Ka`u News Briefs Dec. 20, 2012

Sen. Daniel Inouye lies in state in the U.S. Capitol Rotunda today.

SEN. DANIEL INOUYE became the thirty-first and last person since Gerald Ford to lie in state in the Rotunda of the U.S. Capitol today as Congress and the public began to bid a final aloha to the man who served Hawai`i in Washington for more than half a century. Inouye was the Senate’s second-longest serving member. He passed away on Monday of respiratory complications at the age of 88. As President of the Senate Pro Tempore, he was third in line for the U.S. Presidency, in the absence of Pres. Barack Obama, Vice President Joe Biden and Speaker of the House John Boehner.
      Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said during the ceremony, “Dan Inouye was an institution, and he deserves to spend at least another day in this beautiful building in which he dedicated his life to represent the 50th state from the first day Hawai`i was admitted into the union.”
      The public is able to enter the Rotunda to pay respects to Inouye through 8 p.m. today. A memorial service is planned for tomorrow morning in the National Cathedral. He will lie in state in the Hawai`i’s State Capitol on Saturday in Honolulu, and a service will be held Sunday at the National Cemetery of the Pacific at Punchbowl on O`ahu.
      The Vice President said Inouye lived his life showing “physical and moral courage,” noting his heroic efforts in World War II when he lost an arm fighting with the famed 442nd Regiment, comprised of Japanese Americans. “I never met a man with as much loyalty to his country, to his family, and to his friends,” said Biden, noting that the senator lacked cynicism even though he suffered “the sting of prejudice” and from his injuries.

FIRE AND RESCUE CREWS responded to a 9:26 p.m. alarm yesterday to a brushfire near the 63-mile marker of Hwy 11 east of Na`alehu. The fire burned in pasture on the makai side of of the highway, which was shut down for about three hours during firefighting operations. Trade winds in the area were at 20-35 mph. Twelve firefighters fought the blaze and had it under control by 10:45 p.m. The cause of the fire was reported to be undetermined. It was reported to be in an area of high grass near a transformer.

Executive director of the Division of Consumer Advocacy, Jeffrey Ono,
addresses PUC chair Mina Morita during an `Aina Koa Pono hearing in
Kona, flanked by state Sen. Malama Solomon, who opposed the project.
Photo by Julia Neal

DIVISION OF CONSUMER ADVOCACY, one of the parties on the proposed contract for `Aina Koa Pono to sell 16 million gallons of biofuel refined in Ka`u to Hawai`i Electric Light Co., has sent an information request to the Public Utilities Commission asking the companies for clarification on points in the contract and other documents. 

      The Consumer Advocates asks why, if the minimum purchase amount of 14 to 16 million gallons of the proposed biodiesel will meet the annual fuel requirements to operate Keahole, the proposed Biodiesel Supply Contract will not result in additional displacement or curtailment of other renewable energy projects in the future.

      Regarding `Aina Koa Pono’s intent to conduct a voluntary Environmental Assessment, the Consumer Advocate asks for the current status of the EA and for a copy of it, “to the extent that the EA is complete.”
      The Consumer Advocate asks for a timetable that illustrates the significant estimated milestones of the AKP project, which includes but is not limited to the start date of the EA, the completion date of the EA, the date the EA is accepted by the state, dates of all required permits, engineering, material order and receipt, construction start and end, in-service.
      The Consumer Advocate requests a comparison of the impact on the surcharge if the surcharge were to be allocated to the customers in the HELCO, HECO and MECO service territories and if the surcharge were to be allocated only to the HECO service territory.

      The Consumer Advocate asks for a description of the specific benefits associated with the community benefits package that has or will be provided by AKP. “Please describe any discussions that AKP has had with the community to determine the specific benefits associated with the package that will meet the community's needs,” the Consumer Advocate says.
      The Consumer Advocate also asks the companies to identify projects “where the proposed Microwave Dee technology has been demonstrated to be commercially viable since the information provided in the AKP1 Application.”
      The Consumer Advocate seeks more information regarding feedstock to be used to refine biofuel. It asks for confirmation that approximately 900 tons/day of feedstock is required to produce 24 million gallons of fuel on an annual basis. “Please confirm that it is likely that AKP will have a firm and reliable source of the most cost effective feedstock that results in the biofuel with the best heat rate,” the Consumer Advocate says.
      The Consumer Advocate asks if alternative feedstocks have been identified and if shipping of feedstock, with associated costs, has been considered.

