The Kaʻū Calendar News Briefs, Hawaiʻi Island: Ka‘ū News Briefs, Friday, March 18, 2022

Who Done It? Transfer Station Eyesore & Liability
This junk vehicle was dumped at the entrance to the county's Pahala Transfer Station. Attendees said it creates a danger,
with people leaving the transfer station having difficulty seeing the public roadway with cars and trucks going by.
A sign posted on the vehicle says Warning, Abandoned Vehicle Violation. The license plate is HLM-949. Anyone
abandoning or dumping a vehicle on county property and roadways is subject to a $250 fine plus the cost of removal
and disposal of the vehicle. Photo by Julia Neal

THE NEW YORK TIMES REPORTS MAYOR MITCH ROTH MAKING ONE OF THE FEW CALLS NATIONWIDE FOR ENERGY CONSERVATION, AS PRICES SOAR. The Friday story is entitled
Nations Should Conserve Fuel as Global Energy Crisis Looms, Agency Warns.
Reporters Catrin Einhorn and Lisa Friedman write, "In the United States, one of the few calls for

Mayor Mitch Roth made The New York
Times today with his call for conservation
of energy. Photo from County of Hawai'i

conservation has come from Mitch Roth, the mayor of the County of Hawai'i, which is particularly vulnerable to skyrocketing energy prices in the wake of President Biden’s banning of Russian oil, gas and coal. The state of Hawai'i has relied heavily on Russian fuel, and its high cost of living has many families already struggling to pay their bills. So Mr. Roth turned to what he saw as a common sense solution:
asking his community to use less oil and gas."
The story quotes Hawai'i County's mayor saying, “We’re not mandating anything, but for the betterment of your checkbook, for the betterment of our community, for the betterment of our country and for the betterment of our world, it makes a lot of sense.” Hawai'i County is also offering free public bus transportation.
According to The New York Times story, most other policy makers are asking for increased production of oil, rather than conservation. The story points to the International Energy Agency, formed during the 1973 energy crisis to help keep the worldwide energy market stable. It quotes IEA's Executive Director Fatih Birol, saying "Reducing demand is a way of addressing the situation without just pumping more oil.
The NYT writers report the message to conserve "has largely been absent from the conversation in the United States, the world's largest oil producer, where fossil fuel companies are earning healthy profits and the response to to elevated gasoline prices has been calls for more production."

The International Energy Agency recommends ten immediate steps to conserve oil: Reduce speed limits on highways; work from home up to three days; initiate car-free Sundays in cities; use public transport; alternate car access to roads in cities; increase car sharing and reduce fuel use; promote efficient driving for trucks; use existing High Speed Rail and night trains, reduce business flights, use electric and other more efficient vehicles.

See The New York Times story, quoting the Hawai'i County mayor at https://www.nytimes.com/2022/03/18/climate/global-energy-crisis-conserve.html

To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see www.facebook.com/kaucalendar/. See latest print edition at www.kaucalendar.com. See upcoming events at https://kaunewsbriefs.blogspot.com/2022/03/upcoming-events-for-kau-and-volcano.html

MAHALO TO THE PUBLIC FROM HAWAI'I ISLAND POLICE for assistance in locating 52-year-old Ambeka Laver, who was wanted on an outstanding bench warrant and for questioning in a criminal investigation. Laver, of Ocean View, turned herself in to police on Thursday, March 17, 2022. The police department issued the mahalo today.

CLASS OF 2022 SCHOLARSHIPS ARE OFFERED CU HAWAI'I FEDERAL CREDIT UNION. Applications are being accepted ffrom graduating high school seniors on Hawai'i Island. CU Hawaii is looking to award eight seniors with $2,000 scholarships each to further their education in a vocational-technical school, two-year college or four-year university. Deadline to apply is March 31. To learn more and fill out an application, visit cuhawaii.com/about-cu/community-involvement.html.

LAU MAIʻA SCHOLARSHIPS FOR GRADUATING HIGH SCHOOL SENIORS are being offered by the Purple Maiʻa Foundation for those pursuing a Computer Science, Engineering, Business or Entrepreneurship degree at a 4-year university in the U.S. The Purple Maiʻa Foundation is a Hawaiian non-profit organization whose mission is "to inspire and educate the next generation of culturally grounded, community serving technology makers." The goal of the $2,500 Lau Maiʻa Scholarship Program is to "help ease the burden of tuition and empower students to stand tall in their growth." The application states that "recipients must have a demonstrated commitment to ʻāina, kaiāulu, lāhui and be willing to volunteer for a Hawaiian organization in the future. To learn more and apply, visit purplemaia.org/education/scholarship/. Deadline to apply is April 30, 2022.

LIVE MUSIC IS BACK AT KAI LOKI'S RESTAURANT & BAR in Ocean View on Saturday, March 19, 7 p.m.- 10 p.m. featuring Big Eye Band, an alternative rock group based on this island. The full menu will be available till 8 p.m. and from 8 - 10 p.m. the kitchen will be open for pupus. Saturday's special is prime rib. To learn more about Kai Loki's upcoming events and specials, visit their Facebook page at facebook.com/KaiLokis/.

SEE UPCOMING EVENTS IN KAʻŪ & VOLCANO

at https://kaunewsbriefs.blogspot.com/2022/03/upcoming-events-for-kau-and-volcano.html.

See March edition of The Kaʻū Calendar newspaper at