(Media release) — The County of Hawai‘i Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR) and the Waimea Trails and Greenways Committee (WTG) of the Waimea Preservation Association invite you to a community meeting for Ke Ala Kahawai o Waimea (“the stream trail of Waimea”), Waimea Trails and Greenways.

The meeting will be held at 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m., Wednesday, February 9, 2011,  at the Waimea Middle School cafeteria, at 67-1229 Mamalahoa Highway.

Ke Ala Kahawai o Waimea will be a 4.8-mile long, multi-use path following the meandering route of Waikōloa Stream. The path will connect residences, businesses and schools, and extend from Church Row in Waimea Town to a future County park site on Kawaihae Road, across the Kamuela View Estates subdivision.

A Draft Environmental Assessment (EA) for the project was recently completed and is available for review during a 30-day public comment period, from Jan. 23 to Feb. 21, 2011. Read the rest of this entry »

Plastic bag table covering by Cynthia Korzekwa

Open letter to the County Council and Mayor Kenoi:

Once again Mr. Hoffman’s Hawaii Island proposed plastic bag ban has arisen from the dead like a vampire from the grave.  As it never received the necessary stake through the heart, but only a mild burial, it is now in it’s 3^rd or 4^th blood seeking revival before this Council.

The essential concern of the Conservative Forum for Hawaii, and most voters, as well, if you would bother to actually ask our approval before micro-managing our lives, is that the Council is exceeding its authority that the people have given you.

In essence, we have given you the authority to take our money in taxes and fees, figure out how to spend them, and forbid us from doing certain actions supposedly for our own good. Read the rest of this entry »

Dear Friends,

The rain forests of Kulani are in immediate danger of losing the protective status it is afforded as a Natural Area Reserve.

A resolution (HCR No. 9, link below) has been introduced in the State House, which calls for the reversal of the Executive Order which placed the forested portion of the former Kulani Correctional Facility into the Natural Area Reserves System.

This includes 6,600 acres of pristine native rain forest which was recently added to the Pu’u Maka’ala Natural Area Reserve.  The Natural Area Reserve System — a program within the State Department of Land and Natural Resources, is mandated to protect the best of Hawaii’s native ecosystems.
Unfortunately, it takes only one vote in either the House or Senate to reverse the action. This resolution can come up for vote at any time and so we must act NOW.
Please call or email your legislator today, particularly Rep. Hanohano and the newly appointed Sen. Kahele (contact information follows).   Read the rest of this entry »

Photo and text by Tiffany Edwards Hunt. All rights reserved. Use with permission only.

As a prelude to this commentary, I’d like to apologize if I came across bitchy and profusely thank the following people I spoke with on Friday regarding the dead Datsun in Hawaiian Acres:  Executive Assistant to the Mayor Hunter Bishop; Jen Knippling, Council aide to Brittany Smart; Iris Murakami, an account manager in the Department of Environmental Management; an unnamed police dispatcher; Officer Silva; and County Abandoned Vehicle Coordinator James Isa.

I told you about the Datsun in Hawaiian Acres — I first mentioned it on Oct. 9, 2011, when it was freshly dumped with the license plate (HDS 083)  intact. Remember?  At that time, we had a discussion about how the County should go after the registered owner of the vehicle to be reimbursed for the cost to haul it in to the scrap metal yard.  In November, I mentioned the Datsun again, noting that it hadn’t moved, despite my report, and that someone had dumped their television on top of the vehicle.

When I first called police on Oct. 9 to report the abandoned Datsun, I left my name and phone number, asking for a police officer to call me back.  Since there was a license plate on the vehicle, I  hoped the officer would tip me off on the identify of the person to whom the Datsun is registered. Believe me, I would LOVE to publicize that person’s name, sincerely believing it is wrong — and it is a crime that should be taken seriously — to dump your trash, namely your dead VEHICLE, on the side of the road.

