Ka`u News Briefs Dec. 31, 2012

Big city fireworks are coming back to Pahala tomorrow night, like the ones seen here from 2009 when more than
1000 people attended. Photo by Kris Bakken

A FIREWORKS SHOW ON JAN. 1 WILL GO ON this year on the grounds of the old hospital in Pahala. This New Year’s Day evening event was dark in 2011 and 2012 because of funding cuts, but Rodney Freitas and his Big Island Klimate Kontrol team will blast off the New Year by selling dinner plates beginning at 6 p.m. tomorrow evening to raise money for the event. The fireworks show will fill up the sky at 8 p.m. The location is between Maile and Huapala along Pikake Street. Freitas is a professional fireworks man who has been responsible for shows on O`ahu and in Kona, as well as the resorts along the Kohala Coast. To donate, call 987-8917. Freitas said the show in Pahala costs more than $7,500.

Ka`u's Jamae Kawauchi with her parents, retired police officer David
Kawauchi and mother Jamie, who retired from OHA. Photo by Julia Neal

JAMAE KAWAUCHI, who grew up in Ka`u, is the new westside Deputy Prosecuting Attorney, reporting to newly elected County Prosecuting Attorney Mitch Roth. Kawauchi is assigned to the Kona office. Roth said this morning that he has admired Kawauchi’s experience as a private attorney and her willingness to help community organizations and kupuna. “When I have worked with community groups the past, she has been one of the attorneys who has always helped. She never turned us down.”
      Roth said that “the appointment has nothing to do with politics. Jamae has been there helping people in the community, including pro bono work.”
      Roth himself is known as a prosecutor who attempts to prevent crime through working with community organizations on Neighborhood Watch, education and other community-based initiatives.
      Kawauchi most recently served as County Clerk after being nominated by former County Council chair Dominic Yagong and confirmed by the Council and Mayor Billy Kenoi.
      She is the daughter of David Kawauchi, a retired police officer, and Jamie Kawauchi, who is retired from the Office of Hawaiian Affairs.
     Jamae Kawauchi is a graduate of Kamehameha Schools and University of Hawai`i Richardson School of Law. She is a former Harvard University fellow and served as assistant director of Harvard Medical School’s Center of Excellence in Minority Health and Health Disparities. She is a former president of the County of Hawai`i Bar Association. She also served on the County Charter Commission.
      In private practice, she was a business and civil attorney who worked with Carlsmith Ball and Tsukazaki, Yeh and Moore before establishing her own law practice.

New, official Brian Schatz photo on
the U.S. Senate's website

HAWAI`I’S DELEGATION TO CONGRESS will meet soon to strategize for the upcoming 2013 U.S. Congress for which Hawai`i has junior senators and House of Representatives members, following a half century of clout built up by the late Sen. Daniel Inouye, retiring Sen. Dan Akaka and former Rep. Neil Abercrombie who quit to become governor.  Newly appointed Senator Brian Schatz spoke with Senator-elect Mazie Hirono over the weekend and announced that the Hawai`i delegation will meet as soon as all members are in Washington, D.C.
      Schatz is already on the job, having flown on Air Force One with Pres. Barack Obama to Washington on Dec. 26, the day he was appointed to fill Inouye’s post.
      “These are difficult times, and it is incredibly important that we unify around what is best for Hawai`i, and every indication so far is that we are going to be able to do that,” Schatz said.  The new U.S. Senators official websiet is up at www.senate.gov/senators/112/Schatz_Brian.htm.

STAFFING POSITIONS FOR U.S. SEN. BRIAN SCHATZ are open for applicants. Schatz announced in a statement yesterday that “getting my office operational and building our team is essential, and we’ve made good progress in a very short period of time.”
      “We will be receiving resumes of people interested in serving in either our Washington, D.C. or Hawai`i offices. We’re looking for talented, energetic and public-minded people who want to serve their state and their country,” he said.
      Resumes should be sent to: senatorschatz.jobs@gmail.com.
      The deadline for receipt of resumes is Friday, Jan. 4, 2013. Applicants should indicate whether they are applying for positions in Hawai`i, D.C. or both.

Athletic trainers help prevent and treat injuries.
Photo from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

A NEW ATHLETIC TRAINER LAW passed by the state Legislature goes into effect tomorrow, Jan. 1. The legislation states that Hawai`i was one of three states in the country that did not regulate the practice of athletic training. It contended that lack of regulation created a risk to the population as trainers losing or unable to become licensed elsewhere were attracted to moving here. The bill said that it was particularly important to establish regulations since many trainers work with school children. 

