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Saturday, October 10, 2015

Ka`u News Briefs Saturday, Oct. 10, 2015

Volcanic features from 1868 eruptive fissures are some of the highlights of a guided hike tomorrow at Kahuku. See details below.
NPS Photo by David Boyle
MAKAI PASTURE LANDS BEING PURCHASED at Waikapuna by Colorado-based Resource Land Holdings should be subdivided for ranching, according to Jim McCully, who is described as a partner with RLH and is in the profession of subdividing land.
Buyers are considering subdividing portions of Waikapuna
into 50- to 200-acre ranching parcels.
      McCully told Bret Yager, of West Hawai`i Today, that the land could support ranches from 50 to 200 acres in size. He also suggested that a feed lot could be built there “to finish and add value to beef,” Yager reported.
      According to Joel LaPinta, the local representative of Kennedy Wilson, which is marketing the parcels owned by Lehman Brothers, local ranchers have expressed interest in the property.
      Yager also reported that McCully said portions of Waikapuna on the Ka`u Coast contain sensitive archaeological areas “that should be protected under Nature Conservancy easements.”
      See westhawaiitoday.com.
      Read comments, add your own, and like The Ka`u Calendar News Briefs on Facebook.

Danger of falling trees has closed Namakanipaio Campground.
Photo from hawaiivolcanohouse.com
NAMAKANIPAIO CAMPGROUND and cabins in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park are closed until further notice due to several large and hazardous eucalyptus trees that recently fell. Recent heavy rain and strong winds contributed to the downing of the trees. 
      The park and Hawai`i Volcanoes Lodge Company, LLC, which manages the campground and cabins, are completing an assessment and will determine when the campground can safely reopen.
       Kulanaokuaiki Campground remains open on a first-come, first-served basis and is currently free of charge. Reservations are not required for Kulanaokuaiki. The backcountry campgrounds along the coast, at Napau Crater Overlook, Pepeiao and on Mauna Loa remain open, and backpackers can obtain backcountry permits at the Visitor Emergency Operations Center up to 24 hours in advance. The backcountry office is open daily from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
       “We are sorry for any inconvenience this may cause for park visitors and the community who enjoy Namakanipaio,” Park Superintendent Cindy Orlando said. “Safety is our number one priority in the park, and we do not want anyone to get hurt.”
      Read comments, add your own, and like The Ka`u Calendar News Briefs on Facebook.

Keola Awong
KEOLA AWONG IS THE NEW SITE MANAGER for the Kahuku Unit of Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park. She will oversee staff and visitor programs in the 116,000-acre unit, which is open to the public on weekends from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. 
      Awong has served as the park’s cultural anthropologist since 2005 and will continue to serve as the park’s liaison to the native Hawaiian community. She holds a Master of Arts degree in American Studies and graduate certificates in Museum Studies and Historic Preservation from the University of Hawai`i at Manoa. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Anthropology with a minor in Hawaiian studies from UH-Hilo. She began her career in the national park as a fee collector in 1999. 
      Read comments, add your own, and like The Ka`u Calendar News Briefs on Facebook.

HEALTH INSURANCE RATES ARE INCREASING for 2016 Affordable Care Act individuals and small groups.
      Rate changes approved by Hawai`i Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs Insurance Division for 2016 vary by plan type. The rates are expected to affect approximately 34,000 individuals currently purchasing health insurance on their own through the ACA marketplace. Small group rates apply to plans for businesses with 50 or fewer full-time employees.
      “We were extremely concerned by the requested increases by insurers for 2016 ACA individual plans,” Insurance Commissioner Gordon Ito said. “Nobody likes to see prices go up for the individual consumer. However, upon close review of the carriers’ expenses, benefits paid and other considerations, our rate analysts and actuaries found premium increases were necessary for the carriers to cover their costs, enabling them to continue to pay their customers’ claims.”
Hawai`i DCCA has approved health insurance rate increases.
Chart from DCCA
      The Insurance Division found several reasons for the 2016 rate increases. These factors were “pent up demand” for services sought by previously uninsured individuals, transitional plans and previously low penalties for ignoring ACA’s individual mandate keeping healthy populations out of the marketplace, high cost specialty drugs and ACA taxes and fees.
      A 2015 report by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services showed average Hawai`i health premiums for individual ACA plans are among the lowest nationwide. At an average cost of $289.64, before marketplace tax credits or subsidies, Hawai`i was the 45th state in terms of average monthly premiums. By contrast, average monthly premiums in the most expensive state to purchase health insurance in were $522.73.
      Individuals and small businesses are encouraged to review and understand the offered ACA plans and to check their eligibility for premium tax credits prior to the open enrollment for individuals on Nov. 1, 2015.
A hale at right, erected by Thirty Meter Telescope opponents,
still stands near Mauna Kea Visitor Information Station.
Photo from MKVIS
      Read comments, add your own, and like The Ka`u Calendar News Briefs on Facebook.

