Ka`u News Briefs Friday, May 19, 2017

Visitors from coffee growing regions from Puerto Rico to India, Colombia and Papua New Guinea celebrated
with Ka`u Coffee farmers, their families and the band El Leo at the kick off party Friday for the
 2017 Ka`u Coffee Festival. Photo by Julia Neal

2017 MISS KA`U COFFEE COURT began making appearances on Friday night with the kick off party for the ninth annual Ka`u Coffee Festival at Pahala Plantation House.
     The event was attended by coffee farmers, local families and visitors from places around the world including China, Canada, Russia and famous coffee growing regions, Colombia, Puerto Rico, India and Papua New Guinea. Puerto Rico and Hawai`i are the only two coffee growing regions in the U.S.

Miss Ka`u Coffee 2017 Jami Beck along with Jr. Miss Ka`u Coffee 

Calaysa Koi, Miss Ka`u Coffee Peaberry Jazmynn Navarro, 

Miss Ka`u Coffee Flower Evalynn Ornelas and First

Ka`u Coffee Flower Lilianna Marques. Photo by Julia Neal

    Entertaining was the Puerto Rican band El Leo, which includes state Senator Russell Ruderman whose territory includes most of the coffee farms in Ka`u. Also performing was Da Backyahd Braddahs with Ti Chun, Makana Kamahele and Sheldon Salmo.
   Miss Ka`u Coffee attendees included Pageant Director Trini Marques and Miss Ka`u Coffee 2017 Jami Beck along with Jr. Miss Ka`u Coffee Calaysa Koi, Miss Ka`u Coffee Peaberry Jazmynn Navarro,  Miss Ka`u Coffee Flower Evalynn Ornelas and First Ka`u Coffee Flower Lilianna Marques. Also attending were 2015 Miss Ka`u Coffee Maria Miranda and 2016 Miss Ka`u Coffee Rochelle Koi.
       Ka`u Coffee Growers Cooperative President Gloria Camba invited everyone to attend the events this week, including the Ka`u Coffee Recipe Contest on Sunday, Ka`u Star Gazing at Makanau on Monday, Ka`u Mountain Water System Hike On Wednesday and Thursday, the all day Ho`olaulea with music, coffee tasting and buying, food and much more on Saturday and Ka`u Coffee College next Sunday.
     Miss Ka`u Coffee and her court will appear at numerous events throughout the week and the coming year, including parades and visits to schools, farms and community gatherings.
    See www.kaucoffeefest.com for more on events all this week.

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Ka`u Coffee Festival volunteer Helena Sesson and
Miss Ka`u Coffee 2015 Maria Miranda.
Photo by Asia Sesson

KA`U COFFEE RECIPE CONTEST on Sunday is open for entries in the pupu, entre and dessert categories with adult and student divisions. First prizes are $100 each. All recipes must include Ka`u Coffee and must be brought to Ka`u Coffee mill by 10 a.m. They will be judged on creativity, taste and presentation.
    Each contestant is limited to one entry per category. See www.kaucoffeefestival.com and www.kaucoffeemill.com.
     The public is invited to view the judging of the creations and to taste them. Emcee of the event is Makana Kamahele. Prizes are provided by the Edmund C. Olson Trust.

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REJECTING ALL POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE DONATIONS is what Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard promised on Friday. Concerning her campaign donations, she released a statement saying: "From the day I was elected to Congress, I promised myself I’d never allow money to influence the decisions I make on behalf of the people who elected me to serve them. Furthermore, I’ve refused to accept contributions from industries like Wall Street banks, Big Pharma, Tobacco, Liquor, and, more recently, Defense. However, from here on out, I've made the decision not to accept money from any political action committees.

Rep. Tulsi Gabbard promises to take no PAC money.

     "Here’s the bottom line: we cannot allow the future of our nation and our politics to be driven and shaped by special interests. Citizens United has exposed a major problem for the future of our country—there is far too much dark money influencing our politics. Our policies and our future must be driven by the American people and their interests.
     "I believe in the power of the people and our ability to take action toward a brighter future. When we are informed, involved, and working together toward a common goal, we are more powerful than any special interest group. This is why we need to get corporate money and lobbyists out of politics and elevate the voices of the people of our country," stated Gabbard.

