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Hawaiʻi Scene on Social

[{"text":"Everybody happy dance!","type":"text"}]

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<title>Hawai‘i Scene on Social: "A good day in Hawai‘i"</title>

Kveekz on Instagram is today's social media find, celebrating some pleasant surprises.

Hawai‘i Scene on Social: "A good day in Hawai‘i"

Kelsey Kukaua Medeiros Headshot

Kelsey Kukaua Medeiros

Viewpoints

Aloha Spirit

For nearly two decades, Kumu Earl Kawaʻa, 81, has offered Board and Stone, cultural workshops for ʻohana across sites on Oʻahu, where he currently resides, and most recently on Molokaʻi, where he was born and raised.

Growing up in Hālawa Valley, the Molokaʻi High School graduate said, “Cultural ʻike and connection to the land and ocean has served me well. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have had the depth, which is something I realized later in life.”

“I left Molokaʻi [when] I needed to. I didn’t want to be the best pineapple picker, but I was headed that way,” Kawaʻa said with a laugh, noting that soon after he served in the Molokaʻi National Guard and in the Peace Corps. He received a bachelor’s in psychology and master’s in social work by 1982 and followed his passion working with nonprofits and schools, serving as a cultural specialist for Kamehameha Schools for 18 years. Later, he went on to help address public housing, homelessness and economic development, particularly advocating for Native Hawaiians.

In 2010, the cultural practitioner started teaching Board and Stone out of a garage. It took a couple years to formalize the program, which teaches families how to carve a wooden board (papa kuʻi ʻai) and shape a stone poi pounder (pōhaku) using only hand tools. Its mission — his “lifeʻs work” — is to put at least "one board and one stone in every home,” Kawaʻa told Aloha State Daily.

Across the Islands, Board and Stone gatherings take place weekly over about four months. Classes are primarily for instruction, including some outings on weekends, while most of the work on the boards and stones is done at home, according to an alakaʻi (leader).

“Board and Stone is a class I offer to people, but people have to make the choice to do it,” Kawaʻa said. “The orientation is designed to give them enough information. But they have no idea what they are in for — and thatʻs when the learning takes place.”

Alakaʻi Eric Keawe told ASD that during his own upbringing, his parents taught Hawaiian music more than culture, language and religion. “I’ve been here at Board and Stone for at least 10 years, so have some of the other alakaʻi, who are all like family. Because of his ʻike (Kawaʻa’s knowledge), I have gained knowledge and skills, even in public speaking, that I didn’t have before. I’m always learning and relearning.”

Beneath the surface, the classes perpetuate Hawaiian language, culture and traditions —

Kawaʻa’s other skills in hale and rock wall construction, canoe building, farming, fishing, which he learned from his parents and community. His latest venture is learning the healing practice of hoʻoponopono, which his parents, Walter and Georgina Kawaʻa, were known for.

Earl Kawaʻa added: “But I am the only one left in my family, my two sisters died and my brother. My wife [Patricia] has always been my rock.”

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"}],"text":"The pair have a daughter, Yahna."}]

Looking back, “the ’60s and ’70s were the best time of my life, and what that means is that the knowledge and skills that I had, even teaching, was being refined. Of course, that was about when I met my wife.”

Today, Kawa‘a continues to be recognized for his “life’s work,” which has reached thousands of people through various speaking engagements and teaching opportunities.

“I love telling stories; but I am also learning to not talk so much.”

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"},{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Recent recognition"}]

Last month, the Hawaiʻi House of Representatives honored Kawaʻa during the 2026 legislative session “for dedicating his life to preserving Hawaiian language and culture, mentoring future generations, and strengthening communities throughout Hawaiʻi.”

