By Daryl Lee, David Corrigan and Stephanie Salazar

[Video by Daryl Lee]

HILO, Hawaii: 18 year old Jeremy Costa was in court on Wednesday, facing charges of first-degree terroristic threatening after posting threats towards Kamehameha Schools Keaau campus on his Facebook page.

Costa – who was reportedly expelled from the school prior to the incident – was arrested on Tuesday morning by Hawaii County Police.

In this interview, Captain Randall Medeiros takes us through the timeline of the disconcerting incident, which began on Monday. Medeiros says that former student Costa tried to meet with the school principal, and instead met with the Vice Principal and a school counselor. After a half an hour or so, Costa left  ”in an apparent emotional state.” Police say Costa returned that day and got into an altercation with campus security. Security called the police, who arrested Costa for criminal trespass. Costa was processed and released at the Puna police station.

On Monday evening, it was learned that Costa had allegedly posted threatening statements to his Facebook page: things like “rent a cops must die” , he could take Virginia Tech to the next level, and etc… according to police.

On Tuesday, officers later found Costa hitchhiking on the way to school, wearing a Kamehameha Schools uniform and carrying books. Medeiros said when officers approached him, he tore off his shirt and challenged them to a fight. He was taken into custody and charged.

During his court appearance, Costa said little, but expressed disdain for the news camera, giving the middle finger to journalists. Costa’s parents were in the gallery.

Police say it is still under investigation whether or not Costa had the means to carry out his online threats.

Police say they do not take these sort of things lightly, especially in light of the tragedies at Virginia Tech and Columbine.

In a statement issued by Kamehameha Schools, officials say “While it is still unclear as to why Jeremy resorted to threatening statements on Facebook, trespassing onto campus and verbal and physical violence, campus security did the right thing by contacting the Hawaii Police Department. Our faculty, staff and administration remain vigilant and aware of the campus security situation, and we are prepared to take further action as warranted.”

Costa’s bail has been set at $100,000.

By David Corrigan & Stephanie Salazar

KEAAU, Hawaii: In Puna, the community continues to keep close tabs on the County redistricting process.

A public hearing was held in Keaau on the matter of redrawing the county’s district lines this Saturday.

It was the second meeting that day, the first being held in Hilo.

Many of the folks who testified before the County Redistricting Commission also shared their thoughts a few days earlier at a meeting in Pahoa. Most want to see Puna get two county council district seats when the commission redraws the island’s political boundaries based 2010 U.S. Census data.

The next commission hearing will be tonight in Kona at the West Hawaii Civic Center, starting at 6 p.m.

Video courtesy Baron Sekiya, Hawaii247.com | Voice of Stephanie Salazar

KEAAU, Hawaii: Kamehameha Schools – Hawaii gets to hold the newly created Kipimana Cup, after defeating Keaau High School on the football field, 36 to 21.

These highlites come to us courtesy Baron Sekiya and Hawaii24/7… showing how Kamehameha jumped out to a big 23 to 7 halftime lead over the Cougars, before rolling on to victory.

That means the Warriors will get the inaugural Kipimana Cup, the trophy instituted by W.H. Shipman, Ltd… the large Puna land owner who was at one time the owner of the lands that are now occupied by both the Kamehameha Schools – Hawaii campus, AND Keaau High School.

“Kipimana” is how Hawaiians referred to Shipman more than 100 years ago, and the name is used today as a street name in the Keaau area.

Representatives of the company say W.H. Shipman is awarding $500 to the booster club of each school. But the real prize is a perpetual trophy and official bragging rights for the winning team.

KEAAU, Hawaii: The Hawaii County Police Department has issued the following media release detailing an car crash on Highway 130.

A 22-year-old Kurtistown man died Sunday (July 24) from injuries he sustained in a two-vehicle crash on Route 130 at the 4-mile marker in Kea’au.

The man who died was identified as Ikeole Filoteo of a Kurtistown address.

Responding to a 3:34 a.m. call, Puna patrol officers determined that Filoteo was operating a 1999 Mazda four-door sedan and traveling south on Route 130 when he crossed the centerline and collided with a 2008 Toyota two-door sedan traveling north.

Fire Department personnel took the driver of the Toyota, a 22-year-old Hilo woman, and three passengers, a 20-year-old Hilo man, a 32-year-old Hilo man and 20-year old Hilo woman, to Hilo Medical Center.

