Ka'u News Briefs Dec. 1, 2011

George Kahumoku, Jr. (l), seen here at the Pahala workshop last month, has been nominated for a Grammy Award
for his album Wao Akua: The Forest of the Gods. Photo by Julia Neal

QUINCE MENTO, Hawai`i County Civil Defense administrator, has retired. Mento became head of the department in 2008. “I’ve spent 29 and a half years in public safety, and it takes a toll on you,” Mento said. “This job is 24 hours a day, and I need to start thinking about my health.” 

Quince Mento

     Mento has been on the job during vog emergencies in Ka`u that began when the vent at Halema`uma`u opened in 2008. He also implemented the City Watch phone and text messaging service.
     “He is going to be sorely missed, and it’s going to be tough to fill his shoes,” said Mayor Billy Kenoi.

SEN. GIL KAHELE and state Board of Education member and vice chairman Brian DeLima will host an education forum and Q&A session tomorrow, Friday, Dec. 2 from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at Waiakea High school Cafeteria. He invites Ka`u parents and other interested citizens to attend. Brian DeLima, one of the nine members appointed by Gov. Neil Abercrombie, will give an update on current Board of Education issues that will include the recent NAEP assessment, finance and infrastructure, and future plans for education on Hawai`i Island. The forum will also present an opportunity for those attending to voice their concerns about the HSTA contract and any other education-related issue affecting Hawai`i Island. 

Brian DeLima

     Kahele said, “This forum will give me an opportunity to hear the concerns and issues that are affecting our teachers, parents and students on Hawai`i Island and throughout the State. As the 26th legislative session approaches in January, the feedback I hope to receive will help shape the legislation and discussions that my colleagues and I will have and introduce in the Senate. This is also an opportunity for members of the community to engage in thoughtful discussion with the vice chairman of the BOE, Brian DeLima.” 

“KA`U IS THE PERFECT ENVIRONMENT to raise many crops, including a new crop of science lovers,” reports Julie Williams, of Ka`u High School. Her story in The Ka`u Calendar this month invites the public to a Ka`u High Science Fair open house from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. on Dec. 14. Students have been putting in hours to develop original projects, which will be judged by local science and technology experts. Winning projects will be entered into the East Hawai`i Science Fair. It will be held in the science rooms M-101 and M-102 next to the band room on the Ka`u High School Campus. Also on hand will be advisors to help parents understand how to finance their students’ post-high school education. 

GEORGE KAHUMOKU, JR. has been nominated for a Grammy Award for his album Wao Akua: The Forest of the Gods in the new category called Regional Roots that includes Native American, polka, zydeco and Cajun artists. 

     Kahumoku has taught and performed at Pahala Plantation House over the last seven years during the Kahumoku `Ohana Hawaiian Music and Lifestyle Workshop, where his son, Keoki, brings masters to teach `ukulele and slack key guitar to visitors and local students.

A RECEPTION AND OPEN MIC NIGHT opens Volcano Art Center’s exhibit called Occupy Art tomorrow at 7 p.m. at Volcano Art Center’s Niaulani Campus in Volcano Village. Acts up to five minutes long can sign up on a first-come, first-served basis. It is billed as a Zero Currency Trade Event, with no admission or entry fee. Bring pupus, snacks and drinks or items to share or trade.

TUTU & ME TRAVELING PRESCHOOL offers free transportation as part of a pilot program from January 9 to 31. Transportation will be offered from Ocean View to Na`alehu Community Center, where the school meets on Mondays and Wednesdays and in Pahala to the Pahala Community Center, which meets on Tuesdays and Thursdays. In both areas, the program runs from 8:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. To continue the free transportation past the pilot period, the number of program participants must increase significantly. To take advantage of the free transportation, sign up prior to Jan. 9 by calling 929-8571.

HOLIDAY MUSIC FILLS KA`U this weekend. Free concerts featuring the Ka`u Community Chorus, Hannah’s Makana `Ohana and the Ka`u `Ohana band take place at 2:30 p.m. on Saturday at Ocean View Community Center and Sunday at Discovery Harbour Community Hall.
     The Volcano Festival Chorus Concert is set for Saturday at 7 p.m. at Kilauea Military Camp Chapel in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park. This free concert is a gift to the community from Kilauea Drama and Entertainment Network and the chorus. Park entrance fees may apply.

THY WORD MINISTRIES - KA`U holds its eighth annual Christmas in Ka`u Outreach on Saturday, Dec. 10 at the Na`alehu Hongwanji Hall from 9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. There will be singing, hula and other dance, prizes, and free Hawaiian plate lunches while supplies last. Everyone is invited. Vendor spaces are available by donation. Interested parties can call Pamela Taylor at 937-3386. This is a drug and alcohol free event. “Pack your beach chairs and bring your family for some great fun and fellowship,” said Pastor Bob Tominaga.

NA`ALEHU SCHOOL’S WINTERFEST will be on Thursday, Dec. 15 at 12:30 p.m. Principal Darlene Javar will perform a dance routine as a reward for students selling 1,000 bags of cookies to raise money for prizes for the kids.