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"}],"text":"This was not something he was expecting."}]

Rep. Lisa Marten of District 51, which includes Waimānalo, Keolu Hills, Lanikai and a portion of Kailua, experienced Kawaʻa’s expertise in traditional hale building firsthand, which she shared briefly with lawmakers on April 2. Watch the full presentation (HR210), 

Kawaʻa asked four individuals to join him on the House floor that day, dressed in lei, to be recognized: Board and Stone Alakaʻi Kekipi Imamoto, a retired combat soldier who lives in Papakōlea with his ʻohana; Board and Stone Alakaʻi Kahiau Paik, a 2025 KS graduate who works with Hoʻokuaʻāina; Keoni Peters, a hale builder who worked on Marten’s project in Hāmākua; and longtime partner, Jenna Umiamaka, Human Resources director at Keiki O Ka ʻĀina (KOKA).

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"}],"text":"What’s next for Board and Stone?"}]

Expansion, both nationwide and globally, Kawaʻa said, noting that it’s his dream to bring the classes to Japan, though, it will take sponsorship to help make this a reality.

And eventually, who will take over? “There are several people in place who will rise to the job. The opportunity is in their hands,” he added. “The foundation is already solid.”

“‘E ola mau ka hana a me ka ʻike o nā kupuna.’ The work and the knowledge of our ancestors must live on.”

In transparency, I graduated from Board and Stone in spring 2021, invited by a former co-worker and alakaʻi, Roger Vistart.

I started at KOKA but finished with the Papakōlea class, due to restrictions to gathering sizes during the Covid-19 pandemic. What would have been a four-month class was extended to nearly one and a half years. But in that season, I never felt forgotten.

Kawaʻa was and is my kumu, and Keawe and Imamoto are my alakaʻis, among others. What I took away from their guidance, patience, selfless service and humility both in class and beyond was newfound confidence as a Hawaiian and a contributing member of this community.

In April, I visited KOKA’s Board and Stone class, greeted by the sound of metal hitting wood, warm embraces and the aroma of blooming puakenikeni. It was good to be home.

A circle of alakaʻi had formed around Kawaʻa, who was hunched over a wooden board, sharing the technique of shaving down its rough corners using a koʻi (ax-like tool with metal blade). He invited some of them to try and gently corrected, as needed. The shavings should “curl,” he explained, while tapping lightly on their backs to help them keep rhythm.

Meanwhile, ʻohana were arriving with their own papa and pōhaku; parents set up their work stations and greeted one another, while keiki played together throughout the evening.

At the call of "Hūi!" kane and wahine lined up for Hawaiian protocol (loina or ha‘akoa) and prayer (pule). Next came instruction from alakaʻi about inoa (name) and moʻolelo (story), in which ʻohana will call their boards and stones and share their journeys, respectively, at an upcoming celebration, or hōʻike (to demonstrate one’s knowledge).

The hana (work) began and Kawaʻa, along with the alakaʻi, dispersed to assist families. Class concluded with moʻolelo presented by keiki in both ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi and English.

Afterwards, the alakaʻi-led debrief meeting allowed for reflection on their own personal growth, in addition to observations from those whom they worked with. The overall sentiment was gratitude for kumu’s “master class” in working the board and celebrating “how far the families have come along.”

In time, Board and Stone has taught me the importance of ʻohana, finding beauty in imperfection and finishing what you start through hard work, self-discipline and perseverance. I also learned how to pule and respect the ʻāina, honoring Ke Akua, those who came before me and those journeying alongside. Everyone has a moʻolelo that can be used to uplift and bring value to one another’s lives.

Those interested in learning more about Board and Stone can visit 

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Board and Stone 2020

<title>Kumu Earl Kawaʻa, haumana recognized for Board and Stone</title>

Born and raised on Molokaʻi, Kawaʻa has offered Board and Stone to ʻohana across the Islands since 2010. The cultural classes teach families how to carve a wooden board (papa kuʻi ʻai) and shape a stone poi pounder (pōhaku) using only hand tools, while perpetuating Hawaiian traditions, language, moʻolelo and more. Last month, the Hawaiʻi House of Representatives honored him and his team for their dedication to community.