The 20-year-old man sustained critical injuries and was flown to The Queen’s Medical Center in Honolulu for further treatment.

The other occupants received minor injuries.

Filoteo was taken to Hilo Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead at 6:40 a.m.

It is unknown at this time if speed was involved but alcohol was a factor in this crash.

Traffic Enforcement Unit officers have initiated a negligent homicide investigation and have ordered an autopsy to determine the exact cause of death.

Police ask anyone with information about this crash to call Officer Clarence Davies at 961-8118.

This is the 13th traffic fatality on the Big Island this year compared with 18 at this time last year.

Video by David Corrigan | Voice of Stephanie Salazar

The first of six public hearings on plastic bags was held in Keaau on Tuesday night.

Residents shared thier thoughts on Bill 17, introduced by North Kohala councilman Pete Hoffman. The bill aims to reduce plastic bags on the Big Island, giving shops, restaurants and grocery stores a year to phase them out.

The bill appeared to have majority support from the council, but Hilo’s three council members, Dennis Onishi, J Yoshimoto and Donald Ikeda, voted to hold the public hearings first.

Opinions at the hearing were mixed.

Council member Brenda Ford reportedly plans to introduce a measure to end the hearings, which she believes are excessive.

Here’s a look at the remaining hearing schedule:

* 5 p.m. Wednesday, July 13 at Pahoa Community Center
* 5 p.m. Tuesday, July 26 at Naalehu Community Center
* 5 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 25 in the Council Room on Aupuni Street in Hilo
* 5 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 27 at Papaaloa Gym
* 5 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 15 in the Council Room at the West Hawaii Civic Center

Video by David Corrigan | Voice of Stephanie Salazar

The final Environmental Assessment for the Keaau-Pahoa Road Improvement Project was presented to the Puna community on Monday evening.

The Highway 130 Keaau Pahoa Advisory Group (KPAG) joined representatives from SSFM International and interested residents at the Keaau Elementary School cafeteria in order to go over the final EA for the project, which anticipates a Finding of No Significant impact.

Wide, four lane highways will be constructed to accomodate the growing population and traffic congestion.

From the EA:

2.2 Proposed Action – Four Lane Highway With Associated Access Management Improvements

As shown in Figure 2-1: Preferred Alternative, the Preferred Alternative would construct a highway that contains a four-lane divided cross section between the end of the Kea‘au Bypass and Pāhoa-Kapoho Road. Appendix A: Roadway Design Plans shows detailed design of the Preferred Alternative. The Preferred Alternative essentially combines Alternative 4 with the TSM measures (Alternative 2) as both were defined in the Draft EA.

The Preferred Alternative will incorporate designs that contain Context Sensitive features, in an effort to make the future roadway as compatible as possible with the surrounding communities. While many of the elements will not be designed until the final design stage, these features would incorporate the community’s preferences and include landscaping (with preference for non-invasive native species) and context sensitive designs of walls/structures, etc. If practicable, design exceptions may be considered on a case-by-case basis where protection of an important community or cultural feature constrains the design.

The Preferred Alternative assumes a design year of 2038. Refer to Section 3.2: Traffic and Transportation for an explanation of why 2038 was used.

The design of the Preferred Alternative is currently at a conceptual level. Decisions about curve radii, grades, slopes, etc. will be finalized during final design. The design of the highway will be consistent with HDOT standards and the design standards of the American Association of State Highway Transportation Officals (AASHTO).

2.2.1 Preferred Alternative Cross Section

Figure 2-2: Typical Cross Section shows the conceptual cross-section for the four-lane roadway. This cross-section is only representative and could vary in specific locations, such as where turn lanes are provided. Alternative designs that include context-sensitive elements like landscaping or other decorative features may be considered where appropriate. The concrete median barrier shown is for conceptual purposes to represent some type of median treatment.

The specific type of median treatment will be specified during the later stages of design. For the Preferred Alternative, travel lanes would be 12 feet wide, and a full eight foot shoulder/bikeway area would be provided in both directions. Outside of intersection areas, an impervious median with a raised barrier would divide the four-lane highway and generally be 10 feet wide, but could vary in width. Grass-lined border swale areas (typically eight feet wide) would buffer a five-foot wide pedestrian area from the roadway traffic, and contain an impervious bottom to collect drainage. Some additional pedestrian accommodations may be needed at bus pull-outs to meet requirements of the ADA. A guard rail may or may not be provided at the inside edge of the border area as specific conditions (utility poles, access driveways, etc.) dictate.

