Ka`u Calendar News Briefs Monday, May 16, 2016

Ka`u residents visited the huge`Imakakaloa Hula Heiau yesterday on Olson Trust lands in the mountains between Pahala and Na`alehu, at the invitation of Edith Kanaka`ole Foundation representatives. See more below. 
Photo by Jasmine Cronin

RESULTS OF THE KA`U COFFEE Recipe Contest at Ka`u Coffee Mill are in from Saturday, the second of ten days of the annual Ka`u Coffee Festival, which continues through Sunday. Ka`u Coffee Mill offered $2000 in prizes to creators of a great variety of recipes made with Ka`u Coffee.
     First-place winner in the Adult Pupu category is Deanna Delmur with her Ka`u Coffee Smoke Tako Poke. Ka`u Coffee-Infused Hawaiian-Style Smoke Meat by Elgon Villanueva placed second, and Mike Haber’s Sweet Chili Coffee Shrimp placed third.

Deanna Delmur's Ka`u Coffee Smoke Tako Poke.
Photos by Pamela Taylor/ Ka`u Coffee Festival

      Deanna Delmur won first place in the Adult Entree category with Ka`u Coffee Crusted Rack of Lamb with Coconut Rice and Springtime Veggies.
      Cathy Haber’s Ka`u Coffee Cream Pie took first place in the Adult Dessert category. Ka`u Cappuccino Punchbowl Cake by Nalani Stevenson placed second, and Carma Hanshew’s Candied Coffee Ginger was third-place winner.
      CeAndra Silva-Kamei won first in Student Pupu with Ka`u Coffee BBQ Shrimp and first in the Student Entrée category with Fingah Licken Good BBQ Chicken. Lorilee Lorenzo placed second in each category with Super Ono Chicken Bites and Coffee Fried Chicken.

      In the Student Dessert category, Hayden Hanshew placed first with Moca Roca, CeAndra Silva placed second with Ka`u Coffee Pineapple Upside-Down Cake, and Lorilee Lorenzo placed third with Peanut Butter Coffee Bars.
     See more photos below.

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Ed Olson speaks with Edith Kanaka`ole Foundation
representative Huihui Kanahele-Mossman at `Imakaloa
Heiau, the largest known hula heiaul in Hawai`i. It is
located on mauka lands between Na`alehu
and Pahala. Photo by Lynn Hamilton

'IMAKAKALOA HULA HEIAU was the destination of a visit Sunday by community members and representatives of the Edith Kanaka`ole Foundation. As part of a community outreach, the foundation and Edmund C. Olson invited the public to see the ancient hula platform located off the old sugar haul road in the mountains between Pahala and Na`alehu. Guests included members of Hawaiian Civic Club of Ka`u.

      Foundation representative Huihui Kanahele-Mossman said the heiau has the largest hula platform of any she has seen in Hawai`i. The foundation’s hope is that the heiau becomes used regularly and maintained following restoration, she said.

      The foundation is looking for volunteer help from the community to restore the heiau in time for a large gathering of kumu hula in 2018. The gathering takes place at various locations once every for years.
      Foundation representatives previously said they welcome all ideas, family histories and community participation in not only the future of the physical heiau recently rediscovered by Ka`u Rancher Al Galimba on property belonging to Edmund C. Olson Trust. They talked about the heiau becoming a focal point for community and cultural outreach, perhaps with programs in the schools.
      For more information, see edithkanakaolefoundation.org.

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CONTROLLING ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGE consumption at Ocean View's Kahuku Park is the topic of a bill to be heard by Hawai`i County Council tomorrow. Council member Maile David's Bill 201 receives its first hearing before the council after being unanimously passed by the Public Works & Parks & Recreation Committee. It would require that a permit be obtained by those who rent the facility.
       The meeting takes place at 9 a.m. at Council Chambers in Hilo. Ka`u residents can participate via videoconferencing at Na`alehu State Office Building. The meeting is streamed live, and the agenda is available, at hawaiicounty.gov.

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Deanna Delmur's Ka`u Coffee Crusted Rack of Lamb
Photo by Pamela Taylor/Ka`u Coffee Festival

KA`U COFFEE FESTIVAL IS IN FULL SWING. The festival began with the Pa`ina at Pahala Plantation House on Friday, followed by Ka`u Coffee Recipe Contest and Miss Ka`u Coffee Pageant at Ka`u Coffee Mill on Saturday. Lobsterpalooza at Punalu`u rounded out the first weekend of activities. See more in tomorrow's Ka`u News Briefs.