Kumu Earl Kawaʻa, haumana recognized for Board and Stone

Christian Shimabuku Headshot

Christian Shimabuku

Sports

 continues ahead of its 2029 target, the current University of Hawai‘i football team is set to play its home games at the Clarence T.C. Ching Athletics Complex on the UH-Mānoa campus through 2028. 

Though upperclassmen on the team may not get the opportunity to play in the new stadium as Rainbow Warriors, current freshmen on the team who stay through their senior seasons will be rewarded as the first crop to take the field in Hālawa. 

Starting this summer, Aloha Stadium Executive Director Michael Yadao says UH coaches are welcome to show the stadium in its current form to recruits the school is courting. 

"Our offer to the UH team, and we mean it, is as they're recruiting players, and if they want to see how the demo is progressing, or if they want to see the plans for the future build up, we want to be a part of that process," Yadao told Aloha State Daily. "We want them to be able to say to the high school senior, 'Hey, if you stick with UH you're playing at TC Ching, but you could potentially be in the inaugural season of the stadium in front of your friends and family, and playing for the University of Hawai‘i' and what that could mean."

The Rainbow Warriors have played on campus at the Clarence T.C. Ching Athletics Complex since 2021, a process that began with the old Aloha Stadium being deemed unsafe to hold crowds of any capacity during the Covid-19 pandemic. 

Memories of the first era of Aloha Stadium, from its 1975 opening, remain prominent at various levels of football across the state. Multiple members of the current Hawai‘i coaching staff were former UH players themselves, including head coach 

"Timmy Chang stayed in Hawai‘i, Chris Brown stayed in Hawai‘i. They both coulda had opportunities elsewhere," Yadao said. "We want to use the stadium to be a draw for UH players to stay, hopefully."

Chang and Brown were both present in person at a live demolition of Aloha Stadium's northwest bowl on April 23. Attendees that observed from the stadium's parking lot in Hālawa were required to wear personal protective equipment, including safety vests. Yadao says that will also be the case during tours of the stadium while it is under construction. 

"Chris would call, or Timmy would call and say, 'Hey, Mike, can we?' We haven't done it yet, but we're open to it and and they know that, and we want to," Yadao said. "I would be like, 'Bring them down, tell me when,' and we'll show them what's happened. I'd call (stadium developer) 

 and we'd go up to the site and show them, or I'd bring them here and show them the schematics or the boardroom, and we do our best to help Chris and Timmy keep good talent here."

Yadao and Brown in particular go back a long way. The two became friends as classmates at Damien Memorial School, graduating in 1998. Both went on to attend UH-Mānoa. 

"What kind of encapsulates who Chris is, I would see him in a weight room or on a football field, and he is a big, scary, intimidating guy. He was always carved out of granite, you know? But the second a kid or a woman would walk by, he's a gentleman, he tones it down," Yadao said. "Chris has always been a good human being."

Although active demolition is underway, the master development agreement (MDA) between the New Aloha Stadium Entertainment District (NASED) and the stadium's developer, Aloha Hālawa District Partners (AHDP), continues to be negotiated. 

The new Aloha Stadium, slated to open in time for the 2029 college football season, will have a seating capacity of 31,000 with room for expansion in addition to a natural grass playing surface. The first game on UH's 2029 schedule is an Aug. 25 contest against Arizona. 

Aloha Stadium 052126

<title>Aloha Stadium tours to be made available to University of Hawai‘i football recruits</title>

Executive Director Michael Yadao believes it's important for prospective players to be able to take a look at their future home.

Aloha Stadium tours to be made available to University of Hawai‘i football recruits

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Michael Brestovansky

Government & Politics

Hawai‘i residents should prepare for a stronger than average hurricane season, warn state and county officials.

An early outlook by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration predicts that the Eastern and Central Pacific Ocean could see anywhere between five to 13 tropical cyclones this hurricane season. NOAA meteorologist John Bravender said an average year sees around four or five cyclones.

