Ka`u News Briefs Jan. 26, 2011

Today is the last day to sign up for the Miss Ka`u Coffee pageant.
Last year's contestants pose in the coffee fields.

`AINA KOA PONO, the company planning a biofuels refinery for Pahala and a biofuels farm for lands between Pahala and Na`alehu, will make a presentation to the community at the Monday, February 21 meeting of the Ka`u Chamber of Commerce. `Aina Koa Pono had originally planned its factory site at the old sugar truck and equipment shed near the Pahala Methodist Church, preschool and homes. However, company engineer Alexander Causey said they are moving the site away from the village and hope to secure land near the Pahala trash transfer station. The company promises 100 full time farm and factory jobs, following more than 300 jobs in constructing the $320 million facility, which would take about two years.

`Aina Koa Pono is researching crops for biofuel.

`AINA KOA PONO representatives said they have decided to refrain from accepting any solid municipal waste to process in their factories. The new processing facility is cutting edge and involves a series of microwave reactors that vaporize whatever is placed inside of them. The vapor can be made into diesel to run power plants and more refined diesel for vehicles and even jet fuel. The microwave process is proposed for many sites around the country to process municipal solid waste. Causey said the best place to process municipal wastes would be at landfills and places where most of the municipal waste originates, which are Hilo and Kona. He said the feedstock in Pahala would only be from green sources.

     The public meeting about the project, sponsored by the Ka`u Chamber of Commerce, will be at Pahala Community Center, on Monday, February 21 at 6 p.m.

IN SPORTS, BOTH GIRLS AND BOYS KA`U VARSITY SOCCER beat St. Joseph’s yesterday in Pahala. In their last season game, the girls won 4-2. Sophomore Kaila Olson scored a hat trick (three goals), and classmate Marley Strand-Nicolaisen put in one. Brandy Eder served as goalie.
     The Boys won 3-0 with goalie, senior Derick Medeiros-Garo, combining with junior Tyler Atwood for the win. Medeiros Garo started the scoring in the 55th minute with a 35-yard blast into the upper right corner. Sophomore Jemy-Ray Palancia scored on a penalty kick for his second goal of the season, and junior Patrick Garcia found the net in the 75th minute on what Coach Bob Martin called “one of the top all-time goals scored for Ka`u.” Garcia kicked a 22-yard rocket off an assist from senior Moses Espaniola.

BOYS BASKETBALL played at home last night. JV lost to Hilo 59-41. High scorer was Honua Kauhi with 14 points. Hilo also defeated the Trojan Varsity 67-59. Holden Galigo scored the most points with 16. Callen Koi put away 14 and Dillon Ballo added 11.

IMPACT FEES charged by the county to people building homes will be explained at area meetings in February, as county council members assess how they can balance the cost of new homes to county infrastructure, including roads and parks with keeping homes affordable.
     Council member Pete Hoffman is initiating the meetings, which will also be attended by Ka`u council member Brittany Smart. Entitled How Impact Fees Affect Me, they are set for 7 p.m. on Thursday, February 10 at Cooper Center in Volcano; Thursday, February 17 at Pahala Community Center; and Wednesday, February 23 at Na`alehu Community Center.

Muriel Anderson perfoms tonight in a
free concert at Pahala Plantation House.

EVERYONE IS INVITED tonight to a free concert by Muriel Anderson and Tierra Negra. Anderson is one of the top guitarists in the world, famed for her finger picking. Tierra Negra presents New World Flamenco. They also performed at Ka`u High School today for the students. The community house concert is tonight at 7 p.m. at Pahala Plantation House. It is free.

TODAY IS THE LAST DAY to sign up for the Miss Ka`u Coffee 2011, Miss Ka`u Peaberry and Little Miss Ka`u Coffee pageants. Prospective contestants can pick up applications at Kahuku Gift and Garden Shop in Ocean View, Grandma's Closet in Na`alehu, Pahala Community Center and R&G Store in Pahala. For Miss Ka`u Coffee, contestants must be ages 17 to 24; for Little Miss Ka`u Coffee ages 10 to12, and Miss Ka`u Peaberry ages 7 to 9. The age category is determined by the age of the contender on May 13, 2011. Each contestant’s main residence must be in the district of Ka`u. Call Gloria Camba at 928-8558, Nalani Parlin at 217-6893 or Nona Makuakane at 928-3102. Posters can be seen around the community.

Ka`u News Briefs Jan. 25, 2011

Gov. Neil Abercrombie proposes a tax on sodas and encourages healthful living.

