MEDIA RELEASE

Alaska Airlines inaugural Oakland-Kona flight arrives Tuesday at Kona International Airport. (Photo courtesy BIVB)

Alaska Airlines today will inaugurate thrice-weekly service between San Jose, Calif., and Kahului, Maui, and four-times-weekly service between San Jose and Kona on the Big Island of Hawaii starting March 12, 2010.

The airline is offering introductory one-way fares of $179 between San Jose-Maui and San Jose-Kona for tickets purchased by March 18, 2010. Additionally, travelers can save up to $550 on Hawaii Vacation Packages purchased by April 4, 2010. The new flights are available for purchase online at alaskaair.com or by calling (800) ALASKAAIR (800-252-7522 or TTY/TDD line 800-392-0228).

“Known for their beautiful beaches and stunning sunsets, the Hawaiian Islands are among our most popular leisure vacation destinations,” said Steve Jarvis, Alaska Airlines’ vice president of marketing, sales and customer experience. “In just two years, Hawaii has become a major part of our route network, and we’re pleased to expand our Bay Area service.”

Alaska began service to Hawaii in October 2007. With the new service from San Jose and flights between Sacramento, Calif., and Maui starting March 26, the airline offers 73 flights a week to four Hawaiian Islands.

Summary of new service:

Start date City pair        Departure     Arrival	Day of week
Mar 11	   San Jose-Maui     7:30 a.m.    11:05 a.m.*	Tues, Thur, Sun
Mar 11	   Maui-San Jose    12:05 p.m.*    7:15 p.m.	Tues, Thur, Sun
Mar 12	   San Jose-Kona     7:30 a.m.    11:20 a.m.*	Mon, Wed, Fri, Sat
Mar 12     Kona-San Jose    12:20 p.m.*    7:35 p.m.	Mon, Wed, Fri, Sat
Mar 26	   Sacramento-Maui   8:15 a.m.    10:50 a.m.	Daily
Mar 26	   Maui-Sacramento  11:50 a.m.+	  8 p.m.+	Daily

Times are based on local time zones

*Beginning March 14, time of flight will be one hour earlier due to Daylight Savings Time, which is not observed in Hawaii.
+Schedule changes April 11, 2010. See alaskaair.com for details.

“Travelers in our community have been asking for Maui and Kona flights for a long time, and we’re delighted that Alaska Airlines now will begin service in response to that interest,” said Bill Sherry, Mineta San Jose International Airport director of aviation. “We’re looking forward to working with Alaska to make their new Hawaii service a great success.”

Alaska will operate the new flights with Boeing 737-800 aircraft, accommodating 16 passengers in first class and 141 in the main cabin. All flights will offer Hawaiian-themed beverages and meal service. Customers in the main cabin will be offered complimentary Mauna Loa macadamia nuts and a complimentary Mai Tai or POG juice, as well as a Hawaiian-themed meal-for-purchase option for $6.

Inflight service also will include Alaska Airlines’ digEplayer, a personal entertainment system offering a variety of movies, television shows, music and other features.

Alaska Airlines Vacations offers a full line of vacation packages for travel to the islands of Oahu, Kauai, Maui and the Big Island of Hawaii. Packages include air transportation, hotel accommodations, ground transportation and tours. For more information about Alaska Airlines Vacations, visit alaskaair.com/vacations

MEDIA RELEASE

Boys & Girls Club Big Island All-Star Basketball Classic

HILO, HAWAII FEBRUARY 11, 2010: With the BIIF basketball seasons wrapping up, organizers have set the dates for the inaugural Boys & Girls Club Big Island All-Star Basketball Classic. The Classic is a collaboration with the County of Hawaii Parks & Recreation and will be a set of two all-star games for both boys & girls on the Big island. The first game, for each gender, will be the Rising Stars game for freshmen and sophomores and the second game will be the Senior game for juniors and seniors. The girls games will be held on Saturday, February 27, 2010 at Kekuaokalani gym in Kona and the boys games will be held on Saturday, March 13, 2010 at the Hilo Civic Auditorium.

The teams will consist of 10 players for each West and East team for each game and gender. The teams will be chosen by a confidential selection committee and we have invited guest coaches for each team. There will be practices scheduled the week after each respective state tournament leading up to game day. This will not just be a game according to organizers as each participant will be required to participate in Boys & Girls Club leadership, anti-tobacco, anti-alcohol, and anti-drug messaging with our SmartMoves programming. Along with the club’s teen initiative and national branding campaign BE GREAT, the game will be an avenue to influence the future leaders of our community with positive messaging and to give exposure to our student/athletes and encourage younger kids to aspire and dream to BE GREAT !!

