Friday, August 13, 2021

Ka‘ū News Briefs, Friday, Aug. 13, 2021

Hui Malama Ola Na'Oiwi is receiving $3.25 million to combat COVID. The Native Hawaiian health
care delivery organization has been providing educational outreach during COVID clinics in 
Kaʻū and elsewhere. See more below. Images from Hui Malama

TESTING ALL THOSE COMING INTO THE STATE FOR COVID may resume in the future if Covid cases continue to soar. Hilton Raethel, head of the Hawai'i Health Care Association, recommended the move today, saying that while an increase in people receiving vaccinations is helping combat the virus, "vaccinations aren’t going to fix the next few weeks.”
    Dr. Scott Miscovich, who has led mass COVID testing across the state, told Hawai'i News Now that a minimum of 10 percent of people on the mainland getting COVID are vaccinated and that a vaccine card does not mean they won't carry COVID into Hawai'i. 
     Physician and state health director Elizabeth Char said travelers with Covid are likely entering Hawai'i without being detected. Statewide, the last three days marked the highest number of new COVID cases since the pandemic began. Today, alone, there were  1,167 news cases statewide with 151 new cases announced on Hawai'i Island. Char described the Covid in Hawai'i: "We are on fire."

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HUI MALAMA OLA NA ‘OIWI receives $3.25 million to combat COVID, Kaʻū Congressman Kai Kahele and Congressman Ed Case announced today. The grant is a portion of $20 million released to Native Hawaiian health care organizations to aid their response to COVID-19. Papa Ola Lokahi receives $4.75 million. Hui No Ke Ola Pono receives 4.5 million. Ho'ola Lahui Hawaii receives $3 million. Ke Ola Mamo receives $3 million. Na Pu'uwai receives $2.5 million.
    The funding is being distributed by the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services through the Health Resources and Services Administration. It provides six Native Hawaiian Health Care Improvement Act award recipients resources to strengthen vaccination efforts, respond to and mitigate the spread of COVID-19, and enhance health care services and infrastructure in their communities.
    "Hawaiʻi is experiencing a record high of COVID-19 cases. This funding will provide our Native Hawaiian communities with much-needed resources to increase vaccination efforts, that will help slow the spread of COVID-19," said Kahele. Earlier today Case and Kahele and Case met in Hilo with Congresswoman Teresa Leger Fernández, of New Meico, who chairs the House Natural Resources Subcommittee for Indigenous Peoples of the United States. They "discussed issues important to Native Hawaiians and their families. Access to quality health care, especially during the pandemic is crucial. This assistance will certainly help protect our most vulnerable," said Kahele
    Case said, "This announcement comes at a time when COVID-19 cases have risen dramatically throughout the islands, and hospital capacity to deal with those sickened by the virus stretched to the limit. I am grateful that this assistance will help to prevent those vaccinated from severe illness or death."
    Health & Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra said, "This latest round of American Rescue Plan funding is another piece of the Biden-Harris Administration's continued effort to support underserved communities that have been most affected by the pandemic. This funding will help trusted Native Hawaiian health systems continue providing life-saving resources and care to their communities."
    In 2020, NHHCIA award recipients provided services to more than 7,000 patients in Native Hawaiian communities. The statement from the congressmen said, "This funding will assist Native Hawaiian communities that experience barriers to accessing health care services, including geographic isolation, that significantly impact overall health."
    Acting Health Resources & Services Administrator Diana Espinosa said, "Native Hawaiian Health Care Improvement Act award recipients understand the needs of Native Hawaiians and have partnerships with organizations in their communities. This uniquely positions them to increase equitable access to COVID-19 vaccination, testing, and treatment, as well as needed comprehensive primary care."

