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| Last year, Danny Akaka, Jr. blows the conch shell and blesses the new avocado processing facility at Avoland Hawaiʻi Farms with owner Michael Krones and support staffer Cindy Cohn. See more in Kaʻū Life: The Way We Were, below. Photo by Julia Neal |
NOMINATED FOR ASSOCIATE JUSTICE ON THE STATE SUPREME COURT, Judge Todd W. Eddins is appointed by Gov. David Ige. "Judge Eddins has the vast knowledge and experience necessary to serve on the Hawai‘i Supreme Court. He has the respect of his peers and I know that he will be a welcome addition to the state's highest court," said the governor.
Eddins was appointed to the First Circuit Court in 2017. He has presided over 85 jury trials and resolved thousands of legal motions. He has sat as a substitute justice of the Hawai‘i Supreme Court in numerous cases, and served on judicial committees involving judicial performance, jury instructions, and court rules.
Eddins graduated from College of William & Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia, and University of Hawai‘i's William S. Richardson School of Law, where he was executive editor of the Law Review. He is a former law clerk to the late Hawai‘i Supreme Court Justice Yoshimi Hayashi. Eddins also worked as a trial attorney for Office of the Public Defender before entering private practice where he concentrated on complex criminal, civil, and appellate litigation. He defended former Hawai‘i County Mayor Billie Kenoi in a case concerning personal use of a county payment card, which Kenoi reimbursed after it gained public attention through West Hawai‘i Today. Kenoi was found not guilty.
Eddins is a former member of the McCully-Moiliʻili neighborhood boards. He has coached youth athletics and the Hawai‘i Youth Correctional Facility high school mock trial team. He is married, with four children.
Hawai‘i Supreme Court is composed of a chief justice and four associate justices. Justices are initially appointed for a ten-year term. After the initial appointment, the Judicial Selection Commission determines whether a justice will be retained in office. A justice may not serve past the age of 70.
Eddins' appointment is subject to Senate confirmation. The seat has been vacant since Associate Justice Richard W. Pollack retired in June 2020. Ige selected Eddins from a field of four chosen by the state Judicial Selection Commission.
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.
MAKE SURE TO SEND IN BALLOTS is the lead message from state Sen. Dru Kanuha's weekend letter. "As the County of Hawai'i (COH) mailed ballots on October 7, complete and return your ballot by mail or in-person to any County of Hawai'i voter service centers or deposit boxes as soon as possible to ensure your vote is counted. If you have not received your ballot, please contact the COH Elections Office."
Kanuhu also urged: "As always, during this global health pandemic, please continue to be vigilant and do your part – wear facial coverings when in public, sanitize hands regularly, and practice social distancing."
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.
PAWS ACROSS THE PACIFIC is a Wings of Rescue operation that will fly-in veterinary supplies to animal shelters and carry adoptable Hawaiʻi Island Humane Society pets to the mainland next week. It is an effort to reduce populations at shelters across the state by airlifting dogs and cats to communities where people want pets. Leaving from Hilo, adoptees will ride on a Hercules-130 plane, chartered by sponsors. It has been called "The largest pet rescue flight in history and is coordinated by Hawaiʻi Emergency Management Agency, Wings of Rescue, and Greater Good Charities.
More that $150,000 has been raised for the mission. The John T. Peterson Foundation offers an additional $50,000 in matching funding. As of this morning, $33,344 was raised toward the $50,000 goal. Donate on the Greater Good fundraising site here.
During Paws Across the Pacific mission, a Hercules C-30 plane will pick up dogs and cats on Wednesday from Kauaʻi, Oʻahu, Maui, and Hilo, and fly them overnight to Seattle, where representatives of shelters in the region will receive about 480 animals bound for adoption. The flight will continue to Walla Walla, WA, and Cour d'Alene, ID. The animals will be taken to shelters in Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and Montana.
A statement from Paws Across the Pacific says dogs and cats will "be quickly adopted into loving forever homes."
Organizers said the COVID-19 crisis has made it more difficult to adopt animals in Hawaiʻi and to give them the best care. Reducing populations at shelters will make room for more at-risk animals.
Adopting and supportive shelters are PAWS, The NOAH Center, Seattle Humane, Humane Society of Skagit Valley, Kitsap Humane, Oregon Humane Society, Southwest Washington Humane, Kootenai Humane Society, Seattle Area Feline Rescue, Tracs, Spokanimal, Blue Mountain Humane Society, and Embrace a Discarded Pet Society.
Additional support comes from Kamaka Air Cargo, John R. Peterson Foundation, The Animal Rescue Site, Banfield Foundation, VCA Pet Charities, Tito's Handmade Vodka, the Petco Foundation, MuttNation Foundation, PEDIGREE Foundation, Royal Canin, and Healthy Paws Pet Insurance & Foundation.
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.
A 3.5-MAGNITUDE EARTHQUAKE shook Nāmakanipaio Campground, mauka of Highway 11 in Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park this morning at 5:08 a.m. This is one of about 70 shallow quakes beneath the northeastern tip of the Ka‘ōiki fault system in the last 24 hours. About 135 small, shallow have hit the area within the last week, most since Thursday, Oct. 22. Yesterday, Hawaiian Volcanoes Observatory scientists labeled the quakes a cluster, but that "does not mean an eruption is imminent." Read yesterday's Kaʻū News Briefs for more details.
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.
TODAY IS WORLD POLIO DAY. Volcano Rotary Club, and Rotary Clubs around the world, are one group dedicated to eradicating polio. Along with their partners, according to endpolio.org, Rotary Clubs "have helped immunize more than 2.5 billion children against polio in 122 countries. We have reduced polio cases by 99.9 percent worldwide and we won't stop until we end the disease for good." Donate, support, and learn more at endpolio.org.
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.
PARK RANGERS WILL VIRTUALLY VISIT CLASSES, through connecting with teachers and home-schoolers. Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park reports that "Our rangers are ready with distance learning programs. We can tailor the program to your curriculum needs, and do a virtual huakaʻi (field trip) on location from the Park."
Contact havo_education@nps.gov to set it up.
More than 20,000 National Park Service employees care for America's 419 national parks and work with communities across the nation to help preserve local history and create close-to-home recreational opportunities. Learn more about the National Park System at nps.gov, and on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube.
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.
USING CHARCOAL TO UNDERSTAND HOW VOLCANOES WILL ACT IN THE FUTURE IS THE FOCUS OF THIS WEEK'S Volcano Watch, written by U.S. Geological Survey Hawaiian Volcano Observatory scientists and affiliates:
Charcoal, a game-changer for understanding processes in young volcanic terranes (fault-bounded areas or regions with a distinctive stratigraphy, structure, and geological history).
One of the fundamental premises of geology is that the "key to understanding the future is to understand the past." In order to forecast how a volcano will behave, geologists must map the deposits from past eruptions and determine the ages of those deposits. Radiocarbon dating is our principal tool of use.
Radiocarbon ages are expressed in "years BP" (Before Present). "Present" is the year 1950 because, after that date, nuclear weapons testing has contaminated the atmosphere with excess Carbon-14 (14C).
Radiocarbon dating was initiated in Hawaiʻi by Meyer Rubin, a revered U.S. Geological Survey colleague, who unfortunately passed away in May – a victim of COVID-19. Rubin was a pioneer in developing 14C dating techniques, working as a student at the University of Chicago with Nobel Prize winner Willard Libbey. Meyer began his work with the U.S. Geological Survey in Washington, D.C., working with Hans Suess to refine radiocarbon dating by converting the carbon in solid samples to a gas to provide better counting statistics and thus higher quality data.
