Ka`u News Briefs Friday, Feb. 21, 2014

GMO seed corn farmers looked at the slopes above Honu`apo several years ago as a possible site for a new farm but the land
has since been taken off the market with Ka `Ohana O Honu`apo hoping for it to be purchased for preservation.
Photo from Hawai`i Pacific Brokers 

A HOME RULE RESOLUTION passed the County Council this week in response to bills considered at the state Legislature. The resolution calls for the state to protect the counties’ authority to regulate the cultivation and development of genetically engineered crops and plants and associated pesticides.
      The resolution states that “the Council is concerned that state Legislators have introduced legislation designed to eliminate county level authority (‘home rule’) over agricultural practices, even when certain practices may severely impact the health of neighboring residents and the unique and delicate ecosystems of each island.
      “The counties’ foremost obligation is to protect the health and safety of its population and are aware that standard medical facilities in our outer-island counties are not equipped with toxicology laboratories for either sufficient or sophisticated testing of illnesses and harms that may result from genetically engineered organisms or their associated pesticides.
      “The counties are also aware that in 2013 the multinational agrochemical corporations lead an effort to gut the jurisdiction of the counties, such that they would no longer have any authority over matters concerning the health and wellbeing of their residents. (See 2013 Senate Bill 727.) In addition, the multinational agrochemical corporations advocated to further erode the ability of either the state or the counties to regulate the cultivation of genetically modified crops by way of Senate Bill 590, a proposed amendment to the Right to Farm Act aimed at insulating these corporations from lawsuits and regulations that might in some manner curtail their cultivation, development, or testing of genetically engineered crops in the state of Hawai`i. The counties abhor these efforts to undermine local government protection of the people and the environment.”
      Resolution 272, introduced by Kohala Council member Margaret Wille, is available on the County Council Feb. 19 meeting agenda at hawaiicounty.gov.
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Richard Ha writes about food security and GMOs. 

RICHARD HA, OWNER OF HAMAKUA Springs Country Farms, discusses the future of Hawai`i Island farming on his blog, hahaha.hamakuasprings.com. Ha writes that, according to Hawai`i Rural Development Council surveys, food security is Hawai`i’s number one priority. “‘Difficulties faced by local farmers’ is number three, and ‘GMO agriculture’ is number five.”
      Ha says that banning genetically modified organisms, a lower priority issue, “threatens our food security (our most important concern). I say this all the time because it’s so important to remember: If the farmers make money, the farmers will farm. We need our farmers farming in order to have food security here in Hawai`i. We need to work toward that end.”
      Ha explains how agriculture and energy are tied together: “Working toward having low-cost energy here on the Big Island will strongly benefit both our farmers and the rest of our people — it lowers food cooling costs for both farmers and their customers. It will help the farmers to farm, which will increase our food security.
      “We are lucky to have the option here of generating electricity with geothermal. Geothermal-generated electricity is similar to oil in its characteristics. It is steady. And very importantly, it costs only half as much as oil and will not run out anytime soon.
      “It's all related. Geothermal energy means lower electric bills, for both farmers and consumers. Lower electric bills means farmers keep farming, and consumers have more food security out here in the Pacific where we import 80 percent of our food or more. Lower electric costs also mean consumers have more discretionary income, and that helps our local economy.
      “Banning GMOs (a.k.a., biotech solutions to farming problems, which all our competitors will be able to use) moves us in exactly the wrong direction,” Ha concludes.
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Developers of biofuel farms have described the pastures between Pahala and Na`alehu as
abandoned sugar lands. A measure in the state legislature would study potential for
growing crops for ethanol on such lands. Photo by Julia Neal