      Upcoming events include two opportunities to explore the Ka`u Forest & Water System from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Wednesday and Thursday. $40 per person includes lunch. Contact Lisa Wright at lisa@kaucoffeemill.com or 928-0550.
      Reserve a ranch lunch at Coffee & Cattle Day. Aikane Plantation owners Phil and Merle Becker invite participants to their ranch on Friday at 10 a.m. The descendants of J.C. Searle, the first coffee grower in Ka`u, explain how coffee is integrated into cattle ranching and other agriculture. $25 per person includes buffet lunch. Call 808-927-2252 or email aikaneplantation@hawaii.rr.com.

      Later on Friday, stargaze from the top of Makanau from 5:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. John Cross, of Olson Trust, will speak on the land’s history and significance. $35 includes refreshments and shuttle rides. Email lisa@kaucoffeemill.com or call 928-0550.

Cathy Haber’s Ka`u Coffee Cream Pie
Photo by Pamela Taylor/Ka`u Coffee Festival

      These events lead up to the Ka`u Coffee Festival Ho`olaule`a on Saturday, with a full day of entertainment, displays, Ka`u Coffee tasting, farm tours, the Ka`u Coffee Experience and food at Pahala Community Center from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Meet the farmers and Miss Ka`u Coffee 2016, her court and more pageant winners and participants.
    Win $1000 in prizes and cash at Buy Local, It Matters. Bring receipts, business cards or product labels from local business participants to the Ho`olaule`a for a chance to win. See www.kaucoffeefest for a list of participants.

      Ka`u Coffee College closes the festival on Sunday from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. Participants learn about the growing business of Ka`u Coffee.
      Festival sponsors include County of Hawai`i, Hawai`i Tourism Authority, Edmund C. Olson Trust, Buy Local, It Matters and many local businesses, as well as coffee farmers themselves. 

      See kaucoffeefest.com.

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THE HARRY MCKEE SCHOLARSHIP Foundation recently awarded five Ka`u students scholarships for the 2016-2017 school year. Ka`u residents, Monica Corvarrubio, Sheilla Felipe and Mahealani Enos, all seniors at Ka`u High School, Bernadette Cagampang, a Konawaena High senior, and Kaweni Ibarra, a Ka`u High graduate who now attends California State University-Sacramento, will each receive $1,000 for their college funding.

Hayden Hanshew won placed first with Moca Roca
in the Student Dessert category.
Photo by Pamela Taylor/Ka`u Coffee Festival

       The McKee Scholarship Foundation based in Ocean View is managed by a volunteer board of directors that strives to carry on Harry McKee’s legacy of providing students with higher education opportunities.

      For more information, see http://mckeescholarship-foundation.weebly.com.

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UH-CTAHR AGRICULTURAL DIAGNOSTIC Service Center offers a hands-on workshop about sampling on Tuesday, May 24 at 9 a.m. at Kona Cooperative Extension Service in Kealakekua. Correct sampling procedures and submissions are critical for proper ID and analyses results. 

      During this hands-on workshop, Brian Bushe, of the Hilo ADSC lab, will teach participants proper procedures of collecting and submitting common plant and farm samples and how samples are handled and processed at the lab. Bushe will also conduct diagnostics of samples brought by participants. Additionally, cooperative extension agents will provide hands-on training for leaf and soil sampling of avocado, macadamia nut, citrus and coffee. 

Eager tasters line up at Ka`u Coffee Recipe Contest held
Saturday at Ka`u Coffee Mill.
Photo by Pamela Taylor/Ka`u Coffee Festival

      ADSC is the backbone to Extension and provides important services for commercial growers, gardeners and homeowners. It provides services such as pest, disease, bacteria and virus ID as well as analyses for feed and forage, plant tissue and soil, and irrigation water and nutrient solutions.

      Participants will walk to Kona Research Station from the conference room for the leaf and soil sampling. Be prepared for rain, sun, uneven terrain and to actively participate.
      For information and to register, email ginab@hawaii.edu or andreak@hawaii.edu, or call 322-4892 by tomorrow.

