Ka`u News Briefs, Thursday, Jan. 16, 2014

Current and former Hawai`i state Senate members attending the opening of the 2014 Hawai`i Legislature yesterday.
 Photo from Hawai`i Senate

MAYOR BILLY KENOI ASKED THE 2014 STATE LEGISLATURE during opening day Wednesday, to provide the state with the ability to better service Hawai`i County by helping to upgrade the islandwide Civil Defense warning system with 36 new sirens. He asked for $2.89 million for the state hospital system to help attract physicians and nurses through paying down their medical education debts  in exchange for them staying and working here. It's a program that could benefit Ka`u Hospital and its clinic.

Mayor Billy Kenoi
Photo by Julia Neal

     The mayor asked the legislature to fund construction of the University of Hawai`i at Hilo College of Pharmacy. It is the only pharmacy college in the state and needs a permanent operating site in order to expand and to achieve additional accreditation. The Daniel K. Inouye College of Pharmacy is estimated in the University of Hawai`i budget's capital  improvements proposal to cost  $33 million, providing the state legislature decides to fund it.
     Addressing the state Senate Ways & Means Committee and House Finance Committee, Kenoi said that "The college was granted accreditation before obtaining permanent facilities, and it is time to provide a permanent home for the college to meet its long-range needs and assure it retains accreditation. Providing a permanent home for the college will allow it to fulfill its promise as a center of excellence in education and health sciences."
     In his testimony, the mayor wrote: "We remain cautiously optimistic that the economy is slowly recovering. We are hopeful that the difficult decisions made at both the state and county levels are contributing to the increasingly positive economic trends. However, we recognize that we all have a great deal more work to do to support our communities. We would like to underscore the importance of a number of state initiatives, and respectfully request that the Legislature support these projects to create jobs, provide relief from traffic congestion, protect public safety, and invest in critical infrastructure."
     The mayor also provided testimony on the following:

CHILDREN & YOUTH: "The Hawai‘i Juvenile Justice Working Group last month issued a compelling report that demonstrates the need for alternatives to incarceration for young offenders, particularly for youths who are convicted of misdemeanor offenses. The report noted that each bed at the Hawai‘i Youth Correctional Facility on O‘ahu costs state taxpayers $199,320 per year, which underscores the fiscal impacts of incarceration of our youth.

      "Last year the Office of Youth Services in partnership with the Hawai‘i County Office of the Prosecuting Attorney launched the first juvenile intake and assessment center in East Hawai‘i with federal funding from the U.S. Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. This pilot program assesses at-risk youth who have been arrested for minor or status offenses, identifies their needs, and links them and their families with appropriate services. These youths are not a threat to public safety, and diverting them out of the criminal justice system helps to free up our police officers for more important patrol duties, making better use of our public safety resources. Additional federal funding has been awarded to continue this initiative in 2014, and we strongly support the effort by OYS to expand this program to other islands and to Kona.

      "We also ask the Legislature to support statewide initiatives to increase funding for truancy prevention programs, and to place juvenile parole officers on Neighbor Islands. Current plans call for hiring a juvenile parole officer in East Hawai‘i and a second Kona parole officer to supervise and assist youths who have been incarcerated. We need to provide the necessary resources to intervene and divert these youths out of the criminal justice system and into services that will help them to succeed." 

HEALTH & RURAL RESIDENCY: "The state and Hawai‘i Island continue to face a severe physician shortage, and projections by the John A. Burns School of Medicine suggest the physician shortage will dramatically worsen in the next five years as many doctors retire. An important piece of the solution for our communities is the Hawai‘i Island Family Medicine Residency Program, which was recently notified that it has met the requirements for two-year accreditation. The program is actively recruiting, and will welcome its first class in July. National research shows that 80 percent of residents practice close to the facilities where they train, and we know this program will help ease the physician shortage in our county and in rural areas across the state.

     "We continue to support efforts by the Hawai’i Health Systems Corporation and our Hawai`i Island delegation to seek a state commitment of $2.8 million per year for the HHSC primary care training program. This includes the Hawai’i Island Family Medicine Residency program, and will also offer training to advanced practice nurses from programs at University of Hawai’i at Manoa and Hilo, and to students from the UH-Hilo College of Pharmacy.     