      Under the new law, unlicensed people are prohibited to attach the words athletic trainer to their names. Licensing is through the Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs, and the license costs $388. It is valid through Dec. 31, 2015. Certification is required from the National Athletic Trainers Association Board of Certification, Inc. Classes are available online. For more, see http://hawaii.gov/dcca/pvl/programs/athletictrainer.

PEOPLE SETTING OFF FIREWORKS TONIGHT are subject to many laws and restrictions promoting safety. Fireworks are permitted from 9 p.m. this evening to 1 a.m. tomorrow morning. Consumer fireworks include certain firecrackers, snakes, sparklers, fountains, cylindrical or cone fountains, illuminating torches, bamboo cannons, whistles, toy smoke devices, wheels, ground spinners, and novelty items. 

      It is illegal to offer for sale, sell, or give away any consumer fireworks or display fireworks to a minor. It is illegal for any minor to possess, purchase, set off, ignite, or explode any consumer fireworks or display fireworks, except that minors may use consumer fireworks while under the immediate supervision and control of an adult.
      It is unlawful for any person without a permit issued by a county fire department to throw any ignited fireworks from, at, or into a vehicle; at a person or an animal; and from above the first floor of any building. It is also unlawful to set off, ignite, discharge, or otherwise cause to explode any fireworks above the first floor of any building; in any vehicle; at any time not within the periods for use; within one thousand feet of any operating hospital, licensed convalescent home, licensed home for the elderly, zoo, licensed animal shelter, or licensed animal hospital; in any school building, or on any school grounds and yards without first obtaining authorization from appropriate school officials; on any highway, alley, street, sidewalk, or other public way; in any park; on any public beach; in any officially designated forest or wildlife preserve; within fifty feet of a canefield; or within one thousand feet of any building used for public worship during the periods when services are held; and within five hundred feet of any hotel.

HAWAI`I ELECTRIC LIGHT COMPANY urges the public to use caution when using fireworks. Carefully set up and use fireworks in an area clear of overhead power lines. Do not string fireworks on utility poles. If using a ladder, pole, or tie lines to set up fireworks, keep a 10-foot clearance from power lines. Power lines are energized and not insulated and could cause a serious electrical shock, burn, or electrocution. If an object should become entangled in an overhead power line, don’t try to free it. HELCO’s trouble line can be reached at 969-6666. 

HAWAI`I POLICE DEPARTMENT CONTINUES DUI roadblocks and patrols islandwide. Almost twice as many traffic fatalities occurred in 2012 as in 2011.

Kilauea Volcano is the subject of many programs in January.
Photo from USGS/HVO

VOLCANO AWARENESS MONTH begins tomorrow, with Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park and U.S. Geological Survey’s Hawaiian Volcano Observatory offering programs throughout January that focus on the importance of understanding and respecting the volcanoes on which we live. Each Tuesday except tomorrow, the park offers After Dark in the Park programs at 7 p.m. 

      Other programs are scheduled at UH-Hilo as well as in Ka`u, South Kona and Puna. Visit hvo.wr.usgs.gov for more information.

SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS AT WWW.PAHALAPLANTATIONCOTTAGES.COM AND WWW.KAUCOFFEEMILL.COM. KA`U COFFEE MILL IS OPEN SEVEN DAYS A WEEK.

ALSO SEE KAUCALENDAR.COM AND FACEBOOK.COM/KAUCALENDAR.

FIND MORE OF OUR DECEMBER 2012 EVENT PHOTOS ON OUR FLICKR ACCOUNT. 

Ka`u News Briefs Dec. 30, 2012

Gun laws are strong in Hawai`i, and most hunters, like these participants in the recent Mauka Legend Hunting Tournament, are very respectful of gun regulations, says the county prosecutor. Photo by Julia Neal

`AINA KOA PONO’S partner, Sustainable Biofuels Solutions, has received a patent for an aspect of its microwave depolymerization process that would use microwaves to turn biomass into diesel. The process would be housed in a refinery proposed for land near the corner of Meyer Camp and Wood Valley Roads above Pahala.

      A news item on the website run by Sustainable Biofuels Solutions, which owns the patent, is headlined A Patent Issued For Micro Dee System and Method. The announcement says that “SBS is happy to announce the issuance of a patent for the process and method of using a microwave-transparent reaction chamber for production of fuel from carbon based feedstock. This is a great milestone in the advancement of our licensed Micro Dee technology.”