Ka'u News Briefs Nov. 30, 2011

The county now claims ownership of lands around Kawa Beach for park and wildlife management. Photos by Julia Neal

THE ATTEMPT OF ABEL SIMIONA LUI and his hui to have the court quash a possible eviction from Kawa was turned away by Judge Joseph Florendo yesterday in Third Circuit Court. The ruling was technical. The judge said that the motion filed to stay an eviction improperly included a person named Han Phua, who was not named in the eviction order being appealed, and therefore didn’t have standing in the case. The judge did say, however, that the motion could be re-filed with corrected names, according to a Hawai`i Tribune-Herald story this morning. 

Abel Simeona Lui says he is the rightful caretaker of Kawa
and opposes a county park and preserve there. 

     The article by Chelsea Jensen also reported that Lui talked openly in the courtroom and after several warnings from the judge was removed by the guards. As he was being taken away Lui said, “I oppose everything you’re doing here,” Jensen reported.
     Eviction was approved by the court years ago, when the property was still in the hands of Thomas Okuna, who sold it to the Edmund C. Olson Trust, which held the Kawa land until the community, county, state and federal agencies could raise money to make the popular surfing and fishing spot into a park and preserve for recreation and wildlife. That sale was recently completed in two sections, with the county first purchasing more than 200 acres which were being held and advertised for sale by former Ka`u realtor Marcia Johnson and her hui. The second county purchase at Kawa recently closed and includes more than 500 acres, with acreage at Kawa and other parcels on the coastline stretching toward Punalu`u.
     However, Lui, who has lived there for more than 20 years, claims Kawa was unfairly taken from his family generations ago and that he is the legitimate caretaker of the land.
     As Okuna was unable to carry out the eviction of Lui and the Olson Trust did not evict him while it was holding the property, Lui, over the years, has gathered supporters of Hawaiian sovereignty around him. They claim that the U.S. courts have no jurisdiction over the property. Lui has also filed claims of ownership, which have clouded the land title at Kawa and are involved in a separate court case. Lui vows to stay on at Kawa.

Kawa Flats floods, cutting Na`alehu off from Pahala and its
hospital and school.

KAWA FLOODING is also being targeted by public officials, as a meeting will be held on Thursday, Dec. 8 at 6 p.m. at Na`alehu School Cafeteria on state plans to raise Hwy 11 some ten feet above grade to keep traffic moving during heavy rains. 

     A draft Environmental Assessment has been published and is available at the DOT’s Hawai`i District Office, Pahala and Na`alehu public libraries, and online at http://hawaii.gov/ health/environmental/oeqc/index.html.
     “The highway was constructed over 50 years ago with no drainage facilities for this low-lying section,” the EA states. “Flood waters from an intermittent stream frequently overtop the highway and completely close this round-the-island highway – the only route connecting the two main towns of Ka`u. The flooding is a hazard to motorists, prevents the passage of emergency vehicles, and damages the roadway structure,” the EA says.
     The highway’s surface would be raised a maximum of about 10 feet, to an elevation of 46 feet above mean sea level, placing the road surface approximately two feet above the 50-year flood level. A reinforced concrete box culvert measuring 84 feet wide by eight feet high would be placed beneath the highway.

THINK LOCAL, BUY LOCAL month begins tomorrow. The campaign is a public education initiative that highlights how purchasing locally made and grown products and shopping at locally owned businesses can benefit the community, environment and economy of Hawai`i Island. The campaign is by the Hawai`i Alliance for a Local Economy, under contract with County of Hawai`i Department of Research and Development.
     Mayor Billy Kenoi has declared the month of December Think Local, Buy Local month, with a ceremony Dec. 1 at the Mo`oheau Bandstand in Hilo. 

     Participating businesses can display Think Local, Buy Local window signs and highlight Made on Hawai`i Island products. Ka`u businesses can be a part of the campaign by signing up as a HALE member and paying a $25 membership fee. Benefits include a large media presence that will drive people to the Think Local, Buy Local website; a local business profile; inclusion in a Local Business Directory and Green Map being developed; Think Local, Buy Local signage for retail locations; and Made on Hawai`i Island product stickers for products with 51 percent or more value added on Hawai`i Island.

     “A 2010 national report on Buy Local campaigns found that communities with an active Buy Local campaign experienced markedly stronger revenue growth compared to communities without such a campaign, and independent retailers in Buy Local communities saw a 5.2 percent increase in holiday sales, while those elsewhere reported an average gain of 0.8 percent. During the holiday season, the Think Local, Buy Local campaign is focusing attention on Hawai`i Island grown and made products and locally owned businesses,” said Andrea Dean, principal of Sustainable Initiatives.
     To learn more and participate in Think Local, Buy Local visit www.ThinkLocalBuyLocal.org or call Andrea Dean at 960-3727.