Over these past several months, an officer has never called me back about the Datsun. I thought, oh well, they’re busy I guess. Whenever I have passed by the truck, I’ve thought, what is taking Isa so long to come and pick up that truck.  He must be really swamped.  I’ve seen a dead television appear on the cab of the abandoned vehicle. I’ve seen the license plate disappear.

The other day as I drove past, I noticed a tire in the truck bed.  I started to get really incensed, knowing we have a growing problem with the illegal disposal of tires due to a bill I helped write. (But that’s another story.)  As I slowed to take in the fact that a tire was now in the bed of this abandoned vehicle, I smelled a rank odor and noticed, along with the tire, there was a discarded dead animal. It could have been a pig for all I know.  But given that it was a white kitchen-sized trash bag that the animal had been discarded in, my imagination conjured up the image of a dead dog. Read the rest of this entry »

Call David Wallerstein at (808) 967-8222 for tickets to see slack-key Grammy Award and Na Hoku Hanohano Award winner Jeff Peterson Saturday, or visit the Volcano Art Center Niulani Campus or the VAC Art Gallery.

(Media release) — Born on Maui, multiple Grammy Award and Na Hoku Hanohano Award winner Jeff Peterson grew up on the slopes of Haleakala where he was introduced to the rich heritage of Hawaiian music by his father, a paniolo, at the Haleakala Ranch.  Peterson will perform at the Volcano Art Center at 7 p.m., Saturday Feb. 5, 2011, at the Kilauea Military Camp Theater in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park.

As a performer, Peterson has had the honor to work with a wide range of artists and groups including Eric Clapton, James Galway, Brian Stokes Mitchell, Aaron Neville, Boz Scaggs, the Honolulu Symphony, Hawaii Opera Theatre, Amy Hanaiali’i Gilliom, The Matt Catingub Orchestra of Hawaii, jazz bassist Rufus Reid, shakuhachi master Riley Lee, the acclaimed string quartet Ethel, and with many other artists in the fields of Hawaiian, classical, and jazz music. Read the rest of this entry »

Aloha Tiffany,

I love your blog and feel that the things that I am doing fit well with all the great information that you bring to the people of the Big Island and Hawaii. I am at the Volcano Art Center and am creating concerts for the Island and I hope you do not mind me sending you the information for it. Have an amazing day and thank you again for all the great things that you bring to us!

With Warmest Aloha,

David

Volcano Art Center

David S. Wallerstein

Dir. of Concerts and Performances

(808) 967-8222

Aloha,

I’ve attached my latest bill (proposed legislation follows letter) to add criteria for redistricting to accomplish a fair, equitable, and legal redistricting plan. (See 2001 Reapportionment maps for Hawaii County on the State Office of Elections website, here and here.)

For those who have struggled to make fair and legal redistricting a reality in this county, we know that although the charter commission changed the four criteria in the charter from guidelines to mandates, the past redistricting plan violated 2.5 of the 4 criteria.  Puna was the biggest loser in that plan, because Upper and Lower Puna were entitled to 1.89 council districts (rounded to 2) but only received a council district for Lower Puna while Upper Puna was split into two other districts (Hilo and Ka‘u).

It is very important for the people of this island to support the additional criteria I am adding to the Hawai‘i County Code through my Bill 18 (Communication 40) on February 1 at 9 am in the Hilo Council Chambers. (Direct emails to counciltestimony@co.hawaii.hi.us.)

Mahalo.

Brenda J. Ford Read the rest of this entry »

Art and text by Herb Kawainui Kane

Hoping to crush Kamehameha before he could complete his war temple, the kings of the other islands launched an invasion fleet, devastating Hawai’i’s northeast valleys of Waimanu and Waipio. Kamehameha sailed along the coast of his home province, Kohala, gathering canoes and fighters, and engaged his enemies in a sea battle. Both sides had firearms, including some swivel guns mounted on their war canoes. Kamehameha also had a small ship, the schooner Fair American, equipped with a cannon, and he won the day. Read the rest of this entry »

Open letter to the Mayor and his staff:

That was quite a mean attack attack today. Did (Hawaii Tribune-Herald editor David) Bock have the decency to forewarn you guys he was going to declare war? Or was this a Pearl Harbor event? My God, a page 1 piece that was not as bad as headlined; a lousy cartoon; a rare editorial and a nasty letter to editor as well. Biggest assault on a sitting mayor since Chris Reed launched the dumping of Dante Carpenter.