      In August, the company posted another headline: SBS Completes Third Party Micro Dee Process Validation Testing, with the announcement: “While conducting third party testing of its Micro Dee system, SBS confirmed its ability to produce 120 gallons of oil per ton of pine wood based feedstock.”

      `Aina Koa Pono has announced that Micro Dee can do what Nature takes 50 million years to do – use microwave to convert biomass into carbon, which can be used for fuel. The SBS website states that “Micro Dee creates renewable, drop-in diesel fuel from various forms of biomass and municipal solid waste (MSW) using a technique called Continuous Microwave Thermo Catalytic Depolymerization.”
      The SBS website says that the company’s “projects under development will convert not only woodchip and woody biomass feedstock, but also other forms of carbon-based feedstock, including municipal solid waste, construction debris, animal waste, tires, carpet, sugar cane, grasses and more.”

This depiction is on the current `Aina Koa Pono website,
ainakoapono.com, under refinery.

      The biomass for the proposed refinery off Wood Valley Road would come from existing brush, trees and grasses on some 11,000 acres between Pahala and Na`alehu. Once cleared, areas, some of them now in pasture, would be planted with grasses that would be harvested for biomass. The biomass would be formed into pellets that would be dried and put into the Micro Dee refinery. The refinery would have large storage tanks, a cooling stack and some 27 Micro Dee refinery units, as well as a mill yard to store the biomass and tons of additives used daily to manufacture the diesel. `Aina Koa Pono partners say they plan to bring a test plant to the site to show that it will work and fit in with the community.
      The proposal, which would increase electric bills on O`ahu and the Big Island, is before the state Public Utilities Commission with questioning from the county, state Department of Business & Economic Development, the state Consumer Advocate and the Life of the Land community group,
      SBS was formed by Mele Associates, Inc, with its chair, Melvin Chiogioji, a founding partner in `Aina Koa Pono. SBS also involves partner TekGar, LLC, the originator of the forerunner to the Micro Dee process.
      See the Micro Dee You Tube film by Leon Udwin at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b4cfQGeW2mM. See more at www.sustainablebiofuels-solutions.com and www.ainakoapono.com, and on the PUC website at puc.hawaii.gov.

HAWAI`I HAS THE LOWEST RATE OF GUN DEATHS and the fifth-strictest gun laws in the country, according to the Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence. The organization, based in San Francisco, reports that California has the strongest gun controls and ninth-lowest rate of gun deaths.

Young people in Ka`u grow up hunting, learning skills
 and respect for gun use. Photo by Julia Neal

      Another gun control organization, the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, rates Hawai`i as  sixth in best gun laws. Brady, which lobbies for stricter gun control, rates Arizona, Alaska and Utah as scoring lowest in gun law strength and claims weak gun law states export crime guns at a rate nine times higher than states with strongest gun laws.
      Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence reports Alaska, Louisiana and Montana, all with weak gun control laws, posting highest rates of death caused by gunfire.
      In addition to strict laws, Hawai`i gun crime prevention is bolstered by most people coming and going on planes, which severely restricts transferring guns island to island and between Hawai`i and other states and countries.

      A story in this morning’s West Hawai`i Today quotes Hawai`i county Prosecuting Attorney Mitch Roth saying hunting culture in Hawai`i is “pretty respectful” when it comes to owning guns. He also notes that Hawai`i gun crime levels are relatively low compared to other states.
        “When you compare our gun laws to federal gun laws, they’re very similar,” Roth told reporter Erin Miller. Local law requires those seeking to own guns to pass an educational and hunter safety course. Permits to own guns and applications go through the Hawai`i Police Department, where staff searches for applicants on national and local databases. Rejections are for commission of violent crimes, including misdemeanor domestic violence and assault convictions. Drug and alcohol addiction and mental illness are other reasons that applications can be rejected, the West Hawai`i Today story reports. Once a permit is approved, handguns must be purchased and brought to the police station within ten days, or the applicant must reapply.
      A single permit per year is required to buy multiple rifles, while each hand gun purchased requires its own permit. The police department maintains the database, providing access for officers who can check on a person quickly, even from a police car, when planning to interact with a suspect, the newspaper reports.

