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Saturday, December 02, 2023

Kaʻū News Briefs December 2, 2023

The Houvener house at Lehua and Palm in Ocean View is lit up every night with a humongous display and 
Santa will hand out gifts on Dec. 24. Photo from the Houveners

CONTINUING TO BUILD A VAST CHRISTMAS WONDERLAND IN OCEAN VIEW for almost two decades, Kaida Houvener and family keep the lights on the displays night after night at the corner of Lehua and Palm. This is the 19th year for the display and the third with gift giving from Santa.
    Michelle Houvenir created new cutouts, including a pepa pig with her family. Added onto the display are new blowups, including a 12 ft. tall nutcracker, Winnie the Pooh, a tiger and Eeyore. 
    Sierrarose Houvener crafted a Dallas Cowboys cut out. There is a now rocket blowup and a number of smaller Christmas items that regulars will noice. There is a little Elf on the Shelf for kids to find each year.    
     Houvener’s daytime work is managing South Point U-Cart, and he saves all year to buy gifts for the children and materials to make new displays. On Dec. 24, Christmas Eve, Houvener and his family will offer gifts from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. 

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.

Trojans beat CLA. Photo by C. Kai
KAʻŪ TROJANS GIRLS BASKETBALL TEAM WAS VICTORIOUS at home on Saturday afternoon against Christian Liberty Academy.
    The final score was 43-13, with the Trojans led by their team captains Tyra Wong Yuen with 19 points and Shaylie Martinez with 15 points. Additional scoring came from Alexus Bivings who drained two 3 pointers in the 4th quarter for a total of 6 points, and strong minutes off the bench from Caliyah Silva Kamei who added 3 points. The Lady Trojans played strong defense throughout the game and backed it up with a great effort in gathering rebounds.
The win improved their record to 1-2 for the season. They previously lost to a strong Parker team to open the season.
    This past Monday, the Lady Trojans lost a heartbreaker to the D1 Keaau team 27-25. Head coach Mark Peters states, “I am so proud of this team who has improved each game. After each game as a team, we identify areas we need to improve and practice on those items. The team works hard and has focused on these areas during the following game showing strong improvement.”
    Coach continued, “Without having a JV team this year, we are mixing in our younger and developing players who are gaining great experience and are performing well.”
The Trojan team will have a busy week ahead with a game at KS-Hawai'i on Thursday, Dec. 7, followed by a home game next Saturday, Dec. 9 against Waiakea at 2 p.m.
    See more on the three-game Saturday night of basketball for the Trojans boys and girls at the Herkes Kaʻū District Gym in upcoming Kaū News Briefs, with more photos from C. Kai, a Kaʻū High journalism student  C. Kai.

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.

