Category — Hilo

Downtown’s “biggest strolling party” draws a crowd
November 7, 2008 - Hilo, Hawaii

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A family oriented night of strolling took place in Downtown Hilo, as the Black and White Night festival welcomed hundreds of visitors.

The shops around Hilo’s popular bayfront were busy with activity late into the evening hours. People were encouraged to dress entirely in black and white, and even to wear costumes.

Jazz and swing bands filled the air with music, and vendors offered food to guests.

The event is designed to bring increased interest in Downtown Hilo, and support for the small businesses that make up the heart of the community. Black and White Night is produced by Alice Moon and Company in partnership with the Big Island Conservation & Development Council. It is sponsored in part by P.O.S.H. (People Out Supporting Hilo) as well as Councilman Stacy Higa and the County of Hawaii Research and Development.

Defeats opponent Angel Pilago by nearly 10,000 votes
November 4, 2008 - Hilo, Hawaii

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Billy Kenoi has been declared the winner in the race for Hawaii County’s mayor seat.

Kenoi defeated opponent Angel Pilago by a healthy margin. The final numbers, released by the state of Hawaii at 9:23 pm, had Kenoi winning with 36,671 votes (55.6%) to Pilago’s 26,962 (40.9%)

At age 39, Kenoi becomes one of the youngest mayors in the Big Island’s history. He was the former executive assistant to outgoing mayor Harry Kim. In September’s primary election, he was the highest vote getter amongst the 8 mayoral candidates.

Kenoi arrived at his Hilo headquarters just as the news of his victory was being announced to the fervent crowd of supporters. In his post victory speech, Kenoi remained humble, thanked Pilago, and promised that more hard work is ahead.

Big Island Democrats’ tradition
November 3, 2008 - Hilo, Hawaii

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Kamehameha Avenue along Hilo’s bayfront was alive and animated by sign waving supporters on the eve of the general election.

Festivities included a drumming circle beneath the monkeypod trees of Mooheau Park along with roadside sign waving, seen in the video above. Afterwards, there was entertainment, and a round of last minute campaign speeches, under the Mooheau Bandstand.

According to numbers published in the Hawaii Tribune-Herald, Hawaii County has already had 26,571 votes cast in absentee and walk-in voting. This is more than double the number of people who voted early in the 2004 election.

At this rate, powered in part by public interest in the pivotal national election, the Big Island is likely to see an historic, high voter turnout.

$16.3 million complex proposed for vacant land near Waiakea Villas
10.23.2008 - Hilo, Hawaii

VIDEO

A story by John Burnett in Wednesday’s Hawaii Tribune-Herald reported on a proposal by two Big Island businessmen to build an entertainment center on 6.2 acres of vacant land in Hilo. The land, overgrown by with vegetation, is zoned for resort and commercial use, and sits next to the Waiakea Villas.

Ho`oluana Place LLC and David DeLuz Sr are the interested business parties. The development, known as Hilo Family Entertainment Center, would include a 32 lanes bowling alley, laser-tag, indoor mini-golf, and private banquet rooms. There would also be restaurants and sports bars. A retail complex is planned for later project phases.

The proposal requires the completion of an environmental assessment, as well as other state and county approvals.

This special video section was presented a few days ago, but I am only now getting around to blogging an announcement. It is likely that this will be the last of the mayoral videos before the primary. If no candidate gets over 50% of the primary vote, and thus there is a runoff for the general election, I’m sure I will cover the one on one debates that may occur.

The format on this one was a big change in pace from the other forums. Candidates were able to get up close and personal with the electorate.

The videos are here: bigislandvideonews.com/20080904roundtable.htm

Hilo, HI - The League of Women Voters and the American Association of University Women present a “roundtable event”, where candidates for mayor go from table to table in order to meet face to face with residents. The candidates spent 15 minutes at each table, answering questions and talking story with voters, before rotating to another table.

The unique approach offered a new look at the campaigns of 6 individuals running for Hawaii County mayor. Although all 8 candidates were invited, it was Billy Kenoi, Randy Riley, Stacy Higa, Jasper Moore, Lorraine Inouye, and Angel Pilago who attended. (Joseph Barrozo and Sam Masilamoney were not there.)

