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Friday, January 08, 2016

Ka`u Calendar News Briefs Friday, Jan. 8, 2016

Ka`u Coffee lands at Moa`ula and Pear Tree have a new owner. Photo by Geneveve Fyvie
RESOURCE LAND HOLDINGS NOW OWNS Ka`u Coffee lands in Moa`ula and Pear Tree. The Colorado-based company closed the deal in late December, said John Cross, who works for RLH through Olson Trust. Cross said all but one of the Ka`u Coffee growers have signed leases with RLH to continue growing their award-winning coffee.
      Cross also said RLH is a willing seller to parties interested in purchasing the land. Hawai`i Department of Ag Chair Scott Enright said he is looking into the state buying it for an ag park.
      Read comments, add your own, and like The Ka`u Calendar News Briefs on Facebook.

APPROVAL OF EXPANDED MINING operations in Ocean View is getting closer, with a Windward Planning Commission panel recommending that two companies be allowed to expand, Nancy Cook Lauer reported in West Hawai`i Today.
      Arrow of Oregon seeks to add eight acres to the five they already mine, and David and Laura Rodrigues filed for a special use permit for five acres. Both operations are in the area of Lurline Lane, Kailua Blvd and Liliana Lane, where Cook Lauer said mining began in the late 1950s.
      The panel recommended that special use permits include requirements regarding setbacks, buffers, dust control and limited hours of operation to help satisfy neighbors’ concerns. 
      “The quarry operations proposed in both Arrow and the Rodrigueses’ applications are uses that meet the criteria for issuing a Special Permit,” the panel’s report stated.
      The entire commission plans to visit the area on Jan. 15 to before making a decision. Its next meeting is on Feb. 4.
      See westhawaiitoday.com.
      Read comments, add your own, and like The Ka`u Calendar News Briefs on Facebook.

HAWAI`I COUNTY COUNCIL HONORED Ka`u residents at its first meeting of the New Year on Wednesday. Ka`u’s County Council member Maile David presented Certificates of Merit to Patty Fujimoto and Bobby and Phoebe Gomes. “What they do for the Ka`u community and this island has been in collaboration and partnership for the betterment of our whole community,” David said.
Ka`u's Hawai`i County Council member Maile David honored Bobby and Phoebe
Gomes, Patty Fujimoto and her late husband Drake.
Photo from Office of Ms. David
      David honored Fujimoto and her late husband, Drake, for their dedication, aloha and compassion in sponsoring Hana Hou Restaurants annual Keiki Christmas Party for the past 12 years.
      “Your desire to do more and to help those less fortunate, especially our children, is overwhelming and inspirational,” David said. “Your volunteerism, spirit of aloha and unity in helpint the families of Ka`u has mad a profound difference in the quality of life for the people of your community.
      “Through your hard work, dedication and collaboration, you also provided the Ka`u Community with economic opportunities and career mentoring which are important components for building a health social and economic community. We honor you for the many years that you and Drake unconditional gave back to the community with compassion, generosity and working together with others in unity.”
      David honored Gomes for his public service and community advocacy. Gomes launched his 53-year career with Hawai`i County Police Department in 1962. “You nurtured several generations of children in Ka`u through tough love and constant reminders about the importance of `ohana, of helping your community and of treating everyone with honesty and respect,” David said.
      “As we all know, a man’s greatness is attributed to those closest to him. Your soul mate, guiding star, voice of reason for the past 59 years, is Aunty Phoebe. The kupuna dynamic duo that you are would help anyone in need without question or hesitation and always with aloha and compassion. You are an icon at parades and community events, an avid hula dancer and love playing the role of Santa because it brings joy to the faces of children who you love so dearly. …
      “Leading by example, and always with humility and respect for others, you have shown us what it means to truly ‘live aloha.’”
      Read comments, add your own, and like The Ka`u Calendar News Briefs on Facebook.

