Mauna Kea Soil and Water Conservation District meeting planned
The Mauna Kea Soil and Water Conservation District will meet from 4 to 6 p.m. Wednesday at the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service Waimea Service Center, 67-1185 Mamalahoa Highway, Suite 148 in Waimea.
If accommodation or auxiliary air or services such as sign language are required, call 885-6602 ext. 100.
Pukahi named Kona police officer of the month
The Kona Crime Prevention Committee recognized Officer Reuben Pukahi as “Officer of the Month” for November in a luncheon ceremony Wednesday at Huggo’s restaurant in Kailua-Kona.
Pukahi was honored for his role in rescuing a man who had tried to kill himself.
On June 10, police were looking for a man who had threatened to harm himself. Pukahi knew the man and offered to help the officers who were assigned to the case. They went to the man’s house and found him not breathing along with clear evidence that he had attempted suicide. Pukahi pulled the man to safety and began to administer chest compressions in rotation with other officers. By the time Fire Department rescue personnel arrived, the man had a strong heartbeat and was breathing. When police checked on him a few days later, he was in stable condition, awake and talking.
Sergeant David Araki said it is because of Pukahi’s efforts that the man is alive today.
“It is not too common that a person is actually able to look at what he has done and say that he made a difference in someone’s life,” Araki wrote in nomination papers. Araki called Pukahi’s actions, “a shining example why people become police officers.”
As “Officer of the Month,” Pukahi is eligible to become “Officer of the Year.”
Veterans Day program planned at West Hawaii Veterans Cemetery
The public is invited to the annual Veterans Day program at West Hawaii Veterans Cemetery, which is hosted by members of the Christopher L. Camero Memorial Kona Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 12122. The event starts at 11 a.m. Tuesday and features a patriotic service with prayers, music, a keynote speaker and a potluck.
This year’s keynote speaker is Dr. Richard Stevens, a University of Hawaii Center at West Hawaii professor who has been restoring parts of the disappearing native dryland forests, specifically at the cemetery. He is also a Vietnam War veteran.
With the event expected to draw about 500 people, attendees are asked to arrive a half-hour early. Those interested in partaking in the potluck are asked to bring a dish to share.
Parking at the top of the cemetery is limited to those requiring handicap-accessible parking. Others are asked to drop off passengers at the top, then park alongside the cemetery’s access road and take the shuttle to the event.
For more information, email John Grogan at rosemifsud@aol.com.
Seniors announce November meeting schedule
The Kailua-Kona Seniors will gather at Hale Halawai at 10 a.m. Wednesday to celebrate November birthdays followed by board games. Members may participate in a simple Christmas craft.
At 10 a.m. Nov. 19 a Thanksgiving luncheon for members will be held. Members should bring the dish they signed up for.
For more information, call Billie 315-8367 or Pat 329-2424.