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Last year's Floating Lantern Celebration in Medicine Pond at
Punaluʻu Black Sands Beach honored family and friends.
Find out how to
participate in this year's event, below. Photo by Michael Worthington
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Today, PBN reported that Mina
Morita - an energy consultant, former Public Utilities Commission Chair, and
former state Senator - defended HEI. She said that ValuAct Capital "is not
paying attention to the reality of what it will take to attain a 100 percent
renewable future when it falls back on mantras like '100 percent renewables' or
'no fossil fuels.' These soundbites, or insisting on a ValuAct-approved CEO, are
not at all helpful and will not get us to Hawaiʻi's lofty energy objectives any
sooner." She wrote that Ubben's assessment of Hawaiʻi's
utility sector is "simplistic." |
| Mina Morita. Photo from hawaiiwire.org |
HEI is the parent company of Hawaiʻi Electric Light Co., which serves this island.
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| A house in the golf course community at Volcano was likely set afire, according to police investigators. The furniture was stacked and burned inside the home on Pukeawe Circle. Photo from Redfin real estate site |
A SUSPECTED CASE OF ARSON IN THE VOLCANO GOLF COURSE COMMUNITY Sunday night is under investigation by Hawaiʻi Police Department. Hawaiʻi Fire
Department received a call at 7:21 p.m. from guests scheduled to stay at the licensed
Short Term Vacation Rental home at 99-2056 Pukeawe
Circle . No injuries were reported.
The first responder, who arrived around 7:48 p.m. , noted that all the windows were
covered in white paint. When firefighters entered the home, they found "most
of the household furniture was found piled up and in flames." Firefighters extinguished the blaze by 8 p.m. They ventilated the home for smoke and combustable gases.
HFD reported that "various clues"
indicated arson. HPD and HFD investigators remained on scene after the fire was
out, collecting evidence for further processing.
Drywall, furniture, and other damage was estimated to be about $57,000. The home's value is estimated to be about $357,000 by real estate companies that are showing it online.
Drywall, furniture, and other damage was estimated to be about $57,000. The home's value is estimated to be about $357,000 by real estate companies that are showing it online.
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| Interior of the home in Volcano that vacationers reported on fire when they arrived. Photo from Redfin real estate site |
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Said
Kahele, "I am grateful for Mayor Carvalho's endorsement… He is an
experienced leader whose reach extends beyond Kauaʻi. Mayor Carvalho is
respected for his dedication and service throughout our great State of Hawaiʻi .
I look forward to working with him in the coming months as we continue to grow
our grassroots campaign in every community and across every island in the
state."
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SEN. KAI KAHELE EARNED THE ENDORSEMENT of former Kauaʻi
Mayor Bernard P. Carvalho Jr. in his campaign to represent Kaʻ
"From
his service to our country as a lieutenant colonel in the Hawaiʻi Air National
Guard, through his time as a state senator for Hilo ,
I have great confidence in both his dedication to our island communities and
his leadership capacity...
"We will be
facing serious challenges in the years ahead. From affordable housing to
climate resilience, there are many community issues that will need federal
support and funding. We need someone who will help bring in U.S. Housing and
Urban Development funding so we can build more homes for our kūpuna and young
families. We need someone who will help us secure Federal Highways money and
other funding to make our communities more resilient to sea-level rise and
severe storm events. We need someone who can help direct U.S. Department of
Agriculture funding to our local farmers and food-producing lands."
Carvalho
served for ten years as the Mayor of Kauaʻi County, from 2008 to 2018.
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| Former Kauaʻi Mayor Bernard P. Carvalho Jr. with Sen. Kai Kahele. Photo from Kahele |
Kahele
serves as Majority Floor Leader and Chairman of the Committee on Water and Land
in the Hawaiʻi State Senate where he represents his hometown of Hilo .
He is an 18-year combat veteran aviator who was recently promoted to the rank
of Lieutenant Colonel in the Hawaiʻi Air National Guard.
Former Hawaiʻi
Governors John Waiheʻe, Ben Cayetano and Neil Abercrombie serve as Honorary
Co-Chairs of the Kahele for Congress Campaign Committee, which raised over
$600,000 since launching in January 2019.
The
2nd Congressional District encompasses Hawaiʻi Island, Maui, Kahoʻolawe,
Molokaʻi, Lānaʻi, Kauaʻi, Niʻihau and the rural parts of Oʻahu, including
Waimānalo, Kailua, Kāneʻohe, the North Shore, and the Leeward coast.