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I OLA NA `AINA MOMONA, led by Malian Lahey, who is raising funds to work toward Ka`u farmer land security, is hosting a Locavore Benefit Dinner tomorrow at 6 p.m. at Pahala Plantation House. $48 includes food and drink by `Ohelo Café, Café Pesto and Big Island Brewhaus, with entertainment by Hawane Rios & Band. 

      Call 808-206-9983 for more information.

Meet Emma Stibbon at After Dark in the Park.

ARTIST-IN-RESIDENCE Emma Stibbon displays and discusses her work tomorrow at 7 p.m. at Kilauea Visitor Center Auditorium in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park.

      Stibbon went to art school at Goldsmiths, London and received a Research Fine Arts MA from the University of the West of England, Bristol. Drawing from environments that are undergoing transformation or change is at the heart of Emma's practice and dramatic monochrome drawings. The volcanic terrain of Hawai`i is a place of natural and psychological uncertainty,” Stibbon said. “My aim is to suggest a sense of the strength, resilience and yet ultimate fragility of terrain around the volcanoes by walking, drawing from observation and gathering other research in the field.”

      $2 donations support After Dark in the Park programs; park entrance fees apply.

RICHARD “LIKEKE” TEANIO performs Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. at Kilauea Visitor Center Auditorium in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park. Teanio has been featured on multiple recording projects for Kekuhi Kanahele, Diana Aki, Russell Mauga and Walter Aipolani.
      Free; park entrance fees apply.

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

See kaucalendar.com/KauCalendar_May2016.pdf.

See kaucalendar.com/TheDirectory2016.html
and kaucalendar.com/TheDirectory2016.pdf.

Ka`u Calendar News Briefs Sunday, May 15, 2016

Miss Ka`u Coffee Pageant participants gather on stage after receiving scholarships, crowns, lei, flowers balloons and gifts.
Photo by Pamela Taylor

MISS KA`U COFFEE 2016 is Rochelle Koi, 22, daughter of Rory Koi, of Na`alehu, and Michelle Ortega, of Pahala. She was crowned by Miss Ka`u Coffee 2015 Maria Miranda at the pageant held last night at Ka`u Coffee Mill.  Koi won the Interview and Evening Gown titles and tied for the Career Outfit title at yesterday’s pageant directed by Ka`u Coffee farmer Trini Marques and held at Ka`u Coffee Mill.
     Koi, whose talent is singing, is a University of Hawai`i student and works at Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park as a ranger. Koi takes home scholarships totaling $2750 from the Edmund C. Olson Trust, Pacific Quest and Ka`u Chamber of Commerce.  For all scholarships, sponsors and the pageant program, see http://www.kaucalendar.com/MissKauCoffeeFest_Program2016.pdf

Miss Ka`u Coffee 2016 Rochelle Koi
receives her crown from Miss Ka`u
Coffee 2015 Maria Miranda.
Photo by Michael Worthington

      First Miss Ka`u Coffee Princess is Casey Koi, 21, daughter of Corey and Connie Koi, of Pahala. She tied in Career Outfit and Miss Photogenic categories. She is a student at University of Hawai`i-Hilo.

      Jami Beck, 17, is Second Miss Ka`u Coffee Princess and daughter of James and Sharon Beck, of Na`alehu. She won the Swimsuit competition and tied in the Talent competition. Beck is a student at Ka`u High School.
      Third Miss Ka`u Coffee Princess is Shaira Panganiban Badua, 18, daughter of Mario and Lucia Badua, of Pahala. The senior at Ka`u High School tied in the Talent competition.
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JUNIOR MISS KA`U COFFEE 2016 is Karlee Fukunaga-Camba, 15, daughter of Keala and Justine Camba, of Pahala. She won Talent and Evening Gown categories. She attends Ka`u High School.