All West side practices and programming will be done at Kekuaokalani gym and East side practices and programming will be done at the Boys & Girls Club of the Big Island gym. Admission to the games will be $3 for adults and $1 for students and seniors. All proceeds will benefit the Boys & Girls Club of the Big Island and concessions will be available and benefit the club’s Hoop Dreams Hawaii travel teams.

MEDIA RELEASE

The public is invited to the dedication of new Hele On buses on January 29, 2010 at 10 am at the County building located at 25 Aupuni Street in Hilo. The buses are part of a package of nine new 33-and-49 passenger coaches. Seven were purchased with federal monies earmarked through the efforts of U.S. Senator Daniel Inouye while two of the buses were purchased with monies from the Puna Geothermal Asset Fund with the assistance of Councilperson Emily Nae’ole-Beason.

The new El Dorado buses are equipped with air conditioning, fully padded seats, wheel chair lifts, bike racks and stereo sound. “We are pleased to announce this increase in new buses and routes raising the fleet to a total of 59. Aside from having more seats available, the public will be in for a really comfortable ride,” according to Hawai’i County Transit Administrator, Tom Brown.

Kumu James “Kimo” Luluhiwalani Awai III will conduct the blessing with the assistance of 60 Keaukaha community children. Following the short ceremony, the keiki will enjoy an inaugural ride along Kalaniana’ole Avenue and through Hilo town in the passenger coaches. As an added touch all the new buses will be given Hawaiian names honoring specific winds of various geographical locations from throughout the County of Hawai’i.

MEDIA RELEASE

Homeowners on the Big Island who have been served with a foreclosure action on the residential property that they occupy may ask to participate in mediation with the lender before the case is heard by a judge.

Lenders seeking to foreclose on owner-occupied residential properties must now notify the borrowers that they have the option of mediation by serving the Foreclosure Mediation Notice on the borrower along with the complaint and summons.

Eligible borrowers may indicate their willingness to participate in mediation by filing a Foreclosure Mediation Request with the court.

“There are many good reasons why a borrower may want to try mediation as an option to litigation,” said Circuit Court Judge Greg Nakamura. “Litigation can be very expensive and time consuming. Mediation by a trained, neutral third party is a cheaper, more efficient and less divisive way to resolve a dispute.”

“When compared to the court process, mediation is more informal and parties have more time to negotiate and, hopefully, reach a joint agreement on the terms,” added Nakamura.

The Foreclosure Mediation Notice and Foreclosure Mediation Request forms may be obtained from the Judiciary’s website or from the Chief Court Administrator’s Office in Hilo.

The Foreclosure Mediation Project began on November 1, 2009 as a pilot project of the Third Circuit.

Vog continues to blanket East Hawaii as seen in this aerial photo of Hilo taken Wednesday afternoon (Jan 13). Photography by Tim Wright | Special to Hawaii 24/7.

The National Weather Service forecasts hazy days to continue for Hilo through the weekend with light winds coming from the north at 10 mph. Scattered showers are forecast.

MEDIA RELEASE

HONOLULU – The Hawai‘i State Department of Health (DOH) has received the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) national PISCES Award for dedication and exceptional program management, creative outreach initiatives, and ability to exceed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act’s (ARRA) Green Project Reserve requirements. The PISCES or Performance and Innovation in the State Revolving Fund Creating Environmental Success Award is presented each year to one state or county from each of EPA’s ten regions in the U.S. The 2009 award presented to Hawai‘i in December recognizes the accomplishments of DOH’s Clean Water State Revolving Fund (CWSRF) Program. This program provides low interest loans to county governments to expand and rehabilitate wastewater infrastructure.

Four years ago, the CWSRF program was faced with the challenge of improving a 68 percent funding or participation rate and decided to drastically cut its interest rate and loan fee for a total loan cost of 0.75 percent. This offer encouraged the four counties to increase their participation and boosted the funding rate to 95 percent for the 2009 state fiscal year.

Hawai‘i’s CWSRF Program, administered under the DOH Wastewater Branch, has also allocated 42 percent of economic stimulus funds from the American Recover and Reinvestment Act to support “green projects,” more than double the federal 20 percent requirement.