New exhibit includes Iwa Leads the Way. Image from VAC

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WORLDWIDE VOYAGE, HAWA`I SHARES ITS CULTURE WITH THE WORLD, is a new exhibit that opens Saturday, May 20 at Volcano Art Center Gallery in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park. It presents the navigational story of the Hokulea Malama Honua 

worldwide Vooyage, told through photographs, cultural items and art inspiref by the voyage.

     The exhibit continues through July 2 and consists of r a colleciton of mounted photographs, cultural items and art curated by Gary Eoff. The Polynesian Voyaging Scociety shares the exhibit with Volcano Art Center.

Ka`u News Briefs Thursday, May 18, 2017

Eucalyptus trees above Pahala on Kamehameha Schools land, could be cut and hauled to Pepeekeo
to burn in Hu Honua electric plant being refurbished at the old sugar mill.
Photo by Julia Neal

EUCALYPTUS TREES ABOVE PAHALA MAY BE HARVESTED FOR ENERGY, according to a plan submitted to state and county governments for the Hu Honua power plant project in Pepeekeo. The plan mentions that the Hu Honua hui made "a due diligence review of plantation forestry operations and reviewed several relevant resources and information, including the Road Easement documentation for the Pinnacle and Pahala properties, Hawai`i County Grading Permit and Grubbing Permit terms and conditions, and Exemption from the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers for the construction of two engineered stream crossings at the Pinnacle property, in order to conclude that timber harvest and other forest management activities are feasible in the context of environmental regulations and operational constraints."

     The proposal also states that a law firm was retained "to evaluate land use and regulatory compliance issues associated with the future harvest and haul operations from the Pinnacle and Pahala properties to supply Hu Honua with feedstock from existing timber lands, and concluded that it did not find any permitting requirements that would prohibit Hu Honua to continue forestry operations on the Pinnacle and Pahala properties." 

     The eucalyptus groves are above Pahala on Kamehameha School lands. The trees would be felled and trucked up the Hamakua Coast to Hu Honua, which is rebuilding the old Pepeekeo power plant from sugar industry days. It has been dormant since 2003.

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PROPERTY TAX HIKES are up for debate, with Mayor Harry Kim going before the County Council today to explain the proposed 6.5 percent increase on all properties except for affordable rental housing.

Mayor Harry Kim when he presented the 6.5 percent property tax

 hike proposal to the County Council.Photo by David Corrigan. 

See the mayor's  presentation today at Big Island Video News

     To fund the $400 million budget, with a $20 million shortfall, the mayor explained the administration decided that "After all different options were reviewed, that the best, in regards to fairness to all, was across the board 6.5 percent" property tax hike. "There were so many things in the budget that are beyond our control," said the mayor, pointing to legislative directives and increases in union wages, as well as retirement benefits. Pay raises account for $8 million, said the mayor, those pay hikes negotiated statewide by unions representing the firefighters and other government employees.
     On the revenue side, said the mayor, county representatives asked the state legislature to try to encourage a fairer and better distribution of the Transient Accommodations Tax to the counties. He said the county suffer a $2 million shortfall in the TAT that it provided by the state to the county  this coming year.
     The mayor said he understands the 6.5 percent property tax increase will not be well received by most people. He noted that there are 17 tax bases for state and only three are under control of the county. About  71 or 72 percent of county income is from property taxes, he explained.
     He said the county was $20 million short for next year's budget, even after county departments made cuts. Anticipating a shortage in income, the mayor said, "Department by department, the first instructions to all of them was 'cut.' The second time around it was again, 'cut."
    He said, however, he would not support any furloughs or removal of county positions. "If money was not an issue, as I told the police chief, we could easily double the police department forces and still be short." He pointed to Ka`u and Puna. "The shortage of police officers there is not disputed. It is well known. We do wish we had the money to give to the police department to increase the services there."

