Ka`u News Brief Aug. 15, 2012

Ka`u Coast at end of Road to the Sea will be preserved with county, state and federal funding.

Petroglyphs along the shore are one resource
 within more than 3,000 acres to be preserved
  along the Ka`u Coast.

ROAD TO THE SEA lands with more than a mile of coastline will be preserved through a $1.214 million grant from the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. The funding aims to preserve habitat for the Hawaiian Hawksbill turtles and green sea turtles. The grant funds the purchase of 3,128 acres which include “an anchialine pool complex containing important habitat for native marine invertebrates, fish, and unique native crustaceans, including three candidate species of endemic anchialine pool shrimp. The property is adjacent to the largest natural area reserve in the entire state and will provide landscape-level protection of the area’s unique ecosystems and habitats. The property will be added to the County of Hawai`i’s Open Space lands where it will be protected and managed for species management in perpetuity,” says a statement from U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service.
      In May, the state Board of Land & Natural Resources passed Legacy Land Funding for the acquisition. The money from the federal and state government will be matched by funds from the county’s Public Access, Open Land and Natural Resources Preservation fund, also known as the Two-Percent Fund. Ownership will be with Hawai`i County.

       The land surrounding Road to the Sea in Kahuku will cost the public $388 per acre to purchase. The Sierra Club stated that the low price makes it “by far the most cost-effective purchase the Legacy Land Conservation could make, and would secure a prized recreational and natural resource for the residents of the Big Island, where recreational resources are generally access-restricted by private landowners.

Green sea turtles that frequent the Ka`u Coast are another reason more
than 3,000 acres at Road to the Sea will be preserved.
Photo by William Neal

      “The site contains many high-quality natural and cultural resources, including anchialine ponds, nesting sites for the endangered Hawksbill turtle, prominent geologic features, one of the state’s largest petroglyph fields, a highly complex cave system with endemic organisms and unique archaeological features. Over 3,127 acres of land, including miles of coastline, are relatively unchanged since pre-western contact in the late 1700s,” says the Sierra Club testimony.
      Numerous other organizations and individuals supported the measure, including Hawai`i Wildlife Fund, which hosts regular cleanups of the Ka`u Coast, and such community members as Jamie Kawauchi and Councilmember Brittany Smart.

Road to the Sea crosses over a parcel of more than 3,000 acres that will be preserved on the Ka`u Coast.

      The Sierra Club also testified that preserving these Kahuku lands will “insure public access to an important fishing and cultural resource.”
      County Council member Brittany Smart said she is pleased with the grant award and grateful to the county Finance Department’s Ken Van Bergen “for his hard work to find matching funds for this parcel’s acquisition. I also want to extend my thanks to the property owners for their commitment to provide public spaces and access.”

VOLCANO HOUSE AND CABINS will reopen “softly,” this Saturday, according to a statement from Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park. The National Park Service’s director of the Pacific West Region, Christine Lehnertz, signed the 15-year concession contract yesterday between Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park and Hawai`i Volcanoes Lodge Company, LLC, a partnership between Honolulu-based Aqua Resorts and mainland-based Ortega National Parks, LLC. According to the new Volcano House general manager George “Jorge” Mangino, the company will hire 50 employees for the hotel.
      Starting Saturday, Volcano House will open daily from 7:45 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Visitors will be able to stay in the park’s A-frame cabins and purchase a limited selection of food, drink and retail items from Volcano House.

Some of Volcano House's cabins at Namakanipaio
Campground are again available for reservations.
Photo from nps.gov/havo

      All ten A-frame cabins at Namakanipaio Campground will open gradually, and reservations can be made by calling 756-9625. Cabins start at $55 per night.
      The new concessioner “not only fulfilled the qualifications required by the National Park Service, they exceeded expectations,” said Park Superintendent Cindy Orlando. “We are delighted to have Hawai`i Volcanoes Lodge Company, LLC as our newest park partner, and look forward to elevating the Volcano House, Namakanipaio Campground, dining experiences and retail opportunities to the next level.”
      Hawai`i Volcanoes Lodge Company, LLC has promised to complete renovations to the cabins and to the historic 32-room hotel, opening in phases over the next 12 months. Improvements to the eight-room annex are scheduled for the first phase, and rooms could open as early as January 2013. The entire renovation project is expected to cost the company between $2.5 million and $3 million. The National Park Service has invested $4 million in seismic and fire upgrades.
      Volcano House overlooks Kilauea caldera and erupting Halema`uma`u. First opened in 1846, Volcano House has a storied history, with many notable guests in its registry, including Mark Twain, Franklin D. Roosevelt and Isabella Bird.
      “Renovation plans for the Volcano House include a strong commitment to sharing Native Hawaiian culture through interpretive experiences including cultural demonstrations, artwork, and handicrafts. Sustainable Hawai`i Island ingredients will be featured in the restaurant and other food and beverage outlets,” the statement from the park says.

