The Kaʻū Calendar News Briefs, Hawaiʻi Island: Ka‘ū News Briefs, Wednesday, March 30, 2022

Coach Pitch game in action during Ka'u Little League Tournament, sponsored by Hawai'i
Police Activities League last Saturday. Photo by Katie Graham

KAʻŪ LITTLE LEAGUE TOURNAMENT sponsored by the Hawaiʻi Police Activities League (HI-PAL), was held last Saturday, Mach 26 at Nāʻālehu Ballpark. Dane Shibuya, Sr., the community liaison officer at the Kaʻū Police Department, attended the tournament with his granddaughter, Keulu and provided snacks and refreshments to players and attendees.

Keulu presents the players with medals.
Photo by Elizabeth Crook

Shibuya noted that this was the first HI-PAL tournament held in three years and expressed his excitement to finally have kids back playing ball.
Both Coach Pitch and T-Ball participated in the tournament. Coach Pitch is made up of mostly 7 and 8 year olds, while T-Ball is made up of 5 & 6 year olds. The MVPs for Coach Pitch were Isaiah Castle and Stefan Tepei, while Izzy Young and Ashten Jaedtke took home the awards in T-Ball.
Opening day festivities for Hawaiʻi Island Little League teams will be held at Old Kona Airport Park this Friday, April 1 at 6 p.m. The next scheduled home games for Kaʻū Little League will be a double-header on Saturday, April 9 at Nāʻālehu Park with

Community Police Officer Dayne Shibuya, Sr.
with granddaughter Keulu, representing HI-PAL.
Photo by Katie Graham

Coach Pitch playing at 9 a.m. and T-B all playing at 11 a.m.
Contact Ka'u Little League President Josh Crook to offer contributions, donations and Little League involvement at 808-345-0511.

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POLICE ARRESTED A HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT FOR BRINGING A WEAPON TO SCHOOL. Hawai‘i Island police arrested and charged the 17-year-old male after he brought a weapon to the Kamehameha Schools campus in Kea‘au on Tuesday. Around 3 p.m. on Tuesday, Puna patrol responded to a report of a student possibly in possession of a revolver at the high school campus. Arriving officers learned that school security already detained the juvenile suspect and had retrieved a revolver from the student.
Police contacted Kamehameha Schools administrators who reported that there was a social media post with a photograph of the juvenile suspect with the revolver which was viewed by other students on campus. After seeing the social media post, school administrators said they became concerned for the safety of the students and faculty, and campus security contacted the juvenile and the revolver was found in his waistband.

Police report that the juvenile did not brandish the firearm at anyone and Kamehameha School was not locked down during the incident. The student was arrested for disorderly conduct and terroristic threatening in the first-degree and transported to the Pahoa police station. Upon examining the pistol, it was determined to be a “starter” gun that cannot fire projectiles due to the barrel being obstructed by a piece of welded metal inside the barrel. However, the weapon resembled an authentic gun.
After conferring with the County Prosecutors Office, the juvenile was charged for terroristic threatening in the first-degree and disorderly conduct. He was released to his guardian.
“Though this firearm was not loaded or operational, we treat these types of threats to our schools seriously and will aggressively prosecute these types of incidents,” said Puna District Captain Scott Amaral.
“Working in cooperation with Kamehameha Schools, this incident was resolved quickly and peacefully with minimal interruption to school functions. Our children deserve to be able to learn and grow in a safe environment and not be afraid of gun violence.”
A statement from police encourages students "to immediately report to an adult if someone they know has brought a weapon on campus."
Police ask anyone who may have information relative to this case to call the police department’s non-emergency number at (808) 935-3311 or Officer Robert Kamau of Puna Patrol at (808) 965-2716 or email him at Robert.Kamau@hawaiicounty.gov.

HAWAI'I COFFEE ASSOCIATION REMINDS GROWERS that its 13th annual Statewide Coffee Cupping Competition is open for submissions between April 1 -29. Winners will be announced May 20 at the 2022 Annual HCA Conference Cupping Competition Awards Ceremony at 3:30 p.m. and include a sampling of the top scoring coffee from each growing region.
The cupping competition is part of the Hawai'i Coffee Association's in-person 27th annual Conference and Trade Show to be held at Outrigger Kona Resort & Spa in Keauhou, May 19-21.

According to HCA's Executive Director and past President Chris Manfredi, competition coffees will be blindly cupped using the Specialty Coffee Association's scoring system. Pacific Coffee Research will oversee the competition. Complete rules and entry forms may be found on the HCA's website.

New live events for the Conference will include local baristas vying to win the the first Café Collective SigBev Competition at 6:30 p.m. on May 20 at HiCO in Kona. A panel of judges will score beverages featuring local coffees and attendees will have an opportunity to taste them. This event is open to the public; admission is free.
Also new to the conference is the Seed-to-Brew Roundtable. The interactive panel brings together stakeholders representing four major elements of the local coffee chain: producers, processors, roasters and baristas. These industry experts will discuss their roles and answer questions prompted by a moderator. The panel will be followed by an audience Q&A.

Last year, Jose and Berta Miranda took
first in Kaʻū and tied for first statewide
in the HCA Cupping Contest.
Photo from Miranda's Farm

Jennifer "Vern" Long will give the conference keynote on Collaborative Coffee R&D—Working Together to Secure the Future of Coffee in Hawai'i. The CEO of World Coffee Research, "Long brings 25 years of experience in international agricultural research with a focus on smallholders," says the HCA statement. "Long has experience convening industry, government, scientists and farmers to formulate a shared crop research agenda for improving small farm productivity."

"This year's conference features a full lineup of educational opportunities, fellowship and fun," says Manfredi. "We've planned interactive workshops on cupping, roasting and field-grafting; plus talks on soil health, coffee origin traceability, on-farm technology and updates on the latest industry research and legislative issues. Attendees will also enjoy a trade show, silent auction and plenty of networking opportunities."

For Kaʻū coffee growers and enthusiasts interested in going the convention, the cost is $300 per person for Full Registration with meals; $135 for a two-day pass with Friday lunch, $235 for a three-day pass with Saturday lunch and dinner; $50 for a Friday tour and $100 for only attending the Saturday dinner.

To register and learn more about the HCA, go to http://www.hawaiicoffeeassoc.org/.

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SEE UPCOMING EVENTS IN KAʻŪ & VOLCANO

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

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