       A description of the evaluation assessing that the supply and quantity of the proposed biodiesel is reliable and dependable is another request from the Consumer Advocate. “To the extent that the proposed biodiesel is unavailable, please describe in detail the steps that HELCO will take to ensure that such a situation will not adversely impact ratepayers and its customers,” the Consumer Advocate asks.

      “Please discuss whether it is prudent to rely on the AKP contract to provide essentially 100 percent of the fuel needs for the Keahole,” the document states. “Please provide a detailed discussion of how HELCO will plan its fuel procurement to ensure that it will have sufficient fuel to run Keahole, especially if AKP is unable to meet its obligation, including, but not limited to, when AKP is only to meet part of its obligation.”
      The Consumer Advocate asks the companies to indicate whether the proposed contract includes any provisions regarding the removal of all plant and equipment associated with feedstock or biodiesel, “such that the property on which such plant and/or equipment is returned to its original condition before the plant and/or equipment was installed or constructed” and to provide “suggested language that the companies and AKP are willing to include in the contract to ensure that the plant and equipment to be installed are removed as necessary, as opposed to being allowed to remain as abandoned or derelict property.”
      The Consumer Advocate asks for a detailed discussion of the companies’ and AKP’s efforts to conduct community meetings since the Commission’s rejection of AKP1 “to get a better appreciation of the communities’ concerns with the proposed project.” The document asks the companies to identify each meeting held, the date of the meeting, the number of participants and the groups.
      “Please discuss the companies’ and AKP’s efforts, if any, to develop measures or benefits to address community concerns,” the document states.
      The Consumer Advocate’s complete information request, as well as other documents, can be read at puc.hawaii.gov/dockets. Docket number is 2012-0185.
      The companies’ responses to all information requests are due Friday, Jan. 4.

A Betty Crocker Landscape Award goes to Ira Ono and his
Volcano Garden Arts.

IRA ONO IS A 2012 BETTY CROCKER Landscape Award recipient. The competition is held annually to recognize and acknowledge gardeners and gardens that make Hawai`i a special place. The event is named in honor of Betty Crocker, one of the founders of Scenic Hawai`i, Inc., who supported the organization for over 30 years. 

      Ono is owner and director of Volcano Garden Arts in Volcano Village. He purchased the neglected historic property 10 years ago and, “with his passion for gardening and a labor of love has brought it back to life,” says a statement from Volcano Garden Arts. The original 1908 farmhouse is now home to a contemporary art gallery and natural foods restaurant, Café Ono. There is also a guest cottage which was restored from the original groundskeeper’s house, and the former garage is now an art studio/office.
       The garden is located at 19-3834 Old Volcano Road in Volcano Village. Admission is free, and it is open to the public daily from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Volcano Garden Arts and Café Ono were also recently given the Keeping it Green Hawai`i award by Recycle Hawai`i for being an environmentally responsible business.
      See volcanogardenarts.com.

KA`U `OHANA BAND, Ka`u Community Chorus and Hannah’s Makana `Ohana Hula Halau perform during Ka`u School of the Arts’ holiday concerts Saturday at 3 p.m. at Ocean View Community Center and Sunday at 7 p.m. at Discovery Harbour Community Center.

Na`alehu Methodist Church's handbell choir prepares for Candlelight
Christmas Eve Service. Photo from Julie White

CANDLELIGHT CHRISTMAS EVE SERVICE will be held at 6:30 p.m. at Na`ohulelua Historical Garden on Kama`oa Road on the grounds of the historic Catholic Church from the mid-1800s. It is a non-denominational Christian Christmas celebration. Everyone is welcome, including children in pajamas. Bring your own chair and flashlight to walk the path to the ceremony. Space is limited. RSVP to 345-9374. 

NA`ALEHU METHODIST CHURCH also offers Candlelight Christmas Eve Service at 7:30 p.m., with lessons and carols that retell the Christmas story in word and song. For more, call Julie White at 503-756-8035.

SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS AT WWW.PAHALAPLANTATIONCOTTAGES.COM AND WWW.KAUCOFFEEMILL.COM. KA`U COFFEE MILL IS OPEN SEVEN DAYS A WEEK.

ALSO SEE KAUCALENDAR.COM AND FACEBOOK.COM/KAUCALENDAR.

FIND MORE OF OUR DECEMBER 2012 EVENT PHOTOS ON OUR FLICKR ACCOUNT. 