Hawai`i has the lowest gun death rate in the U.S.
Photo by Julia Neal

      Once a gun is registered, there are more rules. Roth explained them to West Hawai`i Today, which reports: “Gun owners may transport their firearms from home to a shooting range or hunting area, and not many other places, Roth said. Guns cannot be in a vehicle without being secured inside a box, and the gun may not be loaded while it is in a vehicle. Roth said state law allows law enforcement officers to seize any vehicle in which a loaded gun is located, and that’s the only instance he could think of in which a vehicle could be immediately forfeited for a crime. Ammunition must also be secured during transport, Roth said."
      West Hawaii`i Today also lists a host of prohibited firearms and explosives: “Prohibited guns, according to state law, are assault pistols, fully automatic firearms, rifles with barrel lengths less than 16 inches; shotguns with barrel lengths less than 18 inches; cannons; mufflers, silencers or devices for deadening or muffling the sound of discharged firearms; hand grenades, dynamite, blasting caps, bombs or bombshells, or other explosives; or any type of ammunition or any projectile component coated with Teflon or any other similar coating designed primarily to enhance its capability to penetrate metal or pierce protective armor; and any type of ammunition or any projectile component thereof designed or intended to explode or segment upon impact with its target. Converting a firearm to an automatic firearm is a crime,” West Hawai`i Today reports.
      See more at www.westhawaiitoday.com, www.bradycampaign.org and http://smartgunlaws.org.

KA`U COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT PLAN’S Steering Committee met in December and received a report on the plan’s progress. The plan lists objectives that fall under three goal areas:

• Manage and conserve natural resources 
• Preserve and strengthen community character 
• Build a resilient, sustainable local economy. 

      The committee was told that the public review draft for Natural and Cultural Resources is complete and under final review. The preliminary draft of strategies will be revised according to suggestions during the final review. The preliminary draft of the analysis for the section on Community is complete and awaiting agency information. The preliminary draft of the section on the Economy is 60 percent complete.

Ka`u CDP Steering Committee's next meeting is Tuesday, Apr. 9, 2013.
Photo from kaucdp.info

      The Preferred CDP will include an Appendix with all supporting detail and analysis. It will be divided into sections on CDP purpose and scope, planning process, community profile, background analysis on strategies and implementation tools. The preliminary draft on CDP purpose and scope is complete, while the preliminary draft of the planning process is 40 percent complete. Preliminary draft of the Community Profile is 80 percent complete, and Land Use policies and Map section is 70 percent complete.
      The next steps, reported cpimtu planner Ron Whitmore, who is in charge of the project, will be to publish the preliminary natural and cultural resource management analysis and to complete preliminary drafts of the community and economic strategies.
      Committee member Eldridge Naboa asked Whitmore if more specific target dates for completion could be provided. Whitmore replied that, because of the scope of the analysis and the number of agencies involved, “it was very difficult to specify target completion dates.”
      Once the first draft of the CDP is ready for review, a number of strategies will be implemented for community feedback and Steering Committee discussion. These include educational workshops, Speak Outs and events to be held in Pahala, Na`alehu, and Ocean View on weekday evenings and weekends.
      Ka`u CDP Steering Committee members were confirmed by the County Council on April 8, 2009. The next committee meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, Apr. 9, 2013. For more information, see kaucdp.info.

TOMORROW IS THE LAST DAY for visitors to vote for their favorite decorated cottage at Kilauea Military Camp in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park. Ballots for the Holiday Challenge are available at the front desk, café, general store and recreation lodge.
      KMC brings in the New Year with a party from 8 p.m. to midnight tomorrow at the Lava Lounge. Call 967-8365.
      Crater Rim Café offers New Year’s Day buffet from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. The price is $24.95 and $12 for children 6 to 11.
      KMC is open to authorized patrons and sponsored guests. Park entrance fees apply.

HAWAI`I POLICE DEPARTMENT is continuing DUI roadblocks and patrols islandwide. So far this year, there have been almost twice as many traffic fatalities as during the same period last year. During the week of Dec. 17 through Dec. 23, Hawai`i Island police arrested 33 motorists for drunk driving.

SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS AT WWW.PAHALAPLANTATIONCOTTAGES.COM AND WWW.KAUCOFFEEMILL.COM. KA`U COFFEE MILL IS OPEN SEVEN DAYS A WEEK.

ALSO SEE KAUCALENDAR.COM AND FACEBOOK.COM/KAUCALENDAR.

FIND MORE OF OUR DECEMBER 2012 EVENT PHOTOS ON OUR FLICKR ACCOUNT. 