These green projects include:

• Maui County’s replacement of old sewage pumps with energy-efficient ones (guaranteed to reduce energy costs by 20 percent), and strengthening the structure of the County’s Wailuku-Kahului Treatment Plant to provide for coastal adaptation, sustainability, and protection against tsunami threats;
• Kaua‘i County’s expansion of its Waimea Wastewater Treatment Plant capacity, upgrading the facility to produce R-1 quality reusable water, and installing photovoltaic cells to reduce energy costs;
• Hawai‘i County’s closure of large capacity cesspools (LCCs) in the Komohana Heights, Honoka‘a, and Queen Lili‘uokalani Village areas, which will enable compliance with the federal ban on LCCs; and
• Honolulu’s Waimalu Sewer project, which was the first of the ARRA projects to start construction in July 2009 and is progressing with its microtunneling operations. “We’re very pleased that the EPA has recognized our efforts to increase program participation and assist counties in making their wastewater plants more energy efficient and sustainable,” said Laurence Lau, Deputy Director for Environmental Health, “The CWSRF Program continues to make every effort to expedite funding of ARRA projects.”

For more information on the CWSRF Program: hawaii.gov/health/environmental/water/wastewater/cwsrf.html

URGENT – WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HONOLULU HI
1105 PM HST WED JAN 6 2010

…JET STREAM BRINGS STRONGER WINDS TO STATE SUMMITS…

.THE NEARNESS OF THE JET STREAM TO THE STATE HAS INCREASED WINDS AT HIGHER ELEVATIONS. ALTHOUGH HALEAKALA IS LOWER THAN MAUNA KEA AND MAUNA LOA…AND HAS NOT YET REPORTED STRONG WINDS TONIGHT… ITS MORE NORTHERLY POSITION PLACES IT CLOSER TO THE CORE OF THE JET STREAM.

HALEAKALA SUMMIT-BIG ISLAND INTERIOR-BIG ISLAND SUMMITS-
1105 PM HST WED JAN 6 2010

…WIND ADVISORY IN EFFECT UNTIL 6 PM HST THURSDAY…

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN HONOLULU HAS ISSUED A WIND ADVISORY…WHICH IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 6 PM HST THURSDAY.

EXPECT MAXIMUM WINDS OF 30 TO 35 MILES AN HOUR WITH GUSTS APPROACHING 50 MILES AN HOUR.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS…

A WIND ADVISORY MEANS THAT WINDS OF 30 MPH ARE EXPECTED. WINDS THIS STRONG CAN MAKE DRIVING DIFFICULT…ESPECIALLY FOR HIGH PROFILE VEHICLES. USE EXTRA CAUTION.

MEDIA RELEASE

Representative Mark Nakashima and Senator Dwight Takamine announced today that they will hold Community and Senior Club meetings prior to the convening of the 2010 Legislature on January 20, 2010. Meetings scheduled throughout the First District are:

Community Meetings:

Jan 4, 2010 Mon   5:00 PM Kohala (Rep Nakashima) at Kohala Senior Ctr
Jan 4, 2010 Mon   6:30 PM Waimea (Sen Takamine) at Waimea Elem School Cafe
Jan 5, 2010 Tues  7:00 PM Rural S. Hilo at Kalanianaole School Cafeteria
Jan 6, 2010 Wed   7:00 PM Honoka‘a at Honoka‘a School Cafeteria
Jan 7, 2010 Thur  6:00 PM N. Hilo Comm. Council at Laupahoehoe HS Humanities Rm

Senior Centers Meetings:

January 4, 2010  Monday    Kohala Seniors (Rep)   9:00 AM
January 5, 2010  Tuesday   Paauilo Seniors        9:00 AM
January 6, 2010  Wednesday Honoka‘a Seniors       9:00 AM
January 8, 2010  Friday    Laupahoehoe Seniors    9:00 AM
January 12,2010  Tuesday   Waimea Seniors (Sen)   9:00 AM
January 12,2010  Tuesday   Hakalau Seniors       10:30 AM
January 14,2010  Thursday  Papa‘ikou Seniors      9:00 AM
January 14,2010  Thursday  Pepe‘ekeo Seniors     10:30 AM

Rep. Nakashima and Sen. Takamine would like to hear from the community their concerns and issues prior to the start of the legislative session. Mark and Dwight will also share information about issues facing state government in these challenging economic times as well as new legislative proposals.

MEDIA RELEASE

La‘aloa Beach Park (aka Magic Sands) parking lot to close

The County of Hawai‘i Department of Parks and Recreation announces that the La‘aloa Beach Park (aka Magic Sands) Parking Lot will be closed on Tuesday, January 5, from 6 a.m. to 2 p.m., while employees work to replace the existing lifeguard tower. For information, call Clayton Honma, Deputy Director, Department of Parks and Recreation at 961-8311.

County parks maintenance schedule announced

The County Department of Parks and Recreation has announced the general maintenance schedule for ‘Āhalanui Park, Isaac Hale Memorial Park, Kahalu‘u Beach Park and Spencer Park at ‘Ōhai‘ula Beach for the calendar year 2010.

These periodic short-term closures are necessary to accomplish larger scale maintenance activities without putting the public at unnecessary risk or inconvenience.

