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Monday, October 04, 2021

Ka‘ū News Briefs, Monday, Oct. 4, 2021

People in Halema'uma'u's eruption glow at night on the edge of the crater inside Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park.
 See updates below. Photo by Maria Miranda

OUTDOOR GATHERING LIMITS FOR ORGANIZED SPORTS ARE EXPANDED to 25 at Hawaiʻi County outdoor county recreational facilities under the Mayor's COVID-19 Emergency Rule No. 18. It was signed by Mayor Mitch Roth in concurrence with Gov. David Ige on Monday. The rule also creates a mechanism for sporting organizers to apply for special event exemptions to allow for gathering sizes above the limit of 25 for organized sports, which includes spectators, pending proper COVID-19 mitigation protocols.
    The new rules declare that an event exemption can be provided if organizers have: 
    "Reasonable means and methods to limit and enforce restrictions on the gathering including realistic, sufficient resources to implement such;
  "Reasonable means to inform, and methods to ensure and enforce, physical distancing requirements for all persons present; and
    "Reasonable strategies for disinfection/sanitization of all common and high-touch surfaces.
     The mayor said,  “We are excited to get our keiki back onto the fields and into our open-air gyms safely. Because of the work that everyone has been doing to slow the spread of COVID-19 in our communities, our numbers have seen a steady decline, and because of it, we believe that we can now make this transition in a way that is safest for our keiki and their families. We know that organized sports are a huge part of our local community here on Hawaiʻi Island, and we would like to thank everyone from the parents to the coaches, and especially the keiki, for hanging in there with us and supporting our County as we continue to work through this pandemic – together!” 
    To submit formal requests for event exemptions at County recreational facilities, visit https://bit.ly/3oMmcRt. The county promised that "Department of Parks & Recreation will review all requests in a timely fashion. The department will also help sporting organizers create COVID-19 mitigation plans on a case-by-case basis if needed." For any questions, contact the Department of Parks & Recreation at 808-961-8311. 
    The mayor also reminded restaurants to "follow all COVID-19 protocols, including ensuring that masks are worn at all times when not actively eating or drinking."

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

DEPARTMENT OF HAWAIIAN HOME LANDS announced Monday that Hawaiian Homes Commission approved its $312 million Sufficient Sums Budget request. The measure moves to the governor for consideration in the administration’s executive budget that goes to the 2022 legislature.
    The Hawaiian homesteading program run by DHHL includes management of over 11,300 acres in Kaʻū, with over 200,000 acres of land statewide, with the specific purpose of developing and delivering homesteading.  
    DHHL began proposing a Sufficient Sums Budget request following a 2012 Hawaiʻi Supreme Court decision that determined the Department and Commission "breached their trust responsibilities by failing to seek the sufficient funding that the legislature is constitutionally mandated to provide," said the DHHL statement.
    At the 1978 Hawai'i State Constitutional Convention, delegates amended Article XII Section I of the Hawaiʻi State Constitution changing the word “may” to “shall.” That section states that the legislature shall make sufficient sums available for: development of home, agriculture, farm and ranch lots; home,
Department of Hawaiian Home Lands owns more than 11,300 acres in Ka`u,
including lots in Discovery Harbour. They are shown on this map in red.
Map from DHHL's Kaʻū Regional Plan

agriculture, aquaculture, farm, and ranch loans; rehabilitation projects to include, but not limited to, educational, economic, political, social and cultural processes by which the general welfare and conditions of native Hawaiians are thereby improved; and the administration and operating budget of the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands.
    DHHL’s supplemental budget asks for funding for a $263 Million Capital Improvement Program and an Operating budget of $49 Million.
     According to DHHL, the CIP budget includes $86.3 million for development of over 1,100 new homestead lots and interim construction; $73.1 million for permanent loan financing; and $56.44 million for major repair and maintenance projects and $47.65 million for Administration and Operations.
and Regional Plan priority projects that were requested by beneficiaries at a 2018 meeting of homestead association leaders.
     The Operating Budget of $49.05 million would cover full funding of 206 general funded positions, including land agents, enforcement, and homestead services personnel to serve the increasing needs of existing and upcoming homestead communities. The Operating budget request also includes repair and maintenance projects that can be completed within 12 months, financial literacy services, the Native Hawaiian Development Program Plan, and Grant-In-Aid requests to support initiatives led by homestead associations. 
    William J. Ailā, Jr., who chairs the Hawaiian Homes Commission, said, "As described in the Constitution and punctuated by the Supreme Court, the members of the Hawaiian Homes Commission, myself included, have a fiduciary responsibility to ask for sufficient funding to meet the needs of beneficiaries. While our request for Sufficient Sums may seem extraordinary, I think many people will agree that the need to fulfill Prince Kūhiō’s vision is far overdue.”
    At the close of the 2021 legislative session, DHHL was allocated $78 million for Capital Improvement Projects, the most legislative funding for Capital Improvement in the agency’s history. For a complete draft of DHHL’s Sufficient Sums request, visit dhhl.hawaii.gov/government-relations.
    The Department of Hawaiian Home Lands is tasked with carrying out Prince Jonah Kūhiō Kalanianaʻole’s vision of rehabilitating native Hawaiians by returning them to the land. Established by U.S. Congress in 1921, with the passage of the Hawaiian Homes Commission Act.

