ASD Staff

Hawaiʻi Scene on Social

[{"text":"The old ways are da bess!","type":"text"}]

Firefly the word Pow in comic book 539230 Large

<title>Hawai‘i Scene on Social: Classic interrogation technique</title>

Today's social media find comes from waikikipd, on how to get the truth out of some low-life.

Hawai‘i Scene on Social: Classic interrogation technique

Kelsey Kukaua Medeiros Headshot

Kelsey Kukaua Medeiros

Government & Politics

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, 

For the latest news of Hawai‘i, sign up 

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

Square Mike Brestovansky Headshot RGZ3736 Large

Michael Brestovansky

As telescope lease agreements on Mauna Kea near their expiration dates, the process for renewing them remains up in the air.

Doug Simons, Director of the University of Hawai‘i's Institute for Astronomy, advised the state Mauna Kea Stewardship and Oversight Authority last Thursday that the window for observatories on the mountain to negotiate their leases of state land is rapidly closing.

All observatories on Mauna Kea are legally bound to decommission their facilities and fully restore their sites to natural conditions by the end of 2033 if they are not able to negotiate further land use with the state. Because of this, Simons said that the telescopes could be very close to the end of their operational lives: decommissioning would likely need to begin by 2028 in order to be completed by the deadline.

In 2020, Simons said he predicted that those observatories that intend to remain operational beyond 2033 must negotiate their leases with the state by the first half of the 2020s — “which is right now, more or less.”

Despite this, those negotiations have not yet been completed, Simons said. Between the protests against the Thirty Meter Telescope in 2015 and 2019, the COVID-19 pandemic, and the MKSOA taking over management of the mountain from UH in 2028, the process has been paused and restarted multiple times over the years.

But without an understanding of how many telescopes will continue to operate beyond 2033, it is difficult for any observatory to estimate the cost of operating on Mauna Kea. Simons said all observatories in the Mauna Kea Science Reserve contribute millions of dollars each year to various shared infrastructure costs, so each telescope that doesn’t have a lease renewed will increase costs for the rest.

“So that really gets you back to the basic question … how much is it going to cost?” Simons said. “And if we don’t know the answer to how much a lease is going to cost, the process is basically stalled.”

Even if the MKSOA can get through the negotiation process quickly, Simons said any new leases will almost certainly be challenged in contested cases and litigation, which will eat up even more time.

Further complicating affairs is the myriad of international funding agencies involved in the various observatories, all of which would need to agree to lease terms, which Simons said is a particularly complex and time-consuming part of the process.

And, of course, all of this is taking place as major cuts are planned for American science funding, with President Donald Trump’s administration 

 in June enormous slashes to NASA and National Science Foundation budgets.

MKSOA board members remained optimistic that they can expedite the lease negotiating process relatively quickly: “It’s not like we’re sitting at the table yet, but the more we prepare ourselves to be at that table, the quicker it will go,” said member Neil Hannahs.

But the MKSOA and its executive director John De Fries already have a lot on their plate as they race toward 2028, when the Authority will assume full control of the mountain from UH. A new management plan for the mountain is being developed, and is not expected to be completed until mid-2026.

At the same time, MKSOA is developing its strategic 

 — a short, three-page document outlining the Authority’s guiding principles regarding Mauna Kea that would impact any proposed lease terms. Public 

 will be held around Hawai‘i Island through September to solicit feedback on the draft document.

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<title>Clock ticking for Mauna Kea leases</title>

Negotiations for renewing Mauna Kea observatory leases need to start soon, warns IFA director

Clock ticking for Mauna Kea leases

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

Stephanie Salmons Headshot

Stephanie Salmons

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.”

MIHF 081525 entrance

<title>Made in Hawai‘i Festival draws nearly 70K attendees</title>

The three-day event began Friday, Aug. 15, and ran through the weekend.

Made in Hawai‘i Festival draws nearly 70K attendees

Kelli Shiroma Braiotta Headshot

Kelli Shiroma Braiotta

Food & Dining

A Korean chicken spot recently closed in the Ward neighborhood, but not to worry — another just opened its place.

 just opened its second location in the Ward neighborhood (its 

). The biz specializes in Korean fried chicken, and opened in the former space of Good Chicken. 

At the time of our visit, the eatery's sign wasn't up yet, so keep an eye out for the E Chicken menu in the window.

This location is essentially a walk-up window. While there are a few benches, it’s more conducive to takeout.

The menu at the new Ward location is similar to that of the business’s Waikīkī store. You can find a variety of fried chicken — whole chicken, boneless chicken tenders and chicken wings — along with popular Korean street foods.

The K-pop boneless chicken and crispy chicken are customer favorites. You can purchase chicken a la carte or as plates; plates include rice and macaroni salad.

No matter which chicken version you choose, you can anticipate a crispy, crunchy exterior and juicy interior.