KA`U COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT PLAN’S steering committee held a quiet and civil meeting last night at Ocean View Community Center. According to county planners, a preliminary draft is complete and being discussed with agencies regarding Natural and Cultural Resources of Ka`u, including Kahakai (coastal), Kula (agricultural) Wao (mauka forest) and Cultural.
      The Community section, including infrastructure, facilities and services; the village character of Pahala, Na`alehu and Wai`ohinu and Repair for Ocean View, Discovery Harbour and Punalu`u are 30 percent complete. The section on the economy, including agriculture, food and energy; local business and visitors is 50 percent complete.
      Examples of sections of the plan were presented, including Possible Natural/Cultural Resource Management Strategies that could be Community-based, Collaborative Actions. These include an inventory of Ka`u’s cultural/historic resources, appropriate historic site/district nominations, acquisition of high priority properties and establishing and managing priority trail segments and sites.
      Extensive information on Ka`u Community Development Plan is available on the CDP website at www.hawaiicountycdp.info/kau-cdp.

Bobby Jean Leithead-Todd

NOMINEES FOR A COUNTY ARBORIST COMMITEE are welcome, according to Planning director Bobbie Jean Leithead-Todd, who spoke at last night’s CDP meeting in Ocean View. The volunteer commission will study and seek to protect important trees around the island. She said some qualified tree experts have stepped up to help out. Nominee names can be provided to the Planning Department at 961-8288. 

A CULTURAL RESOURCE COMMISSION for Hawai`i County is an initiative of Mayor Billy Kenoi, Planning Director Bobby Jean Leithead-Todd said during the CDP meeting in Ocean View last night. She said the commission will study and look toward preserving important archaeological and historic sites, cultural practices and ethnic cultural practices. She said the commission position will “require a lot of reading.” She said the commission could include people with expertise in architecture, archaeology and hands-on experience in historic preservation. She said the commission could work with the state Office of Historic Preservation in nominating sites. For more information, call the Planning Department at 961-8288.

Pahala Library is currently open Monday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

KA`U LIBRARIES became a topic at the Ka`u Community Development Plan meeting last night. Steering committee member Patti Barry said that she is upset with the whittling away of hours at libraries in Ka`u. She called on the community to volunteer to help keep libraries open and noted that Pahala Library hours are being reduced to one day a week.

A NONPROFIT COMMUNITY GARDEN is proposed for land near the county park in Ocean View. Alan Stafford made the proposal on behalf of an organization called HELP, which stands for Hawai`i’s Exchange Labor Program. He said the organization would lease about four acres from Hawai`i County. The garden would have walking trails as community exercise tracks and raised garden beds made from lava rock from the property to make it easy for disabled and elderly people to grow food. There would be on-site soil production from green waste. People volunteering in the garden or for other community projects would trade hours for food produced at the community garden. For more information, call Stafford at 936-4429.

VOLCANO’S RAIN FOREST RUNS are set for Saturday, with opening ceremonies at 6:30 a.m. Half Marathon starts at 7 a.m., 10K at 7:30 a.m., 5K at 7:45 a.m. and Keiki Runs at 10 a.m. All events begin at Cooper Center on Wright Road in Volcano Village and are open to runners and walkers of all ages and abilities. Registration fees range from $35 to $75. Runners can register Friday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. or at 5:30 a.m. on race day. Contact Sharron Faff at 967-8240 or rainforestruns.com.

Pahala Boys & Girls Club members sang with the governor at his
inauguration event at Pahala Plantation House in 2011.
Photo by Julia Neal

BOY & GIRLS CLUB OF PAHALA presents a community stakeholders event at Pahala Community Center next Wednesday, Aug. 22 at 6 p.m. Families, club members, youth organizations, schools, businesses and anyone who wants to help improve the lives of Ka`u youth are invited. This club wants to find out what programs for youth are needed, what resources are available and what the greatest issues facing youth are. RSVP by calling Dolly Kailiawa at 756-5285. 

