Ka`u News Briefs June 16, 2013

Blueberry, raised by Ka`u's Kealia Galimba, won Grand Champion in the Market Beef category at the 56th annual
4-H Livestock Show & Sale. Photos from Becky Settlage

RESULTS OF THE 56TH ANNUAL 4-H Livestock Show & Sale at Mealani Research Station in Waimea are in. Grand Champion in the Market Beef category was Blueberry, raised by Ka`u’s Kealia Galimba, 9. Reserve Champion Steer was Ambrose, raised by `Ua Alencastre-Galimba, 11, of Ka`u. Both are from Kuahiwi Ranch.

      KTA bought the grand champion steer for $4.70 per pound. Reserve steer brought in $4.20 per pound.
      Other results of judging by Jan Busboom, of Washington State University:

Ambrose, raised by Ka`u's `Ua Alencastre-Galimba, won Reserve
Champion Steer.

• Champion Market Hog: Cullen Andrade, 13, of Honoka`a; 
• Reserve Champion Market Hog: Micah Miranda, 12, of Waimea; 
• Grand Champion Market Lamb: Cullen Andrade; 
• Reserve Champion Market Lamb: Abigail Andrade, 10, of Honoka`a; 
• Grand Champion Market Goat: Kamuela Santa Maria, 11, of Hilo; 
• Reserve Champion Market Goat: Kawaiola Santa Maria, 13, of Hilo; 
• Grand Champion Poultry: Geronimo Enocencio, 9, of Hilo; 
• Reserve Champion Poultry: O2 Enocencio, 12, Hilo; 
• Rabbit entry first place: Mariah Byrd, 16, Pahoa. 

Showmanship:

• Junior Beef Showmanship: `Ua Galimba; 
• Junior Hog Showmanship: Micah Miranda; 
• Senior Hog Showmanship: Dylan Joaquin, 17, of Hilo; 
• Junior Lamb Showmanship: Cullen Andrade; 
• Senior Lamb Showmanship: Tony Connors, 17, of Paauilo; 
• Junior Goat Showmanship: Liana Stout, 11, of Honoka`a; 
• Senior Goat Showmanship: Dylan Joaquin; 
• Junior Poultry Showmanship: Maximus Enocencio, 10, of Hilo; 
• Senior Poultry Showmanship: Jaysha Alonzo-Estrada, 15, of Hilo.

HAWAI`I HIGH SCHOOL ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION’S executive board has approved of some sports tournaments being hosted by Big Island Interscholastic Federation, reported Hawai`i Tribune-Herald sports editor Bill O’Rear. State tournament regionals in girls basketball and boys volleyball will be hosted by BIIF during the 2013-14 seasons, and BIIF and Kaua`i Interscholastic Federation will be added to the rotation for the state Division II baseball tournament beginning in 2016. 

      “I think this is a start, and hopefully we can do it in other sports in the future,” BIIF executive secretary Lyle Crozier told O’Rear. “It gives our fans a chance to watch state-caliber tournaments, and it gives our schools a chance to make money with the concession as well as cut down on travel costs.”
      O'Rear said that, under the pilot program, the state would keep regional gate receipts, and BIIF would keep concession monies. Crozier said the host school of the state tournament would be allowed to keep the money raised in the concession during the event.
      “The BIIF schools will be placed in a rotation system and each get a chance at some point to host the state tournament,” Crozier said. “It’s a good situation for the BIIF.”
      See more at hawaiitribune-herald.com.

HAWAI`I STATE DEPARTMENT OF TAXATION released tax revenue statistics Friday. During the first 11 months of the current fiscal year, general excise tax revenue rose nearly 10 percent. The state had $2.7 billion in general excise tax receipts from July 2012 through the end of May, compared to $2.5 billion for the same 11 months of the previous fiscal year.
      Transient accommodations tax revenues from hotel rooms and other short-term accommodations increased 13 percent from the previous fiscal year, totaling $339 million.
      Individual income tax receipts were up 14 percent. 

Customer Satisfaction Survey forms are available online and at public
libraries, including Pahala Public & School Library.

HAWAI`I STATE PUBLIC LIBRARY SYSTEM Customer Satisfaction Survey will be conducted to obtain feedback from library users about collections and services from June 17 through July 31. The survey will help HSPLS identify areas where it can improve its services and better meet the needs of its communities. The customer satisfaction survey will also gather responses concerning online databases, e-Learning resources, eBooks/eAudio/eMusic collection and the Internet scheduling self-service system, which HSPLS needs for its annual Federal Library Services and Technology Act report. 

