Ka`u News Briefs Feb. 11, 2011

Ka`u beekeeper Alison Yahna has been helping to caretake wild hives
and teaches local residents beekeeping.

KA`U’S BEEKEEPERS will be able to use a new product called Mite Away Quick Strips to keep varroa mites from sucking the blood and the life out of their honeybees. The state Department of Agriculture and the EPA are allowing the use of the pesticide in Hawai`i. It is already used in Canada. Beehives in Hawai`i have been hard hit by the mites in recent years. Even wild hives have been affected, and some beekeepers are adopting wild hives and helping them to regain their health.

THE STATE SENATE is considering a time-out on foreclosures statewide, calling for mediation, forgiveness, modifying payments and negotiations for five months. Ka`u Representative Bob Herkes said that it will help to protect local homeowners from predatory lenders who sometimes unjustly foreclose on those behind in payments. Under the moratorium judicial foreclosures with more oversight would continue. The bill passed the state House of Representatives yesterday.

Holland American Cruises' ms Zaandam, which may be allowed to host
onboard gambling when cruising between the islands.

HAWAI`I MAY HAVE GAMBLING, but it would be allowed only offshore on “gaming ships” sailing between the islands, if a bill that passed the House Economic Revitalization and Business Committee passes the Senate and House. A board would manage the offshore gambling and fees, and taxes and fines would go into a State Gaming Fund. The state Department of Budget & Finance said that any such revolving fund should have the capacity to be self-sustaining and have specific uses for the money collected. Some legislators want to limit the number of ships and set the minimum number of passengers for gambling to proceed. The Honolulu Police Department opposes the measure, with testimony saying “gambling exploits those who can least afford it and undermines community values.” One tour boat operator said that the tour boat business will go under if people are offered the gambling boat option. Utah is the only other state where there is no gambling.

Sen. Malama Solomon

SPECIAL STATE FUNDS could be seized for the state’s general fund under a bill proposed by Big Island Senator Malama Solomon. Some of the funds with local applications include 911 wireless emergency phone service, libraries, Hawai`i Historic Preservation, tobacco enforcement, beach restoration and a UH-Hilo Athletics special fund. According to Solomon there could be $1 billion dollars in special funds money that could go to offset the $850 million shortfall in the state budget. Critics dependent on the fund said that the back-up money, even when it goes unused, helps them to receive good bond ratings and loans for important projects. 

MORTGAGING GOVERNMENT-OWNED LANDS to fund not only development of county facilities but also some operations would become easier if the legislature passes new legislation. The measure involves issuing bonds for money that could be used for police protection, fire department services, ambulance and paramedic services, recreation programs, maintenance and lighting of streets, parks and roads, flood and storm protection services and hazardous substance cleanup. In the past such bonds have been used only for capital improvements, not services. There will be a public hearing on the matter tomorrow in Honolulu at the Legislature.

THE FRIENDS OF HAWAI`I Volcanoes National Park sponsor a Volunteer Forest Restoration Project tomorrow morning. Participants at least 14 years old remove invasive, non-native faya plants from the park’s Keanakakoi Special Ecological Area. Pre-register at 985-7373.

VOLCANO ART CENTER’S annual Love the Arts fundraiser happens tomorrow at 5:30 p.m. The gala supports the center’s arts and educational programming. Hors d’oevres, entrees, homemade truffles, wine and champagne will be served. Tickets are $45. Call 967-8222 for more information and tickets.

Ka`u News Briefs Feb. 10, 2011

Councilwoman Brittany Smart 

A COMMUNITY TALK STORY SESSION will be held tonight by County Council member Brittany Smart at Cooper Center in Volcano at 7 p.m. Her guest will be Council member Pete Hoffman, and the subject is How Impact Fees Impact Me. Impact fees on development can raise money for infrastructure but have also been blamed for higher housing costs. Hoffman says he has a new formula that will help the community, which will be softer on the owner-builder. Questions from the audience are encouraged.

BIOFUELS TAX CREDITS proposed in the state House of Representatives are scheduled for decision-making in committee today. Pacific Biodiesel owners Kelly and Bob King want the measure to incentivize small business and include used cooking oils, grease trap and waste animal fats, to encourage expanded use of recyclable materials for clean fuel production. They also want independent farmers to have the same advantage as big agricultural interests. They want tax breaks based on actual production rather than capacity. 

Kelly and Robert King of Pacific Biodiesel, with
composer Jack Johnson, support locally made
biofuel from crops, food and agricultural waste

     They said that the biodiesel industry has to be flexible and that it has struggled under recent economic conditions and fluctuating petroleum prices. Many U.S. biodiesel facilities are running at reduced capacity, have shut down entirely or gone bankrupt. Nearly all new biofuel facility construction has been stalled indefinitely.
     The way the bill reads, says Pacific Biodiesel vice president Kelly King, it appears that only large agricultural entities that own both the farm and fuel production would benefit, and that the local farmer working with a biofuel production operation is at a disadvantage.
     The Kings, the state Department of Business and Economic Development and other entities want a tax credit for biofuels with a level playing field for large and small producers.
     A presentation on biofuel production planned for Ka`u will be given on Monday, February 21 by `Aina Koa Pono at Pahala Community Center at 6 p.m., sponsored by the Ka`u Chamber of Commerce.