“THE TRUTH IS THAT OUR CANOE, which is our beloved Hawai`i, could capsize,” Governor Neil Abercrombie said in his State of the State address yesterday. “We are in that unnerving moment when we could all huli, when we could turn over. All of us are at risk, and all of us have to face this,” he said.
     Abercrombie was talking about the economy and the state’s $846 million fiscal deficit. He proposed to right this canoe by raising some taxes. He said a weakened government affects everyone – business owners waiting for permits that are piling up in offices with a fraction of the necessary personnel, school children without proper tools to learn, public facilities in disgraceful disrepair.”
     To fund government, he suggested some new taxes and cutbacks. Abercrombie proposed that the legislature approve “an overdue increase in the alcohol tax and a fee on soda and similar drinks.” Revenues from these fees will be used to fund health infrastructure and prevention. Childhood obesity, diabetes, health care costs are “screaming out of control because we cannot control ourselves…. Here in paradise that should be a first priority for all of us,” the governor said. He said that more has to be done in the areas of prevention and providing good nutrition for children in the schools.

MOVING MILLIONS of dollars from the Hawai`i Tourism Authority budget to basic government services is another Abercrombie proposal. He named environmental protection, improvements to public facilities and advancing culture and the arts. “The amount we are spending in the name of marketing Hawai`i has grown disproportionate to the amount we need to spend on Hawai`i’s own infrastructure, social as well as physical,” he said. We need to reprioritize and reinvest in our Hawai`i – the things that make our islands unique,” he said.

TAXING PENSION income as if it were income earned by working people is another way to raise money to pay for core government services, Abercrombie said. However, he suggested that those most dependent on their pensions be spared from these tax hikes.

ABERCROMBIE SAID THAT Hawai`i has the most advanced health care system in the country in that few people are left out. However, since it was established in 1974 and 1975, “events have overtaken us,” he said. He called for revamping the system with better information technology and prevention programs, but also said that benefits to Medicaid patients must be cut back to sustain any health care program.
     Abercrombie said that one of the most difficult emotional issues is cutting back social welfare programs for which federal funding is being cut. The governor called on community associations and private foundations to help fill this gap with their own programs.

NEW DAY WORK PROJECTS to stimulate the economy are also on the governor’s list of programs. He said they will jump-start the economy and provide an economic boost that will reverberate around the state. He said he wants to streamline the permitting process by partnering with counties and private industry. He said, however, “we will be thoughtful about these projects and make sure they match our long-term priorities.”
     “We are going to integrate, with your suggestions, what needs to be done with your help. We want to see smiles on people’s faces and for them to feel the prosperity.”
     He promised to fund a backlog of work on roads, highways and harbors, to fix up vacant buildings and get them back into working condition so the state is not wasting money on leasing other buildings for space.

MILITARY FACILITIES UPGRADES will bring in nearly $100 million in federal money, he said.

INVESTING IN EDUCATION is part of the Abercrombie plan. “We will increase the number of college graduates by 25 percent by 2015 by keeping education affordable and reaching out across the state to native Hawaiians and neighbor island students,” he said. He called U.H. the state’s think tank, saying that university grants already bring in $450 million a year.

Dr. Kauanoe Kamana

ABERCROMBIE reached out to the Hawaiian community and everyone who appreciates the host culture. He said there is a unique element in our education system. In 1896 it was made illegal to teach Hawaiian in the schools. Abercrombie was an organizer in the 1986 group of legislators and community leaders who helped remove that ban. He introduced Dr. Kauanoe Kamana, a founder of Punana Leo, the first native Hawaiian to receive a Ph.D. in Hawaiian and Indigenous Language and Culture Revitalization. A frequent visitor to Pahala and Punalu`u, where she participates in educational programs, Kamana was called a Treasure of Hawai`i by Abercrombie. He promised to create a Hawaiian language university within the University of Hawai`i. He said: “Language is a key element in ensuring that the Hawaiian culture remains strong and preserves into the future for the benefit of all. When our young children master language, they master themselves. When they master themselves, they can achieve anything,” the governor said.

Muriel Anderson performs with Tierra Negra tomorrow
at 7 p.m. at Pahala Plantation House.

MURIEL ANDERSON AND TIERRA NEGRA, who are famed for their expert guitar music with flamenco and New World influence, are playing at a school in Hilo today and at Ka`u High School tomorrow. They will give a free concert for the community tomorrow, Wednesday, at 7 p.m. at Pahala Plantation House. Everyone is invited to attend. The event is co-sponsored by Volcano Art Center and Pahala Plantation Cottages.

