Ka'u News Briefs Dec. 11, 2011

The Pahala Christmas Parade begins at 1 p.m. today. Floats, trucks, cars, Santa and Christmas characters wind through
town, with a visit to Ka`u Hospital. Refreshments will be served at Holy Rosary Catholic Church after the parade.
Photo by Julia Neal

THIRD CIRCUIT COURT will not be coming back to Na`alehu. The new court complex will handle cases from Ka`u to Kohala and even Hamakua and will be located with a 500-car parking lot in Kona. The state has come up with proposed locations for the project, all north of Kona, with most of them mauka of the Honokohau Harbor near the new West Hawai`i Civic Center and Kealakehe High School.
     The site with the highest rating is the farthest north at Koloko Makai on Hina Lani St. near Costco. The farthest south location is at Makalapua Center, where K-Mart is located.
     The complex will include circuit court, family and district courts, Children’s Justice Center, drivers’ education, holding areas and a law library.
     The judicial complex will be big - 141,800 square feet - and will cost some $90 million. It is scheduled to be completed by 2017. It will replace small courtrooms around the island including the one in Na`alehu that long served Ka`u.
     The EIS can be read on the state Office of Environmental Quality Control website: www.oeqc.doh.hawaii.gov/Shared%20Documents/Environmental_Notice/current_issue.pdf.
     The proposal goes to Gov. Neil Abercrombie for his review and on to Chief Justice Recktenwald for final choice of the new location.

Alcohol and drugs were found in many victims of traffic
deaths. Map from Hawai`i Island Traffic Safety Report

TRAFFIC FATALITIES went down islandwide at the end of the last decade, but police are still pushing hard to stop drunken driving on all roads. According to a Stephens Media report by Chelsea Jensen, there was a 30 percent decline in traffic deaths, with 98 compared to 140 deaths during the beginning of the last decade. 

     “Between 2005 and 2009, more than 75 percent of the drivers involved in 107 fatal car crashes on Hawai`i Island tested positive for alcohol, and about 70 percent had drugs in their systems. The data on contributing factors in fatal crashes didn’t assess the 2006 to 2010 time frame,” Jensen reports.
     “Substance-positive drivers were also three times more likely to have not been using seat belts at the time of the crash, and nearly three times more likely to have been speeding, according to the data, which found those behaviors ‘contributed to elevated fatality rates among substance using drivers compared to other drivers,’” said the Stephens Media story.
     “Of the 387 motorists injured, not killed, in crashes and subsequently transported to Kona Community Hospital between late 2009 and October, 66 tested positive for alcohol and 15 people were drug-positive,” the story reports.
     DUI checkpoints are planned around the islands during the holidays.

OCEAN VIEW COMMUNITY CENTER hosts a talk story with County Council member Brittany Smart tomorrow at 6:30 p.m. She will answer questions and give updates to topics including the Ka`u Community Development Plan, the Ocean View transfer station, the Kahuku Village development and biofuel production. 

THE KA`U COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT PLAN’S Steering Committee meets Tuesday at 5:30 p.m. at Na`alehu Community Center. According to the agenda, discussion will be limited to the roles of the Steering Committee and the community in the CDP production process. For more information, contact planner Ron Whitmore at 961-8137 or rwhitmore@co.hawaii.hi.us.

The Kuahiwis. Photo from NPS

THE KUAHIWIS BRING their special blend of Hawaiian music, hula, family and friends to After Dark in the Park on Tuesday at 7 p.m. at Kilauea Visitor Center Auditorium in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park. Last year the Kuahiwis played to a packed house with their music deeply rooted in the volcanic soil of Hawai`i. Their debut CD, Kuahiwis, Hawaiian Music was nominated for traditional Hawaiian music CD of the year. Copies will be available for sale. 

THE KEIKI CHRISTMAS PARTY at Hana Hou Restaurant in Na`alehu is coming up on Wednesday from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. Santa will be there for photos with the keiki. Free goodie bags and keiki IDs will be offered, along with a free buffet-style dinner. Lucky numbers will be drawn for 30 bicycles, games, books, toys and more.

OCEAN VIEW COMMUNITY CENTER’S Keiki Christmas Party begins at 11 a.m. on Saturday, Dec. 17. Everyone is invited to this free event, which includes food, music, gifts for every child under 12 and a visit from Santa.
     OVCA asks for donations of new, unwrapped gifts for all ages up to 12. Gift trees are set up at merchants around Ocean View, where residents can take ornaments off the tree and buy gifts for children of age groups noted.
     For all donations of time, money and gifts, call 939-7033.

Kilauea Military Camp invites the public to vote for their
favorite display at the Holiday Challenge.