THE STATE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES voted yesterday to continue opening prayers each day. New rules, however, prevent prayers from being used to advance, to proselytize or to disparage any religion. The new rules were passed following the American Civil Liberties Union warning both the House and Senate that they should separate the activities of church and state. The prayers will no longer be considered official business of the House. The Senate recently did away with prayers altogether, becoming the first legislative body to do so in the country. Ka`u Senator Gil Kahele, however, joined eight other senators in praying before a Senate session to show that they still look for guidance from Akua.

PUBLIC SCHOOLS will have to offer a few more school days and a little more time each day in the classroom, starting this fall. Right now the children go to school for 178 days, which will increase to 180 days. Elementary schools will offer about five hours a day, while intermediate and high schools will offer 5.5 hours a day. The next school year, starting in 2013, will see another increase in school time, with a total of 1,080 hours for students of all grades.

Sen. Josh Green

THE PROPOSAL TO INCREASE TAXES ON ALCOHOL and to levy a tax on soda was the subject of a hearing at the state Senate Health Committee, chaired by Dr. Josh Green yesterday. The alcohol tax could generate about $23.4 million a year, and the soda tax could bring in $44 million to help ease the state budget crunch. About $15 million would go toward alcoholism and obesity prevention programs. 

One version of the bill would tax all sugary beverages. 

     During the hearing, representatives of the Hawai`i Restaurant Association, Hawaiian Sun, Itoen, Coca-Cola and other soda, liquor and sugary beverage companies called the measure regressive, saying it would hurt lower- and middle-income families. The Tax Foundation said that Hawai`i already has some of the highest tax rates on alcoholic beverages in the country. The tax hike would reaffirm the perception “that Hawai`i is a tax hell,” said the Tax Foundation.

     The American Heart Association; Hawai`i Primary Care Association; and the Healthy Mothers, Healthy Babies Coalition supported the bill. 

     To prevent diabetes and other health problems, the American Heart Association recommends that men ingest no more than nine teaspoons of sugar a day and women consume not more than six teaspoons, including all the sugar in drinks, prepackaged and homemade foods. Sen. Josh Green said the issue deserves a more complete debate before deciding whether it should pass his health committee.

Ka`u News Briefs Feb. 9, 2011

Ope`ape`a, the Hawaiian hoary bat, could become
the official Hawai`i State Land Mammal.

OPE`APE`A COULD BE HONORED as the official Land Mammal of the State of Hawai`i. The ope`ape`a is the Hawaiian hoary bat, the only land-based mammalian species found exclusively in Hawai`i. The legislation is proposed by Senator Sam Slom, a Republican, who points out that this endangered bat, setting up house in Hawai`i, has been described as one of the “most spectacular over-water colonization events in mammalian history.”
     The Hawaiian bat is small and acrobatic. It can be seen at night along Highway 11 and flying around in villages throughout Ka`u, emitting its high-pitched sound as it dines on insects. The proposal to make the bat the state land mammal passed the Hawaiian Affairs Committee and goes next to the Judiciary Committee at the state Legislature. The monk seal, another native mammal in the Islands, would be the Hawai`i State Marine Mammal.

THE CIVIL UNIONS BILL PASSED the state House Judiciary Committee last night after five hours of testimony. The committee made some changes in the bill, including changing the tax code to recognize the rights of same-sex couples and also that family matters be overseen by family court. The bill will go back to the Senate for similar adjustments.

Alison Silverstein

WITH HAWAIIAN ELECTRIC CO. headed toward renewable energy with more proposals for firm power like geothermal and biofuels, as well as intermittent power like wind and solar, the Public Utilities Commission has selected consultant Alison Silverstein to facilitate the development of oversight and regulations. Hawaiian Electric Company will pay her salary. Silverstein has an MBA from Stanford University and has worked for the Environmental Law Institute, the U.S. Department of the Interior and public utilities commissions elsewhere. 

HOME SALES ON THIS ISLAND increased last month, according to a story in Pacific Business News. One hundred and three homes sold in January, up 17 percent over the same month last year. The median price was down, at $220,000. Home sales were also up in December. 

Humpback whale counts continue in February and March.

LOCAL VOLUNTEERS can sign up to count whales on Saturday, February 26th and also on March 26th. The annual Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary Ocean Count drew volunteers to Punalu`u and other sites around Ka`u. Some 900 people participated statewide. On this island, the count averaged four whales every 15 minutes. To register for the next event see sanctuaryoceancount.org. 

VOLCANO ART CENTER’S annual Love the Arts fundraiser happens this Saturday at 5:30 p.m. The gala supports VAC’s arts and educational programming. Hors d’oevres, entrees, homemade truffles, wine and champagne will be served. Tickets are $45. Call 967-8222 for more information and tickets.