      First Junior Miss Ka`u Coffee Princess is Calaysa Koi, 11, daughter of Corey and Connie Koi, of Pahala. She is a student at Ka`u Middle School.
      Lyric Oliveiros, 15, is Second Miss Ka`u Coffee Princess. She is the daughter of Junior and Saydi Llanes. Oliveiros won the Hobby Outfit Competition and attends Ka`u Middle School.
      Third Junior Miss Ka`u Coffee Princess is Helena Nihipali-Sesson, 14, daughter of Guy Sesson and Sherraine Nihipali-Sesson, of Pahala, and Bradford and Jadelyn Moses, of Pahala. She is a student at Ka`u High School. For scholarships, sponsors and the pageant program,
see http://www.kaucalendar.com/MissKauCoffeeFest_Program2016.pdf
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Junior Miss Ka`u Coffee, Miss Ka`u Coffee and Miss Ka`u Peaberry candidates gather on stage in their evening gowns
with Pageant Chair Trinidad Marques, at center. Photo by Michael Worthington

MISS KA`U PEABERRY 2016 is nine-year-old Chazlynn Pua-Queja, daughter of Chad and Queja and Jerilyn Pua, of Pahala. She won the Character Outfit category and attends Pahala Elementary School.
      For sponsors, scholarships and the pageant program, see http://www.kaucalendar.com/MissKauCoffeeFest_Program2016.pdf

Rochelle Koi tied for the Career Outfit
category. Photo by Pamela Taylor

      First Miss Ka`u Peaberry Princess is eight-year-old Jazmyn Navarro, daughter of Jonathan and Jennifer Navarro, of Pahala. Navarro won the Talent competition. She is a student at Pahala Elementary School.

      Second Miss Ka`u Coffee Princess is six-year-old Khloe Moses, daughter of Jack and Brenda Moses, of Pahala. She won the Evening Gown competition. Moses attends Pahala Elementary School.

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MISS KA`U COFFEE PAGEANT COMMITTEE thanks the following sponsors: Ka`u Coffee Mill, Edmund C. Olson Trust II, Hawai`i Coffee Co., Crop Rx, Ka`u Mahi, Pacific Quest, Ka`u Royal Hawaiian Coffee & Tea Co., Punalu`u Bake Shop, CU Hawai`i Federal Credit Union, Ka`u Local Products, Crop Production Services, Paradise Helicopters, Ka`u Chamber of Commerce, Science Camps of America, Ka`u Specialty Coffee, Hawai`i Forest & Trail, OK Farms, Genny Aiona, Sen. Russell Ruderman, Sen. Josh Green, Rep. Richard Onishi, Rep. Richard Creagan, County Council Member Maile David, Aunty Ba Fund, Donna Butler, Masako Sakata and donors at the Pahala Plantation House Pa`ina Kick-off for Ka`u Coffee Festival Week.
     See more on the pageant in Monday's Ka`u News Briefs.
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SCIENCE CAMPS OF AMERICA and Edmund C. Olson Trust II presented a full scholarship at the Miss Ka`u Coffee Pageant. It will be made available to a Miss Ka`u Coffee candidate between ages 13 and 17.

      Science Camps, founded by Executive Director Michael Richards, are based at Pahala Plantation Cottages. Participants have the opportunity to interact with scientists at remote research stations. Disciplines range from field biology, marine biology and geology to astronomy. Land & Sea Camp is from June 29 to July 8, and Air & Space Camp is July 9-18.
      See sciencecampsamerica.com for more information.

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HAWAI`I COUNTY COUNCIL COMMITTEES meet tomorrow. Public Works and Parks & Recreation Committee meets at 10 a.m.; Finance, 10:15 a.m.; Planning, 11 a.m.; Environmental Management, 1:30 p.m.

      Environmental Management continues its discussion of a proposed ban on Styrofoam food containers. Statements from the public were concluded during a May 3 meeting and are closed.
      Ka`u residents can participate via videoconferencing at Na`alehu State Office Building. Meeting are streamed live, and agendas are available, at hawaiicounty.gov.
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Mina Morita

FORMER HAWAI`I PUBLIC UTILITIES CHAIR Mina Morita shared her thoughts on the proposed merger of Hawaiian Electric Co. and NextEra Energy. Closing briefs have been filed in the application.

