Ka`u News Briefs, Thursday, Nov. 3, 2016

The classic Moʻoheau Bandstand in Hilo (above), where U.S, Rep, Tulsi Gabbard campaigned during a past election season.
See below for her message on voting.   Photo by Julia Neal

KAʻŪ BOOSTERS LAURENCE J. CAPELLAS AND ROBERT HERKES are being honored with the placing of Capellas’ name on the Pahala Ballfield, and Herkes’ name on the Kaʻū District Gym & Shelter. The recognition was established by Bill 251, passed by the County Council yesterday. Many Kaʻū High School alumni lobbied the county and state to recognize the two citizens who did much to support athletics, education and good health in Kaʻū.
     Capellas, who served as a coach and principal at Kaʻū High, was famouse for starting up the football program, organizing the building of the Pahala swimming pool and inspiring students to seek higher education.

Rep. Robert Herkes and Laurence Capellas are honored with their
 names chosen for the new Ka`u District Gym & Shelter
 and Pahala Ballpark. Photo by Ron Johnson

     The late Bob Herkes was a member of the state House of Representatives, representing Kaʻū. He fought for the funding to build the new gym as a regional disaster shelter. He helped save the Pahala Library and assisted in securing mobile medical services for the region, including a medical van and staff that provided free physicals for athletes.
     A statement this morning from Kaʻū High alumni leaders who lobbied to honor Capellas said, “For us, it was long time coming and we are very satisfied. Mr. Capellas finally receives a special place of honor in Kaʻū. He made a huge impact in our community and left a legacy for generations to come. The Pahala Ballfield with his name and the display case at the entrance of the district gym containing his portrait, list of Kaʻū accomplishments and a County proclamation citing his outstanding public service record will serve as a reminder of his contributions to the people of Hawaiʻi.”
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URGING EVERYONE TO VOTE, KAʻŪ’S REPRESENTATIVE IN THE U.S. CONGRESS sent out a message yesterday. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, a progressive Democrat, wrote: “We are all connected in an incredible chain of cause and effect in this great web of life. Our votes as progressives in this election can affect the lives of millions of people in this country.
     “If we fail to turnout and vote on Tuesday, it will mean virtually no progress on many of the issues we care about–like reining in greed on Wall Street, breaking up the big banks, advancing common-sense gun safety reforms, protecting our environment from disastrous and unsafe pipelines, and stopping bad trade deals like the Trans-Pacific Partnership.”
     She acknowledged that, “This has been a bitter and contentious election across this country–there‘s no sense in denying that. But we must choose to focus on what we believe in as progressives, not what we oppose or are offended by. We must stand up for our values. That means a vision of this country where the ultra rich can’t game our political and economic systems for their own benefit.

Mo`oheau Bandstand has been the election eve Grand Rally site for more than
 60 years. On Monday, the rally moves to Auntie Sally's Lu`au Hale.
Photo by Julia Neal

     “It means protecting our civil liberties and reining in the NSA’s mass collection of Americans’ data. An agenda that advances criminal justice reform to end needless mass incarceration, raising the minimum wage so working people don‘t have to decide between putting food on the table or paying their rent, and fighting so that our friends in the LGBT community have the same rights and freedoms to live as the rest of us.
     “It’s about net neutrality, equal pay for equal work, protecting our environment, and ending the counterproductive, regime-change war in Syria which has caused tremendous suffering, devastation, and which has strengthened groups like al-Qaeda and ISIS.
     “There is not one part of our agenda that can become a reality if we fail to vote on Tuesday. So I urge you: no regrets–that’s what we should wake up on November 9th and say, both individually, and as a movement of progressives,” the Congresswoman concluded.
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THE GRAND RALLY FOR THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY has been changed from Mo‘oheau Bandstand on the Hilo waterfront to Auntie Sally‘s Luʻau Hale at 7 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 6. Moving from the Bandstand breaks a more-than 60-year tradition of candidates in the Democratic Party from all over the state hosting their election eve rally there.

