(Media release) — Two half-day workshops on autism, presented by a national expert, will be held on the Kohala Coast Friday, Dec. 10, and Saturday, Dec. 11, 2010. Entitled “Autism Spectrum Disorders: Complex but Manageable,” the workshops will be given by Dr. Margaret L. Bauman, a pediatric neurologist and research investigator. Both workshops will be held at the Waikoloa Beach Marriott Resort & Spa on the Kohala Coast from 9 a.m. to noon each day.

A Harvard professor, Dr. Bauman has spent the last 25 years involved in the study and treatment of autism. Identified as one of the world’s foremost physicians in this field, she is s respected for the outstanding clinical care she provides, as well as for her research and teachings in the domain of developmental disorders. Dr. Bauman’s career is exemplified by her establishment and development of The Autism Research Foundation (TARF), The Autism Research Consortium (TARC),  HYPERLINK “http://ladders.org/” LADDERS (Learning and Developmental Disabilities and Rehabilitation Services) and The Autism Treatment Network (ATN). Dr. Bauman has been invited to Hawaii by the Baby STEPS to Stronger Big Island Families Council, in conjunction with the Hawaii County Mayor’s Committee on Early Childhood. Read the rest of this entry »

By Rob Tucker

One thing that has been off radar in our Council District 5 race has been the important issue of redistricting. Every ten years, following the census, an examination will be made on the shape and make up of each of the nine districts. The purpose is to seek a manner and method too provide approximately equal representation within the county. This can be simple or it can be complex.

Currently Puna is represented by three council districts. Only District 5 is wholly in Puna. Districts 3 and 6 combine parts of Puna with either Kau or Hilo. J Yoshimoto currently represents District 3 (Hilo and Keaau) and Guy Enriques represents District 6 (Kau & Puna Mauka).

There is reasonable expectation that the population growth over the past decade should result in Puna achieving two full seats on council. That would be a dramatic change in Puna Power. Some people will not welcome or want that.

Whether or not this occurs and whether or not the commission charged with making the recommendations for redistricting finds Puna deserving of two seats on council is not known. What is known is that it is a top line issue for Puna in 20111 and beyond.

So as you consider the reasons for voting for or against either Fred Blas or Emily Naeole-Beason and Guy Enriques or Brittany Smart- I do ask you to consider the topic of redistricting. It is kind of a sleeper subject. Not as readily apparent as road safety, water or police protection. Not as excitable as cannabis or anti forced vaccinations but this one subject will either empower Puna or marginalize Puna over the next decade.

Redistricting matters.

(Rob Tucker lives in Pahoa.)

Courtesy of the U.S. Census Bureau

Today a couple of people pointed me to the Huffington Post, which published an article about the Census Bureau worker who was arrested for trespassing in Puna recently.

I don’t know if those people realize it, but that article that the Huffington Post printed is an Associated Press (AP) article.  What that means is that every newspaper that subscribes to the AP wire has or will be publishing that article. Potentially, all minor major television news anchors have read or will be reading a version of this article on the Teleprompter.

Hawaii County has, indeed, made national news.

Here’s a summation of the story that is getting major traction: 57-year-old Russell Haas was, in Census Bureau terms, canvassing a Puna neighborhood when he came upon the fenced property of an off-duty Hawaii County police officer.  Haas, instructed to “be persistent” in his data-collecting mission, went through an unlocked gate.  Himself a former New Jersey police officer, Haas met up with the off-duty Hawaii County police officer.  The off-duty police officer was uninterested in being counted in the Census and ordered Haas off his property.  Haas tried to reason with the off-duty police officer to no avail.  The off-duty police officer told Haas to wait outside his fence, as he called for on-duty police officers to arrive.  Haas thought for sure the responding police officers would be more reasonable. They weren’t.  They arrested Haas for trespassing.  Now, the trespassing case is being tried in federal court, and federal prosecutors are acting as a defense attorneys.

Read the AP story for yourself.   Read the rest of this entry »

Image courtesy of Andrew Boal

By RJ Mendoza

The whole purpose of this contributory column is to accurately document my re-falling in love with this island. And I would have done this on my previous Big Island based-blog, but it wasn’t the appropriate place. And I’m happy to say that after about a year and a half of trolling this website, the lovely editor and publisher has taken a chance on me.

Of course, in order to re-fall in love with this island, it would make sense to say why I fell out of love in this island. That will not be so easy, as it heavily involves my partner at the time. Suffice to say, without publicly humiliating him, we want different things for our lives. And nothing would change how I feel, or how he feels about these things for ourselves.

Regardless of your opinions on same-sex intimate relationships, it all boils down to the same human emotion, the desire to be loved, the desire to give love, and the side effect of picking up characteristics — both good and bad of the person one is in a relationship with.

Sadly, I think my ex-partner resented this island. Which is odd, because this is the island he was born and raised on, for the most part. Read the rest of this entry »

Joseph Pacheco Jr.

(Media release) — Big Island police have initiated a missing person case in connection with a 41-year-old man who failed to return from a day of picking opihi.

Joseph Pacheco Jr. of Hilo left to pick opihi along the King’s Landing coast around 6:30 a.m. Tuesday, June 22, 2010, but failed to return home. Fire Department personnel conducted a search and located the man’s dog and backpack about one mile south of Shipman Estates Beach. Read the rest of this entry »

 

Golf Ball On A Tee By Alex Clark. Image courtesy of Fine Art America

(Media release) — The entire Big Island community is invited to “Invest in our Youth: A Day of Golf & Celebration,” Saturday, June 5, 2010 at the Hamakua Country Club.  Hosted by the Hamakua Youth Foundation, the festivities benefit Hamakua Youth Center (HYC), North Hawaii’s only free, drop-in after school center for 7-12^th grade kids.

