Ka`u News Briefs Feb. 13, 2013

Jennifer Losalio and Sara Kamibayashi are new staff members at Na`alehu Public Library, allowing Debbie
Wong Yuen to return to Pahala Public & School Library four days a week.

PAHALA PUBLIC & SCHOOL LIBRARY has resumed hours, Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. with Wi-Fi and free Internet access to all those with a library card, as well as use of four desktop and 24 laptop computers.
      The library also offers free Microsoft HI Tech Academy classes online and the new Gale Cengage Learning program Ed2Go, with access to free instructor-linked online classes. Courses range from accounting to Excel, Creating Web Pages, learning to be a Medical assistant, Assisting Aging Parents and Parenting to Algebra, Business Finance, Chemistry and Writing. Students can also prepare to take the ACT/SAT exams.
      Debbie Wong Yuen, who has managed both libraries, said filling two vacant positions at Na`alehu Public Library allows her to return to Pahala. She explained that for almost two years, Na`alehu and Pahala Public & School Library suffered a staffing shortage when two of three permanent library personnel retired, leaving one permanent employee.

      Though Pahala Library is larger and adjacent to Ka`u High School and intermediate and elementary schools, Na`alehu has been the more often used library in recent years. During the staff shortage, Pahala Public & School Library was affected by intermittent closures, with hours reduced to opening only on Mondays. Wong Yuen said public and school libraries can be operated only by permanent workers. She thanked those who offered to substitute and volunteer, “and for everyone’s patience during the days both libraries were affected with closures.” During the time without additional permanent staff, she kept the Na`alehu library open.

Pahala Library is open again four days a week, with four computers,
24 laptops and Internet for the public, as well as free online classes.
Photo by Julia Neal

      With Na`alehu Library now fully staffed, Wong Yuen, a Library Technician/Branch Manager, said the goal at Pahala is to extend the open days from Mondays, Thursdays, and Fridays to five days a week with longer hours.
      While library cards are free to Hawai`i residents, non-residents have an option of a three-month card for $10 or a five-year card for $25. To replace a lost library card, the fee is $5.
      The library also has an extensive collection of DVDs which can be borrowed for one week with a $1 fee for each DVD. Also in the collection are many audiobooks, CDs and the latest adult fiction bestsellers. The public can browse the online catalog for any materials available in the Hawai`i State Public Library System and request for them to be brought to Pahala free of charge. Those with an e-Reader or iphone can download audiobooks through two e-book services: Overdrive and OneClickDigital.
      Wong Yuen said she encourages the community, teachers and students to make use of the many free services the library offers. “We need to show the State Librarian and the legislators that you want your public and school library to stay open. How can you help? By coming to your library often, checking out materials (books, DVDs, CDs, magazines, audiobooks) and using the computers. This will make a difference in the future of the library.”
      She also invited the public to stop by Na`alehu Public Library “and welcome on board Sara Kamibayashi, the new Librarian/Branch Manager, and Jennifer ‘Jen’ Losalio, the new Library Assistant, who will be happy to help you. Please thank them for accepting the positions that filled the two vacancies, which now allows Pahala Public & School Library to operate once again,” Wong Yuen said.

SHOCKED BY THE MURDER OF TWO WOMEN in Hilo yesterday, many Ka`u residents wondered what went wrong with a young man who spent time during his youth here. He went to school in Ka`u, and his late mother worked at a local school. Sean Ivan Masa Matsumoto, 34, who most recently lived in Hilo, is in custody, suspected of murdering his girlfriend and her mother on Monday night at a Hilo home on Leilani Street. Pahala residents who knew the family said the victims are reported to be Elaine Ahu, 69, and her daughter Rhonda Ahu, 45. Police reported two children were found in the home, unharmed.
      Police ask for anyone with clues or evidence regarding this tragedy to get in touch with Detective Ernest Matsumoto at 961-2379 or ematsumoto@co.hawaii.hi.us. Information can also be given to Detective Joel Field at 961-2381 or jfield@co.hawaii.hi.us. Those wanting to remain anonymous can call Crime Stoppers at 961-8300 and could receive a reward of up to $1,000.

