Ka`u News Briefs Saturday, Oct. 18, 2014

New county bridge in Wood Valley handled the raging stream and flood waters coming down Wood Valley Road. Photo by Julia Neal

KA`U ESCAPED THE WIND BUT NOT THE WATER. Heavy rains from Hurricane Ana flooded Wood Valley Road this morning, stranding residents and carving new paths through farms, coffee plantations and macadamia orchards. Monster waterfalls tumbled out of the mountains above Punalu`u, Kawa and Honu`apo as Ana passed southwest of the island.

Residents ride their boogie boards along Wood Valley Road. Photo by Julia Neal

      When Hilea bridge flooded on Hwy 11 between Honu`apo and Punalu`u around 4 a.m., Jay Casuga, on his way to work at Malama Market in Ocean View from his home in Pahala, was stranded for two hours between Hilea Bridge and Kawa along with a police officer and a Hele-On bus and driver.
      Unable to reach work, Casuga, an assistant meat department manager, his fiancée Elise Peralta, who is meat department manager at Malama, her little brother Rylan Peralta and co-worker Kimo Tyson fetched their boogie boards and rode the flood waters along Wood Valley Road.
      Up Wood Valley Road, the new county bridge built after Tropical Storm Iselle damaged the old one handled the rushing stream and a deluge of flood water from Wood Valley Road.
      The Kawa Flats area was still closed mid-morning to traffic on Hwy 11, and Wood Valley Road was closed at the flooded gulch near Kapapala intersection. Punalu`u and Honu`apo Beach Parks remained closed.
      Coffee farmers, some of them picking as much cherry as they could before the arrival of Ana, said they were happy to be spared from the kind of wind that ripped beans off the branches during Tropical Storm Iselle in August. Gloria Camba, president of the Ka`u Coffee Growers Cooperative, said ripe cherries need to picked quickly and that she hopes the rain will let up so farmers and pickers can get back to their orchards.

      A flash flood warning has been extended to 3 p.m. today. National Weather Service reminds residents to avoid flood-prone areas.

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

HAWAI`I VOLCANOES NATIONAL PARK REOPENED parts of Crater Rim Drive along Kilauea Caldera today at noon, including Kilauea Visitor Center and Jaggar Museum.
      Thurston Lava Tube, Kilauea Iki Overlook and all of Chain of Craters Road remain closed due to flooding. Mauna Loa Road above Kipukapuaulu (Bird Park) is closed, but Kipukapuaulu is open. Namakanipaio Campground is open. Park rangers on Sunday will reopen closed areas incrementally as hurricane impact is assessed.
      The Kahuku Unit remains closed this weekend, and International Archaeology Day, originally scheduled for today, will be rescheduled at a later date.
      Volcano Art Center, Volcano House, Kilauea Military Camp and the post office are open.
      The park reports no significant damage from Hurricane Ana, but heavy rainfall, thunder and lightning pelted the area Friday and early Saturday morning. More heavy rain is forecast through today, and the flash flood warning is in effect for the park. Motorists are urged to drive with caution.

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

Flood waters traveled through coffee farms, cutting new paths along Wood Valley
Road. The flood isolated Wood Valley. Photo by Julia Neal

KA`U’S STATE SEN. JOSH GREEN, M.D., Chair of the Senate Committee on Health, has scheduled an informational briefing at the State Capitol for Wednesday at 9 a.m. on Hawai`i’s preparedness for outbreaks of infectious disease, including the Ebola virus. 

      “Ebola kills more than half the people it infects,” Green said, “so this is a matter of life and death, not only for the person who is infected but for everyone who comes into close contact with them.”
      Green announced he will convene representatives from the state Department of Health, the Healthcare Association of Hawai`i, the Department of Transportation and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to brief the Senate Committee on Health on current procedures, facilities and plans to identify and control cases of Ebola infection should it reach Hawai`i.
      “We have to make sure that Hawai`i is ready if someone infected with Ebola steps off a plane here,” Green said. “That means having effective screening measures in place at our airports and being prepared with facilities and procedures that can safely transport, quarantine and care for Ebola patients until they recover.”
      Green stressed the need for special safety procedures: “It is essential that we have emergency protocols ready and in place that will protect the nurses, orderlies and other health workers who would be in close contact with potential Ebola patients. This disease is spread by contact with body fluids from an infected individual, and it can only be effectively contained if the right equipment and procedures are used with extreme care.”
      “State government, hospital administrators and the entire health care system must communicate, work together and be prepared so we are ready to safely handle patients infected with Ebola or other dangerous contagious diseases,” Green said. “It is extremely unlikely that someone infected with Ebola will reach Hawai`i, given our distance from West Africa and our geographical isolation, but we must be prepared as if it is certain that we will have to screen, identify, quarantine and care for Ebola patients who could arrive here. Ebola is too deadly and dangerous to ignore.”