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THE U.S. HOUSE NATURAL RESOURCES SUBCOMMITTEE FOR INDIGENOUS PEOPLES chair visited Hawai'i Island today, along with Congressmen Kai Kahele and Ed Case. Kahele said
    Congresswoman Teresa Leger Fernández, who represents New Mexico, discussed issues important to Native Hawaiians and their families in Hawaiʻi. As chair, Leger Fernández oversees the sole Subcommittee with exclusive jurisdiction over American Indian, Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian issues in the House of Representatives.
    Kahele explained that the Subcommittee for Indigenous Peoples of the United States oversees matters ranging from natural resources and land management, ownership, and leasing, to Indian health care, tribal criminal justice, development of reservation economies, enhancement of social welfare and improvement of energy efficiency and renewable energy development initiatives on tribal lands. The goal of the Subcommittee is to protect tribal sovereignty and tribes' authority over their lands and natural resources while empowering tribal communities with enhanced self-governance authorities.

Chair of the House Subcommittee on Indigenous people visited the Hilo office of
 Congressman Kai Kahele today, as well as U.H College of Hawaiian Language,
 'Imiloa Astronomy Center and Native Hawaiian neighborhoods and leaders.
Photo from Kai Kahele

    The congressional delegation visited homestead communities in Panaʻewa and Keaukaha and was joined by members of the Hawaiian Homestead Associations on Hawaiʻi Island. Kahele said the group discussed priorities for Native Hawaiians including the stability of homestead lessees and the long-term tenancy of beneficiaries of the Hawaiian Homes Commission Act and their successors.
    They talked about the100th anniversary of the passage of the HCCA and noted that Kahele introduced H.J. Res. 55, the Prince Jonah Kūhiō Kalanianaʻole Protecting Family Legacies Act. The bill consents to a recent amendment to the HHCA enacted by the Hawaiʻi State Legislature in 2017 and signed by the Governor of Hawaiʻi under Act 80. The amendment updates the definition of an eligible successor to an HHCA residential, farming or ranching homestead lease by reducing the blood quantum requirement of a lessee's spouse, child, grandchild or siblings from one quarter to one thirty-second Hawaiian.
    Kahele, Leger Fernández and Case toured the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo and visited Ka Haka 'Ula o Keʻelikōlani, the University's College of Hawaiian Language, and the 'Imiloa Astronomy Center. They also toured the Lyman Museum, accredited by the Alliance of American Museums and a Smithsonian affiliate.
    Leger Fernández is a member of the Congressional Native American Caucus and holds a leadership role with the Congressional Hispanic Caucus. She serves on the House Committee on Natural Resources, the House Committee on Education and Labor, and the Committee on House Administration.

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1790 WAS A BAD YEAR AT KILAUEA proclaims this week's Volcano Watch, written by USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory scientists ad their affiliates: More people were probably killed by the 1790 eruption of Kīlauea than by any other eruption in what is now the United States. Several hundred men, women, and children perished during explosions at the summit of the volcano.
A man measuring 6 feet 4 inches tall lies on a ballistic block that was thrown from Kīlauea caldera

A man measuring 6 feet 4 inches tall lies on a ballistic block that was thrown 1 km (half a mile) from the floor of Kīlauea caldera 
onto the northwest flank of the volcano probably during the 1790 eruption. USGS photo by D. Swanson

    The deaths apparently occurred along a trail crossing the northwest flank of Kīlauea near Nāmakanipaio, when a ground-hugging surge of hot steam and rocks swept across the ground at high speed. Wet volcanic ash fell just before the lethal surge, and several hundred people left footprints in the ash beyond the limit of the surge.
    How do we know this? No contemporary accounts exist. Brief summaries written in the 1820s were supplanted in 1843 by a much longer description written by Rev. Sheldon Dibble based on memories of old-timers that were assembled by students at Lahainaluna School. These accounts, though of unique value, have posed many volcanic questions subject to multiple interpretations ever since. A field study to understand better the tragic events was made several years ago, and the results were published in 2015. This study identified most, or all, of the deposits left by the 1790 eruption and interpreted the kinds of explosions responsible for the deposits. Uncertainties remain, but the general picture mostly agrees with the sketchy early accounts and answers some of the important questions.

