Big Island beach closing for 2 days to protect spawning coral

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April 16, 2019 (Honolulu Star-Advertiser)—Hawaii County officials are closing Kahaluu Beach Park in Kailua-Kona on May 20 and 21 to protect the reef during coral spawning events.

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Celebrate Earth Day at Kahalu‘u

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April 5, 2019 (BigIslandNow.com)—For Earth Day, April 22, 2019, you can give back to Mother Nature and deepen your relationship with one of West Hawai‘i’s most beloved environmental and cultural treasures as well, thanks to The Kohala Center.

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Efforts Underway to Improve Pelekāne Bay Water Quality

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April 3, 2019 (BigIslandNow.com)—One of Hawai‘i’s most degraded watersheds, Pelekāne Bay watershed, is receiving some much-needed attention.

The Hawai‘i State Department of Health, through its Polluted Runoff Control Program and in partnership with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, is helping restore watersheds in the state and supporting the implementation of polluted runoff control projects in key watersheds.

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Hawaiʻi County Small Business Development Center Steps In To Help Pāhoa Businesses

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March 11, 2019 (Hawai‘i Public Radio)—It’s been more than ten months since a lava flow devastated parts of lower Puna on Hawaiʻi Island. More than 700 structures were lost, and the event disrupted other parts of life for many residents. And that includes small businesses in the area – which are now getting some help from a unique combination of organizations.

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ReefTeach Volunteer Orientation Set for March 16

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March 8, 2019 (BigIslandNow.com)—The Kohala Center’s Kahalu‘u Bay Education Center is seeking community members interested in volunteering to help protect Kahalu‘u Bay and its coral reefs, fish and turtles.

A free orientation session for new ReefTeach volunteers will be held on Saturday, March 16, 2019, from 9 to 10:30 a.m. in the Mayor’s Conference Room at the West Hawai‘i Civic Center, 74-5044 Ane Keohokalole Highway in Kailua-Kona.

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Spotlight on Business: 3 unsung, behind the business scene heroes

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February 4, 2019 (West Hawaii Today)—How do you get into business, get financing, scale up your product, expand? How do you get help? Rather than providing generic answers to those questions, it seems a better idea to direct you to the sources — those people who can help you navigate the terrain of business development and provide specific answers to the questions relative to your particular situation.

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Eruption spurs creation of real-time air pollution network

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January 30, 2019 (MIT News)—As red molten lava oozed out of Kilauea on the Island of Hawaii (“the Big Island”) in May 2018, destroying houses and property in its path, clouds of ash particles and toxic gases from the volcano — known as vog — filled the air and drifted across the island with the wind.

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A Boost for Young, Diverse Farmers

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The Atlantic (December 16, 2018)—The average American farmer, according to the most recent United States Department of Agriculture data, is white, male, and 58 years old. Just 8 percent of America’s 2.1 million farmers identify as anything other than non-Hispanic white; only 14 percent are women. And as the average age of American farmers has risen over the past 30 years, the federal government has taken small steps to address a situation that if left unaddressed, would almost certainly prove to be a crisis for American agriculture and the American food supply.

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Big Island resident Earl Bakken, Medtronic co-founder, dies at age 94

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October 22, 2018 (West Hawaii Today)—Earl Bakken, an electronics repairman who created the first wearable external pacemaker and co-founded one of the world’s largest medical device companies, Medtronic, has died. He was 94.
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Enrollment open for Beginning Farmer-Rancher Development Program

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September 24, 2018 (West Hawaii Today)—Do you have an interest in learning how to farm but aren’t sure where to start? A great way to see if agriculture might be right for you is through The Kohala Center’s Beginning Farmer-Rancher Development Program.

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