ASD Staff

Hawaii History

This is way easier to do on the Pali because you get the gap between tunnels!

Firefly funny flat cartoon image of a car entering Hawaiis H3 tunnel 86782

<title>Hawai‘i Scene on Social: "Local braddahz every time they go thru the H3 tunnel"</title>

Today's social media find was posted by jesstoomuch, and we have never seen anyone so excited about oxygen deprivation.

Hawai‘i Scene on Social: "Local braddahz every time they go thru the H3 tunnel"

This is way easier to do on the Pali because you get the gap between tunnels! 

Christian Shimabuku Headshot

Christian Shimabuku

Sports

His brother, Dillon, will officially become one during next week's NFL Draft. 

But when it comes to carving his own path, Roman Gabriel is on his way to doing so on the basketball court. The Mililani High School senior recently signed with Bushnell University, an NAIA school in Eugene, Ore. 

Following a standout senior season with the Trojans, Gabriel was named ScoringLive's OIA West Player of the Year after averaging 17.6 points per game. The 6-foot-3 guard took a visit to Bushnell in March, earning an offer from the Beacons. He signed on Tuesday at Mililani with his family in attendance, joining rare company among Hawai‘i prep basketball players that latch on with a college team straight out of high school.

"Just feeling super blessed," Gabriel told Aloha State Daily after signing with Bushnell. "Not a lot of high school hoopers from Hawai‘i get an opportunity and chance to play at the next level. Just super grateful, proud of the work I put in, but also excited for the new chapter, and now it's time to work and get after it. So, super excited and relieved."

Roman Gabriel is the son of Garrett Gabriel, who was an All-State football and basketball player in high school, suiting up for Pac-Five on the gridiron and Maryknoll on the hardwood. He went on to play 

quarterback for the University of Hawai‘i

 football team from 1987 to 1990. If there's anyone who understands and envies Roman Gabriel's basketball journey, it's his father. 

"Everybody knows that basketball is my first love," Garrett Gabriel said, "but I ended up playing football."

Garrett and Dori named their three sons after NFL players: Garrison (named after Garrison Hearst), Dillon (named after Corey Dillon) and Roman. Each son excelled in a different sport: Garrison Gabriel was an All-OIA libero for the Moanalua volleyball team, while Dillon set the state's passing yardage record for Mililani before playing collegiately for UCF, Oklahoma, and Oregon. He is a projected Day 3 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, which begins on April 24. 

"It's pretty special, all the different sports each of them got to experience, winning a OIA championship. The sports aspect of our lives has been fun," Garrett Gabriel said. "We were raised that way, me and my wife, always at ballparks and gymnasiums and so it's just a continuous thing that's going to be there for us because, again, we love it, and that's been part of our lives."

Bushnell University, formerly known as Northwest Christian University, is located just a mile away from the University of Oregon, where Dillon Gabriel became a Heisman Trophy finalist in 2024. During the college football season, Roman Gabriel was in attendance for three Oregon home games. He initially didn't know how close Bushnell was to UO, but he says by the time he gets to Eugene, he'll already have a barber and church in place. 

Garrison Gabriel is currently Dillon's business manager. Last May, Dillon donated thousands of dollars worth of new equipment and Nike uniforms to various Mililani High School teams through an NIL deal.  

At Mililani, Roman Gabriel played under his father, who has coached at a bevy of schools on O‘ahu, with stints at Maryknoll, Saint Louis and Radford. Garrett Gabriel previously coached Roman Gabriel at the YMCA level, but not in high school. Roman was still in middle school when Garrett got the Mililani coaching job. He knew that by the time he got to high school, he wasn't going to receive any sort of preferential treatment. 

"I got pushed really hard not just on the court, but off the court too," Roman Gabriel recalled. "I was held to really high expectations. I think that's going to carry over for me pretty nicely in college. Being coached super hard, that's going to be nothing new to me. And as far as pushing myself and holding myself to a high standard, I think that's super important, and being a great teammate to others whether or not I see the court."

Added Garrett Gabriel: "It definitely wasn't easy for him, because my expectations for him were different than the other kids on the team. The expectations of doing things the right way, not getting anything handed to you. And nothing was ever handed to him. He started off as a JV player, so I think that made him even more hungry, having him just fight through the process and then understanding some adversities.

