NŪ HOU - NEWSBRIEFS

Nū Hou

By Ka Wai Ola Staff

Telescope meetings set

Meetings will be held in October to gauge community mana'o on the proposed Thirty Meter Telescope, which when built will be the largest ground-based observatory on Earth. Mauna Kea is one of two possible sites for the project, and while some residents hope to embrace the economic opportunity, others condemn the desecration of the sacred mountain.

>> Oct. 6 - Kohala High cafeteria, Kapa'au, 5-8 p.m.

>> Oct. 8 - Kahilu Town Hall, Waimea, 5-8 p.m.

>> Oct. 9 - Kealakehe Elementary cafeteria, Kona, 6-9 p.m.

>> Oct. 13 - Ka'ū High cafeteria, Pāhala, 6-9 p.m.

>> Oct. 14 - Keaukaha Elementary cafeteria, Hilo, 6-9 p.m.

>> Oct. 15 - Pāhoa High cafeteria, 5-8 p.m.

>> Oct. 16 - Blaisdell Center Pīkake Room, Honolulu, 5-8 p.m.

For information, visit tmt-hawaiieis.org.

Mākua draft EIS

Public comment is sought through Nov. 3 on a supplemental draft environmental impact statement by the Army to resume live-fire training in Mākua Valley on O'ahu's Leeward Coast. Four public meetings will be held in October, with informational briefings from 5:30 to 6:45 p.m., and public comment from 7 to 9:30 p.m.:

>> Oct. 6 - Nānākuli High School

>> Oct. 7 -
an O'ahu location to be determined

>> Oct. 8 - Aunty Sally Kaleohano's Lū'au Hale, Hilo

>> Oct. 9 - Waimea (Hawai'i Island) Community Center

The Army is weighing alternatives ranging from no live-fire training to conducting up to 50 company-level combined arms live-fire exercises and 200 convoy live-fire exercises per year. It favors alternative 3, which involves weapons systems including tracer ammunition; inert, tube-launched, optically tracked, wire-guided (TOW) missiles; 2.75-inch rockets; and illumination munitions, an Army news release said. It expects to issue the final EIS in spring 2009.

Mākua, home to sites considered sacred by Native Hawaiians, has been used as a live-fire training area for the military since 1943. In 2001 a federal district court judge halted live-fire training at the valley after the nonprofit Mālama Mākua sued the Army seeking an EIS. The newly released draft revises a 2005 draft and examines the use of Pōhakuloa Training Area on Hawai'i Island as an alternative as well as Army responses to a new 2007-'08 biological opinion regarding Mākua, among other things.

Comments may be submitted online at garrison.hawaii.army.mil/makuaeis; by fax to 808-656-3162; by e-mail to usaghipaomakuaeis@hawaii.army.mil; or by mail to: Attn: Mākua EIS-Public Comments, USAG-HI Public Affairs Office, 742 Santos Dumont, WAAF, Schofield Barracks, HI 96857.

The supplemental draft EIS is available electronically at garrison.hawaii.army.mil/makuaeis. Copies are available at five state library locations: the main library in Honolulu, Wahiawā, Wai'anae, Pearl City, Kona and Kamuela.

For questions about submitting public comments, call 808-656-3152.

'Imi Ho'ōla

Deadline is Nov. 28 to apply for 12 spots in the 2009-10 Imi Ho'ōla program, a post-baccalaureate program of the University of Hawai'i John A. Burns School of Medicine. Successful completion of the yearlong program gains students entry into the UH medical school.

Eligible students are from socially, educationally or economically disadvantaged backgrounds who have demonstrated a strong commitment to serve areas of need in Hawai'i and the U.S-affiliated Pacific Islands. Although Imi Ho'ōla isn't limited to people of Hawaiian, Filipino, Samoan, Chamorro and Micronesian descent, a large number of these students have demonstrated that they qualify for the program. Application materials are available online at jabsom.hawaii.edu/JABSOM/admissions/special.php or by calling 808-692-1030.

OHA nets award

The Office of Hawaiian Affairs received a 2008 Conservation Innovation Award from the Hawai'i Conservation Alliance for its work in land conservation.

Since 2002, a “quantum leap in conservation was achieved not because of the efforts of just one organization, but rather by a massive shift in perception and participation by Hawai'i's citizens, political leaders and agencies,” the alliance's web site said. OHA, one of 23 awardees, has been a major partner in preserving in perpetuity Wao Kele O Puna on Hawai'i Island and Waimea Valley on O'ahu.

Book fair

At Alu Like's Charter School Book Fair on Oct. 13-17, buying a book means giving the gift of literacy to 14 charter schools across the state.

The book fair will run from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. and feature local authors and cultural demonstrations in the evenings. It will be held at Alu Like's Native Hawaiian Library, 458 Keawe St. in Kaka'ako. For information, call 535-1360.

Kamehameha statue

The King Kamehameha statue in Washington, D.C., has a new home, but visitors to the nation's capital will have to wait until Dec. 2 to see it.

“The King's statue will occupy a location in the New Emancipation Hall, which is part of the visitor center that features glass skylights with views, from underground, of the Capitol,” Congressman Neil Abercrombie's Washington office said in a Aug. 27 news release. “This will provide an absolutely grand setting for millions of visitors to view the statue and to appreciate King Kamehameha's place in history.”

Abercrombie signed a letter in 2003 asking that the statue be relocated from a “dark, back row of Statuary Hall” to a more visible locale, after a tour guide was videotaped saying the statue's placement reflected Congress' disapproval of Kamehameha's immodest attire.

The statue, along with one of Father Damien, had stood in Statuary Hall since 1969 as a gift from Hawai'i. The new visitor center is slated to open in December.

