Ka`u News Briefs Friday, Sept. 12, 2014

HVO scientists project that lava moving northeast from the flow front at bottom left will hit Pahoa. Map from Big Island Video News

SCIENTISTS AT HAWAIIAN VOLCANO OBSERVATORY expect lava to reach Pahoa within two weeks. At a community meeting held last night at Pahoa High School recorded by Big Island Video News, HVO scientist-in-charge Jim Kauahikaua showed a map projecting the lava to move toward Pahoa’s transfer station on its way toward the village and Hwy 130.

Lava creates smoke plumes on its path toward Pahoa.
Photo from USGS/HVO

  

      As of this morning, lava is .2 miles away from the boundary between Wao Kele O Puna Forest Reserve and the sparsely populated Ka`ohe Homesteads subdivision. Although Civil Defense has not ordered evacuations, residents are asked to be prepared, and the agency is continuing door-to-door surveys and notifications in the area.
      A Lava Flow Informational Fair is scheduled tomorrow from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Pahoa High School for those who provide services to Puna residents to answer questions. Representative will provide information on topics including insurance, legal, financial, moving, transportation, police, fire and health care.
      Mayor Billy Kenoi told meeting attendees he is working with the necessary agencies and companies to provide and maintain uninterrupted electrical service, telecommunication capability and access should the flow cover Hwy 130. The county is currently working on Railroad Avenue and Government Beach Road to provide access for residents. Chain of Craters Road, which connects lower Puna with Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park and was covered with lava since 1983, is another option as the likelihood of those routes becoming covered gets closer.
      See bigislandvideonews.com.

      To comment on or like this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.

KA`U PUBLIC LIBRARIES SIGNIFICANTLY IMPROVED circulation last year, this key indicator helping to ensure their continued service to the community. Pahala’s circulation increased by 59 percent, and Na`alehu Library booked the most circulation of its printed, DVD, CD and other lending formats among the state’s 50 public libraries. The reports from Pahala librarian Debbie Wong Yuen and Na`alehu librarian Sara Kamibayashi were provided to Friends of Ka`u Libraries at the organization’s annual meeting last night at Pahala Plantation House.

Friends of the Ka`u Libraries celebrated increased circulation over the past year
and success in helping to keep the libraries open and growning in their services.
Front row is new President Ann Fontes. Back row from left are outgoing
President and new Secretary Doris Davis, Vice President Bonnie Barnes,
na`alehu Director Sandy Demoruelle, Ocean View Director and Na`alehu
School Librarian Linda Morgan, Na`alehu Libriarian Sara Kamibayashi
and Ocean View Ranchos Director Trisha Gerbo.
Photo by Julia Neal

      Friends of Ka`u Libraries celebrated its lobbying efforts to keep Pahala Library open and to extend its hours and use of its free computer lab. Pahala Library is now open five days a week.

      The Na`alehu librarian said that the size of Na`alehu Library will double next year with the addition of a new portable building.    Fundraising could be needed to purchase shelves, said Kamibayashi.
      Other fundraising will help support the Ka`u History Project to collect photos and documents about life in Ka`u and to copy and archive them. Recent fundraising supported computer disc repair machines for the libraries.
      Movie matinees on Fridays have drawn an average of 34 attendees in Pahala. Matinees are offered on Tuesdays in Na`alehu. The librarians also reported strong attendance in summer reading programs by school students on vacation as well as adults. The successful, well-attended 20th anniversary celebration for Na`alehu Library was also applauded. The State Foundation for Culture & the Arts was commended for placing excellent art for display in both libraries.
      Outgoing President Doris Davis commended the group on fundraising throughout the year, including participation in Ka`u Coffee Festival, Ka`u Plantation Days and regular book sales.

      Friends of Ka`u Libraries will sell books and its new T-shirts at Ka`u Plantation Days on Saturday, Oct. 11 on the grounds of Pahala Plantation House.
      New officers were elected Thursday night. They are President Ann Fontes, Vice President Bonnie Barnes and Secretary Doris Davis. Directors are: Trisha Grebo, of Ocean View Ranchos; Linda Morgan, of Ocean View; Sandy Demoruelle, of Na`alehu; and Myra Jean Sumida, of Pahala. Members also acknowledged the work of the late Xenia Silva, who served as president of the organization.
      Annual memberships are $5 per person and $2 for seniors. Lifetime memberships are $100. Call Ann Fontes at 987-7448 or Doris Davis at 928-0919.

      To comment on or like this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.

