ASD Staff

Hawaiʻi Scene on Social

[{"text":"Things can go wrong when you try to make a good impression!","type":"text"}]

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<title>Hawai‘i Scene on Social: Must be the "seefood" diet</title>

Today's social media find comes from hawaiisonly, living off the bounty of the ocean.

Hawai‘i Scene on Social: Must be the "seefood" diet

Things can go wrong when you try to make a good impression! 

Stephanie Salmons Headshot

Stephanie Salmons

Government & Politics

Real Estate

A light breeze was blowing Monday at Hale Haukani — fitting that Haukani is the swirling wind that moves through Mānoa Valley — as a crowd that included Gov. Josh Green, Lt. Gov. Sylvia Luke, University of Hawai‘i leaders and others gathered to bless the new $170 million student housing complex at UH Mānoa.

Located on the mauka side of Dole Street between the East-West Center and Mānoa stream, the new dorm — intended primarily for graduate students and junior faculty, although undergrads can also reside there — consists of two towers, 12 and 18 stories, with 316 units and 558 beds. You'll find studio, two-, three- and four-bedroom layouts.

[{"type":"text","text":"The first residents were set to move in Monday, Aug. 18."}]

"Some of you will have heard me say that my standard for student housing is 'Would I let my own children live there?' And I want to state clearly that this is too nice for my children," UH President Wendy Hensel joked in her remarks to the crowd, garnering a laugh. "This is first-class housing and very exciting for the new residents who will be moving in today."

She told Aloha State Daily after the blessing that having housing options for students "that are attractive and will enhance their educational journey and help them reach their goals is just wonderful."

Work on Hale Haukani began before Hensel's tenure at UH started. How does it feel to cross the finish line?

[{"type":"text","text":"It feels good, she says with a laugh."}]

[{"type":"text","text":"\"I feel like we're just getting started.\""}]

It's the university's second housing project developed through a public-private partnership, or P3.

According to UH, Hale Haukani is privately owned and financed by the Collegiate Housing Foundation, or CHF, and was developed and constructed by Greystar Development Services, LLC and Swinerton Builders on university land leased to CHF. It'll be privately operated for CHF by a Greystar subsidiary.

Rental income will be used to repay tax-exempt bonds while $2 million a year from UH will help subsidize rents "so that they remain below the market rate for comparable units," UH noted.

When asked about the importance of P3s in creating housing for students, Kalbert Young, vice president of budget and finance and chief financial officer for UH, told ASD after the blessing that universities, cities and states across the country are challenged to provide affordable housing for students or special populations.

"In Hawai‘i, the university didn't have the financial resources and the State of Hawai‘i wasn't able to step in to provide those resources to build new housing, even though we have a housing crisis in Hawai‘i," he says. "Finding private partners and putting together a business team and structure that get it done, it's a first, and it's monumental because it's able to fill a large gap that without, we would not have been able to address housing."

In terms of campus housing needs, Young says that for undergrads, on-campus housing is still "a little bit short of demand."

"We have virtually no graduate family housing," he noted. "This is such a new piece of the inventory puzzle to provide graduate-level housing."

With its opening, UH Mānoa now has 4,000 beds for students either on or adjacent to its campus, the most in its history.

UH Mānoa interim Provost Vassilis Syrmos said in an announcement Monday that the new facility not only addresses a "longstanding housing shortage," but also strengthens the university's ability to recruit and retain grad students, who contribute to "cutting-edge research and teaching."

UH says, too, that the new units are expected to lessen the pressure on Honolulu's rental market by freeing up off-campus housing.

In addition to the new housing, UH Mānoa's Children's Center will relocate from Castle Memorial Hall to a new 9,000-square-foot facility within the complex. This will ultimately expand its capacity from 90 to approximately 130 keiki and offer greater training opportunities for pre-K educators in partnership with the College of Education and other academic units, UH noted. 