Meyer Rubin was instrumental in bringing radiocarbon dating to Hawaiʻi and making this technique accessible to geologists. The first radiocarbon samples used to date flows in Hawaiʻi were collected in 1955 and dated in 1958. The samples were accidental finds, from Hilo, after a bulldozer cleared some land revealing carbonized plant materials. The first sample was from an ʻōhiʻa tree and yielded an age of 2,000 ± (plus or minus) 250 yrs BP. A second sample, from hāpuʻu, gave an age of 2,070 ± 250 yrs BP. These ages were internally consistent, met stratigraphic criteria, and thus, yielded a reliable age of the flow. Another serendipitous sample was collected in 1959, in Waiʻōhinu, on the southeast portion of the Island of Hawaiʻi. The sample was collected in a churchyard, during the course of digging a grave, a worker broke through a pāhoehoe flow and found charcoal. The sample provided an age of 3,740 ± 250 yrs BP.
It wasn't until the early 1970s, however, that a systematic and methodical approach to charcoal recovery in Hawaiʻi commenced. This effort was spearheaded by John "Jack" Lockwood and Peter Lipman. In a paper published in 1980, the authors stated, "After extensive field observation of prehistoric and historic lava-flow basal contacts, we gradually developed field guidelines to predict areas of charcoal preservation and can now find carbonized wood under most Hawaiian lava flows that extend into vegetated areas."
Prior to 1974, only 11 lava flows from Mauna Loa and Kilauea had been dated by the radiocarbon method. Soon – with new understandings of how charcoal is formed – geologists began to collect charcoal in earnest to uncover the secrets of Pele. So far, on the Island of Hawaiʻi, we have gathered over 1,500 charcoal samples and obtained more than 1,000 radiocarbon ages. About half of the dated material is from Mauna Loa volcano. The methodology used to recover charcoal in Hawaii is applicable to young volcanic terranes around the world.
How does radiocarbon dating work? Most carbon is not radioactive, but one isotope, 14C, is radioactive and has a half-life of 5,700 years. 14C is produced by radioactive decay of nitrogen and is readily utilized by plants to build tissue, fiber, and wood.
The quantity of 14C in the plant continuously diminishes through radioactive decay, so that after 5,700 years the amount of 14C is 50 percent of the amount when incorporated into plant tissue. After another 5,700 years, the concentration is down to 25 percent of its initial amount. Scientists use this decay to get an age from charcoal. The relatively new accelerator mass spectrometer techniques can theoretically provide ages between 80 and 100,000 years.
Realistically, radiocarbon dating is good to about 50,000 years BP. The discovery of using charcoal to date young volcanic processes, through radiocarbon, has allowed us to evaluate the geologic history of the Island of Hawaiʻi. Thanks to the late Meyer Rubin, Jack Lockwood, and Peter Lipman, the use of radiocarbon dating has revolutionized our ability to firmly establish eruption frequency, unearth the periodicity of hazards, and assess risk. For dating young lava flows, "Radiocarbon Dating" has proven to be a Rosetta Stone for understanding the histories of Hawaiʻi's volcanoes!
Volcano Activity Updates
Kīlauea Volcano is not erupting. Its USGS Volcano Alert level remains at NORMAL (https://www.usgs.gov/natural-hazards/volcano-hazards/about-alert-levels). Kīlauea updates are issued monthly.
Kīlauea monitoring data for the past month show variable but typical 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. The water lake at the bottom of Halema‘uma‘u continues to slowly expand and deepen. For the most current information on the lake, see https://www.usgs.gov/volcanoes/kilauea/k-lauea-summit-water-resources.
Mauna Loa is not erupting and remains at Volcano Alert Level ADVISORY. This alert level does not mean that an eruption is imminent or that progression to eruption from current level of unrest is certain. Mauna Loa updates are issued weekly.
This past week (as of Oct. 22), about 98 small-magnitude earthquakes were recorded beneath the upper-elevations of Mauna Loa; most of these occurred at shallow depths of less than 8 kilometers (about 5 miles). Global Positioning System measurements show long-term slowly increasing summit inflation, consistent with magma supply to the volcano's shallow storage system. Gas concentrations and fumarole temperatures as measured at both Sulphur Cone and the summit remain stable. Webcams show no changes to the landscape. For more information on current monitoring of Mauna Loa Volcano, see https://www.usgs.gov/volcanoes/mauna-loa/monitoring.
THIS TIME LAST YEAR, A BLESSING GRACED THE NEW AVOCADO PROCESSING CENTER at Avoland Hawaiʻi Farms, near the old Jimmy Stewart Ranch and Miloliʻi. It helped to launch a new market for the Sharwil variety of avocados. The U.S. Department of Agriculture allows shipments from Hawaiʻi to 32 states and Washington, D.C. from Nov. 1 through March 31, but only for the Sharwils, with their tougher skin resistant to fruit flies. The target states for shipping Hawaiian avocados are the colder regions of the country, where any fruit flies that might hitch a ride from Hawaiʻi won't survive the winter and damage orchards on the mainland.
The facility was crafted by Avoland owner Michael Krones, with Big Island Coastal Contracting owner Mathias Cuison, of Nāʻālehu, and operator Bernard Hu constructing the building, and the Avoland crew finishing it off. Cindy Cohn handles outreach to the community of growers and buyers.
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.
Give Input on Hawaiʻi 2050 Sustainability Plan Update by State of Hawaiʻi Office of Planning through Oct. 28. Public invited to participate in online sessions to learn about plan and contribute to the revision process. Free; advance registration required. Register online.
Free Drive-Thru Candy Giveaway at Ocean View Community Center on Saturday, Oct. 31, Halloween Day, starting at 3 p.m. Each keiki will receive a bag and kids in costume "may get a little something extra," says the announcement.
Ocean View Community Center Library New Hours as of Saturday, Oct. 31 are Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Give Input of Pandemic on Small Businesses to Hawaiʻi Small Business Development Center through Oct. 31. Provides vital information to policymakers and lenders who are weighing decisions that affect small businesses. Ten-minute-long survey open to businesses currently in operation, recently closed, or about to launch. Responses confidential. Complete the survey. Questions? Contact SFFedSmallBusiness@sf.frb.org.
Veteran Farmers can register for virtual Farmer Veteran Coalition Conference: Veterans Farming through Adversity held Nov. 18 and 19, Wednesday and Thursday. Features education, workshops, keynote speakers, panel discussions, networking opportunities, and more. $45 ($35 for coalition members). Advance registration required. Register online.
Hawaiian Islands Challenge Virtual Run through Dec. 31. Registration closes Nov. 30. Individuals or teams can register to traverse some or all of 808 kilometers on six different courses, one on each main island. Register here.
Watch the Oct. 5 Debate between Mayoral Candidates Ikaika Marzo and Mitch Roth on Nā Leo TV, Spectrum Channel 54, online at naleo.tv/channel-54/, or via the free Nā Leo mobile app.
Virtual Workshops on Hawaiʻi's Legislative Processes through Public Access Room. Sign up by contacting (808) 587-0478 or par@capitol.hawaii.gov. Ask questions and discuss all things legislative in a non-partisan environment. Attend Coffee Hour with PAR: Fridays at 3 p.m. on Zoom, meeting ID 990 4865 9652 or click https://zoom.us/j/99048659652. PAR staff will be available to answer questions and to discuss the legislative process. Anyone wanting to listen in without taking part in discussions is welcome. Learn more at https://lrb.hawaii.gov/public-access-room.