The “Day” begins with a golf tournament at Hamakua Country Club at 7:30 a.m.  Slots are still available at $50 per player including prizes and lunch.  But, everyone is invited to join the fun after the tourney at 1 p.m., when the free “Celebration” kicks off, with special presentations by HYC youth, live music, great food and silent auction. Read the rest of this entry »

Dwayne Lucas

(Media release) — Big Island police are searching for a 48-year-old Hilo man who was reported missing Thursday, May 13, 2010.

Dwayne Lucas was last seen at his Banyan Drive apartment complex on or about April 22.

He is described as Caucasian, 6-foot-3, 270 pounds with black hair and brown eyes. He walks with a limp and is known to frequent taxicabs. Read the rest of this entry »

Structural Wood Components image

(Media release) — Homebuilders can expect a little relief with their building permit applications under a new procedure that took effect March 1, 2010. The building division of the County Department of Public Works no longer requires pre-engineered wooden roof truss drawings or roof framing plans to be submitted with a building permit application.

Instead, the architect or structural engineer of record accepts responsibility and liability for engineering, construction and installation of wooden roof trusses in an acceptance letter to the building division.

This change keeps the design/construction process moving forward, allowing for the solicitation of bids, hiring of a contractor and time to shop for an engineer to do roof truss drawings appropriate to the project. Read the rest of this entry »

Image courtesy of Puerto Rican Twilighters

(Media release) — The County of Hawai‘i will be continuing its Coqui Frog Community Loan Sprayer program after previously announcing it would end with a public auction of the County’s coqui frog spraying equipment.

The loan sprayer program had been slated to end on April 30.

Mayor Billy Kenoi announced today that the program will continue its current assignment of 26 County sprayers to coqui “cooperators,” or organizations that use the County’s sprayers on loan to control frogs in their communities.  Therefore, there will be no equipment auction. Read the rest of this entry »

Lono Tyson

(Media release) — Mayor Billy Kenoi has accepted the resignation of Hawai‘i County Director of Environmental Management (DEM), Lono Tyson, effective June 30, 2010.

Tyson was Mayor Kenoi’s choice for the DEM director job from the beginning of his administration on December 1, 2008.

Tyson had served Hawai`i County previously as Solid Waste Division Chief from September 2003 to July 2005, when he moved to Australia with his future wife. Mayor Kenoi asked him to return as DEM director in December 2008.

Tyson and his wife decided to move back to Australia to be closer to their family. Read the rest of this entry »

(Media release) — Congresswoman Mazie K. Hirono (D-Hawaii) today announced the awarding of $485,827 in U.S. Department of Homeland Security grant funding to help island agencies feed the hungry, shelter the homeless as well as prevent hunger and homelessness during next fiscal year.

This federal grant is being awarded through the Department Homeland Security’s Emergency Food and Shelter (EFS) Program.

Of the federal funds allocated to the State of Hawaii, $123,116 has been awarded to the County of Hawaii. The remaining $362,711 in grants will be utilized by the State’s Set-Aside Committee. Read the rest of this entry »

Randy Dillon art

(Media release) — The Hawai’i Police Department reminds the public that a new law banning the use of cell phones while driving goes into effect in less than three weeks.

In August, the Hawai’i County Council passed County Ordinance 09-82A, which will make it illegal to use a cell phone or other mobile electronic device while driving—except with a hands-free mechanism. The ordinance was signed into law by the mayor. It takes effect on Jan. 1, 2010.

The penalty for violating the ordinance is a fine of up to $150 dollars. The fine can go up to as much as $500 if the use of a mobile electronic device causes a collision. Read the rest of this entry »

(Media release) — The Federal Highways Administration and the Hawaii State Department of Transportation have authorized Hawaii County to build the Ane Keohokalole Highway using $35 million from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

Hawaii County now has five years to complete the initial phase of  what is also referred to as the Mid-Level Road, a 1.7- mile roadway from the intersection of Palani Road and Henry Street to Kealakehe Parkway, and a third of a mile of improvements on Palani Road between Queen Kaahumanu Highway and Henry Street. Should bids be favorable, the project could also include rough grading between Kealakehe Parkway and Hina-Lani Street.

“Ane Keohokalole Highway is the number one priority of this administration in West Hawaii,” said Hawaii County Mayor Billy Kenoi. Read the rest of this entry »

Jasper Johns art image courtesy of The Museum of Modern Art

(Media release) — The Department of Parks and Recreation announces that the West Hawaii Veterans Cemetery III expansion project is almost complete.

The project includes building a new access road, comfort station, committal shelter, maintenance building, cremains garden and a memorial walkway. For safety reasons, the cemetery will be closed Wednesday, Oct. 28, 2009 to Friday, Oct. 30, 2009 for movement of the columbaria to its permanent location in the cremains garden.

The County of Hawaii thanks the public for their patience and understanding throughout the construction project.

For information, call Department of Parks and Recreation Director Bob Fitzgerald at (808) 961-8311.

Tiffany Edwards Hunt photo

On the same day that West Hawaii Today detailed a legislative auditor’s critical audit of the Department of Public Works, the mayor’s office sent out a release reminding the public to participate in that department’s customer service survey for building permits.  I don’t think that was a coincidence.

“The Department of Public Works is asking for your feedback about your recent visit to our Building Division offices and the building permit process,” the top of the survey reads. “In the next several months, customer surveys will appear for other divisions within Public Works. Thank you for taking the time to give us your comments and suggestions and for helping us work to serve you better.” Read the rest of this entry »