[{"type":"text","text":"UH's first P3 project has been open for two years now."}]

Ground broke on RISE, or the Residences for Innovative Student Entrepreneurs, in 

The innovation center and student housing is located on the site of the former Atherton YMCA. Meanwhile, the Pacific Asian Center for Entrepreneurship, or PACE, which is housed in UH Mānoa's Shidler College of Business, expanded into and manages the center.

The center was funded through a public-private partnership between UH, UH Foundation and Hunt Development Group Hawai‘i.

 that has the university partnering with the not-for-profit Community Development Alliance Corp. Hilo to manage and redevelop the Hale Kāwili Apartments, a complex located adjacent to the UH-Hilo campus at 430 W. Kāwili St.

"[The Hale Haukani] project and our RISE project are proof this university will find alternative methods to modernize our facilities at a minimal cost to the taxpayer, and execute plans on time and on budget," Hensel told the crowd. "We'll continue to explore these projects as well as to modernize the other facilities on campus."

Green told the audience that these P3 partnerships "are the way of the present and the future, as you know, because it's not easy always to find adequate resources but we want to keep things affordable for our families, our kids, those who come study here."

For the latest news of Hawai‘i, sign up 

Hale Haukani1 081825

<title>Hale Haukani opens at UH Mānoa</title>

You'll find the $170 million student housing complex on the mauka side of Dole Street between the East-West Center and Mānoa stream.

Hale Haukani opens at UH Mānoa

Katie Helland Headshot

Katie Helland

Entertainment

Arts & Culture

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"},{"type":"bold"}],"text":"FRIDAY, AUG. 22"}]

Catch live music at FM100’s Birthday Bash! Featured music on the first night includes 

, and more. The second night features Ekolu, Ooklah the Moc, Kanaka Fyah and more. The two-day music festival takes place at the Wai Kai Events Lawn in ʻEwa Beach. Tickets are $29 - $79.  

The annual festival is underway! Still ahead is a parent-assisted keiki surf fest, the ocean mile swim, the Na Koa Wounded Warrior Canoe Regatta, surfboard water polo and more. The week-long festival draws local and international contestants. The event raises funds for scholarships and grants for Hawaiʻi athletes. 

 which stars Jason Momoa, on Apple TV+. The series features the story of Kaʻiana, played by Momoa, as he tries to unify the Islands before Western colonization in the late 18th century. The first two episodes dropped Aug. 1, with an additional episode appearing every Friday through Sept. 19. The show was written and executive produced by Momoa and Thomas Pa‘a Sibbett. Check it out on 

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"},{"type":"bold"}],"text":"SATURDAY, AUG. 23"}]

, where the Rainbow Warriors take on Stanford University at the Clarence T.C. Ching Athletics Complex. 

, the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa’s new athletic director, announced that 

Spectrum Sports will stream the games for free

 in the 2025-2026 season. The game will also be aired nationally by CBS.

Enjoy an evening of live music from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the Waikīkī Aquarium. Children 12 years old and younger get free admission. Featured performers include Ledward Kaapana, 

, Darrell Aquino and more. The event benefits the Waikīkī Aquarium. General admission is $20. 

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"},{"type":"bold"}],"text":"SUNDAY, AUG 24"}]

Keʻalohi International Piano Competition. 

The top three performers will play with the Hawai’i Symphony Orchestra at 4 p.m. at the Neal S. Blaisdell Concert Hall. The winner of this competition takes home a $10,000 cash award. The contest draws pianists from around the world to O’ahu this month. Aloha State Daily spoke with 

, the founder of competition, about the contest she calls 

Henry Kapono pays tribute to Jimmy Buffett.

 Join the Nā Hōkū Hanohano award-winning singer and songwriter 

, who will perform a tribute to his friend Jimmy Buffett. Kapono performs regularly from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. at Duke’s Waikīkī as part of a series called “Duke’s on Sunday.” For the last hour of each performance, music is livestreamed on 

. Read more about Kapono’s new extended play 

 which features six songs. It is free to watch the livestream, or get dinner at Duke’s Waikīkī to catch the show in person.