"But because he's such a mild-mannered kid, you can't ask for a better person in terms of character and just personality, loving, caring, so that part, I'm proud of how he handled himself. ... More credit to him, because he put in the work."

Roman Gabriel's love for basketball began as an elementary schooler at Holy Family Academy, the same school UH women's basketball standout 

 and her sister, Jovi attended. It became evident to him that he had the potential to play college basketball as a freshman in high school, which is when he started to spend more time in the weight room and contact potential schools.

Garrett Gabriel believes his son made the made the biggest jump in his game between his junior and senior year. For his part, he made sure not to typecast Roman as a post player, which at times can be the default position for a player taller than 6 feet at the high school level in Hawai‘i. At Bushnell, Gabriel is projected to be a shooting guard. 

Happy times are ahead for the Gabriel family, as Roman's signing in Tuesday will be followed by the reveal of Dillon's NFL destination next week. 

"It's going to be a big year for the Gabriels, so we're super excited," Roman Gabriel said. "It's going to be a huge year of change. Change can be nerve-racking, but it's also going to be very exciting. My mom and dad, they love us and we're a super supportive family. I'm going to be there for Dillon and he's going to be there for me."

Roman Gabriel 041825

<title>Mililani basketball standout Roman Gabriel carves own path to college</title>

Gabriel recently signed to play basketball for Bushnell University in Eugene, Ore.

Mililani basketball standout Roman Gabriel carves own path to college

Stephanie Salmons Headshot

Stephanie Salmons

Business & Tourism

A new leader is at the helm of Hawai‘i Farm Project, an organization that aims to connect people to the land, the food it produces and those who grow it.

John White was named CEO in March. In this role, he'll oversee the company's brands, including Maui Gold Pineapple, Maui Pineapple Tour, Maui Pineapple Store, Maui Chocolate Tour, Lahaina Honey Co. and Maui Farm Events.

White began his marketing career at Nike, where he held a number of leadership roles, before moving to a marketing agency where he led a number of brand campaigns for global companies such as American Express, Heineken and Pepsi, as well as events such as the Olympic Games and X Games, according to an announcement earlier this month.

“With his extensive experience in hospitality, management and brand development, John is poised to lead Hawai'i Farm Project as it navigates the evolving agritourism landscape,” Todd Domeck, owner of Hawai'i Farm Project, said in the announcement. “John’s leadership, passion for our mission, and deep connections to Maui will ensure Hawai'i Farm Project continues to thrive and share its unique offerings with the world.”

White and his wife moved to Maui in August 2003. He laughs when asked how he ended up on the Valley Isle more than two decades ago.

At that time, White, who had spent a number of years in corporate marketing at that point, says he and his wife were "at a crossroads," and they both received job offers on the same weekend — his in Colorado where they were living at the time and hers in Hawai‘i.

"We flipped a coin and she won, and two weeks later, we moved to Maui," he said with a laugh. For White, the natural transition was a move into tourism and hospitality.

He most recently served as director of commercial strategy for Honolulu-based MacNaughton Hospitality and was previously director of sales and marketing at Kā‘anapali Beach Hotel, the announcement noted.

According to the announcement, his appointment to the new role comes as the company "focuses on long-term growth post wildfires and continues its commitment to Maui's rich agricultural heritage."

White recently told Aloha State Daily that he worked with Hawai‘i Farm Project's owner and chief operating officer around 2008 or 2009. They approached White and "we started talking about what their needs were."

The company had grown, made it through the Covid-19 pandemic as well as the 2023 wildfires that destroyed much of Lahaina town, he said.

"They were, in a way, coming up for air and saying, 'You know, I think the organization needs to have a little bit more structure, a little bit more vision on that side of things,'" White said. "So they developed this new position, the CEO position, to bring Maui Gold, as well as all the agritourism businesses together, and shape it for the future going forward.

"That combination of working with the leadership many years ago, as well as my skills in bringing teams together, organizations together, to be able to lead it on this next chapter was really enticing," he continued. "That, coupled with the personal drive to help Maui continue to recover, was near and dear to my heart."

White says his top priority stepping into the role was first to meet with each employee and listen — to their wishes, fears, concerns and why they work for the company.