HAWAI`I’S THIRD CIRCUIT COURT invalidated the Mauna Kea emergency rule that restricted access from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The state Department of Land & Natural Resources adopted the rule, and Gov. David Ige signed it, in July. The action followed blockades on the summit access road by people and rocks placed to restrict access by crews attempting to begin construction of the Thirty Meter Telescope. Fourteen people have been arrested for violating the rule since its implementation.
      “The state acknowledges the court’s decision and will abide by it,” Attorney General Douglas Chin and DLNR Chair Suzanne Case said in a statement. “We remind people traveling to Mauna Kea that even in light of today’s ruling, existing laws and rules remain. It is always illegal to block the road. This includes standing in the road or placing obstructions in the road. These laws will continue to be enforced.”
      Read comments, add your own, and like The Ka`u Calendar News Briefs on Facebook.

Tropical Storm Nora, heading west, is forecast to turn north
before reaching Hawai`i. Map from NOAA
THE NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER in Miami, Florida is issuing advisories on Tropical Storm Nora, located about 1,310 miles east-southeast of Hilo at 8 a.m. Nora is expected to cross the 140 west longitude into the Central Pacific Hurricane Center’s area of responsibility this evening. Nora is expected to turn north and northeast, well east of the Hawaiian Islands.
      Read comments, add your own, and like The Ka`u Calendar News Briefs on Facebook.

HAWAI`I ISLAND POLICE ALERT the public about apparent lottery scams that have resurfaced.
      A Hilo resident received a letter from the “International Lotto Commission,” which purported to originate from Madrid, Spain. It claimed the recipient had won more than $4.5 million in a lottery held by the “The World Lottery.”
      The letter and variations of it request that in order for the winner to receive payment, either a processing fee must be sent to a “security company” in Spain or the winner should contact the lottery agent and provide financial account information so the funds can be deposited.
      Similar scams proliferate via the Internet, through emails and on social networking sites and have become a more effective attempt by criminals in victimizing unwary individuals because of their far-reaching impact.
      “While people are becoming more aware of these scams and are more vigilant in prevention from becoming a victim, there are those unsuspecting individuals who still fall prey to these scams,” said Lieutenant Gregory Esteban, from the Police Department’s Area I Criminal Investigations Section. “If anyone receives an unsolicited letter or email that promises them a financial award in exchange for disclosing personal financial information, do not send any money or respond.” Instead, intended victims should call the Police Department non-emergency line at 935-3311.
      Read comments, add your own, and like The Ka`u Calendar News Briefs on Facebook.

Support Friends of the Ka`u Libraries by purchasing tote
bags, books, T-shirts and baked goods next Saturday.
Photo from FKL
FRIEND OF THE KA`U LIBRARIES are planning their booth at Ka`u Plantation Days to be held a week from today on Saturday, Oct. 17. They will be selling books, baked goods, FKL T-shirts and tote bags. “We welcome donations of baked goods and volunteers to help that day,” President Ann Fontes said. Drop off baked items Saturday morning from 8 a.m. to 8:45 a.m. to ready when the parade ends around 9:15 a.m. 
      Members are needed to march in the parade, which starts at Pahala Community Center. Members should wear their Friends T-shirt. They can call Doris Davis at 928-0919 to purchase one. Meet at Pahala Community Center at 8:30 a.m.
      Volunteers are also needed the day of the sale for set-up from 7:30 a.m. to 9 a.m.; sales shifts, 9 – 10:30 a.m., 10:30 a.m. – 12 p.m., 12 – 2 p.m. and 2 p.m. on; and take down, including sorting and packing unsold books.
      Baked goods must be packaged, with nuts and fruits listed for individuals who may have food allergies.
      For additional information, call Fontes at 987-7448.

