Ka`u News Briefs April 27, 2011

Students from Wai`ohinu Hula Studio and Lori Lei's Hula Studio under the direction of kumu hula Lori Lei Shirakawa
performed at Volcano Art Center's May Day is Lei Day Festival 2010.  Photo courtesy of VAC

RESIDENTS OF KA`U ARE BEING SOUGHT exclusively to fill new jobs at the Kahuku Unit of Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park. Applicants must have maintained permanent residence in Ka`u for a minimum of six years. 

Guides and other workers are being sought from the Ka`u community
at Kahuku.  Photo Courtesy of Hawai`i Volcanoes Nat'l Park

     Positions available are park guides and laborers. Park guides are part-time, and laborers are both part- and full-time. All positions are temporary, not to exceed one year.
     The open period to submit applications is through May 17. First cut-off will be May 3. Applications must be received by this cut-off date to receive first consideration.
     A Certificate of Referrals will be created and forwarded to the selecting official after the cut-off date of May 3. Announcements may be obtained from HAVO_Personnel@nps.gov or the Kahuku entrance gate sign board. Information and announcements will also be available at the Kahuku Unit when it is open on Saturdays and Sundays from 9 a.m. until 3 p.m.

The Miloli`i Lawai`a `Ohana will explore Miloli`i from
Ho`opuloa Beach to Kapu`a Bay.  Photo by Julia Neal

PA`A PONO MILOLI`I, INC. will host the 2011 Miloli`i Lawai`a `Ohana Camp from June 6 to 9 at Ho`opuloa Beach in Miloli`i. This year’s four-day, three-night camp is open to children ages 10 to 15 years old and their families. It will focus on Marine Conservation and Fish Sustainability. Camp activities include an `opelu fishing project, proper practices for fish sustainability, hiking to Kapu`a Bay, a holua slide and archaeological tour, wana and `opihi gathering and cultivation, throw-net fishing and more. The camp will incorporate the `ohana unit in which `opio, makua and kupuna will be involved in the activities. 

     The camp is free to families in the South Kona and Ka`u areas through a grant made possible from Conservation International. Participation is extremely limited. Interested families can contact Kaimi Kaupiko at 937-1310, Lei Kaupu at 217-0585 or email miloliilawaiacamp@gmail.com for more information. The deadline to apply is Wednesday, May 11.

University of Hawai`i College of Pharmacy students held a
 Health Fair at Miloli`i and offered free screenings to
everyone, including Sen. Gil Kahele. 

THE UNIVERSITY OF HAWAI`I at Hilo College of Pharmacy is looking toward creating a calendar of health fairs in Ka`u and around the island. Students representing Phi Delta Chi, a professional pharmacy fraternity with more than 43,000 pharmacists and student members nationwide, held a Health Screening and Fair at the Miloli`i Halau on Saturday. The event included free blood pressure, blood sugar and cholesterol screenings, brown bag medication reviews, diet, lifestyle and health information, food, and more. Prabu Segaran, a second-year pharmacy student from the Class of 2013, coordinated the event. “We’re honored to help people to improve their health,” Segaran said. 

LOCAL RESIDENTS can help with a vog study funded by the Centers for Disease Control with help from the University of Hawai`i Medical School. Community researchers Jodi Adams, Rochele Gacayan, Sandy Helm-Anderson and Theresa Richardson are inviting a dozen people from Ka`u and a dozen people from Volcano who have been prescribed rescue inhalers into a special study of the respiratory effects of vog. The study will help participants find out whether vog reacts with other factors to affect their breathing and lung function. They will teach study participants how to record their symptoms and measures of lung function. Participants will learn some things about their asthma or COPD that aren’t always offered even in the doctor’s office: lung volumes and flows (spirometry), exhaled carbon monoxide and nitric oxide, allergy skin tests and whether there are allergy cells in the bloodstream. Then they attach a special device called a SpiroScout to their inhaler that will record the date, time, and GPS location when the inhaler is used. Anyone interested in joining the study contact Dr. Tam at 808-586-2910 or tameliza@hawaii.edu.

RANGER JASON ZIMMER, SR. shares the art of making poi, or ku`i kalo, today from 10 a.m. to noon on the lanai of Kilauea Visitor Center in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park. Park entrance fees apply.

COUNCIL MEMBER BRITTANY SMART holds a District 6 Matters meeting Thursday at 7 p.m. at Cooper Center in Volcano. Fire Chief Darryl Oliveira answers questions from the public about Fire Department issues and services.