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

A spatter rampart surrounding a submerged fountaining
 source below the surface of Halema'uma'u lava lake.
USGS photo by M. Zoeller
THE ERUPTION AT HALEMA'UMA'U has come up with a C-shaped spatter rampart around fountaining lava where the source is submerged in the rising lava lake. According to today's report from Hawaiian Volcano Observatory, field crews used a laster rangefinder to measure the spatter rampart to be standing 20 m (66 ft) above the surrounding lava lake surface.
    The eruption began Sept. 29 in the afternoon as fissures in the floor of the crater and is generating a lava lake, slowly filling the crater. The prognosis, according to USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory:
"It is unclear how long the current eruption will continue. Kīlauea summit eruptions over the past 200 years have lasted from less than a day to more than a decade. This ongoing eruption is similar to the most recent Kīlauea eruption, which was also confined to Halemaʻumaʻu crater and generated a lava lake; the most recent eruption lasted approximately five months, from December 2020 to May 2021."

Trees in the glow of Halema'uma'u's fountains and lava lake at night in Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park.
Photo by Maria Miranda
To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see www.facebook.com/kaucalendar/. See latest print edition at kaucalendar.com.

CONFLICT IS NOT ABUSE is the title of Ku'ikahi Mediation Center's free talk on Thursday, Oct. 21 as part of its Finding Solutions, Growing Peace Brown Bag Lunch Series. Talks are third Thursdays from noon to 1 p.m. via Zoom.This month's speaker is Kimberly Dark presents Conflict is Not Abuse: Taking the Responsibility to Repair.
   She features Sarah Schulman's book Conflict is Not Abuse, which "envisions a world where everyone (not just 'victims') are eligible for compassion," says Dark.
    In this talk, learn the difference between conflict and abuse and how sometimes, in the name of 'not taking abuse,'  those perceiving to be abused fail to take responsibility for communicating clearly, nurturing long-term relationships and community cohesion, and participating in conflict.
    Dark consulted in conflict resolution and facilitation for over 20 years. She is an award-winning author and storyteller who works to reveal the hidden architecture of everyday life so that people can reclaim their power as social creators. Her ability to make the personal political is grounded in her training as a sociologist, and she teaches in Sociology at Cal State San Marcos and in Writing/Arts at Cal State Summer Arts. She lives on Hawai'i Island.
    Ku'ikahi's Brown Bag Lunch Series is free and open to the public. Attendees are encouraged to enjoy an informal and educational talk-story session and connect with others interested in Finding Solutions, Growing Peace.
   To get the Zoom link, register online at https://freebrownbagtalk.eventbrite.com.
   For more information, contact Ku'ikahi Program Manager Chasity Cadaoas at (808) 935-7844 x 3 or chasity@hawaiimediation.org. Or visit www.hawaiimediation.org.
    The lunch-and-learn series is made possible thanks in part to funding from the County of Hawai'i and Hawai'i Island United Way.

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

Read the entire Kaʻū Calendar and back issues at 
www.kaucalendar.com. Find it in the mail from Volcano
through PāhalaNāʻālehu, 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.  See latest print edition at kaucalendar.com..

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.

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

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
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.

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.

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.


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 The Old Shirakawa Estate   in Waiʻohinu.  It features: Made in Hawai'i Products, Organic Produce, Creative Crafts, ARt, Flower and Plants, Food, Ka`u Coffee, Gluen Free Low Carb Goodies, Wellness Services and Products, Clothing, Hand Crafted Treats, Music and more. Vendor and customer 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.