Ka`u News Briefs Dec. 29, 2012

Rep. Richard Onishi, the night before he was elected to the state House, represents east Ka`u into Hilo.
Photo by Julia Neal

NO PUBLIC UTILITIES COMMISSION HEARING will be held in Pahala regarding the `Aina Koa Pono case, state Rep. Richard Onishi reported this morning. Onishi recently presented a petition to the PUC, signed by local residents, requesting a local hearing since both hearings on this island were held far away - in Hilo and Kona. Onishi said that he was informed that the public input period has passed for the issue of `Aina Koa Pono.

      The proposal involves harvesting trees, brush and grasses and building a biofuel refinery off Wood Valley Road. Onishi said he is looking at other ways to foster public input on the issue.
      The state Department of Business, Economic Development & Tourism, as well as the County of Hawai`i, the state Consumer Advocate and Life of the Land, have standing in the case, and their input is still being accepted by the PUC. A Jan. 4 deadline requires `Aina Koa Pono and Hawai`i Electric Light Co. to answer questions regarding the proposed electric bill hikes that would support the project, as well as impacts on the agriculture and residential community in Ka`u.
      To read more on the issue, see puc.hawaii.gov. Docket number is 2012-0185.

INCREASING HEALTH INSURANCE RATES will pile on more expenses for small businesses, particularly sole proprietors and independent contractors. HMSA has won approval to increase rates for this segment of the insured by an average of 8.8 percent for those whose insurance HMSA contracts will be renewed, starting next Tuesday. HMSA had asked for a 9.8 percent rate increase, but state insurance regulators cut the increase. HMSA points to rising medical costs and increased use of services.

      Honolulu Star-Advertiser gave an example of an independent worker who faces a $100 increase per month, after being with HMSA for individual coverage for 15 years. Monthly premiums will rise by $100 next year for Sabrina Hue Sing. “Her monthly rates are rising to $488, not including a $500 deductible she is required to pay before insurance kicks in, she said. ‘The first $500 has to be paid upfront, too — that’s ridiculous,’ said Hue Sing, a substitute teacher for Kamehameha Schools and the state Department of Education. ‘Because I own a condo and I rent it, I’m increasing the rent. I’m socking it to my tenants to pay more money, too, so that’s the way it works. That’s a chain reaction. That’s what people do because they have to pay their medical insurance.’”
      The Star-Advertiser story by Kristen Consillio reports that HMSA also seeks an average 1.2 percent increase for employers covering about 78,000 members. The story says that Kaiser Permanente Hawai`i “is asking for a 5.3 percent premium hike for roughly 5,000 businesses with more than 150,000 members.” See more at www.staradvertiser.com.

Sen. Josh Green

KA`U’S STATE SENATORS have their committee assignments. Sen. Josh Green, representing west Ka`u, will chair the Senate Health Committee and serve on Human Services and Public Safety and Military Affairs Committees.

Sen. Russell Ruderman

      Sen. Russell Ruderman, representing east Ka`u, will serve on Education, Energy and Environment, Water and Land and Ways and Means Committees.
      East Ka`u Rep. Richard Onishi said this morning that he hopes House committee assignments are set soon so he can get working on them. He said he wants to serve on Finance, Agriculture, Economic Development & Tourism.

Rep. Denny Coffman

      West Ka`u Rep. Denny Coffman served as chair of Energy last year and has yet to receive his committee assignments. Onishi also said he is looking forward to working with Joe Souki, who he predicts will become Speaker of the House. Calvin Say is stepping down, and his chosen replacement doesn’t have the votes, said Onishi.

      The Legislature opens Wednesday, Jan. 16.

THE HILO SERVICE for Sen. Daniel Inouye featured honor guards, speeches and the viewing of the urn holding his cremated remains, which were flown to the island in a small plane and welcomed with a water cannon salute.
      One Ka`u resident, Tokuichi Nakano, a member of the famed 442nd regiment of Japanese-American fighters in World War II, attended the ceremony. Nakano, a Medal of Honor winner, served at the same time as Inouye in Europe. “I think he was a great man and made the whole 442nd so famous, so everyone knows how we fought. He was heroic,” said Nakano.
      Mayor Billy Kenoi, who hosted the event, said that Inouye was key to so many federally funded improvements enjoyed by Big Island residents. He pointed to Saddle Road and called it the Daniel K. Inouye Highway, promising to ask for federal and state approval for the name change.
      Also speaking were Kahu Daniel Kaniela Akaka, Jr., state Senator Malama Solomon; former state Senator Dwight Takamine, who is director of the state Department of Labor and Industrial Relations; Barry Taniguchi, president and CEO of KTA Super Stores; Monty Richards, chairman of Kahua Ranch; and Ka`iu Kimura, director of `Imiloa Astronomy Center.

