Kaʻū News Briefs, Friday, Feb. 24, 2023

Edmund C. Olson and Olson Trust COO Jeff Clark with a student recipient of eyeglasses
at Kaʻū High & Pāhala Elementary on Thursday. Photo by Julia Neal

FREE EYEGLASSES FOR STUDENTS ON THE PĀHALA SCHOOL CAMPUS was the gift from Project Vision Hawai'i and Vision to Learn on Thursday, supported by Edmund C. Olson Trust, First Hawaiian Bank, state Department of Education and numerous donors. Edmund C. Olson and his team greeted and handed out the eyeglasses for students with Principal Sharon Beck, a representative from the Mayor's Office and many others.

    Among those on the program at the Robert Herkes District Gym were Hawai'i Department of Education Superintendent Keith Hayashi, Vision to Learn Program Manager David Dijos, National Director Damian Carrol and COO John Kim, and Project Vision Executive Director Darrah Kauhane. Project Vision Hawai'i is a statewide effort and Vision to Learn is national.
    Project Vision Hawai'i uses four mobile screen units and two mobile hygiene trailers as vehicles to imporve health and wellness. Established in 2011, the nonprofit has provided screenings to more than 60,000 keiki and facilitated other health services for more than 100,000 people. See www.pr.org.
    Vision to Learn has helped children in more than 750 low-income communities in 15 states and District of Columbia. Its aim is to serve the needs of the hardest-to-reach children. About 90 percent of the keiki served live in poverty. Vision to Learn has provided more than two million children with eye care and 345,000 with glasses at no cost to children and their families. See www.projectvisionhawaii.org.

Children at Kaʻū High & Pāhala Elementary received free eye glasses
on Thursday from Project Vision Hawai'i, Vision to Learn, Edmund C.
 Olson and more sponsors. Photo from Vision to Learn 

    

    Jeff Clark, Chief Operating Officer for Edmund C. Olson Trust, said Olson has set up a foundation to be a charitable organization for "now and the future." Born out of the 16,000 acres owned by the Trust, with 9,898 acres in Kaʻū, the organization focuses on sustainability, particularly in agriculture, said Clark. It also works on renewable energy, with a small hydroelectric plant to serve its Kaʻū Coffee Mill and farms on Olson property up Wood Valley Road. Solar projects are also in the works. The third pillar, said Clark, is providing jobs and supporting local businesses and the community. 

   Clark attributed the support for providing eyeglasses to help children learn to Edmund C. Olson himself. In helping to fund the effort, "Ed wanted to focus on where he had a presence." Clark said Olson wanted to make sure the children of Kaʻū are served and also keiki on the entire eastside of this island. During the presentation, Olson said, "I hope everyone can get good vision out of this." 

    See https://olsontrust.com/foundation/

To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see facebook.com/kaucalendar. See latest print edition at kaucalendar.com, in the mail and on stands.

The annual Hokulele Basketball Tournament hosts teams from around the island, all day this
Saturday at the Robert Herkes Kaʻū District Gym. Photo from Jan Kaez Penera

HOKULELE BASKETBALL ISLANDWIDE TOURNAMENT ON SATURDAY will grace the Robert Herkes Kaʻū District Gym on Saturday. Teams from all over the island will attend the one day Super Saturday event. Food concessions and donations will help to raise money for fifth and sixth grade groups to travel to O'ahu in April to attend AAU championships. 

     Hokulele has more than 75 youth members from six to 17 years of age, providing clinics, coaching, practice and tournaments. The club and its tournaments are solely sponsored by families of the players. To join the club, register for a tournament, volunteer, and sponsor, contact Hokulele Basketball Club President Ravel Kaupu by text or phone at 808-319-0687. Also contact  Vice President Jan Kaez Penera, and Coach Chrysa Dacalio.  Hokulele provides clinics, coaching practice, and tournaments.

To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see facebook.com/kaucalendar. See latest print edition at kaucalendar.com, in the mail and on stands.

