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Saturday, December 28, 2019

Ka‘ū News Briefs, Saturday, December 28, 2019

A gymkhana, showing off a range of rodeo skills of Kaʻū keiki and youth, will be held on Sunday, Dec. 29 at 
Nāʻālehu Arena. Sponsored by Kaʻū Riding & Roping Association Sign-in and check-in is at 8:30 a.m., 
events start at 9 a.m. Photo by Katie Graham
GRANTSTATION MEMBERSHIP is free to County of Hawaiʻi residents and organizations. The county Department of Research & Development has secured free access to the "premiere online database with information about grant awards and funding opportunities from public and private sources." To begin registration, complete this online form. Contact Marcia Yoshiyama at marcia.yoshiyama@hawaiicounty.gov for assistance.

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BREAKTHROUGH 2020: YOUR MIRACLE IS HERE will be held at Nāʻālehu Assembly of God from Sunday, Jan. 12 through Saturday, Jan. 18 at 6 p.m. and Sunday, Jan. 19 at 9:45 a.m. Apostle Kola Emiola of Dominion Impact Church of Ibadan in Nigeria will make a special presentation, "School of Miracles," on Saturday at 10 a.m.
     Free and open to the public, the week of "Your Life Will Never Be the Same" will feature Bishop Matthew and Laura Torres Sr. of Zion's House of Praise, Pastor Sam and Kim Souza of Solid Rock East Hawaiʻi, Pastor Stanley Mizuno and Pastor Dexsilyn Navarro or Thy Word Kaʻū, Pastor Troy and Heather Gacayan of River of Life Assembly of God, Apostle Emiola, and Pastor Kevin and Minda Brown of Nāʻālehu Assembly of God.
     The church also offers a free movie night on the first Friday of the month, at 6:30 p.m. January's showing is The Case for Christ.
     The church is located at 95-5678 Māmalahoa Hwy, at the 64 mile marker. Call 808-929-7278 with questions.

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LEARN ABOUT KIDNEYS AND THEIR FUNCTION at Aloha Kidney in Kaʻū on Thursday afternoons, 1 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. form Jan. 16 through Feb 20, at Kaʻū Resource Center, 96-3126 Puahala St. in Pāhala. The free class series is lead by retired kidney doctor Ramona Wong, MD.
     The announcement about the class asks attendees to bring a pen and invite "those who love you to enroill, especially if they buy/cook your food." The class is open to "anyone who loves their kidneys, especially if they have Chronic Kidney Disease, excess protein in urine, or decreased glomerular filtration rate."
     The class sessions each focus on different aspects of CKD: Jan. 16, You and your kidneys: What kidneys do, what happens when they fail; Jan. 23, Aloha kidney: How to slow loss of kidney function, protect what's left; Jan. 30, Kidney, heart, brain connection: Why at risk and what to do about it; Feb 6, Food, labs, meds . . . help?! Understand what matters with CKD; Feb. 13, Options if kidneys fail: Dialysis, transplant, natural life options; Feb. 20, Choices: Others share their journey with dialysis, transplant, natural life.
     Enroll online at alohakidney.com or call (808) 585-8404.