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Ka`u News Briefs Aug. 14, 2012

Dominic Yagong is out of the race for mayor but will finish his term as County Council chair. Photo by William Neal

THE MAYOR’S RACE saw incumbent Billy Kenoi and former mayor Harry Kim beating County Council chair Dominic Yagong in all precincts in the Ka`u area during the primary election over the weekend. At Cooper Center in Volcano, Harry Kim earned 283 votes to Billy Kenoi’s 154 and Dominic Yagong’s 51. In Pahala, Billy Kenoi won with 139 votes to Harry Kim’s 48 and Dominic Yagong’s 26. At Na`alehu, Billy Kenoi won 141 votes to Harry Kim’s 80 and Dominic Yagong’s 76. In Ocean View, Billy Kenoi took 135 votes to Harry Kim’s 133 and Dominic Yagong’s 94.
      Billy Kenoi and Harry Kim face a runoff in the general election in November.

Paul Dolan won Volcano and Ocean View, but lost islandwide, leaving a
runoff between Lincoln Ashida and Mitch Roth for County Prosecutor.
Photo by William Neal

IN THE COUNTY PROSECUTOR’S RACE, Volcano saw Paul Dolan with 169 votes, while Mitch Roth took 156 and Lincoln Ashida took 136. At Pahala, Lincoln Ashida took 116 votes, while Paul Dolan took 46 and Mitch Roth 43. At Na`alehu, Lincoln Ashida won 115 votes to Mitch Roth’s 93 and Paul Dolan’s 69. In Ocean View, Paul Dolan won 149 votes, to Lincoln Ashida’s 109 and Mitch Roth’s 94.
       Lincoln Ashida and Mitch Roth face a runoff in the November general election.

THE PUBLIC UTILITIES COMMISSION has defined the issues it will consider on deciding whether to approve the proposed Hawai`i Electric Light Co. contract to purchase biodiesel/ biofuel from `Aina Koa Pono. `Aina Koa Pono proposes building a refinery along Wood Valley Road over three years with the help of 400 construction workers.   
      `Aina Koa Pono also proposes processing locally harvested trees and other agricultural inputs with a new Microwave Catalytic Depolymerization (Micro Dee) technology as it attempts to develop biofuel crops on pasture and other lands between Pahala and Na`alehu. The fuel would be tanker-trucked to the HELCO power plant near Keahole Airport for use as a substitute for fossil fuel. An additional eight million gallons a year in biofuel would be sold to a mainland-based company that would first try to sell it in Hawai`i, according to statements from `Aina Koa Pono.

PUC chair Mina Morita

      The proposal before the PUC projects increasing electric rates $1 per month for the average household. Last year the `Aina Koa Pono project projected raising electric rates an average of $2 per monthly household bill, and the PUC rejected the plan as “unreasonable” for the ratepayer.
       An Aug. 9 statement from PUC chair Mina Morita and commissioners Michael E. Champley and Lorraine H. Akiba, along with PUC attorney Michael Azama, says that regarding the new proposed contract, the PUC will consider:
       “Whether the commission should approve as reasonable and consistent with the public interest the Biodiesel Supply Contract for approximately sixteen million net United States gallons annually of locally produced biodiesel over twenty years, and the related contract costs, including the biodiesel transportation, and storage costs, and related taxes.
       “Whether the commission should approve as just and reasonable the establishment of a Biofuel Surcharge Provision that will permit HELCO to pass through the differential between the cost of the biofuel and the cost of the fossil fuel that the biofuel is replacing, in the event the cost of the biofuel is higher than the cost of the fossil fuel, over the customer base of HELCO and HECO, based on kilowatt-hour usage.”
       The PUC says it will determine “what ratepayer risks should the commission consider in evaluating the Biodiesel Supply Contract. What quantitative or qualitative values should be assigned to such risks.
       “To what extent, if any, will utility customers assume any economic risks, if the biofuel is not truly a ‘drop-in diesel’ or a substitute fuel or in the event that HELCO’s Keahole power plant must be subsequently modified, or operations altered, to accommodate biofuels.”