      “Hawai`i’s clean energy transformation cannot be achieved without a financially strong, technology savvy, analytical and data-driven electric utility,” Morita said on her blog at minamoritaenergydynamics.com. “To be successful, it will have to be an electric utility whose focus is on its customers and its responsibility to provide a public good under the supervision of a capable and independent regulator to monitor its performance and serve as a buffer from the antics of politics. …
      “For more than fifteen years, as a legislator and later as the Public Utilities Commission Chair, I worked with key legislators (including the governor) to give the Hawai`i PUC its independence and the resources it needed to reform and revitalize the agency to tackle the policy, economic and technical challenges to oversee the transformation of the electricity sector by Hawai`i’s electric utilities. Recently, this effort has finally come to fruition, but, unfortunately, all will be for naught if the biggest decision before the PUC, the merger application, becomes a decision of just doing the governor’s bidding rather than the decision of a capable and independent regulator.
      “NextEra is recognized as a top performing utility and company nationally. There is little doubt about NextEra being financially and technically fit, willing and able, the typical standard in judging the capabilities of an entity to acquire a public utility. Other than this question of ‘fitness,’ the larger issue is whether the approval can be conditioned to satisfy a broader concern of the PUC to address public interest as defined by the PUC. It has been a failure on the part of the state parties, that the Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism, Office of State Planning and the Consumer Advocate, have not made an attempt to negotiate a settlement to condition an approval.
      “We need to put into perspective the state of Hawai`i’s responsibilities in this very important transaction between two private businesses subject to regulation. The aforementioned State agencies are responsible for our state’s business climate. The state has the ability and duty to regulate and govern the environment NextEra functions in; to align a public utility providing a public good with the public interest. However, it appears that this isn’t a question of ‘fitness’ anymore. It has become an issue of an intransigent administration refusing to negotiate in an attempt to stymie a business transaction between private companies at any cost, including the already damaged business climate in Hawai`i. Unfortunately, this appears more indicative of the Ige administration lacking confidence in its ability to regulate when the state of Hawai`i has the authority and power to do so.
      “Whether it’s a go or no go, a timely PUC decision before the June 3 walk-away date allows all parties to move on rather than being held captive to further political drama.”

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Auditions for The Music Man are tomorrow
and Tuesday. Image from wikipedia

KILAUEA DRAMA & ENTERTAINMENT NETWORK holds auditions for its summer production of The Music Man tomorrow and Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. at Kilauea Military Camp Theater in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park. All ages, singers and dancers must be prepared to sing, read scenes and move on stage. Presentation dates are July 8 – 24.

      Call 982-7344 for more information.

I OLA NA `AINA MOMONA raises funds to work toward Ka`u farmer land security with a Locavore Benefit Dinner Tuesday at 6 p.m. at Pahala Plantation House. $48 includes food and drink by `Ohelo Café, Café Pesto and Big Island Brewhaus, with entertainment by Hawane Rios & Band. Call 808-206-9983 for more information.

HAWAI`I VOLCANOES NATIONAL PARK’S artist-in-residence Emma Stibbon, noted for her dramatic and extreme monochrome landscape drawings, displays and discusses her work Tuesday at 7 p.m. at Kilauea Visitor Center Auditorium.
      $2 donations support After Dark in the Park programs; park entrance fees apply.

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

See kaucalendar.com/KauCalendar_May2016.pdf.

See kaucalendar.com/TheDirectory2016.html
and kaucalendar.com/TheDirectory2016.pdf.

Ka`u Calendar News Briefs Saturday, May 14, 2016

Dancers fill Pahala Plantation House's foyer during Ka`u Coffee Festival's Pa`ina to swing to the Kachi Kachi music of El Leo, with Ka`u's state Sen. Russell Ruderman on guitar. Photo by Ron Johnson

A COLLABORATIVE EFFORT of government and non-government organizations from across the state will raise awareness about the threat of wildfire and drought to Hawai`i’s natural resources and to private and public property.

      Wildfire & Drought Look Out! is a continuing campaign to keep people across the state informed of current fire and drought conditions, provide tips on protecting life and property from wildfire and provide information and education on how to deal with prolonged drought.

A new effort raises awareness of wildfire and drought.
Image from Hawai`i DLNR

      The Department of Land and Natural Resources’ Division of Forestry and Wildlife is the lead agency charged with wildfire prevention and suppression on public lands across the state. DLNR Chair Suzanne Case said, “We hope this campaign, which has both a public and a media component, will educate and inform everyone living in and visiting Hawai`i about the year-around threat of wildfires. While fires here in Hawai`i burn smaller acreages than in much larger western states, the percentage of forest land we lose each year to wildfire, based on Hawai`i’s actual land mass, is equal to states like California.”