“AN ABUNDANCE OF VACANT SUGAR CANE LAND” in Hawai`i could be used to produce ethanol, according to a bill making its way through the state Legislature. According to SB2198, Hawai`i requires that gasoline sold in the state contain ten per cent ethanol, and Hawai`i imports all of its ethanol, along with crude oil, from overseas. “Despite several planned ethanol plants and an abundance of vacant sugar cane land, no plants have been built,” the bill states.
      The bill, which would establish a renewable fuels task force within the Department of Business, Economic Development & Tourism, is up for a vote in the state Senate after being approved by the Ways & Means Committee.
     Richard Lim, the director of DBEDT, was a founding partner and serves on the board of Sennet Captial, LLC., which lists `Aina Koa Pono one of its transactions. The Managing Director of Sennet Capital is Kenton Eldridge, who is also co-founder and chair of `Aina Koa Pono. See www.sennetcapital.com and www.ainakoapono.com.
        The bill would require the task force to perform a feasibility study involving locally produced renewable fuels. The task force would submit a final report of its findings and recommendations to the 2016 Legislature.
      This bill and others can be tracked at capitol.hawaii.gov.
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HAWAI`I HEALTH CONNECTOR is making a push in Ka`u this weekend for sign ups for Obamacare through the Ka`u Rural Health Community Association, Inc. Ka`u Rural Health, which received $120,000 in grant money to help people sign up for health care in Ka`u, sent out an email yesterday, saying that it is “a Marketplace Assister Organization for the Hawai1i Health Connector. To make an appointment to enroll for health care coverage, residents in the Ka1u district are asked to cll the KRHCAI Kokua Assisters at 928-0101. A statement from the Health Connecter yesterday said the state’s online health insurance marketplace “is promoting a Weekend of Action this weekend. Enrollment and outreach efforts will be happened statewide, with Kokua on hand to help residents with the enrollment process.”
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Work is available for a full-time college student at Pahala Library. Photo from Pahala Public & School Library

PAHALA PUBLIC & SCHOOL LIBRARY has opened up a position for a fulltime college student with computer skills. Those interested can inquire at the library or call 928-2015 and ask for Debbie Wong Yuen. Pahala Library is open Monday, Wednesdays and Thursdays from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. On Tuesdays it is open from noon to 3 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. On Fridays, it is open from noon to 5 p.m.

NA`ALEHU PUBLIC LIBRARY'S 20th anniversary celebration is toady until 3 p.m. with entertainment and free refreshments. 939-2442.

VOLCANO ART CENTER OFFERS an introduction to Zentangle on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at its Ni`aulani Campus in Volcano Village. Cost is $35 or $30 for VAC members with $10 supply fee. Call 967-8222. t

SPAGHETTI DINNER & SILENT AUCTION to raise money for the Ka`u Hospital ER is tomorrow, Saturday, 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. at Na`alehu Community Center. Ka`u Red Hat Ladies and Ka Lae Quilters are the sponsors. Tickets are $9.99 from Pahala Quilting and Ka`u Rural Health Clinic.

SEN. RUSSELL RUDERMAN’S TOWN HALL MEETING will be open to the public on this coming Monday, Feb. 24 from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at Pahala Plantation House on the corner of Maile and Pikake Streets. Light refreshments will be served. Call 808-586-6890 or email senruderman@capitol.hawaii.gov.

SEE THE DIRECTORY 2014 ONLINE. For a page-turning version, see www.kaucalendar.com/Directory2014.swf. For a pdf version, see www.kaucalendar.com/Directory2014.pdf.

Ka`u News Briefs Thursday, Feb. 20, 1014

Moa`ula Coffee lands are in the Lehman Bothers properties that are the subject of negotiations for sale. Photo by Geneveve Fyvie