‘Āhalanui Park is closed for general maintenance on the following dates from 6 a.m. to 1 p.m. (second Wednesday of the month except for November): January 13; February 10; March 10; April 14; May 12; June 9; July 14; August 11; September 8; October 13; November 10 (moved to 2nd Tuesday because of Veterans Day Holiday); December 8.

Isaac Hale Beach Park is closed for camping for general maintenance on the following dates (fourth Tuesday of the month except for December) until 1 p.m. the following day: January 26; February 23; March 23; April 27; May 25; June 22; July 27; August 24; September 28; October 26; November 23; December 21.

Kahalu‘u Beach Park is closed for general maintenance on the following dates from 6 a.m. to 11 a.m. (first Tuesday of the month): January 5; February 2; March 2; April 6; May 4; June 1; July 6; August 3; September 7; October 5; November 2; December 7.

Spencer Park at ‘Ōhai‘ula Beach is closed for general maintenance on the following dates: January 13-14; February 10-11; March 10-11; April 13-14; May 18-20; September 14-16; October 13-14; November 17-18; December 15-16.

The department thanks the public for their cooperation during these closures.

For more information, call Clayton S. Honma, Deputy Director, Department of Parks and Recreation, 961-8311.

Video by David Corrigan | Big Island Video News

Wailea Village 12th annual mochi-tsuki celebration in making traditional rice cakes the “old-fashioned” way. The oldtimers shared their stories of plantation era times and everyone took their turn at pounding the glutinous sticky rice for good luck.

Video on Queen Kaahumanu Highway during a storm in Kona Sunday morning (Dec 20). There have been reports of heavy rain, thunder, lightning, wind in West Hawaii along with waterspouts off the Kona Coast.

As of Sunday morning parts of Pahoa, Keaau and surrounding areas were still without service from Oceanic Time-Warner cable. Residents where without the service for TV, internet and telephone. For updates see the Oceanic.com Status Page.

Winter weather also closed the road to the summit of Mauna Kea above the Visitor’s Information Center. For an update on the status of the access road visit: mkwc.ifa.hawaii.edu/current/road-conditions

Hualalai Road is blocked Sunday morning (Dec 20) after a tree came down. Photography by Paul Maddox, Special to Hawaii 24/7.

A tree blocks Hualalai Road between Lako Street and Io Place in Holualoa. Kona was hit hard by a passing storm. Photography by Paul Maddox, Special to Hawaii 24/7.

Video by Caleb Hudnell, of Kailua-Kona, on YouTube of a waterspout off the Kona Coast.

For current weather information and links to live webcams on the Big Island see the Hawaii 24/7 Weather Page

MEDIA RELEASE

North Kona

Hawaii Electric Light Co. (HELCO), is scheduled to close Palani Road and transfer existing transmission lines between Kealaka’a to Laimana Street on Monday night, December 14.

Palani Road will be closed between Kealaka’a and Palihiolo from 9:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m.

Motorists traveling makai on Palani will detour on to Uluao’a to Kealaka’a and back on to Palani Road at Palihiolo. Mauka bound motorists will turn left at Paliholo on to Kealaka’a, left at Ulua’oa and back on to Palani Road. Only residents between Ulua’oa and Kealaka’a will be allowed into the area. Off-duty officers will be directing traffic at Uluao’a and at Palihiolo. Weather conditions could alter this schedule.

For updates, please call the hotline at 334-9559.

South Kona

The Department of Public Works will resume night roadwork Sunday, Dec. 13 in South Kona to complete resurfacing certain portions of Mamalahoa Highway.

The night roadwork schedule is 7:30 p.m. to 5:30 a.m. Sunday–Thursday. Motorists are advised of one-lane closures, delays, weather conditions and availability of material may alter the schedule.

Night roadwork is planned Dec. 13-17 and December 20-23 from: Manago Hotel to HELCO sub station, skipping the intersection at Captain Cook Road; L&L Drive Inn to the intersection of Hwy 11 and Konawaena School Road to the former Kamigaki Market location, and resume from the intersection of Haukapila (Hospital) Road to Mango Court in Kainaliu.

For updated information, call the County Hotline at 334-9559.

Hilo
The department of Public Works will close one or more lanes at the intersection of Kamehameha Avenue, Lihiwai and Manono Streets in South Hilo Sunday, December 20 to repair the overhead traffic signal. Lane closures will be sporadic and could occur anytime of the day. Motorists traveling in the direction of Keaukaha are affected.

Repairs to the overhead traffic signal begin at 7:30 a.m.

O‘okala
Ka‘ula Bridge in O‘okala, Big Island, is open as of 2:00 p.m. today. The bridge was closed on November 16 for repairs.