KIUC board election ballots coming

LIHUE — Ballots will be mailed starting Feb. 16 for the 2016 Kauai Island Utility Cooperative Board of Directors election. The deadline to vote is March 12.

The five candidates are, in alphabetical order:

• Carol Bain of Puhi, a member of community boards and an incumbent KIUC director.

• Hermina M. Morita of Hanalei, a former state representative and a former chair of the Hawai‘i Public Utilities Commission.

• Calvin K. Murashige of Lihue, a retired judge and an incumbent KIUC director.

• William D. Peterson of Kapaa, a retired information technology professional.

• Jan TenBruggencate of Lihue, a journalist and incumbent KIUC director currently serving as chairman of the board.

The five candidates are running for three seats on the nine-member board. Directors serve three-year terms.

Members should look for their election packets in the mail after Feb. 16. Members can vote by paper ballot, phone or online.

A candidates’ forum will be held at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday at Chiefess Kamakahelei Middle School, hosted by Apollo Kauai and Malama Kauai.

Researcher to talk on sonar impacts

HANAPEPE — Robin Baird, cetacean researcher with the nonprofit Cascadia Research Collective, will present a program on Kauai’s resident dolphins and whales at 6:30 tonight at the Hanapepe Public Library Meeting Room.

Baird will be bringing the public up to speed on the results from the last five years’ worth of work toward understanding the impacts of the Navy sonar on the mammals.

Baird said the research has primarily been conducted on Kauai and the Big Island and that the Navy mainly funds his work. Some private foundations contribute to the research as well, he said.

“This is our 14th project working off the island and we’re working with almost every species of whale and dolphin out there, except the humpbacks,” Baird said.