Ka`u News Briefs Dec. 19, 2012

Hannah's Makana `Ohana Hula Halau performs at holiday concerts this weekend. Photo by Julia Neal

KAHU RADIO 91.7 FM’s equipment, funded by Civil Defense, is gone from the Crown Castle communications tower on the upper road between Pahala and Na`alehu. The equipment has been transferred to the radio station in Pahala “to be reinstalled or liquidated,” according to a press release from station manager Christine Kaehuaea. She also states that “co-owner of KAHU 91.7 FM and Director of Ka`u Community Radio, Inc., Wendell J. Kaehuaea, has retired from daily radio station operations.”

Workers scale the tower near Na`alehu to remove KAHU
91.7 FM's antennas. Photos from Christine Kaehuaea

       The statement sent to media statewide says that KAHU “received FCC approval on Dec. 12 to dismantle its last existing tower site in Na`alehu, in the southern region of Hawai`i Island, due to the station’s increasing operational expenses over the last year and lack of consistent public, local business and corporate funding.”
      The press release, issued Tuesday, says that “Crown Castle LLC, the tower owner, in cooperation with Pacificomm Systems LLC, the tower climbers, physically removed the antennas (Monday) at 10:00 a.m. from the mono-pole tower as the KAHU 91.7 FM tower crew leader, Christine Kaehuaea, station general manager & owner, manually turned off the HELCO circuit breaker for the last time, then assisted her tower crew consisting of Mike Munnerlyn, Leo Hill and Ron Ebert to unbolt the equipment and remove the transmitters to take them, as well as the antennas back to the radio station to be re-installed or liquidated in efforts to pay off outstanding operational expenses.”
      The press release states: “With the help from community volunteers, plus companies like Mike Munnerlyn General Contracting Services and Taylor Built Construction Co. Inc., the antenna and equipment re-installation was successful. Upon testing during Uncle Bobby’s “Nahe, Nahe” show at 4:00 p.m., listening on the Internet was consistent (kahufm.com), however the FM radio broadcast proved to be a challenge when their 600-watt transmitter malfunctioned. The station’s 150-watt transmitter was installed temporarily and will suffice until the 600-watt can be shipped for warranty repairs.”

Community members help reinstall the antennas at
Ka`u Community Radio station. 

       The press release says that “reports were received of strong coverage in Na`alehu, Pahala, and Punalu`u. The station is still awaiting confirmations from the Volcano area down to Kalapana.”
      The statement quotes the manager: “‘As the equipment came down, it felt good knowing that the community and our creditors are behind us in pushing the reset button,’ says Christine. ‘It is so important that we continue service, but with any business, expenses must be paid, hence our downsizing and liquidating of any and all equipment that we aren’t using.’”
       The statement puts forth: “As a native Hawaiian owned and operated community radio station, KAHU 91.7 FM is the only radio station heard from Volcano to Na`alehu and impacts 11,225 residents from Ocean View to Volcano and down to Kalapana, as well as approximately 398,695 visitors that pass through the District of Ka`u while traveling around Hawai`i island.”
      “The mission of KAHU 91.7 FM, the Shepherd, a community radio station broadcasting LIVE from Pahala, on Hawai`i island, is to embrace the communities that it serves in the District of Ka`u, around the Hawai`i island, the outer islands and beyond. As the only Native Hawaiian owned and operated station in the United States and sole resource of County & State Civil Defense emergency broadcast services to the southern region of Hawai`i island; the goal of KAHU 91.7 FM is to assist in keeping the doors of business open for local merchants and businesses, educate listeners to the Hawaiian culture and island diversity, support the community through a variety of unique avenues and offer a voice of friendship through music and other programming to welcome all into our KAHU 91.7 FM ‘Ohana’(family).”

HAWAI`I COUNTY, one of the participants on the proposed contract for `Aina Koa Pono to sell 16 million gallons of biofuel refined in Ka`u to Hawai`i Electric Light Co., has sent an information request to the Public Utilities Commission asking the companies for clarification on points in the contract and other documents. 

      In the introduction of its information request, the county outlines its concerns with the project.
      “The County of Hawai`i is the first island in the state to achieve high penetrations of Renewable Energy. A concerted effort was made and continues to be made to achieve the goals of continued renewable energy resources development because it was and remains to be the right thing to do for our island environment and economy,” the county states.
      “Consideration still needs to be made as to whether we could do better or whether regulations favoring certain technologies and/or business models are indeed beneficial for our island economy, standard of living or the overall future good of our island. We have renewable energy contracts, however, due to avoided cost rules, most of the existing contracts are linked and move with the price of oil. This adversely affects many socio-economic benefits we first envisioned when decisions were made to develop high levels of clean energy.