County and volunteer firefighters found this 1,800 sq. ft home and vehicles fully engulfed in
flames on Thursday night on Ocean View Parkway. Photo from Hawai'i Fire Department

A BIG HOUSE AND VEHICLES BURNED IN OCEAN VIEW ON THURSDAY. Hawai'i County Fire Department Capt. Gerald Baptiste reported that the 1,800 sq. ft, two story family dwelling at 92-2160 Ocean View Parkway was unoccupied and no one was injured. The report says that the call came in at 10:20 p.m. and Ocean View Fire Department arrived in seven minutes to find the building fully engulfed in flames with power lines down and multiple vehicles ablaze. The fire was out by 11:54 p.m. with the help of Engines 20. 11 and VE20, along with Tanker 20 and Tanker 11, and Medic 20 units, nine county firefighters and four volunteer firefighters.
   Fire Department estimates the loss at $212,520. "HFD attack lines were used to extinguish the fire, which consumed the entire structure and multiple vehicles on the property. No fatalities, no injuries," said the report. Hawai'i Police Department and Hawaiian Electric were also at the scene.

To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see facebook.com/kaucalendar. See latest print edition at kaucalendar.com, in the mail and on stands.

FREE FOOD

St. Jude's Hot Meals are free to those in need on Saturdays from 9 a.m. until food runs out, no later than noon. Volunteers from the community are welcome to help and can contact Karen at pooch53@gmail.com. Location is 96-8606 Paradise Circle Drive in Ocean View. Those in need can also take hot showers from 9 a.m. to noon and use the computer lab from 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Free Meals Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays are served from 12:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. at Nā'ālehu Hongwanji. Volunteers prepare the food provided by 'O Ka'ū Kākou with fresh produce from its gardens on the farm of Eva Liu, who supports the project. Other community members also make donations and approximately 150 meals are served each day, according to OKK President Wayne Kawachi.

OUTDOOR MARKETS
Volcano Evening Market, Cooper Center, Volcano Village, Thursdays, 3 p.m. to 6 p.m., with live music, artisan crafts, ono grinds, and fresh produce. See facebook.com.

Volcano Swap Meet, fourth Saturday of the month from 8 a.m. to noon. Large variety of vendors with numerous products. Tools, clothes, books, toys, local made healing extract and creams, antiques, jewelry, gemstones, crystals, food, music, plants, fruits, and vegetables. Also offered are cakes, coffee, and shave ice. Live music.


https://www.okaukakou.org/scholarships-for-local-students

Volcano Farmers Market, Cooper Center, Volcano Village on Sundays, 6 a.m. to 10 a.m., with local produce, baked goods, food to go, island beef and Ka'ū Coffee. EBT is used for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, formerly Food Stamps. Call 808-967-7800.

O Ka'ū Kākou Market, Nā'ālehu, Wednesdays, 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Contact Nadine Ebert at 808-938-5124 or June Domondon 808-938-4875. See facebook.com/OKauKakouMarket.

Ocean View Community Market, Saturdays and Wednesdays, 6:30 a.m. to 2 p.m., corner Kona Dr. Drive and Hwy 11, near Thai Grindz. Masks mandatory. 100-person limit, social distancing required. Gate unlocked for vendors at 5:30 a.m., $15 dollars, no rez needed. Parking in the upper lot. Vendors must provide their own sanitizer. Food vendor permits required. Carpooling is encouraged.

Copyright © 2023 ·

Kaʻū News Briefs, Thursday, Feb. 23, 2023

A gathering of opponents to industrial solar in Ranchos and Kula Kai have established a legal
fund for attorneys to fight the project. Photo by Peter Bosted

COMMUNITY MEMBERS HAVE GATHERED TO OPPOSE INDUSTRIAL SOLAR THAT WOULD COVER HOUSELOTS in Ocean View's Ranchos community and in Kula Kai. Residents recently pledged donations for legal expanses, with additional pledges of matching funds coming in. If built, 17 large house sites in Ranchos and one in Kula Kai would be covered with solar panels owned by one entity.