Monster waterfalls appeared in the mountains
makai of Makanau. Photo by Julia Neal

      Green is an Emergency Room doctor with 15 years of hospital experience on Big Island.
      For more information, contact Green at 808-937-0991 or sengreen@capitol.hawaii.gov.

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

HAWAI`I COUNTY COUNCIL HAS UNANIMOUSLY passed a resolution seeking state Legislature’s approval of coffee-labeling requirements.
      Ka`u’s Council member Brenda Ford introduced the resolution asking the state Legislature to pass a law requiring that labels on packages of Hawai`i coffee blended with foreign coffee include prominent identification stating the country or region of origin of the non-Hawai`i portion, along with percentages.
      The resolution also calls for requiring a minimum of 51 percent Hawai`i-grown coffee in any coffee package labeled as a blend.
      Hawai`i Tribune-Herald reported Ford saying, “Other states, other countries protect their farmers by saying if you’re going to blend, then you’ve got to disclose. But not in Hawai`i. Every other agricultural crop in Hawai`i is protected in that manner, except for Hawai`i-grown coffee.”
      See hawaiitribune-herald.com.

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

SANJEEV “SONNY” BHAGOWALIA, HAWAI`I’S Chief Advisor on Technology and Cybersecurity, has been named as deputy assistant secretary and chief information officer for the U.S. Department of Treasury, beginning Oct, 20.
      “Over the past three years, Sonny has helped Hawai`i leapfrog from the back of the pack in technology and cybersecurity to the front of the line, and we are now one of best in the country,” said Gov. Neil Abercrombie. “Under Sonny’s leadership, our government transformation program has garnered an unprecedented 25 national awards, including last week’s announcement of his 2014 Enterprise Architecture Hall of Fame Award for Individual Leadership in EA Practice, Promotion and Professionalization.
      “We have the right plans and have completed many projects, thanks to his invaluable leadership and the cooperation of the extended technology and cybersecurity `ohana. Because of him, we are now on the right track, charting and navigating the course to success for the future of Hawai`i and its citizens.”

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

Hwy 11 at Punalu`u was closed this morning due to flooding at Hilea Bridge and Kawa.
A Hele-On bus, police officer and a Pahala man going to work in Ocean View were
stranded between Hilea Bridge and Kawa for two hours, beginning around 4 a.m.
Photo by Julia Neal

FEDERAL EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCY has denied an appeal submitted in response to President Barack Obama’s decision not to declare a major disaster following Tropical Storm Iselle. Declaration of a major disaster would have made funds available for emergency low-interest loans to help owners rebuild and repair homes and property. 

      “After a thorough review of all the information contained in the initial request and your appeal, we reaffirm our original findings that the impact to individuals and households from this event is not of the severity and magnitude as to be beyond the combined capabilities of the state, affected local governments and voluntary agencies,” wrote FEMA representative Elizabeth A. Zimmerman in denying the application.

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

BIIF GIRLS VOLLEYBALL TOURNAMENT schedule has Ka`u High playing at Pahoa at 6 p.m. Tuesday. The winner will play Konawaena Thursday at 2:30 p.m. at Onizuka Gym in Kealakekua. The finals take place Saturday at 4 p.m. at Kealakekua. 

THE PUMPKIN PRIMER COMES TO KA`U public libraries. The program shows how to use heirloom squash to outsmart melon fly and pickle worm in Hawai`i. Kamuela farmer Anna Peach of Squash and Awe farm presents a talk about her sustainable farming methods. A seventh-generation farmer, Peach decided to look to history for a solution to Hawai`i’s commercial crop failure. She shares information about no-till farming, interplanting with native plants, seed saving and making natural fertilizers from restaurant scrap.
      See her farm at squashandawe.com.
      Programs are in Na`alehu Public Library Tuesday, Oct. 21 at 2:30 p.m. and in Pahala Public & School Library Wednesday, Oct. 22 at 10:30 a.m.