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NĀ‘ĀLEHU SCHOLASTIC BOOK FAIR kicks off tomorrow at Nā‘ālehu Elementary School Library. The public is invited to come check out books and other items, and support the school. Public hours are: Tuesday, Nov. 19, 7:30-8a.m. and 2:07-3:30p.m.; Wednesday, Nov. 20, 2:07-7p.m.; Thursday, Nov. 21, 7:30a.m.-3:30-p.m.; and Friday, Nov. 22, 7:30a.m.-2p.m.
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KAʻŪ RURAL HEALTH ASSOCIATIONS ANNUAL FLOATING LANTERN
CELEBRATION, "Honoring Past, Present, & Future Generations," will
be held Saturday, Nov. 30, from 3 p.m.
to 7 p.m. at Punaluʻu Black Sands
Beach Park. Pre-registration to participate is required, by Monday, Nov. 25.
Funds for lanterns, photos, and t-shirts go toward scholarships.
The ninth annual
event is sponsored by Maile David, Kaʻū's County Council member, Hui Mālama Ola
Nā Oʻiwi, and Kaʻū Hospital & Rural Health Clinic.
For more info, contact
808-928-0101.
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A SPIKE IN UTILITY SCAM CALLS AND PHISHING during the
holiday season is expected by Hawaiʻi utilities. In a joint press release, the
Hawaiian Electric Companies, Hawaiian Telcom, Hawaiʻi Gas, Board of Water
Supply, and Kauaʻi Island Utility Cooperative, along with the state Office of
Consumer Protection and Honolulu Police Department, states they are working to
combat scammers who target utility customers, as part of national Utility Scam
Awareness Week.
The joint release warns customers
to remain vigilant against "thieves and scam artists posing as utility
workers and bill collectors. Customers need to be alert and recognize scams,
especially when criminals threaten to disconnect service unless a payment is
made.
Stephen Levins, executive director of the state of Hawaiʻi Office of Consumer Protection, said, "Utility scammers can sound convincing on the phone and will say anything to trick consumers into making payments. To protect themselves, consumers should never wire money, purchase gift cards, or give out personal or financial information to anyone who initiates contact."
Stephen Levins, executive director of the state of Hawaiʻi Office of Consumer Protection, said, "Utility scammers can sound convincing on the phone and will say anything to trick consumers into making payments. To protect themselves, consumers should never wire money, purchase gift cards, or give out personal or financial information to anyone who initiates contact."
The utilities state that scammers
are targeting customers who rely on vital services such as electricity, water,
gas, and telecommunications. Although there have been fewer reports of
customers paying money to scammers, "customers cannot let their guard
down."
The utilities
offer the following tips:
If the caller
says your utility account is delinquent and threatens to shut off service
immediately unless payment is made, it's a scam.
If someone calls
from a utility demanding immediate payment over the phone, via money transfer,
prepaid debit card, or by Bitcoin, it's a scam.
If the caller
asks to meet the customer in person to pick up a payment, it's a scam.
If you receive an
email from your utility urging you to click on an embedded link or
attachment to resolve a utility issue or pay a bill, think
before you click. It's likely a scam.
If a utility
worker shows up at your home or place of business, ensure that person is
wearing official attire with a logo, driving a properly
labeled vehicle, and carrying company identification. When in doubt, call the utility's
customer service center.
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Doug Murdock, of Hawaiʻi
Pacific University's Office of Enterprise Technology Services, said, "It was exciting to see all of the innovative solutions
from the participants. We will work with the teams to develop them further
and implement (them) in state departments."
The HACC breaks
the mold of a traditional hackathon, which typically takes place over a single
day or weekend, said a statement from the governor. The HACC provides an expanded four-week
timeframe, meant to encourage interaction between community teams and state
department personnel. This extended time "ultimately result(s) in
sustainable solutions that are appropriately matched with technologies and
platforms in use or being considered by the state." The HACC is nationally
recognized with the State IT Innovation of the Year award by StateScoop, the
leading government IT media company in the nation's capital.
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TEAM GARY'S BEST FROM UNIVERSITY OF HAWAIʻI took home the
$4,000 top prize over the weekend at the Hawaiʻi Annual Code Challenge, sponsored by the state Office of Energy, Hawaiian Electric Company and Hawai`i Pacific University. The team created a dashboard to display the health of electric vehicle charging stations, which are operated remotely.
The program uses metrics developed from charging data analysis.
Gov. David Ige said,
"I'm proud that Hawaiʻi is home to a very talented group of IT developers
as demonstrated at the HACC. They created imaginative solutions to some of our
state's pressing challenges."