THE ELVES AT KILAUEA MILITARY CAMP have decorated the Front Row Cottages for their third annual Holiday Challenge. The public can vote for their favorite display and receive a Holiday Dollar redeemable at several KMC venues. Park entrance fees may apply.

HAWAI`I VOLCANOES NATIONAL PARK and Queen Lili`uokalani Children’s Center are calling kids of all ages to Ka`u `Ohana Day next Saturday, Dec. 17 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the park’s Kahuku Unit. Participants will experience the medicinal values of Hawaiian plants as Ka`ohu Monfort shares her knowledge about la`au lapa`au. Other activities will include making feather kahili and playing makahiki games like `ulu maika, konane and moa pahe`e. Bring water, sunscreen and a ball cap. The entire `ohana is welcome. For more information, call 985-6011.

THE CHRISTMAS IN PAHALA celebration takes place next Sunday, Dec. 18, around a lighted Christmas tree on Kamani Street. Donations are being taken for needy families who might otherwise not be able to afford a happy Christmas. Canned foods, turkeys, toys, gift certificates and beverages can be donated by calling Keala Kailiawa at 928-0500 or Pahala Plantation Cottages at 928-9811, or dropping donations by KAHU community radio station on Maile Street.

Ka'u News Briefs Dec. 10, 2011

Peter Anderson's lunar eclipse above the clear skies of Ka`u before dawn today.

SUGGESTIONS FOR THE DESIGN of REGIONAL DISASTER SHELTER and gym for the Ka`u High School campus are being sorted out by the consultant, Mitsunaga & Associates engineering and architectural firm, of O`ahu, according to county Department of Public Works director Warren Lee. Lee said yesterday that, while Dec. 6 was the deadline for public comments, “the charrette on Dec. 19 and 20 will focus on the configuration of the functional areas for the program suggestions.” The charrette, a public meeting, provides community members with an opportunity to talk to the planners, ask questions and give further input. It will be from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. both days, Dec. 19 and 20. The facility will be operated by the county and will serve both the school and the broader community and will be a FEMA certified disaster shelter.
     Suggestions have included the architecture fitting in with the community, as many sports courts as possible, along with a fitness center, a stage for community events, and having the equipment on hand to clean the air for the gym during bad vog days and for disaster use. A community kitchen has also been suggested.

Father Damien statue at the
State Capitol.

ART IN PUBLIC PLACES is another aspect of the planning for the gym and disaster shelter. The Hawai`i State Foundation for Culture and the Arts oversees the spending of a percentage of the budget for public buildings such as the gym to commission a major work of art. 

     According to the Foundation’s website, an Art Advisory Committee “is to make recommendations to the HSFCA regarding the development and design of a given art project, including location, medium, distinguishing features of the artwork, and selection of the artist. The HSFCA appoints members of the Art Advisory Committee from users of the facility and representatives from the community in which the facility is located.
     “The committee chairperson is a representative of the state department, division or agency to which that state building or space is assigned. Others from the committee who serve as a resource or advisory member may include some or all of the following: the project architect, representatives of the state comptroller, representatives of state departments that are responsible for the construction or renovation, representatives of the Art in Public Places Program, and as appropriate, HSFCA-appointed artists or technical experts. The HSFCA determines the method in which the art project should be commissioned.” 

A sculpture in the old plantation town of Koloa honors
the multi-ethnic diversity of Kaua`i.

     Artists wanting to apply for the commission will be able to use a new system CaFÉ, an online application system for Calls for Entry. “This user-friendly site was developed specifically for artists by the Western States Arts Federation,” the State Foundation for Culture and the Arts website states.
     “The HSFCA will post a call for artists in the State of Hawai`i for commissioned works of art in public buildings. Artists will submit their application online through the CaFÉ website, www.callforentry.org. Applications will not be accepted in any other manner,” the website states.

The partially eclipsed moon above
Ka`u. Photo by Peter Anderson

THE NEXT LUNAR ECLIPSE IN HAWAI`I will be in 2014. Last night’s full eclipse which began after 2 a.m. and ended around dawn was easily seen in Ka`u’s clear skies along with many shooting stars. Ka`u is one of the least light-polluted places on the planet, making star, planet and moon gazing exceptional. 

MORE MONEY FOR COMMUNITY HOUSING has been received by Hawai`i County than expected, according to a Stephens Media story by Nancy Cook Lauer. Government agencies and nonprofits have until Jan. 5 to turn in applications to provide housing assistance to low-income families. Funds can go to home ownership, tenant-based rent assistance and rental housing. The reason for a $3 million windfall is that the state decided to give the federal money this year only to the Big Island and rotate it from island to island each year, the story says. For more, see hawaiicounty.gov/office-of-housing, or call 961-8379.