Mayor Kim said he could not cut positions or furlough workers in
his budget considerations. Photo by David Corrigan. See the mayor's
presentation at Big Island Video News

     The mayor told the County Council that said the county "can defend, comfortably, the entire budget as a good one in regards of choices that have to be made."
     One department where an increase was allowed was for the transit system - with an addition of $600,000 to the budget for necessary expenses. The mayor noted that he made a personal plea to the mayor of Honolulu who will ship by late June "five to seven buses for our use. These are buses that they rotate out of their fleet." He said Honolulu has a "tremendous maintenance program and those buses would not be put on the road unless they were good, and the only thing that we have to pay for is the transportation of the buses to this island."  He said Honolulu County has been "very kind and gracious in giving us all that they can."
    Kim emphasized that most department budgets have been cut including the budget of the mayor's office. Cuts are small because budgets are small, he said. He gave and example of what he called a small cut in a $400 million budget. The county deleted its $12,000 membership to the National Association of Counties.
     See more of the mayor's presentation at www.bigislandvideonews.com.

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STATE TEAM OF THE YEAR: NextEra-Hawaiian Electric Merger Evaluation Team, Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs, is the winner, Gov. David Ige announced today.

     "This dedicated 15-member team worked tirelessly to process and analyze more than a hundred thousand pages of information in their review of the proposed $4.3 billion merger between NextEra and the Hawaiian Electric Companies. In each and every instance, they upheld the division’s mission to protect and advance the interests of Hawai‘i’s regulated utility consumers."

     The merger of Florida-based NextEra and Hawaiian electric Companies, which includes the utility for this island, did not go through, after much evaluation by the state and counties and consumer groups.

     Team of the Year was one of the titles given in the state Employees of the Year competition. The individual Employee of the Year is a school custodian, Lowell Spencer who works for the Department of Education. Manager of the Year is Mark Patterson, corrections manager with the state Department of Human Services.

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KICKOFF PARTY AND OPEN HOUSE FOR THE KA`U COFFEE FESTIVAL is this Friday, May 19 at Pahala Plantation House beginning at 6 p.m. El Leo, the Puerto Rican band will play music along with Sen. Russell Ruderman, who is back from the 2017 Hawai`i Legislature. Also meet Rep. Richard Creagan, Chair of the Agriculture Committee for the state House of Representatives. Meet Miss Ka`u Coffee Jami Beck and her court. Taste Ka`u Coffee and meet the farmers. The event is free.

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KA`U COFFEE RECIPE CONTEST is Sunday, May 21 at Ka`u Coffee Mill. The annual Ka‘u Coffee Recipe Contest is part of the Ka`u Coffee Festival and offers cash prize. Entries are accepted in adult and student divisions, in pupu, entree and dessert categories and all recipes are made with Ka‘u coffee. Free coffee tasting. Meet Miss Ka‘u Coffee. Find contest entry info at www.kaucoffeemill.com or call 808-928-0550. 

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Ka`u News Briefs Wednesday, May 17, 2017

Rough waters today led to dangerous conditions for swimmers along the Ka`u Coast, with the rescue by
helicopter of two swimmers with assistance of a water rescue man in the ocean near Punalu`u.
This image is of a stormy ocean at South Point. Photo by Peter Anderson

A HELICOPTER RESCUE NEAR PUNALU`U plucked two teenagers and a lifeguard from rough waters on Wednesday around noon. Three swimmers were off Ninole Horseshoe and drifted out to sea. 

Helicopter rescue
near Punalu`u

      Big waves started rolling in. One swimmer made it to shore and ran toward the Punalu`u lifeguard stand, on the way dialing 911. A rescue person in the water helped the helicopter crew to hoist them into the air, one at a time, delivering them back to shore. There were no injuries.

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Former FBI Director Robert Mueller
is the special council named by
the Department of Justice to
investigate the Russian interference
with the U.S. election

"A VICTORY FOR THE AMERICAN PEOPLE" is how Sen. Mazie Hirono characterized today's appointment of former FBI Director Robert Mueller as special counsel to investigate the possible connections between Russian operatives and Pres. Donald Trump's campaign. She wrote that Americans "have demanded the truth about Russia’s goal to undermine our democracy and the Trump team’s ties to these efforts. As someone who has been calling for a special counsel for months now, I applaud the selection of former FBI Director Robert Mueller who has a reputation for independence and a dogged pursuit of the truth. I hope that Director Mueller’s investigation will be truly independent and free to follow the facts wherever they lead. The American people deserve no less.”   
     Mueller was FBI Director under George W. Bush and Barack Obama. He is a Republican known for skills in sorting through complex evidence in such investigations the 911 tragedy. He as also served as a prosecutor and federal attorney in California, Massachusetts and Washington, D.C.. He is a Viet Nam War veteran.