RMAP nonprofit partners are Hawaiian Community Assets/Hawaiʻi Community Lending, www.HawaiianCommunity.net, 808-934-0801; HOPE Services Hawaiʻi, www.hopeserviceshawaii.org/rmap, 808-935-3050; Hawai‘i First Federal Credit Union, www.hawaiifirstfcu.com/pathways, 808-933-6600; Neighborhood Place of Puna, www.neighborhoodplaceofpuna.org/coronavirus-rent-mortgage-relief, 808-965-5550; Hawai‘i Island Home for Recovery, www.hihrecovery.org/RMAP, 808-640-4443 or 808-934-7852; Habitat for Humanity Hawai‘i Island, www.habitathawaiiisland.org/rmap.html, 808-450-2118.
Anyone Feeling Depressed or Anxious, or who needs someone to talk to, can call Department of Health's expanded Hawai‘i C.A.R.E.S. program at 1-800-753-6879 – the same number previously used by Crisis Line of Hawai‘i. Individuals in crisis can also text ALOHA to 741741, available 24/7.
Free Monthly Online Breastfeeding Support Group MOMs to MOMs, fourth Wednesday, 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. Presented and facilitated by Hui Mālama Ola Nā ʻŌiwi's Leila Ryusaki. Open to pregnant women and new breastfeeding moms with babies from birth to one year old. Sign up at HMONO.ORG/SERVICES.
Learn How to Practice Self-Care through Big Island Substance Abuse Council's Practice Self-Care Series. For additional series that feature refreshing wellness tips, follow the Behavioral Health & Homelessness Statewide Unified Response Group on Facebook.
Register for Boys & Girls Club Mobile Outreach and Tutoring Programs here. Registration does not guarantee a spot in the program. A staff member will reach out to eligible families for keiki grades 1-6, to complete the registration process. Questions? Contact Boys & Girls Club of the Big Island Administrative Office, Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., at (808) 961-5536 or email mobiletutoring@bgcbi.org or info@bgcbi.org.
Nominate Businesses that Provide Excellent COVID-19 Safety Precautions for a Gold Star. Submit nominations to County of Hawaiʻi Department of Research and Development here. Find help for small businesses here.
Attend Sunday Drive-In Worship Service at Waiʻōhinu's Kauahaʻao Congregational Church. Parking on the lawn begins at 10 a.m. , with Worship Service starting at 10:10 a.m. Face coverings required when usher comes to vehicle to pass out worship bulletin and other materials, and at the same time, collect any offering or gifts the individual(s) would like to give, or when leaving vehicles for the restroom. Church provides paper fans to stay cool. Bring water. Catch the live-streamed service at 10:10 a.m. and Praise Jam, which runs from 9:15 a.m. to 9:45 a.m. Service is emailed Sunday afternoon to anyone on the email list. Sign up by emailing atdwongyuen.kauahaaochurch@gmail.com or call 928-8039 or 937-2155.
St. Jude's Episcopal Church services and worship are posted online at stjudeshawaii.org. Join the Aloha Hour via Zoom at 11 a.m. on Sundays, here, Meeting ID: 684 344 9828, Password: Aloha. Weekly hot meals, hot showers, the computer lab, and in-person services and bible studies are suspended.
One-Time Emergency Food For Pets is available through KARES. Call David or Barbara Breskin at 319-8333.
Food Pickup through Hope DIA-mend Ministries, weekdays, 5 p.m. in the Ace parking lot in Ocean View and lunches on Mondays. In Nāʻālehu, meals distributed in front of old Nāʻālehu Theatre at 4 p.m.
Emergency Boxes Available at Cooper Center Tuesday through Saturday 8 a.m. to 11:15 a.m. Call ahead, 967-7800.
Volcano Art Center Volcano Village
32nd Annual The Trash Show Hawaiʻi: Artists Recycle open through Halloween, Saturday, Oct. 31 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at East Hawaiʻi Cultural Center, 141 Kalakaua St. in Hilo. Features The TrashFace Collection by Volcano Artist Ira Ono. To attend, all visitors are required to wear a face mask, maintain six-foot social distancing, no physical contact when greeting people, a maximum of ten people in the gallery, and encouraging anyone who feels ill to stay home. See more art from Ono at Volcano Garden Arts & Café Ono, 19-3834 Old Volcano Rd., www.volcanogardenarts.com, www.cafeono.net, 967-7261. For more information go to ehcc.org.
Ocean View Swap Meet reopens Sept. 5 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.
ʻOhana Help Desk offers online How-To Guides fo
Pāhala and Nāʻālehu Public Libraries, open for wifi, pick-up, and other services. Nāʻālehu open Monday and Wednesday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Friday, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Pāhala open Tuesday, noon to 7 p.m., Thursday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Schedule a Library Take Out time at picktime.com/hspls. Open for library card account help and reference assistance from the front door. Wifi available to anyone with a library card from each library parking lot. librarieshawaii.org
Free Job Training for workers displaced by COVID-19 is launched by the state for up to 650 workers. Programs offer on-the-job training through Dec. 15, with wages starting at $13 to $15 an hour, health care benefits, and mentoring. Two different tracks in innovation or conservation sectors. See https://dbedt.hawaii.gov/blog/20-21/.
Read Report on Public Input about Disaster Recovery from damage during the 2018 Kīlauea eruption. View the Civic Engagement and Comment Analysis Report here.
Coffee Farmers and Producers of Other Agricultural Products encouraged to apply to the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program through Dec. 11. See funding updates and resources for coffee growers, hawaiicoffeeassoc.org. See complete list of eligible commodities, payment rates, and calculations at farmers.gov/cfap.
Program to Sell Produce and Meats on Hawaiʻi Island from commercial farmers and livestock producers on Hawai‘i Island for distribution to families in need. Learn more.
Native Hawaiian Farmers and Ranchers urged to use U.S. Dept. of Ag On-Farm Market Directory. Visit the program website.
Read About Seed Biodiversity for Hawaiʻi's Local Food System in It all Begins...and Ends with Seed, where Education and Outreach Coordinator Nancy Redfeather shares her insights. Read the blog.
Find Rangeland Management Resources at globalrangelands.org/state/hawaii. Subscribe to the newsletter to receive updates.
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| Judge Todd W. Eddins appointment to the state Supreme Court is subject to Senate confirmation. Photo from the governor's office |
Eddins is a former member of the McCully-Moiliʻili neighborhood boards. He has coached youth athletics and the Hawai‘i Youth Correctional Facility high school mock trial team. He is married, with four children.
Hawai‘i Supreme Court is composed of a chief justice and four associate justices. Justices are initially appointed for a ten-year term. After the initial appointment, the Judicial Selection Commission determines whether a justice will be retained in office. A justice may not serve past the age of 70.
Eddins' appointment is subject to Senate confirmation. The seat has been vacant since Associate Justice Richard W. Pollack retired in June 2020. Ige selected Eddins from a field of four chosen by the state Judicial Selection Commission.
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.
MAKE SURE TO SEND IN BALLOTS is the lead message from state Sen. Dru Kanuha's weekend letter. "As the County of Hawai'i (COH) mailed ballots on October 7, complete and return your ballot by mail or in-person to any County of Hawai'i voter service centers or deposit boxes as soon as possible to ensure your vote is counted. If you have not received your ballot, please contact the COH Elections Office."