May 22nd, 1924 explosion as seen from Volcano House. From 1823 to 1924, there was almost continuous eruptive activity within Halemaʻumaʻu crater. During this period, there were 15 eruptions and 11 subsidence events at the summit. NPS Photo by Tai Sing Loo
PAST AND POTENTIAL EXPLOSIVE ERUPTIONS on this island are the focus of this week's Volcano Watch, the weekly article and update by U.S. Geological Survey Hawaiian Volcano Observatory scientists and affiliates:
    Twenty-five years ago, the frequently explosive activity of Kīlauea was unappreciated. Since then, continuing research has emphasized Kīlauea’s past, and potential future, explosive eruptions.
    Many such explosions resulted from the interaction of magma with groundwater or surface water; others apparently were powered by pressurized gas possibly aided by steam but with no direct involvement of magma.
    Lava fountains that accompany eruption of lava flows are technically explosive but are less powerful. They rarely eject particles of lava more than a few hundred meters above the vent, whereas the more powerful explosions send volcanic ash several kilometers into the air.
    The powerful explosive eruptions were particularly frequent at Kīlauea during two long periods of time, from about 200 BCE (Before Common Era) to 1000 CE (Common Era) and about 1500 CE to the early 1800s.
    Most past explosive eruptions took place when a deep 
USGS Image of an explosive volcano.
caldera indented the summit of Kīlauea. This is where the explosive deposits are thickest and societal impacts the greatest. This is apparent when driving between Kīlauea Military Camp and Uēkahuna bluff in Hawai´i Volcanoes National Park. Few outcrops of lava flows occur along the way, because the flows are covered by tephra deposits from explosive eruptions between 1500 and 1790 CE. And, several hundred people were killed nearby during the infamous explosive eruption in 1790. The prospect of future explosions is understandably and rightfully worrying.
    But explosive eruptions are not bad everywhere. Hawaiian society southeast of Kīlauea’s summit actually benefited from some of them. These benefits result from the deposits of fine volcanic ash that transformed a barren sea of pāhoehoe into an area capable of sustaining agriculture.
    One example is in Kīpukakahāliʻi, along the Chain of Craters Road south of Maunaulu. About a thousand feet (a few hundred meters) east of the vehicle pullout is a grove of more than 20 kī plants, some 7-10 feet (2-3 meters) tall. The kī grow on a flat and adjoining hill that together form a kīpuka covered with deposits of volcanic ash 10-12 inches (25-30 centimeters) thick from several explosive eruptions between about 600 and 900 CE. The top of the deposit formed the ground surface for hundreds of years and developed a soil in which the ki thrives.
    Sugar cane grew there, too. Rev. William Ellis describes his guide supplying him with refreshing cane from the kīpuka during his epic walk from the summit of Kīlauea to Kealakomo on August 2, 1823. The accompanying map shows the locations and times along his journey, interpreted from his published journal.
    The village of Kealakomo, near the coast south of Kīpukakahāliʻi, likewise benefited by its location astride two kīpuka containing volcanic ash deposits of the same age as those in Kīpukakahaliʻi. The deposits are thinner than those in Kīpukakahāliʻi, because they are farther downwind from the caldera, but 
Map showing the path that Rev. William Ellis took walking from the summit of Kīlauea to Kealakomo on Aug. 2, 1823.
Map from USGS
they nonetheless provided a suitable substrate for the growth of sweet potatoes and possibly other vegetables. The village probably depended on these crops to augment its seafood diet.
    Perhaps the village itself existed, at least in part, because of the volcanic ash in upland Kīpukakahāliʻi and the lowland kīpuka.
    Where the Chain of Craters Road parallels the coast, imagine how you could make a living there in this challenging landscape of lava flows. These flows are younger than the volcanic ash deposits at Kealakomo. Yet archaeological and historical studies show that people lived there in the 19th century. How could they do it?
    It turns out that the lava flows are not quite as barren as they seem at first glance. Pockets of volcanic ash occupy depressions between many of the pāhoehoe toes. This ash fell during eruptions mainly in about 1650 and 1790 CE. Just after these eruptions, thin volcanic ash blanketed all the flows but was soon
washed by rain into depressions, where it accumulated to form a meager, but suitable, soil for sweet potatoes and other crops. In this way seafood could be supplemented by locally grown produce, just enough to eke out an existence in this demanding environment. Location, location, location. This realtor’s mantra applies equally to the effects of explosive eruptions at Kīlauea. At the summit, not so good. In the distance, not so bad.
    Volcano Activity Updates: Kīlauea is not erupting. Its USGS Volcano Alert level is ADVISORY.

    The unrest associated with the intrusion that began in early October southwest of Kīlauea's summit continues. Low levels of earthquake activity have continued in the Southwest Rift Zone, summit, and upper East Rift Zone over the last week and a small swarm of earthquakes occurred the morning of December 1 south of the caldera. Unrest may continue to wax and wane with changes to the input of magma into the area and eruptive activity could occur in the near future with little or no warning. The most recent sulfur dioxide (SO2) emission rate for the summit—approximately 100 tonnes per day—was measured on Nov. 17.
    Mauna Loa is not erupting. Its USGS Volcano Alert Level is at NORMAL.
    Webcams show no signs of activity on Mauna Loa. Summit seismicity increased slightly at the beginning of November but returned to low levels in the weeks since then. Ground deformation indicates continuing slow inflation as magma replenishes the reservoir system following the 2022 eruption. SO2 emission rates are at background levels.
    Two earthquakes were reported felt in the Hawaiian Islands during the week preceding last Thursday: a M3.2 earthquake 5 km (3 mi) S of Volcano at 1 km (1 mi) depth on Nov. 26 at 2:24 a.m. HST and a M3.9 earthquake 64 km (39 mi) SSW of Mākena at 0 km (0 mi) depth on Nov. 23 at 10:17 p.m. HST.
    HVO continues to closely monitor Kīlauea and Mauna Loa.
    Please visit HVO’s website for past Volcano Watch articles, Kīlauea and Mauna Loa updates, volcano photos, maps, recent earthquake information, and more. Email questions to askHVO@usgs.gov.