"What I found was that everybody was extremely passionate about what they do," he said. "Some people have worked here a short amount of time — under a year — and others have worked here 40, 50 years. It's the melding of these cultures together that I want to harness and support. I'm a big believer in servant leadership, so I wanted to calm any fears and concerns people had because on the Maui Gold side, they've had many different owners ... and assure them that my job and vision is to perpetuate the future of pineapple on Maui. Then, for the activities and tourism side of the business, is help them navigate these very uncertain times and come together and harness their creativity to continue to innovate. So it's very multi-faceted on that side."

When talking about long-term goals, White says that because of the turmoil of the past five years, coming up with a sustainable path for the coming years is a priority.

"There's many different aspects," he said. "On the Maui Gold side, we have a workforce that is aging, similar to what a lot of hotels are seeing in their housekeeping departments. How do we get people to continue to be farmers and to enjoy and persevere on that side? On the tourism side, we all know that Hawai‘i needs tourism to be healthy, so continuing to find innovative ways to show people, have them experience the unique beauty of Maui, whether it's the chocolate side or the pineapple side of our businesses."

Hawai‘i Farm Project lost its Front Street store in the 2023 Lahaina blaze, and suffered "bit of loss" with the chocolate tours, White said.

"We lost a considerable amount of revenue to keep the business going," he said. "We definitely realized that we all needed to jump in and help with the recovery." White says there were efforts to help the community as well as employees who lost homes.

"Fast forward to the end of 2024, we just opened our new Pineapple Store in Hāli‘imaile right before Christmas, and it's been met with resounding success," White says. "We have equal amount of residents to visitors who are enjoying that store, and it's much bigger than before."

[{"text":"A pineapple bar also will be opening in the coming months.","type":"text"}]

"We're really excited that we've been able to pivot and continue to grow the business as well as survive through all of that."

Now more than 20 months out from the fires, White says given the external circumstances, "we're doing pretty well."

"What we are offering on the tourism side is being very well accepted by the visitors that are coming to Maui," he said. "Our chocolate tours are selling out really well. ... Our pineapple tours [in Upcountry Maui] are doing very well. That concept of authentic agritourism is really resonating with the people that are coming to Maui right now."

As for pineapples, which White says have an 18-month growing cycle, "it takes quite a while to see the effects of change on that side of things, but we continue to have more demand than we have supply, which is a good problem. So we're definitely focused on planting more pineapples for the future. We're continuing to grow that into 2026 and 2027."

According to White, there are about 66 employees total across all brands and the company is hiring more.

Among those positions will be a replacement for Maui Gold's "beloved" general manager, Rudy Balala, who is retiring, as well as a director of finance, and guide and retail store positions, White said.

Hawaii Farm Project John White CEO 3

<title>John White talks about his new role with Hawai‘i Farm Project</title>

White was named CEO of the organization in March. Hawai‘i Farm Project brands include Maui Gold Pineapple, Maui Pineapple Tour, Maui Pineapple Store, Maui Chocolate Tour, Lahaina Honey Company and Maui Farm Events.

John White talks about his new role with Hawai‘i Farm Project

Michael Brestovansky

Government & Politics

High-speed car chases between cops and criminals could come to an end in Hawai‘i under pending legislation that would prohibit law enforcement agencies from such pursuits.

In an effort to reduce the risk of police actions escalating into car chases that endanger bystanders and drivers, 

 seeks to establish statewide policies for law enforcement vehicular pursuits.

If the bill were to pass, beginning July 2027, police officers would not be allowed to begin a “vehicular pursuit” — which the bill defines as an attempt by an officer in a law enforcement vehicle to stop a moving vehicle whose driver appears to be willfully resisting or ignoring the officer’s attempts — save in specific circumstances.

Specifically, an officer can only pursue if they have “a reasonable suspicion to believe that a person in the vehicle … is attempting to commit, has committed or is committing a crime,” and the pursuit is necessary to identify or apprehend that person, and if the officer believes the person poses a risk to public safety that outweighs the inherent safety risks of the pursuit. 

Immediately upon initiating a pursuit, the pursuing officer would also be required to notify a supervising officer, who would be required to oversee the action and discuss with the pursuer alternatives, justifications and safety factors for the chase. The two would be required to communicate with common radio channels where possible and collaborate to end a chase at the earliest opportunity. Officers would be required to activate emergency warning lights, sirens, body cameras and dashboard cameras immediately upon engaging.

