Tuesday, November 19, 2024

Kaʻū News Briefs Nov. 19, 2024

An image of a DA BUX Access Card superimposed over a colorful background of Hawaii grown fruits and vegetables.
Farmers wanting to sell more local produce and SNAP recipients who want to consume more local fruits and vegetables can learn more at dabux.org. DA BUX on Hawai'i Island is receiving millions of dollars in funding for its program. 
FEDERAL MONEY DIRECTED TOWARD DA BUX is coming to The Food Basket. The $8.4 million is for Hawai'i Island and championed by Hawai'i's U.S. Sen. Mazie Hirono to enhance food and nutrition security, by supporting local growers through subsidizing the sale of local fruits and vegetables to make them more affordable. The cheaper prices are for individuals and families enrolled in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) with Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) cards.
    Hirono said, "Every household deserves access to healthy and affordable food and this funding is an important investment in the well-being of our communities." She also noted the support DA BUX brings to local agriculture.
    The funds come through the federal Farm Bill - the Rural Prosperity & Food Security Act of 2024, a major focus of Hirono. DA BUX provides a 50 percent discount on Hawai'i grown produce at participating groceries and food hubs. Find a retailer at dabux.org.

Lani Moo promoted Meadow Gold until the 
company moved operations to the mainland.
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MEADOW GOLD IS LAYING OFF 29 EMPLOYEES ON HAWAI'I ISLAND, hundreds statewide.
    The company started as a dairy in 1901 with milk cow herds and manufacturing locations around the state, until it began importing all its milk, creams, cottage cheese, sour cream, ice cream, frozen treats and other dairy products from the mainland.
    Its current production facilities include locations in Salt Lake City and Englewood, Colorado.  The layoffs in Hawai'i involve product distribution which is being contracted to a different company. 
    Meadow Gold's slogan is "Farmer Owned, Community Loved." Its dairy sources shown on its website are Beteman's Mosida Farms in Elberta, Utah and VenderVegt Dairy in Paul, Idaho.
     Meadow Gold was famous for a character used in promotions, a milk cow named Lani Moo who wore a lei. The company in recent years has departed from its use of Hawai'i for its branding and the job of wearing the Lani Moo costume has been dropped.

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HAWAIIAN AIRLINES OFFERS DISCOUNTS FOR LOCALS who join its new Huaka'i program. Club membership includes quarterly fare discounts on Neighbor Island flights and network-wide flight deals. 
    Hawaiian flies interisland, with the exception of Moloka'i and Lana'i. It flies to Samoa, Tahiti, New Zealand, Australia, Japan and Korea and to numerous U.S. mainland destinations.                  Hawaiian Air was recently acquired by Alaska Airlines.
    See hawaiianairlines.com/huakai for the discount program for locals.
    Hawaiian Air is also involved with a contest to win 500,000 miles as part of its promotion of Disney's Moana 2 film which goes into theaters Nov. 27.

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NOTING AN 80 PERCENT HIKE IN TRAFFIC FATALITIES, SO FAR THIS YEAR, HPD ARRESTED 28 FOR DUI during the week of Nov. 11 through Nov. 17. Hawai‘i Island police made the arrests for driving under the influence of an intoxicant. Eight of the motorists were involved in a traffic accident. One was under the age of 21.
    So far this year, there have been 860 DUI arrests compared with 835 during the same period last year. This is an increase of 3.0 percent.
    Hawai'i Police Department’s Traffic Services Section reviewed all updated crashes and found 866 major crashes so far this year, compared with 749 during the same time last year. This represents an increase of

15.6 percent.
    To date, there were 25 fatal crashes, resulting in 27 fatalities (three of which had multiple deaths, one was reclassified as suicide, one reclassified as a medical condition, two died at a later date, and one not counted – did not occur on a public roadway), compared with 14 fatal crashes, resulting in 15 fatalities (one of which had multiple deaths, one died at a later date, and one crash reclassified as a medical condition) for the same time last year. 
     This represents an increase of 78.6 percent for fatal crashes and 80 percent for fatalities.
To date, the non-traffic fatality count so far this year is 1 compared to 0 non-traffic fatalities (not on a public roadway) for the same time last year.
    Police promise that DUI roadblocks and patrols will continue island wide.

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YOUNG WOMEN IN LEADERSHIP AWARD applications for 2025 are now available from Zonta Club online at www.zontahilo.org/scholarships-grants/. Applications are due Feb.1.
Zonta Club of Hilo – Empowering Women Worldwide
    Open to high school and college students aged 16-19 (as of April 1, 2025), this award encourages young women to pursue careers or seek leadership positions in public policy making, government, and volunteer organizations and to further their education with these aims in view. 
    "Applicants are asked to reflect on their voluntary commitment to their school and to their community and the problems limiting the empowerment of women in their own country and worldwide," says Zonta Club of Hilo President Julie Tulang. "The Zonta Young Women in Leadership Award looks to the young women of today to be the leaders of tomorrow."
    The club's top recipient of this award is automatically entered for additional scholarships at the Zonta District and International levels. Zonta Club of Hilo serves the entire island and is a member of Zonta International, whose mission is to build a better world for women and girls. For information on all scholarships available, visit www.zontahilo.org/scholarships-grants/.

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No photo description available.
Saint Judes will feed 150 homeless people with a Thanksgiving Dinner this Saturday.
AT SAINT JUDES EPISCOPAL CHURCH IN OCEAN VIEW this Saturday, church members will provide a Thanksgiving dinner for 150 homeless people. On Wednesdays, St. Judes offers free showers (averaging 35 showers) and a bag lunch. Each Saturday the shower totals average 45-50 and the church also prepares a meal for up to 125 people. 
     The church offers a public access computer lab on Saturdays. The rest of the week the church is home to Senior meals, AA, a children’s choir, hula and more. The location is 92-8606 Paradise Circle. Call (808) 939-7000. See http://www.stjudeshawaii.org/about-us.html.



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FIRST IN THE HIGH SCHOOL GIRLS TEAMS at MILOLI'I-KAʻŪ VOLLEYBALL TOURNAMENT last weekend went to Kanani A'o Kaʻū. The tournament packed the Herkes Kaʻū District Gym on Saturday and Sunday. Photo by Kaimi Kaupiko.

SECOND IN HIGH SCHOOL GIRLS AT MILOLI'I-KAʻŪ VOLLEYBALL TOURNAMENT last weekend at the Herkes Kaʻū District Gym went to Girlie Girlie. Teams came from around the island. Photo by Kaimi Kaupiko.



MILOLI'I-KAʻŪ GIRLS, 12 and under, took second in the islandwide tournament last weekend at the Herkes Kaʻū District Gym.
Photo by Kaimi Kaupiko

FIRST IN THE HIGH SCHOOL BOYS TEAM at MILOLI'I-KAʻŪ VOLLEYBALL TOURNAMENT held at the Herkes Kaʻū District Gym last weekend went to Big Island Boys. Second went to Pilipa'a.
Photo by Kaimi Kaupiko.



MILOLI'I-KAʻŪ BOYS took third in last weekend's volleyball tournament, drawing teams from around the island to Herkes Kaʻū District Gym.
Photo by Kaimi Kaupiko
FIRST IN THE 12 & UNDER during the Miloli'i-Kaʻū Volleyball Tournament last weekend at the Herkes Kaʻū District Gym went to Keaukaha Volleyball Club. The tournament raised money for youth volleyball through food sales and was free to the public to witness.
Photo by Kaimi Kaupiko


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