Kanuhu also urged: "As always, during this global health pandemic, please continue to be vigilant and do your part – wear facial coverings when in public, sanitize hands regularly, and practice social distancing."
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.
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Paws Across the Pacific pictures these soon-to-be pets from Hawaiʻi who have adoptive families lined up in the Pacific Northwest. |
PAWS ACROSS THE PACIFIC is a Wings of Rescue operation that will fly-in veterinary supplies to animal shelters and carry adoptable Hawaiʻi Island Humane Society pets to the mainland next week. It is an effort to reduce populations at shelters across the state by airlifting dogs and cats to communities where people want pets. Leaving from Hilo, adoptees will ride on a Hercules-130 plane, chartered by sponsors. It has been called "The largest pet rescue flight in history and is coordinated by Hawaiʻi Emergency Management Agency, Wings of Rescue, and Greater Good Charities.
More that $150,000 has been raised for the mission. The John T. Peterson Foundation offers an additional $50,000 in matching funding. As of this morning, $33,344 was raised toward the $50,000 goal. Donate on the Greater Good fundraising site here.
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| More than 600 cats and dogs will fly on a Hercules-130 from Hilo to Seattle on Wednesday night. Sponsors are raising money here. |
A statement from Paws Across the Pacific says dogs and cats will "be quickly adopted into loving forever homes."
Organizers said the COVID-19 crisis has made it more difficult to adopt animals in Hawaiʻi and to give them the best care. Reducing populations at shelters will make room for more at-risk animals.
Adopting and supportive shelters are PAWS, The NOAH Center, Seattle Humane, Humane Society of Skagit Valley, Kitsap Humane, Oregon Humane Society, Southwest Washington Humane, Kootenai Humane Society, Seattle Area Feline Rescue, Tracs, Spokanimal, Blue Mountain Humane Society, and Embrace a Discarded Pet Society.
Additional support comes from Kamaka Air Cargo, John R. Peterson Foundation, The Animal Rescue Site, Banfield Foundation, VCA Pet Charities, Tito's Handmade Vodka, the Petco Foundation, MuttNation Foundation, PEDIGREE Foundation, Royal Canin, and Healthy Paws Pet Insurance & Foundation.
A 3.5-MAGNITUDE EARTHQUAKE shook Nāmakanipaio Campground, mauka of Highway 11 in Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park this morning at 5:08 a.m. This is one of about 70 shallow quakes beneath the northeastern tip of the Ka‘ōiki fault system in the last 24 hours. About 135 small, shallow have hit the area within the last week, most since Thursday, Oct. 22. Yesterday, Hawaiian Volcanoes Observatory scientists labeled the quakes a cluster, but that "does not mean an eruption is imminent." Read yesterday's Kaʻū News Briefs for more details.
TODAY IS WORLD POLIO DAY. Volcano Rotary Club, and Rotary Clubs around the world, are one group dedicated to eradicating polio. Along with their partners, according to endpolio.org, Rotary Clubs "have helped immunize more than 2.5 billion children against polio in 122 countries. We have reduced polio cases by 99.9 percent worldwide and we won't stop until we end the disease for good." Donate, support, and learn more at endpolio.org.
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.
Contact havo_education@nps.gov to set it up.
More than 20,000 National Park Service employees care for America's 419 national parks and work with communities across the nation to help preserve local history and create close-to-home recreational opportunities. Learn more about the National Park System at nps.gov, and on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube.
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.
HALLOWEEN IN HAWAIʻI VOLCANOES NATIONAL PARK welcomes families to visit Kīlauea Visitor Center lānai on Halloween weekend, Saturday, Oct. 31 and Sunday, Nov. 1, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Rangers will safely provide each keiki a free ecology gift bag and bingo card to help families explore the park Halloween-style.
Park entrance fees apply, but families with fourth graders enter free when they complete the paper voucher on everykidoutdoors.gov, and present it at the entrance station fee booth. The Every Kid Outdoors pass provides free access to fourth-grade students and those accompanying them to more than 2,000 federal recreation areas until the end August 2021. Fourth graders are eligible for the pass throughout the year and are not required to make it to the park on Halloween weekend.
The free eco gift bags are provided by ‘Ōhi‘a Love Fest and paid for by grants funded through the Rapid ʻŌhiʻa Death Working Group. They include the bingo exploration card and a Rapid ‘Ōhi‘a Death decontamination kit. ROD is a fungal disease killing ʻōhiʻa trees in the park and throughout Hawai‘i.
Families are encouraged to keep everyone healthy and recreate responsibly:
Practice social distancing. Maintain at least six feet of distance to others. Wear a face covering when social distancing cannot be maintained. Wash hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds or use hand sanitizer. Cover mouth and nose when coughing or sneezing. Avoid touching eyes, nose, and mouth. If feeling sick, please visit another day.
Park officials issued a statement urging visitors to "Let wildlife be wild. Do not feed nēnē, the Hawaiian goose, and look out for them on roadways and in parking lots."
HALLOWEEN IN HAWAIʻI VOLCANOES NATIONAL PARK welcomes families to visit Kīlauea Visitor Center lānai on Halloween weekend, Saturday, Oct. 31 and Sunday, Nov. 1, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Rangers will safely provide each keiki a free ecology gift bag and bingo card to help families explore the park Halloween-style.
Park entrance fees apply, but families with fourth graders enter free when they complete the paper voucher on everykidoutdoors.gov, and present it at the entrance station fee booth. The Every Kid Outdoors pass provides free access to fourth-grade students and those accompanying them to more than 2,000 federal recreation areas until the end August 2021. Fourth graders are eligible for the pass throughout the year and are not required to make it to the park on Halloween weekend.
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| Families with fourth-graders can sign up for free access to Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park through the end of August 2021. NPS photo |
Families are encouraged to keep everyone healthy and recreate responsibly:
Practice social distancing. Maintain at least six feet of distance to others. Wear a face covering when social distancing cannot be maintained. Wash hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds or use hand sanitizer. Cover mouth and nose when coughing or sneezing. Avoid touching eyes, nose, and mouth. If feeling sick, please visit another day.
Park officials issued a statement urging visitors to "Let wildlife be wild. Do not feed nēnē, the Hawaiian goose, and look out for them on roadways and in parking lots."
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.
HALLOWEEN SAFETY TIPS are promoted in a video shared by Kaʻū High & Pāhala Elementary. The video cited Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines for the holiday, warning against high-risk activities such as door-to-door trick-or-treating, and indoor gatherings or haunted houses. Watch the video here.
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.
A HUGE LEAP IN DAILY COVID-19 CASES is reported by the United States today, with over 90,000 since yesterday. Nearly 1,000 deaths are also reported in the last day for the U.S. The cumulative case count in the U.S. is more than 8,563,540 – about 20 percent of worldwide cases. The death toll is more than 224,720 – about 19.5 percent of worldwide deaths.
Sixteen new COVID-19 cases are reported on Hawaiʻi Island today. New cases reported statewide today total 90, with 59 on Oʻahu, and 16 in Maui County.
Since the pandemic began, Hawaiʻi Island reported 1,170 cases. There are at least 10 people hospitalized on Hawaiʻi Island with the virus.