"This program will produce inter-disciplinary teams that can care for four times as many patients as independent practitioners, and will expand to serve rural communities on each of the islands. We are convinced this is an innovative and effective strategy for improving access to primary care services."

CIVIL DEFENSE:  Kenoi noted that "Contractors began work around the state in 2013 on the first phases of this project, and work in the County of Hawai’i is expected to begin this spring. This initiative will convert the existing radio-activated siren system to a more reliable satellite- and cellular-based system.

      "The additional $5 million for the siren systems over the next two years would be used to add new sirens to better notify the public in the event of an emergency. That would include 36 additional, modern sirens planned for Hawai‘i Island, and we urge your committees to continue this effort to protect our communities and expand this important piece of our public safety infrastructure."

COUNTY GE TAX: Kenoi is also involved with the Hawai`i Conference of Mayors, which is asking the legislature to give the counties the authority to raise the general excise tax for up to a 1 percent and keep the extra income in each county.

     West Hawai`i Today reported this morning that "state lawmakers were leery of giving up part of their taxing authority to the counties, saying it would limit their ability to raise the GET for their state programs. They also pointed out when they gave the City and County of Honolulu permission to add a 0.5 percent surcharge on the GET, it was supposed to be a temporary measure to fund its rail transit project. The other counties had the option to raise theirs as well, but none did so. And, they wondered, why county councils didn’t ask for the surcharge in their legislative package. For the surcharge to be imposed, it would have to be approved by the councils after a public hearing," wrote West Hawaii`i Today reporter Nancy Cook Lauer.
     During hearings yesterday, according to West Hawai`i Today, "Rep. Gene Ward, a Hawai`i Kai Republican, said that asking the Legislature "to allow a tax hike during an election year might be a difficult proposition, even if the Legislature was only giving counties the ability to do so, not actually raising taxes itself." Kenoi responded, “We would be accountable to our voters. We would shield that from the Legislature.”

TRANSIENT ACCOMMODATIONS TAX.: Another regular issue at the legislature is the Transient Accommodations Tax - how much should go to the state and how much to the counties? House Speaker Joseph Souki, in his opening day speech, asked the House to consider removing the TAT cap on how much money can go to the counties.
    "In this strong economy, should we not be thinking about a greater partnership with our counties, who provide much of the services that directly support tourism?” Souki asked lawmakers. “They are the ones who maintain our roads and parks and provide the law enforcement officers and first responders who directly serve our visitors as well as our kamaaina.” See more at www.westhawaiitoday.com.

THE AHU MOKU COUNCIL OF KA`U invites the public to a community forum this Saturday, Jan. 18 at 5 p.m. at Na`alehu elementary School, Room 31,  to discuss the proposed location of the wastewater treatment facility to be built by the county for Na`alehu. The forum will also include  and the county nomination of 1,363 acres in Kaunamano for purchase and preservations. The proposed location of the sewer facility is near the preservation site. Both are state property  makai of Hwy 11 near milemarker 63, between Honu`apo Scenic Lookout and Na`alehu School.
     An email from Keoni Fox, whose family is from the area says, "The County of Hawai`i, Department of Environmental Management, has submitted a request to the State of Hawai`i, Department of Land and Natural Resources for a perpetual easement to develop the County’s Naalehu Wastewater Treatment Facility on State DLNR property in Kaunamano, Ka’u.
     "On behalf of the Keanu Family, we support the development of a wastewater treatment facility for Na`alehu but we object to the proposed location in Kaunamano and the lack of community involvement in the site selection process.
     "In addition to concerns about the impacts to the cultural sites and environmental quality, we are also concerned about the location upwind from Naalehu Town and within 1000 feet of Na`alehu Elementary School.
     Fox writes that those who are unable to attend can send questions or comments regarding the project directly to the County’s consultant: Wynn Miyamoto, Fukunaga & Associates, (808) 944-1821, wmiyamoto@fukunagaengineers.com
     "You may also wish to send comments directly to the State, Department of Land and Natural Resources, Land Division:Wesley T. Matsunaga, Land Agent, (808) 961-9590, Wesley.T.Matsunaga@hawaii.gov," Fox advises. 
      According to the statement from Aha Moku Council, the $14.7 million sewage facility could be constructed this year. For more information. contact the Aha Moku Council of Ka`u through Darlyne Vierra at 640-8740, dpvierra@yahoo.com.