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Sen. Mazie Hirono and her mother Laura. Photo from Sen. Hirono

SEN. MAZIE HIRONO UNDERWENT SURGERY on Wednesday to remove a cancerous kidney. She sent this message. "Got out of surgery and doing okay! Thank you everyone for the well wishes."

     When announcing the situation yesterday, she said she has a good recovery plan and expects to continue her work and run for re-election.

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NET NEUTRALITY, which prevents internet service providers from withholding internet speed from customers or blocking certain content, depending on how much customers pay, is a hot topic with Rep. Tulsi Gabbard and Sen. Brian Schatz.  The FCC meets Thursday to review the landmark rules established on net neutrality.  Said Gabbard, "Trump-appointed chairman Ajit Pai is bent on overturning this popular regulation. We need to keep the internet free and open to all people. Anything less is corporate censorship sponsored by a government agency, and unfortunately, that’s what the big ISPs and their friends in the FCC want. More corporate profit, more restricted access for users, and the ability to take customers private browsing data to turn over to advertisers for a profit."
     According to Gabbard, "With a boom in internet technology, it’s hard enough keeping our laws and regulations up to speed to protect consumers. Overturning net neutrality takes us in the wrong direction. She provided a link to "Sign our petition today to show the FCC that our rights to privacy and information aren’t up for auction."

     Declared Gabbard, "The American people made their preference clear in 2015, flooding the FCC website with over four million public comments in favor of net neutrality, which the commission established. Just last year, a U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the ruling. Now under new Republican leadership, the FCC’s attempt to pull that regulation out from under the public is a brazen ploy to give corporations yet another advantage over consumers.
    "We can’t allow the FCC to stifle consumer choice in the name of protecting the largest internet service providers’ profits. Net neutrality must remain."

     Sen Brian Schatz, the lead Democrat on the Senate subcommittee overseeing FCC matters, is outspoken in his effort to preserve net neutrality. He claims Trump's new chief of the FCC is attempting to destroy the internet itself. Schatz told CNET that the "internet is working because it's free and open and there's no discrimination." Without the existing rules, "ISPs could treat content differently based on commercial interests or even ideology," Schatz said.  "If they go through with this there will be no guarantees in terms of the law that an ISP wouldn't block, throttle, prioritize or otherwise mess with your content."

     A comment period for new rules for the internet begins May 18. 

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FRIENDS OF KA`U LIBRARIES is asking for volunteers and bake sale items for the Ka`u Coffee Festival, Saturday, May 27 at Pahala Community Center. Anyone wanting to help out can drop off baked goods at Pahala and Na`alehu Libaries on Friday,  May 26th during their regular schedules. Acceptable items include cookies, pies, small loaves of banana/fruit breads, cup cakes, muffins, should be packaged and priced fro 50 cents to $2 each.

     Volunteers for sales at the Ka`u Coffee Festival are needed from 7:30  a.m. in shifts until 4 p.m. 

Call or e-mail to confirm a time to volunteer, phone 929-9244 or 987-7448 or email friendskaul@gmail.com.

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KICKOFF PARTY AND OPEN HOUSE FOR THE KA`U COFFEE FESTIVAL is this Friday, May 19 at Pahala Plantation House beginning at 6 p.m. El Leo, the Puerto Rican band will play music along with Sen. Russell Ruderman, who is back from the 2017 Hawai`i Legislature. The event is free.

KA`U COFFEE RECIPE CONTEST is Sunday May 21 at Ka`u Coffee Mill. The annual Ka‘u Coffee Recipe Contest is part of the Ka`u Coffee Festival and offers  cash prize. Entries are accepted in pupu, entree and dessert categories and all recipes are made with Ka‘u coffee. Free coffee tasting and meet Miss Ka‘u Coffee. Find contest entry info at www.kaucoffeemill.com or call 808-928-0550.

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