     The Public Utilities Commission recently granted a hearing. Ranchos resident and a leader in opposing industrial solar in neighborhoods is Peter Bosted. He told The Kaʻū Calendar, “We need the hearing to explain our case to the Commissioners. Without the chance to challenge the narrative peddled by the other side we could lose our case, even though we have the necessary evidence, simply because we don’t know how to argue.”

    “We are not lawyers” explained Annie Bosted. “We are doing our best pro se, but since this hearing is hopefully our final hurdle, we have been strongly advised to get professional help to present our case in the best possible light."
     She said that Stan and Mariann Troeller, owners of South Point U Cart, who have been doing business in Ranchos for 40 years, volunteered to match donations for the legal fund.  They were immediately joined by a fellow Ranchos resident, who prefers to remain anonymous. Together they will equal any donation, past or future. Bosted said, each resident's donation will be  doubled by the Troellers and “Mr. Anonymous.  In other words, if anyone donates $100, the legal fund goes up by $200. We are hugely grateful to both Stan, Mariann and our shy angel for doing this.”

     She said the effort is helped by "two very keen and energetic lawyers, who regularly represent communities. They are enthusiastic about our case. This feels like a huge weight has been taken off our shoulders. With their help, I think we can win this thing.”
     Ranchos community members first voiced opposition to the industrial solar project in their neighborhood on June 4, 2013 during a meeting with then-owner of the project, Pat Shudak who was CEO of Solar Hub Utilities. 

     Years earlier, using a shell company, said Bosted, "Mr. Shudak secretly purchased 20 housing lots – 19 in Ranchos and one in Kula Kai. While these lots were still in escrow, Shudak acquired 18 places in the very lucrative Feed In Tariff Program, which was designed to kick-start solar power generation in Hawai’i. He chose lots that were close to the three-phase power lines that are located on the western side of Ranchos and in Kula Kai."

Residents opposed to industrial solar in Ranchos said they fear industrial
solar, like this installation at Miloli'i, will go on lots next to theirs and
be scattered through their neighborhood. Photo by Annie Bosted

    Bosted said that in 2011, "Solar Hub paid $1,000 for each of the places on the queue. At that time, Shudak stated that his project completion date for all sites would be Sept. 15, 2012. According to filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, Solar Hub sold the rights to the Ocean View sites to another company called SPI for an estimated $375,000 per site or $7,500,000 for all 20 sites. This sale on June 8, 2012, proved controversial." 

    She said the PUC hired an independent observer to monitor Feed In Tariff applications. The independent observer's report was picked up by Civil Beat. Its story described Solar Hub’s flipping the Ranchos and Kula Kai lots and entitlements for big profits as blatant “queue squatting and gaming.” SPI, the company that plans to build the solar installations, is based in Shanghai. It owns the lots through a shell company named Calwaii, said Bosted.
    In 2016, after the Bosteds filed a formal complaint with the PUC, the project was put on hold, and is still on hold. No site work has been done, and there is no formal contract, nor Power Purchase Agreement between HELCO and SPI. However, SPI is moving on finalizing approvals and agreements, said Bosted. She said, "If the Ocean View project is built, SPI will be paid 24cents per kWh -while modern solar projects, which include battery storage, will be paid less than 9cents per kWh. The cost of purchased power is passed directly to the ratepayers by HELCO. Since the power to be generated in Ocean View is far from the “load” – where the power will be used – power will be lost in the transmission, which also becomes a ratepayer expense."

To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see facebook.com/kaucalendar. See latest print edition at kaucalendar.com, in the mail and on stands. 