      “Your feedback is very important to us,” State Librarian Richard Burns said. “The survey takes just a few minutes to complete and will be available online at librarieshawaii.org and in paper version at all 50 libraries statewide.”

Tulsi Gabbard

U.S. REP. TULSI GABBARD HAS VOTED for final House passage of the National Defense Authorization Act for FY2014. The legislation authorizes more than $400 million for Hawai`i defense priorities and contains other measures strongly supported by Gabbard. The bill passed the House by a vote of 315-108. 

      “This bipartisan Defense authorization bill provides good jobs in Hawai`i and ensures Hawai`i’s significant role in our national security strategy and rebalance toward the Asia-Pacific region,” said Gabbard. “The legislation includes key provisions to responsibly end the war in Afghanistan and honor our commitments to those courageous Iraqi and Afghan civilians, such as essential combat interpreters, who risked their own lives and the safety of their families to serve alongside our troops. I was pleased to see that our missile defense has been allocated the resources necessary to create a strong deterrence and defensive capability to protect Hawai`i and the mainland United States.”
      Gabbard has pledged to continue working to ensure that Hawai`i’s priorities and other critical provisions are included in the final House-Senate conference bill that is expected to pass later this year.

KA `OHANA O HONU`APO’S FATHER’S DAY EVENT takes place this afternoon from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. The event features musicians on stage, sales of food, beverages and shave ice, and a shady tent to enjoy Honu`apo Park on Father’s Day. The Pork in the Park barbecue contest has been postponed due to lack of participation. For more information, call Lehua Lopez-Mau at 929-9891.

VOLCANO ART CENTER’S NI`AULANI CAMPUS in Volcano Village hosts Tea for Fathers & Daughters/Mothers & Sons Tuesday at 2 p.m. The menu at this special tea to celebrate children, mothers and fathers and grandparents includes finger sandwiches, salad, scones, desserts and a special tea favor all for $15 per person. Reservations are required by tomorrow. Contact JoAnn Aguirre at teaquiero@yahoo.com or 982-7691.

Tom Peek's Writer's Retreat begins Thursday.
Photo by Julia Neal

VOLCANO ART CENTER’S 15th Annual Writer’s Retreat takes place Thursday through Sunday. Check-in begins at 5 p.m. at KIlauea Military Camp in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park. Tom Peek helps liberate the writer within at this workshop for all levels and genres; no writing experience is necessary. 

      Peek, author of Daughters of Fire, last month received a silver Benjamin Franklin Book Award for popular fiction for his debut novel.
      Workshop fees of $375 or $343 for VAC members include nine meals and supplies. Private and shared rooms are available for additional cost; call 967-8222 for rates.

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 June 15, 2013

High Fire Hawai`i artists participate in the annual Volcano Pottery Sale. See www.highfirehawaii.com.

A MAJORITY OF THOSE WHO RESPONDED to a 38-question, anonymous survey by the Police Department believe Hawai`i island is a safe place. Of the 608 people who responded to questions of safety, 377 agreed that the island is a safe place to live, 434 said it’s a safe place to work, and 393 said it’s a save place to visit. Those who were neutral on the issues numbered in the low 20 percentile. 

      The survey attracted a record number of participants during the month of May.

Police Chief Harry Kubojiri

      The chief and his staff are in the process of analyzing all of the individual comments collected so the Police Department can identify common concerns. The chief will then respond to the most common concerns expressed by the community members and visitors who participated in the survey. The responses to those comments and questions will be posted, along with the questions, on the Police Department’s website. In the meantime, the public may view the survey summary at hawaiipolice.com. 

      As in previous surveys, Chief Kubojiri said the survey and follow-up analysis are tools to assist him in identifying problem areas the community is experiencing with the Police Department, determining if he can rectify those issues through specific training of Police Department personnel, making changes to policies and procedures if necessary and clarifying misinformation about laws and/or police practices.
      “Your feedback in past surveys has allowed us to make changes that were beneficial to the Police Department and the public we serve, and we will continue to publish surveys in the future,” Kubojiri said. “Your input is one of the many tools that we use in our continuing efforts to improve how we provide services to the public.”
      In addition to processing comments from the survey, the Police Department will continue to hold monthly public meetings around the island to respond to concerns from the public. Kubojiri encourages community members to attend these public meetings or communicate their concerns or comments using the Feedback link on the Police Department’s website, hawaiipolice.com.