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| Winners of this year's HACC, Team Gary's Best. Photo from Ige's office |
HPU President John Gotanda said the
university was proud to serve with the state to present the HACC, "representing
our university's commitment to embracing the concept and the pursuit of
innovation to advance our state. At HPU, our approach to education is to ensure
experiential, hands-on learning opportunities for our students, and the
structure of the HACC program is in keeping with our academic vision."
The fourth year
of the competition started with 29 teams; 15 moved on to the presentation phase of the competition.
The goal of HACC is
to generated proof-of-concept coding by students, amateurs, and professionals, to
benefit community and state agencies. That coding's focus is on solutions for
community resilience, professional development, local job creation, and
building local businesses.
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| Several of the winning teams focused on electric charging stations, like this one in Punaluʻu. Photo from HELCO |
Team Kulu took
second place, with a green loan portal. Third place was taken by Team Area 51 Raid
Squad, with another electric vehicle charging station analysis. The top two high school teams tied - Team Netjxrk of Waipahu High, with a
sustainability education code, and Team SHC of Mililani High, with a third
electric vehicle charging station analysis.
Sponsors of
the event included Hawaiian Airlines, Kaiser Permanente, Transform Hawaiʻi
Government, AT&T, Hawaiʻi Information Consortium, Unisys,
Salesforce-Carahsoft, Verizon, HawaiiData Collaborative, revacomm, and
DRFortress. Community partners include Hawaiʻi Green Growth, Hawaiʻi Technology
Development Corporation, Pacific Center
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Treating little fire ants at Steam Vents. Photo from NPS by
Janice Wei
|
LFA detections have decreased by at least 99 percent at Steam Vents since the park began
treating the area in February, stated the Park. In 2018, LFA were abundant and
readily observed on vegetation and along the edge of the parking lot. In
September, park pest control workers found LFA on just 0.1 percent of bait
stations.
Pest control
workers will continue to treat Steam Vents every four to six weeks and the park
will announce closures in news releases, at nps.gov/hawaiivolcanoes, and via social media. The goal is
to completely exterminate the ants from the area. Visitors can help by checking
their gear and vehicles for LFA before coming to the park.
This will be the seventh treatment cycle at Steam Vents. For more information on LFA, how to control them and how to prevent spreading them, visit littlefireants.com/.
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See monthly and weekly Kaʻū and Volcano Events, Meetings, Entertainment, Exercise, and Meditation at kaucalendar.com.
Ocean View Community Association Board of Directors Mtg., Wednesday, Nov. 20, 12:30-1:30p.m., Ocean View Community Center. 939-7033, ovcahi.org
Volcano Friends Feeding Friends, Thursday, Nov. 21, 4-6p.m., 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, thecoopercenter.org
Christmas in the Country featuring 20th Annual Invitational Wreath Exhibit, daily, Nov. 22 through Dec. 31, Volcano Art Center Gallery. Free; park entrance fees apply. 967-7565, volcanoartcenter.org
SATURDAY, NOV. 23
SUNDAY, NOV. 24
ONGOING
Tūtū & Me Home Visiting Program is a free service to Pāhala families with keiki, birth to five years old. This caregiver support program offers those taking care of young keiki "a compassionate listening ear, helpful parenting tips and strategies, fun and exciting activities, and wonderful educational resources" from Tūtū & Me Traveling Preschool. Home visits are one hour in length, two to four times per month, for 12 to 15 visits. Snacks are provided. See pidfoundation.org or call Tata Compehos and Melody Espejo at 808-938-1088.
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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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UPCOMING
TUESDAY, NOV. 19
Scholastic Book Fair, Tuesday, Nov. 19, Open to public: 7:30-8a.m. and 2:07-3:30p.m.; Wednesday, Nov. 20, 2:07-7p.m.; Thursday, Nov. 21, 7:30a.m.-3:30-p.m.; and Friday, Nov. 22, 7:30a.m.-2p.m., Nā‘ālehu Elementary School Library.
Hawai‘i County Council Mtgs., Tuesday, Nov. 19 (Committees), Wednesday, Nov. 18, (Council), Kona. Ka‘ū residents can participate via videoconferencing at Nā‘ālehu State Office Building. Agendas at hawaiicounty.gov.
Cultural Understanding through Art and the Environment: Ti Leaf Lei Making with Jelena Clay, Tuesday, Nov. 19, 11a.m.-1p.m., Volcano Art Center. Pre-registration required; class size limited. $10 per person supply fee. 967-8222, volcanoartcenter.org
WEDNESDAY, NOV. 20
WEDNESDAY, NOV. 20
Ocean View Community Association Board of Directors Mtg., Wednesday, Nov. 20, 12:30-1:30p.m., Ocean View Community Center. 939-7033, ovcahi.org
Nāʻālehu School Family Reading Night, Wednesday, Nov. 20, 6-7p.m., Nāʻālehu School Cafeteria. Family reading, make & take activities, and snacks provided. Free.