While the existing right-of-way varies in width between roughly 80 feet and 100 feet in width, the four-lane roadway would generally fit within a 108-foot right-of-way. The right-of-way needs would vary along the corridor and the right-of-way could be wider in places where the grade of the highway requires slopes to the sides of the highway to be wider than normal.

2.2.2 Access Control Under the Preferred Alternative

One of the major problems compromising safety on Kea‘au-Pāhoa Road is the uncontrolled access along the corridor. An important element of the Preferred Alternative will be to limit the number of access points along the most intensively-developed portion of the corridor.

When the Hawaiian Paradise Park and Orchidland subdivisions were developed, none of the access streets were connected across the highway and this has resulted in a large number of three-way intersections (T-intersections). There may also be a large number of driveways that will become right-in/right-out only access points. By consolidating access points to a smaller number of traffic-controlled intersections (which will use traffic signals or roundabouts), the Preferred Alternative will greatly improve safety, particularly for those vehicles that wish to make a left turn to/from a cross-street and need to cross opposing flows of traffic.

The access management changes that are proposed will support the PCDP’s goals of Village and Town Centers by providing improved, direct access to those areas from Kea‘au-Pāhoa Road.

Refer to Section 3.1.3.3: Puna Community Development Plan (PCDP) for more information.

Highway 130 is also considered one of the most dangerous roads on the island. Most recently, there was a fatal crash at the intersection of Route 130 and Ainaloa Boulevard. One of many tragic accidents along the only highway connecting Puna makai to Hilo.

For many residents in attendance, safety is the top priority. From the EA:

1.1.2.1 Safety
The Kea‘au-Pāhoa Road Corridor has very high crash rates, much higher than the state average. The need to improve safety and reduce the numbers and rates of crashes is a compelling one that has driven much of the public concern for improvements in this corridor. Many residents and visitors perceive Kea‘au-Pāhoa Road as a dangerous facility and in many cases, travelers will travel additional distances to avoid making certain traffic movements like left turns because of the perceived danger.

A major safety issue on Kea‘au-Pāhoa Road stems from the lack of gaps, or openings in traffic, to accommodate turning or crossing vehicles. There are no gaps because there are no forms of traffic control such as signals or roundabouts that would produce openings in the flow. Heavy volumes results in an almost continuous flow of traffic during peak hours, and in some off-peak conditions as well. Vehicles attempting to turn to or from Kea‘au-Pāhoa Road or cross the highway are confronted with a challenge to find an opening, and make risky maneuvers as a result.

HDOT collects crash statistics statewide. Crash statistics reflect only major crashes that are reported to HDOT. Major crashes include those resulting in death, bodily injury, and/or property damage exceeding $3,000 in cost.

FHWA has initiated a Highway Safety Improvement Program (HSIP) as part of Section 1401 of SAFETEA-LU. As part of this program, FHWA has requested all states to determine the locations within each state that have accident rates in the top five percentile statewide, covering both intersections and highway segments. “Five Percent” reports are produced annually.

In HDOT’s 2008 Five Percent Report to FHWA, 79 intersections throughout the State of Hawai‘i on the State Highway System had at least three crashes per year for each of the past three years. The top five percentile of these 79 high-crash locations statewide is four intersections, all four of which are located on the Island of Hawai‘i, in the Puna District, and three of which are located along Kea‘au-Pāhoa Road: at Ainaloa Boulevard, at Kahakai Boulevard, and at Old Pāhoa Road. Traffic signals were identified in the report as measures to address the first two intersections.

The next step will be the project design phase. We’ll have more details on this throughout the week.

Kea’au, Hawaii- The final Environmental Assessment for the Keaau-Pahoa Road Improvement Project will be presented to the Puna community this evening (Monday, May 23rd).

The Highway 130 Keaau Pahoa Advisory Group (KPAG) will join representatives from SSFM International and interested residents at the Keaau Elementary School cafeteria in order to go over the final EA for the project.