Dr. Fred Mackenzie

NEW RESEARCH SUGGESTS THAT HUMAN ACTIVITY could be increasing the movement of carbon from land to rivers, estuaries and the coastal zone, indicating that large quantities of anthropogenic carbon may be hidden in regions not previously considered, according to a study recently published in Nature Geoscience.When carbon is emitted by human activities into the atmosphere, it is generally thought that about half remains in the atmosphere and the remainder is stored in the oceans and on land.  

      The study by Dr. Fred Mackenzie, emeritus professor of Oceanography at the University of Hawai`i at Manoa School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology, and colleagues from the Université Libre de Bruxelles, the University of Exeter, Laboratoire des Sciences du Climat et l’Environnement and ETH Zurich showed, for the first time, that increased leaching of carbon from soil, mainly due to deforestation, sewage inputs and increased weathering, has resulted in less carbon being stored on land and more stored in rivers, streams, lakes, reservoirs, estuaries and coastal zones – environments that are together known as the land-ocean aquatic continuum.
      The study reviewed previously published data and showed that a significant amount of the carbon emitted through human activity that is taken up by the land is not actually stored there, but in the aquatic continuum.
      Pierre Regnier, from Université Libre de Bruxelles, said, “The budget of anthropogenic CO2 reported by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change currently does not take into account the carbon leaking from terrestrial ecosystems to rivers, estuaries and coastal regions. As a result of this leakage, the actual storage by terrestrial ecosystems is about 40 percent lower than the current estimates by the IPCC.”

Pierre Regnier

      The land-ocean aquatic continuum has not previously been considered an important carbon sink. Future assessments of carbon storage must now take into account the surface areas of the land-ocean aquatic continuum to ensure accurate estimation of carbon storage. This will also require an improved knowledge of the mechanisms controlling the degradation, preservation and emissions of carbon along the aquatic continuum to fully understand the impact of human activity on carbon transfer. 

      Professor Pierre Friedlingstein, from the University of Exeter, said, “Carbon storage in sediments in these rivers and coastal regions could present a more secure environment than carbon stored in soil on land. As soil warms up, stored carbon can be lost to the atmosphere. The chances of this occurring in wet sediments are reduced.”
      A fraction of the carbon that leaches from land to the land-ocean aquatic continuum is emitted back to the atmosphere, while another fraction is sequestered in sediments along the continuum. Only a minor part, about 10 percent, eventually reaches the open ocean.
      Philippe Ciais, from the Laboratoire des Sciences du Climat et l’Environnement, said, “Our revisited global carbon budget, which includes the land-ocean aquatic continuum, is still entailed with significant uncertainties. It is, however, fully consistent with the observed growth rate of atmospheric CO2. Our downward revision of the land carbon storage is also in agreement with very recent results from forest inventories.”
      A significant part of the carbon storage thought to be offered by ecosystems on land – mainly forests – is thus negated by this leakage of carbon from soils to aquatic systems, and to the atmosphere, according to the study.
      For more information, see the article at dx.doi.org/10.1038/NGEO1830.

Richard Onishi

KA`U’S STATE REP. RICHARD ONISHI HOSTS a community meeting today at 2 p.m. at Aupuni Center Conference Room
 101 to brief the community on the 2013 legislative session and hear feedback on issues that matter to constituents. Other lawmakers joining Onishi are vice speaker John Mizuno, majority leader Scott Saiki, majority floor leader Karen Awana and state representatives Mark Nakashima, Clift Tsuji and Faye Hanohano. 

THE FIFTH ANNUAL VOLCANO POTTERY SALE continues today until 3 p.m. at Volcano Art Center’s Ni`aulani Campus in Volcano Village, featuring newly created work by twelve ceramic artists of East Hawai`i. Samples of Volcano-grown teas are available courtesy of Tea Hawai`i, with sushi and bentos for purchase from Volcano Hanabi. For more information, see ryhpottery.com/volcano_pottery_sale or call 985-8530.

THE PUBLIC IS INVITED TO HAVE LUNCH WITH A RANGER tomorrow from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park’s Kahuku Unit. Participants bring a bag lunch and join Park Ranger Kiko on Father’s Day in an open discussion on park resources including significant geological events and features of Mauna Loa and the natural and cultural history of the Kahuku Unit.