A GUIDED HIKE OF PALM TRAIL takes place tomorrow from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. The trail is a moderately difficult 2.6-mile loop traversing scenic pastures along an ancient cinder cone, with some of the best panoramic views that the Kahuku Unit of Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park has to offer. Highlights include relics of the ranching era, sections of remnant native forest and volcanic features from the 1868 eruptive fissures.
      Free. Call 985-6011 for more information.

FRIENDS OF HAWAI`I VOLCANOES National Park take their monthly Sunday Walk in the Park tomorrow from 12 p.m. to 2 p.m. Nick Shema guides this walk exploring the park’s summit. Free for Friends members; non-members can join in order to participate. Registration is required at admin@fhvnp.org or 985-7373.

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

For Affordable Computer Help, call John Derry at 936-1872.







See kaucalendar.com/Directory2015.swf
and kaucalendar.com/Directory2015.pdf.
See kaucalendar.com/KauCalendar_October2015.pdf.



Friday, October 09, 2015

Ka`u News Briefs Friday, Oct. 9, 2015

Islandwide newspapers reported on Ka`u Coffee growers' lack of land security today. Photo by Geneveve Fyvie
KA`U COFFEE FARMERS’ LAND SECURITY made the islandwide newspapers this morning as John Ah San, President of Palehua Coffee Cooperative, expressed the fear of rising lease prices and possible evictions from fields in Moa`ula and Pear Tree.
      According to a story by Bret Yager published in West Hawai`i Today and Hawai`i Tribune-Herald, the company planning to buy the land wants to subdivide it. “My goal is to get the coffee lands subdivided out so the farmers can own their own coffee farms,” Jim McCully told Yager. McCully, who is in the profession of subdividing land, is described as a partner with the Colorado-based Resource Land Holdings. He operates out of Hilo.
      Ka`u Coffee growers, who are currently exploring options that would allow them to purchase the land as a group, have said that if the land is subdivided, and roads, utilities and other infrastructure installed, many would not be able to afford the purchase. Most of the farmers already own their own homes in Ka`u and travel from the villages to their farms.
      Ah San told Yager, “I think if they are not willing to bend and meet the farmers, if they are going to try to break the land up and sell it off to gentlemen farmers, I don’t think it’s going to fly.”
Malian Lahey
      Another issue is RLH’s proposed increase in license fees from the current $150 per acre per year to $600, with additional increases in the future. “I would say that tripling the rent is beyond the point of abusive,” coffee broker and diversified farmer Malian Lahey told Yager. She also objected to the license stating that RLH would own the coffee trees, telling Yager that taking possession of coffee trees that the farmers planted themselves is against Hawai`i law. Farmers stated at their recent meeting that they cannot purchase tree insurance if they don’t own the coffee trees and pointed to their expired licenses with former sugar company C. Brewer that led them to believe they own the trees.
      McCulley said RLH isn’t trying to take possession of the coffee trees. He also said the company would have legal right to ownership of the orchards, “the same as any other plant with perennial roots that have been growing for more than a year,” Yager reported.
      Coffee grower Joan Obra and Miguel Meza, who markets Ka`u Coffee, partnered with UH College of Tropical Agriculture & Human Resources to develop a risk assessment based on increased license fees. The detailed analysis showed break-even scenarios for the farmers given their land cost and coffee berry borer risks. According to their study, the CBB population is increasing, requiring growers to spend more money on control measures. With such expenditures and increased license fees, it becomes more likely that some growers could quit and abandon farms, making the berry borer more likely to spread to other farms, sending the entire industry into a downward spiral.
      McCully told Yager, “We’re not trying to take the licenses away; we’re trying to write licenses so they can stay and farm the land. And if they don’t want to, we want others of their brethren to come do it.”
      McCully said, “There’s some good business up there. We want to promote it; we want it to expand. We’re not going to be foolish; we’re not going to kill the goose.”
      McCully also told Yager that RLH’s license proposals would allow farmers to gain financing in a way they could not under previous arrangements. RLH is proposing licenses that are fixed for 10 years and negotiable for five more.
      At a meeting on Sept. 27 about the farmers’ lack of land security, state Rep. Richard Onishi asked representatives of current owner Lehman Brothers, of New York, and RLH whether they would consider selling the land to the farmers. Tom Yeh, a Hilo attorney representing Resource Land Holdings, said he would take the question back to his client.
      See westhawaiitoday.com and hawaiitribune-herald.com.
      Read comments, add your own, and like The Ka`u Calendar News Briefs on Facebook.