Proposed new Hawaiian Volcano Observatory building
in Hilo on state land at University of Hawai'i.
Photo from Draft Environmental Assessment

USGS WILL MAINTAIN FIELD STATIONS IN HAWAI'I VOLCANOES NATIONAL PARK, but its main new headquarters on this island will be at University of Hawai'i-Hilo, as shown in a Draft Environmental Assessment just published Thursday in The Environmental Notice. See the details at
https://files.hawaii.gov/dbedt/erp/The_Environmental_Notice/2023-02-23-TEN.pdf.
    USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory was formerly located on the edge of Kilauea Crater. It was destroyed by the Kilauea Eruption in 2018 with the crater collapse and many earthquakes. Also destroyed was Jaggar Museum at the same location.
    According to the Environmental Notice and Draft EA, the new headquarters will be a three-story facility off Komohana St., fronting Nowelo St. in Hilo. The proposed new location “allows HVO and PIERC to work collaboratively with university faculty and students and strengthen academic and research partnerships. The site is part of a larger parcel granted to the University of Hawai‘i by Executive Order 3814 in 2000. The UH Hilo fully supports the project and will execute a Use and Occupancy Agreement with USGS.”

Former headquarters of Hawaiian Volcano Observatory
 on the edge of Kilauea caldera, irreparable after the 2018
 eruption. Photo from Wikipedia

    One of the other reasons given for moving the USGS facility to Hilo in the Draft EA is that Hilo has a lower risk of lava flow.

    In the new building, the first floor will include laboratory bays, private and open offices, conference rooms, work areas, and a main lobby. The ground floor will be occupied by USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory. The second floor will include similar laboratory bays, offices, and work areas, and will be occupied by Pacific Island Ecosystem Research Center, which is currently located in Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park. The third floor of the building will include mechanical space and an open observation deck.

     According to the Draft EA, "The Warehouse and Field Support building will support HVO and PIERC operations and serve as a bridge between laboratory and field functions. Most of the interior will be an open plan warehouse with 18-foot minimum clearance and a high loading access bay. The building will include administrative spaces, a climate-controlled room for the USGS archives; field gear storage and maintenance areas, and lockers/restrooms/showers. At the far east end of the building there will be labs and lab support spaces for PIERC, an insectary and animal housing area separated from the main building. A 11 ft x 99 ft linear greenhouse will be situated along the southern side of the warehouse and under the large overhanging roof."

    See more in the Draft EA at https://files.hawaii.gov/dbedt/erp/The_Environmental_Notice/2023-02-23-TEN.pdf. Public comment is due March 28.

To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see facebook.com/kaucalendar. See latest print edition at kaucalendar.com, in the mail and on stands. 

POLICE ARRESTED 15 FOR DUI FEB. 13-19. Hawai'i Island Police made the arrests for driving under 

the influence of an intoxicant, with four of the motorists involved in traffic accidents. None of the drivers were under the age of 21. So far this year, there have been 145 DUI arrests compared with 162 during the same period last year.
    After a review of all updated crashes, Hawai‘i Police Department’s Traffic Services Section announced 131 major collisions so far this year compared with 100 during the same period last year, an increase of 31 percent.
    To date, there have been three fatal crashes, resulting in four fatalities, (Rvsd. 02/07/23: one fatal crash reclassified—manner of death was due to natural causes) and (one fatal crash had multiple deaths); compared with five fatal crashes, resulting in seven fatalities (one of which had multiple deaths) for the same time last year. This represents a decrease of 40 percent for fatal crashes, and 42.9 percent for fatalities.
HPD promises that DUI roadblocks and patrols will continue island wide.

To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see facebook.com/kaucalendar. See latest print edition at kaucalendar.com, in the mail and on stands. 

