By local and wire sources
Child care providers invited to conference
The Hawaii Island early childhood conference, “On the Wings of Change,” will be held April 11 and 12 at the Waikoloa Beach Marriott Resort and Spa.
Keynote speaker will be Trinidad Hunt, international author, educator, corporate consultant, trainer and speaker. The conference also will cover what’s new in the early childhood education field and new activity ideas.
Parents and caregivers are welcome to attend.
Registration includes several workshops, vendors, continental breakfast and lunch. Space is limited, so early reservations are recommended. Call Gail Judd at 325-3800 or Angela Thomas at 887-1228 for a registration form.
Chu heads Kohala Center board of directors
Roberta Fujimoto Chu, senior vice president, Bank of Hawaii, has been elected president of The Kohala Center’s board of directors. The Kohala Center is an independent institute for research and education that respectfully engages the island of Hawaii as a living laboratory for humanity.
“Roberta is widely recognized as a business leader committed to excellence, and she brings an unusual level of financial rigor and organizational innovation to our work,” said Matt Hamabata, executive director of the Kohala Center.
“I am here to ensure that the Kohala Center fulfills its potential to build teaching and research programs of the very highest quality that truly serve island communities and enhance island environments,” Chu said.
A graduate of Hilo High School and Mount Holyoke College, she is the 2007 recipient of the Athena Award, an international businesswomen’s recognition.
New members joining Chu and others on the Kohala Center board are Richard Ha, John Powers and James Takamine.
Ha, a graduate of the University of Hawaii at Manoa, is a leading figure in sustainable agriculture. He was recognized as the 2006 Hawaii Farmer of the Year and is a Rainforest Alliance ECO O.K. Award recipient.
Powers, a graduate of Harvard College and Stanford University Law School, is an expert in estate planning, probate, trust and nonprofit law.
Takamine, a graduate of the Kamehameha Schools, Macalester College, the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard and the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth, is the market manager for American Savings Bank on Hawaii island. In 2007, Takamine was chosen by Pacific Business News as among the “Forty Under Forty” from more than 100 nominees for excellence in their business careers as well as commitment to community service.
Solar electric options discussed at seminar
Solar electricity is being adopted by more and more Big Island homeowners and businesses. The public is invited to come and learn about new technologies and incentives for solar electricity at a free seminar on “Solar Electric Applications in Hawaii” from 6:30 to 8 p.m. March 12 at Tutu’s House in Waimea.
ProVision Technologies Inc. will discuss issues relating to photovoltaic technologies, system design and financial incentives.
Call 885-6777 for reservations and directions to Tutu’s House.
NEW YORK
Wheat futures surpass $12 a bushel
Wheat futures vaulted above $12 a bushel for the first time Tuesday as investors bet that a shortage of high-quality milling wheat will keep prices high for the grain used in bread, pasta and other foods.
Wheat prices have surged 34 percent since the start of year, pushed higher by growing world demand, tight supplies and bad weather that has pummeled crops in Canada, Argentina and India. U.S. exporters are selling wheat at a record pace to meet demand, rapidly depleting stockpiles. The Department of Agriculture expects U.S. wheat inventories will total 272 million bushels by the end of May — the lowest level in more than five decades.
“Everybody is coming to the realization that the shortage of wheat is not going away,” said Elaine Kub, a commodities market analyst at DTN. “There’s no relief coming from anywhere in the world until June,” when the U.S. wheat harvest begins.
Wheat for May delivery jumped the 90-cent daily trading limit to settle at $12.145 a bushel on the Chicago Board of Trade, the highest ever.
Other agriculture futures traded mixed. Soybeans for May delivery added 15 cents to settle at $14.8425 a bushel on the CBOT, while March corn declined 2.75 cents to settle at $5.305 a bushel.
Unprecedented demand for agricultural products from fast-growing countries including China and India has exacerbated the supply crunch for wheat, which has more than doubled in price since last year.
By local and wire sources