 Curt Cottrell
CURT COTTRELL, A 25-YEAR-LONG EMPLOYEE of Hawai`i Department of Land and Natural Resources, has been chosen as the next Administrator for its Division of State Parks. Cottrell replaces Dan Quinn, another veteran manager, who recently retired. 
      DLNR Chair Suzanne Case said, “Curt’s selection to lead State Parks capitalizes on a long list of accomplishments and experience, as he has worked in a variety of capacities since joining DLNR in 1991. He has developed a deep understanding of policy, regulation and community engagement through the years. I’m delighted Curt will build on the leadership created by his mentor, former State Parks Administrator Dan Quinn.”
      Cottrell’s work mirrors his personal avocations. “My leisure activities keep me centered and connected to Hawai`i’s unique and diverse outdoor environment, and include cycling, kayaking, trail running and outrigger canoe paddling,” Cottrell said.
      “I am passionate about fostering, in my kids and future generations, a sense of appreciation for Hawai`i’s natural and cultural resources that are really exemplified in Hawai`i’s state trails and parks. It is a rare privilege to now be in a leading stewardship position to care for parklands that encompass Hawai`i’s most unique and precious natural and cultural resources.”
      Read comments, add your own, and like The Ka`u Calendar News Briefs on Facebook.

Logan Kahele-Bishop
THE MOST RECENT EDITION of the Crime Stoppers television program Hawai`i Island’s Most Wanted highlights a Na`alehu man wanted for questioning in a robbery. The new episode begins airing today on Na Leo O Hawai`i Community Television Channel 54 at 5:30 p.m. The program also airs on Sundays at 5 p.m. 
      In it, police ask for help in locating 25-year-old Logan Kahele-Bishop, who is wanted on a bench warrant for violating probation and for questioning in connection with a robbery in Ocean View on June 9. He is described as 5-foot-10, 160 pounds with dark brown hair and brown eyes.
      Police ask anyone with information to call the department’s non-emergency line at 935-3311 or Crime Stoppers at 961-8300. All Crime Stoppers information is kept confidential. Crime Stoppers does not record phone calls or subscribe to caller ID.
      Read comments, add your own, and like The Ka`u Calendar News Briefs on Facebook.


KA`U HIGH GIRLS VOLLEYBALL TEAMS’ winning record continues this month. On Friday, Oct. 2, the varsity team traveled to St. Joseph and won 25-11 and 25-14. 
      On Tuesday, Oct. 6, both teams pounded Parker. Varsity scores were 25-9 and 25-15. Junior varsity kept their rivals’ scores to single digits, 25-5 and 25-9. 
      Read comments, add your own, and like The Ka`u Calendar News Briefs on Facebook.

HAWAI`I PUBLIC RADIO, which serves Ka`u at KAHU 97.1 FM, launches its semiannual on-air fundraiser on Tuesday, Oct. 13. The original campaign goal for “Celebration 2015” of $978,000 was 25 percent lower than the goal for the drive just one year ago, due to the increased participation in the station’s monthly subscription-based model known as Sustaining Membership. A record amount in early donations has further reduced this fall’s on-air goal and the current estimate of what remains to be raised in pledge calls and online donations is $825,000.
Michael Titterton
      President and General Manager Michael Titterton said, “HPR is financially and operationally healthier than ever, but the lowered goal for this drive came about not because the costs of running a statewide network or purchasing national and international programming have come down. The real engineers of this happy event are our more than 3,300 Sustaining Members and 958 Early Bird donors who have taken to heart the idea of public radio.
      “We trust that our enthusiasm for the future will be matched by those who appreciate HPR’s commitment to community building. We don’t set a time limit on these drives; rather, we simply suggest to those who derive a good time from our broadcasts that this is a good time to show their support and ask that they help us make good time toward the goal.”
      To donate, call toll-free at 877-941-3689 or see www.hawaiipublicradio.org.
      Read comments, add your own, and like The Ka`u Calendar News Briefs on Facebook.

PARTICIPANTS LEARN ABOUT the vital role of `ohi`a lehua in native Hawaiian forests, the many forms of the `ohi`a lehua tree and its flower on an easy, one-mile walk tomorrow at 9:30 a.m. at Kahuku Unit of Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park. Free. Call 985-6011 for more information.

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

For Affordable Computer Help, call John Derry at 936-1872.








See kaucalendar.com/Directory2015.swf
and kaucalendar.com/Directory2015.pdf.
See kaucalendar.com/KauCalendar_October2015.pdf.