The stronger storm season is due to a developing El Niño event, Bravender said. El Niño, part of a cyclically shifting global weather pattern, is marked by warmer waters in equatorial Pacific waters.

The second-most active Pacific hurricane season on record, in 2015, was caused by the last strong El Niño event. That year saw 26 named storms, the most since 1992.

This year, Bravender said, ocean temperatures are starting a bit cooler than in 2015, so meteorologists are not predicting quite so busy a storm season. However, he added, it is difficult to predict how intense an El Niño event will be this far in advance, so the number of cyclones generated this year will depend on how quickly or gradually ocean temperatures rise.

Bravender added that NOAA’s estimates only consider how many storms might be generated this year, not how powerful those storms may be or whether they strike Hawai‘i.

Nonetheless, state and county officials have urged residents to begin preparations for the hurricane season now. Quoting Sun Tzu, Maj. Gen. Stephen Logan, director of the Hawai‘i Emergency Management Agency, said “Plan for what is difficult while it is easy, do what is great while it is small.”

Gov. Josh Green advised residents to have at least 14 days of non-perishable food and water on hand in case access to supplies is cut. Residents should make sure they have extra batteries, sufficient food for pets, and copies of important documents kept in safe places.

Bravender suggested that residents begin stockpiling food piecemeal in order to defray the cost.

Elton Ushio, administrator of the Kaua‘i Emergency Management Agency, said households should discuss ahead of time whether their priority is to shelter in place or evacuate in the event of a severe storm.

Ushio said that a well-constructed home that’s up to code should be sufficient shelter in most storms. But residents of a home that isn’t up to standards, or that’s located in a flood zone or along a coast susceptible to storm surges, should seek more secure refuges, either among friends and family or at public shelters.

However, Ushio added that public shelters will be crowded and will not have many services available for users: residents will be responsible for their own food, and their pets will need to remain caged.

Furthermore, many shelters have not been designed to withstand hurricanes. HIEMA Administrator James Barros said the state is compiling a list of hurricane-safe shelters.

Following the severe Kona Low storms in March, Green said teams and high-water vehicles are being preemptively positioned around flood-sensitive areas.

“We’ve gotten adept at dealing with storms,” Green said, noting that the 2023 Lahaina wildfires were triggered by Hurricane Dora, a storm that never directly contacted the Islands, but whipped up winds to quickly spread the flames.

 from HIEMA and their respective county emergency management agencies.

 For the latest news of Hawai‘i, sign up 

Bravender

<title>NOAA predicts strong hurricane season</title>

An early forecast of this year's hurricane season estimates between five and 13 tropical cyclones in the Eastern and Central Pacific, and Hawai‘i residents are advised to start preparing now.

NOAA predicts strong hurricane season

Higa headshot white shirt square

Sterling Higa

Columnists

At a quarter past eight on a wet Monday morning in January, Anderina Petero boards the Handi-Van outside the Jack in the Box on McCully and falls asleep against the window before it reaches the freeway. She has just finished her sixth graveyard shift of the week. Her daughter Marianeina, twenty-one, the cashier at the same restaurant, sits beside her. They are going home to a shelter in Waiʻanae.

Civil Beat sent more than a dozen reporters and photographers across the island for this year’s Point-In-Time count. The count is an annual tally of homeless people on O‘ahu. The reporters went to meet the people the counters were looking for. It is a 

 from a paper that leans left. It is unflinching about the homeless.

The count ended with 4,539 homeless people on O‘ahu. This number can be spun to suit one’s narrative. The stories underneath are less obliging.

A mother and daughter work the Jack in the Box graveyard shift in McCully. They commute by Handi-Van from a shelter in Waiʻanae. A man cycles in and out of the state hospital. Each time, he is released under Act 26 because he is not mentally fit to stand trial for the petty crime that brought him in. A meth user in Pāwaʻa park has tried every rehab program. They are “just on replay,” he says. His friend died at the park of an overdose a year ago. Two men sit on the District Court steps, newly out of jail. They scrounge bus fare while their girlfriends remain inside, soon to be released. A woman with a bad knee and a medical history of three strokes lives under a bridge. She has cleared the trash from a fouled stream and seen an eagle ray return to the water.