Geology of Kaua`i and Ni`ihau is the topic of Volcano Watch.
Map from USGS/HVO
THE HAWAIIAN ISLAND CHAIN is the subject of Volcano Watch throughout January. Hawaiian Volcano Observatory scientists offer a geologic tour of Kaua`i and Ni`ihau in this week’s article. 
      “But first, let's review the basic model for hotspot island formation – a model first proposed by Harold Stearns, a USGS geologist who mapped most of the Hawaiian Islands in the 1930s and 40s,” the issue states.
      “Stearns recognized four stages to the growth of Hawaiian volcanoes: (1) preshield (or submarine), when a volcano first starts to slowly grow underwater; (2) shield, when eruptive activity is frequent and the volcano rapidly builds above sea level; (3) postshield, when volcanic activity starts to wane and erosion outpaces resurfacing by lava; and (4) rejuvenated, when infrequent, isolated and small eruptions might occur up to millions of years after the postshield stage ends. All Hawaiian volcanoes experience preshield and shield stages, but, for reasons that are still unclear, not all go through the postshield and rejuvenated stages.
      “The stages of Hawaiian volcanism are defined by the vigor of eruptive activity, as well as the chemical composition of the erupted lava, which changes over time as the volcano is rafted away from the hotspot. New data and insights continually refine this model, but the overall tenets remain largely unchanged since first proposed by Stearns over 70 years ago.
      “Unlike other Hawaiian islands, both Kaua`i and Ni`ihau are single volcanoes rather than amalgamations of overlapping volcanoes, and the two islands were never connected. Ni`ihau probably formed first, since it is farthest west in the chain and volcanoes to the east are younger, but data indicating the exact onset times of the two volcanoes do not exist. We only know that both volcanoes formed about six million years ago.
      “Like all Hawaiian islands, both Ni`ihau and Kaua`i experienced periods of massive landslides throughout their histories, the evidence of which is preserved on the ocean floor as jumbles of rocky debris. Ni`ihau was once much larger, but the bulk of the island collapsed around five million years ago. The submarine collapse deposits were subsequently covered by lava during the growth of Kaua`i.
      The geology of Kaua`i is complex. There is evidence for a huge caldera in the east-central part of the island, but it appears to be mostly a collapse feature that was then filled by lava. Geophysical data suggest that the main center of volcanism was more or less beneath the Lihu`e Basin, which subsided (by either collapse or faulting) between three and four million years ago. The basin was subsequently filled by marine sediment and lava as it alternately subsided below sea level and then grew above sea level with lava inundation.
      “Vigorous shield-stage volcanism on Ni`ihau and Kaua`i ended by about four million years ago, after which the islands’ spectacular canyons and cliffs began to form. Interestingly, rejuvenated volcanism has been long-lived on both islands. Elsewhere along the island chain, rejuvenated volcanism is minor. The gap between shield and rejuvenated eruptions on Ni`ihau was about two million years, with the most recent eruption occurring about 350,000 years ago.
      “On Kaua`i, rejuvenated volcanism has occurred more or less continuously for the last 3.5 million years. The most recent eruption was only 150,000 years ago in the south part of the island, where black rock around the blowhole near Po`ipu and cinder cones around Koloa look similar to young volcanic rocks on the Island of Hawai`i. In fact, these eruptions are young enough to suggest that rejuvenated volcanism on Kaua`i is not yet over, but the odds of future eruptions in our lifetimes are small.”
      See hvo.wr.usgs.gov/volcanowatch.
      Read comments, add your own, and like The Ka`u Calendar News Briefs on Facebook.

Vision checks, health insurance sign-ups and pancakes are available
at Ocean View Community Center tomorrow.
VISION VAN AND HEALTH INSURANCE sign-ups are available at Ocean View Community Center’s Pancake Breakfast tomorrow. The three-hour event begins at 8 a.m. Call 939-7033. 

CARVED BY SAND: GLASS BLOWN, Sculpted And Carved opens Saturday at Volcano Art Center Gallery in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park. Daniel Moe’s work explores patterns, symbols and images highlighting environment, spirit and culture on Hawai`i Island. A reception takes place from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.
      The gallery is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. Free; park entrance fees apply.

KAHUKU UNIT OF HAWAI`I VOLCANOES National Park offers free programs this weekend.
Yellow `ohi`a is one variety at Kahuku. NPS Photo by Michael Szoenyi
      Participants learn about the vital role of `ohi`a lehua in native Hawaiian forests, its many forms and flower on an easy, one-mile walk tomorrow at 9:30 a.m. at Kahuku Unit of Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park.
      Palm Trail Hike on Sunday from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. is a moderately difficult 2.6-mile loop trail providing one of the best panoramic views Kahuku has to offer. See nps.gov/havo.

NA`ALEHU ASSEMBLY OF GOD presents the movie War Room: Prayer is a Powerful Weapon tomorrow at 6 p.m. Donations are $5 per adult, $3 ages three to 11 or two non-perishable food item per adult and one per child.