Alan Oshima, new HECO President and CEO

AN INFORMATIONAL KIOSK AT NA`ALEHU PARK is the next priority project for Ka`u Scenic Byway Committee. The kiosk will provide information to travelers about services available in the area including businesses, churches and recreation as well as history about Na`alehu Park. The committee met yesterday to discuss details of the kiosk’s design.

      After designs of informational panels are finalized, they will be sent to Clayton Honma, Director of Hawai`i County Department of Parks & Recreation, for approval.
      Another project in the works is placement of signs along Hwy 11 informing travelers of dates of lava flows along the route, similar to signage found along roads in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park. Committee members are applying for partial funding through Hawai`i Tourism Authority for the project.
      The committee’s next meeting is Thursday, Oct. 9 at 5 p.m. at Na`alehu Methodist Church, and the public is invited.

      To comment on or like this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.

ALAN OSHIMA HAS BEEN NAMED PRESIDENT and chief executive officer of Hawaiian Electric Company, effective Oct. 1, 2014. Oshima has almost 40 years of energy, regulated utility, legal and community relations experience in Hawai`i. He will succeed Dick Rosenblum, who has served in the position since 2009. 

      “Alan brings extensive energy industry experience, a real passion for moving Hawai`i to a clean energy future and a proven ability to bring people together to work collaboratively for needed change. We need to move away from a traditional utility model to become a responsive, affordable energy services provider for our customers, and I’m confident Alan is the right leader to guide our utility through this transformation,” said Connie Lau, chair of the board for HECO and president and chief executive officer of its parent company, HEI.
      “I’m honored to lead Hawaiian Electric at such a critical time,” Oshima said. “We have a dedicated team of employees who care deeply about doing the right thing for our customers and for Hawai`i. We know the energy environment is changing, and we have to adapt. We need to be more responsive, working collaboratively with our customers and the greater community. I’m confident that together we can achieve the clean energy future we all want for Hawai`i.”

Tiny Treasures II opens tomorrow.
Photo from Volcano Art Center

      To comment on or like this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.

IN SPORTS, THE TROJANS’ EIGHT-MAN football team hosts Pahoa today at 6:30 p.m. Tomorrow, Ka`u High girls volleyball travels to Konawaena for a 10 a.m. match, and bowling teams travel to play Kealakehe in Hilo.

KA`U’S STATE REP. RICHARD CREAGAN holds a public meeting tomorrow at 10 a.m. at Ocean View Community Center to discuss money from the state Legislature that has been approved for water projects. He will also take questions on other issues concerning Ka`u.

RICHARD PEREA, OF KA`U NATURAL FARMING, offers an introduction to natural farming tomorrow at 10 a.m. at Ka Lae Gardens, 92-8395 Mamalahoa Hwy in Ocean View on the makai side of Hwy 11, accessible from Kohala Street.
      See Ka`u Natural Farming on Facebook or call 937-3010 for more information.

TINY TREASURES II OPENS TOMORROW at Volcano Art Center Gallery in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park. The sculpture and jewelry exhibit features 16 Hawai`i Island artists. Opening reception is from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. Free; park entrance fees apply.
      Call 967-7565 for more information.

TOMORROW FROM 9:30 A.M. TO 12:30 P.M., a free, guided, 2.5-mile, moderately difficult hike over rugged terrain focuses on the human history of Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park’s Kahuku Unit.

Manu Josiah and Leilehua Yuen offer a hula kahiko informance
tomorrow. Photo from Volcano Art Center

LEILEHUA YUEN AND MANU JOSIAH with Halau Hula LeiManu present a hula kahiko informance tomorrow at 10:30 a.m. at the hula platform near Volcano Art Center Gallery in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park. The informance format allows for more interaction between the kumu, halau and audience. The kumu explains the halau philosophy, protocol, meanings behind the dance, costuming, flower selection, etc. A short question and answer session is held immediately following the informance.
      For more information, call 967-8222.

TOMORROW IS THE LAST DAY to register for Ka`u Coffee Trail Run before fees increase. Events are a 5K, 10K and Half Marathon.

      See race360.com/21357.

VOLCANO WINERY’S GRAPE HARVEST FESTIVAL is Sunday from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. All proceeds benefit STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math) programs at Volcano School of Arts & Sciences.
     The event includes music by Keoki Kahumoku and Friends, pupus by Volcano House and other area businesses, wine and a souvenir wine glass.
     Call 967-7772 to purchase $40 tickets. Last year’s event sold out.

SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS AT PAHALAPLANTATIONCOTTAGES.COM AND KAUCOFFEEMILL.COM. KA`U COFFEE MILL IS OPEN SEVEN DAYS A WEEK.

See kaucalendar.com/Directory2014.swf.

Ka`u News Briefs Thursday, Sept. 11, 2014

Aikane Plantation Coffee from Ka`u is now the namesake of a coffee shop and dinner house in Osaka, Japan.
Photos from Aikane Plantation

NEW WASTEWATER SYSTEM RULES for residences and businesses could raise the price of homes and commercial entities that currently use cesspools in Ka`u. The proposed state Department of Health regulations are aimed at further protecting drinking water sources and the environment.

Effects of new wastewater rules on Ka`u homes connected to gang cesspools
are still to be determined. Photo by Julia Neal

      One proposed new rule would not only prohibit the use of new cesspools but also require an upgrade to a septic system or connection to a sewer system within 180 days of the sale of any property with a cesspool. Whether this would affect property owners in such places as Na`alehu and Pahala where many homes are on gang cesspools left over from the plantation days but waiting for new sewage treatment plants to be built is still to be determined.
      Those selling or buying homes with existing cesspools would be told to install septic systems and within a few years could again have to pay to hook up to new community sewer lines.
      Ka`u’s County Council member-elect Maile Medeiros David said yesterday that she hopes Ka`u residents will weigh in with public comment. Written comments will be accepted through Thursday, Oct. 2, when a statewide public hearing will be held with videoconferencing at the Hawai`i District Health Office conference room at 1582 Kamehameha Ave. in Hilo. Doors opening at 10 a.m., and the hearing starts at 10:30 a.m.
      Among the many proposed wastewater regulations covered by the hearing are:

• Prohibiting individual wastewater systems for developments with greater than 15 subdivided lots even when each home is on a lot that is an acre or larger; 
• Restrictions to prevent direct discharge of effluent from an aerobic treatment unit into groundwater; 
• Clarifying when a building modification would trigger an upgrade from a cesspool or other treatment system; 
• Revising the flow per capita requirements for restaurants, barber shops and beauty salons; and 
• Revising spill reporting requirements.

      To send comments by email and read the proposal, see health.hawaii.gov/wastewater/home/public_notice. Written comments can be sent to Wastewater Branch, Environmental Management Division, State Department of Health, 919 Ala Moana Blvd, Room 309, Honolulu, HI 96814-4920.

      To comment on or like this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.

Bilingual sign shows offerings at
new business in Osaka, Japan.

AIKANE PLANTATION, one of Ka`u’s original coffee companies, its history dating back into the 1800s, headlines a new coffee shop and dinner house in Osaka, Japan. Partner Phil Becker said, “On opening day, customers had to wait two and a half to three hours to get in. We served Huli Huli chicken to get their attention.
      “It’s not your normal coffee shop you see in Japan. We offer a variety of food and have several tables for customers to sit down and relax.”
      Aikane Plantation Coffee farm is located between Pahala and Na`alehu on the old sugar cane haul route called Ka`alaiki Road.
      Aikane has represented Ka`u for the last decade at the Made in Hawai`i show in Honolulu each year and served up more than 4,800 sample cups of coffee over the three-day event this August. Customers came from as far away as New York and New Jersey, Becker said.
      See www.aikaneplantation.com. Call 808-927-2252.

      To comment on or like this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.

LAVA FROM KILAUEA VOLCANO was .3 miles from Kaohe Homesteads and headed that way this morning, according to a report from Hawai`i County Civil Defense, which launched door-to-door visits to Kaohe homes today. The county started work today on an alternate road for residents to reach communities that could be cut off by the lava flow should it cross Hwy 130 near or within Pahoa. The road will include Railroad Avenue and Government Beach Road, as well as the Hawaiian Beaches and Hawaiian Paradise Park communities. For films of the lava flow, maps and frequent updates, see www.bigislandvideonews.com. Also see daily updates at http://hvo.wr.usgs.gov/activity/kilaueastatus.php.

   To comment on or like this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.  

COFFEE BERRY BORER RESEARCHERS are asking for participation from Ka`u Coffee growers. Goals of the research are to better understand Square-necked Grain Beetle (Cathartus quadricollis) ecology and predation and explore ways to increase its role in CBB Integrated Pest Management and suppression of CBB populations in coffee.