HELCO president Jay Ignacio explained the `Aina Koa Pono proposal in
January of 2011. Photo by Julia Neal

      The PUC also asks: “To what extent should utility customers be required to provide financial assurances for indigenous biofuel development, and if so, under what terms and conditions. Are there any additional investment and operating costs associated with converting a portion, or all, of the Keahole power plant to utilize liquid biofuel. This could include, but not be limited to, additional fuel delivery infrastructure, environmental compliance modifications and plant operation and maintenance requirements.”
       The PUC asks: “To what extent should traditional generator economic dispatch or short-term/long-term avoided cost methodologies be modified in order to accommodate or reflect the conversion of existing fossil-fuel generators to utilize indigenous or imported biofuels.”
       The statement says the PUC intends to review, “the electric utility’s ability to meet its applicable renewable portfolio standards in the event that the Microwave Catalytic Depolymerization technology is proven unsuccessful in producing biofuels on a commercial operations basis;
       “Whether the failure of the Microwave Catalytic Depolymerization technology on a commercial operation basis to produce biodiesel that meets the contracted for fuel specifications should constitute an event or circumstance that is beyond or outside of the electric utility’s reasonable control in the event that the utility is unable to meet its applicable renewable portfolio standards.”
       The proposed contract and PUC statement are available at puc.hawaii.gov. To access it and other related documents, click on Document Management System (DMS) and enter 2012-0185 in the Docket Quick Link box. When the docket opens, click on Documents.
       Comments, with Docket 2012-0185 referenced, can be sent to Public Utilities Commission, 465 South King Street, #103, Honolulu, HI 96813; faxed to 808-586-2066; or emailed to hawaii.puc@hawaii.gov.

Hydrogen for transportation and other energy uses
is proposed by H2 Technologies,

HYDROGEN CARS AND SCOOTERS, which are quiet and have no emissions, could be one of the low-cost transportation fuels in the future, according to H2 Technologies, of the Big Island, and Asia Pacific Fuel Cell Technologies, of Taiwan. The technology, stemming from the research of Dr. John Allen of the University of Hawai`i Engineering Department, uses sonochemistry. It was shown at the Asia Pacific Clean Energy Summit and Expo at Hawai`i Convention Center on O`ahu yesterday. H2 is partnering with Asia Pacific Fuel cell Technologies of Taiwan to bring in hydrogen fuel –cell scooters, according to a Sophie Cocke story in Civil Beat. She reports that the Taiwanese government is using the hydrogen scooters as fleet vehicles.
       Hawai`i has about 15,000 electric and hybrid vehicles on the road. The hydrogen vehicles are seen as tying into the growth of geothermal energy on this island, as hydrogen is a byproduct of the process. Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park and the County of Hawai`i have engaged hydrogen buses in plans to reduce use of fossil fuel.
       “General Motors announced that it planned to make Hawai`i the test bed for its hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles, which are supposed to be unveiled in 2015,” the Civil Beat story says. See more at www.civilbeat.com.

THE PUBLIC IS INVITED to Ka`u Community Development Plan Steering Committee meeting today at 5:30 p.m. at Ocean View Community Center. Agenda items include an update on progress of the draft CDP, updates on initiatives in Ocean View, recommendations to the Planning director regarding forecasted CDP project expenses for the 2013-2014 County budget and Sunshine Law amendments. The agenda does not include the following topics, which, according to planner Ron Whitmore, will not be discussed: Kahuku Village, Pohue Bay, Ocean View Water System, Ocean View Transfer Station, Agricultural Water Co-ops, National Park Service Shoreline Study, Kawa Stewardship Plan, Kawa Drainage EA, `Aina Koa Pono Biofuels Facility, Ka`u District Emergency Shelter and Gym and Ka`u Forest Reserve Environmental Assessment.
      For more information, contact Whitmore at 961-8137 or rwhitmore@co.hawaii.hi.us.

DIANA AKI offers a free concert at Kilauea Visitor Center Auditorium in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park tomorrow at 6:30 p.m. Park entrance fees apply.

HA`AO SPRINGS & MOUNTAIN HOUSE Ag Water Co-op meets Thursday at 2:30 p.m. at Wai`ohinu Park. Anyone interested in restoration of ag water to the area is invited.

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

Ka`u News Briefs Aug. 13, 2012

A rendering of the new Ka`u Shelter and Gymnasium. The $17 million  contract went to Summmit Construction.
Image from Hawai`i County Department of Public Works

THE KA`U SHELTER & GYM to be constructed next to Ka`u High School in Pahala has received another $200,000 in funding, released last week by Gov. Neil Abercrombie. The County of Hawai`i recently awarded the $17 million construction contract to Summit Construction. Construction is expected to begin this fall and last approximately 18 months to complete. The gym and additional recreational facilities are for use by the public and school students, as well as for a disaster shelter.