A PIANO CONCERT with 16-year-old Ben Houghton takes place tonight at 6:30 p.m. at Ocean View Community Center. Cookies and coffee will be served. 

ALSO AT OCEAN VIEW COMMUNITY CENTER, on Monday at 6:30 p.m., County Council member Brittany Smart will answer questions and give updates to topics including the Ka`u Community Development Plan, the Ocean View transfer station, the Kahuku Village development and biofuel production.

Santa returns to Pahala tomorrow to join the parade.

SANTA VISITS PAHALA tomorrow during the annual parade beginning at 1 p.m. Floats, trucks, cars and more Christmas characters join the parade that winds through town, with a visit to Ka`u Hospital before ending with refreshments at Holy Rosary Catholic Church. The parade, which is more than 40 years old, is sponsored by Eddie Andrade and friends. 

THE KEIKI CHRISTMAS PARTY at Hana Hou Restaurant in Na`alehu is coming up on Wednesday from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. Santa will be there for photos with the keiki. Free goodie bags and keiki IDs will be offered, along with a free buffet-style dinner. Lucky numbers will be drawn for 30 bicycles, games, books, toys and more.

OCEAN VIEW COMMUNITY CENTER’S Keiki Christmas Party begins at 11 a.m. next Saturday, Dec. 17. Everyone is invited to this free event, which includes food, music, gifts for every child under 12 and a visit from Santa.
     OVCA asks for donations of new, unwrapped gifts for all ages up to 12. Gift trees are set up at merchants around Ocean View, where residents can take ornaments off the tree and buy gifts for children of the age groups noted.
     For all donations of time, money and gifts, call 939-7033.

BRITTNI PAIVA, who teaches at music workshops in Pahala, has released her first DVD called Living `Ukulele. Paiva, 21, grew up learning from Keoki Kahumoku. She studied at the Berkeley School of Music and now represents the Big Island Visitor Bureau. She won `Ukulele Album of the Year at the Hawaiian Music Awards and frequently performs throughout Hawai`i and on the West Coast. 

     The DVD has won awards at various film festivals. It features Kahumoku and Daniel Ho and shows her in Australia attempting to break the world record with the most people at the same time playing the same song on `ukulele.
     See brittnipaiva.com. 

DONATIONS ARE BEING TAKEN for the Christmas in Pahala celebration on Sunday, Dec. 18, around a lighted Christmas tree on Kamani Street. Donations are for needy families who might otherwise not be able to afford a happy Christmas. Canned foods, turkeys, toys, gift certificates and beverages can be donated. Coordinate your donation by calling Keala Kailiawa at 928-0500 or Pahala Plantation Cottages at 928-9811, or drop donations by KAHU community radio station on Maile Street.

HAWAI`I VOLCANOES NATIONAL PARK and Queen Lili`uokalani Children’s Center are calling kids of all ages to join park rangers at the Kahuku Unit for a day of fun and discovery next Saturday, Dec. 17 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Participants will experience the medicinal values of Hawaiian plants as Ka`ohu Monfort shares her knowledge about la`au lapa`au. Other activities will include making feather kahili and playing makahiki games like `ulu maika, konane and moa pahe`e. Bring water, sunscreen and a ball cap. The entire `ohana is welcome. For more information, call 985-6011.

Ka'u News Briefs Dec. 9, 2011

Full moon before, during and after total lunar eclipse. Composite by Akira Fujii, Sky & Telescope

KA`U’S CLEAR NIGHT SKIES are expected to be one of the best places on the planet to view the total lunar eclipse before dawn tomorrow morning. Hawai`i is the center of the area where the entire lunar eclipse will be seen, from eastern Asia to Australia, Alaska, the Canadian Yukon and the western U.S. The complete eclipse will be from 4:05 a.m. to 4:57 a.m. Saturday morning, Hawai`i time. 

Abel Simeona Lui talks to an engineer about plans for Kawa,
where a bridge will raise Hwy 11 above flood level.
Photo by Julia Neal

BRIDGE CONSTRUCTION AT KAWA was explained last night at a public meeting on the Environmental Assessment for the project to elevate Hwy 11 above the flood zone. The highway will be raised about 45 feet above sea level and culverts that will take water from the intermittent stream makai. A temporary road will be built makai of Hwy 11 while the bridge is being constructed. The bypass will start about 100 yards Na`alehu side of the most popular entry to the surfing and fishing beach at Kawa. The secondary entrance to Kawa will also remain during and after construction. 