Colleen Hanabusa

PRES. BARACK OBAMA gave his State of the Union Address for 2013 yesterday, calling for increasing revenues to balance the budget, cutting loopholes for large corporations and investing in education, particularly science and math, to help the U.S. remain competitive in world markets. 

      Civil Beat reports reactions from Hawai`i’s members in the U.S. Congress.
      Sen. Mazie K. Hirono: “As the President mentioned in his speech, expanding access to early childhood education is one of the smartest things we can do as a nation to ensure our economic future. Study after study has shown that early childhood education leads to increased educational achievement and employability later in life.”
      U.S. Rep. Colleen Hanabusa: “We know that sequestration is the time bomb in the middle of the room; we need to defuse it now. There’s no doubt that the President appreciates the seriousness of the situation and is looking for a balanced approach to addressing the problem in an effective way. But deficit reduction alone is not a plan for economic growth. I’m anxious to look at the President’s Plan for a strong middle class and a strong America.”

David Chang

      U.S. Sen. Brian Schatz: “While we’ve made progress to get our economy back on track, the President’s commitment to a thriving clean energy economy ensures that we will get people back to work and continue to address climate change, the most urgent challenge of our generation.”
      U.S. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard: “I have long called for an end the war in Afghanistan and to bring our troops home as quickly and safely as possible. It is crucial not only to end this protracted war, but that we refocus on more pressing threats to our national security.”
      David Chang, Hawai`i Republican Party chairman: “President Obama’s State of the Union Address did not seriously address the most pressing issues Americans face: job creation and the economy. With 7.9 percent unemployment rate, $16.5 trillion national debt, a negative growth rate the last three months of 2012, and over 1,300 days without a budget from the United States Senate, it is time to get our fiscal house in order.”
      See more at www.civilbeat.com.

Rep. Tulsi Gabbard

SEQUESTRATION was the topic of yesterday’s speech by Ka`u’s new member of Congress, Tulsi Gabbard. Wearing a maile lei, she addressed the U.S. House of Representatives, saying: “I rise today to speak about the devastating sequestration cuts that are set to take effect unless we, Congress, act by March 1. If these arbitrary, across-the-board cuts are allowed to occur, our military, our national security, and our communities will suffer. Hawai`i is one of the top ten states that will take the biggest hit. We have already seen these anticipated cuts playing out at the Pearl Harbor Shipyard, where 133 apprentices will not be hired and 30 temporary workers will lose their jobs. This is affecting real people, their families, as well as our military’s readiness. Times are tough, and we must all share in the sacrifice, but we cannot do so at the expense of our military readiness or on the backs of our middle-class families, seniors, and children.”
      Across the board cuts are already planned by federal agencies in Hawai`i from air traffic controllers to National Marine Fisheries to contractors at Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park, the Drug Enforcement Agency and the completion of Saddle Road improvements.

VALUE-ADDED AND SPECIALTY FOODS consultant Lou Cooperhouse presents “Food Business Basics: Getting Started and Finding Your Niche in the Specialty Foods Business” at Pahala Community Center Wednesday, March 13 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Cooperhouse is the president of Food Spectrum, LLC, a management consulting company with expertise in business innovation and incubation.
      The workshop is designed for farmers seeking to develop their raw product into a value-added product and bring it to market, entrepreneurs and restaurateurs interested in diversifying their revenue streams with specialty food products, and established producers looking to take their food businesses to the next level. The Kohala Center and University of Hawai`i Maui College are sponsoring and facilitating the workshop, which is made possible by a U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development Program grant. The East Hawai`i Community Development Corporation is providing additional support.