The progressive account of homelessness is mainly a cost-of-housing problem. It fits the mother and daughter exactly. A fifty-dollar rent increase was the final straw for them. It does not fit the man in the park. He has tried every rehab program and remains in the park. It does not fit the insane man. He is the heir of a twentieth-century reform. That reform closed the state hospitals and promised something else would replace them. Nothing did.

The conservative account says homelessness is moral failure, and the answer is to clear the encampments. It fails when it meets the woman living under a bridge. She had a job and a home before three strokes took both. She exercises more visible dominion under an overpass than most of us in our homes. It fails against a working mother praying her way through six graveyard shifts a week.

There is real work here for the state, and conservatives who pretend otherwise are not serious. Honolulu’s housing supply has been throttled by zoning, permitting, and policy that protects the property values of the already-housed. A median one-bedroom rent above $2,000 is a political achievement. Only policy can undo it.

The state can also restrain the publicly destructive, and currently does not. 

 sends a man who cannot stand trial back onto the same streets to commit the same offenses. We call it compassion. But it is the abandonment of a legitimate sphere of state authority in the name of compassion. The man and the public both pay for it.

What the state cannot do is reform a soul. The drug rehab programs that succeed tend, it turns out, to be religious. The man in Pāwaʻa park does not need another program. He needs what no program can deliver. A program that addresses conduct without aiming to save his soul has missed the point entirely.

Every person in the count is an image-bearer of God. Every person in the count is also fallen. To remember one without the other is to slide into sentimentality or contempt. Neither has ever helped anyone.

God works ordinarily through families, through churches, and through the small voluntary associations. They gather to meet needs without being asked. The modern welfare state has spent six decades displacing these little platoons. It is now puzzled that it cannot replace them.

This does not excuse those little platoons, many of which have failed to serve the needy. Anderina wears a bracelet that reads John 3:16. She is a member of a church in Kailua. She has not been there in two Sundays. The Handi-Van takes 90 minutes each way from McCully to Waiʻanae, six nights a week.

Does her church know? Do they care? It is not clear.

At a quarter past eight on a wet Monday in January, on a Handi-Van rolling west toward Waiʻanae, she sleeps with her head against the window. Perhaps today will be a day for rest.

Anderina Marianeina

<title>The stories underneath</title>

ASD opinion columnist Sterling Higa explores how an extensive story on homelessness by Civil Beat raises issues where both the political left and political right can do better on their approaches to solving the problem.

The stories underneath

Governor Josh Green has passed a law preserving many of the tax cuts he had previously announced would be suspended.

At the start of the 2026 legislative session, Green 

 that the next in a series of incremental tax cuts would be paused in order to make up for an alleged $3 billion shortfall in the state budget.

, touting them as “the largest income tax cut in the state’s history.” In most years between 2024 and 2031, the cuts would have amended income tax brackets and increased standard deduction amounts.

 to suspend those cuts after 2026, the version of that bill he signed Thursday maintains some of the cuts after all.

The bill — now enrolled into law as Act 24 — maintains the future cuts for single filers making less than $175,000 per year, heads of household making under $262,500 and joint filers making under $350,000. It also includes a new tax bracket for households making $1 million or more annually, and subjects them to a 13% marginal tax rate.

In a statement Thursday, Green said the law is “a balanced and responsible approach to safeguarding Hawai‘i's financial future.”

“It preserves meaningful tax relief for working families while ensuring we have the resources to protect essential services that our residents depend upon every day," read Green's statement.

SB 3125 also scales down a renewable energy tax credit over the next several years, establishing caps on the total number of credits issued each year for wind and solar power systems between 2027 and 2030 — each year is capped at $40 million. Then, in 2031 and beyond, that cap is zeroed out, with no further credits available.