Ka`u resident Joe Iacuzzo, here with a Tyrannosaurus rex fossil, presents a talk
at After Dark in the Park Tuesday. Photo from Joe Iacuzzo

KA`U LEARNING ACADEMY CO-FOUNDER Joe Iacuzzo, the official Hawai`i representative for the National Park Service’s National Fossil Day, will present a talk titled Thomas Jefferson to Johnson Space Center: America’s Fossil History at After Dark in the Park Tuesday.
      In 2008, Iacuzzo was the project manager for a team of scientists who worked at NASA to study the most complete dinosaur fossil ever discovered. The advances in science that allowed for the NASA research were set in motion by a host of early American scientists, including Jefferson, who was an avid fossil collector who was trying to understand the prehistoric past of the new United States. “The evolution of how we understand prehistoric life and the technologies available to researchers would make Jefferson's head spin!” Iacuzzo said.
      Iacuzzo worked for six years on Jurassic Park at Universal Pictures and co-produced an award-winning dinosaur documentary film for Discovery Channel.
      This event is sponsored by the National Park Services.
      The free program begins at 7 p.m. at Kilauea Visitor Center in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park.
      Park entrance fees apply. $2 donations support park programs.

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 Friday, Oct. 17, 2014

Ka`u High is shut down with the disaster shelter under construction.
Photo by Julia Neal

PREPARE FOR THE WORST, HOPE FOR THE BEST is the policy of public officials preparing for the arrival of Ana into Hawaiian waters. She reached category one hurricane strength at 75 mph this morning. While Ana is tracking farther west and south than earlier expected, flooding, wind damage and storm surge remain a moderate risk for Ka`u. The eye of Ana is expected to pass more than 140 miles makai of South Point overnight as she tracks offshore parallel to the Hawaiian Islands and heads toward French Frigage Shoals and National Wildlife Refuge in the northern islands.

     At 11 a.m., the National Weather Service reported that Ana was located about 230 south of Hilo, moving west-northwest at 14 mph. She is expected to turn to the northwest this afternoon and tomorrow and pass south of O`ahu Saturday night. County Civil Defense recommended today that residents of shoreline areas like Punalu`u, move to higher ground.
    A U.S. reconnaisance aricraft will be sampling Ana this afternoon, while a NOAA Gulfstream IV continues to probe the surrounding environment. The Weather Service warned that only "a slight shift to the right in the forecast track could mean siginificant differences potential impacts the main Hawaiian Islands," through 8 a.m. Sunday when she is forecast to be south of Kaua`i.

    Television coverage with interviews of Ka'u residents preparing for the storm noted that the new Ka`u emergency shelter is still under construction, the shutdown of public, charter and Kamehameha Schools, cancellation of sporting events and closure of Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park and local beach parks and public libraries. The cautious preparation led to numerous cancellations of reservations and the departure of visitors from Ka'u accommodations.

Pahala Public & School Library remained taped up today.
Photo by Julia Neal

  Mileka Lincoln, of Hawai'i News Now, began filming from Punalu'u Beach Park yesterday and Kalae this morning. She interviewed campers, including some who live at Punalu'u, saying they plan to get out of the way as beach parks are closed by the county. At Kalae, Lincoln reported from the cliffs at dawn, stationed above calm seas at the fishing hoist and ladder, reporting that waves could rise to ten, then possibly 40 feet.
     However, With the prospect of calmer seas around the islands, airlines, cruise lines and cargo ships began restoring their schedules. Young Brothers planned to send the barge from Honolulu to Hilo this evening and the Coast Guard considered keeping Hilo and Kawaehae ports open.
     All weather prediction models used by the National Weather Service, some of which earlier took Ana over the Big Island, keep her offshore. None of the tropical winds are expected to reach this island, according to forecast from Pacific Hurricane Center. However, heavy rains and flooding could pop up unexpectedly, officials said.  Recommended preparedness actions may be found on the Hawai`i Emergency Management Agency website at scd.hawaii.gov. Residents are also encouraged to enroll in local notification systems and monitor local radio and television broadcasts.  To comment on or like this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.

