Kaʻū News Briefs, Wednesday, Jan. 11, 2023

Kaʻū's member in Congress Jill Tokuda, fourth in front row, at the swearing-In for Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus of the 118th Congress, hosted by Asian Pacific American Institute for Congressional Studies on Tuesday night in Washington, D.C. Photo from Tokuda

KAʻŪ'S REPRESENTATIVE IN CONGRESS Jill Tokuda was sworn in as a member of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus of the 118th Congress Tuesday night. She also issued a survey for all of rural Hawai'i, the Second Congressional District. The survey asks constituents to identify their most important issues. Those listed are: Affordable Housing, Reproductive Health and Justice for Women; Campaign Finance Reform and Fighting Corruption; Paid Family and Medical Leave Programs; Diversifying Our Economy and Making Hawai'i A Renewable Energy Leader; quality Universal Childcare and Early Education Programs; Increasing Access to Quality Health and Mental Health Services; Community Safety and Gun Reform; Protecting The Environment and Fighting Climate Change; Reforming the U.S. Supreme Court; Supporting Our Veterans; Improving and Fully-funding K-12 Education and Other.
    Rural issues such as affordable housing, farm worker housing, assistance to farmers and ranchers to fight pests and grow more crops, sustainable food production, water resources and conserving important lands and natural resources are missing from her list. However, Tokuda, a Kaneohe resident who represents her area as well as Kaʻū and all of Hawai'i Island, Maui, Moloka'i, Lana'i, Kaho'olawe, Kaua'i and Ni'ihau ends her survey with "What issues are important to you? And why?" She also asks What would you like Jill to know?"
   Take the survey to inform Kaʻū's congresswoman at:
https://secure.ngpvan.com/9GLe55Q2fUeIjdPrKHbbcA2?emci=c94a36e8-e291-ed11-9d7b-00224832e811&emdi=b4c6a78b-e791-ed11-9d7b-00224832e811&ceid=13058587

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$2.7 MILLION IN GRANTS ARE AWARDED FOR SMALL-SCALE AGRICULTURE. Hawaiʻi Department of Agriculture announced the award of 579 grants, totaling $2,684,350, for home gardening, herding and livestock operations in areas that are food insecure.

    More than 7,400 applications were received last Fall under the Micro-Grants for Food Security Program. The applications and project proposals were evaluated and ranked by HDOA’s Market Development Branch and final approval was received from the U.S. Department of Agriculture . Funding for this grant program is provided by the USDA under the 2018 Farm Bill. Grant amounts ranged from $750 to $5,000.

    “There was unprecedented interest in the micro-grants program this year,” said Phyllis Shimabukuro-Geiser, former chairperson of the Hawai`i Board of Agriculture. “Those who were awarded the grants submitted proposals that were well thought out and most likely to achieve the grant purpose of increasing the quality and quantity of locally grown foods in areas where access to food is limited.”
    Consideration was based on the description of the project, the number of beneficiaries, and the level of food security in the location of the household as indicated on the Food Insecurity Index, calculated by Conduent Healthy Communities Institute using data from Claritas, 2021. The index which maps food insecurity by zip code may be found at: https://www.hawaiihealthmatters.org/indexsuite/index/foodinsecurity
    Of the 579 grants awarded, 347 were on Oʻahu, 67 on Maui County, 32 in Kauaʻi County and 133 on Hawaiʻi Island. All the grant awards are posted on the State Procurement Office website at: https://hands.ehawaii.gov/hands/awards (search under “micro-grants”)
    Examples of proposals that were funded included projects for:fencing to protect crops and seedlings from axis deer damage; purchasing of seeds and tree crops; purchasing of soil amendments, compost, tools, and irrigation systems; refrigeration/freezing capacity and canning supplies for food preservation;

purchasing of garden towers and raised beds for vegetable production; building shade houses, aquaponic, hydroponic and aeroponic systems; and constructing poultry coops.
    Grant awardees have been notified via email and must submit a W-9 tax form (Internal Revenue Service). Awardees will also be sent a contract, which must be signed electronically and returned to the MDB. The contract also includes the terms and conditions of the micro-grant. Once the W-9 and contract forms are submitted, the funds will be disbursed.