SUNDAY WALK IN THE PARK from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. features Cheryl Gansecki leading an easy and accessible roundtrip walk exploring Keanakako`i Crater. Free for Friends of Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park; non-members can join in order to attend. Registration required at admin@fhvnp.org or 985-7373.

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









See kaucalendar.com/KauCalendar_January2016.pdf.
See kaucalendar.com/Directory2015.swf
and kaucalendar.com/Directory2015.pdf.

Thursday, January 07, 2016

Ka`u Calendar News Briefs Thursday, Jan. 7, 2016

Signs along the Ka`u Scenic Byway portion of Hwy 11 will inform travelers of dates when lava flows occurred.
Photo from Ka`u Scenic Byway

AS KA`U NEARS THE 20TH ANNIVERSARY of the last sugar company to close down on the Big Island – at Ka`u Sugar – the corporation operating the last sugar company in the state has announced it will shut it down. 
      Ka`u Sugar shut down in April of 1996. Hawaiian Commercial & Sugar Co. will phase out by the end of this year, its owner, Alexander & Baldwin announced yesterday. A&B is the state’s fourth largest private landowner and one of the state’s most active real estate investors.
      A&B said it plans to pursue a diversified agricultural model for its 36,000-acre plantation on Maui. The transition to a new model will occur over a multi-year period. The plantation will be divided into smaller farms with varied agricultural uses, potentially including energy crops, food crops, support for the local cattle industry and development of an agriculture park.
      “The roughly $30 million agribusiness operating loss we expect to incur in 2015, and the forecast for continued significant losses, clearly are not sustainable, and we must now move forward with a new concept for our lands that allows us to keep them in productive agricultural use,” A&B executive chairman Stanley M. Kuriyama said.
Alexander & Baldwin said its central Maui sugar plantation will transition
into diversified agriculture. Photo from A&B
      “This is a sad day for A&B, and it is with great regret that we have reached this decision,” said Christopher J. Benjamin, A&B president and chief executive officer who ran HC&S as its general manager from 2009 to 2011. “Having had the privilege of working alongside the employees of HC&S for two years, I know firsthand the professionalism and dedication with which they perform their jobs. The longevity of the plantation is a testament to their resourcefulness and hard work. This transition will certainly impact these employees, and we will do everything we can to assist them. The cessation of sugar operations also will have a significant impact on the Maui community, and we will do our best to minimize that impact. A&B remains committed to Maui and will continue to be a significant corporate supporter of Maui charities and organizations.”
      Government officials responded quickly and pledged support for plantation employees.
      “It is with sadness that I received the news that Alexander & Baldwin will transition out of sugar farming after 145 years,” Gov. David Ige said. “This is a significant historic marker for Hawai`i, the end of an era that touched the lives of generations of hardworking, local families. My administration will work with A & B to help guide the transition. Rapid Response teams from the Department of Labor and Industrial Relations will be deployed to assist displaced workers with unemployment compensation, career transition, training for new jobs and job placement. DLIR will also work with the International Longshore and Warehouse Union.
      “A & B has played a significant role in the state’s economy and has supported our local communities for many years. The state will continue to partner with A & B to ensure its success.”
      Sen. Brian Schatz said, “I am deeply saddened by today’s announcement that sugar operations at HC&S will close this year. For over 130 years, sugar production on Maui was more than a business, spawning a way of life and generations of hard working women and men who made our state remarkable and great. I will work with Gov. Ige and other public officials to ensure that we honor the legacy of these generations by finding opportunities for those affected by the closedown. Similarly, it is essential that we work with Alexander & Baldwin in a coordinated effort to keep these extraordinary lands in active agriculture.”
      Sen. Mazie Hirono said, “Today’s announcement marks an end to plantation agriculture that shaped our state’s history. Hawaiian Commercial & Sugar Company has been a source of economic stability for the County of Maui, pioneered technical innovation in the field of agriculture and served as a catalyst to a labor movement that improved working conditions for Hawai`i families. We must ensure that the individuals and families affected by the cessation of sugar operations are provided the assistance they need during this transition. While today’s announcement marks the end of an era, it demonstrates that agriculture in Hawai`i continues to evolve. I will work with HC&S, ILWU and other local, state and federal partners to aggressively promote food and energy security and create new opportunities on Maui and throughout the state.”
      Ka`u’s state Sen. Josh Green, MD said, “It is a relief to so many that the air quality on Maui will improve as a result of no more cane burning on the island. We will be vigilant until we are certain that there is no more air pollution possible. I have legislation set to go forward in case anything changes.
      “In light of this change on Maui, it is also important to be supportive of neighbors who make their living working on the plantation as they make changes in the coming year. We are all here with our families together and need each other to make Hawai`i special.”
      Read comments, add your own, and like The Ka`u Calendar News Briefs on Facebook.