LEHMAN BROTHERS set a deadline of Feb. 14 for interested parties to begin negotiations for the purchase of its 5,800 acres in Ka`u that includes Moa`ula coffee lands, pasture and oceanfront property. Joel LaPinta, who works with Kennedy Wilson real estate management, investment and brokerage company, on behalf of Lehman, said this morning that there are several parties who signed agreements to begin negotiations. Ka`u Coffee farmers said they hope that any buyer will keep them on the land to grow their famous Ka`u Coffee. Mayor Billy Kenoi said that he has encouraged Lehman to make it known to any buyer that the county’s position is to help prevent displacement of the the coffee farmers and that he could cooperate in forming a hui to buy the land for an agricultural park if the coffee lands were to become available for sale as a separate parcel.
     A water cooperative meeting regarding Moa`ula and other farm and ranch lands served by the old plantation water system will be held today at the Royal Hawaiian macadamia conference room at 4 p.m.
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REJECTION OF TWO `AINA KOA PONO contracts with the electric company to sell biofuel that would be manufactured in Ka`u is a key reason why Gov. Neil Abercrombie does not plan to reappoint Mina Morita to the Public Utilities Commission, according to Sen. Roz Baker who was quoted in a Civil Beat story this week.
      Baker, who chairs the committee that oversees the PUC, told reporter Sophie Cocke that the PUC decision was sound. “It was the right decision,” she said. “It was an unproven technology that was going to cost the ratepayers a lot of money.” She also said that it was not the role of the PUC to “do the governor’s bidding.”

Mina Morita, Chair of the PUC

      According to Baker, Abercrombie’s staff told her that Morita wouldn’t be reappointed.” Baker told Civil Beat that the governor “didn’t give me the courtesy of a meeting” regarding the decision.
      Cocke said Abercrombie spokesman Justin Fujioka told her Morita’s reappointment is still “under review” and that Abercrombie “has not made a decision on this matter.”
      Cocke also reported that Morita said she likely won’t be reappointed. “While I acknowledge the governor’s prerogative to appoint members of the commission, I am disappointed that I may not be considered for reappointment,” she said. “Since becoming the chair in March 2011, my mission has been to build a capable, knowledgeable, fair and independent PUC to serve the public interest. Hawai`i’s ratepayers and the utilities that the PUC regulates deserve no less.”
      According to Cocke, Civil Beat also spoke with several energy industry representatives who said Morita won’t be reappointed when her term ends in June.
      Cocke said people involved in energy policy “have said privately that the governor has been frustrated by the PUC’s slow pace in pushing forward his energy agenda. Some have also wondered whether Morita is qualified to tackle the increasingly complicated technical and financial issues associated with Hawai`i’s energy policy.”
      Cocke also wrote that some of the PUC’s decisions “have angered energy developers, some of whom are close to the governor.” One of those she mentioned was William Kaneko, a former lobbyist for `Aina Koa Pono, who chairs Abercrombie’s re-election campaign.  See civilbeat.com.
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VETERANS PURCHASING HOMES IN KA`U with rainwater catchment systems can once again gets loans through the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. The move comes three years after the VA halted the practice of guaranteeing this type of home loan when it determined private rainwater catchment systems are not regulated by the Hawai`i Department of Health and therefore could not meet the VA’s minimum property requirements.
      U.S. Sen. Mazie K. Hirono, a member of the Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs who has been working on the issue since early 2012 when island veterans and the Hawai`i Realtors Association first contacted her, applauded the decision. She and her staff worked collaboratively with the VA’s Loan Guarantee Office and the DOH’s Environmental Health Division to help resolve the issue.
      “This announcement is the culmination of hard work and cooperation by the VA and the Hawai`i Department of Health as they were able to come to a resolution that meets the needs of veterans seeking loan guarantees across the state,” said Hirono. “After raising this issue directly with Secretary Shinseki, I would like to thank him for his strong leadership in once again helping pave the way for veterans to buy a home, even in Hawai`i’s deep rural areas that don’t have access to county water lines.”