Since the pandemic began, 41 deaths have been reported by Hilo Life Center (seven), Kona Community Hospital (one), Hilo Medical Center (six), and Yukio Okutsu State Veterans Home (27). Hawaiʻi Island's death toll, as reported by the county, is 40 since the pandemic began. Some Hawaiʻi Island deaths are not officially reported by the state. At least 212 people have died in the state, according to state records, three new today.
There have been 14,553 COVID cases in the state. Department of Health reports 11,346 people of those infected have completed isolation. There are about 3,000 active cases in isolation. Oʻahu reports 12,791 cases, Maui County 480, and Kauaʻi 60. Fifty-two victims are residents diagnosed while out-of-state. Statewide, 1,065 people have been hospitalized since the pandemic began.
No new cases have been reported in the last 28 days for Volcano zip codes 96785 and 96718, and Kaʻū zip code 96772. In the last 28 days, less than ten active cases have been reported in Kaʻū zip code 96777, and 96704, which includes Miloliʻi.
In the last 28 days, 19 active cases have been reported in Kaʻū zip code 96737. In Hilo zip code 96720, 48 cases have been reported in the last 28 days. In Kona zip code 96740, 100 cases have been reported in the last 28 days. In Puako/Waikoloa zip code 96738, 27 cases have been reported in the last 28 days.
See the Hawaiʻi County COVID-19 webpage. Report violators of COVID-19 safety protocols or quarantine to non-emergency at 935-3311. Hawaiʻi Island police continue enforcement of preventative policies.
Worldwide, there are more than 42.46 million COVID-19 cases. The death toll is more than 1,147,479.
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| Watch a Halloween safety video here. |
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.
A HUGE LEAP IN DAILY COVID-19 CASES is reported by the United States today, with over 90,000 since yesterday. Nearly 1,000 deaths are also reported in the last day for the U.S. The cumulative case count in the U.S. is more than 8,563,540 – about 20 percent of worldwide cases. The death toll is more than 224,720 – about 19.5 percent of worldwide deaths.
Sixteen new COVID-19 cases are reported on Hawaiʻi Island today. New cases reported statewide today total 90, with 59 on Oʻahu, and 16 in Maui County.
Since the pandemic began, Hawaiʻi Island reported 1,170 cases. There are at least 10 people hospitalized on Hawaiʻi Island with the virus.
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Onset of COVID-19 cases in the last 28
days, by zip code. Gray areas have populations less than 1,000. White is zero cases.
Yellow is one to 10 cases. Light
orange is 11-50 cases. Dark orange is 51-200 cases. Department of
Health map |
There have been 14,553 COVID cases in the state. Department of Health reports 11,346 people of those infected have completed isolation. There are about 3,000 active cases in isolation. Oʻahu reports 12,791 cases, Maui County 480, and Kauaʻi 60. Fifty-two victims are residents diagnosed while out-of-state. Statewide, 1,065 people have been hospitalized since the pandemic began.
No new cases have been reported in the last 28 days for Volcano zip codes 96785 and 96718, and Kaʻū zip code 96772. In the last 28 days, less than ten active cases have been reported in Kaʻū zip code 96777, and 96704, which includes Miloliʻi.
In the last 28 days, 19 active cases have been reported in Kaʻū zip code 96737. In Hilo zip code 96720, 48 cases have been reported in the last 28 days. In Kona zip code 96740, 100 cases have been reported in the last 28 days. In Puako/Waikoloa zip code 96738, 27 cases have been reported in the last 28 days.
See the Hawaiʻi County COVID-19 webpage. Report violators of COVID-19 safety protocols or quarantine to non-emergency at 935-3311. Hawaiʻi Island police continue enforcement of preventative policies.
Worldwide, there are more than 42.46 million COVID-19 cases. The death toll is more than 1,147,479.
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.
USING CHARCOAL TO UNDERSTAND HOW VOLCANOES WILL ACT IN THE FUTURE IS THE FOCUS OF THIS WEEK'S Volcano Watch, written by U.S. Geological Survey Hawaiian Volcano Observatory scientists and affiliates:
Charcoal, a game-changer for understanding processes in young volcanic terranes (fault-bounded areas or regions with a distinctive stratigraphy, structure, and geological history).
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| Charcoal collected from under the base of a pāhoehoe flow in a black sooty zone over orange ash. The black sooty zone represents the region where the vegetation was converted to charcoal. The hammer is about 13 inches long. USGS photo by F. Trusdell |
Radiocarbon ages are expressed in "years BP" (Before Present). "Present" is the year 1950 because, after that date, nuclear weapons testing has contaminated the atmosphere with excess Carbon-14 (14C).
Radiocarbon dating was initiated in Hawaiʻi by Meyer Rubin, a revered U.S. Geological Survey colleague, who unfortunately passed away in May – a victim of COVID-19. Rubin was a pioneer in developing 14C dating techniques, working as a student at the University of Chicago with Nobel Prize winner Willard Libbey. Meyer began his work with the U.S. Geological Survey in Washington, D.C., working with Hans Suess to refine radiocarbon dating by converting the carbon in solid samples to a gas to provide better counting statistics and thus higher quality data.
Meyer Rubin was instrumental in bringing radiocarbon dating to Hawaiʻi and making this technique accessible to geologists. The first radiocarbon samples used to date flows in Hawaiʻi were collected in 1955 and dated in 1958. The samples were accidental finds, from Hilo, after a bulldozer cleared some land revealing carbonized plant materials. The first sample was from an ʻōhiʻa tree and yielded an age of 2,000 ± (plus or minus) 250 yrs BP. A second sample, from hāpuʻu, gave an age of 2,070 ± 250 yrs BP. These ages were internally consistent, met stratigraphic criteria, and thus, yielded a reliable age of the flow. Another serendipitous sample was collected in 1959, in Waiʻōhinu, on the southeast portion of the Island of Hawaiʻi. The sample was collected in a churchyard, during the course of digging a grave, a worker broke through a pāhoehoe flow and found charcoal. The sample provided an age of 3,740 ± 250 yrs BP.
It wasn't until the early 1970s, however, that a systematic and methodical approach to charcoal recovery in Hawaiʻi commenced. This effort was spearheaded by John "Jack" Lockwood and Peter Lipman. In a paper published in 1980, the authors stated, "After extensive field observation of prehistoric and historic lava-flow basal contacts, we gradually developed field guidelines to predict areas of charcoal preservation and can now find carbonized wood under most Hawaiian lava flows that extend into vegetated areas."
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| Map of Waiʻōhinu area, Island of Hawaiʻi, showing the location of the 3,740-year-old sample. Public domain map |
How does radiocarbon dating work? Most carbon is not radioactive, but one isotope, 14C, is radioactive and has a half-life of 5,700 years. 14C is produced by radioactive decay of nitrogen and is readily utilized by plants to build tissue, fiber, and wood.
The quantity of 14C in the plant continuously diminishes through radioactive decay, so that after 5,700 years the amount of 14C is 50 percent of the amount when incorporated into plant tissue. After another 5,700 years, the concentration is down to 25 percent of its initial amount. Scientists use this decay to get an age from charcoal. The relatively new accelerator mass spectrometer techniques can theoretically provide ages between 80 and 100,000 years.