5,000 in the mail, 2,500 on the street.

Directed by Kaʻū's own Farley Sangels and four other
musicians from Kaʻū.







Friday, December 01, 2023

Kaʻū News Briefs December 1, 2023

Holidays in Kahuku this Saturday
Holidays in Kahuku this Saturday brings entertainment, food, handmade gifts for sale, free shave ice, activities for
keiki, including Santa with gifts from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Kahuku Unit of Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park. 
See poster below and story http://kaunewsbriefs.blogspot.com/2023_11_25_archive.html,
Photo of Kahuku Visitor Contact Station and Festival Grounds by B. Hayes/NPS




COUNTY LEGISLATION TO MAKE IT EASIER TO BUILD HOMES got the green light from Mayor Mitch Roth, with his signature this week. The bill passed the County Council in November. Roth said, "We've dedicated ourselves to finishing the building permitting process for our residents, and this bill is a significant step in achieving that goal. Recognizing the challenges posed by factors such as COVID-19 and subsequent inflation, we aim to alleviate prolonged building processes and burdens on local homebuilders. The bill establishes a structured and time-sensitive framework for permit applications, expirations, and extensions to streamline the process and provide clarity on timelines, conditions, and limits.”
    County Council Chair said the Council drafted the bill in cooperation with county Department of Public

Works. They revisited "the fundamental purpose of the building codes and their  timeline: Ensuring the safety of the building in our community. Bill 84 removes language that was ambiguous, discretionary, or not aligned with its purpose. The result is a streamlined procedure that I hope the public will find easy to understand and reasonable to follow. To me, working on Bill 84 represents the best example of creative problem-solving and collaboration between the administration and the council for the benefit of the community."
    County Council member Sue Lee Loy said the Bill helps homeowners and lenders have a bright line of understanding on approval timelines and pointed to its importance during times of inflation.
    A statement from the County says it aims to "streamline the construction code permitting process." The measure "simplifies and standardizes application timelines, extensions, and expirations to align with updated construction code standards mandated by State law."
    In its statement, the County stated important provisions of the ordinance:
    Purpose: Aligning construction projects with current safety standards, the ordinance simplifies and standardizes timing elements for construction code permits.
    Amendments to Chapter 5, Article 4, Section 5-4-7: The ordinance introduces a one-hundred-eighty-day timeline from the submission date for applicants to obtain a permit. It outlines provisions for extensions and the process for restarting an application if abandoned.
    Amendments to Chapter 5, Article 5, Section 5-5-4: Standardizing permit expiration, the ordinance sets a six-year expiration period for permits issued after August 17, 2020, outlining conditions and steps upon expiration.
    Amendments to Chapter 5, Article 5, Section 5-5-5: The ordinance addresses permit extensions, specifying circumstances for granting extensions and setting a limit of one extension for one hundred and eighty days.

 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.

Rainy weather mellowed but before it did, NPS photographer Janice Wei captured this image at Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park. 

NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE REPORTED FRIDAY EVENING that the kona low, which brought heavy rains, "will weaken into a trough west of the state tonight, with some lingering moisture and instability bringing the chance for some showers and even a thunderstorm to portions of the state through Saturday. A return to trade wind weather will begin Saturday night, with showers favoring windward slopes and coasts.
    "The trades will gradually strengthen Sunday and Monday, with breezy conditions expected Tuesday and Wednesday. An approaching front will gradually ease the trade winds and shift them around to the southeast late next week."