Lou Cooperhouse

      Following Cooperhouse’s three-hour workshop, Nicole Milne, Agricultural Business Development specialist at The Kohala Center, presents two one-hour sessions focused on financial resources available to Hawai`i farmers and strategies for marketing agricultural products.
      Registration is $35 per participant in advance, and includes access to all three workshops and lunch. Participants may register online at laulimacenter.org/foodbasics.html or by calling 443-2755. Registration at the door is on a space-available basis for $50 per participant with lunch subject to availability.
      Cooperhouse will also conduct 30-minute one-on-one consulting sessions each afternoon with pre-selected workshop participants. Registrants interested in the one-on-one consultations must complete and submit a brief application by Friday, March 1. It is available for download at laulimacenter.org/pdf/FBB_Consult_App.pdf.
      Applicants will be notified by March 8 whether or not they are selected for the consultations, which are being offered at no additional charge.
      “Lou Cooperhouse’s workshops will prepare island agricultural producers and culinary entrepreneurs to enter the specialty foods industry,” Milne said. “These workshops will help participants understand the specialty foods marketplace, distribution channels and current and emerging food industry trends, while also helping them define their target audiences, unique selling propositions, and the importance of business and strategic planning.”
      More workshops are scheduled at Hawai`i TechWorks in Hilo Monday, March 11, 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. and Tuesday, March 12, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at North Hawai`i Education and Research Center in Honoka`a.

VOLCANO ART CENTER’S Ni`aulani Campus in Volcano Village hosts Valentine Jazz Club tomorrow at 7 p.m., featuring the Brandon Shannon Trio plus a comedy skit by Angie Libadisos and VAC CEO Tanya Aynessazian. Admission is $5. Call 967-8222 for more information. 

KA`U GOLF GROUP’S sixth annual golf tournament benefiting Ka`u Hospital takes place Friday. Entry fee of $75 includes golf cart and lunch. Register with Ron Young at 929-8390 or youngron19582@yahoo.com.

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

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

Ka`u News Briefs Feb. 12, 21013

Aikane Plantation coffee farmer Phil Becker tells Prosecuting Attorney Mitch Roth that a thief left evidence when stealing from
 his coffee drying pad. Photo by Julia Neal

AGRICULTURAL THEFT can be combated through cooperation among police officers and the local community, said County Prosecuting Attorney Mitch Roth last night. During a meeting at Pahala Community Center, sponsored by Ka`u Farm Bureau, he discussed recent theft of coffee from fields and drying pads.
     The thievery hits hard on one of the most successful post-plantation economic developments in the state. It is particularly damaging to the Ka`u economy as farmers are starting to make a good living i Ka`u Coffee  after more than 16 years of hard work, following the closing of Ka`u sugar in 1996 when many of them lost their jobs.
     Roth described Ka`u Coffee as an agricultural product that has risen to the top in international reputation. Thieves are hitting some of the most successful of these farmers whose ability to make a living and the livelihood of their workers depends on getting the famous Ka`u Coffee beans to market.
     Some thieves are stealing at night, thrashing through fields, breaking branches as they grab for coffee cherries. Thieves sneak into places where coffee is processed to haul bags of parchment to cars and trucks waiting on rural roads, coffee farmers reported.
     Roth urged farmers and police officers to understand that this kind of agricultural theft is a felony – Theft in the Second Degree. He urged farmers to post no trespassing signs, saying “Private Property,” “No Trespassing,” with letters at least two inches high. Lorie Obra, owner of Rusty’s Coffee farm, asked whether she could install a bear trap, as some of her renowned coffee cherries have been stolen. The prosecuting attorney said that traps that would injure thieves intentionally and also shooting guns at theives are not allowed. He urged farmers and ranchers, however, to fence areas, when possible.
     He said that stealing even 25 pounds of coffee is a felony. Stealing equipment and supplies used to grow or process the coffee when their value is over $100 is also a Class Two Felony – earning jail time when convicted.

