NEWS BREIFS

• KONA AIRPORT EMERGENCY EXERCISE – On Wednesday (December 10) the Hawaii Department of Transportation will be conducting a triennial emergency response plan exercise at Kona International Airport from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. Here is more from DOT:

The Hawaii Department of Transportation Airports Division, Hawaii District, will be conducting a triennial emergency response plan exercise at Kona International Airport at Keahole on Wednesday, December 10, from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m.

The realistic exercise, a Federal Aviation Administration certification requirement, tests airfield disaster preparedness and response and will simulate an airliner crash at the airport. Approximately 120 student volunteers from the West Hawaii Explorations Academy (WHEA) charter school and the Kanu o ka Aina Learning Ohana will act as casualties and injured aboard a Boeing 777-300ER. The exercise will also include a fire suppression drill at approximately 10 a.m.

Participating agencies will include the Kona International Airport at Keahole Airport Rescue and Fire Fighting (ARFF) team, Hilo ARFF, Kona & Hilo Airport Staff, Federal Aviation Administration, Transportation Security Administration, Hawaii Police Department, Hawaii Fire Department, Hawaii County Civil Defense, Emergency Medical Services, American Medical Response, American Red Cross, USAF 15th Wing – Hickam, Hawaii Air National Guard, U.S. Army Pohakuloa, the University of the Nations and Kailua-Kona Community Emergency Response teams (CERT), Delta Airlines, other tenant air carriers and other state agencies.

All flight operations will continue as normal. Motorists are asked to be aware of additional emergency vehicles, police and security personnel along Keahole Airport Road and to please drivecarefully.Hawaii Dept. of Transportation

• STATE WATER COMMISSION COMES TO KONA – The Commission on Water Resource Management will be holding a public hearing on the National Park Services’ petition to designate the Keauhou Aquifer System as a ground water management area. At the hearing, the Commission will be accepting oral and written testimony, and when its over, they may decide to either reject or move forward with the petition process. The hearing is set for 9 a.m. at the West Hawaii Civic Center.
• HIGHER EDUCATION IN WEST HAWAII FORUM – On Thursday (December 11th) there will be a forum to discuss the future of Palamanui and the shared vision for higher education in West Hawaii. Recently, UH President David Lassner said there is no plan for the Palamanui Community College to be either a two- or a four-year accredited institution. Dr. Lassner will be on hand to talk to the public, and will be joined by John Morton, head of the Hawaii Community College System, UH Hilo Chancellor Donald Straney and West Hawaii’s head of the community college, Marty Fletcher, and Hawaii Community College chancellor Noreen Yamane. University of Hawaii Regent Pete Hoffmann has arranged this meeting. Organizers say the public is invited to come, listen, and ask questions. If you have questions you wish to submit in advance, please send them to moderator Sherry Bracken, preferably by Wednesday night, at jbkslb@kona.net
• TWO KONA CENSUS TRACTS ON TOP 20 STATEWIDE RESIDENT POPULATION LIST – The 9,153 people living in census tract 215.07 rank Kalaoa number 8 in resident population across the state of Hawaii, while the 8,143 counted in the nearby census tract 216.01 make Kailua number 20. The rankings are based on the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey 5-year data, combining data collected from 2009-2013. The numbers were released Thursday. More can be found on these Census Data Highlights prepared by the State of Hawaii.
• VIDEO: BO KAHUI ON KUHIO DAY GRANT – Hawaii County recently assisted an annual celebration in Kona. The Hawaii County Council voted to appropriate $3,500 (Resolution 588-14) to La’i’Opua 2020 to help fund the 2015 Prince Kuhio Ho’olaulea. On November 19, La’i’Opua 2020 executive director Bo Kahui testified at the West Hawaii Civil Center and thanked the council.