Winner Nekowee Clearwater takes to the waves at Pohoiki on Feb. 27. - Isaac Frazer

Isaac Frazer over at Big Island Weekly covered the event on Feb. 28th, and just posted his interviews and photos of the event.

The Volcom Surf Event could have been in either Honoli’i or Pohoiki, but Phohoiki won out with bigger, cleaner waves that day.

From the article:

Contest director Tai Van Dyke said, “It ended up being epic today with firing waves.”

Divisions included: Menehune, Jr. Men’s, Open Women’s, and the Pro Open. Many Big Island top surfers made their way to Pohoiki “Bowls,” as did professionals and amateurs. Defending his three-year title in the Pro Open was Tonino Benson. Making it known that local knowledge is key was Kainoa Hauanio, who got the wave of the day award early in the first round.

“The boys were on fire,” Van Dyke said. “It was partially local knowledge but the performance level was high all day, the bar got set in the first heat and it was just on from there. Guys were ripping.”

…

A stacked Pro-Am Final ended with some of the best surfing of the day and a point difference of 0.5 between first place Nekowee Clearwater and Hauanio, in second.

“It is pretty much as good as it gets out there,” said Clearwater after his final heat. “The winds were all time so there were some really good barrels out there and some really good surfing going down. Some of the best surfers in the world actually. It was stacked but the Big Island had a pretty strong showing for it. There were guys from Kauai and Maui and Big Island guys killed it. Casey Brown, Tonino Benson and Torrey Meister.”

A Hawaii County Council committee voted 6-3 Tuesday against a bill that would ban businesses from giving plastic shopping bags to customers.

The same lawmakers are now expected to kill the measure when it goes before the full council in two weeks.

Kauai and Maui have already passed a similar ban.

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Down to Earth plans to expand its business to the Big Island this fall with the opening of a new store in Hilo.

The Honolulu-based vegetarian natural foods chain also plans to complete remodels to its stores in Kahului on Maui and Kailua on Oahu by early next year.

The Hilo store, a 5,500-square-foot space in the Wal-Mart shopping center, will be the chain’s fifth store in the Islands, and the first on the Big Island. The company expects to hire 50 employees for the new store, which will open in October or November. The space’s current occupant, Island Naturals Market, is moving to the Hilo Shopping Center in September.

“Our expansion is a response to consumer demand,” said Down to Earth CEO Mark Fergusson. “Customers from underserved parts of the state have been asking us to come to their neighborhoods for years. We’re thrilled to be able to do that now, with initial focus on the Big Island. Other locations are being considered.”

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Onouli Farm of Kona won top honors at Hawaii’s first coffee-cupping competition this weekend at the Hawaii Coffee Association’s 14th annual conference at Maui Tropical Plantation. There were 69 entries who were judged by 3 judges. The scores were based on wet and dry aromas, acidity, body, balance, sweetness and aftertaste.

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