Veterans will be able to get loans for dwellings with
water catchment. Photo from Waterworks

      After discussions with the VA, the DOH determined that rainwater catchment systems can be made safe for domestic use if certain guidelines are followed. This clarification led to the announcement regarding the VA guaranteed loan policy, which takes effect immediately.
      Hirono’s staff will continue to work with the Veteran Benefits Administration's Honolulu regional office on outreach efforts to help veterans navigate the newly established procedures.
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OPPORTUNITY PLAN IS THE TITLE of legislation being introduced into the U.S. Senate by Hawai`i’s Sen. Brian Schatz, along with New York Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand. This five plank agenda “focuses on the biggest issues facing millions of families across the country who are struggling to succeed in an outdated system,” Schatz said in Civil Beat.
      The plan would create paid family and medical leave insurance, raise the minimum wage, take action on income inequality, expand access to quality affordable child care and establish universal pre-kindergarten classes.
      “As two of only a handful of U.S. senators with young children, we understand what it’s like to be working parents with family responsibilities. It’s not easy. And too many middle-class families around the country are struggling because the system is rigged against them,” Schatz said. Family and Medical Insurance Leave Act would create a self-sustaining paid family medical leave program for up to 12 weeks of paid leave.
      Schatz and Gillibrand are also supporting the Fair Minimum Wage Act, which would increase the minimum wage to $10.10 per hour over the next three years. “If the minimum wage were more livable, millions of families could move into the middle class,” Schatz said.
      The Paycheck Fairness Act would address the gender wage gap. According to Schatz, in 2012, women were, on average, making 77 cents for every dollar a man makes. “If women earned the same amount as men, America’s gross domestic product could grow by as much as four percent,” Schatz said. To comment on or “like” this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.

Na`alehu Library celebrates 20 year of service tomorrow.
Photo from State of Hawai`i Libraries

      Regarding child care, the legislation would give families the option of deducting the cost of child care expenses as a business expense, in addition to expanding the Child and Dependent Care Credit to allow low income families with little or no tax liability to have access to a fully refundable tax credit
      The fifth plank of the Opportunity Plan supports Hawai`i Sen. Mazie Hirono’s PRE-K Act, which, calling for universal pre-kindergarten classes, would increase the number of early childhood educators and increase the hours per day a family would have access to education programs.
      “The time is right for our government to change the work environment to accommodate the changes in the workforce. In fact, if we want our middle-class families to succeed, it’s imperative.” Schatz concluded. See civilbeat.com.
To comment on or “like” this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.

NA`ALEHU PUBLIC LIBRARY'S 20th anniversary celebration is Friday, Feb. 21 from noon to 3 p.m. with entertainment and free refreshments. 939-2442.

VOLCANO ART CENTER OFFERS an introduction to Zentangle on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at its Ni`aulani Campus in Volcano Village. Zentangle is an easy-to-learn, relaxing and fun way to create images by drawing structured patterns. Julie Evans and Lois and Earl Stokes, the island’s only certified Zentangle teachers, share a new art form that has ancient connections to universal symbol and pattern making. “At first glance it looks like we are doodling, but, on another level we are manipulating symbols shared across cultures and times. It is a type of yoga for creative expression,” said Evans.  Cost is $35 or $30 for VAC members with $10 supply fee. Call 967-8222 to register.

Learn Zentangle this Saturday.

SPAGHETTI DINNER & SILENT AUCTION to raise money for the Ka`u Hospital ER is this Saturday from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. at Na`alehu Community Center. Ka`u Red Hat Ladies and Ka Lae Quilters are the sponsors. Tickets are $9.99 from Pahala Quilting and Ka`u Rural Health Clinic.

SEN. RUSSELL RUDERMAN’S TOWN HALL MEETING will be open to the public next Monday, Feb. 24 from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at Pahala Plantation House on the corner of Maile and Pikake Streets. Light refreshments will be served. Call 808-586-6890 or email senruderman@capitol.hawaii.gov.

SEE THE DIRECTORY 2014 ONLINE. For a page-turning version, see www.kaucalendar.com/Directory2014.swf. For a pdf version, see www.kaucalendar.com/Directory2014.pdf.