Aedes aegypti is one of two mosquitoes that
can transmit dengue fever and Zika.
Photo from state Department of Health

ENCOURAGING DISPOSAL OF TIRES, which collect standing water where mosquitoes breed, is one tactic taken by the Fight the Bite campaign, which is off to a head start this Fall to protect residents against dengue fever, and the possibility of the introduction of Zika fever onto the island.
     This year’s wet season probabilities favor near to above average rainfall through next Spring, the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration recently reported. The county Civil Defense announced Wednesday that, “Because rainwater can collect in spare tires and create mosquito breeding environments, the County of Hawaiʻi is encouraging tire clean up in our communities.”
     In Kaʻū, the county Department of Environmental Management has decided to accept tires through November at Wai‘ōhinu Transfer Station, open from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily, and other full-service transfer stations around the island that are open seven days a week. Hawaiʻi Island households may bring in up to four passenger vehicle, motorcycle or ATV tires per vehicle per day. Tires should be empty of any liquids, dirt or any other foreign material before bringing them in for disposal.

Tires are standing-water breeding containers for mosquitoes. The
county is accepting them at no charge at Wai`ohinu Transfer
 Station through November.

     Tires are breeding containers for mosquitoes. The county is accepting them at no charge in Waiʻohinu through November.
     Anyone bringing in tires should locate the Solid Waste Facility Attendant wearing a fluorescent safety vest. The attendant will provide guidance for properly placing the tires.
    Tires dropped off before or after normal operating hours will be considered illegal dumping. Tires from businesses, commercial haulers, non-profits or farms; including industrial tires for such large machines as backhoes, tractors and forklift are not accepted. Businesses, commercial haulers, non-profits or farms can contact Hawai‘i County Civil Defense program is in addition to mosquito control efforts by the recently-staffed County Vector Control team that sprays and conducts surveys at county facilities.
     For directions to locations accepting tires, see Map and Directions to County of Hawaii Solid Waste FacilitiesThe Fight the Bite Temporary Residential Tire Amnesty Collection Program may be extended if conditions warrant. For more information on ways to Fight the Bite, see the state Department of Health information website: fightthebitehawaii.com
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BANNING SUNSCREENS WITH REEF-BLEACHING CHEMICALS and educating the public about them is the aim of a County Council resolution that passed Wednesday and goes up to the 2017 Hawaiʻi Legislature to support a proposed law.
     Kaʻū’s concilwoman Maile David voted for Resolution 672, which supports the efforts of state Sen. Will Espero of Oʻahu to ban the sunscreen chemicals oxybenzone and octinoxate. The two chemicals are named in numerous scientific papers, linking them to bleaching and death of coral reefs, along with global warming of the oceans. The sunscreen chemicals wash off into the ocean from the bodies of people According to research by National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) scientists, the chemicals are also found in some fragrances, soaps and cosmetics. In some places around the planet they are dumped, along with other sewage, directly into the ocean.  

Sunscreen ingredients are believed to be one of the causes of
coral bleaching and coral death. Photo from NOAA

     C.A. Downs, lead author of the NOAA study, suggests a range of options to reduce impact on reefs: “…from working with manufacturers and innovating more environmentally sustainable products to educating consumers regarding product selection and product disposal.”
     West Hawaiʻi Today newspaper reported this morning that Espero, the author of the Hawaiʻi legislation, said banning the chemicals in the sunscreens “will automatically provide a huge reduction in use in Hawaiʻi. This will help the coral and other marine life.”
     Reporter Nancy Cook Lauer wrote that “Kohala Councilwoman Margaret Wille, sponsor of the resolution, noted that more than 50 percent of coral off the West Hawaiʻi coastline had bleached and possibly died this summer. While the warming ocean was likely the cause, oxybenzone has been shown to cause coral to bleach at lower temperatures.”
     Council members Dennis Fresh Onishi and Greggor IIagan were hesitant to support the measure. Cook Lauer reported that Onishi “pointed to the problem of urine in the water when swimmers let loose.” She also quoted IIagan: “There’s a lot of things happening in our oceans just because we exist as humans.” Read more at westhawaiitoday.com.

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EARLY VOTING, EVEN FOR THOSE STILL NOT REGISTERED, continues in Ka‘ū until Friday, Nov. 4 at Pāhala Community Center. Hours through Friday from 9 a.m. to noon and 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.
      Ka‘ū and Volcano residents can also register and vote the same day at Aupuni Center Conference Room in Hilo, Monday - Saturday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. through Nov. 5; West Hawai‘i Civic Center Community Room, Monday - Saturday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. through Nov. 5 and Waimea Community Center, Monday-Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Saturday, 8 a.m. to noon, through Nov. 5.
     Election Day voting locations on Tusday, Nov. 8  are from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m.: Cooper Center in Volcano at 19-4030 Wright Rd; Ka‘ū High School Cafeteria at 96-3150 Pikake St. - turn into the school grounds; Nā‘ālehu Elementary School Cafeteria at 95-5545 Hwy 11; Ocean View Community Center at 92-5545 Mamalahoa Hwy; and Miloli‘i Halāu.

