Ka`u News Briefs April 29, 2011

Miss Ka`u Coffee Brandy Shibuya (center), Young Miss Ka`u Coffee Dayse Meleani Andrade (left) and
Miss Ka`u Peaberry Rebecca Lynn Kailiawa-Escobar will join first First Miss Ka`u Coffee Princess Jaeneise Cuison
and Second Miss Ka`u Coffee Princess Brandy Eder on the Ka`u Coffee Growers Cooperative's floats
in the Merrie Monarch Parade tomorrow morning in Hilo.

THE STATE LEGISLATURE HAS PRODUCED the final draft of a two-year budget “that attempts to preserve the most basic of services – core government services – in these trying times,” said Rep. Marcus Oshiro, chair of the House Finance Committee. The budget eliminates state furlough days, including those for schools. Although cuts in Medicaid are included in the budget, there is no cut to the core benefit package of basic monthly benefits to temporary assistance for needy families, said Department of Human Services director Patricia McManaman.

Rep. Marcus Oshiro

     Still to be considered are various appropriations bills to pay for the services. On the table are suspending general excise tax exemptions for businesses, taxing pensions and removing income tax deductions of high-income earners, capping the amount of the Transient Accommodations Tax that goes to the counties and raising the general excise tax.
     The budget now goes to full House and Senate to be voted on before the Legislature adjourns on Thursday.

THE VOLCANO SCHOOL OF ARTS & SCIENCES held its third annual Keakealani Walkfest yesterday. Children in grades K – 8 got residents to sponsor them to walk for two to three hours, going distances from three to nine miles, to raise money for the building fund used to prepare the Keakealani School House for classes later this year. Sponsorships were $100 per student or $1,000 per class. More fundraising is being planned.

AT MONDAY’S MEETING of the Ka`u Chamber of Commerce, the proposal for Ka`u’s Highway 11 to be named a Scenic Byway was well received. Rita Pregana, of Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park’s Kahuku Unit, called Ka`u “the last remaining soul of the Hawaiians.” Dennis Elwell said state approval is expected in late June, at which point the proposal would go to the federal government for approval.
     The Chamber is holding another meeting at Punalu`u Bake Shop on Sunday at 4:30 p.m. Applications for new board members are being accepted. Interested parties can join the meeting, call the Chamber at 939-8449 or Marge Elwell at 929-7236, or send resumes to PO Box 6710, Ocean View 96737.

ABOUT A DOZEN KA`U COFFEE farmers and representatives are attending the Specialty Coffee Association of America convention in Houston. The are making contacts with coffee buyers from all over the world and learning about sustainability, marketing, farm practices, roasting and tasting. Paradise Meadows Orchard & Bee Farm, Rusty’s Hawaiian 100% Ka`u Coffee, Kailiawa Coffee and Ka`u Farm & Ranch are some of the participating organizations. 

KAHU 91.7 FM is looking for local residents who are interested in walking alongside the station’s turtle car and banner in the Merrie Monarch Parade tomorrow morning. Call the KAHU office at 935-8874 or Wendell Ka`ehu`ae`a at 640-1435 to sign up.

First Miss Ka`u Coffee Princess
Jaeneise Cuison in the
Gown Competition.

Second Miss Ka`u Coffee Princess
Brandy Eder in the
Gown Competition.

THE KA`U COFFEE GROWERS COOPERATIVE is also preparing for the Merrie Monarch Parade. Their two floats will showcase winners from the Miss Ka`u Coffee Pageant held last Saturday. Miss Ka`u Coffee Queen Brandy Shibuya will be accompanied by her court, first Princess Jaeneise Cuison and Second Princess Brandy Eder. Also representing Ka`u Coffee will be Miss Ka`u Peaberry Rebecca Lynn Kailiawa-Escobar and Young Miss Ka`u Coffee Dayse Meleani Andrade. 

KA`U SCHOOL OF THE ARTS hosts the Spring Fling at Punalu`u Bake Shop’s new pavilion tomorrow beginning at 9 a.m. Opening the day will be the Ka`u `Ohana Band, playing patriotic and inspiring marches. The Na`alehu Civic Club Singers, Hands of Time and Keoki Kahumoku and more will perform. Ka`u artists and artisans will display their creations and offer them for sale, give demonstrations and lead art activities.

Jim "Kimo" West
Photo by Kristine Slipson

JIM “KIMO” WEST PLAYS slack key guitar at Volcano Art Center’s Niaulani Campus in Volcano Village tonight at 7 p.m. Special guests Dennis and Christy Soares also perform. Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for children. Call 967-8222. 