A VOLUNTEER RAINFOREST PROJECT takes place tomorrow, Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 3 pm. Volunteers plant seedlings on the Mauna Loa strip section of Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park. Call 352-1402 or contact forest@fhvnp.org.

PROCESS PAINTING - SPIRIT OF CREATIVITY IS THIS SATURDAY, from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at Volcano ARt Center's Ni`aulani Campus in Volcano Village. Patricia Hoban takes participants on a journey to encourage experimentation, exploration, discovery and play. No art education necessary. $45/$20 VAC members. 967-98222.

KA`U HOSPITAL URGES RESIDENTS to complete its Community Health Needs Assessment atsurveymonkey.com/s/93HQ5MX. The deadline has been extended to Jan. 31. 

SEE THE DIRECTORY from the Ka`u Chamber of Commerce at http://snack.to/fzpfg59c. 

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

Ka`u News Briefs Wednesday, Jan. 15, 2014

Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park encourages Ka`u residents to sign up for the Sanctuary Ocean Count of humpback whales. Photo from wayfaring.info

THE THREE NOMINEES FOR STATE HOUSE DISTRICT V that the Democratic Party sent to Gov. Neil Abercrombie were Richard Creagan, Steve Sakala and Michael Matsukawa, announced John Buckstead, chair of the Democratic Party for West Hawai`i. From these three names, Abercrombie chose Na`alehu resident Richard Creagan to replace Denny Coffman, who resigned last month.

Steve Sakala Photo from sustainables-
akala.weebly.com

Michael Matsukawa
Photo from Kohala Center 

      Matsukawa, an attorney from Kailua-Kona, has been active in a variety of community and government issues, including the Kona Community Development Plan. He was also Hawai`i County Corporation Counsel in the early 1990s.
      Sakala is an environmental consultant and proprietor of Honaunau EcoRetreat Farm and Education Center. He is also on the board of Kona Pacific Public Charter School and vice president of the Kona Chapter of Hawai`i Farmers Union.
      To comment on or like this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.

ROYAL HAWAIIAN ORCHARDS, with offices in Pahala and Hilo, is seeking to expand its branded macadamia nut product line by raising $9 million in a rights offering, in which existing stockholders can buy a specified number of new securities from the firm at a specified price within a specified time. 

      The company considers the rights offering a major step toward realizing its goal to transition from being a farming company to a branded healthy snack food company, president and CEO Scott Wallace said. “Our strategy is to capitalize on consumers’ views of nuts as an upscale healthy snack that can command prices above traditional mass-marketed products,” Wallace said, pointing out that the products have no artificial ingredients or genetically modified organisms, are gluten-free and contain no sulfites.

Royal Hawaiian Orchards wants to expand its line of maadamia products.
Image from royalhawaiianorchards.com

      “We are leveraging the existing nutritional properties inherent in tree nuts in our line of macadamia-based foods,” Wallace said. “Our strategy is based on promoting the health benefits of macadamia nuts, which are similar to those of almonds, a food product that has achieved strong market positioning based on growing consumer awareness of associated wellness properties.”
      Wallace said the company’s brand of macadamia nut-based snacks, introduced in late 2012, “has been accepted by consumers as a healthy snack alternative,” in more than 3,000 stores in Hawai`i and on the mainland.
      “The funds from this rights offering will be used to quickly expand distribution nationwide to national, regional and independent grocery and drug chains, as well as mass merchandisers, that target consumers with healthy eating habits and the disposable income needed to afford premium products,” Wallace said. “By pursuing a branded products strategy and continuing to farm macadamias, we believe that we may have a pricing advantage, because we are able to produce nuts from our own orchards at a relatively fixed and currently favorable cost and do not have to compete to purchase nuts from third parties.”
      Wallace said that the strategy also serves to mitigate the company’s exposure to fluctuating commodity prices, should wholesale nut prices decline.