THE ANNUAL HAWAI'I TRI-PARK PASS program, providing admission to Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park, Puʻuhonua o Hōnaunau National Historical Park and Haleakalā National Park, with a single pass, will make a change  Jan. 1. New passes will authorize entry for one person per pass with one signature per pass.
    Current passes that have two signatures and allow those two people entry will be honored until they expire, said a statement from National Park Service on Friday. The park specific passes are part of the nationwide America the Beautiful National Parks and Federal Recreational Lands Annual Passes program. The change is happening nationwide.
    Another change for the annual Hawaiʻi Tri-Park Pass is that it is now available for purchase online, a frequent request from many park visitors. Purchasers can download the digital pass from Recreation.gov and exchange it for a physical pass if desired at any of the three participating Hawaiʻi parks.
    The statement from NPS explained that "The change from two signatures to a single signature is necessary to ensure consistency and fairness among all Interagency Passes and park-specific passes, and to prevent fraud and reduce revenue loss. The change will affect purchasers of the passes at all pass sales outlets, including the park entrance and the USGS Store site. Park passes are not transferable."


TWO HIGH SCHOOL BASKETBALL GAMES COME TO KAʻŪ ON SATURDAY. Trojans Girls Varsity will take on Christian Liberty Academy at 3 p.m. Pahoa Boys Junior Varsity will take on Kaʻū at 5
p.m. The Varsity game will be at 7 p.m. The games will be held in the Herkes Kaʻū District Gym in Pāhala.
    This week, Kaʻū Trojan boys traveled to Waikea and the JV team beat Waiakea Warriors 44 to 36. Waiakea won in the first quarter 8-6, but the Trojans came back dominating the last three quarters 9-5, 15-4, and 14-9.
    Top Kaʻū scorers were Rhyder Ahmed 14, Loaa Kaupu 9, Kualana Akiona 8, Isiah Manilla Louis 6, Aidan Ahmed 3, Zayden Gallano 2 and Tristan Rasmussen 2.
     In Varsity competition, Waiakea  Warriors beat the Trojans 52-28. Kaʻū lost the first three quarters 3-12, 6-15, 8-13 and tied the fourth at 12 to 12. 
    Top scorers were Justin Karasuda 10, Keaka McDonnell 6, Tyson Kuahia-Faafia 6, Joe Buyuan 5 and Jestin Penera 1.   

 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.


Directed by Kaʻū's own Farley Sangels and four other
musicians from Kaʻū.




5,000 in the mail, 2,500 on the street.




Kaʻū News Briefs Thursday, Nov. 30, 2023

Dr. Kimo Alameda at a presentation to Kua O Kala students earlier this year. Now he is running for Hawai'i County mayor.
Photo from kimoformayor.com

DR. KIMO ALAMEDA'S RUN FOR MAYOR OF HAWAI'I COUNTY brings him to Ka'ū on Saturday, Dec. 30, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Nā'ālehu Community Center & Park. He said it will be a fun day that will allow him to be up close with Ka'ū people to see deeper into their dreams and listen to their issues. Alameda is known in Ka'ū for his leadership of the Bay Clinic, which merged with Hawai'i Community Health Center last year, and for his time with the County Office of Aging, where he ran many of the services for seniors. More recently, he led anti-fentanyl campaigns, including distributing the antidote Narcan. Alameda said his visits around the island for the anti-addiction cause solidified his decision to run for mayor on the Democratic ticket. Alameda also served as late Mayor Billy Kenoi's Campaign Manager but said he didn't think he would ever run till he "saw the need."

    As he was going around the island, he said, he often heard about the crisis in affordable housing, the workforce crisis and geographic inequality, which he described as people in rural areas receiving less service from the county than in Hilo and Kona. He said he left employment with Hawai'i Community Health Center to campaign full-time. Alameda noted that he has been working for community service organizations for over 30 years.
    Alameda said he is very happy with his role in the merger between Bay Clinic and Hawai'i Community Health Center. He called the merger historic, bringing both organization's strengths together. "Separately, we served about 22,000 patients in East Hawaii and 23,000 in West Hawai'i." He said the combined 45,000 patients to serve helps everyone, including Ka'ū with a larger pool of healthcare workers, and better recruitment and retention. Together the organizations "can apply for bigger grants and have a stronger footing with our payers as a bigger fish. We're a pretty good fish now, can negotiate stronger, and pay our doctors more. Allow employees to live where they want to live, share resources, share doctors and
dentists and best practices," said Alameda. He noted that Bay Clinic brought to the table the operation of a pharmacy. West Hawai'i Health Center didn't have one. West Hawai'i has great outreach with Micronesians and other Pacific Islanders, which is very important in Ka'ū, said Alameda. He said he initiated the merger, but didn't need to be CEO. "I just knew it should happen."
Alameda said he wants to use his business acumen in the operation of the county. "I want to see results from every tax, state, county, federal and donation dollar going to the county."
Regarding affordable housing, he said he wants to empower local people to build houses they can afford on land they already have, and with infrastructure that can be improved by the county, state and federal government. "Build better, smarter and in locations that make sense."
He said he also wants to protect the Ka'ū way of life, the fishing, hunting, farming and ranching. "These are activities that are important to people."