Green’s announcement Thursday also stated that he is working with private entities to bring investments to support the renewable energy industry “in the very near future,” as well as developing larger-scale renewable energy tax credits.

Josh Green state of the state 012125

<title>Tax cuts saved: Green signs bill to preserve most upcoming tax cuts</title>

Despite previous announcements that future tax cuts would need to be paused, Gov. Josh Green signed on Thursday a measure that preserves most of them.

Tax cuts saved: Green signs bill to preserve most upcoming tax cuts

Kelli Shiroma Braiotta Headshot

Kelli Shiroma Braiotta

Food & Dining

Known for its speakeasy atmosphere and vintage aesethic, Kaimukī-based 

 recently relaunched its brunch service under a new chef.

Executive chef Keith Endo is now at Vintage Books Hawaiʻi. Endo is originally from Hilo and graduated from Kapiʻolani Community College. His previous culinary experiences include leading the kitchens at Vino and, most recently, Ki Club.

His goal is to bring a “fresh and simple menu with Italian and Asian influence” to the Kaimukī eatery.

Some of the dishes on the menu from the eatery’s previous chef still remain, but their presentation or ingredients have been updated.

The Hau ‘ula Farms tomatoes ($18), Hawaiʻi venison tartare ($24) and Island farmer salad ($16) especially highlight locally sourced ingredients. The tomatoes are topped with a fried curry leaf, pineapple vinegar and cilantro.

The Island farmer salad comprises Sensei greens, local vegetables, citrus dressing, Burmese trail mix and Thai basil. If you want to enhance its creamy consistency, add mozzarella ($3 more).

The Island fresh catch (market price) is a new entree, according to Endo. During our visit, mahi mahi was featured, but sometimes shutome or kanpachi is used. The mahi is light and flaky, while the leek caper oil gives the dish a slightly briny, savory flavor.

The house karaage ($23) is not a new dish, but it’s a customer favorite. It’s served with kewpie mayonnaise and kimchi catsup for dipping. Crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside, the chicken is flavorful in and of itself.  

Customers can look forward to a rotating selection of specials. During our visit, Endo featured an herb-roasted lamb ($36) served with porcini mushrooms, gnocchi, shiitake mushrooms and foie gras demi glace.

The lamb is tender without a strong gamey flavor. The gnocchi — a nod to Endo’s travels to Italy to master pasta-making and explore the country’s regional cuisine — boasts a slightly chewy texture, especially when eaten with the mushrooms. The foie gras demi glace enhances the dish’s umami flavor.

The dessert menu features one new addition — chocolate creme brulee ($14). This re-imagined rendition features a white chocolate custard, which boasts a creamy, cheese-like texture, topped with a sugar crust.

Vintage Books Hawaiʻi paused its weekend brunch shortly after the new year, but re-launched it with Endo’s new menu on April 11. Brunch highlights include jumbo lump crab Benedict with yuzu hollandaise ($25), smoked salmon avocado toast with edamame hummus ($21), steak and eggs with chive hash browns ($32), French-style omelet with lemon ricotta and shiitake mushrooms ($22), and buttermilk pancakes with fruit compote ($20).

Brunch is served from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays. Customers can also enjoy a variety of brunch cocktails that were designed to complement the menu.

Validated customer parking is available in the restaurant’s lot.

Open for dinner from 4 to 11 p.m. Sundays to Thursdays, 4 p.m. to midnight Fridays and Saturdays

Vintage Books chef Keith Endo 051226

<title>Vintage Books Hawaiʻi relaunches brunch service with new chef</title>

Chef Keith Endo, whose culinary background includes leading the kitchens at Vino and Ki Club, is now the executive chef at this Kaimukī speakeasy. Vintage Books Hawaiʻi re-launched its weekend brunch with a new menu in mid-April.

Hawai‘i Scene on Social: "A good day in Hawai‘i"

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Hawai‘i Scene on Social: "A good day in Hawai‘i"

Authors

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