For any chicken, choose from flavors like honey shoyu, ranch, shoyu garlic, K-barbecue yangnyeom (a sweet and spicy sauce) or a chili spicy version. The K-barbecue yangnyeom is especially popular, thanks to its mix of spicy, tangy and slightly sweet flavors.

The business also offers popular Korean street foods like tteokbokki, soft tofu stew, seafood pancakes and bibimbap ($13.95 each). If you want something similar to tteokbokki — Korean rice cakes in a Gochujang-based sauce — but less spicy, go for the rose tteokbokki, which is a little cheesier and creamier.

The biz is featuring a special for August. When you buy one item, you can get the second for 50% off (the discount applies to the item of lesser value).

Phone orders are recommended, as customer parking is limited in front of the store.

E Chicken Ward batch of fried chicken 081525

<title>Korean fried chicken biz opens a second location</title>

E Chicken just opened in the former space of Good Chicken in the Ward neighborhood. Feast on a variety of fried chicken and Korean street food.

Korean fried chicken biz opens a second location

The crowds were waiting, a line forming long before the doors for the 

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

The three-day event began Friday and continues through the weekend, sure to draw throngs of shoppers looking to support local artisans, crafters and business owners. And there was plenty to choose from: handmade wares, jewelry, clothing, food and baked goods, spices, art and more.

There's even more for shoppers to take in, too, with a lineup of chef demonstrations, entertainment, fashion shows and more throughout the weekend. Read more about that 

 drew more than 70,000 attendees and generated approximately $10 million in revenues in 2024.

Aloha State Daily joined in on the fun Friday, speaking with a handful of the small business owners who set up shop. We asked them all the same questions and here's what they had to say:

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"What does 'Made in Hawai‘i' mean to you?"}]

We're a printing company, so we print most of our stuff here and Made in Hawai‘i gives a lot of small, local businesses, how we started, a great opportunity to showcase what they're selling or what they're making here in Hawai‘i.

What's the best part of owning a small business?

The best part is working with family. It's a good and bad problem, but it's the best, and I have great teammates.

Made in Hawai‘i [means to] try to use as many local vendors as possible if you need to outsource anything, and really keeping to as much of our native culture and the local aloha spirit, hoping that all of that shines through all of your product when you're here.

The best part about owning a small business, I guess, is the level of creativity you can have. Obviously, I'm an artist, so I can steer myself wherever I want to go. Recently I've been going more ... bird friendly, just because I think that it's something that everybody — if you live here, if you visit here — you need to pay attention to the native species and really respect kanaka and all of the Hawaiian culture that is here, and without that, really you have nothing. So that's what I like to do.

To me, it means the creativity from these islands — the inspiration that comes from living here, local culture, Hawaiian culture. And it means that we do things with our hands. We make things on our own and we base it here. I know there's a lot of creative people and just walking around here, you get so inspired to see the pottery, the art prints, the fabrics, textiles, the food, all of that. But the fact that it came from here and from our creativity, our own minds, is what it means to me.

The best part is you get to choose which 120 hours a week you want to work. (Laughs). But it's fun. You have creative control, you can manage your schedule. If you have an idea in the middle of the night, go get on it. It's all you, right? So that's what I love about it.

Made in Hawai‘i means to me community. I just am so lucky to live here and get to do business with all these amazing other small business entrepreneurs. Everyone is so great.

The best part about being a small business owner is really just the fulfilled feeling I get from wearing all the hats. It can be so hard, but it's so fulfilling at the same time.

Made in Hawai‘i has been something that we grew up with. It started off as kind of like the big fair. What we like to view it as is the big kick-off for holiday season. I think a lot of small businesses really value it as just being a way for us to connect with our local audience. There are some smaller craft fairs that do pop up, but this is like 

 big one. This is the one that you want to be at. And for us, last year was our first year doing Made in Hawai‘i and it was kind of life-changing for us. We weren't expecting it to be so crazy, and then it hit. It was literally our biggest event. So this is probably going to be our kickoff for the holiday season. We're going to be ramping up and producing even more stuff every single month and this is just the beginning of it.

Owning a small business has been very beneficial for me, just because of the flexibility. The commute is very easy. I get out of bed and then I just go to the office, which is like two minutes away down the hallway, and I'm able to do the things that I love. This has been a dream for me. ... It started as a business in high school and now that I have big boy money, I can do everything that I want and have everything look the way that I like it.

It's a good way to get exposure and to network with other vendors, and just meet all my customers that have bought from me online and acquire new customers.

[{"type":"text","text":"Freedom. (Laughs). I love the freedom."}]

<title>Annual Made in Hawai‘i Festival welcomes shoppers</title>

The three-day event began Friday and continues through the weekend. Aloha State Daily spoke with a handful of the small business owners who set up shop.

Hawai‘i Scene on Social: Classic interrogation technique

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