Furthermore, pursuing officers would be forbidden from firing a weapon at, into or from a moving vehicle except in order to protect against “an imminent risk” of harm to an officer or another. On the other hand, the bill does not impose restrictions on intentional collisions between pursuer and pursued vehicles.

Law enforcement agencies would also be required to submit an annual report of all vehicular pursuits that year to the Department of the Attorney General. 

These requirements are not greatly different from the existing vehicle pursuit polices at the Honolulu Police Department. According to HPD’s 

, the department similarly requires officers to immediately notify a dispatcher of their intention to initiate a pursuit, and provide a justification and other safety concerns.

 It is this similarity, among other concerns, that has led many state law enforcement agencies to oppose the bill. The State Department of Law Enforcement objected to the bill in March, submitting testimony arguing that the department maintains a comprehensive vehicle pursuit policy already, and that imposing similar requirements by state statute will not meaningfully improve compliance, while potentially limiting local agencies to adapt their policies to local circumstances.

Maj. James Slater, commander of HPD’s Traffic Division, told the Aloha State Daily via email that HPD has recommended that each county be able independently draft its own policies based on their own specific needs and circumstances. 

“Rather than dictate police policy through legislation, it is HPD’s position that the standards, review and direction for policies should be set by the (Law Enforcement Standards Board),” Slater wrote. “We recommend that the Legislature create a resolution for the Board’s review and make recommendations for all departments’ pursuit policies as the Board already has the authority, instead of forcing policy change through legislation.“

Robert Cavaco, president of the State of Hawai‘i Organization of Police Officers, submitted a fiery rebuke to the bill, writing that it “does not enhance public safety—it erodes it by systematically dismantling the authority and discretion of trained professionals. 

“If we continue down this road of attacking our police instead of supporting them, we will find ourselves in a Hawaii that is less safe, more lawless, and governed by fear—fear of criminals and fear of officers being punished for doing their jobs,” Cavaco wrote.

Cavaco predicted that the measure will put officers in a “lose-lose” situation: pursue a suspect and risk prosecution for violating state regulations, or hesitate to pursue and allow a suspect to escape.

On the other hand, the measure has its share of advocates. ACLU Hawai‘i argued that the non-standardized pursuit policies across the state’s law enforcement agencies leaves them ripe for abuse.

“Allowing officers to engage in pursuit for any crime, so long as they can reasonably justify the pursuit  … gives far too much discretion to police officers,” read a statement by ACLU Hawai‘i’s policy director Carrie Ann Shirota. “It makes it difficult for officers to make critical decisions in the heat of the moment: it is far easier and simpler to first determine if behavior fits into a certain category of crime than to balance out a variety of factors related to public safety, risk, and necessity for all crimes.”

Shirota cited a Sept. 2021 Honolulu police chase involving four police officers that ended with the pursued vehicle crashed, its driver with brain damage, a then-14-year-old passenger paralyzed, three other passengers injured and, ultimately, all four officers with felony charges.

In that incident, the four officers reportedly kept their emergency lights and sirens off, rammed the victims’ vehicle off the road, and drove off, leaving the victims’ vehicle to hit a ditch and launch over a concrete wall. The officers were then dispatched to the scene of the crash, where they allegedly acted as though they had no prior knowledge of the incident.

Despite assurances by HPD that it would revisit its vehicular pursuit policy, the Jan. 2024 pursuit of Sidney Tafokitau — wherein, according to eyewitnesses, more than 40 police vehicles allegedly pursued Tafokitau, who shot at them repeatedly, wounding two officers, before being gunned down — also led to at least one bystander being injured by a police vehicle, ACLU Hawai‘i commented.

One hurdle yet remains before HB 277 reaches the governor’s desk. The bill will go before conference committees in the coming weeks to hash out lawmakers’ disagreements about various amendments to the measure.

Aloha State Daily reached out to Rep. David Tarnas, the bill's prime architect, for comment, along with representatives of ACLU Hawai‘i and SHOPO.

I Stock 2199972571 16x9

<title>Too fast, too furious? Proposed law aims to regulate police car chases</title>

In an effort to limit danger to the public, House Bill 277 would restrict when, where and how police officers can pursue a suspect vehicle.