COMMUNITY MEETINGS

CONGRESSWOMAN JILL TOKUDA invites farmers and ranchers from Kaʻū to head north for a meet and greet her this Friday, Feb. 24 from 2 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. at the Hawai'i 'Ulu Co-op Hanalo Marshaling Yard off Hwy 19. The location is at 79-1017 E. Honalo Rd., south of Higashihara Park and north of Teshima's.      Kaʻū Farm Bureau President Phil Becker said he encourages attendance and also looks forward to Tokuda visiting Kaʻū in the near future. Tokuda said her aim in visiting with farmers and ranchers is "to learn about your priorities and issues." FREE FOOD St. Jude's Hot Meals are free to those in need on Saturdays from 9 a.m. until food runs out, no later than noon. Volunteers from the community are welcome to help and can contact Karen at pooch53@gmail.com. Location is 96-8606 Paradise Circle Drive in Ocean View. Those in need can also take hot showers from 9 a.m. to noon and use the computer lab from 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Free Meals Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays are served from 12:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. at Nā'ālehu Hongwanji. Volunteers prepare the food provided by 'O Ka'ū Kākou with fresh produce from its gardens on the farm of Eva Liu, who supports the project. Other community members also make donations and approximately 150 meals are served each day, according to OKK President Wayne Kawachi.

OUTDOOR MARKETS

Volcano Evening Market, Cooper Center, Volcano Village, Thursdays, 3 p.m. to 6 p.m., with live music, artisan crafts, ono grinds, and fresh produce. See facebook.com.

Volcano Swap Meet, fourth Saturday of the month from 8 a.m. to noon. Large variety of vendors with numerous products. Tools, clothes, books, toys, local made healing extract and creams, antiques, jewelry, gemstones, crystals, food, music, plants, fruits, and vegetables. Also offered are cakes, coffee, and shave ice. Live music.

https://www.okaukakou.org/scholarships-for-local-students

Volcano Farmers Market, Cooper Center, Volcano Village on Sundays, 6 a.m. to 10 a.m., with local produce, baked goods, food to go, island beef and Ka'ū Coffee. EBT is used for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, formerly Food Stamps. Call 808-967-7800.

Ka'ū Kākou Market, Nā'ālehu, Wednesdays, 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Contact Nadine Ebert at 808-938-5124 or June Domondon 808-938-4875. See facebook.com/OKauKakouMarket.

Ocean View Community Market, Saturdays and Wednesdays, 6:30 a.m. to 2 p.m., corner Kona Dr. Drive and Hwy 11, near Thai Grindz. Masks mandatory. 100-person limit, social distancing required. Gate unlocked for vendors at 5:30 a.m., $15 dollars, no rez needed. Parking in the upper lot. Vendors must provide their own sanitizer. Food vendor permits required. Carpooling is encouraged.

Kaʻū News Briefs, Wednesday, Feb. 22, 2023

Maunakea Silversword blossoms. Mauankea silverswords are relatives of the also endangered Kaʻū silversword. Mauna Kea silverswords are sprouting under a University of Hawai'i-Hilo program called Center for Maunakea Stewardship, in
partnership with the state Division of Forestry & Wildlife. See more below. Photo from Center for Maunakea Stewardship

THE PRINCE KUHIO HO'OLAULEA is back in action on Saturday, March 25. This event, organized by local non-profit Hana Laulima Lāhui O Kaʻū, will take place at Nāʻālehu Ball Park, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Hana Laulima members said they are excited to host this community event, which migrated to a virtual celebration in 2020, and then took a hiatus during COVID. The festival will feature music, hula, food, arts and crafts, Hawaiian cultural demos and activities, as well as informational booths and lucky number prizes.

    The call is also out for vendors interested in sharing their food and arts and crafts talents with Kaʻū at the hoʻolauleʻa.

A VENDORS MEETING THIS SATURDAY, FEB. 25 FOR THE PRINCE KUHIO HO'OLAULEA will be held at Nāʻālehu Community Center at 10 a.m. The Ho'olaulea is Saturday, March 25 at Naalehu Ballpark.

    This informational meeting is for all those who would like to be vendors. A statement from sponsoring organization Hana Laulima Lahui O Kaʻū said, "It is highly recommended for potential vendors to attend to receive their checklist of forms that need to be completed. Hoʻolauleʻa representatives will be at the center until 12 p.m. All vendor forms will be due no later than March 18."

     Anyone interested in participating as a vendor can contact Terry Shibuya at (808) 938-3681 or email hanalaulimalahuiokau@gmail.com to reserve a booth space.