LAVA FLOW SIGNS WILL BE ERECTED along Ka`u Scenic Byway. Hawai`i Tourism Authority’s Natural Resources Program awarded $3,000 for 24 signs that will inform travelers heading each direction on Hwy 11 of years when 12 lava flows occurred, according to Rich Morrow, of Ka`u Scenic Byway Committee. 
      HTA President and CEO George Szigeti said, “We are excited about your project and believe it is the kind of work that can help to make a difference in Hawai`i.”
      Morrow also reported that an information kiosk is expected to be placed in Na`alehu Park soon. A blessing will be held upon completion of the project.
      Read comments, add your own, and like The Ka`u Calendar News Briefs on Facebook.

Kai Kahele testified before Hawai`i County Council yesterday.
Image from Hawai`i County
HAWAI`I COUNTY COUNCIL YESTERDAY approved Ka`u Council member Maile David’s resolution to provide Pa`a Pono Miloli`i with $5,000 to fight dengue fever. Miloli`i resident Kai Kahele, who has spearheaded the nonprofit’s efforts to protect residents from mosquitoes, said the funds would be used to cover and repair water catchment tanks at several homes. He said uncovered tanks are primary breeding grounds for mosquitoes. 
      Five more cases of dengue fever have been confirmed on Hawai`i Island. Yesterday, Hawai`i Department of Health reported a total of 207 cases, with six being potentially infectious. Of the confirmed cases, 187 are Hawai`i Island residents, and 20 are visitors.
      Read comments, add your own, and like The Ka`u Calendar News Briefs on Facebook.

TODAY, REP. TULSI GABBARD ANNOUNCED her support for the bipartisan Zero Tolerance for Terror Act, introduced in response to Iran illegally launching two ballistic missiles in October and November 2015. After investigating the Oct. 10 launch, United Nations Security Council found that the launch violated UNSC Resolution 1929, but the Council did not take action against Iran. Gabbard is an original co-sponsor of the legislation, which would allow Congress to quickly impose sanctions if the Iranian government commits an act of terror, provides support for terrorist organizations or violates international law by acquiring ballistic missile technology. While the implementation of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action will scale back nuclear sanctions, it does not limit the ability of Congress to enact new sanctions related to acts of terror or development of ballistic missiles.
Following UNSC's finding that Iran's launch of ballistic missiles violated its resolution,
Rep. Tulsi Gabbard supported the Zero Tolerance for Terror Act.
      “It’s been just six months since Iran agreed to curb its nuclear activity and end its pursuits to develop a nuclear weapon,” Gabbard said, “and Iran is already using other means to threaten our allies and violate its international commitments, including two recent ballistic missile tests that directly violate UN Security Council Resolution 1929 and were aimed at threatening our allies in Israel and the Arab Gulf. If we fail to take action to hold Iran accountable now, ensuring there are consequences to their actions, all future efforts to enforce the terms of these agreements will ring hollow.”
      Gabbard is a member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee.
      Read comments, add your own, and like The Ka`u Calendar News Briefs on Facebook.

I OLA NA `AINA MOMONA HOLDS a strategy and informational meeting on Sunday, Jan. 17 from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at Pahala Plantation House. The nonprofit works to help Ka`u farmers achieve land security. 
      Topics at the meeting include legal structures for holding property, partnerships with Hawai`i Island Land Trust or Trust for Public Land, donor recruitment and funding strategies.
      Attorney Steven Strauss, of Hilo, will offer advice and answer questions. Strauss enjoys working with land use and civil rights matters and has worked at all levels of Hawai`i state courts as well as the Court of Appeals for the U.S. Supreme Court.
      Everyone is welcome to attend. Pupus will be served.

PANCAKE BREAKFAST RETURNS to Ocean View Community Center Saturday from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. Call 939-7033

PARTICIPANTS LEARN ABOUT THE VITAL role of `ohi`a lehua in native Hawaiian forests, its many forms and flower on an easy, one-mile walk Saturday at 9:30 a.m. at Kahuku Unit of Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park.