Too fast, too furious? Proposed law aims to regulate police car chases

Lopaka and Tanya Kapanui

Lopaka Kapanui and Tanya Kapanui

Columnists

King David Kalākaua called Mānoa “the Valley of the Rainbow.” Surrounded by mountain ridges on three sides, rainfall is a frequent visitor. The sun, crawling across the sky, catches each falling drop at just the right angle, refracting the light into arcs of color that stretch like aloha across the sky. In this valley, while nature performs its quiet magic, Hawaiian history and the ancient art of Chinese feng shui intertwine, creating a contemporary harmony between the land and the spirits that inhabit it.

This cool, wide valley is just minutes from town and has become a highly desirable place to live. Hawaiian royalty had homes in Mānoa to escape the hustle and bustle of town. Most notably, Queen Ka‘ahumanu, King Kamehameha’s favorite wife, visited often and passed away in her home there at the age of 64.

In ancient times, Hawaiians believed that gods and supernatural beings inhabited the valley, and research shows that up to eight heiau (temples) once existed in Mānoa. The sites for heiau were chosen because of their spiritual energy, and Mānoa Valley offered the perfect setting for such wahi pana (sacred places).

In the mid-1800s, after most of the heiau had already been destroyed, a Feng Shui master came to Hawai‘i. Working to develop his craft, Mr. Lum Ching hiked the mountains and valleys of Honolulu using a luo pan, a type of Chinese feng shui compass. Coming upon Mānoa, he saw a knoll near the back of the valley and made his way there. Standing upon that grassy hill within the valley, he aimed the luo pan out toward the ocean and found that the direction pointed due south. Lum Ching then aimed the compass along the surrounding mountains and realized the energy was exactly what he was looking for. The qi, the energy that flowed into the valley, culminated at a point called shui. This happened to be right where Lum Ching was standing. In Chinese culture, the belief is that if an ancestor were to be buried at such an energy point, it would have lasting positive effects of prosperity on their descendants. 

Lum Ching brought his findings to the Chinese community, and 31 families worked together to pool their money. Saving nearly six months’ worth of wages, they founded the Lin Yee Chung Association to purchase the 27 acres of land that now forms the cemetery. Although the scenery of the valley had changed, the history and the spirituality remained.

What seems like a lifetime ago, when I’d only been working with Glen Grant for a few years, I was entrusted to host a group from an architectural firm on the old Ghost Hunters Bus Tour. We met at Glen’s bookstore, The Haunt, in Mo‘ili‘ili and headed out to our first stop, the Mānoa Chinese Cemetery, with permission, of course. Most of the 38 men and women were terrified, and it took a lot of encouragement to get them to board the bus. It took an equal amount of encouragement to convince them to get off the bus once we got to the cemetery.

I walked the group up the hill and stopped at a section below the huge banyan tree. On our left was the children’s section, where Glen once explained that children were placed here so they could keep each other company in the afterlife. Without warning and before I could even begin my storytelling, a wind appeared out of nowhere and tore through the cemetery, bending the skinny palm trees along the path. 

Oddly, I could see everything happening: the leaves and loose grass blowing about, dirt swirling around in tiny tornadoes. However, I couldn’t hear or feel any of it. It seemed like I was in an invisible capsule. After several seconds, the feeling was gone. The wind stopped, and I looked around to find that all 38 architects were gone.

When I boarded the bus at the bottom of the hill, I asked the group leader what had happened. He said that the second the wind kicked up, they all ran immediately back to the bus. We continued the tour, but by the end of the night, the wind and the cemetery were all the group could talk about.

The following morning, I phoned my elder cousin, Keone, to tell him about my experience and ask what it might have been. 

“That was the night marchers,” he told me. “Last night, the moon phase was Kāne. They march through that part of the cemetery, you know.”

“How come I wasn’t killed?” I asked. “I had no time to strip naked and lay face down.”

“That feeling you had of being encapsulated? You must have had ‘ohana in that procession because it sounds like they surrounded you and saved you,” he replied.

“What about the people on the tour?” I suddenly remembered that nothing happened to them.

[{"text":"Keone laughed and replied, “They did the smart thing. They ran.”","type":"text"}]

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Government & Politics

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Hawaii History

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Daily Features

Hawai‘i Scene on Social: "Local braddahz every time they go thru the H3 tunnel"

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