Thursday, October 08, 2015

Ka`u News Briefs Thursday, Oct. 8, 2015

Hawai`i County Council has taken the first steps toward preserving Kahua `Olohu Makahiki grounds in Na`alehu. Map from Public Access, Open Space & Natural Resources Preservation Committee
KA`U RESIDENTS WHO TESTIFIED about Kahua `Olohu before Hawai`i County Council’s Finance Committee on Tuesday supported purchase of the Na`alehu Makahiki grounds by the county. Ka`u’s Council member Maile David introduced a resolution authorizing the county to begin negotiations on the acquisition, and the committee unanimously approved it.
      Beverly Byouk spoke as a representative of the Hawaiian Civic Club of Ka`u. Property owners allowed club members to visit the parcel recently. Byouk said it was “a very, very personal experience. Being there at the site of what Mary Kawena Pukui identified as Makahiki grounds, you could almost hear the crowd, the spectators watching the Hawaiian games. And it’s something that inspired our club to take a real interest in this parcel because it just totally dovetails with our club mission … Ho`omalu, Ho`omau, Ho`opi`i, Malama, which means To Protect, Perpetuate, Promote and Preserve the Hawaiian culture as Hawaiian assets.
Ka`u's Hawai`i County Council member Maile David introduced
a resolution calling for preservation of Kahua `Olohu.
Image from Hawai`i County
      “Looking at this parcel of land, ... you can see the wonderful opportunities in the future to have educational programs and cultural programs for our local schoolchildren, for our community residents, to bring back the Makahiki, to have Hawaiian games. … 
      “We feel that this is something that the whole community could participate in.”
      Byouk said the site could bring people to Ka`u as cultural tourism and help Ka`u’s economy.
      Keoni Fox, who has long ancestral ties to the area, discussed the importance of Makahiki. He described it as a “time of peace and festivities, … including games of all sorts, particularly boxing. The Makahiki rituals were the most elaborate and complex in the Hawaiian religion. For farmers, this was a time to pray for rain. It guaranteed abundance of food, and for the chiefs, this was a time to levy taxes on the people.
      “Makahiki games brought people from all over the island and beyond. Here at the Kahua `Olohu, skilled competitors displayed strength, courage and wisdom, and their successes brought honor to the families and chiefs. In addition to accommodating ceremonies involved with the Makahiki, this specific property served as a track for bowling games.
      “Although the property is relatively flat, there is a high, rocky outcrop overlooking the track, which seems to have served as a natural amphitheater or viewing area. On the surrounding properties, there were additional sports and training areas specifically for warriors and students of ... Hawaiian martial arts.
      “As native descendants and cultural practitioners, we are hoping to work with other community organizations to revive Makahiki on the property. …
      “We believe that this effort will honor our kupuna while also presenting amazing opportunity to educate the community and reconnect through traditional sport.”
      As the organization's president, Lehua Lopez Mau spoke for Ho`omalu Ka`u, which is working to build a cultural center north of Ocean View. Lopez Mau quoted a state archaeological survey that said Kahua `Olohu, because of its connection with the Makahiki Festival, is directly related to an important religious event in the Hawaiian calendar. As such, “The property would appear likely to qualify for nomination to the National Register of Historic Places as a traditional, cultural property,” Lopez Mau read. She said Ho`omalu Ka`u would be interested in stewarding the area, reviving Makahiki practices and promoting educational activities there.
Albert "Al" Lolotai Photo from PFHOF
      Read comments, add your own, and like The Ka`u Calendar News Briefs on Facebook.

AL LOLOTAI, FATHER OF RICH LOLOTAI, an owner of a Pahala Plantation Cottage, will be inducted to the Polynesian Football Hall of Fame. 
      A coach and contributor to Polynesian football history, Albert “Al” Lolotai is listed as the First Polynesian to Play Professional Football. He is of Samoan ancestry. Lolotai and other honorees will be honored during the Polynesian Football Hall of Fame Enshrinement Weekend, to be held on January 23 and 24, 2016 on O`ahu.
      Lolotai played for the Washington Redskins and Los Angeles Dons. He later became a professional wrestler. His son Rich, who restored one of the Pahala teachers’ cottages moved from the campus to Kamani Street, has his own football history. He played for Yale in college and later in the Canadian Football League.
      Inductees were chosen by a selection committee composed of past head football coaches Dick Tomey (Chairman), LaVell Edwards, Ron McBride and Dick Vermeil, ESPN SportsCenter anchor Neil Everett, NFL player personnel expert Gil Brandt, past NFLPA president and Inaugural Inductee Kevin Mawae and Hawai`i sportscaster Robert Kekaula.
      For more information, see www.PolynesianFootballHOF.org.
      Read comments, add your own, and like The Ka`u Calendar News Briefs on Facebook.