KA`U SCHOOL OF THE ARTS hosts the Spring Fling at Punalu`u Bake Shop’s new pavilion this Saturday, April 30, beginning at 9 a.m. Performers include the Na`alehu Civic Club Singers, the Ka`u `Ohana Band, Hands of Time, Keoki Kahumoku and others. Ka`u artists and artisans will display their creations and offer them for sale, give demonstrations and lead art activities. 

A lei contest is part of Volcano Art Center's
May Day is Lei Day Festival this Sunday.

VOLCANO ART CENTER hosts the second annual May Day is Lei Day Festival this Sunday, May 1 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at VAC’s Niaulani Campus in Volcano Village. This free family event is for residents and visitors of all ages to join in the creative and cultural tradition of making and wearing lei, which is deeply rooted in the Hawaiian culture. In 1928, artist and writer Don Blanding suggested that the people of the islands recapture the spirit of lei wearing and celebrate May 1 as “Lei Day.” VAC is honored to keep the unique customs and traditions surrounding lei alive. 

THE DEADLINE FOR ENTRIES for the Ka`u Coffee recipe contest has been extended to Saturday, May 7. Applications are available online at www.kaucoffeefest.com. Contact Michelle Galimba at 430-4927 or mgalimba@kuahiwiranch.com for more information.

Ka`u News Briefs April 26, 2011

The Ninole Hills, as seen from Hwy 11, include Makanau and are proposed as part of the Scenic Byway.
Photo by Julia Neal

SEVENTEEN SITES AND TURNOFFS along Hwy 11 have been nominated by a committee of community members proposing Hwy 11 as a State Scenic Byways route through Ka`u. The scenic route would run from Manuka State Park to the Volcano entrance to Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park. 

Maile Street in Pahala leads to Hwy 11.

Kula Kai Caverns

     The suggested locations were presented last night at a Ka`u Chamber of Commerce meeting in Ocean View. They are: Manuka State Park; Kula Kai Caverns turnoff; Pali o Kulani lookout and Kahuku Ranch; Robert Brown Memorial near mile marker 71; Kahuku Section of Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park; South Point Road turnoff; Plantation Road turnoff in Na`alehu (Ka`alaiki Road); Honu`apo Overlook; Whittington Beach turnoff; Ninole Hills, Punalu`u turnoff, Pahala turnoff at Maile Street, Coastal Overlook near mile marker 48, Kapapala Ranch, Ka`u Desert Trail turnout, Mauna Loa Road turnoff and Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park entrance. The suggested name for the scenic route is Slopes of Mauna Loa.

A NEW GYM AND COMMUNITY SHELTER for Pahala is close to being funded at the state Legislature, according to County Council member Brittany Smart. The initial planned site for the gym would be in the open area where the green campus and open fields are located, providing an ocean view and parking for school events. The building would cost around $20 million and would be funded through a state bond. 

Marc Alexander, the new state Homeless Coordinator, is
 former vicar general of the Catholic Church in Hawai`i.

A NEW HOMELESS HOTLINE has been set up for the Big Island. Those wanting to assist the homeless with shelter, food and other services can call HOPE Services at 935-3050. The program to help the homeless was announced yesterday, with contact numbers on all islands, by Gov. Neil Abercrombie and his Coordinator on Homeless, Marc Alexander. “In Hawai`i, we have a natural inclination to want to help others, but when it comes to homelessness, sometimes people are unsure of how they can contribute,” said Abercrombie. 

     Persons wishing to help someone who may be suffering from homelessness must provide the following information: location and time when the homeless individual is known to frequent the area; detailed description of the individual or group; and caller’s contact information. After a report is made, an outreach team will be assigned to visit the person. Calls can be placed 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Emergency situations or illegal activity should be reported to the police.
     For more information on HOPE Services Hawai`i, visit hopeserviceshawaii.org. The organization manages an emergency drop-in night shelter, homeless and transitional shelters and emergency and affordable housing programs. It also sponsors a reintegration program for those returning to the community following incarceration.

THE VALUE OF YOUR PROPERTY may have gone down, according to county tax assessments. The county is looking at a four percent drop in the value of all real property on the island, following its recent assessments for tax purposes. The drop in value will be considered when the county budget is finalized and sometimes leads to a proposal to raise the property tax rate to make up for the shortfall.
     County Council member Pete Hoffmann said he believes that some commercial and resort properties are getting huge property tax breaks and that the entire valuation system should be reviewed and adjusted to make sure it is fair to everyone. The Associated Press recently reported that one prime commercial property in Kona pays no taxes, as the valuation went from $9.9 million to $100.
     Mayor Billy Kenoi releases his new budget on May 5.