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KA`U’S STATE SEN. RUSSELL RUDERMAN, who testified in favor of banning genetically modified organisms before Hawai`i County Council, has written what he says is the first of a series of articles on the subject in Big Island Weekly. 

      In the first installment, Ruderman attempts to “clear up some confusion about Bt corn.”

Sen. Russell Ruderman

      Ruderman says “there is a world of difference between the safe spray application of Bt to plants compared to the high levels of ingested and environmental Bt toxin that result from genetically modified Bt corn.”
      Bt, or Bacillus thuringiensis, is a bacteria which produces a toxin that kills many insects. When sprayed externally on a plant, Bt kills the insects but is not absorbed into the plant, Ruderman says. “In this form, it is safe for the plants and the humans or animals that ingest them.”
      In the case of Bt corn, the Bt bacteria has been artificially inserted into the genes of the plant, and every cell of the plant produces the Bt toxin, according to Ruderman. “In this case, the Bt toxin is ingested by humans or animals eating the GMO Bt crop, and large amounts of Bt toxin enter the soil as the tillage remains behind.  

      “In GMO Bt crops, we are consuming the toxin with every bite, and this poison builds up in our bodies and in the fields,” Ruderman says. 

      The senator says there have been several scientific studies showing ill effects in humans and animals from such high quantities of Bt toxin. “And as a result of this new widespread use, Bt-resistant strains of bugs have now developed for the first time. Tellingly, Bt corn itself is listed as a pesticide with the Environmental Protection Agency. In a human study, Bt bacteria were found to have transferred to the normal bacteria in the gut lining in subjects that ate Bt corn, creating a toxin-producing bacteria culture inside human digestive systems.”
      Ruderman says he will discuss such health studies in more depth in future articles.
      He suggests that consumers can avoid corn and corn products entirely or look for “non-GMO” or organic corn ingredients. “GMO products, including Bt corn, cannot be labeled organic,” Ruderman says.
      Ruderman asks interested parties to contact him at russell@russellruderman.com.

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Ka`ena Point, at the end of Chain of Craters Road, in a Sanctuary Ocean Count site.
Photo from NPS

HAWAI`I VOLCANOES NATIONAL PARK ENCOURAGES volunteers to register to help count humpback whales during the 2014 Sanctuary Ocean Count held the last Saturday of January, February and March (Jan. 25, Feb. 22, and Mar. 29), from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. 

      Ka`ena Point, located at the end of Chain of Craters Road in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park, is one of Hawai`i Island’s 21 Sanctuary Ocean Count sites. Volunteers on shore monitor humpbacks in nearshore waters for the Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary. Residents and visitors look forward to this yearly event, which provides important population and distribution information about humpback whales around the Hawaiian Islands.
      “The Sanctuary Ocean Count is an ideal opportunity for the community and the park to work together as stewards of the ocean,” said HVNP Public Affairs officer Jessica Ferracane. “These splendid creatures swim more than 2,000 miles to Hawai`i from Arctic waters every winter, and the annual count is one way to observe and record their behavior and ensure their future.”
      Registered volunteers meet Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park volunteer and Sanctuary Ocean Count site leader Jennifer Watson at the end of Chain of Craters Road on the scheduled count days.
      For more information, see hawaiihumpbackwhale.noaa.gov  or call the Ocean Count Hotline at 808-268-3087. To register online, go to sanctuaryoceancount.org.

An example of Process Painting by Patricia Hoban
Photo from VAC

KA`I HO`OPI`I SHARES MUSIC OF HIS `OHANA during a Na Leo Manu: Heavenly Voices program today at 6:30 p.m. at Kilauea Visitor Center Auditorium in Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park. Free; park entrance fees apply. 

KA`U AGRICULTURAL WATER COOPERATIVE DISTRICT meets tomorrow at 4 p.m. at Royal Hawaiian Orchards Macadamia Field Office. For more information, call Jeff McCall at 928-6456. 