Ledward Kaapana

<title>Catch football, surf contests, Henry Kapono, and ʻOlympics of the piano’ : Friday, Aug.…</title>

Ready to make weekend plans? Aloha State Daily rounded up a list of things to do. From the first football game of the season for the Rainbow Warriors to performances by Henry Kapono, here are some ideas of fun things to do on Oʻahu.

Catch football, surf contests, Henry Kapono, and ʻOlympics of the piano’ : Friday, Aug. 22 to Sunday, Aug. 24

Kelli Shiroma Braiotta Headshot

Kelli Shiroma Braiotta

Food & Dining

 is no longer only open for dinner. Earlier this month, the Kapahulu-based eatery launched a lunch menu for the first time.

Lunch is served from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Wednesdays to Fridays to start. If there is a demand, the restaurant might extend the days and hours.

The menu is currently limited to a few lunch-exclusive dishes and popular options from the dinner menu.

If you have to choose one entree from the menu, go for the Nonbei hamburger steak ($17). It features a 5-ounce wagyu patty with Nonbei’s Japanese-style gravy over a bed of rice.

The hamburger patty is ultra juicy and tender, but the gravy is the dish’s crowning glory. It’s the perfect balance between sweet and savory, and if you have leftovers, ask for more gravy to-go.

The chicken katsu curry is a comforting option. It features rich Japanese curry with panko-crusted chicken thighs and rice.

The chicken thighs boast a juicy interior, and the thicker curry has a slight spice. The hamburger steak and chicken katsu curry are only available during lunch.

Tempura soba is one of the signature dishes on the izakaya’s dinner menu. It consists of buckwheat soba (served hot or cold) with shrimp and assorted tempura.

Other lunch entrees include pork ginger ($17) — Kurobuta pork sautéed with onions, ginger and house sauce, served with rice — and maguro poke ($15). The latter includes fresh ‘ahi tossed with onions and housemade shoyu.

Reservations are welcomed, but since the lunch menu is so new, it’s easy to walk in. Takeout orders are also accepted.

Izakaya Nonbei lunch spread 081825

<title>This Kapahulu izakaya now serves lunch</title>

Izakaya Nonbei’s new lunch menu includes dishes like chicken katsu curry, soba and a mouthwatering hamburger steak.

This Kapahulu izakaya now serves lunch

Kelsey Kukaua Medeiros Headshot

Kelsey Kukaua Medeiros

Aloha Spirit

More than 150 dignitaries, military personnel and community members welcomed four 11-year-old children from Holy Family Home, an orphanage in Osaka, Japan, to Hawaiʻi with cheers, lei and aloha at Daniel K. Inouye International Airport on Monday.

As part of a 76-year cultural exchange between the orphanage and the 27th Infantry Regiment “Wolfhounds,” the children – Umi, Kanami, Ryota, and Ryuki – will stay with military host families for two weeks, while enjoying Oʻahu’s culture and attractions with planned visits to the Waikīkī Aquarium, Kualoa Ranch, the Outrigger Canoe Club and more.

The relationship between the Wolfhounds and Holy Family Home began in 1949 under the leadership of Master Sgt. Hugh O’Reilly, who secured funds and materials to build a new facility for the orphanage where they were stationed after World War II. Following O’Reilly’s death in 2006, Hawaiʻi-based nonprofit Peace Bridge formed “to carry on and expand this tradition of compassion and friendship between the Holy Family Home and the Hawaiʻi community, fostering one of the longest-running military-civilian partnerships in U.S. Army history,” according to the organization.

“It was Christmas 1949. After witnessing the conditions of the orphanage, the soldiers began to pass around an Army helmet for donations to improve the living conditions. The men raised $143 and donated it to the orphanage on New Year’s morning,” it was said during the opening remarks of Monday’s ceremony.

The soldiers of the regiment spent their spare time repairing the facility. “In 1957, the Wolfhounds invited two children to visit their soldiers and familiy stationed in Hawai’i. Thus began the longstanding tradition we’re witnessing today.”