Phil Becker holds up the Eckounltd shirt. Whose is it?
Photo by Julia Neal

     He also warned that farmers, coffee buyers and sellers delivering coffee should always carry with them a certificate, receipt or log book showing origin of coffee in their vehicls. A person without such evidence can be arrested for felony theft and processed. He said he is working on enforcement of these laws by police and the state Department of Agriculture.
     Aikane Plantation Coffee grower Phil Becker said his farm was hit last Saturday night with coffee stolen off a drying pad. It was the second weekend in a row. He said an alarm system will soon be installed and he plans to guard the pad himself. He showed those attending the meeting what he believed to be evidence left by a thief - a military duffle bag and a hoodie with the brand name Ecounltd printed across the chest. Becker sent out a call to the community to help identify the owner of the clothing. Inside the bag were coffee bags from his farm. Tipsters can call anonymously to Crimestoppers at 961-8300 or 329-8181. A reward leading to prosecution could total as much as $1,000.
     Ka`u Coffee Mill is also upgrading security, as are other small farmers. Brenda Iokepa Moses said she hopes that police officers will ask suspects more questions to narrow down their reasons for being on coffee lands without permission of owners. She said she suspects someone stealing coffee with a getaway car waiting down the road.
    Roth asked farmers to give police report numbers and said he would look them up to learn the extent of the investigations.
     Roth said that thieves cannot only be charged with the felony theft and given jail time, they can be forced to pay for loss of the crop, and future losses, including long-term losses when the coffee trees are damaged.
     He also promised to go to Ka`u’s farmers markets to make sure vendors can prove the sources of the agricultural products they are selling.
     Coffee farmers talked about theft of some of their side crops. A stock of bananas is usually more than 25 pounds and a thief could be charged with a felony. Twenty-five pounds of avocado may be only amount to 25 avocados, but stealing them is a felony.
     Farmers talked about inviting the police chief, captains and other officers to review the felony law regarding agricultural theft and to make sure the community and police are on the same page when it comes to gathering evidence, writing police reports and sending results of investigations up to the prosecuting attorneys office.

DEVASTATING DAMAGE TO HAWAI`I’S ECONOMY, with massive loss in employment, was predicted by Sen. Mazie Hirono yesterday during a telephone press conference with journalists from around Hawai`i. Reporters and the senator discussed the looming sequestration that would force the federal government to cut $85 billion in spending over the next seven months and $1.2 trillion through 2021. With an economy dependent on military bases, airports, national parks and federal programs in health, housing and education, Hawai`i would be hard hit.
     The threat is leading federal managers in Hawai`i to hold back on issuing contracts that provide many jobs and income to help fuel the Hawaiian economy. Hirono said that some $2.3 in defense contracts alone are at risk in Hawai`i.

U.S. Sen. Mazie Hirono held a press conference by phone
yesterday to warn about the looming sequestration.

     The senator said that 2,200 health care workers in Hawai`i could lose their jobs. Some 18,000 employees who work for the military in Hawai`i could be furloughed. The FAA could lay off air traffic controllers, damaging Hawai`i’s visitor industry. The number of federal prosecutors, Some 16,000 students in Hawai`i could lose assistance, from after school programs to Head Start, Native Hawaiian education, housing, and special-needs schooling, as well as grants that go directly to Hawai`i’s educational institutions.
     “Clearly, this is not the way to go,” she said, calling for Congress to fix the country’s budget with a “balanced approach.” She accused Republicans of “shrugging their shoulders,” and said some of them want sequestration. She urged lawmakers to stop saying simply “cut, cut, cut” and to also focus on opportunities for revenue. Hirono called across-the-board funding cuts a “meat-axe approach.”
     With a revenue building approach, she said, Congress could attempt to bring jobs back to this country by lessening company's incentives to outsource overseas and relocate their production and service facilities to other countries. “Let’s close some major tax loopholes to get there.” She pointed to “Big Oil” as one of the industries that should be paying more of its fair share of taxes, saying the federal government is losing “billions.”
     For the State of the Union address today at 4 p.m. Hawai`i time, Hirono said she would like to see Pres. Barack Obama “focus on creating jobs.”