      This year, 10,865 acres have already burned, over twice the number of acres burned during all of 2015.
      The campaign has two components. Hawai`i Wildfire Management Organization is one of the primary partners in the Wildfire & Drought Look Out! Project. HWMO Executive Director Elizabeth Pickett said, “We have set up both a public and a media page on the HWMO website. The public page will have loads of information for home and property owners on how best to prepare for the possibility of wildfire well in advance. We’ll include water saving information which is really topical during this prolonged drought event in many areas across the state, largely caused by El Nino weather conditions.”

      HWMO will also maintain and manage a media page, where partners can contribute story ideas and leads for reporters and their news organizations. “We hope media outlets across the state will find this information valuable and topical and join all of us in spreading prevention and preparedness messages widely,” Pickett said.
      There was a time when wildfire season in Hawai`i typically started in late spring or early summer and lasted until late fall. “Now with prolonged drought across large regions of the Hawaiian Islands and long-range predictions that show no apparent relief soon, the timing of the Wildfire & Drought Look Out! campaign couldn’t be better,” said Derek Wroe, a forecaster with NOAA’s National Weather Service office in Honolulu, another of the project partners.
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HFUU President Vincent Mina with Miss Ka`u Coffee 2015
Maria Miranda and Miss Peaberry 2016 candidate
Khloe Moses. Photo by Jesse Tunison

KA`U COFFEE FESTIVAL OPENED yesterday with the Pa`ina at Pahala Plantation House. Attendees enjoyed music by Bolo & Friends and Puerto Rican music by El Leo, with Ka`u’s state Sen. Russell Ruderman on guitar. They also met young ladies who will participate this evening to be named Miss Ka`u Coffee, Junior Miss Ka`u Coffee and Miss Peaberry. Local farmers provided fresh foods cooked by chefs from around the state for a feast that filled the dining room table.

      Hawai`i Farmers Union United and Ka`u Chamber of Commerce co-sponsored the event.

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HAWAI`I GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS welcome new direct Kona-Japan air service.
      Mayor Billy Kenoi said he is thrilled that the U.S. Department of Transportation has approved the Hawaiian Airlines’ application to provide passenger air service to Tokyo’s Haneda International Airport from Honolulu and Kona International Airports.
      “Our economy is uniquely tied to air service,” Kenoi said. “Thousands of our working families depend on the visitor industry, not only at resorts and hotels but also at attractions, activities, restaurants and retailers. This is great news for our state and especially for Hawai`i Island.”
      Entrepreneurs on Hawai`i Island who specialize in agriculture and aquaculture niche markets will also benefit from added market opportunities since this flight will be able to carry air cargo. “These products no longer have to be sent to Honolulu before being flown to Japan,” Kenoi said. “This increases freshness and reduces cost.”
      The new route will bring a regularly scheduled international flight to Hawai`i Island for the first time since 2010, the last year Japan Airlines offered service between Kona and Tokyo’s Narita airport. Hawaiian Airlines will start flying directly into Kona from Haneda three times a week by Jan. 29, 2017.

Miss Peaberry candidate Chazlynn Pua Queja introduced herself
at yesterday's Ka`u Coffee Festival Pa`ina. Photo by Jesse Tunison

      Assisting in restoration of this route has been a priority of the Kenoi administration ever since Japan Air Lines ended its service. “The County of Hawai`i has done everything it could to support Hawaiian Airlines’ application for the flight, including discussions and communications with U.S. Secretary of Transportation Anthony Foxx and Department of Homeland Defense Secretary Jeh Johnson regarding Customs and Border Protection in Kona,” Kenoi said.

      Kenoi thanked Hawaiian Airlines for never giving up its pursuit to expand its Hawai`i-Japan routes, significantly the direct flight into Kona. “Our residents are keenly aware of the great economic impact this will have for the entire island,” he said. “This is also a win-win as it strengthens the competitiveness of Hawaiian Airlines in this market and fulfills a U.S. Department of Transportation mandate to strengthen smaller carriers.”
      “This creates the opportunity for us to open up Kona as an international point of entry. This is a significant step toward making that happen,” said Mike McCartney, Gov. Ige’s chief of staff.
      “Today’s announcement that Hawaiian Airlines will now have authority to fly a route from Haneda Airport in Tokyo to Kona is good for Hawai`i’s visitor industry and an important first step in restoring direct service from Kona International Airport to Japan,” U.S. Sen. Mazie Hirono said. “We haven’t had direct commercial flights from Japan to Kona since October 2010, and I have been working closely with our state and federal departments of transportation as well as CBP to make this happen as soon as possible.”
      “Secretary Foxx shared this good news this morning, and I continue to appreciate the excellent work the Secretary has done to add new routes between Tokyo and the U.S.,” Sen Brian Schatz said. “It is important to keep in mind there are five more routes up for competition, and I will continue to strongly advocate for Hawaiian Airlines in their effort to secure more direct flights from Tokyo to Hawai`i. Hawaiian has a proven record of success in the Tokyo market, and there continues to be tremendous demand to fly into Hawai`i.”
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Hawai`i is vulnerable to tsunamis
created by earthquakes in the Aleutian
Islands. Map from UH-Manoa