Hugh O'Reilly Jr. was present at the festivities and has helped continue his father's legacy.

Lt. Col. “Teddy” Borawksi, 1st Battalion Commander said, “We’re honored to host our four special guests Umi, Kanami, Ryota, and Ryuki, for the next two weeks and we look forward to sharing our lives, our traditions in this beautiful island that we call home.

“As Wolfhounds, we are known for being ferocious in battle and compassionate in peace. The children of the Holy Family Home embody the spirit of compassion and we are privileged to be your gentle wolfhounds. It is hard to put into words how much it means to us to continue this tradition. One born from the hearts of Wolfhounds long before us. Our commitment to this bond is just as strong today as it was decades ago. And we will not allow this cherished connection to fade.”

Gov. Josh Green presented a proclamation to Borawski, marking Aug. 18, 2025, as "Wolfhounds Day." 

, he made a stop at Holy Family Home to meet with the children and staff, he said.

“It was just so loving, and there was so much care,” Green recalled from that visit.

“You are honorary citizens today. We are grateful that you will be able to share our culture, and then be able to go back and share your experiences. … Our young guests, we hope this will be an amazing trip with long lasting memories and new friendships. … Let’s hope for another 76 years of love and compassion.

On behalf of Mayor Rick Blangiardi, City and County of Honolulu Chief of Staff Andy Sugg,

echoed the governor’s sentiments, while thanking the host families, among others, and presented a proclamation from the city. 

“The turnout is unbelievable,” he said of Monday’s event. “I didn’t know what to expect, but this is really incredible. ... So, thank you all for your dedication and for your commitment and for thinking of the children. There’s a lot going on in the world and we often forget that this is the future and we’ve got to really nourish and take care of all of our kids."

President of Peace Bridge Rika Hirata shared more history, describing the organization’s role “as a bridge between the Wolfhounds, Holy Family Home and the local community.”

The nonprofit’s mission is “to sustain and grow upon this tradition of aloha,” she continued. Its website states the aim is to continue “legacy of peace and love for the children of the Holy Family Home.”

“On behalf of Peace Bridge, I thank all of you for your support and ask for your continued support in the future,” she said.

Peace Bridge is volunteer-run and has supported more than 150 children without families. Learn more about the local organization, 

Japanese orphans 2025

<title>Turnout for Osaka orphans at HNL ‘unbelievable,’ says gov’t official</title>

Four 11-year-old children from Holy Family Home in Osaka, Japan, landed at Daniel K. Inouye International Airport Monday met with cheering, lei giving and aloha, from dignitaries, the U.S. Army “Wolfhounds,” and local nonprofit Peace Bridge and its community supporters. These orphans will stay in Hawai’i for two weeks with military host families, while enjoying  Oʻahu’s culture and attractions, promoting international peace and partnership.

Turnout for Osaka orphans at HNL ‘unbelievable,’ says gov’t official

Kam Napier Headshot

A. Kam Napier

Columnists

President Donald Trump is reportedly considering an Executive Order to put a stop to mail-in voting, per a New York Times article carried by the 

Who knows if that will be binding, election law is largely left to the states. But I've been arguing for five years that Hawai‘i should fix the mess it created with all mail-in voting, on the grounds that what we've had since can't truly be called elections at all. 

If you were to call them what they've really been, they're direct-mail marketing surveys. And they're about as trustworthy.

[{"type":"text","text":"Let me back up for a quick history:"}]

Back in 2019, then Gov. David Ige signed into law a bill to make Hawai‘i a mail-in state, commencing with the 2020 election. At the time, Hawai‘i would have been one of only four states doing mail-in voting, as reported at 

, but then the Covid lockdowns were inflicted on the country and states went wild with mail-in voting. That has since been made permanent by law in 

, with provisions for mail-in voting by county in two others.

The argument, in 2019, was that mail-in voting would be the cure for Hawai‘i's dismal voting turnout. We've had two presidential elections since then to put that to the test, and hardly ordinary ones, in terms of how much emotion and intensity has surrounded the candidates. If anything was going to boost our numbers, standing with, or standing against, Trump should've done it.