The highway is considered one of the most congested and dangerous roads on the island. Most recently, a 61-year-old woman from Oregon died (May 19) from injuries she received in a motor vehicle/motorcycle crash at the intersection of Route 130 and Ainaloa Boulevard. One of many tragic accidents along the only highway connecting Puna makai to Hilo.

Tonight, there will be an Open House at the Keaau school from 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. in order for the community to talk story before the formal presentation, which starts at 6:30 p.m.

FILE VIDEO – Public comments on Highway 130 EA

More Information

Damon Tucker, well known Puna area blogger who also served on KPAG, has been following the process closely and has released the final EA on his website (http://damontucker.com/2011/05/20/final-highway-130-environmental-assessment-released/)

Tucker has also documented the ongoing traffic dangers on the busy highway, on this “Highway 130 Wrecks” page.

Media release | Kamehameha Schools

KEA‘AU, Hawai‘i – Tickets for the 2011 Kamehameha Schools Hawai‘i Hö‘ike, scheduled on March 8 and 9, are available to the public for free on a first-come-first-served basis. The performances will be held at the William Charles Lunalilo Center at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. on March 8, and at 7 p.m. on March 9.

This year’s hö‘ike tells the story about the chiefess Hina, who was kidnapped from her home in Hilo by
Kapepe‘ekauila, the chief of Hä‘upu, and how her sons, Kana and Niheu, lead the armies of Hilo to bring her
home. The legend will be told in Hawaiian language, as translated by KS-Hawai‘i advanced Hawaiian
language students.

Limited tickets are available to the public for each of the shows. To reserve tickets, please contact Lisa Pana at (808) 982-0733.

September 1, 2010 – Keaau, Hawaii

Video by David Corrigan, Voice of Tim Bryan

Mobile version of video

The Hawaii County Council held a special public hearing on Monday to discuss Bill 194, which contains 108 pages of proposed amendments to the Puna Community Development Plan.

The public hearing took place at the Kea’au Middle School, and gave residents an opportunity to voice their opinion on the possible changes to the plan.

The room appeared to be split down the middle on the issue, with those in favor of the ammendments proudly showing their position with white T-Shirts that read “You passed it then… Let’s amend it now!”. In 2008, councilmembers wanted to make the amendments before the CDP was adopted, but the groups that worked on the document convinced the council to hold off until after the CDP got the OK.

Mobile version of video

July 2, 2010 – Keaau, Hawaii

Video by David Corrigan | Voice of Tim Bryan

TRANSCRIPT

On Tuesday, June 29th, residents of Puna voiced their opinion on the planned State Highway 130 project.

The comments were offered during a hearing at Keaau Elementary School, as a part of the draft environmental assessment that has been released for massive improvements to the highway.

The busy road, which connects Pahoa and Keaau, is infamous for rush hour congestion and dangerous conditions.

The draft EA recommends several options for improving or widening the highway to relieve traffic problems, with cost estimates exceeding $100 million dollars. The project could be underway by 2018.

For the residents giving testimony, safety was a top concern.

Also on the minds of the Puna residents: roundabouts… proposed as alternatives to traffic lights at some busy intersections.

The project documents can be viewed online at www.keaau-pahoa.com

Written comments may be submitted through July 23 to the State Department of Transportation at this mailing address or emailed to the attention of Ken Tatsuguchi.

May 29, 2010 – Video by David Corrigan, voice of Tim Bryan

On the Saturday before Memorial Day, the Puna District Inter-Faith Memorial Day Observance is held at the Puna Hongwanji Mission in Keaau.

The keynote speaker at the event was Lietenant Charlotte Mundy, a Commanding Officer on the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Kiska.

Although Hawaii missed out on the 2010 Pro Bowl – which was held in Miami – the state is already looking forward to the event’s return in 2011.

The new 2011 Pro Bowl T-shirts were already being handed out this week by NFL Football Players and Cheerleaders during a series of special events held for Hawaii Island students. It was all a part of the eighth annual NFL Pro Bowl Youth Clinic on the Big Island.

This two hour stop in Keaau High School taught local kids a variety of hands-on skills and techniques for both boys and girls.

The clinic compliments the NFL’s Play 60 campaign designed to tackle childhood obesity by getting kids active through in-school, afterschool and team-based programs.

The youth participants also had their new T-Shirts autographed by each player.

Video by David Corrigan, voice of Tim Bryan