    Questions regarding the status of the awards may be addressed to MDB via email at: hdoa.md.microgrants@hawaii.gov

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POLICE ARRESTED 28 FOR DUI during the week of Jan. 1 through Jan 8. Hawai‘i Island police arrested 28 motorists for driving under the influence of an intoxicant. Seven were involved in a traffic accident. One was under the age of 21. So far this year, there have been 28 DUI arrests compared with 20 during the same period last year, an increase of 40 percent.
There have been 21 major accidents so far this year compared with 15 during the same period last year, an increase of 40 percent. There was one fatal crash, resulting in 1 fatality, compared with one fatal crash, resulting in one fatality for the same time last year. Police promise that DUI roadblocks and patrols will continue island wide.

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Royal Order of Kamehameha
uniform stolen. Photo from police

ROYAL ORDER OF KAMEHAMEHA I UNIFORM AND OTHER HAWAIIAN FAMILY HEIRLOOMS are the subject of a message from Hawai‘i Island police for the public’s assistance for information pertaining to theft from a storage locker in Hilo.
    The police statement says, "The victim reported that numerous items were removed from a storage locker at the facility, including pieces of the uniform worn by members of the Royal Order of Kamehameha I. Also reported stolen was a family heirloom necklace that has a walrus ivory Palaoa pendant attached. The necklace was stored in a black hard plastic lockbox.
    Police ask anyone with information on this theft or the stolen items to call the police department’s non-emergency line at (808) 935-3311 or contact Officer Chester Franco at Chester.franco@hawaiicounty.gov. 

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FREE FOOD

St. Jude's Hot Meals are free to those in need on Saturdays from 9 a.m. until food runs out, no later than noon. Volunteers from the community are welcome to help and can contact Karen at pooch53@gmail.com. Location is 96-8606 Paradise Circle Drive in Ocean View.  Those in need can also take hot showers from 9 a.m. to noon and use the computer lab from 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Masks and social distancing required.

Free Meals Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays are served from 12:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. at Nā'ālehu Hongwanji. Volunteers prepare the food provided by 'O Ka'ū Kākou with fresh produce from its gardens on the farm of Eva Liu, who supports the project. Other community members also make donations and approximately 150 meals are served each day, according to OKK President Wayne Kawachi.

OUTDOOR MARKETS

Volcano Evening Market, Cooper Center, Volcano Village, Thursdays, 3 p.m. to 6 p.m., with live music, artisan crafts, ono grinds, and fresh produce. See facebook.com.

Volcano Swap Meet, fourth Saturday of the month from 8 a.m. to noon. Large variety of vendors with numerous products. Tools, clothes, books, toys, local made healing extract and creams, antiques, jewelry, gemstones, crystals, food, music, plants, fruits, and vegetables. Also offered are cakes, coffee, and shave ice. Live music.

Volcano Farmers Market, Cooper Center, Volcano Village on Sundays, 6 a.m. to 10 a.m., with local produce, baked goods, food to go, island beef and Ka'ū Coffee. EBT is used for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, formerly Food Stamps. Call 808-967-7800.

'O Ka'ū Kākou Market, Nā'ālehu, Wednesdays, 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Contact Nadine Ebert at 808-938-5124 or June Domondon 808-938-4875. See facebook.com/OKauKakouMarket.

Ocean View Community Market, Saturdays and Wednesdays, 6:30 a.m. to 2 p.m., corner of Kona Drive and Highway 11, where Thai Grindz is located. Masks mandatory. 100-person limit, social distancing required. Gate unlocked for vendors at 5:30 a.m., $15 dollars, no reservations needed. Parking in the upper lot only. Vendors must provide their own sanitizer. Food vendor permits required. Carpooling is encouraged.

Ocean View Swap Meet 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.

The Book Shack is open every Wednesday, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on the Kauaha'ao Congregational Church grounds at 95-1642 Pinao St. in Wai'ōhinu.