But, no. Hawai‘i's 2024 turnout of 60% in the general election was the lowest in our entire history of statehood. And that's with the Trump effect in play, which arguably did motivate people to participate. Can't imagine what turnout would've been for elections with less heat, but certainly nothing to prove that mail-in voting boosted turnout.

2020's turnout in the general of 69% was an improvement over 2016's 58%, but that didn't last, and 69% was not much better than in any general election from 1996 to 2016, during which turnout ranged from a low of 58% to a high of 67%.

. For our first presidential election in 1960, it was 93%. 

So, all mail-in voting failed at its stated purpose. Now about my contention that such elections aren't true elections. 

 in my former gig at Pacific Business News, so to summarize: What makes an election an election isn't the ballot. It's the voting booth.

The voting booth is where the citizen goes, in state-sponsored safety and security, to vote their conscience, privately, anonymously. Out in the world, where the ballots are currently mailed, people face pressure about their votes, from family, friends, peers, coworkers, bosses, etc. They may face pressure to prove they're voting "the right way" by showing their ballot to those people. In really bad situations, they may not even get to fill out the ballot themselves. 

One can imagine an overbearing spouse demanding control of a person's ballot. One can imagine an unscrupulous employer saying, "Everyone bring in your ballots, we'll fill them out for you. It's important that so-and-so win!"

 happen, and the state set things up to allow it, in pursuit of convenience.

It is not the state's job to provide convenient elections. It is the state's job to provide secure elections. That means voting booths, for everyone, as the default.

Sure, the canvas booths always smelled of mildew, but that, my friends, was the smell of freedom.

Then there are the reliability concerns and the chain of custody concerns. The state claims to validate the signatures on the mail-in ballots, but that signature is on the envelope and proves nothing, nor is any voter's ID checked, so we have no way of knowing who really filled out the ballot.

(By the way, the State of Hawai‘i has us sign the 

 of the envelopes. Isn't that great? Your full, legal signature out there for anyone to see or copy. Has the state never heard of identity theft?)

Chain of custody? I've argued that when the State of Hawai‘i certifies election results now, it's a legal fiction thanks to mail-in voting. The officials simply cannot know what they used to know when the state retained possession of the ballots the entire time, except for the brief minutes the ballots were in our hands to vote. They're certifying the work of a process they don't own or control.

That process includes the U.S. Postal Service. We need to trust it as a neutral third party that will deliver the ballots on time to everyone then back to the state. In 2022, that didn't happen. As we saw in 2022, more than 3,000 ballots arrived too late to be counted in Hawai‘i — and who can know when "too late" is, with the post office? 

As for neutral, the American Postal Workers Union (AAPWU) is anything but. It endorses candidates. It hardly matters who they endorse, no one trusted with handling all the ballots should be picking a side. But I'll say this much — if the union had endorsed Trump, you wouldn't even be reading this column because the Legislature would've undone mail-in voting on the spot. 

 allegations of irregularities in the 2024 general election for Kaua‘i voters. Clearly, there's a problem. To me, the problems all began when we forgot what elections were supposed to be — a ballot in a booth, not a survey in the mail.

A. Kam Napier is editor in chief of Aloha State Daily. His opinions in Pipikaula Corner are his own and not reflective of the ASD team. He can be reached at 

Getty Images 515280686 16x9

<title>Pipikaula Corner: Making elections elections again</title>

President Donald Trump is talking about an Executive Order to end mail-in voting nationwide. Hawai‘i's Legislature voted to adopt mail-in voting in 2019, starting with the 2020 election. Arguably, we have not had a real election since then.

Pipikaula Corner: Making elections elections again

Business & Tourism

 the Hawaiian Airlines presents the 31st Annual Made in Hawai‘i Festival.