      Donations can be made to the Daniel K. Inouye Fund at Hawai`i Community Foundation, 827 Fort Street Mall, Honolulu, HI 96813. Contributions may also be made online at HawaiiCommunityFoundation.org. The fund will continue to help organizations and causes that the senator championed over the years.

      The last Neighbor Island memorial service was scheduled for today at Maui Arts & Cultural Center.

      One Ka`u resident said she traveled to Hilo to see the film Lincoln and was so inspired she was moved to attend the Inouye ceremony at Afook-Chinen Civic Auditorium to honor another great American.

      The New York Times reported yesterday that Inouye’s “remains were flown to four islands so people could pay their respects, like Abraham Lincoln’s cross-country journey by train after he was assassinated.” Reporter Jeremy W. Peters wrote that after Inouye’s death, “the state went into a mourning period usually reserved for monarchs and presidents.”
      The story also pointed out that when Inouye died, “he was the senior member of the Senate, the second-longest serving member of the Senate, the second-longest serving member in the Senate’s history and the chairman of the powerful Appropriations Committee, the ideal perch for directing billions of dollars back home.”
      The story also pointed out that Hawai`i “ranked the highest by far in per-capita federal earmark spending, according to the most recent figures from Taxpayers for Common Sense. The $412 million spent on Hawai`i in 2010, before a moratorium on earmarks went into effect, was equal to almost $320 for each of the state’s 1.3 million people. (North Dakota was second, at about $233 per person.)"
      See more at http://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/29/us/politics/death-of-inouye-means-loss-of-power-for-hawaii-in-senate.

THE NATIVE HAWAIIAN JUSTICE TASK FORCE calls for prisoners held out of state to be returned to Hawai`i. Its recently released report examines the impact of the state’s contracting with non-state facilities on Native Hawaiians. It concludes that, while prisoners in non-state facilities receive more consistent and available programs, live in less crowded conditions and “receive more respect from staff” than prisoners in state prisons, “Native Hawaiians who are sent to non-state facilities are effectively given an unequal burden in relation to non-Ha­waiian prisoners.” This burden includes a dislocation from his or her home, loss of connection to the land, culture, family, job prospects, and community support, the task force says. It also reports that, when released from prison, many offenders incarcerated on the mainland do not have effective transition plans regarding employment, housing, and reintegration into the community beyond compliance with parole.
      “The state should make the return of inmates a top priority, and inmates should be returned as soon as practi­cable, consistent with public safety,” the report states. It also calls for legislation prohibit­ing future use of private, for-profit correctional facilities once all inmates have returned to Hawai`i.
      The nine-member task force also proposed the following recommendations for the Department of Public Safety:

• Ensure that prisoners who are housed in non-state facilities and who are eli­gible by classification for pre-release programs, such as work furlough, are returned to Hawaiʻi with sufficient time to complete programs prior to their tentative parole date. 
• Ensure that all allegations of abuse of inmates are independently investigated - and that appropriate corrective action is taken. 
• Ensure that inmates are allowed to follow their religious and Native Hawaiian - cultural practices, and retain sacred cultural items that do not pose a danger to the security of the institution. 

      The entire report is available online at oha.org/mediapublications/criminal-justice-system.

Mark Kimura documented results of a 2012 Ka`u Coast Cleanup
sponsored by Hawai`i Wildlife Fund.

NEW YEAR’S EVE IS THE DEADLINE to vote in Subaru Hawai`i’s Share the Love Facebook contest. With help from Ka`u residents, Hawai`i Wildlife fund could win $5,000 to support its Ka`u Coast Cleanup efforts next year. Log onto facebook.com/SubaruHI and vote for HWF by clicking once on its logo and then another time on the blue VOTE button.
      HWF’s first Ka`u Beach Cleanup for 2013 is scheduled for Saturday, Jan. 12. Sign up with Megan Lamson at 769-7629 or kahakai.cleanups@gmail.com.

SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS AT WWW.PAHALAPLANTATIONCOTTAGES.COM AND WWW.KAUCOFFEEMILL.COM. KA`U COFFEE MILL IS OPEN SEVEN DAYS A WEEK.

ALSO SEE KAUCALENDAR.COM AND FACEBOOK.COM/KAUCALENDAR.

FIND MORE OF OUR DECEMBER 2012 EVENT PHOTOS ON OUR FLICKR ACCOUNT.