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Jo Schmith examining ash from Katla volcano 
in Iceland. Photo courtesy Jo Schmith
UNDERSTANDING KĪLAUEA'S EXPLOSIVE ERUPTIONS is the focus of this week's Volcano Watch, written by U.S. Geological Survey's Hawaiian Volcano Observatory affiliate Johanne Schmith, Danish postdoctoral fellow:
     Kīlauea Volcano attracts researchers from all over the world. Dr. Johanne (Jo) Schmith joined the ranks of USGS HVO in June to study some deposits of past Kīlauea explosions – a timely endeavor given the presence of water in the caldera today.
     Jo is a physical volcanologist, field enthusiast, and true ash aficionado, but a career in volcanology was not an obvious choice for someone growing up in the rolling grasslands of Denmark. However, Jo has always enjoyed taking the path less traveled, and after watching scientists studying active volcanoes on TV, she knew she had to be one of them.
     Jo went to the University of Copenhagen to pursue a Master's degree in geoscience, with a double major in geology and geophysics during her undergrad years. Loving the outdoors, she participated in as much fieldwork as she could, and she joined a seismic survey team to work in Denmark, Ukraine, and Norway, progressing to manage field camps. These experiences gave her a solid background for carrying out fieldwork in environments spanning sunny cornfields to cold barren mountains north of the Arctic Circle while dealing with multiple cultures and languages, sleep deprivation, tight deadlines, equipment failure, and once a trip to a local police station to retrieve a seismometer that someone had mistaken for a bomb.
     Unfortunately, there were no opportunities to study volcanology in Copenhagen, so Jo fundraised to go to the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo in 2006 for a semester of volcanology and volcano monitoring. Field trips to active lava flows taught her invaluable lessons about real-life volcanology, and Hawaiʻi won a very special place in her heart.
     Master's research took Jo to the Cape Verde Islands in Africa. She was the first to map and sample the volcanological features of the island of Boa Vista, and she gained new field experience dealing with hot deserts, cobblestone highways, and transporting the occasional hitchhiking goat and owner between villages. She used chemical analysis of the volcanic rocks to search for their origin deep within the Earth's mantle and made a melting model of the islands.
     On her way to a vacation in Iceland in 2010, Jo flew past the first puffs of the Eyjafjallajökull ash cloud that made headlines around the world for closing European air space. The close personal encounter got her interested in volcanic ash. She won a Nordvulk Fellowship and moved to Iceland with her family to pursue a double PhD degree at the University of Iceland and University of Copenhagen in the physical volcanology of explosive eruptions.
The hot green pond in Halemaʻumaʻu is more orange-yellow as of Wednesday, Dec. 18, from sulfur, according to 
HVO scientists. The pond was 189 m (650 ft) long and approximately 600 m (1970 ft) below the western caldera rim 
as of Dec. 18. USGS photo
     Jo wanted to explain why two explosive eruptions from Katla volcano were unusually large. She conducted a field study, sampled the ash deposits from the eruptions, and started investigating the formation of the ash in the lab. Specifically, she developed a new systematic way to classify ash samples in terms of how much magma-water interaction had influenced the explosions that generated the ash. She showed that water interacted differently with the magma than previously thought and that the explosive potential of the Icelandic volcanoes is grossly underestimated.
     Now Jo has joined forces with scientists at HVO and UH Mānoa to study the explosive past of Kīlauea Volcano represented by the Keanakākoʻi Tephra. She has been awarded a two-year postdoctoral fellowship from the Danish Carlsberg Foundation and will use her expertise to evaluate the role of water in explosions at Kīlauea's summit.
     Jo is mapping and sampling the thickest eruptive deposits to reconstruct the dynamics of the eruptions that produced them. These are particularly important and timely studies given the growing water pond in Halemaʻumaʻu. Her results will contribute to a more detailed understanding of hazards at Kīlauea's summit.
     Jo has also been a passionate presenter of earth science to the public, and she has been engaged in developing a new school-visiting service at the National Natural History Museum of Denmark and later at the UNESCO world heritage site Stevns Klint. She has worked with inquiry-based learning and talent development at the National Center for Learning in Science, Technology, and Health for the Ministry of Education and has a keen interest in promoting science literacy.
     Welcome, Jo, to the HVO ohana!
HVO scientists conducted an overflight of Kīlauea's summit on Wednesday, Dec. 18. In this view, looking southwest, 
large cracks are visible on Kīlauea's caldera floor above and adjacent to the portion of Kīlauea's caldera floor that 
down-dropped during the summit collapse-events of 2018. See video from the flight at 
 USGS photo by K. Mulliken
     Volcano Activity Update
     Kīlauea Volcano is not erupting and its USGS Volcano Alert level remains at NORMAL. For more info on the status of Kīlauea, see volcanoes.usgs.gov/volcanoes/kilauea/status.html. Kīlauea monitoring data continue to show steady rates of seismicity and ground deformation, low rates of sulfur dioxide emissions, and only minor geologic changes since the end of eruptive activity in September 2018. Rates of seismicity have been relatively consistent, although at the summit, episodic increased rates appear to be coincident with the inflated phase of the DI events. Sulfur dioxide emission rates are low at the summit and are below detection limits at Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō and the lower East Rift Zone. The pond at the bottom of Halema‘uma‘u, which began forming on July 25 continues to slowly expand and deepen.
     Mauna Loa Volcano is not erupting. Its USGS Volcano Alert level remains at ADVISORY. This alert level does not mean that an eruption is imminent or that progression to an eruption is certain. Mauna Loa updates are issued weekly. For more info on the status of Mauna Loa, see volcanoes.usgs.gov/volcanoes/mauna_loa/status.html.
     This past week, about 118 small-magnitude earthquakes (almost all smaller than M2.0) were detected beneath the upper elevations of Mauna Loa. Two of these events, both M3.2 earthquakes, were felt by several island residents. Most of the earthquakes occurred at shallow depths of less than 6 km (~4 miles) below sea level. Deformation measurements show continued summit inflation, consistent with magma supply to the volcano's shallow storage system. Gas concentrations and fumarole temperatures on the Southwest Rift Zone remain stable.
     HVO continues to closely monitor both Kīlauea and Mauna Loa for any signs of increased activity. Volcano Watch,  volcanoes.usgs.gov/observatories/hvo/hvo_volcano_watch.html, is a weekly article and activity update written by U.S. Geological Survey Hawaiian Volcano Observatory scientists and affiliates.

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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
See monthly and weekly Kaʻū and Volcano Events, Meetings, Entertainment, Exercise, and Meditation at kaucalendar.com.