      The county says it encourages any effort to delink those prices, but “consideration must still be given regarding introduction of renewable energy at prices that will hurt our hard working families or collapse an economy we all depend on to sustain our island. Therefore, a hard look must be made into whether Hawai`i ratepayers should be locked into another utility contract with a cost structure much higher than the alternative renewable energies or current level of petroleum-diesel it replaces.
      “While no one can predict where the prices of petroleum-diesel will be in the future,” the county states, “it is likely that fifty to sixty percent of our Renewable Energy will be locked into the high cost of oil for at least several years to come. Pursuant to the terms of this contract, another block of renewable energy will be locked into these very high prices for many years to come.
      Another county concern with the proposed project is that it “creates an unusual cost by effectively precluding alternate and potentially more-attractive renewable energy resources from being developed” and that it “further reinforces the perception that high-cost projects, using increased Renewable Energy and Renewable Portfolio Standards, will be accepted no matter what. If system generation capacity is already in place for many years to come and there are limited numbers of additional megawatts of renewable projects that could come on-line, we must analyze each proposed project with a keen eye on the relation between generation capacity and fuel cost even more carefully.

      The county claims that, with forty percent renewable energy production/consumption per year, renewable projects are now competing with each other to get their megawatts on the grid.
      “This project, with its associated unproven technological foundation and high prices, essentially crowds out other projects that could ultimately lower the energy burden paid by the ratepayer,” says the county. “Before we permit HECO and HELCO to enter into this contract, with its inherent negative drawbacks, should we not first investigate and consider the best technological fit for our already existent natural renewable energy resources? In the alternative, we should take an inventory of possible projects by using existing resources on the system in better combination with efficiency and demand
response technologies.”
      The county says that “not all ratepayers on our island are either willing or able to accept higher electricity rates just because a product is from a renewable energy source as may be the case here.
      “From a utility perspective, this means a desirable biofuel for electricity generation project must offer consumers the opportunity to lower their rates or at the very minimum, not increase them. It is also desirable to allow further ratepayer cost reductions if operational efficiencies and/or new technologies enable further savings. This is particularly important when a large percentage of the ratepayers on our island are at the lower end of the economic spectrum and are already paying some of highest electricity rates in the nation.”
      The county’s complete information request, as well as other documents, can be read at puc.hawaii.gov/dockets. Docket number is 2012-0185.

Ali`i Keanaaina is one of the songwriters scheduled to
perform tonight at Kilauea Visitor Center Auditorium.

SONGWRITERS FROM HAWAI`I VOLCANOES NATIONAL PARK’S Hawaiian Music Songwriters Retreat held in August present their music this evening at 6:30 p.m. at Kilauea Visitor Center Auditorium. 

KA`U `OHANA BAND, Ka`u Community Chorus and Hannah’s Makana `Ohana Hula Halau perform Saturday at 3 p.m. at Ocean View Community Center and Sunday at 7 p.m. at Discovery Harbour Community Center.

SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS AT PAHALAPLANTATIONCOTTAGES.COM AND KAUCOFFEEMILL.COM. KA`U COFFEE MILL IS OPEN SEVEN DAYS A WEEK.

ALSO SEE KAUCALENDAR.COM AND FACEBOOK.COM/KAUCALENDAR.

FIND MORE OF OUR DECEMBER 2012 EVENT PHOTOS ON OUR FLICKR ACCOUNT.

Ka`u News Briefs Dec. 18, 2012

Sen. Dan Inouye's last visit to Ka`u was on Aug. 29 to celebrate the circulation of the new coin featuring
Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park. He is seen here with David Croft of the U.S. Mint and HVNP superintendent Cindy Orlando.
Photo by Jay Robinson, National Park Service

THE PASSING YESTERDAY OF U.S. SENATOR DAN INOUYE, “a war hero, distinguished president pro-tempore of the U.S. Senate, and an effective advocate for the people of Hawai`i for more than five decades,” is mourned by the mayor and people of Hawai`i, said Mayor Billy Kenoi yesterday. “Beyond the titles, beyond the power and the influence, what most stands out is his thoughtfulness, his kindness and how he treated everyone with respect and aloha,” Kenoi said. “I will never forget that lesson.”
      Kenoi noted that many of Hawai`i’s leaders walked through Senator Inouye’s office – including Kenoi himself, who worked as an intern in the senator’s office in the summer of 1992. “He gave me opportunity, and he supported me every step of the way,” Kenoi said. “I look to him with the same respect, honor and love that I feel for my parents.

