-8571
Papa ‘Ōlelo Hawai‘i: Beginning Hawaiian Language Classes w/ Kaliko Trapp, Thu., Jan. 10, Part V, 5-6:30pm, Part VIII, 6:30-8pm, Volcano Art Center's Ni‘aulani Campus. 8 week sessions focusing on expanding simple vocabulary, conversation, grammar, and sentence structure. Some (basic for Part V) Hawaiian language experience preferred. $80/VAC member, $90/non-member. Required workbook for both sessions: Nā Kai ‘Ewalu, available at UH Hilo Bookstore. Hawaiian language dictionary suggested. volcanoartcenter.org, 967-8222
STOKE Screening, Thu., Jan. 10, 7-9pm, Volcano Art Center's Ni‘aulani Campus in Volcano Village. Film follows Jane, a struggling tourist, who hires two wannabe tour guides to take her to an active volcano. 90 min. narrative feature shot on Hawai‘i Island in 2017. Rated R for language and brief nudity. Directors in attendance for brief Q&A. volcanoartcenter.org, 967-8222
FRIDAY, JANUARY 11
PATCH Class #701, Creating Supportive Environments I, Fri., Jan. 11, 8-11am, back pavilion, Punalu‘u Bakery, Nā‘ālehu. Making connection between the environment, social-emotional development, and challenging behaviors - specifically relating to pre-school, home day care, etc. Sponsored by Tūtū & Me Traveling Preschool. No childcare provided. 238-3472, rhall@patch-hi.org
Free Community Dance, Fri., Jan. 11, 7-10pm, Cooper Center, Volcano Village. Minors allowed with supervision only. Alcohol-free event. Variety of music. Coffee, tea, water, and snack provided. Free; donations appreciated. 967-7800, thecoopercenter.org
ONGOING
The Public is Invited to Speak Up on Kaʻū Hospital & Rural Health Clinic, health needs, and health care planning for Kaʻū. Hawaiʻi Health Systems Corp.'s East Hawaiʻi Region annual public meeting and forum will take place Saturday, Jan. 12, from1:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. at Kaʻū Hospital, 1 Kamani Street , in Pāhala.
The Public is Invited to Speak Up on Kaʻū Hospital & Rural Health Clinic, health needs, and health care planning for Kaʻū. Hawaiʻi Health Systems Corp.'s East Hawaiʻi Region annual public meeting and forum will take place Saturday, Jan. 12, from
An overview of the operations and financial condition of all facilities, including Kaʻū and Hilo hospitals, as well as a view toward the future, will be presented. Ample time will be available for community members to share their perspectives and concerns regarding access to health care services, said a statement from Hawaiʻi Health Systems.
Registration for P&R Boys & Girls, T-Ball/Coach Pitch Baseball League open through Jan. 16, Kahuku Park, H.OV.E. For ages 5-8. Programs run Jan. 22-Apr. 18, game and practice times tba. 929-9113, hawaiicounty.gov/pr-recreation
Substitute School Health Assistant Positions are available. Qualifications: CPR and First Aid certifications, and a high school diploma or equivalent. Training begins in 2019. Contact Kristy Loo for more at look@hkkk.k12.hi.us.
Applicants must be at least 17 years old, and possess or be working towards a high school diploma or equivalent. Applicants must also have their own housing and transportation, a driver's license, and be able to pass a criminal history check.
Substitute School Health Assistant Positions are available. Qualifications: CPR and First Aid certifications, and a high school diploma or equivalent. Training begins in 2019. Contact Kristy Loo for more at look@hkkk.k12.hi.us.
Applications for a Paid Internship in Kaʻū for Kupu Hawai‘i and The Nature Conservancy are being accepted. The year-long, full-time position is in TNC's Hawai‘i Island Terrestrial Program, which stewards native forest preserves in Ka‘ū and South Kona .
Benefits offered include: a $1,600 monthly living allowance (before taxes); a $5,920 education award towards higher education; health care and childcare benefits (if eligible); and receiving an entry-level conservation career experience.
Applicants must be at least 17 years old, and possess or be working towards a high school diploma or equivalent. Applicants must also have their own housing and transportation, a driver's license, and be able to pass a criminal history check.
The internship is offered through Kupu Hawai‘i. Those interested are asked to fill out an application at kupuhawaii.org/conservation under Conservation Leaders Program as soon as possible. For more, call The Nature Conservancy at 443-5401 or call Kupu Hawai‘i at 808-735-1221.
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