2019-2020 Kaʻū Winter Sports Schedule

Girls Basketball
Tue., Jan. 7 @Kohala
Fri., Jan. 10 host Honokaʻa
Tue., Jan. 14 host Konawaena

Boys Basketball
Fri., Jan. 3 host HPA
Sat., Jan. 4 host Pāhoa
Thu., Jan. 9 @Waiakea
Sat., Jan. 11, @Konawaena
Mon., Jan. 13 host Hilo
Wed., Jan. 15 host Kealakehe

Wrestling
Sat., Jan. 4 @Waiakea
Sat., Jan. 11 @Kealakehe

Soccer
Sat., Jan. 4 Girls host Honokaʻa, 3pm
Mon., Jan. 6 @HPA
Wed., Jan. 8 host Kealakehe, 2pm
Sat., Jan. 11 @Honokaʻa
Wed., Jan. 15 @Konawaena

Swimming
Sat., Jan. 4 @Kamehameha
Sat., Jan. 11 @Kona Community Aquatic Center

UPCOMING
SUNDAY, DEC. 29
Final Gymkhana Event of 2019, Sunday, Dec. 29, 9a.m., Nā‘ālehu Rodeo Arena. Sign-in and check-in 8:30a.m. Hosted by Ka‘ū Roping & Riding Association.

People and Land, Sunday, Dec. 29, 9:30-12:30p.m., Kahuku Unit, HVNP. Free, moderate, 2.5 mile hike over rugged terrain. nps.gov/havo

TUESDAY, DEC. 31
Ka‘ū Food Pantry, Tuesday – last Tuesday, monthly – Dec. 31, 11:30a.m.-1p.m., St. Jude's Episcopal Church in Ocean View. Volunteers welcome. Dave Breskin, 319-8333

KMC New Year's Eve Party, Tuesday, Dec. 31, 5-8p.m., Kīlauea Military Camp's Lava Lounge, in HVNP. Blue Tattoo and midnight toast. $10 cover charge for non-KMC guests. Open to authorized patrons and sponsored guests. Park entrance fees apply. 967-8356, kilaueamilitarycamp.com

THURSDAY, JAN. 2
Women's Expression Group, Thursday, Jan. 2 – 1st Thursday monthly – 3-4:30p.m., PARENTS Inc., Nā‘ālehu. Women welcome to drop in. Free. Lindsey Miller, 333-3460, lindsey@hawaiiparents.org

Ocean View Neighborhood Watch Mtg., Thursday, Jan. 2, 6-7p.m., Ocean View Community Center. 939-7033, ovcahi.org

‘O Ka‘ū Kākou Mtg., Thursday, Jan. 2, 6:30-8:30p.m.Aspen Centerokaukakou.org

FRIDAY, JAN. 3
Fit & Firm Volcano Medium Intensity Strength Adult Exercise Class - 4 weeks, Fridays, starting Jan. 3, 8-9a.m.,Volcano Art Center. Payment in full of $36 due at first class session, check or exact change. No make-ups, roll-overs or prorating for missed classes. Limited to 15 people. Must call to reserve spot in advance. No drop-ins. Puakea, 315-9130, volcanoartcenter.orgsoulfitnesshawaiipksm.com 

Strong Seniors Chair Exercise Class - 4 weeks, Fridays, starting Jan. 3, 10-11a.m.,Volcano Art Center. Payment in full of $45 due at first class session, check or exact change. No make-ups, roll-overs or prorating for missed classes. No drop ins. Limited to 15 people. Reserve spot in advance. Puakea, 315-9130, volcanoartcenter.orgsoulfitnesshawaiipksm.com 

SATURDAY, JAN. 4
Ocean View C.E.R.T. Mtg., Saturday, Dec. 4, 10a.m.-1p.m.Ocean View Community Center. Community Emergency Response Team monthly meeting and training. 939-7033, ovcahi.org

Keiki Science Class, Saturday, Jan. 4 – 1st Saturday, monthly – 11a.m.-noon, Ace Hardware Stores islandwide; Nā‘ālehu, 929-9030 and Ocean View, 929-7315. Free. acehardware.com

ONGOING
Christmas in the Country featuring 20th Annual Invitational Wreath Exhibit, daily, through Dec. 31, Volcano Art Center Gallery. Free; park entrance fees apply. 967-7565, volcanoartcenter.org

Vote for the Best Cottage Decorations at Kīlauea Military Camp through Tuesday, Jan. 1. The public is invited to stroll along the sidewalks around the KMC Cottages where the staff has entered a contest for best Christmas decorations. The outdoor displays are best seen at night. KMC is located within Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park.
     The KMC New Year's Eve Party on Tuesday, Dec. 31 from 8 p.m. at the Lava Lounge will have live music from Blue Tattoo. The $10 cover charge includes a champagne toast at midnight. Open to authorized patrons and sponsored guests. Park entrance fees apply.
     Call 967-8356 or see kilaueamilitarycamp.com.

T-Ball and Coach Pitch Baseball League: Ocean View Team - Mondays and Wednesdays, Kahuku Park. Nā‘ālehu Team - Tuesdays and Thursdays, Nā‘ālehu Park. Pāhala Team (seeking coaches) - attend Nā‘ālehu practice. T-Ball, 3:30-4:30pm, ages 5-6. Coach Pitch, 4:30-6p.m., ages 7-8. Programs take place through April 16. Wear cleats or tennis shoes, bring a glove if possible. Extras gloves available for use. All skills and genders welcome. $35 per teammate. See Ka‘ū Youth Baseball on Facebook. Josh or Elizabeth Crook, 345-0511

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 808-938-1088.

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.