Sen. Dan Inouye hardly had to campaign but showed up at local rallies to support his
Democratic Party, including the Hilo Bandstand rally in 2010, the night before the
general election. Photo by Julia Neal

      “Senator Inouye was a friend and a mentor to generations of public servants. He always encouraged all of us to fight for what we believe in, to stand up for what is right, and most importantly, to give everything we have to serve the people of Hawai`i,” the mayor said. “He taught all of us how to conduct ourselves as public servants.”
      Kenoi called Inouye “a leader who embodied the best of yesterday, who served our community the best he could every day, and who was always mindful of tomorrow, of future generations.”
      The mayor described Inouye as a “tireless advocate for the people of Hawai`i.” Kenoi said that his wife, “Takako and I, our family and our community are honored and privileged to have had him as a part of our lives.”

      Ka`u’s County Council member Brenda Ford reacted to the passing of Sen. Dan Inouye yesterday, saying: “Senator Daniel Inouye was a great warrior for our country with the 442nd Infantry Regiment. The Regiment’s motto was ‘Go for Broke!’, and that’s what Senator Inouye did for the state of Hawai`i for 53 years in the Senate. He will always be remembered and honored for his work and his Medal of Honor earned in WWII.”
      Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park superintendent Cindy Orlando worked closely with Inouye on land proposals for the park, including the addition of 117,000 acres at Kahuku, doubling the park’s size. “In my mind, he was a great supporter of the National Park Service throughout Hawai`i and especially in Ka`u,” she said. “We were also honored by his visit to lead us in the ceremonial introduction of the U.S. Mint’s Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park quarters this summer.”
      Inouye served as senator from Hawai`i for nearly 50 years and was the state’s first member of Congress. As President Pro Tempore of the U.S. Senate, he was third in line to be President of the United States, after Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden. He was 88 years old when he died of respiratory complications at Walter Reed Hospital.
      According to Inuoye’s press secretary Peter Boylan, a message was sent to Gov. Neil Abercrombie from Inouye asking the governor to consider his recommendation to appoint Congresswoman Colleen Hanabusa to replace him. It is up to the governor to pick a successor to hold Inouye’s elected position until the election of 2014. Other possible candidates include former congressman Ed Case and former Honolulu mayor Mufi Hannemann. Abercrombie, who served in the U.S. House of Representatives, could nominate himself to become senator.
      Hanabusa has served in the U.S. House since January 2011 and was recently re-elected. She served in the state Senate for a dozen years.

Bradley Westervelt

THE COUNTY COUNCIL COMMMITTEE ON AGRICULTURE, WATER & ENERGY SUSTAINABILITY meets today and plans to discuss the proposed resolution offered by new Council member Margaret Wille calling for county decisions to be made with long-range planning in focus. However, the board of the Hawai`i Sustainable Communities Alliance has issued a statement with numerous concerns, according to spokesperson Bradley Westervelt.
      The statement contends that “ideals being framed by this resolution elevate ‘Cultural Resources’ to be equivalent to ‘Natural Resources.’ Given that any square inch of the island may possibly be considered ‘historical’ or ‘sacred,’ a ‘Cultural Resource,’ has no limitation,” writes Westervelt.
      “Demanding a measure of loss of value and holding the government accountable is an unmanagable matter of opinion,” he states. “For a thought experiment: Would the site of King David Kalakaua’s Hilo summer home be considered such a ‘cultural resource?’ Was there not value in having a hotel there at one time? Are not different public and commercial services in place there today of public value?” asks Westervelt.

      “We of the Sustainable Community Alliance are concerned that rules and guidelines such as these may hinder the natural evolution of community,” the statement proclaims. “Cultural Resources are alive or they are dead. Like trees, Cultural Resources may become new things upon the same site as once hosted a very different cultural activity in the past.”
      The statement argues that “applying the guidelines of this Resolution would effectively stymie change and favor nostalgia.”
      Westervelt writes that the proposed resolution “will only serve to hinder progress to a more sustainable society” and urges the Council to reject it. Westervelt writes that the organization’s membership has grown steadily and numbers more than 600 today. See hawaiisustainablecommunity.org.
      Public attendance via videoconference is available at Ocean View Community Center for this meeting, as well as other committee meetings and tomorrow’s 9 a.m. County Council meeting in Kona. Agendas are available at hawaiicounty.gov.