To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see facebook.com/kaucalendar. See latest print edition at kaucalendar.com, in the mail and on stands. 

In 1984, silverswords were recognized
as endangered, with high risk of extinction.

THE SILVERSWORD RECOVERY EFFORT IS SPROUTING ON MAUNAKEA. Efforts to re-establish the highly endangered silversword on Maunakea are germinating through a partnership between University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo Center for Maunakea Stewardship and Hawaiʻi Department of Land and Natural Resources Division of Forestry & Wildlife.
    Silversword seeds, first sown at the Center for Maunakea Stewardship greenhouse at the Halepōhaku mid-level facility in February 2022, sprouted into more than 100 seedlings and have reached 3 inches to 7 inches tall. The staff is preparing to outplant the silverswords in a fenced enclosure within the Maunakea Forest Reserve.
    Justin Yeh, Resource Manager for Maunakea Stewardship, said, “I want this partnership to continue and be an example of what we can do if we work together as conservation agencies. Not only for silverswords but for all the reforestation efforts around the higher elevations of Maunakea, We want to be a hub for restoration, astronomy and education. This partnership is a step in the right direction.”

    Maunakea Silverswords are related to the critically endangered Kaʻū silverswords, which grow on the southern slopes of Mauna Loa in its fogbelt at around 6,000 feet elevation. See more on Kaʻū silversword (Argyroxiphium kauense) at https://ecos.fws.gov/ecp/species/1069 and
https://hilo.hawaii.edu/maunakea/library/reference.php?view=1495.

To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see facebook.com/kaucalendar. See latest print edition at kaucalendar.com, in the mail and on stands. 

AN ANTI-TOBACCO CAMPAIGN called Stronger Together was announced on Wednesday by Gov. Josh Green and the state Department of Health along with the Hawai'i Public Health Institute. It is the second phase of a public service announcement campaign to call attention to strategies used by tobacco companies to target Hawaiʻi's diverse populations.
    A statement from Department of Health says, "In Hawai'i each year, the tobacco industry spends an estimated $26 million on marketing; more than triple the amount the state spends on tobacco prevention and control programs. Marketing tactics have included pricing strategies in certain communities, glamorizing menthol flavors, event sponsorships, and community outreach. In addition, the tobacco

industry has invested in and markets nicotine delivery products, such as e-cigarettes or vaping, as a tactic to target youth. The tobacco industry is focused on specific populations including racial and ethnic minorities, those identifying as LGBTQ, those with lower incomes, and those with mental health or substance abuse conditions."
    The Stronger Together campaign identifies populations targeted by Big Tobacco which has led to higher proportions of tobacco use in these communities. The campaign is slated to run through April and includes TV, radio, digital, social media, and print advertisements.
    According to Lola Irvin, Department of Health, Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion Division Administrator, "Hawaiʻi has made great strides in reducing cigarette smoking overall, however the continual introduction of new products and tailored marketing strategies used by the tobacco industry

have pressured certain groups to use more tobacco than others. This campaign highlights the importance of health equity in the fight to end the tobacco epidemic in our state."
    Joshua Ching, a recent graduate of Kamehameha Schools, was inspired to join the Youth Council of the Coalition for a Tobacco-Free Hawai'i after he saw first-hand how the tobacco industry targeted his peers. "The tobacco industry has a history of exploiting marginalized communities like Native Hawaiians, widening existing public health disparities that have wounded the lāhui generation after generation. That's why I'm committed to the fight against Big Tobacco and the fight for equal justice – because standing up for the right thing is what it means to be Hawaiian," said Ching.
    Organizers of the campaign encourage the public to visit the website, StrongerTogether.hawaii.gov, for more information about the tobacco industry's targeted marketing tactics and to connect with their local Tobacco-Free coalition to stay informed and get involved.

    For those already addicted to tobacco products, Hawai'i Tobacco Quitline offers free coaching and resources to support the quit journey. Call 1-800-QUIT-NOW or enroll online at hawaiiquitline.org. My Life, My Quit is a free program with trained coaches to help youth quit smoking or vaping. Teens can sign up by texting "Start my Quit" to 36072 or calling 855-891-9989.

