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| Gov. Josh Green attended the State of the Union address by Pres. Joe Biden Monday night, as guest of Congresswoman Jill Tokuda. Photo from Green |
GOV. JOSH GREEN RESPONDED TO PRES. JOE BIDEN'S STATE OF THE UNION ADDRESS on Tuesday, after attending as the guest of Ka'u's Congresswoman Jill Tokuda.
"As a physician-Governor, it was heartening to hear President Biden’s focus on health matters like ending cancer and addressing our nation’s mental health crisis. These are areas of concern that we really share and I look forward to discussing them, the opioid epidemic and our nation’s homeless crisis, when I meet with him and his cabinet over the next several days.
"Like the President, our Administration will support efforts toward housing and stabilizing veterans who have served our nation. We already have dozens of veterans living in kauhale (tiny home villages) that we have helped to build. As a country and a state, we can do much more for our veterans, kūpuna, and keiki when they are housing-insecure.
"My schedule here in Washington is packed-full through Saturday because I am using this time to meet with the nation’s top leaders, to make real progress on our state’s challenges."
Green said, "I want to thank U.S. Representative Jill Tokuda for inviting me to be her guest at the State of the Union Address. Jill is an old friend and it was an experience of a lifetime. Plus it worked well, as this week is the first National Governors Association meeting of 2023."
"My schedule here in Washington is packed-full through Saturday because I am using this time to meet with the nation’s top leaders, to make real progress on our state’s challenges."
Green said, "I want to thank U.S. Representative Jill Tokuda for inviting me to be her guest at the State of the Union Address. Jill is an old friend and it was an experience of a lifetime. Plus it worked well, as this week is the first National Governors Association meeting of 2023."
Watch the State of the Union at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gzcBTUvVp7M
HAWAI'I' FIRST LADY JAIME KANANI YUSHIRODA GREEN, who is also on the trip to Washington, D.C., released her first weekly educational post featuring Hawaiian words for February, Hawaiian Language month. 
The word this week is Huliau, which means a turning point, time of change. She wrote:
"Pepeluali (February) is Mahina ’Ōlelo Hawai‘i (Hawaiian Language Month). Each week I hope to share a hua ‘Ōlelo Hawai‘i (Hawaiian Word) with you that has a deep meaning and relationship with my life.
"Having ushered in the New Year with family and friends and various traditions - staying up past midnight on New Yearʻs Eve, eating mochi on New Yearʻs Day, and celebrating the Year of the Rabbit with firecrackers and lion dances; itʻs a time to reflect on the past and look forward to the new year and new possibilities.
"This is a time of Huliau - new beginnings. In the wake of a lava flow that has covered the land, new seeds begin to sprout. The covid pandemic changed our landscape but as a community, we supported each other and made it through. This is a new year and a new beginning for all of us and I hope that rather than resurrect past divisiveness and return to business as usual, we will focus on new opportunities, strengthen our community, and work on our challenges together."
"Having ushered in the New Year with family and friends and various traditions - staying up past midnight on New Yearʻs Eve, eating mochi on New Yearʻs Day, and celebrating the Year of the Rabbit with firecrackers and lion dances; itʻs a time to reflect on the past and look forward to the new year and new possibilities.
"This is a time of Huliau - new beginnings. In the wake of a lava flow that has covered the land, new seeds begin to sprout. The covid pandemic changed our landscape but as a community, we supported each other and made it through. This is a new year and a new beginning for all of us and I hope that rather than resurrect past divisiveness and return to business as usual, we will focus on new opportunities, strengthen our community, and work on our challenges together."
To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see facebook.com/kaucalendar. See latest print edition at kaucalendar.com, in the mail and on stands.
PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN HIGHLIGHTED HISTORIC PROGRESS FOR AMERICAN PEOPLE over the past two years, during his State of the Union address on Monday, according to Sen. Mazie Hirono. She released a review of the speech, which includes the following:
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| Sen. Mazie Hirono and Pres. Joe Biden at the United We Stand summit held late last year. Photo from VOA |
"From capping health care costs, to rebuilding our infrastructure, to fighting climate change and much more, Democrats are building a country and economy that puts working families before billionaires and special interests. As the President made clear, though, our work is far from over.
"We've got important work ahead to protect reproductive health care, advance equity for LGBTQ+ individuals, and end our country's gun violence epidemic. From stopping police brutality against Black and Brown communities, to ending AAPI hate, to combatting the rise in anti-Semitism—it's clear there's a lot more work to be done to ensure every single person in this country is treated with the dignity and respect they deserve—regardless of their race, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, or religion.
"We must also pass voting rights legislation and reform our courts to be fair and objective, not driven by far-right ideological agendas. Alongside President Biden and my colleagues in Congress, I look forward to addressing these big challenges and building on the progress of the last two years in order to make life better for all families in Hawai'i and across the country."
"We've got important work ahead to protect reproductive health care, advance equity for LGBTQ+ individuals, and end our country's gun violence epidemic. From stopping police brutality against Black and Brown communities, to ending AAPI hate, to combatting the rise in anti-Semitism—it's clear there's a lot more work to be done to ensure every single person in this country is treated with the dignity and respect they deserve—regardless of their race, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, or religion.
"We must also pass voting rights legislation and reform our courts to be fair and objective, not driven by far-right ideological agendas. Alongside President Biden and my colleagues in Congress, I look forward to addressing these big challenges and building on the progress of the last two years in order to make life better for all families in Hawai'i and across the country."
Watch the State of the Union at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gzcBTUvVp7M
To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see facebook.com/kaucalendar. See latest print edition at kaucalendar.com, in the mail and on stands.
"Omar, who came to the U.S. as a refugee and represents a congressional district in Minnesota, is Muslim. She told The Hill that her ouster from the Foreign Affairs Committee by the new Republican majority in Congress is "rooted in the faith that I practice visibly and proudly, and it’s certainly rooted in my skin color and my ethnicity.” Those who ousted her contend that she made anti-Jewish remarks.
To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see facebook.com/kaucalendar. See latest print edition at kaucalendar.com, in the mail and on stands.
 See the print version of The Ka'u Calendar online at www.kaucalendar.com, in the mail and on stands.  |
To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see facebook.com/kaucalendar. See latest print edition at kaucalendar.com, in the mail and on stands.
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.
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 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.
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.