HAWAI`I STATE DEPARTMENT of Business, Economic Development and Tourism, one of the participants in the proposed contract for `Aina Koa Pono to sell 16 million gallons of biofuel refined in Ka`u to Hawai`i Electric Light Co., has sent an information request to the Public Utilities Commission asking the companies for clarification on several points in the contract and other documents.
      DBEDT asks the companies for clarification on their statement that “‘the fixed Biodiesel price, with a nominal escalation provision, is reasonable and is projected to fall below the price of petroleum diesel during the term of the Biodiesel Supply Contract.’ a) Please provide the analysis and supporting documents for that statement. b) Please provide the analysis and justification for how AKP arrived at the price … per gallon of biodiesel supplied. Please provide analysis and justification for how AKP … this price from the proposed … per gallon of biodiesel supplied price quoted in the AKP` Biodiesel Supply Contract. c) Please provide the analysis and justification for how AKP arrived at the annual escalator.... d) Were alternatives considered in the pricing and escalator formulas referenced in (b) and (c) above? If so, what were those alternatives? e) Please provide the cost per gallon to produce the biodiesel and the approximate rate of return earned on each gallon of biodiesel.”

      Regarding the companies’ statement that “utilizing biofuel in existing generating units is expected to achieve cleaner air emissions and facilitate compliance with new and revised environmental regulations,” DBEDT asks, “a) How will AKP’s biofuels contribute to meeting air emissions in compliance with Mercury and Air Toxics Standards and National Ambient Air Quality Standards or other environmental regulations? b) What is the total cost, net present value of total cost, and cost to the ratepayer to achieve air emissions compliance(s) under the scenario with AKP’s biofuel? c) How would HELCO plan to achieve environmental compliance with MATS and NAAQS or other environmental regulations without AKP’s biofuel? Please provide the analysis of the total cost, net present value of total cost, and cost to the ratepayer for HELCO to achieve air emissions in compliance with MATS and NAAQS or other environmental regulations without AKP’s biofuel.”
      DBEDT asks the companies to provide “model, assumptions, and economic analysis used … to estimate the economic impacts, including job and tax creation assessments.

      “Please provide the assumptions and sources for data found in the spreadsheet in Exhibit K: Incremental Cost of Biodiesel Supply Contract. Also please provide the incremental cost of the Biodiesel Supply Contract for each year of the Contract.”
      DBEDT’s complete information request, as well as other documents, can be read at puc.hawaii.gov/dockets. Docket number is 2012-0185.
      See questions from other parties and participants in the docket in upcoming Ka`u News Briefs.
      HELCO and AKP have until Friday, Jan. 4 to respond to the information requests.

TROJAN MEN’S SOCCER made history yesterday with a 30-yard goal kicked past Waiakea’s goalie to beat the Warriors for the first time in Division II history. The goal was scored by Lehre Vidal, and final score was 1-0. Vidal was assisted by Derrick Valez. Goalie for Ka`u High, Andrew Garcia, earned the shutout. Ka`u has two wins in five games this season. Next games are tomorrow at CLA at 2 p.m. and Saturday at Makualani at 1 p.m. Head coach is Crystalee Mandaguit.

John and Hope Keawe

MUSIC FILLS THE AIR IN KA`U THIS WEEK.

TONIGHT, JOHN KEAWE AND HIS WIFE, HOPE, perform at Kilauea Visitor Center Auditorium in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park at 7 p.m.

TOMORROW, SONGWRITERS from Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park’s Hawaiian Music Songwriters Retreat held in August present their newly honed skills at 6:30 p.m. at Kilauea Visitor Center Auditorium.

KA`U SCHOOL OF THE ARTS presents holiday concerts next weekend with Ka`u `Ohana Band, Ka`u Community Chorus and Hannah’s Makana `Ohana Hula Halau performing Saturday at 3 p.m. at Ocean View Community Center and Sunday at 7 p.m. at Discovery Harbour Community Center.

SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS AT PAHALAPLANTATIONCOTTAGES.COM AND KAUCOFFEEMILL.COM. KA`U COFFEE MILL IS OPEN SEVEN DAYS A WEEK.

ALSO SEE KAUCALENDAR.COM AND FACEBOOK.COM/KAUCALENDAR.

FIND MORE OF OUR DECEMBER 2012 EVENT PHOTOS ON OUR FLICKR ACCOUNT.