Ka'u News Briefs Sept. 28, 2011

Native-to-Native company, Innovations Development, is working on geothermal resources in New Zealand and Hawai'i.

INNOVATIONS DEVELOPMENT GROUP, the Native-to-Native company working on geothermal in New Zealand, is holding meetings today in Waimea and one tomorrow in Kailua-Kona regarding potential locations for additional geothermal to make electricity for this island. The meetings will feature Mililani Trask, an attorney and principal in the hui; Bob Lindsey, trustee for the Big Island for the Office of Hawaiian Affairs; Wally Ishibashi, of ILWU Local 142; and member of the Geothermal Working Group; and Richard Ha, co-chair of the Geothermal Working Group. Government maps of places with geothermal potential include the Ka`u desert. Today’s meeting is at 5 p.m. at Kanu o ka`Aina New Public Charter School in Kamuela. Tomorrow’s meeting is at Kealakehe High School in Kona at 6 p.m.

Potential geothermal sites in Ka'u extend from Mauna Loa slope to
South Point and Ka'u Desert Coast. Map from U.S. Dept. of Energy

NANI KAHUKU `AINA'S PLAN for hotel, golf course, condominums, estates and commercial centers between South Point and Ranchos is subject of a public meeting at Miloli`i this Friday. The meeting, sponsored by Pa`a Pono Miloli`i, will be held at 2:30 p.m. at the Halau - the Miloli`i Pavilion. The organization is calling for more community involvement in reviewing the plan to change land to Urban designation from Conservation along the coast to create a development called Kahuku Village. The meeting will be followed by a presentation by Conservation international and Pa`a Pono Miloli`i on a marine conservation program.

INTERISLAND SHIPPING EXPENSES should be dropping slightly as both Pasha Hawai`i Transport lines and Matson Navigation Co. lowered their fuel surcharges, with the drop in fuel prices. Horizon has yet to decide whether to lower its surcharge.

ALAN PARKER, from the County Office of Aging, will be the speaker at District 6 Matters, sponsored by County Council member Brittany Smart Thursday at 9:45 a.m. at Cooper Center in Volcano Village. Rural issues for seniors will be discussed. Call 961-8536 for more.

Keoki Kahumoku at Honu'apo 0ct. 9.

KA`OHANA O HONU`APO celebrates another year of its stewardship of Honu‘apo Park with a Sunday afternoon of Hawaiian music and ono food on Oct. 9 from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. at Whittington Beach Park. Ka ‘Ohana encourages everyone to bring their acoustic music instruments to this free family event and jam with Keoki Kahumoku, Jr. Along with the music, Ka ‘Ohana offers $5 chili and rice bowls, drinks and baked goods to raise funds to help improve Honu‘apo Park. 

     During the event, board members Ken Sugai, Wendy Vance, Megan Lamson, Michelle Galimba, Chris Manfredi and Sue Barnett answer questions about Ka ‘Ohana’s new plan to restore native bird habitat in Honu‘apo’s wetlands. “We’d like everybody to come and have a good time in the park during the long holiday weekend,” announced Ka ‘Ohana’s executive director Lehua Lopez-Mau. “Keoki has done a terrific job teaching some of our keiki how to make and play the ‘ukulele, and now they have an opportunity to play their ‘ukulele along with their uncles, aunties, grandparents and the rest of the family.”
     For more information or to donate baked goods, call 929-9891.

VOTING continues today at Ka`u Federal Credit Union for the cover art for The Directory, Ka`u’s phone book and community and business resource guide put out annually by the Ka`u Chamber of Commerce. Voting is open all week at the credit union in Na`alehu. Deadline to sign up for listings and advertising in The Directory is the end of this month. Download an application at kaucreditunion.org or call 928-6471.

FEMA CERTIFICATION classes will be offered and the deadline to sign up for the free emergency preparedness course is this Monday, Oct. 3. Classes are sponsored by the Pacific Regional Disaster Preparedness Center and cover community preparation and response to terrorism, tsunamis and other hazards. The classes will take place Oct.11-14 at the Hawai`i Innovation Center in Hilo at 117 Keawe St., and at Bougainvillea Plaza in Kona. For more information and registration, visit the website, prdpc.org, call 933-2439 or email course-registration@prdpc.org. 

This years homecoming parade through Pahala is Saturday. Photo by Julia Neal

HOMECOMING CELEBRATIONS are all this week at Ka`u High School and this is called Spirit Week. On Monday, each class wore different colored clothes, yesterday was Paniolo Day, today is Nerd Day, Thursday is Trojan Wear Day and Flashback Friday features kids wearing clothes from different eras. The Homecoming Dance is Friday night and the Homecoming Parade is Saturday throughout Pahala Village preceding the homecoming game which kicks off at 6 p.m. on the Ka`u High ball field against Kohala.

PIERRE OMIDYAR, the founder of Civil Beat, the award-winning news gathering organization in Hawai`i, is the only Hawai`i resident on the Forbes 2011 list of the wealthiest Americans. He is founder of Ebay and moved to O`ahu a couple of years ago. Omidyar’s Civil Beat editor John Temple will be at the University of Hawai`i’s Media Symposium this weekend in Hilo.