Tane Datta and family run an 8.5 acre farm that will be
featured at this evening's Ka`u Farmers Union United meeting.
Photo from University of Hawai`i 

KA`U CHAPTER OF HAWAI`I FARMERS UNION UNITED was planning to hold its meeting at Na`alehu Community Center at 5:30 p.m. but the county has closed the facility.
     President of the organization Malian Lahey reported cancellation of the meeting today after 3 p.m. and said it will be rescheduled.
     Guest speaker at the meeting to be announced is Tane Datta, of Adaptations, Inc., who will discuss how to bring produce to market. Datta runs a farm in South Kona that distributes produce through a Community Supported Agriculture model. He grows kale, watermelon, radishes, Swiss chard, fennel, asparagus, spearmint, opal basil, edible flowers and more. He also distributes produce from other farmers to 70 hotels and restaurants statewide. 

     The 8.5 acre farm features an acre in coffee, three acres in intensive production and the rest in orchards. The family started farming more than 25 years ago in Hawai`i, with produce over the years also including choi, eggplant, micromix, avocado, citrus, lettuce, poha, medicinal plants, passion vine, squash and cinnamon. 

     The farm is certified organic and is featured on the University of Hawai`i's College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources website.

     The public is invited to all Ka`u Farmers Union meetings. Farmers and backyard growers are invited to bring food to share.  To join the Farmers Union, call at 503-575-9098.
To comment on or like this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.

VOLCANO ART CENTER'S ANNUAL MEETING has been postponed from tomorrow to Sunday, Oct. 26 at 3 p.m. The meeting had been set for this Saturday, but changed due to the uncertainty of the possible arrival of tropical storm winds from Ana. The general membership meeting will be held at the Niaulani Campus on Old Volcano Hwy.

HAWAI`I VOLCANOES NATIONAL PARK is expected to reopen at noon tomorrow unless there is damage from tropical storm winds from Ana, which is expected to track parallel to the islands overnight near the Big Island and farther up the chain tomorrow.

INPUT FROM CITIZENS regarding proposed increases in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park entrance fees is coming in. One Ka`u resident who lives here in the winter and Alaska in the summer opposes the increases in fees. Francis Mitchell writes: "I am a Golden Passport holder so the proposed fee increases will not directly affect me.   

      "Nevertheless, I think the planned increases are contrary to the purpose and spirit of our National Parks. American National Parks are gems that belong to all the people and insofar as possible they should be accessible to all the people, especially lower income families whose vacations and day-off activity choices are necessarily constricted by costs. 

Fees could go up for visitors to Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park. Photo by Nalani Parlin

      "The trend toward more direct user charges for access to publicly owned lands should be reversed.  Likewise, privatizing services on public lands should be severely restricted. Congress should honor the public nature of our National Parks by adequately funding them to maintain affordability for all Americans. 

      "In keeping with the Parks' mission to offer all citizens the opportunity to experience these very special American places, I would like to see the National Park Service cap entry fees or reduce them. Cut back on some physical improvements. Urge visitors to press their Congressional representatives to appropriate the moneys required for those improvements and then let the public know that maintenance and improvements depend on those appropriations, rather than having funding of operations dependent on ever-increasing user fees.

     "The announced levels of fee increases will no doubt cause many people to skip Park visits in the future and will deter others from making repeat visits. Fifteen dollars – Twenty Five dollars, these are private venue rates, not public facility rates.

      "A reasonable entry fee is justifiable. Something similar to the Golden Passport should be offered to all visitors – a one time payment covering multiple visits to any National Park over an extended period of several years or for a lifetime. 

      "Even better, and more affordable to those with limited incomes, would be a cumulative payment lifetime permit. For example, a person pays a modest fee each time they enter any Park; their card is run through a bar code reader each entry-payment;  the bar code readers communicate with a central National Park system database; when they have paid the visitor fees ten times, the card is “marked” by the bar code reader as a permanent pass – without any future payments required. This would also be a way to encourage people and their family members to become National Park regulars.  

      "National Park Service is not a business and should not be. It should not be run like a business. It should be run as a service to the taxpayers, funded by our taxes," Mitchell concludes.