     Also at VAC’s Niaulani Campus is the second annual May Day is Lei Day Festival on Sunday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Cultural practitioner Loke Kamanu will showcase a display of various lei and assist in hands-on lei making using ti and kui style, using flowers. Lei makers of all ages and levels of experience can enter a lei contest. All lei entries become part of a silent auction fundraiser to benefit VAC’s year-round educational offerings.
     Call 967-8222 or visit volcanoartcenter.org for details.

Ka`u News Briefs April 28, 2011

The Ka`u `Ohana Band will open the Spring Fling at Punalu`u Bake Shop's new pavilion on Saturday.

COUNCIL MEMBER BRITTANY SMART has issued a fact sheet about her resolution to delay Council action on general plan amendments and rezoning applications in Ka`u. When she introduced the resolution, the Council rescheduled it to give the Ka`u CDP Steering Committee members and the community time to understand what it does and does not do.
     Smart’s resolution calls for the County Council to wait until the Ka`u CDP is complete, or until December 31, 2012, whichever comes first, before approving general plan amendments and rezoning applications.
     The fact sheet says the resolution does not affect subdivision proposals, special permit applications and variances, “since Planning and Public Works Department permits and approvals do not come before the Council.”
     It also says it does not affect the Ocean View transfer station project or `Aina Koa Pono’s biofuel proposal in Pahala, “which does not need any County Council approval.”
     Smart said a District 6 Matters meeting to be held in June will focus on her Resolution 60-11, and the County Council Planning Committee will consider it on Monday, July 6.
     Call Smart at 961-8536 for more information.

Daniel Elmore, a trainee from last year's Summer Youth
Employment Program, guides visitors at
Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park.

KUPONO MCDANIEL, Supervisor Ranger of Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park, says the park will be training 22 pre-selected high school juniors and seniors for summer employment. However, the park will only have enough funding and space to hire 10 of these individuals. McDaniel hopes the other 12 trainees will be hired on by other organizations or become volunteer rangers at the park. Hawai`i Community Foundation donated $25,000 to the park’s effort. Some of the young rangers will be repeats from last year’s program, which Joan Rubin helped write the grant for. Jorge Zamudio, a participant in last year’s Summer Youth Employment Program at the park and now full-time employee as an Intern through KUPU, will be a mentor once the trainees start working. Classroom training will be held this spring after school on Fridays from 1 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. by rangers and biologists such as Adrian Boone, Dean Gallagher, and John Stallman. Once their training is complete, John Replogle, of The Nature Conservancy, will take the trainees on a camping excursion. 

INSPIRED BY REP. BOB HERKES’ April fundraiser for Hawai`i tsunami relief, Tesoro Hawai`i has donated $5,000 in gasoline cards to be administered by the Hualalai Ohana Foundation to needy families and individuals. The foundation is also contacting companies to assist in providing for basic necessities to those still recovering from the tsunami. 

KAHU 91.7 FM is looking for local residents who are interested in walking alongside the station’s turtle car and banner in the Merrie Monarch Parade. The parade is this Saturday morning. Call the KAHU office at 935-8874 or Wendell Ka`ehu`ae`a at 640-1435 to sign up.

TO MARK THE 15TH ANNIVERSARY of the local sugar mill closing down, a Ka`u Plantation Days celebration is being planned for Saturday, August 20. Under the trees at the Old Manager’s House in Pahala, there will be displays, food, demonstrations, music and dance by the people of Ka`u. Those interested in taking part and sharing stories, songs, photos, films and skills can call Ka`u Plantation Days Committee members at 928-9811, 928-0303 or 928-8478. 

Bull Kailiawa at his Ka`u Coffee farm.

KA`U COFFEE FARMER Bull Kailiawa is in Houston, Texas, representing Ka`u at the Specialty Coffee Association of America convention. His coffee was chosen as the best coffee in Hawai`i and the U.S. at the convention and placed as one of the top ten coffees in the world. 

COUNTY COUNCIL MEMBER BRITTANY SMART holds a District 6 Matters meeting tonight 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 on Saturday, beginning at 9 a.m. Opening the day will be the Ka`u `Ohana Band, playing patriotic and inspiring marches. Other performers include the Na`alehu Civic Club Singers, Hands of Time and Keoki Kahumoku. Ka`u artists and artisans will display their creations and offer them for sale, give demonstrations and lead art activities.

VOLCANO ART CENTER hosts its second annual May Day is Lei Day Festival this Sunday, May 1 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at its 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.
     Cultural practitioner Loke Kamanu will showcase a display of various lei and assist in hands-on lei making using ti and kui style, using flowers.
     Lei makers of all ages and levels of experience can enter a lei contest. All lei entries become part of a silent auction fundraiser to benefit VAC’s year-round educational offerings.
     Call 967-8222 or visit volcanoartcenter.org for details.

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 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.