Aloha Punawebbers,

This is a fast little fundraiser for the Pahoa Girl's Volleyball Team.  They have had a very successful season and are due to travel to Florida for Championship games.

They don't have enough money and don't want to try an decide which girls can't go.

CAN YOU HELP?  I'm using my Paypal account at castleb@aloha.net

I'm donating $200.

Here's the deal:
Impact Wahine Volleyball is a girls youth volleyball club that was started in 2022 by two sisters in their hometown of Pahoa. The goal is to inspire the next generation.  Providing these young athletes with the tools they need so they can reach their maximum potential and compete at the highest level that they desire.

The 14U girls will be traveling to Orlando this month (June 18-30) to compete in the 2026 AAU  Girls Junior National Volleyball Championships. Your contribution will directly impact our team by helping us cover travel expenses for airfare, meals, lodging and ground transportation.

Please help us reach our goal.

   

It's hard to get observing time at any of the MK observatories. They are oversubscribed with more good scientific proposals than observing time is available, so it takes a lot of convincing to give up some of that time to high school students. But it's worth it. Instead of languishing in minimum-wage jobs, these students worked their butts off and were awarded telescope time on Mauna Kea. 

This is our future generation, and I wish them the best of luck.

https://www.hawaiitribune-herald.com/202...cope-time/

"Eight Kealakehe High School students were the recipients of Maunakea Scholars awards last Friday, earning them the coveted opportunity to carry out research using the telescope array atop Hawaii Island’s tallest mountain.

They are among a cohort of 50 students from five different schools recognized for excellence in astronomy by the program during this school year, which wraps up today. The four other schools boasting newly minted scholars include Waiakea High School in Hilo, and Waipahu, Kalani and Kamehameha Kapalama high schools on Oahu."

From.. https://www.civilbeat.org/2026/05/charte...nty-mayor/

Where it begins..

A divided County Council is moving forward with plans to let voters decide if a county manager system would work better for the Big Island.

Hawai‘i County’s mayor would become more of a figurehead under a proposed charter amendment that shifts significant executive powers to an appointed county manager.

The County Council narrowly moved forward Tuesday with plans to put the measure on the ballot this November. Bill 158, introduced by council member Heather Kimball, squeaked through committee in a 5-4 vote and now heads to the full council for approval. 

The bill would give much of the responsibilities currently held by the mayor to a county manager that would be appointed by a committee of four council members and the mayor. Kimball said she hopes the model will allow for better continuity and effectiveness in government, ensuring projects don’t languish by depoliticizing key departments and functions. 

Which seems like a sea change in our local governing structure, and one that on one hand if handled as Heather hopes would stabilize County functioning, but on the other would strip the executive branch of any real power, and as such take the same from the voter..

Just had this happen to me, got kicked out of a TSA line with a vague "there's something wrong with your ID or ticket". Hawaiian/Alaskan rep was nice enough to check and escort me to security to ensure I got through the second time, after several bad scans...

https://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/2026/05/09...ve-glitch/

Suspect remains at large.   Deceased are Bob Shine and Chitta Morse.

Suddenly infesting my beloved lychee tree.  Animal? Vegetable?  No doubt evil. I cut off the affected branches then sprayed the whole tree with neem/peppermint oil but....  what the heck is it?!

Attached Files

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If this has been revealed elsewhere, please let me know and I'll dump this thread.

All the new road construction going on down at 4 Corners (and near Lava Tree) seems to be coming along. But now I have a mystery. Mauka just a skosche of 4 Corners, a new road with a yellow gate was put in a couple years ago and my understanding was that was Smiley Burrows' property (that used to be Green Lake) that she got tired of waiting for the county to put in and so had the road put in herself. 

Now there's a guard shack there, more fencing, lots of vehicles, and the initials of some company I can't quite make out. HGEOC? HGCOE? Does anyone have any idea what is going on there?

Inquiring minds...

Now that was a nice long shaker!

Many of us, maybe most of us live on catchment, so anything we can do to save water will help especially during dry weather conditions.  With El Niño expected this summer we could experience warm and dry conditions.

Here’s a fixture that allows you to wash your hands as the toilet tank fills:

   

There are several versions available in the US:
Sink Twice
SinkPositive

With the Toto seat lid (Costco has them on sale from time to time) you can also save paper.  If a hurricane is on the way, you’ll only need to stock up on rice and drinking water.

I know very little about this other than I knew it was going to happen. 

"Diplomats experience Maunakea through science and culture"

https://www.hawaii.edu/news/2026/05/20/d...-maunakea/

"The visit, coordinated through the U.S. Department of Defense’s annual Defense Attaché Orientation Program, brought diplomats to Maunakea where they learned how UH researchers and international partners are helping drive some of the world’s most important astronomical discoveries, from distant exoplanets and mysterious brown dwarfs to black holes, advanced robotic optics technology and some of the farthest known objects in the universe.

“Maunakea has become a model for how nations can work together in the pursuit of knowledge,” said Doug Simons, director of the UH Institute for Astronomy. “The discoveries made here belong to all humanity.”"

More in the above link.