RANGER JASON ZIMMER, SR. shares the art of making poi, or ku`i kalo, tomorrow from 10 a.m. to noon on the lanai of Kilauea Visitor Center in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park. Park entrance fees apply.

The 2010 Ka`u Coffee Recipe Contest drew a large crowd.

THE DEADLINE FOR ENTRIES for the Ka`u Coffee recipe contest has been extended to Saturday, May 7. Categories include desserts, appetizers or pupus and entrees. Applications are available online at www.kaucoffeefest.com. Contact Michelle Galimba at 430-4927 or mgalimba@kuahiwiranch.com for more information.

COUNCIL MEMBER BRITTANY SMART holds a District 6 Matters meeting Thursday at 7 p.m. at Cooper Center in Volcano. Fire Chief Darryl Oliveira answers questions from the public about Fire Department issues and services.

KA`U SCHOOL OF THE ARTS hosts the Spring Fling at Punalu`u Bake Shop this Saturday, April 30. The event features over three dozen artists and a full day of entertainment beginning at 9 a.m. The Na`alehu Civic Club Singers, the Ka`u `Ohana Band, Hands of Time, Keoki Kahumoku and others will perform at the new pavilion. Surrounding the pavilion, Ka`u artists and artisans will display their creations and offer them for sale, give demonstrations and lead art activities.

Ka`u News Briefs April 25, 2011

Sen. Gil Kahele launches his social media sites tomorrow to keep in touch with his constituents. He is seen here with Miss Ka`u Coffee Brandy Shibuya (r) and First Princess Jaeneise Cuison.  Photo by Julia Neal

KA`U’S STATE SENATOR GIL KAHELE will launch a new website tomorrow to help him stay in contact with the large population of his Senate District II. Kahele can often be seen stopping in at community events as he drive from his home in Hilo to his birthplace in Miloli`i when he has time off from the Legislature. The district is so big he wants to keep in contact online, too. While preferring to meet people face to face, Kahele said that social media provides a valuable way to interact and listen to the unique communities he represents. The website will include his latest news, priorities for the district, tracking the bills he sponsors and supports, a calendar of his activities and scheduled monthly live web chats when constituents can talk story with the senator.
     See http://www.senatorkahele.com and watch the live streaming of the launch on Tuesday at 6 p.m.

ONE JOURNEY is back at school on the Ka`u High School campus after battling bands from across the state to take home the coveted Brown Bags to Stardom trophy. The band was set to perform this morning during recess at the school for an overwhelming spontaneous homecoming welcome. The eight performers traveled to Honolulu accompanied by two chaperones. One Journey competed against 20 high school finalists on O`ahu.
     Producer Johnny Kai said he plans to soon come to Ka`u to visit this district of talented young people and their `ohana.

Miss Ka`u Coffee Pageant director Gloria Camba and
  her partner Rogelio Aquino.  Photo by Julia Neal

WINNERS OF THE MISS KA`U COFFEE PAGEANT are already gearing up for their first public appearance. It will be this Saturday at the Merrie Monarch Parade in Hilo. The 2011 Ka`u Coffee Queen Brandy Shibuya will be accompanied by her court, first Princess Janeise Cuison and Second Princess Brandy Eder. Also representing Ka`u Coffee in the parade will be Miss Ka`u Peaberry Rebecca Lynn-Kailiawa Escobar and Young Miss Ka`u Coffee Dayse Meleani Andrade. The two floats are sponsored by the Ka`u Coffee Growers Cooperative. The sold-out pageant drew many scholarship contributions and was emceed by Kahikina and KAHU public radio’s own Deevah. 

     Pageant director Gloria Camba said that all the work was worthwhile since so much of the community participated and enjoyed supporting the talent and education of Ka`u youth. 

