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| Preparations to begin for Cultural Fest Greeting the sunrise at Punalu‘u is a tradition of Ho‘okupu Hula No Kaʻū Cultural Festival. Hālau Hula O Leionālani and Kumu Debbie Ryder present a free day of music, hula and culture from Hawai‘i, Mexico, Japan and the mainland this Saturday at Ke Ola Po‘ohonua Cultural Grounds in Nāʻālehu from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Photo by Julia Neal |
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RAMONA OKUMURA, WHO WAS TRAPPED IN GAZA, IS FREE after processing through the Israel-Egyptian border and going by road on Wednesday to Cairo. Okumura, with family ties Kaʻū, was one of five Americans allowed through the Rafah Crossing on Wednesday in order to leave the war between Hamas and Israel. She was listed by Hamas among the workers for international NGOs approved for travel on Wednesday, including those expected to be replaced by other aid workers going back into Gaza. More of the 1,500 Americans trapped in Gaza were expected to leave on Thursday and going forward.
Okumura has visited Kaʻū many times to stay with her brother Glenn Okumura in Pāhala. After the war broke out, the Okumura family worked for three weeks going to Washington D.C. to meet with members of Congress and the Department of State in their effort to secure safe passage for Auntie Ramona.
Ramona Okumura volunteers with the Gaza Amputee Project of the Palestinian Children's Relief Fund.
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| The Kaʻū Calendar print edition: Five thousand mailed free to postal addresses from Volcano through Kaʻū to Miloli'i, 2,500 go on stands. |
She is a specialist in making prosthetics for young amputees and is retired from University of Washington where she researched and taught the craft. She grew up in Hawai‘i.
Her story has been carried in national media and she said she remains very concerned about the number of people being killed by the war in Gaza, where about half of the population is comprised of children.
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A DEAD PERSON WAS FOUND ON A VACANT LOT IN OCEAN VIEW, according to detectives with Hawai‘i Police Department’s Area II Criminal Investigation Section. They have initiated an unattended death investigation after a decomposed body was discovered on a vacant property in the Hawai‘i Ocean View Estates subdivision Monday evening, Oct. 30. According to the HPD statement, shortly before 6 p.m. on Monday, Ka‘ū patrol officers and Area II CIS detectives responded to a property on the 92-2500 block of ‘Ohia Drive after receiving a report of a lifeless body on an empty lot. Responding officers discovered the body of a partially decomposed man on the vacant property.
He is described as possibly being Caucasian, 5 feet 7 inches to 5 feet 8 inches tall, 180 pounds, with brown or blonde hair, and unknown eye color.
The circumstances surrounding the death are undetermined at this time. Anyone with information relative to this investigation is encouraged to call the police department’s non-emergency number at (808) 935-3311 or contact Detective Joshua Pa at (808) 785-7197; or via email at joshua.pa@hawaiicounty.gov. Citizens who wish to remain anonymous can submit a tip through Crime Stoppers at (808) 961-8300 and be eligible for a reward of up to $1,000. Crime Stoppers does not record any calls or subscribe to caller ID.
WALKING TRUNK TO TRUNK on Tuesday evening at Kahuku County Park in Ocean View, more than
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| Kris Cunningham, authentically dressed as a witch, stands behind a table of human skulls, handing out candy to costumed keiki. Photo by Annie Bosted |
With most homes in Ocean View on one-acre or three-acre lots, with many house sites undeveloped, trick-or-treating door-to-door is generally deemed to be unsafe for keiki. On Tuesday evening a large group of families parked their Halloween-decorated cars with open trunks in an Ocean View parking lot, attracting trick-or-treaters. These events, which are gaining popularity country-wide, are also known as Trunk or Treat or Halloween Tailgating, and have been popular in the past at Kaʻū High & Pāhala Elementary School. A small Trunk or Treat was held last year at Ocean View Community Center.
On Tuesday, about 20 decorated cars were arranged around the perimeter of Kahuku County Park's upper parking lot, all parked with their open trunks facing the center of the lot. The event began as the sun was setting at 6 p.m. and lasted an hour.
Excitement and anticipation were in the air as boisterous costumed keiki discovered a seemingly endless source of treats
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| Sporting bright red hair, a costumed Ocean View resident, Anne Gunderson sits on the edge of her Halloween-decorated trunk, offering candies to Princess Iris Gregory and her brother, Spiderman Cole Gregory. Photo by Annie Bosted |
Jessica Mahley and her friend, Kristin Davis, organized the event. Mahley, who owns the Pueo Puppy Sanctuary, told The Kaʻū Calender that since she was a child, Halloween has been her favorite holiday.
She said the Trunk or Treat "had an excellent turnout. A lot of parents were super happy to have a safe place to take their kids trick-or-treating. Unfortunately, the kids in Ocean View are under-served, so they need events like this one."
"I think we will need a larger parking lot next year. I'm hoping that this event will be adopted by the community, and that it will continue and evolve on its own," added Mahley.