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     See the sample ballot here:

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Ka`u News Briefs, Wednesday, Nov. 2, 2016

Kaunāmano coastal lands extend south from Honu`apo Lookout and include ancient Hawaiian fishing sites and
the Ala Kahakai Trail. Photo from Trust for Public Land

MONEY TOWARD ACQUIRING 1,363 ACRES at Kaunāmano, adjacent to Honuʻapo Lookout, may become available through the federal Land and Water Conservation Fund. The fund, created by Congress in 1964, provides money to federal, state and local governments to purchase land, water and wetlands. It receives much of its money through royalty payments from offshore oil and gas revenues to mitigate the environmental impacts of those activities. Kaunāmano is part of an ahupuaʻa known to be an important watershed in Kaʻū, and for its native Hawaiian historical and cultural significance.

Kuahiwi Ranch runs cattle in the mauka portions of Kaunāmano and
supports protection of the coastline. Photo from Hawai`i Pacific Brokers

     The funding for Kaunāmano would go to the Ala Kahakai National Historic Trail, a unit of the National Park Service with its own superintendent, Aric Arakaki, and chief archaeologist Rick Gmirkin. They manage the Ala Kahakai National Historic Trail that crosses through Kaunāmano.
     The Ala Kahakai National Historic Trail Association, which advises the Ala Kahakai Trail staff and supports acquisition of Kaunāmano, held a retreat at Pahala Plantation House this summer and studied the land. They talked about the possible funding through the federal oil and gas income. With assistance from the non-profit Trust for Public Land, an application for Kaunāmano was sent to the federal government for funding as early as 2017.
     If successful, the purchase in Kaʻū would become the second acquisition of land for the Ala Kahakai Trail. In August, Trust for Public Land conveyed 59 acres makai of and including Ala Kahakai Trail at Kauleoli in South Kona.
     Ala Kahakai National Historic Trail was established in 2000, running 175 miles from the east side of the island from a point near Wahaʻula Heiau within Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park, around Ka Lae, South Point, and up the west side to Upolu Point, at the north end of the island. The corridor and trail network is “of historical significance. It traverses through hundreds of ancient Hawaiian settlement sites and over 200 ahupuaʻa,” says the Ala Kahakai Trail website at nps.gov/alka/index.htm.

Four miles of Ala Kahakai Trail skirt the Kaunāmano coast.

Photo from Lands of America

     Trust for Public Land also helped the community to purchase for preservation a thousand acres on the Kaʻū Coast at Honuʻapo, Kawa and toward Punaluʻu.
     At TPL, Laura Kaʻakua is the Native Lands Project Manager working on Kaunāmano. Partners include the Ala Kahakai Trail staff, Ala Kahakai Trail Association, the Keanu ʻOhana, Ka ʻOhana O Honuʻapo and Michelle Galimba and Kuahiwi Ranch, who run cattle on the mauka lands and support the aquisition.
     Keoni Fox, a member of the Ala Kahakai Trail Association, and representative of the Keanu ʻOhana, said the family is committed to the vision to preserve the Kaʻū coastline, including Kaunāmano. “This is a very realistic goal as there have been many successful efforts in preserving the coastal lands here in Kaʻū, and there are only a handful of privately held properties remaining, which are under threat of development. Kaʻū is one of the few places in Hawaiʻi that remains unspoiled by urban sprawl. We have the unique opportunity to protect our lands,” said Fox.