(40-year newspaper veteran Hugh Clark is a fellow Big Island Press Club member, friend and mentor to the Big Island Chronicle.)

By RJ Kaleohano Mendoza

As mentioned many times in the tagline, I am indeed a student at the University of Hawaii at Hilo. I truly have a soft spot for the University, because, um, it’s taken me quite some time to get to the point of being a college senior, and I feel that I wouldn’t have gotten this far if it wasn’t for UH-Hilo.

For the Fall 2010 semester, I was Executive Senator, College of Arts and Sciences for the University of Hawaii at Hilo Student Association. During that time, I spent much of my days (when not in class) at the office, fielding questions from administration, staff, students and parents about the everyday goings of UH-Hilo. One thing that stuck with me for a while was a conversation I had with a student about starting a fraternity on campus.

UH-Hilo does not have an fraternities or sororities in the Greek style, we do have honor societies with Greek names, but that is as far as it goes. The student went on to promote why fraternities are so good, because they create networking opportunities, a sense of community, a “brotherhood.” Read the rest of this entry »

(Media release) — The Bruddah Kuz Youth Jam is slated for noon to 10 p.m., Saturday, March 12, 2011, at the Pahoa Community Center, also known as the Pahoa Neighborhood Facility.  This annual free event will feature performances from Big Island entertainers of all ages and genres, focusing on youth talent and promoting a healthy lifestyle without drugs and alcohol.  The event will also feature a “Focus International” fashion show,” with formal wear and surf fashions from Pahoa’s own Jeff Hunt Surfboards. For more information, email bruddahkuz(at)msn.com.

(Submitted by Iopa Maunakea.)

(Media release) — Big Island police are seeking information about a 54-year-old Hilo man who was reported missing.  Michael Hessler of Hilo was last seen on Sept. 10, 2010, in the Kona area.

He is described as Caucasian, 5-foot-11, about 275 pounds with brown eyes and salt-and-pepper hair with a white beard and mustache. Read the rest of this entry »

(Editor’s Note: The following letter submitted to Big Island Chronicle (BIC) is being published to initialize a new category entitled, “Trading Post.” BIC wishes to promote reuse, recycling, and landfill diversion by publicizing noteworthy items for sale or sought to buy or trade. Email newswoman(at)mac.com your items needed or wanted or intended to sell or trade. In the case of the latter, attach photos with your email.)

Aloha Ohana,

If anyone happens to have an office chair that rolls and can move up and down, and is not using it, I would gratefully be happy to give it it’s full expression of purpose for up to the next 3 mos, feeling certain an equitable exchange would transpire.

Mahalo!

Deborah Davis

Pahoa, Hawai’i

808-640-3465

Aloha Friends,

‘Aina Koa Pono LLC (AKP) has signed a contract with Hawaiian Electric Co. with the hopes of helping “to set Hawaii on a fossil fuel-free future”  and they have proposed to build a biofuel plant in Ka’u. For more information on this subject please view Peter Sur’s article in the Hawaii Tribune Herald, “Biofuel plant to be out of town” (HTH, 27 Jan. ‘11)

There will be a public meeting sponsored by the Ka’u Chamber of Commerce February 21 at 6:00 pm at the Pahala Community Center. Residents are encouraged to attend to discuss the possible future biofuel plant in Ka’u.

Also, ‘AKP will most likely be presenting their project to the Hawaii County Council Committee on March 1, but the agenda has yet to be finalized. We will send out notification once the agenda is confirmed later next month.

Hope to see you there!

Mahalo,
Brittany Smart