Carthartus quadricollis
Photo from BugGuide

      Cathartus quadricollis, a storage grain pest, is established in Hawai`i and has been found to assist in the control of Tropical Nut Borer on macadamia nut. TNB is a very close relative to CBB and is found in the same genus. They look very much alike. However, CBB is found on coffee, and TNB is found on macadamia nut.
      According to the researchers, cathartus has been found in coffee raisins that were infested by CBB. When these beetles were found in coffee raisins, many questions arose. Were they eating CBB, eggs and larvae? Are they found on all coffee farms? Do they feed on CBB in cherry, also?
      One objective for the research project is to determine the geographical distribution of cathartus by surveying for its presence or absence on coffee farms.
      Starting this week, research support staff will begin on-farm sampling of coffee raisins. Staff will be taking appointments via email and making phone calls to set-up farm visits. During these farm visits, staff will take a representative sample of raisins from the farms and take the samples back to the research station in Kainaliu to search for Cathartus in the sample. “Since CBB control techniques highly recommend the removal of all raisins from a coffee farm prior to the next coffee season, our sampling will also help you with raisin removal. We can’t remove raisin from the entire farm, but we can certainly get you started,” said UH-CTAHR assistant extension agent Andrea Kawabata.
      Email cathartusproject@gmail.com to set up an appointment for staff to visit and collect raisins to sample for Cathartus. Include name or name of the on-site farm manager, farm address, directions to the farm, TMK and phone number or best method of contact.

      To comment on or like this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.

State Sen. Mike Gabbard

STATE SENATE AND HOUSE LAWMAKERS have scheduled a hearing to get an update from the Hawaiian Electric Company and various solar organizations on the current status of solar interconnection and future plans for distributed generation. 

      Last September, HECO notified its customers of a policy change that would require permission from the company to proceed with the installation of a PV system. Since the policy change, many solar customers have been facing delays in getting their PV systems connected to the grid.
     “There are a lot of moving pieces right now, and we need to bring all stakeholders together to connect the dots,” said Sen. Mike Gabbard, chair of the Energy and Environment Committee. “We have solar companies and customers still very unhappy that they can’t connect to the grid. The bottom line is we want to know more about what has already been done and what’s planned for the future to ensure that solar continues to be an option for our residents.”
    The hearing is scheduled for Friday, Sept. 19 at 1 p.m. in Conference Room 325 of the Hawai`i State Capitol with Senate and House committees on energy and environment, and commerce and consumer protection. It can be viewed live on Olelo Channel 49.

      To comment on or like this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.  

THE PUBLIC IS INVITED TO KA`U SCENIC BYWAY Committee’s meeting today at 5 p.m. at Na`alehu Methodist Church. On the agenda is finishing design of the Na`alehu Park kiosk. This is the last chance for input.
      For more information, email richmorrow@alohabroadband.net.

Friends of the Ka`u Libraries, who participate at Ka`u Plantation Days,
meet this evening at Pahala Plantation House.

FRIENDS OF THE KA`U LIBRARIES MEET TODAY from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Pahala Plantation House. Light refreshments are served for current and new members.
      Call Doris Davis at 928- 0919 or Ann Fontes at 987-7448 for more

IN SPORTS, THE TROJANS’ EIGHT-MAN football team hosts Pahoa tomorrow at 6:30 p.m., Ka`u High girls volleyball teams host Konawaena Saturday at 10 a.m. and bowling teams travel to play Kealakehe in Hilo.

KA`U’S STATE REP. RICHARD CREAGAN holds a public meeting Saturday at 10 a.m. at Ocean View Community Center. To be discussed will be money from the state Legislature that has already been approved. Creagan said he wants input from the community on how to use the funding. He will also take questions on other issues concerning Ka`u.

INTRODUCTION TO NATURAL FARMING is a presentation Saturday at 10 a.m. at Ka Lae Gardens, 92-8395 Mamalahoa Hwy in Ocean View on the makai side of Hwy 11, accessible from Kohala Street. Richard Perea, of Ka`u Natural Farming, said he is soliciting interest in natural farming and aims to make training and certification available to all at an affordable price.

      See Ka`u Natural Farming on Facebook or call 937-3010 for more information.

VOLCANO WINERY’S GRAPE HARVEST FESTIVAL is Sunday from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. All proceeds benefit STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math) programs at Volcano School of Arts & Sciences. 

     The event includes music by Keoki Kahumoku and Friends, pupus by Volcano House and other area businesses, wine and a souvenir wine glass.
     Call 967-7772 to purchase $40 tickets. Last year’s event sold out.

SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS AT PAHALAPLANTATIONCOTTAGES.COM AND KAUCOFFEEMILL.COM. KA`U COFFEE MILL IS OPEN SEVEN DAYS A WEEK.

See kaucalendar.com/Directory2014.swf.

Ka`u News Briefs Wednesday, Sept. 10, 2014

Horseback riders, walkers, trucks and floats are invited to participate in next month's Ka`u Plantation Days Parade. Photo by Julia Neal

TIM ORR, OF USGS HAWAIIAN VOLCANO OBSERVATORY, described last night at a community meeting in Puna how scientists predict where lava may go. He used a topographical map to show Puna residents possible routes that lava from Kilauea Volcano may take as it progresses toward Hwy 130 near Pahoa. He said lava may reach the highway in 16 to 18 days, based on its current flow rate.

Blue lines represent low-lying sections along which lava could flow.
Map from USGS/HVO

      Flow routes are generally downhill and follow low areas such as gulches or dropped-down spots that are lower than surrounding areas. Blue lines on the map show such possible routes of lava flow.
      Orr said the maps are useful in predicting flow routes but do not show all possibilities. “Uncertainty in base data” translates into a broader downslope path, where lava covers a wider area than just the blue lines.

      To comment on or like this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.

KA`U PLANTATION DAYS, which held an organizing meeting this week, is welcoming more representatives of ranches, farms and dairies to participate in the annual pa`u parade on horseback, foot, car, truck or float. The event, sponsored by the Ka`u Multicultural Society and chaired by Darlyne Vierra and Liz Kuluwaimaka, will be held on Saturday, Oct. 11 along the streets of Pahala and on the grounds of the old sugar company manager’s manor – Pahala Plantation House – beginning at 9 a.m.
      Ethnic foods and dances will be presented, including Japanese, Filipino and Hawaiian offerings. Historic displays from plantation days will be presented by families and heritage groups. Emcee is Clyde Siva.
      Vierra said Ka`u Multicultural Society invites families and sugar, farm, ranch and dairy retirees and employees to bring historic photos of life in Ka`u to be copied for the organization’s collection which is displayed at various community events and places in Ka`u.
      Participants include Pahala Filipino Association, Aikane Plantation Coffee, Na`alehu Hongwanji, Pahala Karate Dojo, Wong Yuen Chinese family, Kauaha`ao Church, Ka `Ohana O Honu`apo, The Nature Conservancy, Friends of Ka`u Libraries, Ka`u Chamber of Commerce, Halau Hula O Leionalani, Keoki Kahumoku and the Center for Hawaiian Music Education, `O Ka`u Kakou and several nutrition and health organizations.
      The final two organizing meetings will be Monday, Sept. 22 and Monday, Oct. 6 at Pahala Community Center at 6:30 p.m.
      For more information, call Vierra at 640-8740.

      To comment on or like this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.

Henry Curtis

ELECTRICITY STORAGE IS A TOPIC Henry Curtis, Executive Director of Life of the Land, discusses on his blog at ililanimedia.blogspot.com. He says new energy storage facilities are needed to integrate intermittent wind and solar onto transmission grids and for conversion of fossil-fuel based transportation to electric-powered vehicles.
      Batteries are old. The design and use of reusable batteries predates the electric grid. Thomas Alva Edison was about 12 years old when Raymond Gaston Planté produced the first lead acid battery, which has become the most widely used rechargeable battery in world history.
      But batteries are not the primary storage mechanism for electric grids. Practically all transmission grid-connected energy storage is composed of water and dams. Pumped storage hydro involves pumping water uphill from a lower reservoir to an upper reservoir and dropping it when power is needed. Pumped storage hydro accounts for over 95 percent of all storage on the grid. The use of commercial-scale pumped storage hydro in the United States is at least 80 years old.
      Batteries represent a mere 1.3 percent of energy storage on the U.S. grid. Other niche players are Thermal Storage, Compressed Air and Flywheels.
      Many energy players believe that batteries will play a major role in future storage technology.
      Just as car tires used for the Indy 500 are very different than snow tires, grid-connected batteries are not of one flavor. There are multiple designs, which serve multiple purposes.