NA`ALEHU ASSEMBLY OF GOD presents the movie War Room: Prayer is a Powerful Weapon Saturday at 6 p.m. Donations are $5 per adult, $3 ages three to 11 or two non-perishable food item per adult and one per child.

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



See kaucalendar.com/Directory2015.swf
and kaucalendar.com/Directory2015.pdf.
See kaucalendar.com/KauCalendar_December2015.pdf.




Wednesday, January 06, 2016

Ka`u News Briefs Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2016

Hawai`i Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary reports that growing numbers of the mammals are being sighted. Photo from NOAA
HAWAI`I HUMPBACK WHALE NATIONAL Marine Sanctuary responded to recent news stories expressing concern about apparent low numbers of humpback whales appearing this season in Hawai`i.
      “We can’t say that there are lower numbers, just later numbers,” Sanctuary Superintendent Malia Chow said. “Total numbers would require dedicated research. Anything else is observational or anecdotal.”
      Chow confirmed that whales are being observed daily in growing numbers.
Malia Chow Photo from NOAA
      Whale season is normally November through May. The peak is February and March. “Whales don’t have watches or calendars, so they might not exactly follow human expectations,” Chow said.
      “They were a bit later this year than in recent years but are now arriving, and our experts were out yesterday and saw a large number of whales off Maui,” Chow said. Local tour operators have also reported seeing normal numbers of whales recently.
      This year’s arrivals appear to be in keeping with long-term historic observations. Recent years have had whales arriving early, making a “normal” arrival appear to be late.
      HIHWNMS conducts Ocean Count, a citizen science volunteer effort to count whales, every year at the end of January, February and March. Numbers in February and March are typically higher than January.
      Numbers of whales usually gradually increase in January and February, since whales don’t all come in a mass at the same time, Chow said.
      The Sanctuary, administered by a partnership of NOAA’s Office of National Marine Sanctuaries and the state of Hawai`i through Department of Land and Natural Resources, protects humpback whales and their habitat in Hawaiian waters where they migrate each winter to mate, calve and nurse their young.
      For more information and to sign up for Ocean Sanctuary Counts, see hawaiihumpbackwhale.noaa.gov.
      Read comments, add your own, and like The Ka`u Calendar News Briefs on Facebook.

HAWAI`I PUBLIC UTILITIES COMMISSION is allowing NextEra Energy and Hawaiian Electric Co. to admit into evidence revised commitments during hearings regarding the companies’ proposed merger. The companies filed their new commitments on Nov. 27, the Friday before evidentiary hearings began. 
      PUC Commissioners Michael Champley and Lorraine Akiba voted to admit the revisions into evidence.
      Although Chair Randy Iwase disagreed with admission of the applicants’ changes, he said, “I concur with the majority’s decision to establish additional prehearing deadlines so that the reasons underlying applicants’ decision to revise their transaction commitments can be explored.”
Hawai`i PUC Chair Randy Iwase
      The commission will permit additional discovery and testimony by parties other than applicants regarding the changes.
      Applicants modified certain existing transaction commitments and put forth several new commitments, resulting in a total of 95 transaction commitments, compared to the 85 commitments previously set forth.
      According to applicants, revisions reflect “three main changes, all favorable to positions advocated by various parties in this proceeding. Specifically, applicants stated that revisions favorably affect issues of Clean Energy, Certainty of Rate Credits for Customers and Local Management, Corporate Governance and Ring-Fencing. Applicants maintain that because revisions only add to the applicants’ commitments previously submitted, all in the direction favored by other parties as noted above, and witnesses are available for examination in relation to revisions at the evidentiary hearing, no party is prejudiced by admission” of the revisions.
      Applicants’ attempt to admit revisions into evidence on the eve of the evidentiary hearings “violates the spirit and letter of the commission's orders,” Iwase wrote. “Applicants’ last-minute submission left the other parties with no reasonable opportunity to review, much less respond to,” the revisions.
      “These transaction commitments have been hotly contested and scrutinized in the pre-hearing stage leading up to the evidentiary hearings,” Iwase said. “A significant amount of the parties’ pre-hearing testimony specifically discussed the proposed transaction commitments listed in applicants’ original (commitments). Likewise, the parties prepared for the evidentiary hearings under the reasonable assumption that they would be cross-examining applicants’ witnesses on the transaction commitments contained in applicants’ original (commitments). By changing their transaction commitments at the eleventh hour, applicants have attempted, either explicitly or implicitly, to negate the other parties’ evidentiary hearing preparations.
      “If applicants are free to continually modify their commitments, this undermines the certainty of this proceeding.”
      Summarizing the decision published on Monday, commissioners stated that “the commission’s concern is that the record is complete with all relevant, material and necessary evidence before it makes a decision as to whether the merger application is in the public interest.”
      See puc.hawaii.gov.
      Read comments, add your own, and like The Ka`u Calendar News Briefs on Facebook.

