Ka`u News Briefs May 6, 2012

Kilohana Domingo hosting the Ka`u Coffee Festival dinner last night. Photo by Julia Neal

DEMOCRATS met yesterday to set the Big Island’s party platform. They passed a resolution for the state Democratic Party Convention that asks for the break up of Hawaiian Electric Light Company, noting that electric rates are four times the rates of many places on the mainland. Delegates traveled from Ka`u and all around the island to Honoka`a. Among them were candidate Russell Ruderman, who is running against Rep. Bob Herkes, Steven Hirakama, Gary Safarik and Wendell Ka`ehu`ae`a for state Senate District 2 that includes most of Puna and all of Volcano and Ka`u to Honu`apo.

Senate candidate Russell
 Ruderman

      According to a story in this morning’s Hawai`i Tribune Herald, Ruderman said solar is the best, safest option for alternative energy for this island. “Solar can be put on every school and business with no downside,” Ruderman contended.
      He took issue with recent support for geothermal. The Hawai`i Tribune Herald reported Ruderman saying that “nobody who lives near (Puna Geothermal Venture’s plant) is in favor of” expanding geothermal. Ruderman described residents near the geothermal plant as having “a horrible, horrible experience,” according to the story by John Burnett, who also reported Ruderman claiming that people promoting geothermal are not from Puna, where geothermal was first established.
      The story reports David Gomes describing geothermal as “a one-legged stool,” with expansion possibilities on Mauna Loa and Hualalai, as well as Haleakala on Maui. Brenda Ford, the incumbent County Council woman who is running for the new district that covers South Kona and Ka`u, pointed to solar, wind and wave. “For those who support geothermal, there is geothermal,” the story reports her saying. The delegates voted for a resolution to support geothermal expansion.

Brenda Ford Photo by
Chuck Greene

      Resolutions supporting loosening restrictions on marijuana also passed, including one to repeal prohibition, allowing more medical marijuana plants to be grown at home and pardoning inmates jailed for marijuana.
      Ka`ehu`ae`a, who was also a delegate at the convention, said his media experience in radio and television should help him understand most of the issues in the Senate district, including agriculture in Ka`u and geothermal in Puna.

THE FINAL ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT for the Ka`u shelter and gym has been released, according to a story by Chelsea Jensen in West Hawai`i Today. The approximately 42,000-plus-square-foot facility includes athletic courts, recreation and multipurpose rooms, restrooms, lobby, concession area, storage rooms, a locker and shower room and an athletic training room. Some 26,145 square feet is dedicated NCAA and Hawai`i High School Athletic Association regulation size courts, a recreation room and a multipurpose room, according to the assessment.
      Many areas of the facility, totaling nearly 29,000 square feet, will serve as an emergency and congregate shelter capable of serving a maximum of 1,928 people. According to the story, it will be built to withstand a Category Three hurricane, which has sustained winds between 111 and 130 mph.

Site of the future Ka`u District Gym & Shelter. Photo by Julia Neal

      The story says that, in addition to shelter, some 4,474 square feet, comprising two rooms, will be dedicated as “vog shelter.” A maximum of 317 people would be able to use the rooms, which will have an air filtration system. Only one, capable of holding 192 people, will be air conditioned.
      “This area is intended for the most vulnerable persons sensitive to vog that include: asthmatic persons, respiratory and cardiac compromised individuals (including smokers), children and adolescents, and healthy, but sensitive, individuals,” the assessment says.
      Construction of the $16.9 million project is expected to begin this summer and be complete in 2014.
      The EA may be downloaded beginning Tuesday at the Office of Environmental Quality Control’s website at hawaii.gov/health/environmental/oeqc/index.html.

THE KA`U COFFEE FESTIVAL kicked off last night with piano and singing by Robert Cazimero at an opening dinner at Kalaekilohana Bed & Breakfast on South Point Road. The many-coursed meal employed fresh local farm produce and featured Ka`u Coffee. Supporters of the success of Ka`u Coffee and press attended after visiting coffee farms at Pear Tree and Moa`ula.

GRAND OPENING OF THE KA`U COFFEE MILL is today at 1 p.m. with the public invited. It features the Triple C Recipe Contest, an official event of the Ka`u Coffee Festival, as well as music from the Ka`u Ohana Band, Ka`u Community Chorus and Moses and Keoki Kahumoku. Mill and farm tours will be offered as the visitor center is officially opened for regular hours. The annual Ka`u Coffee Festival Ho`olaule`a is next Saturday, May 12 at Pahala Community Center, with a long lineup of entertainment, the new Ka`u Coffee Experience, food and coffee tasting and buying.

