Dr. Rick Bennett, PhD, is a Kona Coast Waterkeeper, a title bestowed on him by The Water Keeper Alliance, International, which has been in operation since the 1970s.   He and Island Conversations host Sherry Bracken talk about bacteria in the Big Island's ocean water, how it's monitored, and the impact of sun.  And the need for people who live along Ali'i Drive, especially, consider allowing having a weather monitoring station on their property to monitor the amount of ultraviolet light, which helps keep tabs on the ocean.

Air date:  Dec. 30, 2020

Photo of Dr. Bennett courtesy Dave Corrigan, Big Island Video News.

As I record my final Sunday Island Conversations, after nearly 17 years in radio,  I want to express my gratitude to everybody on this island--and elsewhere--who have been so supportive of the work that I do, whether it's news, the weekly interviews, forum moderation, or whatever.  This is a trying time, and I asked several people to share the source of their gratitude as they face challenges--with work, personally, with health.  I talked with 3 Mayors, 1 US Senator, the head of the Hawaii Food Basket, the Director of Imiloa Astronomy, the head of Canada France Hawaii Telescope, and Chris Leonard, General Manager of New West Broadcasting.  There will be two additional podcasts posted, all about water...so look for them, even though I retire Dec. 31, 2020.  And thank YOU for your support -- I am grateful to you, and to this island.  I'm not going anywhere, so I hope to continue serving our Big Island community (once I clean off my desk at home).

With aloha,

Sherry Bracken

Dental care is an integral part of overall medical care.  But there's much less discussion about dental care than general health care.  Questions like, what kind of toothbrush is best,  when should you start cleaning your keiki's teeth and when should they first see a dentist, why flouridated water or toothpaste, are electric or manual brushes better, what kinds of health conditions affect the mouth and vice versa, can a dentist see medical problems before we're aware of them?  Can a dentist tell if a woman is hapai (pregnant) because of her teeth?  Can you still see the dentist in the time of COVID?  Dr. Steven Pine, DDS, and Dr. John Gawlick, a pediatric dentist, both with West Hawaii Community Health Center, address that and more in a discussion with Island Conversations host Sherry Bracken.

Air date:  Dec. 20, 2020

Attached photo courtesy American Dental Association, photos below of Dr. Steven Pine (l) and Dr. John Gawlick (r) provided by West Hawaii Community Health Center