Kaunāmano is in red stretches south from 
Honu`apo Bay

     The TPL website says the purpose of the acquisition is to “protect Kaunāmano as a living legacy of the storied district of Kaʻū.”  At  www.tpl.org/our-work/kaunamano, TPL describes the land:            
      “Kaunāmano means ‘multitudes are placed here,’ reflecting the thriving Hawaiian fishing community that once lived and trained in lua (a traditional Hawaiian martial art) on the southeastern coast of Hawaiʻi Island. These 1,363-acres of Kaʻū shoreline and pasture include four miles of the ancient Ala Kahakai National Historic Trail, and traditional trails leading to the hundreds of ancient Hawaiian cultural sites throughout the property. Kaunāmano boasts more than 400 ancient Hawaiian cultural sites with over 3,900 features, including Paʻula Fishing Village, Puhiʻula Cave, heiau (place of worship), burial sites, petroglyphs, and pictographs.
     “Preserving the land will honor the stately, resilient people who once lived at Kaunāmano and whose descendants continue to make Ka‘ū their home,” writes TPL.
     Several attempts have been made to raise money to preserve Kaunāmano. E.W. Moody, who owns the land, has taken it off the market in the past to give the community a chance to raise the funds to buy it. The county put the property on an acquisition list, but later gave higher priority to acquiring 3,000 acres along the coast at Ocean View.
     In 2015, Alexandra Kelepolo, of Hawaiʻi County Finance Department’s Property Management Division, said she sent a letter to Charlie Anderson, who represents the Kaunāmano owner, saying the county is no longer pursuing its purchase. She said, however, that the property remains on the county’s acquisition list and could be purchased in the future either in its entirety, or a portion of it.

Hawaiʻi Wildlife Fund volunteers helped clean the shoreline

at Kaunāmano in 2015. Photo from Hawaiʻi Wildlife Fund

     The 1,363 acres went back on the market for $11.5 million. Anderson said he was hopeful that the community could still make the purchase. A real estate listing for Kaunāmano describes the land: “Located between Whittington Beach Park and Naʻalehu Village, the Kaunāmano Ranch offers approximately four miles of ocean frontage including a small rocky beach. Incredible ocean sunrise and coastal views all the way to Volcano National Park. Property currently provides excellent pasture for livestock. The ranch consists of nine separate Lots of Record, has subdivision potential and County Water commitments.”

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BOYS & GIRLS CLUB on the Big Island will
be gifted a Smart electric car from Hawaiian
Electric Industries Charitable Foundation. HEI is the parent company of Hawaiʻi Electric Light Co. Pahala Community Center is one of the Boys & Girls Club campuses on this island, serving many Kaʻū children. The car is expected to arrive this month.

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The late Yisrael Gorali and
his wife Alma

YISRAEL GORALI, 80, a longtime community volunteer in Kaʻū and former President of the Hawaiian Ranchos Community Association, died on Oct. 30 at Hilo Medical Center. Gorali was a leading member of the Kaʻū community dating from his retirement from computer company Triad Systems and moving to Ocean View in 1993. In 1996 he served as Vice President of the HRCA, and then became President in about 1999 – a position he held until a year ago, when he resigned due to ill health.
     As President of the HRCA, he wrote regular newsletters, each missive having the feel of a personal letter from Gorali to his neighbors.

     “Yisrael gave unselfishly of his time, energy and talent,” said HRCA Secretary Sandy Shelton. “He was on the board for over 20 years, a time of growth and change in Ocean View, especially Ranchos. He will be missed by us all.”

Yisrael Gorali was active in community associations throughout his life in

 Kaʻū, including (at right) volunteering for Ka`u Hospital. Photo by Julia Neal

     As a long-serving member of the Board of the Hawaiʻi Ranchos Road maintenance Corp., Gorali helped oversea the maintenance of 55 miles of private road in the subdivision. He was also a member of the Kaʻū Hospital Charitable Foundation, and worked as a volunteer at Kaʻū Hospital.

     Gorali was born in Louisville, Kentucky in 1935. He studied at the University of California, San Francisco, and also UC Berkeley, graduating with a degree in Business Administration. As a member of the U.S. armed forces, he served in Vietnam. He lived in Israel for ten years, learning Hebrew and fighting with the armed forces there. His interests included woodworking and research.

     Gorali is survived by his wife, Alma Gorali, his two sons, Riegel Gorali of California, and John Gilbert Gorali of Oʻahu, and a granddaughter. A memorial service and burial will be held at 11 a.m. this Friday, Nov. 4, at West Hawaiʻi Veterans Cemetery.
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FARMWORKS HAWAI`I  sponsors an informational meeting on Natural Resources Conservation Service cost-share programs available to farmers on Monday, Nov. 14   at the Cooperative Extension Service office in Kainaliu, across from the Aloha Theater. With the deadlines on Friday, Nov. 18  to submit applications for several of the programs, this is an opportunity to find out how soil and water conservation programs can help with irrigation, fencing, mulching, weed control, plant protection and other improvements and practices. Easy to fill out application forms will be available at the meeting and help with filing the paperwork and developing a farm plan will also be offered.  Jessica Schmeltz, NRCS District Conservationist will lead the discussion.