PRES. BARACK OBAMA, during his State of the Union speech tonight (broadcast live at 4 p.m. Hawaiian time), will be joined by Master Sergeant (Ret.) Clay Park and Ka`u’s U.S. House of Representatives member Tulsi Gabbard. Park directs Papa Ola Lokahi’s Native Hawaiian Veterans Project. It assists Native Hawaiian vets to reintegrate into civilian life, apply for veterans benefits and gain access to health care services.

U.S. Rep Tulsi Gabbard and Native Hawaiian Veterans Project Director Clay Park.
Photo from Tulsi Gabbard

     Park served three years on active duty, including a tour as an Army combat medic in Vietnam, and later joined Hawai`i Army National Guard, where he served for more than 20 years. While working for a community service organization, he encountered homeless veterans and other newly discharged veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan who needed help. In 2007, Park founded the NHVP and made it his mission to educate, advocate, and link resources to all veterans in Hawai‘i who needed assistance.
     “Clay Park is an example of a true hometown servant-leader,” said Gabbard, who served two tours of duty in the Middle East as a member of Hawai`i Army National Guard. “More than ever, now is the time to support people like Clay who have dedicated their lives to helping veterans return to civilian life. He truly understands the unique challenges that face our Native Hawaiian veterans and their families as well as the contributions they provide for our communities.”

Park described Gabbard as “our voice, not only for our returning warriors, but for all of Hawai`i. No one can walk away from a war unaffected, and that is why it is so important to ease their transition home through peer and community support. I am proud to have Tulsi’s continued support for programs like the Native Hawaiian Veterans Project, as we work to serve Hawai`i’s heroes.”
     NHVP works to help veterans navigate the Veterans Health Administration/Veterans Benefits Administration application process, responding to individual issues and concerns, providing presentations on the Project to retired as well as active military personnel, and advocating for veterans at the local, state and national levels.

HULA ARTS AT KILAUEA, in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park, will be shared this Saturday. Na Mea Hawai`i Hula Kahiko Performance will feature Halau Na Pua Ha`aheo O Kona with kumu hula Roy Palacat. This inspired outdoor presentation takes place rain or shine at the hula platform located near Volcano Art Center Gallery. The audience is encouraged to bring sitting mat and sun/rain gear. On the same day, will be hands-on cultural demonstrations from 9:30 am to 1:30 pm at the Gallery porch.
    This program is supported in part by the County of Hawai`i Department of Research and Development and the Hawai`i Tourism Authority. All events are free (donations welcome); park entrance fees apply.

IN SPORTS THIS WEEK, Ka`u High’s boys basketball team plays in the first round of BIIF Division II games Wed. Semi-finals and finals are Friday and Saturday at Hilo Civic Auditorium.

     JV softball has three games this week. Ka`u travels to Hilo High today and to Kea`au Saturday. A home game against Pahoa takes place Wednesday at 2 p.m.

Kalae Quilters and Red Hatters raised more than $5,000 for the ER at Ka`u Hospital during the past month. This detail is from a quilt
that sold at the Punalu`u Beach fundraiser. It was quilted by Josie Oaks. Photo by Helen Anderson

HELP TO RAISE MONEY FOR THE EMERGENCY ROOM AT KA`U HOSPITAL by entering the sixth annual golf tournament and outcry auction at Volcano Golf & Country Club this Friday, Feb. 15. Entry fee is $75 for the golf tournament and includes golf cart and lunch. Auction and awards ceremony will be held during lunch. Register with Ron Young at 929-8390 or youngron19582@yahoo.com. 

Quilters and the Red Hat Ladies of Ka`u have already raised more than $5,000 through sales of quilts, arts, crafts and food.

IN SPORTS THIS WEEK, Ka`u High’s boys basketball team plays in the first round of BIIF Division II games Wed. Semi-finals and finals are Friday and Saturday at Hilo Civic Auditorium.
    JV softball has three games this week. Ka`u travels to Hilo High today and to Kea`au Saturday. A home game against Pahoa takes place Wednesday at 2 p.m.

