Wednesday, May 27, 2020

Ka‘ū News Briefs, Wednesday, May 27, 2020

One hundred years of song will be celebrated online this year for the Kamehameha Schools Class of 2020.
See more below. Photo from historichawaii.org

THE NUMBER OF U.S. DEATHS FROM COVID-19 SURGED PAST 100,000 today. The nation leads the world in fatalities from the virus, with nearly three times as many deaths than the next closest country, the United Kingdom, with about 37,500 deaths. The first case of COVID-19 was confirmed in the U.S. less than four months ago. More than 1.73 million cases have been confirmed in the U.S., more than four times as many cases than any other country.
The color for Kohala changed today with one more case
of COVID-19. White is no cases. Yellow is one to five cases.
Light orange is six to ten cases. Dark orange (not pictured)
is 11 to 20 cases. Red is 21 to 50 cases.
Hawaiʻi Department of Health map
     Hawaiʻi and Montana have the third-lowest death rate in the 50 U.S. states and D.C., at 17. The last death in Hawaiʻi from the virus was reported May 3. Only Wyoming, with 14, and Alaska, with ten, have fewer. New York leads the nation in deaths, with 29,484.
     The one new case statewide is on Hawaiʻi Island, in Kohala. It is the only active case on the island. The color change on the COVID-19 map shows Kohala with more cases, closer to the range of Hilo. Hawaiʻi Island has had 82 confirmed cases since the pandemic began The state has 644 confirmed cases: 414 in Honolulu County, 20 in Kauaʻi County, and 118 in Maui County.
     The daily message from Hawaiʻi County Civil Defense Director Talmadge Magno says, "For your information, a total of 7,200 people have been tested on Hawaiʻi Island. This testing will continue island wide and your participation is needed and is key to help in preventing the spread of the Coronavirus. Remember, early testing means early detection and early care that helps stop the spreading of this virus.
     "It is announced that medium risk businesses, such as salons, restaurants, barbershops, and places of worship may begin reopening June 1st. Individual opening dates will be dependent on their readiness to meet the requirements of safety. If assistance is needed, please call Hawaiʻi County Task Force at 935-0031."
Pop-up tents help shelter food distributors in Volcano.
Photo from Friends Feeding Friends 
     Talmadge thanked "Hawaiʻi Food Basket and all the contributors for doing this much-needed service and the Hawaiʻi National Guard, County Police, and the Sheriff’s Department for helping" distribute food to those in need at Cooper Center in Volcano today. "Thank you for listening. Thank you for helping to keep our community safe. This is your Hawaiʻi County Civil Defense."
     Worldwide, more than 5.69 million have contracted COVID-19. The death toll is over 356,000.

To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see Facebook. Follow us on Instagram and Twitter. See our Fresh Food on The Kaʻū Calendar and our latest print edition at kaucalendar.com.