A footprint made in wet volcanic ash in 1790. likely by a male adult. It is 
one of 1,773 separate footprints belonging to at least 400 individuals
 that have been documented by NPS archeologists, led by Dr. Jadlyn 
Moniz-Nakamura. Photo by Annie Bosted
    Three main explosions took place within hours, perhaps minutes, of each other, though they were apparently preceded by several days of smaller explosions. The first main explosion ejected wet ash that was transported southwestward by the trade wind. This ash deposit now contains the footprints of mainly women and children (as determined by foot size), who were mostly in the area southwest of the summit. About half of the footprints point back toward the summit. The ash remained wet when the following two explosions occurred.
    The next explosion was the largest. Its column of ash rose 12–15 km (40,000–50,000 ft) above the volcano as interpreted from physical characteristics of the deposit, and marooned sailor John Young in Kawaihae noted the column in his ledger. The ash rose high into the jet stream and spread southeastward at least to Kaimu, more than 30 km (19 mi) distance. Around the summit, the erupted material is of sand and gravel size, much coarser than the far-flung ash.
    The third explosion produced the lethal surge that sped across the summit's western flank. This explosion may actually be a late or even end stage of the preceding explosion, as the towering eruption column collapsed under its own weight. The falling hot debris hit the ground and surged downslope, trapping people on the trail. Death would have been quick, but not before some victims grabbed onto one another to keep from being blown away by the hurricane-force surge. All in all, a gruesome scene, but one that occurs all too often today at explosive volcanoes around the world.
Interpretive signage for the famed Kaʻū  footprints shows the area well traveled in the 1700's by Hawaiian families
trading and visiting. While walking. through Kaʻū, wet ash rained down and their footprints became frozen in time.
Painting by John Dawson
    What caused the explosions? For years geologists assumed that groundwater heated to steam powered them, but this attractive interpretation lacks definitive evidence. The wet nature of the first explosive ash supports this idea. Another possibility is that gas leaving magma was trapped underground briefly, pressurizing and finally bursting out. Such a process drove a small explosion in Halemaʻumaʻu in 2008. But again, definitive evidence is missing.
    The explosive deposits consist mostly of solid rocks broken from the wall of the eruptive conduit. No pumice or bubble-rich glassy ash has been found. Relatively dense glass forms a few small chunks and sticks to the sides of some large blocks. Such dense glass indicates the presence of magma, but it was not bubbling and so may have already lost some of its gas before eruption.
    Did part of the caldera collapse in 1790? Many geologists assume so, but field work has found no clear evidence for collapse. It is a reasonable interpretation, but we cannot yet demonstrate it.
    Some geologists assign an age of 1790 to a lava flow in lower Puna, but that is an interpretation, not an observation. If the flow were indeed erupted in 1790, then, by analogy with the 2018 eruption, one could hypothesize that its eruption drained the summit magma reservoir, causing the summit to collapse and triggering explosive eruptions. An appealing story, to be sure, but speculative.
    With all we've learned, there's a long way to go to understand completely Kilauea's most lethal eruption. But one thing is clear: large explosions can happen again.

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KAʻŪ COFFEE MILL & VISITOR CENTER. Buy online at kaucoffeemill.com and in person at 96-2694 Wood Valley Road, daily, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

PUNALUʻU BAKESHOP online at bakeshophawaii.com and in-person 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., seven days a week in Nāʻālehu.

ALIʻI HAWAIʻI HULA HANDS COFFEE. Order by calling 928-0608 or emailing alihhhcoffee@yahoo.com.

AIKANE PLANTATION COFFEE COMPANY. Order online at aikaneplantation.com. Call 808-927-2252

MIRANDA'S FARMS KAʻŪ COFFEE. Order online at mirandafarms.com or, in person at 73-7136 Mamalahoa Hwy, Nāʻālehu.