The shopping extravaganza began Friday, Aug. 15, and ran through the weekend, featuring more than 700 vendor booths. It drew approximately 70,000 attendees across the three days, a festival spokesperson told Aloha State Daily in an email on Monday. That's similar to 2024 attendance.

 drew more than 70,000 attendees and generated approximately $10 million in revenues last year.

This year's revenue tally, however, won't be known for another few weeks, the spokesperson noted.

MIHF is produced by the Hawai‘i Food Industry Association. Proceeds from the festival support HFIA's mission "to build a strong, sustainable and resilient food industry in Hawai‘i."

"We are truly grateful for the overwhelming support of the vendors and participants of the Made in Hawai‘i Festival this year," the spokesperson told ASD. "It is incredible to see the enormous outpouring of support for Hawai‘i's local businesses and makers. Every year is a little different and we can never truly predict which days and times will be busiest. Last year, Saturday was the most popular day for ticket sales and this year it flipped over to Friday due to the state holiday and perhaps the exclusive drops and hot commodities being released by vendors."

[{"type":"text","text":"So what does 'Made in Hawai‘i' mean in the context of the festival?"}]

The spokesperson says that all products sold at MIHF must be "51% value added in Hawai‘i."

"This 51% can come from any combination of the value of raw materials, design, labor and manufacturing," they explained. "The valuation is submitted by the vendors themselves and checked by our team. The majority of the products exceed the 51% amount. It is possible that some products that are manufactured outside the state, or that have components manufactured outside the state, meet the criteria. We strive to have vendors and products that not only meet the criteria but exceed it and are truly embodying the spirit of Made in Hawaiʻi."

Vendors must also be based in the Islands to participate and there's a "comprehensive valuation process" they must complete, the spokesperson further noted.

We do our best to ensure vendors are compliant with our Made in Hawai‘i mandates, while some might put out some products that are obviously not made in Hawai‘i we must be notified ASAP to remind them of the rules and remove those products," the spokesperson said. "Ultimately our goal is to only showcase products that meet the Made in Hawai‘i standard and we would hope our vendors abide by these requirements."

An obviously popular draw, some attendees began waiting in line to enter long before the festival doors opened to the public.

On Friday, the first group began lining up at 1:30 a.m., for Saturday, they waited from 9:30 p.m. the night before, and on Sunday, the first person in line showed up at 2 a.m., the spokesperson told ASD.

"The lines began to get lengthy from 6 a.m. in the morning, when the doors didn't open to the public until 10 a.m. on Friday and 9 a.m. on both Saturday and Sunday," they said. "This year, enhanced security measures were required by the Hawai‘i Convention Center including a magnetometer screening within our point of entry. This did slow the entry somewhat, especially on Friday, but Saturday and Sunday there was little to no line, or the line for entry had been cleared and was moving quickly by 10:30am on both Saturday and Sunday."

As for the lessons learned from this year's MIHF that might be carried forward in the future, the spokesperson says festival organizers are looking at ways to "provide more opportunities for an easier shopping experience and better entry options."

"We may consider adding additional hours, additional entry doors, and always consider suggestions and feedback," they said. "We are trying to be mindful of various issues like construction and availability — so the exact dates and location for 2026 are not yet confirmed."

Aloha State Daily attended the festival and caught up with a handful of the small business owners who set up shop. 

Also worth noting: a total of $30,000 was donated to MIHF's charity partners the Hawaiʻi Foodbank and The Food Basket's DA BUX program. More than $7,000 was donated by attendees through ticket purchases, which was matched by the Hawai‘i Food Industry Association. That $15,000 subtotal was doubled by the Servco Foundation.

“We are extremely grateful to everyone who attended, our sponsors, and the hundreds of small businesses who shared their craft and passion with the community,” Lauren Zirbel, president of the Hawai‘i Food Industry Association, said in an announcement Monday. “The Made in Hawai‘i Festival continues to be a gathering place that uplifts local talent and gives back to the community that makes this event possible.”

Hawai‘i Scene on Social: Must be the "seefood" diet

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Hawai‘i Scene on Social: Must be the "seefood" diet

Authors

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