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VOICES: RISING FROM THE PAGE, will take place this Thursday, Nov 3, 7 p.m., Volcano Art Center in Volcano Village. Big Island poets gather for an evening of poetry. $5 donations appreciated. 967-8222

OCEAN VIEW NEIGHBORHOOD WATCH MEETING, this Thursday, Nov. 3 at Ocean View Community Center, 7 p.m. Call 939-2442 or 928-2015.

EARLY VOTING, EVEN FOR THOSE STILL NOT REGISTERED, continues in Ka‘ū until Friday, Nov. 4 at Pāhala Community Center. Hours through Friday from 9 a.m. to noon and 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. 

     Ka‘ū and Volcano residents can also register and vote the same day at Aupuni Center Conference Room in Hilo, Monday - Saturday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. through Nov. 5; West Hawai‘i Civic Center Community Room, Monday - Saturday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. through Nov. 5 and Waimea Community Center, Monday-Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Saturday, 8 a.m. to noon, through Nov. 5. 

     Election Day Nov. 8 General Election, from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m., are: Cooper Center in Volcano at 19-4030 Wright Rd; Ka‘ū High School Cafeteria at 96-3150 Pikake St. - turn into the school grounds; Nā‘ālehu Elementary School Cafeteria at 95-5545 Hwy 11; Ocean View Community Center at 92-5545 Mamalahoa Hwy; and Miloli‘i Halāu. 

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     See the sample ballot here:

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Ka`u News Briefs, Tuesday, Nov. 1, 2016

More radio for Volcano and Ka`u shown in this computer generated signal map for KAHU and KANO, HPR1 at 89.1 and HPR 2
at 91.3, transmitting from Kulani Cone, marked by the triangle. Dark red is very strong, softer red is strong, and gray is better
in a car radio. Hawai`i Public Radio turned on the transmitters last Wednesday and plans to further its reach into Ka`u with
 additional repeaters in Pahala and near South Point Road. Map from HPR engineer Don Mussell

TWO NEW HAWAI’I PUBLIC RADIO 89.1 and 91.3 frequencies, transmitted  from Kulani Cone north of Volcano, provide expanded reception into Ka`u.  HPR1 coverage extends farther into Ka`u and, for the first time, Ka`u receives station HPR2. The improved areas in Ka`u are down South Point Road and to Na`alehu School. HPR’s plan is to reach farther into Ka`u to include Ocean View. HPR will apply to the FCC for permission to build additional repeaters, according to HPR engineer Don Mussell.

View from Kulani Cone tower, which transmits HPR1 and HPR2.
Photo by Don Mussell

     Mussell told The Ka`u Calendar newspaper yesterday that two repeaters, one for HPR1 and one for HPR2, will be purchased for Pahala. Another two repeaters will be placed on a tower just off South Point Road to expand coverage to Ocean View. These, plus the signals from Kulani will cover the half of Ka`u that remains unable to receive HPR1 And HPR2, he said.

Tower climber attaching equipment
at Kulani Cone. Photo by Don Mussell

      Mussell explained how radio reaches Ka`u. HPR picks up the Maui signals from Haleakala via microwave at 8,000 feet on Mauna Loa, sends them to Hala`i Hill in Hilo and back up Mauna Loa to Kulani Cone.
      HPR turned on its new transmitters at Kulani last Wednesday and found that Pahala wasn’t as strong as it could be, while South Point Road area reception improved significantly. As expected, the signals from Kulani could not reach Ocean View, parts of Na`alehu and Waiohinu. In the near future, to improve reception in Ka`u, the signals will be sent from Kulani by microwave to a place in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park and then by microwave to Pahala and separately to a tower along South Point Road where they will be rebroadcast at the 89.1 and 91.3 frequencies. HPR will apply for all permissions and permits, Mussell said.
     Where transmission is improved in Ka`u, Mussell also explained, reception for HPR1 and HPR 2 is good in most vehicles, which have antennas. However, home and business reception may require external antennas for the best sound.
      HPR purchased the KAHU community radio license and promised to work on complete coverage in Ka`u, particularly since KAHU was partially funded with money from state and county Civil Defense to provide the remote neighborhoods with emergency broadcasting. “You can think of it as a work in progress,” said the HPR engineer.
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Mayor Billy Kenoi on General Election eve 2012 at Mo`oheau
Bandstand in Hilo, just before winning his second term, the limit
 for Hawai'i County mayor. Photo by Julia Neal