KUAHIWI RANCH STORE, in person. Shop weekdays, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Sunday, 11 am to 3 p.m. at 95-5520 Hwy 11. Locally processed grass-fed beef, live meat chickens, and feed for cattle, goats, sheep, chickens, horses, dogs, and pigs. Call 929-7333 of 938-1625, email kaohi@kuahiwiranch.com.
CHURCH SERVICES

OCEAN VIEW EVANGELICAL COMMUNITY CHURCH holds services on Sundays beginning with Sing-Along on the Square at 10:15 a.m., followed by Sunday Morning Service at 11 a.m. In-person services following CDC Guidelines and Hawaii mandates by using hand sanitizer, wearing face masks and practicing social distancing.
Music and Sermons are posted to FaceBook.com/OVECC. Also see FaceBook.com/OVECC for more. The church campus for Ocean View Evangelical Community Church is 92-8977 Leilani Circle. ovecchurch@gmail.com


ST. JUDES'S IS HOLDING SUNDAY MORNING WORSHIP at 9:30 a.m. in the sanctuary, with COVID protocol in place, including wearing masks. For those unable to attend in person, a Zoom link is offered at
St. Jude's offers free food and showers, live church services and community outreach in Ocean View. St. Jude's Episcopal Mission is at Paradise Circle - mauka at Keaka. The Sunday service is also broadcast on Facebook through the St. Jude's web page at http://www.stjudeshawaii.org.
Free hot showers are open to anyone on Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. Last sign up is at 11:30 a.m. There are two private stalls. The church provides body wash, shampoo and a clean towel.
Attendants take the temperatures of the shower users and ask that all wear masks, regardless of vaccination status. The monitors sanitize the shower stalls after each use. However, St. Jude's assumes no liability in the transmission of any illness and posts the cautionary, "Use at Your Own Risk." On Saturdays, free lunches (take out only) are available between 9 a.m. and 12:30 p.m.
St. Jude's is also working with Kaʻū High & Pahala Elementary for educational outreach and better internet for the entire Ocean View Community.

HOPE DIA-MEND MINISTRIES holds outdoor services Sundays at 9:45 a.m. at 92-898 Ginger Blossom Lane in Ocean View. Masks and distancing required. For help and/or to donate, call or text 808-937-6355, or call the Ministry at 808-920-8137. See Facebook and at hopedia-mendministries.com.

DEPRESSED, ANXIOUS, NEED SOMEONE TO TALK TO? 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.

LEARN 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 at facebook.com/bhhsurg

KAʻŪ WOMEN'S COLLECTIVE OFFERS HEALTH PROGRAMS. 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. Follow @kau_womens_health_collective. Contact rootsmedieshawaii@gmail.com. Call 808-450-0498.

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.

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 at chooselovemovement.org/choose-love-home.

EDUCATION

Free WiFi Access for Students is available in Kaʻū, Nāʻālehu, and Ocean View through Kaʻū High & Pāhala Elementary. Questions? See khpes.org or call 313-4100.

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.

Register for Boys & Girls Club Mobile Outreach and Tutoring Programs at rb.gy/o1o2hy. For keiki grades 1-6. 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.

ʻOhana Help Desk offers online How-To Guides for Chromebooks and iPads at rb.gy/8er9wm. ʻOhana Help Desk also available by phone, weekdays, 7 a.m. to 8 p.m., Sundays from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m.

Invite Park Rangers to Virtually Visit Classes, through connecting with teachers and home-schoolers with distance learning programs and virtual huakaʻi (field trips). Contact havo_education@nps.gov.

Weekly Virtual Town Meetings, hosted by Kaʻū High & Ka'ū Elementary, 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.org for Live WebEx link.
Public Libraries are 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. Pahala open Tuesday, noon to 7 p.m., Thursday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., limited entry into library with Wiki Visits. 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. See librarieshawaii.org.

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.

Read Report on Public Input about Disaster Recovery from damage during the 2018 Kīlauea eruption.
View the Civic Engagement and Comment Analysis Report at rb.gy/awu65k.

Learn About Hawaiʻi's History & Culture through Papakilo Database, papakilodatabase.com.
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 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 lrb.hawaii.gov/public-access-room.ECONOMIC RELIEF

Online Directory at shopbigisland.com, co-sponsored by County of Hawai‘i, has a signup sheet for local businesses to fill in the blanks. The only requirement is a physical address on this island.