Realistically, radiocarbon dating is good to about 50,000 years BP. The discovery of using charcoal to date young volcanic processes, through radiocarbon, has allowed us to evaluate the geologic history of the Island of Hawaiʻi. Thanks to the late Meyer Rubin, Jack Lockwood, and Peter Lipman, the use of radiocarbon dating has revolutionized our ability to firmly establish eruption frequency, unearth the periodicity of hazards, and assess risk. For dating young lava flows, "Radiocarbon Dating" has proven to be a Rosetta Stone for understanding the histories of Hawaiʻi's volcanoes!
Volcano Activity Updates
Kīlauea Volcano is not erupting. Its USGS Volcano Alert level remains at NORMAL (https://www.usgs.gov/natural-hazards/volcano-hazards/about-alert-levels). Kīlauea updates are issued monthly.
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| Nearly 70 earthquakes, all less than 3.6M, occurred near Nāmakanipaio Campground on Kīlauea in the last 24 hours. USGS map |
Mauna Loa is not erupting and remains at Volcano Alert Level ADVISORY. This alert level does not mean that an eruption is imminent or that progression to eruption from current level of unrest is certain. Mauna Loa updates are issued weekly.
This past week (as of Oct. 22), about 98 small-magnitude earthquakes were recorded beneath the upper-elevations of Mauna Loa; most of these occurred at shallow depths of less than 8 kilometers (about 5 miles). Global Positioning System measurements show long-term slowly increasing summit inflation, consistent with magma supply to the volcano's shallow storage system. Gas concentrations and fumarole temperatures as measured at both Sulphur Cone and the summit remain stable. Webcams show no changes to the landscape. For more information on current monitoring of Mauna Loa Volcano, see https://www.usgs.gov/volcanoes/mauna-loa/monitoring.
As of Oct. 22, there was one event with 3 or more felt reports in the Hawaiian Islands during the past week: a M2.2 earthquake 10 km (6 mi) S of Kapaʻau at 22 km (14 mi) depth on Oct. 21 at 11:59 a.m.
HVO continues to closely monitor both Kīlauea and Mauna Loa for any signs of increased activity.
Visit HVO's website for past Volcano Watch articles, Kīlauea and Mauna Loa updates, volcano photos, maps, recent earthquake info, and more. Email questions to askHVO@usgs.gov.
HVO continues to closely monitor both Kīlauea and Mauna Loa for any signs of increased activity.
Visit HVO's website for past Volcano Watch articles, Kīlauea and Mauna Loa updates, volcano photos, maps, recent earthquake info, and more. Email questions to askHVO@usgs.gov.
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.
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The Hawaiʻi design for Sharwil Avocado shipping boxes from Avoland Hawaiʻi Farms. Photo by Julia Neal |
Kaʻū Life: The Way We Were Last Year
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Processing Sharwil Avocados with a light bath before boxing them for the mainland. Photo by Julia Neal |
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| Avoland dog, and owner Michael Krones, center, flanked by Hawaiʻi Island Coastal Contracting's Bernard Hu, left, and Mathias Cuison. Photo by Julia Neal |
The processing plant – a certified kitchen – is open for those with Sharwil avocado orchards that have USDA certification. Those interested can make an appointment to bring their avocados for purchase and shipping. The processing involves a wash with a light hydrogen peroxide, grading, and placing the avocados in shipping boxes.
The state Department of Agriculture promotes Sharwil Avocado as "Only from Hawaiʻi," saying they are "the richest and creamiest avocado you have ever tasted," with a smooth creamy texture and a very small pit. "Grown only in the rich volcanic soils of Hawaiʻi."
Danny Akaka, Jr. led the Hawaiian blessing last year, with ti leaf and water for the inner four corners and outer four corners of the facility, and a conch cell ceremony and prayer. In Hawaiian, Akaka called for the success of Avoland in providing healthy food for people. Attending were numerous avocado growers, neighbors, and enthusiasts who helped with the project and will work on the processing to ship Hawaiʻi Island Sharwil avocados to the mainland.
Avoland Hawaiʻi Farms LLC, with its avocado orchard and commercial kitchen for processing, is located at 89-935 Hawaiʻi Belt Road. Call 808-937-7450. Contact mkrones@gmail.com.
The state Department of Agriculture promotes Sharwil Avocado as "Only from Hawaiʻi," saying they are "the richest and creamiest avocado you have ever tasted," with a smooth creamy texture and a very small pit. "Grown only in the rich volcanic soils of Hawaiʻi."
Danny Akaka, Jr. led the Hawaiian blessing last year, with ti leaf and water for the inner four corners and outer four corners of the facility, and a conch cell ceremony and prayer. In Hawaiian, Akaka called for the success of Avoland in providing healthy food for people. Attending were numerous avocado growers, neighbors, and enthusiasts who helped with the project and will work on the processing to ship Hawaiʻi Island Sharwil avocados to the mainland.
Avoland Hawaiʻi Farms LLC, with its avocado orchard and commercial kitchen for processing, is located at 89-935 Hawaiʻi Belt Road. Call 808-937-7450. Contact mkrones@gmail.com.
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Read online at kaucalendar.com. See our Fresh Food on The Kaʻū Calendar 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. |
Daily, weekly, and monthly recurring Kaʻū and Volcano Events, Meetings, Entertainment, Exercise, Meditation, and more are listed at kaucalendar.com.
EVENTS
Arts & Culture Grants and Support Zoom Meeting, Monday, Oct. 26, 10:30 a.m. Aim is to help the arts community learn about grants and other resources available from national and state public funders. It will cover basics for applying for government support and recent changes in granting. Information session followed by town-hall-style meeting with a moderated question and answer session. Register in advance for this virtual meeting here.
Hawaiʻi Farmers Union United Annual Meeting, Sunday, Nov. 15, 9 a.m. via Zoom, meeting code 450 691 6693. No password. Attend by phone at (669) 900-6833, code 450 691 6693#. Delegates elect HFUU president, and adopt policies and bylaw amendments. Nominations for president due by Friday, Oct. 30 or at meeting; send to Nominations Committee Chair, David S. Case, at casedavids@gmail.com. Policy proposals and bylaw amendments requested from Chapters and individual members; send by e-mail by noon, Sunday, Oct. 25 to HFUU Policy Chair, Saleh Azizi at azizi.saleh@gmail.com and Case. Review and comment on proposals from Friday, Oct. 30. Enjoy world-class educational and musical presentations Nov. 12, 13, and 14. See hfuuhi.org.
Give Input on Hawaiʻi 2050 Sustainability Plan Update by State of Hawaiʻi Office of Planning through Oct. 28. Public invited to participate in online sessions to learn about plan and contribute to the revision process. Free; advance registration required. Register online.
Free Drive-Thru Candy Giveaway at Ocean View Community Center on Saturday, Oct. 31, Halloween Day, starting at 3 p.m. Each keiki will receive a bag and kids in costume "may get a little something extra," says the announcement.
Ocean View Community Center Library New Hours as of Saturday, Oct. 31 are Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Free Courses and Certifications for Hawaiʻi Residents through Coursera offered by state Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism. More than 3,000 options. Registration open until Oct. 31. Recommended courses for picking up technology skills. View more.
Give Input of Pandemic on Small Businesses to Hawaiʻi Small Business Development Center through Oct. 31. Provides vital information to policymakers and lenders who are weighing decisions that affect small businesses. Ten-minute-long survey open to businesses currently in operation, recently closed, or about to launch. Responses confidential. Complete the survey. Questions? Contact SFFedSmallBusiness@sf.frb.org.