JoAnn Aguirre hosts a special tea Tuesday.
Photo from Hawai`i Tea Society

KA `OHANA O HONU`APO’S FATHER’S DAY EVENT tomorrow from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m., includes musicians on stage, sales of food, beverages and shave ice, and a shady tent to enjoy Honu`apo Park on Father’s Day. The Pork in the Park barbecue contest has been postponed due to lack of participation. For more information, call Lehua Lopez-Mau at 929-9891. 

TEA FOR FATHERS & DAUGHTERS/MOTHERS & SONS takes place Tuesday at 2 p.m. at Volcano Art Center’s Ni`aulani Campus in Volcano Village. The menu at this special tea to celebrate children, mothers and fathers and grandparents includes finger sandwiches, salad, scones, desserts and a special tea favor all for $15 per person. Reservations are required by Monday. Contact JoAnn Aguirre at teaquiero@yahoo.com or 982-7691.

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 June 14, 2013

Ka `Ohana O Honu`apo holds a Father's Day event Sunday at Honu`apo Park. While the barbecue contest has been
postponed due to lack of participation, musicians will still be performing, and food, beverages and shave ice
will be available for purchase. Photo from KOOH

THE CONFIRMATION HEARING FOR THE AUCTION of some 5,800 Ka`u acres, including Moa`ula and Pear Tree coffee lands, is scheduled for Thursday, June 27 at the First Circuit Court Building in Honolulu on the fourth floor. Presiding judge is Bert Ayabe. Additional bids will be allowed for the property in foreclosure on land where the famous Ka`u coffee grows under the care of more than 30 farmers. It also includes pasture lands mauka of Hwy 11, above Honu`apo, and lands along the Ka`u Coast including Waikapuna.

Waikapuna lands south of Honu`apo are in the bundle of properties
being auctioned off.

      The foreclosure is against WWW Hawai`i Holdings, which borrowed more than $45 million from Lehman Brothers. At the auction on May 21, Lehman Brothers Holdings bid higher than the only other bidder, Edmund C. Olson, who bid $12 million. Lehman is allowed to use money owed to the financial company as credit to bid on the property it financed. Whether Lehman becomes the owner and sells off sections of the land or keeps it, or whether another party buys the property, which is bundled as one sale for oceanfront, pasture and coffee parcels, will be determined at the confirmation hearing. 

THE SENATE VETERANS’ AFFAIRS COMMITTEE held a hearing Wednesday to consider the Filipino Veterans Fairness Act of 2013, introduced earlier this year by Sen. Brian Schatz. The act would provide Filipino soldiers who fought for the United States with the same benefits afforded to other veterans who defended the U.S. during World War II. Schatz considers movement on this issue to be critical, as many Filipino veterans are in their 90s and passing away without the benefits.

Induction of these Philippine Army troops took place in 1941.
Photo from pinoyhistory.proboards.com

      “It has been more than 50 years, and yet, many Filipino veterans have not been properly recognized for their service and have been denied their basic veterans’ rights,” said Schatz. “It is critical that we pass this legislation to ensure that the Filipino soldiers who fought for our country – and their families – receive full benefits. This bill would finally allow thousands of eligible veterans to receive the compensation that they deserve, and send a clear message to all veterans that Americans will not forget their service once they return from combat.” 

      During World War II, President Roosevelt issued an Executive Order that inducted all military forces of the Philippines under a newly created command called the United States Armed Forces of the Far East (USAFFE). For the duration of the war, Filipino soldiers fought side-by-side with American soldiers in the Pacific Theatre protecting American military bases and installations. Their efforts directly contributed to American victory in the Pacific.
      Currently, the widows and children of Filipino veterans do not qualify for compensation. This bill would also ensure the dependents of World War II Filipino veterans are included as beneficiaries.
      A number of organizations have also voiced support for this legislation, including the Military Officers Association of America, the Justice for Filipino American Veterans, the Japanese American Citizens League, the American Coalition for Filipino Veterans, and the Lao Veterans of America.

Burt Shimabukuro

HAWAI`I COUNTY POLICE CHIEF HARRY KUBOJIRI has announced the promotion of Burt Shimabukuro to the rank of captain of the Ka`u District. 

Now the Vice Section lieutenant in East Hawai`i, Shimabukuro joined the Police Department in June 1987 and worked as a patrol officer in Kona and Puna and a Vice Section detective in East Hawai`i. After being promoted to lieutenant in 2008, he was assigned first to South Hilo Patrol, then to the Special Response Team, and, most recently, to the Vice Section. 