PROCESS PAINTING - SPIRIT OF CREATIVITY is the topic Saturday from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at Volcano Art Center’s Ni`aulani Campus in Volcano Village. Patricia Hoban takes participants on a journey that encourages experimentation, exploration, discovery and play. “We strive to get rid of our internal critic and judge through this endeavor,” Hoban said. “When people learn the process, they can paint from within, letting their subconscious or right brain engage in spontaneous expression.” No previous art education or experience is needed. Fees are $45/$40 VAC members plus $5 for supplies. Register at 967-8222. 

KA`U HOSPITAL URGES RESIDENTS to complete its Community Health Needs Assessment at surveymonkey.com/s/93HQ5MX. The deadline has been extended to Jan. 31.

SEE THE DIRECTORY from the Ka`u Chamber of Commerce at http://snack.to/fzpfg59c.

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

Ka`u News Briefs Tuesday, Jan. 14, 2014

The new Hawai`i Growth Model data visualization website allows the community to track progress at the Pahala campus and other Hawai`i public schools. Photo by Julia Neal

KA`U COFFEE MILL AND ITS SISTER BRAND Ka`u Coffee Trading Co. recently launched sales of Ka`u Coffee Singles. “Great innovations can come in small packages,” says Ka`u Coffee Mill founder Edmund C. Olson. 

      Designed for the popular Keurig coffee brewer, each Single offers .35 ounce (10 grams) of pure Ka`u Coffee. “Singles allow coffee drinkers to prepare the exact amount perfect for one cup of precious Ka`u Coffee,” Olson said. Both Ka`u Coffee Mill and Ka`u Coffee Trading Co. Singles are Ka`u Estate Grown Medium Roast.

Ka`u Coffee Singles have the exact amount to brew one cup.
Photo from Ka`u Coffee Mill

      Olson said that distribution of Singles will broaden Ka`u Coffee Mill’s program to make 100 percent Ka`u Coffee a household name. Ka`u Coffee Singles come in packs of a dozen and are available at the new Big Island Trading Co. near the corner of Hwy 11 and Hwy 19 in Hilo. Ka`u Coffee Singles are also available at Ka`u Coffee Mill, www.kaucoffeemill.com and Hamakua Macadamia Nut Co., www.hawnnut.com.
      Look to the future for an expanded line of roasts and brands in Ka`u Coffee Singles, Olson said.

HAWAI`I’S RENEWABLE ENERGY GOALS are on lawmakers’ minds during this year’s state Legislature that opens tomorrow, according to a story in Civil Beat.
      According to Sophie Cocke, Ka`u’s Sen. Russell Ruderman, vice chair of the Senate Energy and Environment Committee, hopes to legalize industrial hemp as a crop that can be harvested for biofuel.
      She also reports that leaders of Hawai`i’s energy and environmental committees hope to pass a law requiring the state to derive 100 percent of its electricity from renewable energy sources by 2050. Currently, the goal is 40 percent renewable energy by 2030.
      Rep. Chris Lee, chair of the House Energy and Environmental Protection Committee, said the mandate would ensure that liquefied natural gas, if it is imported to Hawai`i in hopes of lowering consumer electricity bills, is eventually phased out and ensure that it remains a bridge fuel to more renewables.

Sen. Russell Ruderman

      Lawmakers hope to further the state’s renewable energy efforts by encouraging introduction of hydrogen cars to the Hawai`i market, boosting biodiesel and stimulating a market for biofuels in the transportation sector, Cocke says.
      One bill calls for building hydrogen fuel stations throughout the state.
      Blue Planet Foundation is supporting legislation that requires that five percent of diesel fuel sold in the state contain at least five percent locally produced biodiesel.
      Sen. Mike Gabbard, chair of the Senate Energy and Environment Committee, told Cocke he wants legislation requiring state regulators to review technological and economic obstacles to creating a modern grid system that can accept larger amounts of renewable energy.
      Another bill would create energy storage targets for the utilities in order to integrate more renewable energy into grids without causing power disruptions.
      Lawmakers and clean energy advocates seek legislation that would help community-based renewable energy projects. “Half or more of Hawai`i residents are simply unable to participate in clean energy because they don’t have a roof directly above their head, they live in a shady area, a condo or are a renter,” said Jeff Mikulina, executive director of Blue Planet Foundation, a clean energy advocacy group. Under the program, solar arrays could be placed in communal areas such as on warehouse roofs or in fields, allowing neighboring residents access to the solar energy.
      Hawai`i’s $1.05 per barrel oil tax, which expires June 2015, is also on the agenda this session. Lawmakers hope to extend the deadline through 2030 and allocate more of the funds to support energy and food security programs.
      See civilbeat.com.