Miss Peaberry 2010,
Karlee Fukunaga-Camba

TOMORROW IS THE DEADLINE to apply for the Miss Ka`u Coffee 2011, Miss Ka`u Peaberry and Little Miss Ka`u Coffee contests. Prospective contestants can pick up applications at Kahuku Gift and Garden Shop in Ocean View, Grandma's Closet in Na`alehu, Pahala Community Center and R&G Store in Pahala. For Miss Ka`u Coffee, contestants must be ages 17 to 24; for Little Miss Ka`u Coffee ages 10 to 12, and Miss Ka`u Peaberry ages 7 to 9. The age category is determined by the age of the contender on May 13, 2011. Each contestant’s main residence must be in the district of Ka`u. Call Gloria Camba at 928-8558, Nalani Parlin at 217-6893 or Nona Makuakane at 928-3102. Posters can be seen around the community.

Ka`u News Briefs Jan. 24, 2011

Na`alehu Theater, soon after it shut down years ago. The developers of a
proposed resort on the coast at Ocean View plan to restore it.

THE NA`ALEHU THEATRE has new hope for being restored, according to the spokesman for the Nani Kahuku `Aina development planned for the coastal lands makai of Ocean View. Aaron Eberhardt told Ka`u Hawaiian Civic Club members at their annual installation of officers last weekend that Val Peroff and his family, who own the Nani Kahuku property, are finalizing a lease and a plan with 300 Corp., which owns the Na`alehu Theater and adjacent shopping center. 300 Corp. is a company that owns land on O`ahu, Kaua`i, Maui and also the shopping center in Pahala. It is affiliated with the Weinberg Foundation. 

     Eberhardt said that Na`alehu Theater would be restored for community events and concerts. The Peroffs and Nani Kahuku `Aina are planning a resort with a golf course, hotels, condominiums and a conservation park along the coast that includes Pohue Bay. The Peroffs own 16,000 acres between Highway 11 and the shoreline and plan to submit an environmental impact statement on their resort plans, Eberhardt said.
     Val Peroff also owns SteelTech, Inc. on O`ahu.

KA`U’S NEW SENATOR Gil Kahele has co-sponsored a bill that would set up a governor-appointed state Board of Education with 11 voting members, with one from each of the four counties and six at large, plus one high school student. Gov. Neil Abercrombie would appoint the board, which would be subject to confirmation by the state Senate. The high school student would be a full voting member. Dr. Josh Green, a former Ka`u physician and resident who serves on the state Senate from Kona, co-sponsored the bill. The concept of the appointed school board was approved by the voters in November. The plan is set for a public hearing this afternoon in Honolulu. Public testimony can be sent to EDUtestimony@captiol.hawaii.gov.

Gov. Neil Abercrombie (center, during his Pahala inauguration ceremony in December)
gives his State of the State address today in Honolulu. Tonight the Ka`u Coffee festival,
with Ka`u Coffee Festival Queen Ulu Makuakane, who danced for the governor,
 meets to plan its next festival in May.

GOVERNOR NEIL ABERCROMBIE delivers his State of the State speech today at 10 a.m., with a live broadcast from the state Capitol in Honolulu. During his Ka`u ceremony in December, he promised that “everything will blossom in Ka`u.” The governor talked about agricultural and food self-sufficiency. He said, “All the dreams and hopes of Ka`u will come to fruition.” Council member Brittany Smart said that she is hopeful that the governor will release funds to start building an emergency shelter and new gymnasium in Pahala. 

THE KA`U COFFEE FESTIVAL COMMITTEE is meeting tonight to plan the next Ka`u Coffee Festival, with dates set for Friday, May 13 for Miss Ka`u Coffee, Little Miss Ka`u Coffee and Miss Peaberry, Saturday, May 14 for the Ho`olaule`a, coffee tasting, recipe contest and food booths and Sunday, May 15 for education and tours. Anyone interested in helping the coffee farmers to put on this event that supports the entire community can come tonight to the Pahala Community Center at 6 p.m.

MURIEL ANDERSON AND TIERRA NEGRA are in Pahala and giving concerts at Volcano School of the Arts and Sciences today, at a Hilo school tomorrow and a free concert for the entire community on Wednesday night at 7 p.m. at Pahala Plantation House. Anderson is a famed guitarist, specializing in harp guitar. She is also winner of the world fingerpicking contest. Members of Tierra Negra are renowned in Europe for their New World Flamenco music.