The footage you will see here, broken into separate files by candidate, was shot at a special media table. The questions were asked by Ken Hupp of KPUA AM 670, and Dr. Todd Belt, associate professor of political sciences at UHH. These videos are long: nearly 15 minutes in length… but they offer a refreshing way to revisit the issues and the candidates involved in the election.

I would like to thank not only the organizers and moderators of this refreshing event, but the candidates themselves, who took the time (over 2 hours) to do lots of speaking.

The primary election is on September 20th.

The disturbing news had already spread around the island by this morning. I had gone to Kailua-Kona to get some footage of the Stinging Nettle Caterpillar public meeting at the Kona Outdoor Circle. As luck would have it, Hawaii Department of Agriculture entomologist Patrick Conant was there, leading the discussion. The caterpillar video is on the way, but Patrick was also nice enough to share some knowledge on the bee issue developing in Hilo.

The video is here: http://www.bigislandvideonews.com/20080823bees.htm

KAILUA-KONA, HI - It is the news that beekeepers and farmers have been dreading to hear… the destructive varroa bee mite has been discovered in Hilo. The mite can kill an entire colony in weeks, and spreads easily. The impact on local agriculture could be disastrous. Hawaii Department of Agriculture Entomologist Patrick Conant explains the developing situation. NOTE: The beekeeper and honeybee video is file footage shot in New Jersey one year ago.

The real coincidence about that New Jersey footage… the beekeeper said he got his queens from Hawaii. This development could effect the beekeeping industry off the island as much as on.

HILO, HI - A new bill allows voters to receive and vote by absentee ballot on a permanent basis. Pat Nakamoto, Elections Program Manager with the County of Hawaii, explains the procedure, how it should increase voter participation, and discusses the measures taken to combat potential voter fraud.

The video is here: www.bigislandvideonews.com/20080801absenteeballots.htm

This certainly seems like it will make things easier for Hawaii residents to exercise their right to vote. However, in the past, I have seen all sorts of abuses of absentee voting in other parts of the country. Nakamoto assures that safeguards are in place to prevent fraud in Hawaii.

HILO, HI - The Hilo Bay is the scene of a terror response training drill, as the 93rd Civil Support Team coordinates with Hawaii county, state and federal agencies to formulate a plan of action. The mock situation entails a WMD chemical incident aboard a boat in the harbor, and the 93rd CST works with the local first responders to set up a staging area.

The video can be seen here: www.bigislandvideonews.com/20080731drill.htm

The staging location was the old Orchid Isle hotel lot along Banyan Drive, so if you happened to drive by on Wednesday or Thursday and saw all the activity, rest assured: it was only a drill.

In the video, you will hear from Lt. Col. Trey Johnson, who took a moment to communicate to us the purpose of the drill, as well as the mission of the 93rd Civil Support Team.

Hilo, Hawaii - Residents of Puna, and supporters of the district’s Community Development Plan, rally outside the County Council meeting held to discuss the matter. Participants in the demonstration are concerned that their district councilwoman’s proposed amendments to the plan will delay the process.

The video is here: www.bigislandvideonews.com/20080730punacdp.htm

This is only a raw video clip. It is actually a long story that would be better served by a wordsmith’s coverage than a videographers. Check out updates from the Hunter Bishop blog about the rally and the subsequent meeting. You’ll also find a lot of good info on the back story there, too.

HILO, HI - The historic downtown landmark, The Palace Theater, closes its doors until August 9th for renovations. Included in the improvements: ADA compliant wheelchair areas and ramps to the backstage door, an improved mauka walkway, lighting upgrades and balcony repairs. The cost is estimated at $90,000. The Palace Theater was built in 1925.

Watch the video here: bigislandvideonews.com/20080729palace.htm

Cheryl “Quack” Moore was very helpful in helping to produce this segment, which also aired on KHHB tv news. The Palace Theater is an important piece of the historic preservation puzzle in downtown Hilo. Visit the website for the theater here, at hilopalace.com