Ka`u News Briefs Feb. 11, 2013

Punalu`u Beach is state land up to the highest wash of the waves and also has state land nearby that could be developed
under the PLDC. Photo by Peter Anderson

COUNTY OF HAWAI`I SUPPORTS REPEAL OF THE PUBLIC LAND DEVELOPMENT CORP. law unless it provides for more home rule. Testimony submitted for Saturday’s state House of Representatives hearing on the issue came from Bobby Jean Leithead-Todd, Planning Director for County of Hawai`i:  “The County of Hawai`i has a number of concerns regarding the PLDC. We believe that giving blanket authority to the PLDC to ignore the County’s General Plan, Community Development Plans as well as its subdivision and zoning codes is not in the best interest of the public, and violates the principle of county home rule.

Bobby Jean Leithead-Todd

      The “County government is closest to its citizens, and its people have spent time and resources to develop both the General Plan and its Community Development Plans. These plans have had multiple public hearings throughout the island and have broad community support. Bypassing any hearing at the county level to facilitate PLDC plans and developments undermines the validity of these plans and the input of residents. 

      “We understand that there may be a need to seek variances from county codes and plans, but we believe that should be done through a public county process similar to 201H affordable housing projects that are approved by the County Council via resolution. These resolutions spell out exactly what exemptions or variances are sought and provide the county council as well as the public an opportunity to provide testimony and learn about these plans at the county level.
      “The PLDC as now constructed should be repealed because it does not provide for county oversight or an opportunity for the public to comment.”

     Legislation in the state House of Representatives regarding the PLDC are HB 1133 and HB 589. Testimony can be submitted at capitol.hawaii.gov.

Sen. Laura Thielen 

THE BILL TO REPEAL THE PUBLIC LAND DEVELOPMENT CORP. law, which would allow private entities to partner with the state to create businesses on public lands, is the subject of proposed amendments that would take away its intent, said Sen. Laura Thielen, who co-authored the bill with East Ka`u’s state Sen. Russell Ruderman. Thielen wrote on her facebook page over the weekend: “PLDC Alert: Someone has gutted my PLDC Repeal bill, SB 246, and replaced it with entirely new contents. The bill is no longer a PLDC repeal. The Water Land and Economic Development Committees, chaired by (Malama) Solomon and (Donovan) Dela Cruz, have scheduled the bill for hearing on Monday. 

     “Whoever gutted the bill replaced it with some version of the Recreational Renaissance. No one spoke to me about this matter. I have no idea what changes were made to the old RR proposal, or whether the chairs plan to make other guts and replacements to change it again.
     “This is definitely a bill to watch, because it appears mischief is at hand,” she writes.
      Thielen’s and Ruderman’s original version of the bill says “the purpose of this Act is to repeal Act 282,” which established the PLDC. The rewritten bill, with the same SB 246 number, describes a “Recreational Renaissance” in which the state would use “extraordinary means” to “catch up on deferred maintenance on parks, forests, and ocean recreation facilities. With a one-time, substantial upgrade to our parks, trails, and ocean recreation systems, the state could go from being ‘reactive’ – where failing facilities absorb our time and attention – to ‘proactive,’” the amended bill says. It changes the purpose of the bill to establishing a “Recreational Renaissance Special Fund.”
      The rewritten bill includes language about boating, leasing out state land for industrial parks and other matters. It leaves blank the amount of money that would be appropriated for the Recreational Renaissance Special Fund to be administrated by the state Department of Land & Natural Resources.

Hawai`i County Prosecuting Attorney Mitch Roth

A COMMUNITY MEETING to organize against farm theft will be held at 6 p.m. tonight at Pahala Community Center. Hawai`i Prosecuting Attorney Mitch Roth will lead the discussion, honing in on recent thefts from area Ka`u Coffee farms and drying pads. Tens of thousands of dollars in coffee have been recently stolen recently from farms – not all in one area. State law requires coffee dealers to carry records with them showing from where they purchased their coffee. These records can be requested by police and state Department of Agriculture officials. The meeting is hosted by the Ka`u Farm Bureau and open to all of the public.