AN EMERGENCY RESILIENCE LOAN PROGRAM for residents economically impacted by COVID-19 pandemic is available from the County of Hawaiʻi. The County made the announcement today that financial counseling and loans to ALICE (asset limited, income constrained, employed) is available to residents who reside on Hawai’i Island and have lost income due to COVID-19. Maximum loan amounts will be $2,500 for individual workers and $5,000 for self-employed persons.
Cooper Center was the venue for the food drop today.
Photo from Friends Feeding Friends
     Apply online for a loan at hawaiiancommunity.net. Those with no or limited access to internet or a computer may call 808-934-0801 for a paper application or to complete an application over the phone. Funds will go to qualified applicants on a first-come, first-served basis.
     The county says, "The program targets individuals considered ALICE before COVID-19 and combats the use of high-interest, predatory financial products like payday loans which charge up to 460 percent APR. According to the ALICE: A Study of Financial Hardship in Hawaiʻi report, 45 percent of households on Hawaiʻi Island are considered ALICE – living one paycheck away from financial hardship."
     Applicants to the program who have household incomes below ALICE will be referred to social service agencies for emergency grants. Applicants who have household incomes above ALICE will be referred to their local credit unions and banks for personal loans.
     Local community development nonprofits Hawaiian Community Assets and Hawaiian Community Lending will administer the program on behalf of the County. HCL will provide the loans, while HCA will deliver financial counseling to every borrower.
     Mayor Kim said, "During this most difficult time for our working families and self-employed, the County is pleased to be able to partner with Hawaiʻi Community Foundation, Hawaiian Community Assets, and Hawaiʻi Community Lending to provide financial support and counseling. By working together as a community, we will get through this and thrive again."
The Food Basket and Friends Feeding Friends prepare for many people to
pick up food tody in Volcano. Photo from Friends Feeding Friends
     Hawaiʻi County Council Member for Puna, Ashley Kierkiewicz, called for establishment of the program after learning of the successful Kauaʻi County Emergency Loan Program that recently got $275,000 to 72 workers and entrepreneurs impacted by COVID-19. Kierkiewicz brought county and community stakeholders together to design the product suite for Hawaiʻi Island and secured $250,000 in county funds to kick-start the program. Hawaiʻi Community Foundation committed $69,000 for program operations and to buy down the interest rate of every program loan so borrowers will pay zero percent in interest.
     She said, "Hawaiʻi's economy has been obliterated, and our residents and entrepreneurs are feeling an economic pain that is made even more stark with the slow and uneven disbursement of federal and state relief benefits. The Emergency Resilience Loan Program will help provide immediate relief while many wait for government benefits to come through. It also lays a critical foundation for how we as a County can leverage public-private partnerships and distribute incoming CARES Act money to support community revitalization and recovery."

Friends Feeding Friends ready to provide food at
Cooper Center. Photo from Friends Feeding Friends
     HCA and HCL implemented the Kauaʻi County Emergency Loan Program in April, processing 284 applications and approving all 72 borrowers in just 10 days, serving 184 Garden Isle children and adults. The county says the "innovative loan program has helped support multi-sector partnerships between government, philanthropy, health, and nonprofit community development organizations to bring affordable loans to individuals who are unable to qualify at credit unions or banks."

To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see Facebook. Follow us on Instagram and Twitter. See our Fresh Food on The Kaʻū Calendar and our latest print edition at kaucalendar.com.

KAMEHAMEHA SCHOOLS WILL TELEVISE ITS 100TH ANNUAL SONG CONTEST on Friday, May 29. The centennial celebration would have been held in March. A statement from the school says that, "utilizing innovation and ingenuity, seniors from Kamehameha Schools Kapālama ensure a time-honored tradition lives on with a reimagined format honoring the event's original theme of I Mau Ke Aloha ʻĀina – 'So that Aloha ʻĀina Perseveres.'"
     On Friday, senior haumāna, students, will showcase three special virtual choir performances featuring their original, never-before-heard mele, songs, "adding to the rich history that is the Kamehameha Schools Song Contest." To access this unprecedented occasion and learn more about each mele, visit the Song Contest web page.
Adorned in their class color, ‘ōmaʻomaʻo (green), KS Kapālama seniors virtually perform their co-ed mele, 
"Ola nā ‘Ōiwi Aloha ‘Āina," under the direction of Josias Pilināmakaika‘oia‘i‘o Ka‘upu Fronda, 
son of KS Senior Land Asset Manager Kalani Fronda. Photo from Kamehameha Schools
     KS Kapālama's 436 Class of 2020 seniors individually recorded themselves singing their designated parts, "transforming the centennial celebration to meet the unique conditions of this unprecedented time. Dedicated teams of staff, alumni, and friends then assembled the many bass, baritone, tenor, alto, and soprano voices into three a cappella choral arrangements, made possible by leveraging advanced musical technology."
     KS says the "highly sought-after" Song Contest awards will not be presented, "the opportunity for haumāna to follow in the footsteps of their kūpuna, while creating mele that perpetuate language, wahi pana (storied places), and traditional practices, far surpass any accolade."
     An article from Hawaiʻi News Now quotes KS Kapālama Poʻokula Dr. Taran Chun: "As such, we do not have a 'Plan B' for the 100th Song Contest. Instead, we have a new 'Plan A.' Promoting aloha ʻāina in our KS ʻohana has become a global necessity, and our new journey takes our promise of a world-class education to a new level. Armed with new lessons of aloha ʻāina, the 100th Song Contest celebration will take place over the months ahead, culminating with the much-anticipated 100th Song Contest in March 2021, where next year's student body will sing their mele aloha ʻāina, perform in Hoʻike, and deliver memorable speeches, as intended."