      To comment on or like this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.

Summaries of 2013 legislative activity by members of Hawai`i's congressional delegation are available at GovTrack.us.
From left, Sen. Mazie Hirono, Sen. Brian Schatz, Rep. Colleen Hanabusa and Rep. Tulsi Gabbard.

THE GOVERNMENT TRANSPARENCY WEBSITE GovTrack.us has released its 2013 report cards for members of Congress. The report cards summarize legislative activity for each lawmaker, including Hawai`i’s Democratic delegation. 

      During her first year in the Senate, Mazie Hirono missed only one vote. Hirono ranked first among Senate freshmen who worked on legislation with the House. She also wrote bipartisan bills, with 60 percent of them having co-sponsors who are not Democrats.
      Sen. Brian Schatz had one of his nine bills enacted – the Native American Veterans’ Memorial Amendments Act. It was co-sponsored by Hirono, Alaska’s two senators and the vice chair of Indian Affairs. Schatz also co-sponsored 211 bills or resolutions. He missed four votes.
      Of the 131 bills Rep. Colleen Hanabusa co-sponsored, 40 percent were introduced by lawmakers who are not Democrats. She missed 17 votes.
      Rep. Tulsi Gabbard introduced only three bills, and one of them – the Helping Heroes Fly Act – was enacted into law. Gabbard was among the highest 10 percent of legislators in joining bipartisan proposals. She missed 18 votes.

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THE STATE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION has made available to parents, students and the Hawai`i community a public version of the Hawai`i Growth Model data visualization website at growthmodel.hawaiipublicschools.org/growth_model/public/index.htm.
      This interactive website allows users to click among multiple data streams comparing the state’s Complex Areas, schools and student groups, generating bubble charts that plot how those groups are faring according to two key yardsticks: Proficiency and Growth.
      “The launch of the public Hawai`i Growth Model data visualization website is an exciting step in the department’s journey to provide better information about school performance in timely, easy-to-access, user-friendly ways,” deputy superintendent Ronn Nozoe said.
      “The ability to visualize growth data in context with how a school or complex is performing in relation to others over time is critical to building understanding and collaborative action,” Nozoe said.
      The public can explore the website at HawaiiPublicSchools.org for key information about this new tool.
      Since summer 2013, DOE teachers and key staff have been using a private version of the Growth Model website to analyze student achievement data that helps inform instruction and guide school initiatives. The staff website is protected by federal and DOE regulations from being released publicly. Users of the public Growth Model website cannot view data for populations of fewer than 20 students.
      By making comprehensive data sets easily sortable and searchable, the Growth Model website supports all three goals of the department’s Strategic Plan: Student Success, Staff Success, and Successful Systems of Support.

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 USGS geologist Matt Patrick Photo from HVO

GEOLOGIST MATT PATRICK, OF USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory, presents an update on Kilauea’s summit eruption, including an overview of the volcanic processes occurring within the vent, today at 7 p.m. at Kilauea Visitor Center Auditorium in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park. $2 donations support park programs; park entrance fees apply.

KA`I HO`OPI`I SHARES MUSIC OF HIS `OHANA during a Na Leo Manu: Heavenly Voices program tomorrow at 6:30 p.m. at Kilauea Visitor Center Auditorium in Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park. Free; park entrance fees apply.

KA`U AGRICULTURAL WATER COOPERATIVE DISTRICT holds its next meeting at Royal Hawaiian Orchards Macadamia Field Office Thursday at 4 p.m. For more information, call Jeff McCall at 928-6456.

KA`U HOSPITAL URGES RESIDENTS to complete its Community Health Needs Assessment at surveymonkey.com/s/93HQ5MX. The deadline has been extended to Jan. 31.

SEE THE DIRECTORY from the Ka`u Chamber of Commerce at http://snack.to/fzpfg59c.

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