DEADLINE FOR INDIVIDUALS OR COMMUNITY GROUPS to ask to intervene in the Public Utilities Commission’s review of the contract for `Aina Koa Pono to annually sell 16 million gallons of locally produced biofuel to HELCO is Aug. 22. Intervention gives individuals or community groups more legal standing in the discussion. Life of the Land and Hawai`i Renewable Energy Alliance  asked to intervene and Hawai`i County asked to participate without intervening in the PUC discussion of the previous contract between the electric company and `Aina Koa Pono, but were turned down by the PUC. Life of the Land has intervened in earlier rate cases and takes credit for stopping a HECO plan to import large quantities of biofuel in the form of palm oil from Asia, where rainforests are taken down to plant palm trees for biofuel. The Energy Alliance, which represents the company that owns the windmills at South Point, said last year that  its members are concerned that HECO would be deterred from buying more wind and other alternative energies, should the `Aina Koa Pono contract be approved.

Hawai`i Renewable Energy
Alliance logo

       The PUC also turned away the County of Hawai`i’s attempt to intervene in the previous contract proposal, stating that it was too late to enter the discussion. The county claimed that it is Hawai`i Electric Light Company’s largest customer and wanted to discuss the energy alternatives available to the island.

      The proposed contract is available on the Public Utilities Commission website, puc.hawaii.gov. To access it and other related documents, click on Document Management System (DMS) and enter 2012-0185 in the Docket Quick Link box. When the docket opens, click on Documents.

      Comments, with Docket 2012-0185 referenced, can be sent to Public Utilities Commission, 465 South King Street, #103, Honolulu, HI 96813; faxed to 808-586-2066; or emailed to hawaii.puc@hawaii.gov.

KA`U COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT PLAN STEERING COMMITTEE meets tomorrow at 5:30 p.m. at Ocean View Community Center. Agenda items include an update on progress of the draft CDP, updates on initiatives in Ocean View, recommendations to the Planning director regarding forecasted CDP project expenses for the 2013-2014 County budget and Sunshine Law amendments.

       Planner Ron Whitmore issued a list of topics that he says are not on the agenda and will not be discussed. The topics are Kahuku Village, Pohue Bay, Ocean View Water System, Ocean View Transfer Station, Agricultural Water Cooperatives, National Park Service Shoreline Study, Kawa Stewardship Plan, Kawa Drainage Environmental Assessment, `Aina Koa Pono Biofuels Facility, Ka`u District Emergency Shelter and Gym and Ka`u Forest Reserve Environmental Assessment.

      “Please direct comments about these issues to the appropriate place,” Whitmore said. For more information, contact him at 961-8137 or rwhitmore@co.hawaii.hi.us.

MORE THAN HALF THE VOTERS on the Big Island cast their ballots before last Saturday’s primary election, according to state election office statistics. In Hawai`i County, 43,347 of the 101,728 registered voters cast ballots, with 53 percent of them voting by mail or early walk-in voting. Forty-seven percent walked into the polling centers between 7 a.m. and 7:30 p.m. on Saturday. To bolster voting, County Clerk Jamae Kawauchi mailed out permanent absentee ballot registration forms to all registered voters. For people living in some remote areas of the island, the only way to vote was through the mail or by visiting an early walk-in voting site in Hilo, Waimea or Kailua-Kona.

VOTING BY PRECINCT FOR THE PRIMARY ELECTION can be studied on the state elections division website at http://hawaii.gov/elections/results/2012/primary. The following are some of the primary election day precinct results for the tighter races among candidates vying to represent Ka`u.

Maile David, left, and Brenda Ford, second left, face a runoff in November for District 6 County Council. Photo from Big Island Video News

FOR COUNTY COUNCIL DISTRICT 6, Brenda Ford took in 2,098 votes, while Maile David took in 1,531, Bradley Westervelt 559 and Lee McIntosh 179.
      At Cooper Center in Volcano, Brenda Ford took in 231 votes over Maile David’s 117, Bradley Westervelt’s 78 and Lee McIntosh’s 37. At Pahala Elementary School, Maile David garnered 104 votes, while Bradley Westervelt took in 56, Brenda Ford 43 and Lee McIntosh 6. In Na`alehu, Maile David took 104 votes, Brenda Ford earned 88, Bradley Westervelt 77 and Lee McIntosh 32. In Ocean View, Brenda Ford earned 194 votes, Maile David 110, Bradley Westervelt 43 and Lee McIntosh 28. At Miloli`i Halau, Brenda Ford took in 63 votes to Maile David’s 39, Bradley Westervelt’s 6 and Lee McIntosh’s 5. At Ho`okena Elementary School, Maile David took in 71 votes to Brenda Ford’s 59, Bradley Westervelt’s 5 and Lee McIntosh’s 0. At St. Benedict’s Catholic Church in South Kona, Brenda Ford received 98 votes to Maile David’s 74, Bradley Westervelt’s 5 and Lee McIntosh’s 1 vote. At Konawaena Elementary School, Brenda Ford received 318, Maile David 259, Bradley Westervelt 18 and Lee McIntosh 11.
      The general election will see a runoff between Maile David and Brenda Ford.