Vote and Register In-Person same day. Locations are in Hilo at 101 Pauahi Street, #1, and Kona, 74-5044 Ane Keohokalole Hwy. Secure ballot dropbox located in Nāʻālehu Police Station at 95-5355 Māmalahoa Hwy 24 hours a day, until 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 3, Election Day. See other locations here. Tips on helping others to register to vote at nationalvoterregistrationday.org. Find more information at elections.hawaii.gov. Check voter registration status here.
Attend Free Virtual Hawaiʻi Book & Music Festival through Nov. 4 15th year of the festival features in-depth presentations covering a variety of topics deeply impacting the local community. Featuring Hawaiʻi Public Radio's Burt Lum, host of Bytemarks Café, on several panels. More info & schedule.
Artists and Vendors, Sign Up for the Annual Art & Craft Fair at Ocean View Community Center on Saturday, Nov. 7. The event, held outside from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m., helps raise funds for OVCC and benefit local artists and crafters. Booths $8 for a 10' x 10' space, tents not provided. Free admission for attendees. Face masks required for all. Contact organizer Helen McCullough at 808-209-9204 or hmccullough.1@gmail.com.
PETFIX and Hawaiʻi Rainbow Ranger Spay and Neuter Clinic for Dogs Saturday, Nov. 7 in Ocean View. Microchips available. For information and to register, call 808-990-3548 or email petfixbigisland@gmail.com.
Hawaiʻi Wildlife Fund Public Cleanup Events Sunday, Nov. 15, cleanup and survey; and Saturday, Dec. 19, cleanup. Groups sizes limited due to COVID-19 precautions and government proclamations. HWF says details are forthcoming but will be a blend of hiking, BYO-4wd, and limited HWF carpool options. Contact Megan Lamson-Leatherman at (808) 280-8124 or wild@aloha.net.
Veteran Farmers can register for virtual Farmer Veteran Coalition Conference: Veterans Farming through Adversity held Nov. 18 and 19, Wednesday and Thursday. Features education, workshops, keynote speakers, panel discussions, networking opportunities, and more. $45 ($35 for coalition members). Advance registration required. Register online.
Hawaiian Islands Challenge Virtual Run through Dec. 31. Registration closes Nov. 30. Individuals or teams can register to traverse some or all of 808 kilometers on six different courses, one on each main island. Register here.
ONGOING
Presidential Debates: The first Presidential Debate was held Tuesday, Sept. 29. The single Vice Presidential Debate was held Wednesday, Oct. 7. The second Presidential Debate was canceled. The final Presidential Debate was held Thursday, Oct. 22. Each debate is carried by major news networks, YouTube, Twitter, and more. Listen to the Hawaiʻi Public Radio broadcast on the HPR mobile app or a smart speaker.
Watch the Oct. 5 Debate between Mayoral Candidates Ikaika Marzo and Mitch Roth on Nā Leo TV, Spectrum Channel 54, online at naleo.tv/channel-54/, or via the free Nā Leo mobile app.
Virtual Workshops on Hawaiʻi's Legislative Processes through Public Access Room. Sign up by contacting (808) 587-0478 or par@capitol.hawaii.gov. Ask questions and discuss all things legislative in a non-partisan environment. Attend Coffee Hour with PAR: Fridays at 3 p.m. on Zoom, meeting ID 990 4865 9652 or click https://zoom.us/j/99048659652. PAR staff will be available to answer questions and to discuss the legislative process. Anyone wanting to listen in without taking part in discussions is welcome. Learn more at https://lrb.hawaii.gov/public-access-room.
Apply for Expanded Hawaiʻi County Rent and Mortgage Assistance Program. RMAP partners encourage Hawaiʻi Island residents who are at least 18 years old and lost income or work hours due to COVID-19 may be eligible for up to $2,000 per month for rent, lease, or mortgage payments. Payments made directly to landlords, property managers, or mortgage lenders. Approved applicants also have access to financial counseling services.
RMAP nonprofit partners are Hawaiian Community Assets/Hawaiʻi Community Lending, www.HawaiianCommunity.net, 808-934-0801; HOPE Services Hawaiʻi, www.hopeserviceshawaii.org/rmap, 808-935-3050; Hawai‘i First Federal Credit Union, www.hawaiifirstfcu.com/pathways, 808-933-6600; Neighborhood Place of Puna, www.neighborhoodplaceofpuna.org/coronavirus-rent-mortgage-relief, 808-965-5550; Hawai‘i Island Home for Recovery, www.hihrecovery.org/RMAP, 808-640-4443 or 808-934-7852; Habitat for Humanity Hawai‘i Island, www.habitathawaiiisland.org/rmap.html, 808-450-2118.Coffee Growers are urged to take a survey on how the pandemic is affecting them by Hawaiʻi Coffee Association. Take the survey here.
Micronesian-Language COVID-19 Helpline offered by We Are Oceania. Receive answers to questions about COVID-19 symptoms, testing, quarantine, health insurance, housing, unemployment, and other related questions, for those Micronesians who do not speak English. (808) 913-1364. Watch the video here.
Anyone Feeling Depressed or Anxious, or who needs someone to talk to, can call Department of Health's expanded Hawai‘i C.A.R.E.S. program at 1-800-753-6879 – the same number previously used by Crisis Line of Hawai‘i. Individuals in crisis can also text ALOHA to 741741, available 24/7.
Free Monthly Online Breastfeeding Support Group MOMs to MOMs, fourth Wednesday, 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. Presented and facilitated by Hui Mālama Ola Nā ʻŌiwi's Leila Ryusaki. Open to pregnant women and new breastfeeding moms with babies from birth to one year old. Sign up at HMONO.ORG/SERVICES.
Learn How to Practice Self-Care through Big Island Substance Abuse Council's Practice Self-Care Series. For additional series that feature refreshing wellness tips, follow the Behavioral Health & Homelessness Statewide Unified Response Group on Facebook.
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The State of covidexemption@hawaii.gov 5 days prior to arrival. For a sample request letter visit: https://www.rd.hawaiicounty.gov |
Student Athletes of Kaʻū High interested in participating in athletics during the 2020-2021 school year are encouraged to call Athletic Director Kalei Namohala at 313-4161 to sign up for the Student Athlete Google Classroom.
Resilience Hub at Nāʻālehu Hongwanji, Monday-Wednesday-Friday, noon to 4 p.m. Drop-in wifi and laptop access, free meals for participating keiki. Follows all county, state, and federal COVID-19 guidelines. Contact Michelle Galimba, 808-430-4927.
Attend Weekly Virtual Town Meetings, hosted by Kaʻū High & Pāhala Elementary, on Wednesdays at 5:30 p.m. Discussion topics include attendance, best practices, Grab-n-Go meals, school updates, questions and feedback, and more. Go to KHPES website for Live WebEx link.
Register for Boys & Girls Club Mobile Outreach and Tutoring Programs here. Registration does not guarantee a spot in the program. A staff member will reach out to eligible families for keiki grades 1-6, to complete the registration process. Questions? Contact Boys & Girls Club of the Big Island Administrative Office, Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., at (808) 961-5536 or email mobiletutoring@bgcbi.org or info@bgcbi.org.COVID-19 Talk Story on Nā Leo TV series aims to help deliver accurate and current information to Hawaiʻi Island residents. Airs live Thursdays at 10 a.m. on Spectrum Channel 53, online at naleo.tv/channel-53/, streaming on Nā Leo's free mobile app, and on-demand at naleo.tv/covid19.