     For the information on the park's proposal for the fee increase, see the Wednesday, Oct. 15 edition of the Ka`u News Briefs.

      Input for the proposed fee increase is being taken by the park through Dec. 15. The public is invited to submit comments online at http://parkplanning.nps.gov/havo or in writing addressed to Superintendent, Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park, P.O. Box 52, Hawai`i National Park, HI 96718. The deadline is Dec. 15.   To comment on or like this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.

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

     

Ka`u News Briefs, Thursday, Oct. 16, 2014

TROPICAL STORM ANA is likely to miss or graze the Big Island, according to the 11 a.m. report from the National Weather Service. The west side of the island remains in the cone of uncertainty. Ana is not expected to become a hurricane, according to most models. A NOAA Gulfstream IV is sampling the environment today around Ana. Data from the flight should help improve subsequent model guidance, according to the Weather Service.The center of Ana reached latitude 14.3 north, longitude 150.9 west at 11 a.m with winds of 60 mph. Maximum winds in 36 hours could be 75 mph around the hurricane's core. Ana is moving toward the west at 8 mph. According to the Weather Service, Ana is expected to turn toward the west-northwest today, then turn toward the northwest tonight a with little change in forward motion. A ridge this weekend is expected to influence Ana to take a more westerly path. On the forecast track, the center of Ana will pass to the southwest of the Big Island Friday night and Saturday.
      Tropical storm force winds extend outward up to 60 miles, 95 km from the center.
     Large swells produced by Ana are possible over the eastern end of the main Hawaiian island chain starting late tonight and Friday morning. These large swells will continue to spread up the island chain through the weekend. Surf produced by these swells could potentially be damaging along exposed shorelines beginning late Friday and Saturday, and persisting through the weekend in some areas.
     Heavy rainfall associated with Ana may reach the Big Island Friday afternoon. These rains could cause life-threatening flash floods and mud slides, the National Weather Service warns. To comment on or like this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.

Area residents sheltered in the Ka`u High band room during Iselle in August.
It will be the shelter, if needed, for Ana. Photo by Ron Johnson

HAWAI`I VOLCANOES NATIONAL PARK will be closed Friday in anticipation of Tropical Storm Ana's possible arrival.
     No backcountry permits will be issued after 6 p.m. today. The park’s Kahuku Unit will close the entire weekend, and International Archeology Day, previously scheduled for Saturday, is canceled and will be rescheduled at a later date.
     According to a statement from the park, if it is safe, the park and visitor centers will reopen at noon on Saturday, October 18.
     “Our first priority is to keep our visitors, staff, and volunteers safe,” said Park Superintendent Cindy Orlando. “We will reassess Saturday, and will reopen by noon as long as it is safe,” she said. Volcano House and Kīlauea Military Camp will remain open to registered guests.
To comment on or like this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.

VOLCANO ART CENTER'S ANNUAL MEETING has been postponed to Sunday, Oct. 26 at 3 p.m. The meeting had been set for this Saturday, but changed due to the uncertainty of the possible arrival of Tropical Storm Ana. The general membership meeting will be held at the Niaulani Campus on Old Volcano Hwy.

ALL PUBLIC SCHOOLS will be closed on Friday on the Big Island, in anticipation of any change in direction of Tropical Storm Ana. All interscholastic competition and the  Pop Warner playoffs that were scheduled for Pahala have been cancelled. The Ka`u High School disaster shelter is still under construction and the band room has been named as the shelter should the storm come here. To comment on or like this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.

WITH THE POSSIBILITY OF ANA arriving as a tropical storm or hurricane, Gov. Neil Abercrombie yesterday signed an emergency proclamation, which allows the state to draw upon funds for protective measures. It also allows easier access to emergency resources at the state and federal levels, along with the suspension of certain laws as needed for emergency purposes.
     The disaster emergency relief period for the proclamation continues through Oct. 24.
     Recommended preparedness actions may be found on the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency website at scd.hawaii.gov. Residents are also encouraged to enroll in local notification systems and monitor local radio and television broadcasts.
To comment on or like this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.