FOR STATE SENATE, PUNA TO PUNALU`U, Russell Ruderman earned 3,105 votes over Bob Herkes’ 2,755 votes, Wendell Ka`ehu`ae`a’s 1,227 votes and Gary Safarik’s 1,192 votes.
       Ruderman edged past Herkes at the Kea`au precinct, voting with 292 to 261 votes and won at Pahoa Community Center with 263 votes over 104. At Keonepoko Elementary School, Ruderman drew 465 votes to Herke’s 229 and at Hawaiian Paradise Community Center, Ruderman drew 464 votes over Herke’s 249. Herkes beat Ruderman in Mt. View with 175 over 134 votes. At Cooper Center in Volcano, Ruderman edged past Herkes with 184 votes to Herkes 181 votes. In Pahala, Herkes took 160 votes and Ruderman’s 14.
      Ruderman becomes the Democratic nominee for state senator facing Republican Daryl Lee Smith.

FOR STATE SENATE FROM HONU`APO INTO KONA, Josh Green, in the Democratic primary, received 5,941 votes, and 1,244 ballots were left blank. In the Republican Primary, Jeff LaFrance received 825 votes and John Totten 690 votes. There were 442 blank votes. In the Non-Partisan primary, Michael Last received 34 votes, and 64 ballots were blank.
       Incumbent Green becomes Democratic nominee for state senator facing Republican Jeff LaFrance.

FOR STATE REPRESENTATIVE, PUNALU`U INTO PUNA, Republican candidate Marlene Hapai received 521 votes. Libertarian Fred Fogel received 17 votes. Democrat Richard Onishi received 3,298 votes, while Brittany Smart received 2,259 votes.
       At the Kea`au precinct, Smart beat Onishi with 414 votes over 379. At AJA Memorial Hall, Onishi beat Smart with 580 votes over her 171. At Mt. View, she beat Onishi with 229 votes over his 220 votes. At Cooper Center in Volcano, Smart beat Onishi with 288 votes over 127. At Pahala precinct, Richard Onishi gathered 130 votes to Brittany Smart’s 61.
       Onishi became the Democratic candidate facing Republican Marlene Hapai and Libertarian Fred Fogel in the general election.

Diana Aki performs Wednesday evening.
Photo from NPS

FOR STATE REPRESENTATIVE, HONU`APO INTO KONA, Republican race, Dave Bateman received 777 votes. In the Democratic race, Denny Coffman received 2,462 votes, while Leolani Oyama received 1,164.
       In Na`alehu Leiolani Oyama beat Denny Coffman, 110 to 90. Republican Dave Bateman received 44 votes. In Ocean View, Denny Coffman beat Oyama, 139 to 93. Republican Dave Bateman received 66 votes. At Miloli`i Halau, Denny Coffman took in 53 votes to Leolani Oyama’s 29. At Ho`okena School, Denny Coffman received 61 votes while Leolani Oyama received 30. Republic Dave Bateman received 5. At St. Benedict’s Catholic church, Denny Coffman received 89 votes, Leolani Oyama 51 and Republican Dave Bateman 12. At Konawaena Elementary, Denny Coffman received 269 votes to Leolani Oyama’s 152. Republican Dave Bateman received 11. At Konawaena High School, Denny Coffman received 201 votes to Leolani Oyama’s 64. Republican Dave Bateman received 19 votes. At Kona Vista Recreation Center, Denny Coffman took in 309 votes and Leolani Oyama 72, while Republican Dave Bateman took in 156.
      Denny Coffman won the Democratic primary and faces Republican Dave Bateman in November.

DIANA AKI performs at Kilauea Visitor Center Auditorium in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park on Wednesday from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. The concert is free, and park entrance fees apply.

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