Leadership award

Kū Kahakalau, a leader of the charter school movement in Hawai'i and the co-founder and director of Kanu o ka 'Āina Learning 'Ohana, received a 2008 Ho'okele Award for her leadership in the nonprofit sector to make Hawai'i a better place.

The award came with $10,000 for use in “professional development and personal renewal,” according to the web site of Hawai'i Community Foundation, which co-created the award with The Wallace Alexander Gerbode Foundation.

Kanu o ka 'Āina Learning Ohana, or KALO, comprises four programs, including a Hawaiian-culture-focused K-12 charter school and a Native Hawaiian charter school alliance representing 2,000 students on three islands. KALO is working to create an intergenerational, Hawaiian-focused community learning center to house its programs in Waimea, Hawai'i Island.

HE HO'OMANA'O • IN MEMORIAM Mitchell. - Photo: Courtesy of Waimea Valley Rudolph Earl Leikamana Mitchell Sr. June 9, 1927 – Sept. 14, 2008 “Uncle Rudy,” a longtime historian and archaeologist of Waimea Valley, explored, dug and uncovered Hawaiian history in the valley on O'ahu's North Shore, a place he treasured until his passing Sept. 14. Mitchell's lineal connection to the area stretches back more than two centuries, when Kamehameha the Great named Mitchell's ancestor Hewahewa Nui the kahuna nui of the valley. “Uncle inspired us to look to our genealogy, our mo'okū'auhau, understand our kūpuna, Hewahewa nui and to mālama the 'āina of our ancestor, Waimea Valley,” said Na'mi Kama, an 'ōhana member. “From 1978 thru 1998, uncle was a strong advocate for the preservation of the many burial, religious and cultural sites that are there throughout the valley. As historian and archaeologist of Waimea Valley, he made significant changes to the protocol of the valley.” Mitchell experienced struggles under the management of past owners and left the valley, but it never diminished his love for it. The Hewahewa 'ohana will celebrate and honor Mitchell at its reunion Oct. 9 and 10 at Waimea Valley, “where Uncle will always remain in spirit,” Kama said. He is survived by his wife, Annette, and others.

Dyslexia guide, lecture

Dyslexia affects an estimated 27,000 Native Hawaiians in Hawai'i and can make skills like reading, writing, spelling and organizing thoughts a frustrating experience – even if the individual is bright, as is often the case.

Funded in part by OHA, the Hawai'i branch of the International Dyslexia Association has produced the 125-page A Resource Guide About Dyslexia for People in Hawai'i, as a tool for educators, parents, clinicians and dyslexic individuals to learn about dyslexia, testing for dyslexia, teaching strategies, family relations and advocacy.

To request a free copy while supplies last, e-mail mhiga@dyslexia-
hawaii.org or call 808-538-7007 or toll-free, 866-773-4432.

The group also co-presents a lecture by Harvard Medical School research scientist Maryanne Wolf, Oct. 25, 9 to 11:45 a.m. at the Japanese Cultural Center, Mō'ili'ili Ballroom, 2454 S. Beretania St., in Honolulu. Wolf will discuss topics such as brain circuitry, new interventions to help children with reading difficulties, and her concerns that the Internet negatively affects children's reading comprehension and attention skills. Fees apply. To register, visit hais.org or email lisa@hais.org.

Civic Clubs convene

The Association of Hawaiian Civic Clubs gather for its 49th annual convention at Hilton Kaua'i Beach Resort on Kaua'i, from Oct. 19-26 and invites the public to the following free events: The Queen's Women Kū'ē Petition play, Oct. 19, 5-9 p.m.; workshops Oct. 22, 8 a.m. to noon, on topics of Mele Ni'ihau a me Kaua'i; Lua: art of the Hawaiian warrior; 21st century technology: culture and education, Kaua'i chiefly lines; and Native Hawaiian health. Catch the annual 'Aha Mele Competition at the hotel, Oct. 24, 8 p.m., $10. The convention wraps Oct. 26 with church services at the hotel, 7:30-8:30 a.m., and a 5 p.m. 'aha 'āina at Kaua'i Veterans Hall, $60 admission.

For information, see www.aohcc.org or call convention coordinator Lorna Akima at 808-960-2841.

A'o Makua courses

Kamehameha Schools' online enrichment program for adults 18 and older is offering an end-of-year 80 percent discount on its Mo'okū'auhau: He Inoa 'Ala genealogy course, which covers Hawaiian naming traditions and Princess Bernice Pauahi Bishop's genealogy. Class runs Nov. 3 to 21 at a discounted price of $5.

A'o Makua also offers an 'Ōlelo Hawai'i Pili 'Ohana course, Nov. 1 to 29, for $25. Maui radio personality Luana Kawa'a instructs on family relations and interactions, sentence patterns and exercises. Activities include creating a digital photo family journal.

For information, courses and schedules, visit http://ksdl.ksbe.edu/adult or call 842-8877. To register by Oct. 15, click on Registration.

Book launch

Native Books/Nā Mea Hawai'i in Ward Warehouse hosts free book launches for Matthew Ka'opio, who wrote and illustrated Hawaiian Family Album, his third book, Oct. 25; and Carlos Andrade for his book Ha'ena: Through the Eyes of the Ancestors, Oct. 30. Starts at 6 p.m. For information, 596-8885.

VA voter registration

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs lifted its ban on organizations conducting voter registration drives at VA facilities, just in time for the 2008 elections. Last day to register for the general election is Oct. 6.

The VA's policy now clarifies that state and local election officials, as well as non-partisan groups, are welcome to assist in voter registration at VA hospitals and outpatient clinics. In addition, information about the right to register and to vote will be posted in every VA hospital, U.S. Sen. Daniel Akaka said in a Sept. 4 news release.