COMMUNITY
Food Assistance: Apply for The Volcano School of Arts & Sciences COVID-19 Family Relief Funds. Funded by Volcano Community Association, and members of the VSAS Friends and Governing Boards, who have donated, the fund supplies KTA or Dimple Cheek Gift Cards, or gift cards to other locally owned business, to VSAS families in need. Contact Kim Miller at 985-8537, kmiller@volcanoschool.net. Contributions to the fund can be sent in by check to: VSAS, PO Box 845, Volcano, HI 96785 – write Relief Fund in the memo. See volcanoschool.net

ENROLL CHILDREN, from first through eighth grade, in Kula ʻAmakihi, a program from Volcano School of the Arts & Sciences. It started Aug. 3. Call 808-985- 9800 or visit www.volcanoschool.net.

SIGN UP FOR EXPERIENCE VOLCANO FESTIVAL, which happens on Saturday, Aug. 14. See more on Page 14 of The Kaʻū Calendar newspaper's August edition.

REGISTER FOR VOLCANO’S OHIA LEHUA RUNS, which happen on Saturday, Aug. 14. See more on Page 5 of The Kaʻū  Calendar newspaper's August edition.

REGISTER FOR THE KA‘Ū COFFEE TRAIL RUN, which returns on Saturday, Sept. 18. See more on the OKK event at https://www.kaucoffeetrailruns.com/

WALK THROUGH A GUIDED 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. www.volcanoartcenter.org. Call 967-8222.

KAʻŪ ART GALLERY is open Wednesdays and Saturdays from 9 a.m. - 3 p.m. in Nāʻālehu. It features and sells works by local artists and offers other gift items. Kaʻū Art Gallery's website has 24/7 access online and is frequently updated to show current inventory items. "We are always looking to collaborate with local artists in our community," said assistant Alexandra Kaupu. Artists with an interest in being featured at Kaʻū Art Gallery and Gift Shop, contact gallery owner and director Corrine Kaupu at kauartgallery@hawaiiantel.biz.

GOLF & MEMBERSHIPS for Discovery Harbour Golf Course and its Clubhouse: The Club offers Social Memberships, with future use of the clubhouse and current use of the pickleball courts as well as walking and running on specified areas of the golf course before 8 a.m. and after 3 p.m. to enjoy the panoramiocean views. Golf memberships range from unlimited play for the avid golfer to casual play options. Membership is required to play and practice golf on the course. All golf memberships include Social Membership amenities. Membership fees are designed to help underwrite programs and improvements to the facilities.Call 808-731-5122 or stop by the Clubhouse during business hours, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily at 94-1581 Kaulua Circle. Email clubatdiscoveryharbour@gmail.com. See The Club at Discovery Harbour Facebook page.


ALOHA FRIDAY MARKETPLACE, hosted by Kaʻū Main Street, is from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., grounds of Kauahaʻao Congregational Church 95-1642 Pinao St. in Waiʻohinu, corner of Kamaoa and Hwy 11. Farmers Market, Arts & Crafts, Health Practitioners, Food, Music, Yoga, Keiki Fun & More. Inquiries: AlohaFridayMarket@gmail.com.
VOLCANO FARMERS MARKET, Cooper Center, Volcano Village on Sundays. 6 a.m. to 10 a.m., with much local produce, baked goods, food to go, island beef and Hawai‘i Coffee. Cooper Center's EBT Machine, used at the Farmer's Market, is out of service until further notice. EBT is used for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, formerly Food Stamps. Call 808-967-7800.

OCEAN VIEW COMMUNITY MARKET, open Saturdays and Thursdays, 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 Council. 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.

O KAʻŪ KĀKOU MARKET, in Nāʻālehu, open Wednesday, and Saturday, 8 a.m. to noon. Limit of 50 customers per hour, 20 vendor booths, with 20 feet of space between vendors. Masks and hand sanitizing 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. See facebook.com/OKauKakouMarket.

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 required.

BUY LOCAL GIFTS ONLINE, IN-PERSON
VOLCANO ART CENTER ONLINE, in person. Shop at Niʻaulani Campus in Volcano Village, Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Gallery in Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park, open Wednesday through Sunday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Virtual Shopping Appointments offered via Skype or FaceTime. Book at volcanoartcenter.org/shop for $5. Shop online gallery 24/7. Orders shipped or free local pickup available. See the VAC Virtual Classroom, which features over 90 videos. See volcanoartcenter.org/events, call 967-8222.