Joey Wells' Lehua Nani

ENTRIES IN VOLCANO ART CENTER’S 12th annual Invitational Wreath Exhibit are on display at the gallery this month. Gallery artists present their concepts of wreath, with creations ranging from the traditional to the whimsical, using a variety of media, materials and techniques. The winning wreath is called Lehua Nani and was created by Joey Wells. 

CHRISTMAS MUSIC FILLS KA`U this weekend. Free concerts featuring the Ka`u Community Chorus, Hannah’s Makana `Ohana and the Ka`u `Ohana Band take place at 2:30 p.m. on Saturday at Ocean View Community Center and Sunday at Discovery Harbour Community Hall.
     The Volcano Festival Chorus Concert is set for Saturday at 7 p.m. at Kilauea Military Camp Chapel in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park. This free concert is a gift to the community from Kilauea Drama and Entertainment Network and the chorus. Park entrance fees may apply.

Ka'u News Briefs Nov. 29, 2011

Kumu Hula Hannah Uribes (left) and Hannah's Makana `Ohana perform at Ka`u School of the Arts'
Music for Christmas concerts this weekend. Photo by Nalani Parlin

BANNING PLASTIC BAGS used for carrying food and goods purchased from stores and restaurants on the Big Island could become law soon. The measure already passed first reading at the County Council with a 5 to 3 vote, and the final vote is likely to take place at the Dec. 21 council meeting, according to a Stephens Media report this morning.
     The vote follows public hearings around the island. Council member Pete Hoffmann, who champions the measure, said he is comfortable with the final version and that the mayor is OK with it. “Let’s not sacrifice the environment on the altar of convenience,” Hoffmann told reporter Jason Armstrong. 

     Hoffmann noted that the bill is not an outright ban on plastic bags. Council member Dennis Onishi, who opposes the bill, says that people would still buy plastic bags for lining trash cans in homes and offices, instead of using plastic bags acquired free during shopping. There will still be plastic bags going into the landfill, he said.
     If passed, stores would be given a year to use up their inventory of plastic bags and build up paper bag supplies and to encourage people to bring cloth or other reusable bags for shopping.
     According to the Stephens Media story, the eleven Subway franchises on the Big Island have already turned to paper.
     Maui and Kaua`i already have plastic bag bans, and surveys show that more than half of Maui customers are not using bags provided by stores and restaurants there, the story said.
     County Council chair Dominic Yagong said he will refrain from voting on the bill when it comes before the Big Island Council. He said his long-time employer Foodland will suffer a large cost increase as paper bags are much more expensive.

Rodney Naiole Kahele

POLICE ARE SEARCHING FOR Rodney Naiole Kahele, of Ocean View, who is wanted on seven warrants with bail that totals $300,300. A statement from the Hawai`i Police Department describes Kahele as 6-foot-1, 180 pounds with black hair and tattoos on his back, arms and legs. Anyone with information can call Officer Dane Shibuya at 939-2520 or the non-emergency number 935-3311. 

A 100-TON BOULDER CRUSHED their car on Hwy 11 near Kahuku Ranch in 2007, and victims Michael Patrick O’Grady and Leiloni O’Grady, of Ocean View, have gone to court. The Ocean View residents, one a school social worker and the other a speech pathologist, seek millions of dollars in medical expenses, wages and future lost wages. The trial began yesterday in Circuit Court in Hilo. Their attorney is Ron Self, of Wood Valley, and the judge is Greg Nakamura.
     The defendant is the state Department of Transportation, which plaintiffs claim was negligent when it cut the road through the mountainside, leaving rocks and a giant boulder with no place to fall but the highway. A story in today’s Hawai`i Tribune-Herald by reporter John Burnett quotes Leiloni O’Grady recalling the rock slide coming toward her vehicle: “It looked like something on TV, with fingers of dirt coming down and the dust going up. Then this big boulder came down.” The boulder turned the car over and sent it sliding upside down.
     According to the Tribune-Herald story, Patrick O’Grady recalled that he found himself “hanging upside down in the seatbelt, trying to breath. I was lying on the road, and one of my students came up and said, ‘Oh my God, Mr. O’Grady.” Patrick O’Grady has since recovered from most of his injuries and has gone back to work in the Ka`u public schools, but his wife says she may never work again. 

Cyndi Napper, Mary Ramsdell and Sandy Ooka, of
Hannah's Makana `Ohana. Photo by Nalani Parlin

MUSIC FOR CHRISTMAS is featured at concerts this weekend. The Ka`u Community Chorus, Hannah’s Makana `Ohana and the Ka`u `Ohana Band perform at 2:30 p.m. at Ocean View Community Center on Saturday and Discovery Harbour Community Hall on Sunday.

SUBMISSIONS OF WORKS for Volcano Art Center’s upcoming exhibit called Occupy Art are being accepted today between 2 p.m. and 6 p.m. at the Niaulani Campus in Volcano Village. This exhibit is open to all who care to express their opinions on the Occupy Wall Street movement, using art as a vehicle for creative and healthy expression. Any and all media are accepted, and there is no entry fee. Call 967-8222 for more information.