Kapili Choir performs at After Dark in the Park Tuesday.

KAPILI CHOIR presents a Concert on Kilauea Tuesday at Kilauea Visitor Center Auditorium in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park. UH-Hilo’s vocal ensemble performs an eclectic blend of gospel, early American and contemporary Hawaiian choral arrangements beginning at 7 p.m. Two-dollar donations support park programs. Park entrance fees apply. 

VISIT OUR SPONSORS AT PAHALAPLANTATIONCOTTAGES.COM AND KAUCOFFEEMILL.COM.

Ka`u News Briefs May 5, 2012

Ka`u High School celebrated May Day yesterday. Photo by Julia Neal

THE SUPERMOON rises over Ka`u at 6:46 p.m. tonight. It marks the Earth and the full moon in their closest orbit of the year. The Supermoon is expected to appear 14 percent bigger and 30 percent brighter than the full moon at its farthest distance. 

      The scientific name for Supermoon is the perigee moon, which refers to perigee, the point in the moon’s orbit closest to Earth. The forecast is for clear or partly cloudy skies.

Perigee is the moon closest to the Earth. Apogee is the
moon farthest from the Earth.

      Supermoon will be followed by the Eta Aquarid meteor shower from Halley’s Comet that is peaking tonight and tomorrow. These tiny pieces of comet create shooting stars that are better seen in the southern states, including Hawai`i. They can best be seen in the southern hemisphere. Best viewing time here is just before dawn.

      While the Supermoon looks larger, its appearance is an optical illusion that can be confirmed by holding up a ruler to the moon seen above the horizon, when it looks large. Measure again later when the moon is high up in the sky - when it looks smaller but is actually the same size.

BONDS FOR KA`U HOSPITAL are earmarked by the state budget passed this week by the 2012 Legislature. Hospital renovations will receive $201,000 in funding. Plumbing upgrades will cost $199,000, and an energy audit will cost $75,000. Ka`u Hospital & Rural Health Clinic runs on federal and state money, as well as health insurance payments and a lot of fundraising and volunteerism in the community.

Parking and building height variances for the construction of Ka`u Shelter & Gym have been requested.
Illustration from Mitsunaga & Associates

PARKING AND BUILDING HEIGHT VARIANCES have been requested by the county Department of Parks & Recreation for the construction of the new disaster shelter and gym on property adjacent to Ka`u High & Pahala Elementary School. The parking variance proposal is to allow an undetermined amount of grassy area to remain unpaved for parking around the gym. The height variation allows for a more plantation style roof while providing the height inside the gym for volleyball, basketball and other sports that need high ceilings. PBR Hawai`i, a consulting firm working for the county, recently sent out letters to area residents asking for comments on the proposed variances.

RACE TO THE TOP FUNDING, totaling $75 million for the statewide Department of Education, has been saved, for now, the U.S. Department of Education announced Friday. Spokesmen said however, that Hawai`i will retain a “high risk” status until it comes through with promised reforms in the educational system. Those reforms include a new system to tie teacher evaluations to student improvement and tie compensation to teacher performance. The state and teachers have yet to settle on performance standards acceptable to the federal government. Gov. Neil Abercrombie said the state is ready to go back to the negotiating table with the Hawai`i State Teachers Association. The head of that union said he would like the teachers to take a second vote on an agreement with the state that the teachers voted down. 

      In a letter to the governor, deputy U.S. education secretary Ann Whalen noted preliminary actions heading in the right direction in Hawai`i’s school system. She said the state’s application for the $75 million “set a high bar for success, and their work still falls short of the accomplishments that the state set out to achieve at this stage of the grant.” She also described the stakeholders here as “very passionate” and said they “have demonstrated a strong commitment to this work despite the challenges.” Representatives of the federal DOE visited Hawai`i, including the Ka`u district, in March and plan another assessment within six months.

May Day Queen Courtney Louis performs a solo hula with May Day King
Shai Lopez Castaneda and the court looking on. Photo by Julia Neal

KA`U JUNIOR HIGH STUDENTS are headed to Waikoloa Resort this afternoon to perform with Keoki Kahumoku at the celebration of hula and Hawaiian Culture. The event features an `ukulele jam. Halau from Japan, Switzerland and Hawai`i will perform, along with Aunty Diana Aki, Waipuna, Ladies of Waiku`i, Lula and more.