VOLCANO RESIDENT ROSS RAMMELMEYER shared his thoughts about Pres. Barack Obama’s recent executive actions regarding gun control.
Kona Hema Preserve's champion koa.
Photos from DLNR
      “After a mere seven years of deliberation and 231,000 American men, women and children shot to death during that time, the President of the United States has put forward a modest proposal of gun control measures designed to slow the tsunami if deadly weapons breaking over the U.S.,” Rammelmeyer said. “Meanwhile, the bought and paid for United States Congress remains paralyzed regarding reasonable gun control measures. Assuredly, the National Rifle Association, the NRA, will quickly vigorously oppose the presidential measures as they counter to the wishes of the deadly weapons industry whose interests they represent in our country.”
      Read comments, add your own, and like The Ka`u Calendar News Briefs on Facebook.

THE START OF A NEW YEAR MARKS the beginning of the annual Hawai`i Big Tree Competition. Sponsored by the Department of Land and Natural Resources Division of Forestry and Wildlife and American Forests, the Big Tree program focuses attention on the largest trees of particular native species as a way to raise awareness about the importance of healthy trees and forests.
      The public is invited to find champions for 21 eligible species acknowledged by American Forests.
Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park's
champion manele.
      To replace a current champion, the challenger tree must have more total points. Total Points = Trunk Circumference (inches) + Height (feet) + one quarter Average Crown Spread (feet).
      To nominate a tree, contact Krista Lizardi at 808-587-0164 or Krista.M.Lizardi@hawaii.gov and provide the tree height, trunk circumference, and average crown spread. Also, know your tree’s specific location. GPS coordinates are appreciated.
      Current champions include a koa in The Nature Conservancy’s Kona Hema Preserve and a manele in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park.
      For more, see dlnr.hawaii.gov/forestry/info/big-tree and americanforests.org/bigtrees/bigtrees-search.

HAWAI`I POLICE DEPARTMENT has released statistics for 2015.
      DUI arrests decreased by 8.1 percent, with 1,064 compared with 1,158 in 2014.
      Drivers arrested for driving under the influence of an intoxicant who were involved in traffic accidents in 2015 numbered 318, compared with 304 in 2014, an increase of 4.6 percent.
      There were 79 drivers arrested for driving under the influence of an intoxicant who were under the age of 21 in 2015 compared with 68 in 2014, an increase of 16.2 percent.
      There were 1,541 major accidents in 2015 compared with 1,530 in 2014, an increase of 0.7 percent.
      Fifteen fatalities on Hawai`i Island (three of which had multiple deaths), resulted in 19 fatalities in 2015 compared with 11 fatal crashes resulting in 11 fatalities in 2014. This represents an increase of 36.4 percent for fatal crashes and 72.7 percent for fatalities.
      Impairment was a factor in 13 fatalities in 2015. Of those, one involved alcohol, seven involved drugs and five involved both drugs and alcohol.
      DUI roadblocks and patrols will continue island wide.
      Read comments, add your own, and like The Ka`u Calendar News Briefs on Facebook.

WEDNESDAY IS GAME NIGHT at Discovery Harbour Community Hall. Tonight and on the first Wednesday of each month, potluck begins at 5 p.m., with fun games and great conversation from 6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. Open to the public.

OCEAN VIEW NUTRITION SITE and Senior Club hosts activities at St. Jude’s Church on Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 8:30 a.m. and provides lunches from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. for seniors 60 and older. Donations requested. On Thursday, the program takes seniors to Kailua-Kona for doctors appointments, grocery shopping and to pick up prescriptions.
      For more information, call Dick Hershberger at 989-4140.

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

See kaucalendar.com/KauCalendar_January2016.pdf.


See kaucalendar.com/Directory2015.swf
and kaucalendar.com/Directory2015.pdf.