Sign Up for Solid Waste Operations Alerts here for site closures, availability of services, hours of operation, special conditions affecting solid waste service (such as road closures, flooding, fires), or special events, such as household hazardous waste collections.
Attend Sunday Drive-In Worship Service at Waiʻōhinu's Kauahaʻao Congregational Church. Parking on the lawn begins at St. Jude's Episcopal Church services and worship are posted online at stjudeshawaii.org. Join the Aloha Hour via Zoom at 11 a.m. on Sundays, here, Meeting ID: 684 344 9828, Password: Aloha. Weekly hot meals, hot showers, the computer lab, and in-person services and bible studies are suspended.
One-Time Emergency Food For Pets is available through KARES. Call David or Barbara Breskin at 319-8333.
Food Pickup through Hope DIA-mend Ministries, weekdays, 5 p.m. in the Ace parking lot in Ocean View and lunches on Mondays. In Nāʻālehu, meals distributed in front of old Nāʻālehu Theatre at 4 p.m.
Emergency Boxes Available at Cooper Center Tuesday through Saturday 8 a.m. to 11:15 a.m. Call ahead, 967-7800.Guided Nature Walks through Nature Trail & Sculpture Garden, Mondays, 9:30 a.m. at Volcano Art Center Niʻaulani Campus in Volcano Village. No reservations for five or fewer – limited to ten people. Free; donations appreciated. Email programs@volcanoartcenter.org. Garden is open to walk through at one's own pace, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekdays. Free. volcanoartcenter.org/events, 967-8222
Health and Fitness Website for Kūpuna, 808b-fit.com, contains videos for kūpuna to play and move along with. There are videos for stretching, tai chi, yoga, dancing, dance fitness, bon dance, hula, chair dancing, and chair yoga.
Yoga with Emily Catey Weiss, Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, 8 a.m. to 9 a.m. at Volcano Art Center Niʻaulani Campus in Volcano Village. Advanced registration required; $5 per class. volcanoartcenter.org/events, 967-8222
Yoga with Emily Catey Weiss, Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, 8 a.m. to 9 a.m. at Volcano Art Center Niʻaulani Campus in Volcano Village. Advanced registration required; $5 per class. volcanoartcenter.org/events, 967-8222
32nd Annual The Trash Show Hawaiʻi: Artists Recycle open through Halloween, Saturday, Oct. 31 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at East Hawaiʻi Cultural Center, 141 Kalakaua St. in Hilo. Features The TrashFace Collection by Volcano Artist Ira Ono. To attend, all visitors are required to wear a face mask, maintain six-foot social distancing, no physical contact when greeting people, a maximum of ten people in the gallery, and encouraging anyone who feels ill to stay home. See more art from Ono at Volcano Garden Arts & Café Ono, 19-3834 Old Volcano Rd., www.volcanogardenarts.com, www.cafeono.net, 967-7261. For more information go to ehcc.org. Ocean View Community Market, open Saturdays and Wednesdays, 6:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. , on the corner of Kona Drive and Highway 11, where Thai Grindz is located. Managed by Mark Cocucci. Masks mandatory. 100-person limit, social distancing required. Gate unlocked for vendors at 5:30 a.m., $15 dollars, no reservations needed. Parking in upper lot only. Vendors must provide own sanitizer. Food vendor permits required. Carpooling encouraged.
ʻO Kaʻū Kākou Market, in Nāʻālehu, open Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday, 8 a.m. to noon . Limit of 50 customers, 25 vendor booths, with 30 feet of space between vendors. Masks and hand sanitizing are required, social distancing enforced. Contact Sue Barnett, OKK Market Manager, at 808-345-9374 (voice or text) or kaufarmer@aol.com for more and to apply to vend. facebook.com/OKauKakouMarket
Volcano Farmers Market, Cooper Center, Volcano Village, open on Sundays from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m., with much local produce, island beef, and prepared foods. Call 808-967-7800.
Choose Aloha for Home is available to families, to provide a healthy way to grow together using neuroscience and positive psychology. Program uses a series of self-guided videos, activities, and "dinner table discussion topics." Sign up here.
ʻOhana Help Desk offers online How-To Guides fo
Ocean View Mobile Learning Lab, weekdays from 8:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at St. Jude's lower parking lot. O
Apply for Holomua Hawaiʻi Relief Grants for small businesses and nonprofits of up to $10,000 to support core operations, safe on-going and reopening costs, personal protective equipment, and training and technical assistance. The business or nonprofit must employ 50 people or fewer. See the program website.
Free Book Exchanges, at laundromats in Ocean View and Nāʻālehu, provided by Friends of the Kaʻū Libraries. Open to all. Keep the books, pass them on to other readers, or return them. Selection of books replenished weekly at both sites.
Sign Up for Two Women's Health Programs from Kaʻū Women's Collective. Piko focuses on reproductive health; increasing access, respect, cultural competence, education, and choice. Pilina aims to grow membership and establish a culture of collaborative decision-making. Meetings held Sundays on Oct. 11, Nov. 8, and Dec. 13 at 2 p.m. Follow @kau_womens_health_collective. Contact rootsmedieshawaii@gmail.com. Call 808-450-0498.
Receive Help Over the Phone with Critical Financial Issues, through Cities for Financial Empowerment Fund Financial Navigators from County of Hawaiʻi, in partnership with Hawaiʻi First Federal Credit Union. Complete webform here or call 808-933-6600. Contact Sharon Hirota at 808-961-8019 with questions.
Resources for LGBTQ+, Loved Ones, and Allies at Sexual and Gender Minority online resource hub, Hawaiʻi Department of Health's first website dedicated to LGBTQ+ resources. For more information on joining the SGM Workgroup, email Thaddeus Pham at thaddeus.pham@doh.hawaii.gov. See health.hawaii.gov.
Free Job Training for workers displaced by COVID-19 is launched by the state for up to 650 workers. Programs offer on-the-job training through Dec. 15, with wages starting at $13 to $15 an hour, health care benefits, and mentoring. Two different tracks in innovation or conservation sectors. See https://dbedt.hawaii.gov/blog/20-21/.
Read Report on Public Input about Disaster Recovery from damage during the 2018 Kīlauea eruption. View the Civic Engagement and Comment Analysis Report here.
Coffee Farmers and Producers of Other Agricultural Products encouraged to apply to the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program through Dec. 11. See funding updates and resources for coffee growers, hawaiicoffeeassoc.org. See complete list of eligible commodities, payment rates, and calculations at farmers.gov/cfap.
Program to Sell Produce and Meats on Hawaiʻi Island from commercial farmers and livestock producers on Hawai‘i Island for distribution to families in need. Learn more.
Native Hawaiian Farmers and Ranchers urged to use U.S. Dept. of Ag On-Farm Market Directory. Visit the program website.
Read About Seed Biodiversity for Hawaiʻi's Local Food System in It all Begins...and Ends with Seed, where Education and Outreach Coordinator Nancy Redfeather shares her insights. Read the blog.
Marketing Assistance, for small businesses affected by COVID-19, from Univeristy of Hawaiʻi-Hilo faculty and their senior class at https://bit.ly/2YvFxsl.
Find Grants and Loans Offered to Farmers and Ranchers, at oahuaca.org. The website has a new search feature.
Find Rangeland Management Resources at globalrangelands.org/state/hawaii. Subscribe to the newsletter to receive updates.
Begin Learning Basics of Organic Farming, via free modules.
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