KA`U HIGH SCHOOL celebrated May Day yesterday. Queen Courtney Louis and King Shai Lopez Castaneda presided over the festivities. Representing the islands were: Casey Koi and Riley Del Rosario - Kaua`i; Aysha Kaupu and Shayden Cayaban - Moloka`i; Jennifer Tabios and Tyren Fukunaga Camba - Kaho`olawe; Meghann Chow and Dimitri Castaneda - Hawai`i; Janessa Jara and Kimo Tyson - Mau`i; Cierra Kaopua and Alika Kaopua - Lana`i; Julia Espaniola and Hercules Soder - O`ahu; Mariah Chingee and Wayne Tayamen - Ni`ihau. Spearsmen were Mark Cuison and Anthony Emmsley; Kahili Bearers were Derrick Velez and Shylo Saragosa; Ladies in Waiting were Samantha Madsen and Kehau Ke; and Conch Shell Blowers were Kelii Ka-Ne and Keoki Pavao.

Honu & Triggerfish by Monty Carew is on display at
Spring Fling today. Photo by Bradley Groh

SPRING FLING Arts & Crafts Fair happens today to 4 p.m. at Punalu`u Bake Shop Pavilion & Gardens. The event features local art and entertainment. See kauarts.org.

KILAUEA MILITARY CAMP in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park celebrates Cinco de Mayo today, with a soft taco and chicken fajita buffet from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. in the Lava Lounge and Chef’s Special house nachos along with the regular ala carte menu starting at 5 p.m. at Crater Rim Café. KMC is open to authorized patrons and sponsored guests. Park entrance fees apply. For more, call 967-8371.

KA`U COFFEE MILL VISITOR CENTER opens to the public tomorrow. Gates open at 1 p.m. The event features the Triple C Recipe Contest along with entertainment by Ka`u `Ohana Band, Ka`u Community Chorus and Keoki and Moses Kahumoku. The recipe contest is an official event of the annual Ka`u Coffee Festival, which begins this weekend and continues with the ho`olaule`a next Saturday at Pahala Community Center.

VISIT OUR SPONSORS AT WWW.PAHALAPLANTATIONCOTTAGES.COM AND WWW.KAUCOFFEEMILL.COM.

Ka`u News Briefs May 4, 2012

Police encourage people to label and keep records of their property so it can be returned if stolen.
Photo from leadsonline.com

LABELING PRIVATE PROPERTY can help police solve theft cases and return stolen goods to rightful owners, Community Policing Officer Dane Shibuya told the Ocean View community at a Neighborhood Watch meeting last night. He said the execution of a search warrant in Ocean View recovered about 30 items that could be traced to about ten burglary and theft cases. More than 100 other items at the scene, however, were unmarked, and police are having difficulty tracing them back to owners, he said. 

      Property can be better protected by labeling items with identifying marks that are not only visible but also hidden IDs. Each item and identifiable mark should be recorded and photographed by the property owners, Shibuya recommended.

Community Policing
Officer Dane Shibuya

      Keep this record separate and in a safe location for access in case of theft, he said. The ID marks are part of the police report and can be accessed when stolen properties are found. He noted that an engraver is available at the Ka`u Police Station in Na`alehu for marking personal property. Police suggest that property owners spray paint large items for easy, far away visibility. Mark or engrave an ID, using such codes as a drivers license number, but not a Social Security number, in one or more hard-to-see locations on the item. Police note that some thieves will try to remove or cover those ID marks that they discover.
      Shibuya reported that community members in Na`alehu alerted police to the possible location of stolen items a very short time after thieves left. The items were marked with ID, recovered, and persons were arrested. “This is a wonderful example of the community helping police to help the community,” said retired police officer Bill Doar, who attended the meeting. For more information, call Dane Shibuya at 939-2520.

AGRITOURISM SITES that welcome no more than 15,000 visitors a year would receive approvals without site inspections and with fewer county requirements under a measure approved by the Windward Planning Commission yesterday. The commission set up a new “minor” category of business on ag lands that supports marketing only the crops and livestock grown on the land where visitors could see the operation. The measure goes to the Leeward Planning Commission and then to the County Council for final approval. The minor agritourism designation allows a maximum of 350 visitors a week in order to become exempt from a plan approval by the county planning department. The measure has support of Planning director Bobby Jean Leithead Todd, who said, “This will allow farmers to help supplement their agricultural business, especially on a monthly basis so they don’t have to wait for the crop to come in,” according to a Nancy Cook Lauer story in West Hawai`i Today this morning.