directory for farms, ranches, takeout. Print edition of The Kaʻū Calendar is 
free, with 7,500 distributed on stands and to all postal addresses throughout 
Kaʻū, from Miloliʻi through Volcano throughout the district. Read online at 
kaucalendar.com and facebook.com/kaucalendar. To advertise your 
business or your social cause, contact kaucalendarads@gmail.com.
To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see Facebook. Follow us on Instagram and Twitter. See our Fresh Food on The Kaʻū Calendar and our latest print edition at kaucalendar.com.

Daily, weekly, and monthly recurring Kaʻū and Volcano Events, Meetings, Entertainment, Exercise, Meditation, and more are listed at kaucalendar.com. However, all non-essential activities are canceled through the end of May.

ONGOING
A Keiki Giveaway by ʻO Kaʻū Kākou at OKK's Nāʻālehu Market location this Saturday, May 30, will feature Shave Ice and Goodie Bags. In the Goodie Bags, the keikis' families will have an opportunity to randomly receive the special bags with gift certificates from local merchants: Punaluʻu Bake Shop, Wikiwiki 76, Shaka's, and Hana Hou. Each business is giving two gift certificates.
     OKK President Wayne Kawachi said the Goodie Bags will be available from 1 p.m. until OKK runs out. He said parents should check the bags for the gift certificates before giving them to keiki. He also promised similar giveaways at a later date in Ocean View and Pāhala.
     The market is open Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday from 8 a.m. to noon. There will not be vendors during this event.

 Free COVID-19 Screenings are at Bay Clinic during business hours, with appointment. Call 333-3600.
     A testing team from Aloha Critical Care in Kona will provide testing at St. Jude's every other Wednesday. The next date is June 3 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
     The next drive-thru screening at Nāʻālehu Community Center will be held Wednesday, June 10 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Screening will be carried out by Aliʻi Health, with support from County of Hawai‘i COVID-19 Task Force, Premier Medical Group and Pathways Telehealth.
     Wearing masks is required for everyone. Those visiting screening clinics will be asked to show photo ID, and any health insurance cards – though health insurance is not required to be tested. They are also asked to bring their own pen to fill in forms.
     To bypass the screening queue at community test sites, patients can call ahead to Pathways Telehealth, option 5 at 808-747-8321. The free clinic will also offer on-site screening to meet testing criteria. Physicians qualify those for testing, under the guidance of Center for Disease Control & Prevention and Hawaiʻi's COVID-19 Response Task Force.
     For further information, call Civil Defense at 935-0031.

Ocean View Swap Meet is open at Ocean View makai shopping center, near Mālama Market. Hours for patrons are 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Vendor set-up time is 5 a.m. Masks are required for all vendors and patrons.

ʻO Kaʻū Kākou Market in Nāʻālehu is open three days per week – Monday, Wednesday, and Friday – from 8 a.m. to noon. The goal is no more than 50 customers on the grounds at a time. Vendor booths per day are limited to 25, with 30 feet of space between vendors. Masks and hand sanitizing are required to attend the market. Social distancing will be enforced.
     A wide selection of fresh vegetables and fruits, prepared take away foods, assorted added value foods, breads and baked goods, honey, cheese, grass-fed beef, fish, vegetable plants, masks, handmade soaps, coffee, and more are offered on various days. Contact Sue Barnett, OKK Market Manager, at 808-345-9374, for more and to apply to vend.

Volcano Farmers Market at Cooper Center on Wright Road, off of Old Volcano Highway, is open on Sundays from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m., with much local produce, island beef, and prepared foods. Call 808-967-7800.