Top Hawai`i winner at the SCAA Bull Kailiawa works with a volunteer volleyball
 team on new coffee fields along Hwy 11 at Pahala.  Photo by Julia Neal

IN OTHER COFFEE NEWS, Bull Kailiawa, who kept Ka`u in the top ten of coffees worldwide in the recent SCAA competition, noted that all three of the Ka`u Coffee SCAA winners in the last five years are former plantation workers who were leased land by the sugar plantation when it shut down in 1996. Kailiawa said the three have been like brothers, working in the fields and as truck and crane operators in the sugar industry, then helping each other out on their coffee farms. Kailiawa has scored in the top ten internationally two times, Willie Tabios twice, and Manuel Marques once in five straight years of Ka`u Coffee making a name for Hawai`i at the annual Coffee of the Year event. Kailiawa heads for Texas this week to serve up Ka`u Coffee at a pavilion showing off the winners at the Houston Convention Center. 

Volunteers pull weeds at the coffee farm along Hwy 11 in Pahala to raise funds to go to nationals.  Photo by Julia Neal

EIGHT YOUNG KA`U VOLLEYBALL PLAYERS are raising money for airfare to join the Southside Junior Boys Volleyball Team, which is traveling to Minneapolis, Minnesota for international competition. Southside has been extremely successful over the past two years, finishing as the highest USA Team in the national tournament. Southside Junior Boys finished seventh and eighth in the last two years, only outplayed by international teams from Puerto Rico and Brazil. The Southside Boys program is the only Junior Boys program in this county and has opened its roster to players from around the island to give boys who love volleyball a chance to compete. 

Jack and Kobe Moses help clean up the
coffee farm along Hwy 11 in Pahala.
Photo by Julia Neal

     This year Southside Volleyball Club is taking three teams to the nationals. Ka`u boys Brian Gascon, Kameron Moses, Nai`a Makuakane, Avery and Addie Enriques, Kai Enriques, Emmett Enriques and Grant Galimba are all working hard to raise funds for the trip. The team has participated in car washes, weed pulling at the new coffee farm along Hwy 11 in Pahala, hosting volleyball tournaments, a Zumba Jamboree, bake sales and BBQ plate sales. The boys are selling miniature anthurium plants through Katherine Okamura at 895-2550. 

     The team is open to anyone willing to donate or provide opportunities to work to earn money for their trip. They will participate in the Kamehameha Schools Ho`olaule`a in Kea`au on Saturday, May 7; the Ka`u Coffee Festival on Saturday, May 14; produce another fundraiser at the Ka`u Family Fun Fest in Na`alehu on Saturday, June 11; and host a BBQ Plate Fundraiser at KTA in Hilo on Sunday, June 12. To help, call Katherine at 895-2550 or Guy Enriques at 217-2253.

The famous Honu`apo lookout on Hwy 11 shows pole
fishermen camped on top of the cliffs.  Photo by Julia Neal

THE SCENIC BYWAYS PROGRAM for Ka`u is taking shape with a formal proposal sent to the federal government. A meeting sponsored by the Ka`u Chamber of Commerce will be held tonight at Ocean View Community Center at 6:30 p.m., and the public is invited. A committee studying the proposal has come up with a number of suggestions, including that all of Hwy 11 passing through Ka`u be nominated as a State Scenic Byway. The suggested theme is The Slopes of Mauna Loa. The nomination papers emphasize that Ka`u has the longest sections of untouched highway in the state. “We hope that designation will help preservation efforts,” said committee member Dennis Elwell. The nomination listed 17 sites and turnoffs between Manuka Park and the Volcano entrance to Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park. 

     The committee drawing up the plan has included chair Marge Elwell, Dallas Decker, John Replogle, Dan Taylor, council member Brittany Smart, Dennis Elwell, Rell Woodward, Lora Gale, Laura Schuster, Doug Sensenig, Blossom DaSilva and Kenny Joyce. The Scenic Byways program will help provide for planning for more scenic overlooks, turnouts and signage to educate and celebrate the beauty and history of Ka`u.

MARK YOU CALENDARS FOR THE SPRING FLING at Punalu`u Bake Shop this Saturday, April 30. Ka`u School of the Arts hosts the event that features over three dozen artists and a full day of entertainment beginning at 9 a.m. The Na`alehu Civic Club Singers, the Ka`u `Ohana Band, Hands of Time, Keoki Kahumoku and others will perform at the new pavilion. Surrounding the pavilion, Ka`u artists and artisans will display and offer their creations for sale, give demonstrations and lead art activities.

DO YOU HAVE YOUR KA`U COFFEE RECIPE ready for the Ka`u Coffee Festival recipe contest on Saturday, May 14? The deadline for entries has been extended to Saturday, May 7. Applications are available online at www.kaucoffeefest.com. Contact Michelle Galimba at 430-4927 or mgalimba@kuahiwiranch.com for more information.