      The promotion takes effect Sunday, June 16.

HAWAI`I COUNTY COUNCIL CONSIDERS increases in public bus fares at its meeting next week. At the last Council meeting, Ka`u’s County Council member Brenda Ford voted against the proposal to hike fares from $1 to $2 as well as end free rides for students, the elderly and disabled. Ford said she wants to keep the fare low to encourage more ridership.
      The meeting takes place Tuesday, June 18 at 9 a.m. at West Hawai`i Civic Center in Kona. Ka`u residents can participate in the meeting via videoconferencing at Ocean View Community Center.

Grant Galimba shows his lamb at 4-H Livestock
Show & Sale. Photo from Becky Settlage

YOUNG KA`U FARMERS AND RANCHERS are heading to Waimea for the 56th Annual 4-H Livestock Show & Sale today and Saturday at Mealani Research Station. Sponsored by Hawai`i County 4-H Livestock Association and University of Hawai`i’s College of Tropical Agriculture & Human Resources, the weekend event begins today with the Rabbit, Poultry & Goat Show from 3 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. On Saturday at 8 a.m. is the Large Animal Show for Market Lambs, Hogs & Steers. At 2 p.m. the annual live auction of 4-H animals takes place. Anyone interested in being a buyer may register at the Buyer’s Luncheon at noon Saturday. 

      All proceeds from the sale go directly to the 4-H member who raised the animals. Participants are between the ages of 5 and 18.
      For more information on donating, buying at the auction and 4-H programs, contact Becky Settlage, county extension agent, at 430-0499 or settlage@hawaii.edu. Among the Ka`u participants are `Ua Alencastre-Galimba; Gavin, Grant and Kealia Galimba; Kaile Aiken and Nainoa Sales.
      Sheep, hogs and steers raised by the Ka`u youth will be auctioned. Sponsors from Ka`u who will be bidding on animals include Pacific Quest, Edmund C. Olson, Aikane Plantation Coffee Farm and Kuahiwi Ranch.

THE FIFTH ANNUAL VOLCANO POTTERY SALE takes place today from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m. and tomorrow from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Volcano Art Center’s Ni`aulani Campus in Volcano Village. The sale features newly created work by twelve ceramic artists of East Hawai`i. Samples of Volcano-grown teas are available courtesy of Tea Hawai`i, with sushi and bentos for purchase from Volcano Hanabi. For more information, see ryhpottery.com/volcano_pottery_sale or call 985-8530.

A LABOR LAW WORKSHOP TAKES PLACE TODAY from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at Pahala Community Center. Ted Hong and Warren Chong discuss how to maintain good employment practices. Hong is an attorney who practices labor and employment law out of his firm in Hilo, and Chong is a partner with Legal Shield, a company that provides legal services to small business owners. Topics include government-relations agencies, payment of wages, child labor laws and independent contractors.

A hike along Kahuku's Palm Trail takes place tomorrow at 9:30 a.m.
NPS Photo by David Boyle

HAWAI`I VOLCANOES NATIONAL PARK’S Kahuku Unit offers events this weekend. Palm Trail Hike takes place tomorrow from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. This relatively easy, guided, 2.6-mile loop crosses scenic pasture along an ancient cinder cone with some of the best panoramic views Kahuku has to offer. 

      Lunch with a Ranger is Sunday from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Participants bring a bag lunch and join Park Ranger Kiko on Father’s Day in an open discussion on park resources including significant geological events and features of Mauna Loa and the natural and cultural history of the Kahuku Unit.

KUMU LEILEHUA YUEN AND MANU JOSIAH present a 50-minute narrated demonstration of preparation, protocol and offering of traditional hula and chant at the hula platform near Volcano Art Center Gallery in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park Saturday at 10:30 a.m. Hands-on cultural demonstrations take place from 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. on VAC Gallery’s porch. Free (donations welcome); park entrance fees apply.

OCEAN VIEW COMMUNITY CENTER hosts its monthly pancake breakfast tomorrow from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. Call 939-7033 for more information.

KA `OHANA O HONU`APO’S FATHER’S DAY EVENT on Sunday from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m., includes musicians on stage, sales of food, beverages and shave ice, and a shady tent to enjoy Honu`apo Park on Father’s Day. The Pork in the Park barbecue contest has been postponed due to lack of participation. For more information, call Lehua Lopez-Mau at 929-9891. 

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.