Pacific Peoples’ Lunar Conference on Climate Change planned on Oahu
Pacific Peoples’ Lunar Conference on Climate Change planned on Oahu
Hundreds of cultural experts, practitioners and community members from Hawaii and nations across the Pacific will gather in Honolulu to share lunar methodologies with one another and build a regional community of practice focused on addressing and mitigating the impacts of climate change.
“Aimalama: Pacific Peoples’ Lunar Conference on Climate Change” will take place Sept. 25 through 27 at Keoni Auditorium on the University of Hawaii at Manoa campus.
The three-day conference is open to the public and includes numerous panel discussions, keynote addresses and a selection of huakai (guided day trips) to organizations and community programs on Oahu that incorporate lunar calendar knowledge in their endeavors. A limited number of early bird registrations is available for $200 per person through the conference’s website at aimalama.org. The rate increases to $300 when earlybird registrations sell out.
Pualani Kanakaole Kanahele, a Hawaiian cultural practitioner and a retired associate professor in the University Hawaii System, kumu hula and co-founder of the Edith Kanakaole Foundation, will be the conference’s keynote speaker.
West Hawaii Community Health Center – Kealakehe now open
The new West Hawaii Community Health Center – Kealakehe has opened for patients. The 10,500-square-foot, custom-built facility is just south of Kealakehe High School at 74-5214 Keanalehu Drive.
The facility will hold a grand opening celebration Saturday.
The opening of the Kealakehe facility marks the fifth location for West Hawaii Community Health Center. It is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday and offers primary health care for patients of all ages, provided by a family physician, a physician assistant, two board certified pediatric dentists and one general dentist.
West Hawaii Community Health Center – Kealakehe accepts most private insurances, Medicare and Medicaid and uninsured patients on a sliding fee scale. Staff assistance is available to help patients enroll in health insurance plans.
Call 355-5600 for medical services, 355-5650 for dental or visit westhawaiichc.org for more information.
IRS warns of scammers
The Internal Revenue Service has issued another warning to taxpayers to protect themselves against the ever-evolving array of deceitful tactics scammers use to trick people.
These schemes try to trick taxpayers into providing personal financial information or scare people into making a false tax payment that ends up with the criminal.
The Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration is aware of more than 4,000 victims who have collectively reported over $20 million in financial losses as a result of tax scams.
In a new variation, scammers alter what appears on telephone caller ID to make it seem like they are with the IRS or another government agency. They use fake names, titles and badge numbers. They use online resources to get a victim’s name, address and other details to make the call sound official.
The most common theme with these tricks seems to be fear. Scammers try to scare people into reacting immediately without taking a moment to think through what is actually happening.
These scam artists often angrily threaten police arrest, deportation or license revocation.
It is important to remember the official IRS website is irs.gov. Taxpayers are urged not to be confused or misled by sites claiming to be the IRS but ending in .com, .net, .org or other designations instead of .gov.
The IRS will never:
• Angrily demand immediate payment over the phone, nor will the agency call about taxes owed without first having mailed a bill.
• Threaten to bring in local police or other law enforcement groups to have a victim arrested for not paying.
• Demand that you pay taxes without the opportunity to question or appeal the amount they say you owe.
• Require a specific payment method for taxes, such as a prepaid debit card.
• Ask for credit or debit card numbers over the phone.
Those who think they are the target of an IRS impersonation scam should report the incident to the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration at 800-366-4484.
For more information on reporting tax scams, go to irs.gov and type “scam” in the search box.