THE PROBABILITY OF A MAGNITUDE-9 or stronger earthquake in the Aleutian Islands in the next 50 years — an event with sufficient power to create a mega-tsunami especially threatening to Hawai`i – is nine percent, according to a new study by researchers at University of Hawai`i Manoa. 

      An earlier state of Hawai`i report estimated the damage from such an event would be nearly $40 billion, with more than 300,000 people affected.
      Hawai`i is especially vulnerable to a tsunami created by an earthquake in the subduction zone, where sections of the Earth’s crust slip past one another, of the Aleutian Islands.
      Researchers created a numerical model based on the basics of plate tectonics. They also used recorded histories and seismic/tsunami evidence related to the five largest earthquakes (greater than magnitude nine) since 1900.
      “These five events represent half of the seismic energy that has been released globally since 1900,” said lead author Rhett Butler. “The events differed in details, but all of them generated great tsunamis that caused enormous destruction.”
      To further refine the probability estimates, they took into account tsunamis prior to recorded history, evidence of which is preserved in geological layers in coastal sediments, volcanic tephra and archaeological sites.

MISS KA`U COFFEE PAGEANT is this evening at 6 p.m. at Ka`u Coffee Mill. Candidates also vie for Junior Miss Ka`u Coffee and Miss Peaberry.
      Contact Trinidad Marques at 936-0015 or aliihhhcoffee@yahoo.com.

VISIT `IMAKAKOLOA HEIAU tomorrow from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. Participants meet Edith Kanaka`ole Foundation representatives at Na`alehu Shopping Center parking lot or in front of Edmund C. Olson office building in Pahala for a 9 a.m. departure.

LEARN ABOUT `OHI`A LEHUA tomorrow at 9:30 a.m. at Kahuku Unit of Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park. Participants learn about the vital role of `ohi`a lehua in native Hawaiian forests, its many forms and flower on this free, easy, one-mile walk.

LOBSTERPALOOZA IS TOMORROW at 2 p.m. A new event for 2016, Ka`u Coffee Festival Lobsterpalooza on the lawn of the beach house at Punalu`u Black Sand Beach is presented in concert with Hana Hou Restaurant and `O Ka`u Kakou. $75 per person in advance includes a choice of surf or turf menu and live entertainment. Call 929-9550.

Meet old and new friends a week from today at Ka`u Coffee
Festival Ho`olaule`a. Photo from Ka`u Coffee Festival

KA`U COFFEE FESTIVAL HO`OLAULE`A is a week from today on Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Many coffee growers will donate their time, giving tours of coffee farms and manning coffee tasting and sales booths, as well as public information booths and putting out the manpower it takes to put on the festival.

      Enjoy a free, full day of music, hula, Ka`u Coffee Experience, educational displays and demonstrations, farm tours, vendors, and meet the farmers. Skylark and Debbie Ryder are emcees announcing entertainers including Halau Hula Kalehuaki`ki`eika`iu, Hands of Time, Hannah’s Makana `Ohana Halau, Miss Ka`u Coffee, Junior Miss Ka`u Coffee, Miss Peaberry and their courts, Kupuna `O Pahala, Bolo, Keaiwa & Demetrius, Halau Hula O Leonalani, Inoue `Ohana, Sammi Fo & Halau Kahokukauahiahionalani, Phoebe & Bobby Gomes Family, Makana Kamahele and Harry Evangelista & Kukubird.

 

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

See kaucalendar.com/KauCalendar.com_May2016.pdf.

See kaucalendar.com/TheDirectory2016.html
and kaucalendar.com/TheDirectory2016.pdf.