THURSDAY, NOV. 21
Ka‘ū Food Basket, Thursday, Nov. 21, 11a.m.-noon, Pāhala Community Center. 928-3102
Nāʻālehu School Family Reading Night, Thursday, Nov. 21, 6-7p.m., Ocean View Community Center. Family reading, make & take activities, and snacks provided. Free. 939-7033, ovcahi.org
FRIDAY, NOV. 22
Forest Restoration Project, Friday, Nov. 22, 8:30a.m.-3p.m., HVNP. 12+; under 18 require adult co-signature. Pre-registration required - include first and last names, email address, and phone number of each participant. Organized by Friends of Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park. Patty Kupchak, 352-1402, forest@fhvnp.org, fhvnp.org
Cultural Understanding through Art and the Environment: Guided Cultural Tour of the Ni‘aulani Forest, Friday, Nov. 22, 9:30-11a.m., Volcano Art Center. Kumu Hula Ryan McCormack leads. Tour focuses on Hawaiian protocol, traditional chants, history, and lifeways, as they relate to the native forest ecosystem. Free; open to public. Spaced is limited, reservations suggested. 967-8222, volcanoartcenter.org
Dances of Universal Peace, Friday, Nov. 22, 6-7:30p.m., Methodist Church hall, across from Nā‘ālehu Post Office. Fun, easy to learn dances from many traditions, evoking peace. Donations welcome. No registration necessary. 939-9461, hualaniom2@yahoo.com
Realms and Divisions, Saturday, Nov. 23, 9:30-11:30a.m., Kahuku Unit, HVNP. Free, moderately difficult, two-mile, hike. Bring snack. nps.gov/havo/
Nā‘ālehu Elementary School Friend-Raiser, Saturday, Nov. 23, 10a.m.-2p.m., Nā‘ālehu Elementary School. Friendship building activities with food, games – including bounce house, splash booth, and face painting – prizes, and more.
Saturday Thanksgiving Dinner, Saturday, Nov. 23, 10a.m., St. Jude's Episcopal Church, Ocean View. 939-7000, stjudeshawaii.org
Blue Tattoo Band, Saturday, Nov. 23, 7-10p.m., Kīlauea Military Camp's Lava Lounge, in HVNP. Open to authorized patrons and sponsored guests. Free; park entrance fees apply. kilaueamilitarycamp.com
‘Ōhi‘a Lehua, Sunday, Nov. 24, 9:30-11a.m., Kahuku Unit, HVNP. Free, easy one-mile walk. nps.gov/havo/
MONDAY, NOV. 25
Santa's Workshop Event Registration, Nov. 25 - Dec. 11, Ka‘ū District Gym. Event takes place Thursday, Dec. 12, 6-7:30p.m. All ages. 928-3102, hawaiicounty.gov/departments/parks-and-recreation/recreation
Christmas Coloring Contest Registration, Nov. 25 - Dec. 11, Ka‘ū District Gym. Deadline for entries is Thursday, Dec. 12, 6p.m. Grades Pre-K to 6. 928-3102, hawaiicounty.gov/departments/parks-and-recreation/recreation
Cultural Understanding through Art and the Environment: Kapa Aloha ‘Āina, the fabric of Hawai‘i with Puakea Forester, Monday, Nov. 25, 11a.m.-1p.m., Volcano Art Center. Pre-registration required; class size limited. $10 per person supply fee. 967-8222, volcanoartcenter.org
ONGOING
P&R Track & Field Practice Registration, through Wednesday, Nov. 20, Kahuku Park
Vendor Booth Space is Available for the Kamahalo Craft Fair. The 12th annual event will be held Thanksgiving weekend, Friday, Nov. 29, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. , and Saturday, Nov. 30, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Cooper Center. Booths are open for crafters with quality homemade and homegrown products. Food vendors must prepare all food items in a certified kitchen and must have a Department of Health permit displayed prominently at their booth. Application online at thecoopercenter.org. Direct questions to 936-9705 or kilaueatutu@gmail.com.
Vote for Izaiah "Bobby" Pilanca-Emmsley of rthe Wedemeyer Award - Two-Way Player of the Year, at khon2.com/uncategorized/vote-2019-cover2-hawaii-high-school-football-awards/. Voting remains open through Monday, Nov. 25. The winners will be announced on Thanksgiving by the L.A. Rams. Pilanca-Emmsley is the only candidate from Kaʻū. Fans can vote for six of the seven awards presented.
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