MADE IN HAWAII WITH ALOHA has new logos, limited license agreements and guidelines for use.
      Responding to requests to use a logo to identify products that are “Made in Hawai`i with Aloha” and comply with state law, the state Department of Agriculture has created a Limited License Agreement to use the logo to promote goods that are made in Hawai`i. There is no cost to use the logo. However, the agreement must be completed and submitted along with the Formula Worksheet for approval by the Chairperson prior to logo use.
      For more information, email Hideki.Yamane@hawaii.gov.
      Read comments, add your own, and like The Ka`u Calendar News Briefs on Facebook.

TRINETY CRAPSER, OF OCEAN VIEW, was sentenced yesterday to 20 years with the Department of Public Safety, reported Graham Milldrum in West Hawai`i Today. At least two of those will be in prison.
      Crapser was arrested in January 2014 after Discovery Harbour resident Trudi Grentz alleged that Crapser, wielding a hatchet, attacked her when Crapser tried to start Grentz’s car parked along South Point Road. Crapser’s accomplice, Kainoa K. Kahele-Bishop, also of Ocean View, was sentenced to up to 20 years in prison last November.
      Following her arrest, proceedings for Crapser were suspended pending a mental health examination. She was found to be able to understand her actions.
      Crapser was charged with first-degree robbery, first-degree unauthorized control of a propelled vehicle, third-degree assault, first-degree attempted unauthorized control of a propelled vehicle and second-degree attempted assault. She originally pleaded not guilty to first-degree robbery but changed her plea to guilty in a deal that drops all other charges.
      See westhawaiitoday.com.
      Read comments, add your own, and like The Ka`u Calendar News Briefs on Facebook.

KA`U FOOD PANTRY, INC. has moved food distribution from Ocean View Community Center to St. Jude’s Episcopal Church in Ocean View. The next distribution is on Tuesday, Oct. 27 from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. 
      Ka`u Food Pantry Board President Karen Pucci asks all of participants to respect the grounds where this will be held. She also said olunteers are always needed and welcomed, beginning at 9 a.m. on monthly distribution days. The Pantry holds a fundraising event on Saturday, Oct. 24 at Ocean View Swap Meet from 8 a.m. to 1 pm. “Please come down and support us and pick up some yummy home baked goods,” Pucci said.
      Ka`u Food Pantry, Inc. is staffed entirely by volunteers and is a nonprofit agency whose mission is to feed the hungry of Ocean View. “We are currently feeding 150 families,” Pucci said. “Our program is designed to provide one to three days worth of nutritious food to help people who run short of money, benefits and/or food by the month’s end.” 
       Donations of non-perishable food items and funding are welcomed. Food drop off locations are at St. Jude’s Episcopal Church on Paradise Circle, Grandma’s Closet next to Malama Market in Ocean View and the Na`alehu Methodist Church. 
      Checks or money orders can mailed to Ka`u Food Pantry, PO Box 6184, Ocean View, HI 96737. Cash donations may be tax deductible. 
      Ka`u Food Pantry is also a member of the Amazon Smile program, where .5 percent of sales are donated to the organization. As a nonprofit, the Pantry is able to purchase food from Hawai`i Food Basket at 18 cents per pound. One dollar can buy a half-case of food.
      Read comments, add your own, and like The Ka`u Calendar News Briefs on Facebook.

TODAY IS THE LAST DAY TO BUY tickets in advance for tomorrow’s Taste of the Hawaiian Range at Hilton Waikoloa Village from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. The event features producers from around the island, including Ka`u’s Kapapala Ranch and Kuahiwi Ranch. Attendees can meet producers at indoor and outdoor booths. 
      Purchase tickets at tasteofthehawaiianrange.com for $45 until 11:59 p.m. Visa, MasterCard, American Express and Discover cards are accepted. At the door, tickets are $60.

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

For Affordable Computer Help, call John Derry at 936-1872.







See kaucalendar.com/Directory2015.pdf.
See kaucalendar.com/Directory2015.swf
and kaucalendar.com/Directory2015.pdf.