     The $3.8 million project is 80 percent funded by the Federal Highway Administration and 20 percent by the State of Hawai`i. The improvements will be along approximately 3,700 feet of Hwy 11.
     Public questions included issues of Hawaiian sovereignty and the ongoing claim of Abel Simeona Lui and his supporters regarding ownership of the land at Kawa, where he has lived for more than 20 years. He said he will continue his efforts to prove ownership in court and has no plans to leave Kawa. Liko Martin talked to representatives of the project team about his view of sovereignty and stewardship of the land. One woman said she wanted to make sure that construction of the bridge and its long-term impacts will not disturb the springs, estuaries and ponds at Kawa. 

A dead owl was presented with claims that poisons used
to kill rats and control weeds are also killing pueo.
Photo by Julia Neal

     Some members of the public also brought up the question of the kind of poisons being used to keep down weeds along the highway and claimed that Roundup is killing pueo, the Hawaiian owls, and brought a dead owl and photos of other dead and injured wildlife to the meeting. They claimed that rodents eat the poison and owls eat the rodents and die.

OFFICE OF HAWAIIAN AFFAIRS is hosting a community meeting to discuss the state-proposed settlement regarding ceded lands. The meeting is 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. this evening, Dec. 9 at Kaniohale Community Center, 74-5100 Haleolono Street in Kona. Share concerns and learn about the state’s proposed land settlement relating to past due ceded land revenue, which is subject to legislative approval. Email comments to kakaako.comments@oha.org or visit www.OHA.org. 

AN ANCHIALINE POND RESTORATION WORKDAY will be held tomorrow from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Volunteers for the Hawai`i Wildlife Fund will help remove the last of invasive Christmas berry from around the fragile coastal ecosystem. Wear long-sleeved shirts and gardening gloves, sun and wind protection and sturdy footwear. Bring lunch and re-usable water bottle. Pau hana will be at Kamilo, so bring a swimsuit. Call 769-7629 for more details. See www.wildhawaii.org. After this weekend, the next beach cleanup is scheduled for Jan. 14.

HAWAI`I WILDLIFE FUND, which sponsors this event and other Ka`u beach cleanups, is one of five nonprofit organizations receiving donations from Subaru car dealerships in Hawai`i this month. For each new car sold, Subaru donates $250 to the nonprofits.
     Subaru will also donate $5,000 to the nonprofit that receives the most votes on its facebook poll this month. To support the Hawai`i Wildlife Fund effort in Ka`u one needs to click on “like” to take the Share the Love poll. That’s at https://www.facebook.com/SubaruHI?sk=app_126231547426086. 

A giant Norfolk Pine, donated by Olson Trust, went up next to Pahala Gas
yesterday to light up the village and become the central point for the
Christmas in Pahala caroling and gift-giving celebration on
Saturday, Dec. 18. Photo by Tamryn Fyvie

DONATIONS ARE BEING TAKEN for the Christmas in Pahala celebration on Sunday, Dec. 18, around a lighted Christmas tree on Kamani Street, which was put up yesterday. Donations are for needy families who might otherwise not be able to afford a happy Christmas. Canned foods, turkeys, toys, gift certificates and beverages can be donated. Coordinate your donation by calling Keala Kailiawa at 928-0500 or Pahala Plantation Cottages at 928-9811, or drop donations by KAHU community radio station on Maile Street.

THE HANA HOU CHRISTMAS PARTY for keiki is coming up next Wednesday at Hana Hou Restaurant in Na`alehu from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. Santa will be there for photos with the keiki. Free goodie bags and keiki IDs will be offered, along with a free buffet-style dinner. Lucky numbers will be drawn for 30 bicycles, games, books, toys and more.

CHRISTMAS IN KA`U takes place tomorrow from 9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Sponsored by Thy Word Ministries-Ka`u at Na`alehu Hongwanji, the event includes song, hula, dance and free Hawaiian plate lunches. Pastor Bob Tominaga invites everyone for “for some great fun and fellowship.”

VOLCANO ART CENTER’S free Holiday Lights Community Celebration also happens tomorrow from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. at its Niaulani Campus in Volcano Village. The Christmas tree and light display features a children’s tree ornament contest. There will also be an `ohi`a yule log hunt, holiday music, caroling, marshmallow roasting, light refreshments and a visit by Santa Claus. 

AFTER THE HOLIDAY LIGHTS Celebration, Junior “Volcano” Choy presents A Night of Hot Jazz at the Niaulani Campus from 7 p.m. – 9 p.m. Guests include Pauline Wilson, Elena Welch, Lou Ann Gourney, Slyde Hyde, Kenny Griffin, Brian McCree and Gary Washburn. Tickets are still available and can be purchased at 967-8222 or volcanoartcenter.org.

FLOATS, TRUCKS, CARS and Christmas characters will wind through Pahala for the annual Christmas Parade on Sunday beginning at 1 p.m. Sponsored by Eddie Andrade and friends, the parade, which is more than 40 years old, stops at Ka`u Hospital and is followed by refreshments at the Catholic church.