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Sunday, August 29, 2021

Ka‘ū News Briefs, Sunday, Aug. 29, 2021

The Volcano School of Arts & Sciences is the first school in this area to offer free COVID tests for
 students and staff. They begin tomorrow. Photo from Volcano School

FREE WEEKLY COVID SCREENING AT THE VOLCANO SCHOOL OF ARTS & SCIENCES begins Monday, Aug. 30. Contactless weekly tests are for students and staff through state Department of Health’s Operation ET (Expanded Testing) for schools using the self-swab method. The school's facebook reports:
New County of Hawai'i COVID rule with $250 fine.
 "Because it is a self-swab method, the entire process can be contactless."   
    Volcano School is asking for five volunteers for each testing event, Aug. 30, Sept. 3, 10, 17, and 24. Hours are 10 a.m. to 2 p.m, though times may vary depending on number of volunteers and tests requested.                     Volunteers are also eligible to receive this free screening test. To volunteer, email Principal Kalima Kinney at director@volcanoschool.net or call 808-985-9800.  
    See more on the school, including job opportunities, at https://www.volcanoschool.net/.

To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see www.facebook.com/kaucalendar/. See latest print edition at kaucalendar.com.

FREE COVID SCREENING FOR TEACHERS AND STUDENTS IS COMING TO NA`ALEHU AND PAHALA public schools soon. Nāʻālehu Principal Darlene Javar and Pāhala Principal Sharon Beck mentioned the free testing support during Mayor Mith Roth's virtual town hall meeting for Nāʻālehu and Pāhala last week.
     Funding support comes from federal Department of Defense and federal Department of Health & Human Services. 
County of Hawai'i promises to enforce rules to stem COVID.
  A press release from federal Department of Defense says, "Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, DoD has executed over $26 billion on behalf of HHS to meet the needs of the Nation. In accordance with the Secretary of Defense’s priorities, the Department will continue to act boldly to support interagency efforts to defeat COVID-19. This MOU reinforces DoD support to HHS in furthering that mission, and strengthens the partnership between agencies. Most recently under this partnership, DoD awarded three agreements totaling $650 million to Clinical Enterprise, Inc. (Eurofins), PerkinElmer Health Sciences, Inc., and Battelle Memorial Institute. 
    "These awards will support the government’s efforts to expand domestic COVID-19 testing for K-8 schools, underserved populations, and congregate settings such as homeless shelters. The Joint Program Executive Office for Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear Defense (JPEO-CBRND) led this acquisition effort, in coordination with Army Contracting Command – Rock Island (ACC-RI) and DA2."

To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see www.facebook.com/kaucalendar/. See latest print edition at kaucalendar.com.

NEW DAILY COVID CASES FOR HAWAI'I COUNTY reached 214 today bringing the active cases to 1,840, with 69 persons hospitalized. The state total was 1,678, a record, but the number is exaggerated by a backlog of cases not reported earlier.
Pop Up Tents, canopies, using pavilions? $250 fine from the County.

THE STATE DOES NOT PLAN TO SHUT DOWN, SAID THE GOVERNOR this evening on his facebook account. Gov. David Ige wrote, "There have been rumors circulating about a shut down in Hawai'i. I want to clear the record that there are currently no plans to shut down. All posts on social media and being distributed by other means are not true. Official announcements will always come from official channels. Mahalo."
    Some advisors to the state have suggested a shutdown is needed. Dr. Scott Miscovich, advisor to the state COVIOD-19 Task Force, told Hawai'i News Now that Hawai'i would have to shut down for four weeks to prevent the COVID counts from doubling in the coming weeks. He said schools, businesses and tourism would be included. He told Hawai'i News Now: "Our backs are well past being against the wall. We are now at a point where there's only one option and that option is closing down, plain and simple." He contended, "“If we do it now, we can then go back to the United States, go back to the world and say, you know, we took care of it. We took care of our citizens. Now welcome back because Hawai'i is a safe place for you to visit.”
    Other health experts, including Lt. Gov. Josh Green, Md., are asking the public to voluntarily avoid crowds, wear masks, distance and get vaccinated to prevent a lockdown. Mayors of the islands are promising more enforcement of COVID rules.

To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see www.facebook.com/kaucalendar/. See latest print edition at kaucalendar.com.