      The measure also addresses larger agritourism operations, eliminating limits on square footage of the operations but setting maximum annual visitor counts of 30,000. The larger agritourism operators will be able to receive plan approval within 30 instead of 60 days. However, a grace period of one year will be eliminated and subject to the new rules as soon as the County Council adopts them, the story said. 

THE TEACHERS UNION is asking its members to vote again on the recent contract they rejected. The revote would be taken in order to attempt to save $75 million in federal Race to the Top funding. Hawai`i State Teachers Association president Will Okabe told union members that they would unlikely achieve any bargaining gains if he goes back to the negotiating table. Gov. Neil Abercrombie wrote to the union, saying he wants the contract rewritten to be “clear, current and correct.” He said the contract rejected by the union no longer has legal standing.

Rep. Calvin Say

THE HAWAI`I LEGISLATURE WRAPPED yesterday by approving a supplemental state budget with new funding for human services, education and agriculture. House Speaker Calvin Say declared: “As we come out of the Great Recession, the House focused on economic recovery, assisting new industry and job creation.” The budget “supports programs and services vital to serving Hawai`i’s people, as well as other legislation that supports long-term planning and accountability to improve government services,” said the speaker. 

      House Finance chair Marcus Oshiro said the state budget moves to “reprioritize, rehabilitate, and renew” the character and delivery of government services. Here are some of the items funded:
      $250,000 to develop an Early Childhood Obesity and Diabetes Prevention Program for the state, one of the governor’s initiatives;

Rep. Marcus Oshiro

      $1.4 million and 19 positions for staffing shortages – electricians, carpenters, plumbers, and housing specialists – who will repair uninhabitable rental units for waitlisted applicants without a roof over their heads;
      $2.5 million to launch the Watershed Initiative, a program to protect priority watersheds throughout the state;
      $3.3 million for Hawai`i’s adult education program to provide GED, English as a second language, and competency-based programs necessary to attain a degree;
      $3.4 million for the Justice Reinvestment Initiative to bring prisoners home from out of state, provide rehabilitation services, and strengthen victims assistance programs at both the state and county levels;
      $22.9 million for Medicaid capitation payments to maintain critical access to health care for those in need of a safety net;

      $700,000 for the statewide institutionalization of the Na Pua No`eau Program, a successful program that provides educational opportunities for Native Hawaiian children and emphasizes a college education within the University’s system, and
      $14.0 million for the weighted student formula will ensure student support in the classroom.

ST. JUDE’S CHURCH on Paradise Cove Circle in Ocean View celebrates Cinco de Mayo tonight. Doors open at 6 p.m., with dinner at 6:30 p.m. Tables may be reserved for parties of six and more. Tickets are $12 each or two for $20. Call Elaine at 808-561-6900 or Cordelia at 939-7555.

SPRING FLING Arts & Crafts Fair takes place tomorrow from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Punalu`u Bakeshop Pavilion & Gardens. The event features local art and entertainment, with Ka`u `Ohana Band starting the festivities at 9 a.m. See kauarts.org.

Tomorrow is Cinco de Mayo.
Photo from Wikipedia

KILAUEA MILITARY CAMP’S Lava Lounge And Crater Rim Café in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park celebrate Cinco de Mayo tomorrow. The Lava Lounge features a soft taco and chicken fajita buffet from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. Crater Rim Café offers Chef’s Special house nachos along with the regular ala carte menu starting at 5 p.m. These events are open to authorized patrons and sponsored guests. Park entrance fees apply. For more, call 967-8371. 

KA`U COFFEE MILL VISITOR CENTER opens to the public on Sunday. Gates open at 1 p.m. The event features the Triple C Recipe Contest along with entertainment by Ka`u `Ohana Band, Ka`u Community Chorus and Keoki and Moses Kahumoku. The recipe contest is an official event of the annual Ka`u Coffee Festival, which begins this weekend and continues with the ho`olaule`a next Saturday at Pahala Community Center.

SEE OUR SPONSORS AT PAHALAPLANTATIONCOTTAGES.COM AND KAUCOFFEEMILL.COM.