Free Breakfast and Lunch for Anyone Eighteen and Under is available at Kaʻū High & Pāhala Elementary and at Nāʻālehu Elementary on weekdays (no holidays) through Friday, July 17. Each youth must be present to receive a meal. Service is drive-up or walk-up, and social distancing rules (at least six feet away) are observed. Breakfast is served from 7:30 a.m. to 8 a.m., lunch from 11:30 a.m. to noon. Food is being delivered on Wednesdays to students in Green Sands, Discovery Harbour, and Ocean View.

St. Jude's Episcopal Church Soup Kitchen is open, with a modified menu and increased health & safety standards, every Saturday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Hot showers, the computer lab, and in-person services and bible studies are suspended. Services are posted online on Sundays at stjudeshawaii.org.

The Food Basket's ʻOhana Food Drop is available once a month at four Kaʻū and Volcano locations. People can receive a multi-day supply of shelf-stable and fresh food, depending on supply. Call The Food Basket at 933-6030 for Pāhala and Volcano or at 322-1418 for Nāʻālehu or Ocean View. Food can be picked up from 10 a.m. until pau – supplies run out – at:
     Nāʻālehu's Sacred Heart Church at 95-558 Mamālahoa Hwy on Monday, June 1.
     Ocean View's Kahuku Park on Tuesday, June 8.
     Volcano's Cooper Center at 19-4030 Wright Road on  Wednesday, June 24.
     Pāhala's Kaʻū District Gym at 96-1149 Kamani Street on Tuesday, June 30.

On-Call Emergency Box Food Pantry is open at Cooper Center Tuesdays through Saturdays from 11 a.m. to noon. Call 967-7800 to confirm.

Enroll in Kua O Ka Lā's Hīpuʻu Virtual Academy for school year 2020-2021, grades four through eight. The Hawaiian Focused Charter School teaches with an emphasis on Hawaiian language and culture. The blended curriculum is offered through online instruction and community-based projects, with opportunities for face-to-face gatherings (with precautions), in an "Education with Aloha" environment.
     Kua O Ka Lā offers a specialized program that provides students with core curriculum, content area, and electives in-keeping with State of Hawaiʻi requirements. Combined with Native Hawaiian values, culture, and a place-based approach to education, from the early morning wehena – ceremonial school opening – Kua O Ka Lā students are encouraged to walk Ke Ala Pono – the right and balanced path.
     The school's website says Kua O Ka Lā has adopted Ke Ala Pono "to describe our goal of nurturing and developing our youth. We believe that every individual has a unique potential and that it is our responsibility to help our students learn to work together within the local community to create a future that is pono – right." The school aims to provide students with "the knowledge and skills, through Hawaiian values and place-based educational opportunities, that prepare receptive, responsive, and self-sustaining individuals that live 'ke ala pono.'"
     See kuaokala.org to apply and to learn more about the school. Call 808-981-5866 or 808-825-8811, or email info@kuaokala.org for more.

Free Book Exchanges at the laundromats in Ocean View and Nāʻālehu are provided by Friends of the Kaʻū Libraries. Everyone is invited to take books they want to read. They may keep the books, pass them on to other readers, or return them to the Book Exchange to make them available to others in the community. The selection of books is replenished weekly at both sites.

Make Reservations for Father's Day at Crater Rim Café in Kīlauea Military Camp for Sunday, June 21 from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. Seating limited due to social distancing. Dinner also available to go. The main course is Prime Rib and Vegetable Alfredo Pasta Bake, with side dishes and dessert, for $27.95 per person. Call 967-8356 for dine-in reservations, to-go orders, and current event information. KMC is open to all authorized patrons and sponsored guests. Park entrance fees apply.

Kīlauea Visitor Center Auditorium Closed for Renovation through June 30. The Park is closed until further notice due to COVID-19 spread mitigation. A popular seven-and-a-half minute 2018 eruption video will be shown on a television in the exhibits area, once the Park and center reopen, and is available online for free download.

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.



at