Ka`u News Briefs, Wednesday, Feb. 19, 2014

Justin Kripps named the Canadian bobsleds in the 2014 Olympics for Pele and Poliahu in honor of his childhood home in Ka`u. He
competes for Canada in the four-man on Saturday, Feb. 22, after coming in sixth in the two-man.  Photo from Justin Kripps

NA`ALEHU BORN BOBSLEDDER Justin Kripps is set to captain an Olympic four-man bobsled team this Saturday, Feb. 22 in Sochi. The son of Ka`u residents Libby and Robert Kripps, he is a member of Team Canada but attended first through seventh grade at Na`alehu School. Kripps earned a track and field scholarship at Simon Fraser University in Vancouver and was asked to try bobsledding. He made the Olympics team in 2010 and, at age 27, became a bobsled captain and pilot for these Olympics. He drives the two-man sled named for Poliahu- Hawai`i's snow goddess and the four-man sled named for Pele - Hawai`i's fire goddess. Kripps' parents said they plan to watch the competition online from Ka`u. His team took sixth in the two-man. In related news, an online photo of his team in their underwear was blocked by Russian censors.
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Image from justinkripps.com

MONEY TO FIGHT COFFEE BERRY BORER is on the line at the state legislature. The state House Finance Committee will hear the bill tomorrow at 11 a.m. The bill would provide $3 million to the state Department of Agriculture. Its chair, Scott Enright, submitted testimony: “Invasive species are a primary threat to Hawai`i’s agriculture and economy. The coffee berry borer poses a significant problem for coffee farmers in Hawai`i, and the additional funds will help the Department in its effort to contain the infestation.”
     UH Chancellor and Agriculture Dean at Manoa both weighed in, supporting the funding to include their partnership and work on the problem with the state ag department.
     Department of Land & Natural Resources chair William Aila pointed out that management of feral coffee trees is part of the solution. He said the DLNR supports the spending of $3 million “provided that this appropriation does not replace or adversely impact appropriations for other priority invasive species projects across the State.”

Coffee berry borers live inside the coffee bean, wasting its value.

     Hawai`i Farm Bureau Pres. Chris Manfredi testified that “Coffee is one of Hawai`i’s signature crops; one that helps bring fame and tourists to Hawai`i. Coffee Berry Borer threatens the entire Hawaiian coffee industry. While the full tally is yet to be made, farms on Hawai`i Island have experienced deep losses. Some have failed. Moreover, large quantities of coffee have been downgraded due to insect damage, reducing the value of the remaining crop. CBB is a serious threat to Hawai`i's agriculture industry and the state's economy. While CBB is battled worldwide, no other coffee growing origin shares Hawai`i's high labor costs and restrictions on pesticides that may be used elsewhere to fight this destructive pest. This places the industry at a competitive disadvantage when compared to the rest of the coffee-growing world.”
    Hawai`i Coffee Association, Kona Coffee Farmers Association, Kona Coffee Council and Hawai`i Farmers Union United submitted supportive testimony. Jim Wayman, of the Coffee Association, called it “an emergency situation.” He wrote, “It is like putting out a forest fire in that it all most be contained or it will continue to spread.”
     Testimony came not only from Big Island coffee growers who are plagued by the pest. It came from growers on Kaua`i, Maui, Moloka`i and O`ahu who are afraid it will reach their orchards.
     East Ka`u member of the state House of Representatives, Dennis Onish was one of the authors of the bill.
To comment on or “like” this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.

     

KA`U COFFEE FESTIVAL & HAWAI`I TOURISM AUTHORITY. The annual report of the Hawai`i Tourism Authority has been sent to the state legislature and includes a section of the Ka`u Coffee Festival. The HTA reports that “Chris Manfredi has been organizing this festival since its inaugural event five years ago. He is in charge of everything from planning and budgeting to promotion, marketing and fundraising. Chris has helped to grow the festival from a weekend event to a week-long celebration, providing more opportunities for local businesses to participate and more visitors, including a Japanese tour group, to experience this unique festival.”