HAWAI`I ISLAND BURIAL COUNCIL is expected to hold a meeting on Thursday, Feb. 21 and to take up the plan to conserve graves on the site of Ka`u High School. Graves near the site of the new Ka`u Gym & Disaster Shelter site put a stop to construction that is yet to begin.
      Approval of the plan would allow construction to go forward for the more than $18 million facility that will be used by the community and the school for athletics, community events and also to serve as a recreational center, and to use as a shelter during natural disasters and other emergencies.
      Anyone knowing of the family members who might be buried on the site can contact Glenn Escott, Scientific Consultant Services Inc., P.O. Box 155, Kea`au, 96749. Call him at 938-0968. Also contact Kauanoe Hoomanawanui, Burial Sites Specialist for the Hawai`i Island Burial Council, DLNR-SHP at 933-7650, or write to 40 Po`okela St. Hilo, HI 96720.

      Winifred Pele Hanoa is listed as the Ka`u representative on the Burial Council.

      According to the state Department of Land and Natural Resources website, “The management of burial sites over 50 years old falls under the purview of the Historic Preservation Division. Approximately 98 percent of the burial cases handled by the division relate to native Hawaiian skeletal remains.
      “The division works with other cultural organizations when burial remains related to their specific ethnic group are discovered. Five Island Burial Councils are administratively attached to the division to address concerns relating to Native Hawaiian burial sites.
      “Anyone who wishes to relocate, or preserve in place, previously identified Hawaiian burials over 50 years old must obtain the approval of the appropriate Island Burial Council, which meets on a monthly basis on its respective islands.
      “Any skeletal remains accidentally discovered must be reported to the Historic Preservation Division and County police. If burial remains are estimated to be less than 50 years old, they fall under the jurisdiction of the local police.
      “The division currently responds to approximately 2-3 inadvertent discoveries each week, and is involved in up to 250 burial cases annually. Since 1991, approximately 3,000 sets of native Hawaiian skeletal remains have been re-interred thanks to the collaborative efforts of the division, various Hawaiian organizations, and property owners.”
      A Descendency Claim Application in connection with burials can be found at hawaii.gov/dlnr/shpd/forms/desclaimap.pdf.

Chinese New Year was celebrated yesterday. Photo by Kathleen Kam

KUNG HEE FAT CHOY was the greeting yesterday as people celebrated Chinese New Year and the Year of the Snake. Some traditional Chinese foods eaten on this New Year’s Day included steamed nien gau, decorated with red dates and sesame seeds, char sui bau aka manapua and sweet meats. Red envelopes holding money are good luck tokens given mainly to children and family members. Incense and other offerings are dedicated to family house gods and to Kwan Yin, Goddess of Mercy. 

THE ANNUAL KA`U COFFEE FESTIVAL, to be held at various locations throughout the district for more than a week, will straddle the end of April and the beginning of May. An organizing meeting will take place this evening at 5 p.m. at Pahala Community Center. On the agenda is the new Ka`u Coffee Festival website, plans for dinners, stargazing, farm and lunch visits and the full day Ho`olaule`a on May 5. Volunteers are welcomed.

Erv Wilson Photo from thesonicsky.com

VOLCANO ART CENTER’S Ni`aulani Campus in Volcano Village presents a free screening of Surfing the Sonic Sky tonight at 6 p.m. This 2012 REMI Award-winning film by Stephen James Taylor explores Transcendent Tonality, which Taylor calls a new kind of musical experience. Taylor will also present the musical realm and structures of Erv Wilson. To learn more, visit thesonicsky.com. 

RAISE MONEY FOR THE EMERGENCY ROOM AT KA`U HOSPITAL by joining the sixth annual golf tournament and outcry auction at Volcano Golf & Country Club this Friday, Feb. 15. Entry fee is $75 for the golf tournament and includes golf cart and lunch. Auction and awards ceremony will be during lunch. Register with Ron Young at 929-8390 or youngron19582@yahoo.com.

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

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