Image from state Department of Health and Hawai'i Health Institute.

To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see facebook.com/kaucalendar. See latest print edition at kaucalendar.com, in the mail and on stands. 

COMMUNITY MEETINGS

KAʻŪ'S ELECTED MEMBER TO THE STATE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES WILL BE IN VOLCANO ON THURSDAY. Jeanne Kapela will meet and greet at Cooper Center on Wright Road in Volcano Village at 6:30 p.m. this Thursday, Feb. 23 and the public is invited to join in following the evening farmers market there.

NEW SEWAGE SYSTEM OPTIONS FOR PĀHALA'S old sugar cane housing area will be discussed at 6 p.m. this Thursday, Feb. 23 at Pāhala Community Center. It will be a public information session on the large capacity cesspool closure project, sponsored by the county Department of Environmental Management. Notices were mailed to those who attended earlier meetings and provided contact information. One of the issues is whether the county will be able to provide individual waste water systems for each home or provide a piped sewage treatment system to replace the old gang cesspools, which are illegal across the country, banned by the EPA.

CONGRESSWOMAN JILL TOKUDA invites farmers and ranchers from Kaʻū to head north for a meet and greet her this Friday, Feb. 24 from 2 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. at the Hawai'i 'Ulu Co-op Hanalo Marshaling Yard off Hwy 19. The location is at 79-1017 E. Honalo Rd., south of Higashihara Park and north of Teshima's.      Kaʻū Farm Bureau President Phil Becker said he encourages attendance and also looks forward to Tokuda visiting Kaʻū in the near future. Tokuda said her aim in visiting with farmers and ranchers is "to learn about your priorities and issues." FREE FOOD St. Jude's Hot Meals are free to those in need on Saturdays from 9 a.m. until food runs out, no later than noon. Volunteers from the community are welcome to help and can contact Karen at pooch53@gmail.com. Location is 96-8606 Paradise Circle Drive in Ocean View. Those in need can also take hot showers from 9 a.m. to noon and use the computer lab from 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Free Meals Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays are served from 12:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. at Nā'ālehu Hongwanji. Volunteers prepare the food provided by 'O Ka'ū Kākou with fresh produce from its gardens on the farm of Eva Liu, who supports the project. Other community members also make donations and approximately 150 meals are served each day, according to OKK President Wayne Kawachi.

OUTDOOR MARKETS

Volcano Evening Market, Cooper Center, Volcano Village, Thursdays, 3 p.m. to 6 p.m., with live music, artisan crafts, ono grinds, and fresh produce. See facebook.com.

Volcano Swap Meet, fourth Saturday of the month from 8 a.m. to noon. Large variety of vendors with numerous products. Tools, clothes, books, toys, local made healing extract and creams, antiques, jewelry, gemstones, crystals, food, music, plants, fruits, and vegetables. Also offered are cakes, coffee, and shave ice. Live music.

https://www.okaukakou.org/scholarships-for-local-students

Volcano Farmers Market, Cooper Center, Volcano Village on Sundays, 6 a.m. to 10 a.m., with local produce, baked goods, food to go, island beef and Ka'ū Coffee. EBT is used for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, formerly Food Stamps. Call 808-967-7800.

Ka'ū Kākou Market, Nā'ālehu, Wednesdays, 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Contact Nadine Ebert at 808-938-5124 or June Domondon 808-938-4875. See facebook.com/OKauKakouMarket.

Ocean View Community Market, Saturdays and Wednesdays, 6:30 a.m. to 2 p.m., corner Kona Dr. Drive and Hwy 11, near Thai Grindz. Masks mandatory. 100-person limit, social distancing required. Gate unlocked for vendors at 5:30 a.m., $15 dollars, no rez needed. Parking in the upper lot. Vendors must provide their own sanitizer. Food vendor permits required. Carpooling is encouraged.