As some people move away from Pahoa, fearing the lava flow would cut them off
from the rest of the island, the state warns against displacing tenants and raising rents
to accommodate new renters coming out of Puna. Photo by Julia Neal

TERMINATING LEASES IN ORDER TO RAISE RENTS during the housing shortage caused by people moving out of Puna in anticipation of the approaching lava flow from Kilauea volcano is illegal. Office of Consumer Protection advises Hawai`i Island residents that the state’s emergency proclamation for Hawai`i Island remains in effect, including a ban on terminating residential rentals. This includes all rental housing in Ka`u where some Puna people have taken up temporary residence.
      OCP has received reports from both landlords and tenants that landlords may be canceling month-to-month rentals in order to rent their units at a higher rate to new tenants who are fleeing areas in the path of the oncoming lava in search of alternate housing.
      The emergency proclamation was issued on Sept. 5 and was extended to Dec. 1 under the supplemental proclamation issued on Sept. 22. To comment on or like this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.
      OCP reminds Hawai`i Island residential landlords that they may not terminate an existing rental agreement as long as the emergency proclamation remains in effect. The ban applies unless the tenant commits a material breach of a rental agreement or lease, or if the unit is unfit for occupancy as defined in Act 111, Session Laws of Hawai`i 2014.

Pahoa displays a mix of people, some seeking to move their businesses and
homes out of Puna and others excited to welcome the future. Photo by Julia Neal

      “Big Island residents should take note of these and other important protections that remain in effect during the governor’s emergency proclamation. We are reminding landlords to comply with these laws,” said OCP’s Executive Director Bruce B. Kim. “Violations could result in serious penalties and fines of up to $10,000 per day per violation.”
      The ban does not extend a fixed-term lease that expires during the ban except when periodic tenancy for a residential dwelling unit may be terminated upon 45-days written notice if the dwelling unit is sold to a bona fide purchaser for value or the landlord or immediate family member will occupy the residential dwelling unit.
      No rent increases on residential dwelling units are allowed during the emergency proclamation unless the increases were already included in a written instrument that was signed by the tenant prior to the date of the emergency proclamation. However, a landlord may pass on additional operating expenses incurred by the landlord because of the emergency or disaster provided the landlord can document those expenses.
     For more information, call the Hawai`i Residential Landlord-Tenant Hotline at 974-4000, ext. 62634#.

The approaching lava flow has led some residents to seek housing outside of Puna
 and some landlords are illegally attempting to maximize their income by evicting
 tenants in favor of the Puna refugees. Photo from Big Island Video News

     Those who believe they are victims of a violation, you may obtain information about filing a complaint with OCP by calling the OCP office in Hilo at 933-0910, by calling the Consumer Resource Center in Honolulu at 587-4272 or toll-free from the Big Island at 947-4000, ext. 74272#, or by going to the OCP website at http://cca.hawaii.gov/ocp/consumer-complaint. To comment on or like this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.

HAWAI`I CIVIL DEFENSE released a statement this morning saying that the lava flow front appears to have stalled and has not advanced since yesterday. The flow front remains approximately 0.6 miles from the Apa’a Street area near the Pahoa Transfer Station. All burning activity is limited to the vegetation that is in direct contact with the flow and there is no brush fire threat at this time. Smoke conditions were light to moderate this morning with light winds out of the northeast. See regular updates on the lava flow at www.bigislandvideonews.com.
     Current flow activity does not pose an immediate threat to area communities and no evacuation is needed at this time. Area residents will be given adequate notice to safely evacuate should that be necessary.
     The public is reminded that the flow is not visible and cannot be accessed from any public areas. Access to the Kaohe Homesteads subdivision will remain restricted to area residents only. To comment on or like this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.

KA`U LEGAL CLINIC REGISTRATION DEADLINE is tomorrow. Ka`u Rural Health Community Association, Inc. in Pahala hosts the free clinic for low-income residents Saturday, Nov. 8 from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.
Call 313-8210 to qualify and reserve a spot.

KA`U CHAPTER OF HAWAI`I FARMERS UNION UNITED tomorrow hosts guest speaker Tane Datta, of Adaptations, Inc., who will discuss how to bring produce to market. Datta runs a farm in South Kona that distributes produce through a Community Supported Agriculture model. He grows kale, watermelon, radishes, Swiss chard, fennel, asparagus, spearmint, opal basil, edible flowers and more. He also distributes produce from other farmers to 70 hotels and restaurants statewide.
The meeting begins at 5:30 p.m. at Na`alehu Community Center.

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