     The report quotes Manfredi: “Our Ka`u Coffee Festival has grown over the past few years to incorporate one-of-a kind events including a mountain hike, stargazing, farmer’s table locavore events and other sustainability excursions to educate our attendee. We aspire to create an environment in which everyone can experience the people, place and coffee firsthand.”
    Hawai`i Tourism Authority states in its report that the agency “is proud to support Chris and the entire team a the Ka`u Coffee Festival through the County Product Enrichment Program. Visitor experiences such as these, give Hawai`i the opportunity to share the story behind the various products, and the people who work hard to share Hawai`i’s unique culture with the rest of the world.”
     The Ka`u Coffee Festival is scheduled for May 2 – 11. The next organizing meeting for volunteers is this coming Tuesday, Feb. 25 at 6 p.m. at Pahala Community Center. To donate or volunteer, call Manfredi at 929-9550.
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Mike Wilson was named to the state Supreme Court yesterday by Gov. Neil Abercrombie
Photo from Gov. Neil Abercrombie

UNMANNED DRONES may be in the future for monitoring drought, finding livestock, checking waterlines and the health of native forests. A bill in the state legislature, however, would prevent police from monitoring people with drones, without due process. One version would limit drones to police and has drawn a lot of testimony from hobbyists and those wanting to use small drones for agriculture, conservation and sports. The DLNR wants to use them to manage wildfires and to map coral reefs. Sen. Clayton Hee said he will amend Senate Bill 2606 SD1 to allow these uses, according to an Associated Press story by Sam Eifling.
To comment on or “like” this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.

STATE SUPREME COURT NOMINEE is Mike Wilson. Gov. Neil Abercrombie made the announcement yesterday. Before working in state government as Consumer Advocate and director of DLNR, and becoming a judge, Wilson practiced civil rights and criminal law. He was a leader in the environmental groups Protect Sandy Beach and Hawai`i’s Thousand Friends.
     Abercrombie quoted Wilson who told the governor, “The Supreme Court is our public conscience.” The appointment will require a vote by the state Senate. To comment on or “like” this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.

HAWAIIAN LANGUAGE AND CULTURAL EDUCATION THROUGH IMMERSION received a boost yesterday. The state Board of Education voted to create an Office of Hawaiian Education under the statewide school superintendent to administer Ka Papahana Kalpuni Hawai`i. The new written policy of the DOE is to “create and implement appropriate curricula, standards, performance assessment tools and professional development.”
     Testimony supporting the new policy came from students who wrote in the Hawaiian language as well as parents and educators.
     Cheryl Lupenui, sho chairs the student achievement committed for the BOE, told Nanea Kalane, a reporter for the Honolulu Star Advertiser, that the policy change “is really long overdue, to be able to take a look at truly the best public education system that we can have for our students … and the need to ensure that there is an ability to learn through our Hawaiian language, our Hawaiian content, our Hawaiian context in service to preparing all of our students for college, career and community success." 
     The school with the most Hawaiian language education closest to Ka`u is at Miloli`ihipu`u Virtual Academy. South Kona and Ka`u are considered to have high populations of Hawaiians and part-Hawaiians with families having been rooted in these lands for many generations. To comment on or “like” this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.

Students at the Hawaiian immersion charter school in Miloli`i were joined by members
of the Hokule`a voyaging canoe who sailed in last summer.
Photo from Polynesian Voyaging Society

NA`ALEHU PUBLIC LIBRARY'S 20th anniversary celebration is Friday, Feb. 21 from noon to 3 p.m. with entertainment and free refreshments. 939-2442.]

SPAGHETTI DINNER & SILENT AUCTION to raise money for the Ka`u Hospital ER is this Saturday from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. at Na`alehu Community Center. Ka`u Red Hat Ladies and Ka Lae Quilters are the sponsors. Tickets are $9.99 from Pahala Quilting and Ka`u Rural Health Clinic.

SEN. RUSSELL RUDERMAN’S TOWN HALL MEETING will be open to the public next Monday, Feb. 24 from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at Pahala Plantation House on the corner of Maile and Pikake Streets. Light refreshments will be served. Call 808-586-6890 or email senruderman@capitol.hawaii.gov.


SEE THE DIRECTORY 2014 ONLINE. For a page-turning version, see www.kaucalendar.com/Directory2014.swf. For a pdf version, see www.kaucalendar.com/Directory2014.pdf.