RECENT SEISMICITY AND DEFORMATION INDICATING INTRUSION OF MAGMA. That's the subject of this week's Volcano Watch, written by scientists and affiliates of U.S. Geological Survey Hawaiian Volcano Observatory:
    Late Monday afternoon, earthquake activity picked up at Kīlauea’s summit. At about 1:30 a.m. HST on Tuesday, that activity intensified, and it became clear that seismicity and increasing deformation were indicating a new intrusion of magma. The seismicity extended southward from Hālemaʻumaʻu crater, to an area south of Kīlauea caldera.
    An “intrusion” occurs when magma is injected into rocks underground, and new intrusions can be the first indication of a potential eruption. Because seismicity indicated the intrusion was within 1–2 km (0.6–1.2 miles) of the surface, the USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (HVO) increased Kīlauea’s Volcano Alert Level and Aviation Color Code from Advisory/Yellow to Watch/Orange at 5:34 a.m. on Tuesday.
    Heightened rates of seismicity occurred throughout the day on Tuesday, and summit tiltmeters showed ground motions consistent with continued growth of the intrusion. Seismicity and deformation activity peaked on Tuesday evening; then, both decreased considerably, and the intrusion appeared to have halted.
    In seeking to understand current events, volcanologists often look to the past. We look for “analog” events that are similar to what is happening and that will give us a sense for what the future might hold. A very close analog event for this week’s activity was an intrusion in 2015.
Top panel shows tiltmeter data from the Sandhill (SDH) instrument, located within Kīlauea’s south caldera  region. The line indicates that the instrument tilted towards an azimuth of 300° (northwest) as the ground in the area inflated. Occasional spikes are due to sloshing of instrument’s bubble level during earthquakes. Bottom panel is an hourly histogram of earthquakes in Kīlauea’s summit region.  Both show the increase
in activity late Monday, August 23
, and subsequent slowdown the following Wednesday. USGS plots

    The 2015 sequence of events started with inflation of the shallow Halemaʻumaʻu magma reservoir, which triggered the overflow of Kīlauea’s summit lava lake onto the floor of the crater. Seismicity then migrated south to the same area that has been active during the past few days. The episode last for about 4 days and also ended with an intrusion in an area south of the modern caldera outline.
    These two south caldera intrusions (2015 and 2021) have strikingly similar patterns of seismicity and deformation, even though the 2015 event started quite differently. The patterns of seismicity and deformation suggest that the location and orientation of the intrusions are also quite similar.
    This area is well known for being the beginning of the path that magma follows to the lower regions of the Southwest Rift Zone of Kīlauea. Earthquakes have been used to track the progress of magma intrusions through this pathway and HVO scientists call this “the seismic Southwest Rift Zone.”Regional uplift patterns observed by satellite confirm that the center of the intrusive activity in both cases is well to the south of the caldera boundary faults. A third similar event was also recorded in 2006, prior to the formation of the lava lake within Halemaʻumaʻu.
    Magmatic intrusions followed this pathway in the 1960s, 1970s, and early 1980s, but only one of these events led to an eruption. In December 1974, an intrusion began following this path southward, but erupted as a series of short fissure segments with a total length of 5 km (3 miles) as it turned southwest.
While the big change in the landscape of Kilauea summit in recent years has settled down, earthquake
swarms indicate lava movement and repressurizing of the crater. USGS photo by N. Deligne

    The caldera collapse events in 2018 radically changed the surface landscape of Kīlauea’s summit. However, it was unclear how much of the sub-surface magma storage and plumbing might have been changed. The fact that magma is being intruded and stored close to the caldera shows that some of the magmatic connections remain unchanged by the 2018 collapse.
    The similarities of the 2015 and 2021 intrusions suggest that at least some of the summit connections are still in place. This is yet another line of evidence that while our view of Kīlauea’s surface is entirely new, the volcano is not as much changed underground.
    The magma storage system beneath Kīlauea’s summit has clearly been refilling and inflating as it recovers from the 2018 eruption. Events like the recent summit eruption and this intrusion are the expected signs that the system is repressurizing due to continued input of magma. We expect to see continued intrusive activity and possible eruptive activity near the summit as magma reconnects with old pathways and storage regions.
   On Thursday morning, the Volcano Alert Level and Aviation Color Code for Kīlauea was changed again from Watch/Orange, back down to Advisory/Yellow as seismic activity and deformation had returned to pre-intrusive levels within the region. However, at the time of this writing on the evening of August 26, seismic activity and ground deformation had resumed in Kīlauea’s south caldera region. Perhaps, this is only the first chapter in a much longer story!

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Read the entire Kaʻū Calendar and back issues at 
www.kaucalendar.com. Find it in the mail from Volcano
through Nāʻālehu, Ocean View to Miloli'i.
Pick it up from newsstands.

















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 x.

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.




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

Resilience Hub at Nāʻālehu Hongwanji, Monday-Wednesday-Friday, 12:30 to 4 p.m. Drop-in wifi and laptop access. Free meals. 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 https://www.usgs.gov/observatories/hawaiian-volcano-observatory High & Pāhala 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. Pāhala 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.




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.Vendor applications are being accepted for its Holiday Arts & Crafts Sale on Saturday, Nov. 13. 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.