A JURY FOUND MAYOR BILLY KENOI NOT GUILTY ON ALL CHARGES TODAY, regarding his use of his county credit card. Closing arguments yesterday, according to reports in West Hawai`i Today, included the prosecution stating that he misused the county card for entertainment, including alcohol. The defense argued that the county allows spending on alcohol for county purposes.
     Some expenses were connected to such meetings as entertainment at Volcano House for the CEO of the U.S. Conference of Mayors and entertaining Hawai`i's congressional delegation. Others were further removed, such as entertaining relatives of those with whom the county was doing business. The prosecution also pointed out that the mayor used the card for personal expenses, such as his nephew's wedding hotel stay, and paid back the county after the Hawai`i Tribune Herald questioned his county credit card expenditures.
     The defense argued that the mayor went  beyond what was necessary by  reimbursing expenses allowed by the county in addition to those that were personal. The prosecution pointed to expenses reimbursed only after the newspaper stories by reporter Nancy Cook Lauer brought attention to his spending.
     The twice-elected Kenoi faced two counts of felony theft. If found guilty, the felonies would have led to his disbarment and would have made it impossible for him to return to law practice after leaving office in December. Term limits prevented him from running again this year and the new mayor will be former Mayor Harry Kim, who hired Kenoi years ago to work for the county. Kenoi also faced and was found innocent of two counts of third-degree theft and one count of false swearing, all in connection with the use of the county credit card.
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Roques de los Muchachos observatory campus in the Canary Islands in Spain is second choice for the TMT. Photo by Skatebiker

CANARY ISLANDS COULD REPLACE HAWAI`I ISLAND as the site of the new Thirty Meter Telescope. TMT International Observatory Board of Governors last week chose La Palama island's Observatorio del Roque de los Muchachos as a backup for the $1.4 billion project and said this week they plan to apply to Spain for permitting. Board chair Harry Yang said in a statement that Hawai`i Island's Mauna Kea,  remains the preferred site. Its high elevation, 13,802 feet, with clear skies and distance from brightly lit human population centers on the planet make it one of the best observatory sites worldwide. However, Native Hawaiian groups have protested the construction of the huge telescope, contending it would desecrate sacred ground. Protests have delayed construction on the ground and in court.
      Other possible backup locations are in Chile , India, China and Mexico. La Palma, a volcanic island, is the most northwesternly Canary Island, located in the Atlantic Ocean, off the coast of northwest Africa. Its highest point is 7,874 feet. Like Hawai`i Island, Palama has its own Great Crack and its observatories are sometimes blanketed in snow.
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LIVE VIEWING OF COUNTY COUNCIL MEETINGS today, Nov. 1 and Wednesday, Nov. 2 is available through videoconferencing at Na`alehu State Office Building on Hwy 11. Citizens can give testimony from the Na`alehu location. For timing and agendas,  See http://www.hawaiicounty.govfor agendas and live-streamed and archived meetings.

ONLY FOUR MORE DAYS OF VOTER REGISTRATION AND EARLY VOTING take place in Ka`u through this Friday at Pahala Community Center. General Election Day is next Tuesday, Nov. 8. Hours for early voting are daily through Friday from 9 a.m. to noon and 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.
Citizens can also register late and vote early at Aupuni Center Conference Room in Hilo, Monday - Saturday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.; West Hawai`i Civic Center Community Room, Monday - Saturday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Waimea Community Center, Monday - Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Saturday, 8 a.m. to noon.
     On Tuesday, Nov. 8, voting will take place at Cooper Center in Volcano, Ka`u High & Pahala Elementary School Cafeteria, Na`alehu Elementary School Cafeteria, Ocean View Community Center and Miloli`i Halau, from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. See the sample ballots published in this Ka`u News Brief.

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FALL CRAFTS FOR KEIKI in grades K-8 takes place tomorrow, Wednesday, Nov. 2 at Pahala Community Center from 3:30 p .m. to 5 p.m. To register, call 928-3102.

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