    He said he wants to push for more transparency and public access to county government.
    Alameda graduated from St. Joseph High School and earned his doctorate in psychological, educational, and cultural studies from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. He is a licensed psychologist.
    Born in Hilo, he grew up in the hills of Wai'ākea Uka, working with his siblings to make ends meet with his parent's plumbing business and the family ranch. "This work ethic translated easily to other areas as Dr. Kimo gained many athletic and academic accolades and quickly became a state and county government leader," says the campaign website.
    He lives in Hilo with his wife of 29 years, Star Alameda. They are both 54 years of age. They have seven children, the eldest is 26, and the youngest is a freshman at Hilo High School. He said he and his family have always been involved in sports. Alameda hosts a show on Nā Leo TV titled Health is Everywhere.

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.

WAIWAI GRANT PROGRAM OF HAWAI'I COUNTY COUNCIL is accepting applications.
This grant is coordinated by the Hawai'i County Council, in partnership with the Department of Finance.
A total of no less than $2.5 million is available on an annual basis through this grant program. Applications will be accepted and can be modified/corrected until submitted to the County of Hawaiʻi. Deadline for submission is 11:59 PM HST on January 31, 2024.
    Each organization is permitted to submit a total of two applications. Each application is limited to a request of up to $50,000. Applications submitted through a nonprofit fiscal sponsor are not counted towards the sponsoring organization's two limit application limit.
   For questions regarding the preparation and submission of the application or concerning the overall grant process, contact Council Services, at (808) 961-8255.
   See the application and fill it out at https://records.hawaiicounty.gov/Forms/NPGrantApplication.

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.

Seismic unrest and possible eruption and crowding at the park are reasons to  prepare for
visits to Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park during the holiday season. NPS photo by Janice Wei

WITH THE HOLIDAY RUSH and unrest at the summit and upper East Rift Zone, Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park advises that "Visitors who plan to explore Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park over the holidays could be in for a surprise if they don't plan ahead. 
    "This waxing and waning unrest has triggered more than 1,800 earthquakes in the last month. Temporary safety closures are in place and more could occur on short notice if the seismicity intensifies, or an eruption breaks out in one of the remote rift zones."
    HVNP reports that even without the allure of an eruption, park visitation soars during the holidays. Anyone who visits should expect that popular areas like Kīlauea Visitor Center, summit overlooks and trails, and Nāhuku lava tube are likely to be crowded with no parking periodically throughout the day.
    It is also nēnē nesting season and one way to ensure survival of the rare and endemic Hawaiian goose is to protect it, especially during reproduction. A nēnē pair is nesting at Uēkahuna and to give this family its best chance for survival, park managers temporarily closed part of the parking lot and a small section of Crater Rim Trail east of the parking lot earlier this week.
    "The best way visitors can plan ahead with so much change afoot in the national park is to visit the park website for updates and alerts that could impact their visit, and check out the short Know Before You Go video on the homepage. Having a Plan B and C with alternate places to explore in the park is also a great idea; let the free NPS app guide you. A new orientation video in the Kīlauea Visitor Center shares ranger tips on avoiding crowds and experiencing what Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park offers based on length of stay," says the message from the Park. "With a little flexibility, planning and respect for this constantly evolving landscape, everyone can have a festive visit this holiday season."


Directed by Kaʻū's own Farley Sangels and four other
musicians from Kaʻū.