In pumped storage hydro, water is pumped uphill at low-demand times and
released into turbines to create electricity during high-demand times.
Image from wikipedia

      There are at least twenty-six major types of reusable batteries. Most battery types have sub-types.
      Some energy storage systems provide voltage support or frequency stability, while others provide smoothing out of micro-second disturbances, smoothing out of multi-minute disturbances and transferring blocks of day-time power to serve evening demand.
      A given energy storage system might be very effective for one area of the grid and ineffective for another area. Some energy storage systems may be more effective in large-scale grid applications while others would better serve individual buildings on the customer’s side of the meter.
      Grid-connected energy storage in Hawai`i includes advanced lead-acid batteries, zinc-bromide flow batteries and a variety of lithium batteries including Lithium Ion Titinate (Li4Ti5O12), Lithium Nickel Cobalt Aluminum (NI-CO-Al) and Lithium Iron Phosphate (Li-Fe-PO4).
      The U.S. Department of Energy December 2013 publication Grid Energy Storage notes that “there are four challenges related to the widespread deployment of energy storage: cost competitive energy storage technologies (including manufacturing and grid integration), validated reliability and safety, equitable regulatory environment and industry acceptance.”
      Battery research is taking off. But before widespread deployment occurs, we must decide what the future energy delivery system will look like.

      To comment on or like this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.

Ka`u keiki can explore the natural world during an `Imiloa
program next month. Photo from Imiloa Astronomy Center

`IMILOA ASTRONOMY CENTER IS LOOKING for keen-eyed Ka`u keiki who enjoy observing the natural world for the next Camp `IMI-Possible fall intersession program, Fun-novations of the Sky, slated for Oct, 6 – 10, 2014. Students will be immersed in a weeklong adventure of science experiments and activities relating to native birds and insects and their unique adaptations to Hawai`i. 

      The camp runs Monday to Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Drop off is available as early as 7:30 a.m. with pick up by 4:15 p.m. Lunch and snacks are not included, so participants should pack a snack and healthy lunch to keep up with each day of exploration.
      Enrollment for the intersession program is open, but space is limited. Tuition for the program is $225 for members and $250 for nonmembers.
      A limited number of need-based scholarships are available. Applications and scholarship information can be found at www.imiloahawaii.org/183. Submit completed applications and payment at front desk.

      To comment on or like this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.  

IN SPORTS, KA`U HIGH GIRLS VOLLEYBALL teams won their home matches against East Pac yesterday. Junior varsity scores were 25 – 14 and 25 – 12. Varsity won in three straight sets, 25 – 18, 25 – 12 and 25 – 17.
      The teams host Konawaena Saturday at 10 a.m.
      After returning from Maui where they played a game against Seabury Hall, the Trojans’ eight-man football team hosts Pahoa Friday at 6:30 p.m.
      Ka`u High bowlers meet Kea`au at Kilauea Military Camp today.

      To comment on or like this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.

Ka`u photographer Peter Anderson caught this image of last night's supermoon
just before midnight, when skies cleared after being cloudy all evening.

THE LAST OF THREE CONSECUTIVE SUPERMOONS traveled across the sky last night. According to Wikipedia, “a supermoon is the coincidence of a full moon or a new moon with the closest approach the moon makes to the Earth on its elliptical orbit, resulting in the largest apparent size of the lunar disk as seen from Earth. The technical name is the perigee-syzygy of the Earth-Moon-Sun system. The term supermoon is not astronomical, but originated in modern astrology. The association of the moon with both oceanic and crustal tides has led to claims that the supermoon phenomenon may be associated with increased risk of events such as earthquakes and volcanic eruptions, but the evidence of such a link is widely held to be unconvincing.”

      To comment on or like this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.

FOUR MORE DAYS REMAIN TO GET DISCOUNTED RATES for Ka`u Coffee Trail Run. After Saturday, Sept. 13, fees increase by $20 for the 5K, 10K and Half Marathon coming up on Saturday, Sept. 20.
      Register online at race360.com/21357.

THE PUBLIC IS INVITED TO KA`U SCENIC BYWAY Committee’s meeting tomorrow at 5 p.m. at Na`alehu Methodist Church. On the agenda is finishing design of the Na`alehu Park kiosk, and this is the last chance for input. For more information, email richmorrow@alohabroadband.net.

LIGHT REFRESHMENTS FOR CURRENT and new members will be served at Friends of Ka`u Libraries’ member meeting tomorrow from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Pahala Plantation House.
      Call Doris Davis at 928- 0919 or Ann Fontes at 987-7448 for more information.

SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS AT PAHALAPLANTATIONCOTTAGES.COM AND KAUCOFFEEMILL.COM. KA`U COFFEE MILL IS OPEN SEVEN DAYS A WEEK.

See kaucalendar.com/Directory2014.swf.