ASD icon blue inverse lighter

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

Christian Shimabuku Headshot

Christian Shimabuku

Sports

When Timmy Chang signed his initial contract to coach the University of Hawai‘i football team in January 2022, the harsh reality he faced was that there wasn't much of a team left. 

A mass exodus of players following the 2021 season under former head coach Todd Graham left the Rainbow Warriors depleted. Graham resigned a week after a Senate hearing was targeted towards him, but the damage to the program had already been done. 

By the time Chang and his staff patched a roster together, his initial team was set to have 53 newcomers on it. Though Chang faced an uphill battle to rebuild his alma mater, it was his first commit that helped him realize brighter days could be ahead. 

Wynden Ho‘ohuli was a four-star linebacker out of Mililani High School. Although his senior season of high school football was wiped out due to COVID-19, he was already an established prospect without it. Dozens of power conference schools extended scholarship offers to Ho‘ohuli, and he ended up choosing the University of Nebraska. By all accounts, Ho‘ohuli did well during his redshirt season in Lincoln, and Nebraska coaches were looking to make him a part of the team's future. As he weighed his options, Ho‘ohuli decided to enter the NCAA transfer portal. 

[{"type":"text","text":"Then Uncle Timmy came calling. "}]

Ho‘ohuli's father, Watson Ho‘ohuli, was a University of Hawai‘i linebacker from 2000 to 2005, and teammates with Timmy Chang for five years. Baby Wynden would be carried in the Aloha Stadium stands on Saturdays in the fall. As a new era of UH football dawned, Wynden Ho‘ohuli knew it was only right he'd be a part of it. 

"I remember that time like it was just yesterday," Wynden Ho‘ohuli told Aloha State Daily. "When Timmy came in, I was the first (recruit) that came in, and I've rocked rocked him ever since. We've been close to each other outside of football, and I already knew it was a perfect fit for me to stay home and play for Timmy because I know he's a ride or die kind of person. 

"He's gonna ride for his team. He's gonna do everything he can for the team, and I respect that so much from a coach, especially a head coach."

Grand roster reconstruction of 2022 aside, Chang knew that landing a local prospect of Ho‘ohuli's caliber in any recruiting cycle would be a big deal. 

"Wynden, first off, outside of football, he's a nephew, right? Watson was my teammate, and he comes from a great family. I think the world of Wynden and how he carries himself," Chang said. "The value he brings and experience, and what he does for our football team, he does a lot. Love that we have him here."

During his time in Mānoa, Ho‘ohuli has played in 35 games with 48 tackles, including seven for loss and three sacks. Some of that production came when he was moved the defensive line. 

In his debut season in 2022, he was limited to four games due to injury, but the medical redshirt ultimately allowed him to come back for a sixth year of college ball. 

In 2025, he moved back to his natural position of linebacker, shedding the extra weight that was needed when he was a rush end. And in 2026, Ho‘ohuli has already solidified himself as the team's starting middle linebacker in camp, taking all the first team reps alongside outside linebacker Jamih Otis.

"Wynden was a special, special player out of high school," recalled UH associate head coach and linebackers coach Chris Brown. "I remember watching him when I was up at Bishop Gorman. I knew he wanted to come back home (to UH). His family's here. The kid is local boy through and through. I know he loves playing for the state. He's going to play a lot this year. We put him at defensive end for all those years because we had to find a spot for him because he's such a good player. But his best position is playing inside the box, playing linebacker. So, now he's right at home."

Though he was too young to remember watching his father at Aloha Stadium, Wynden Ho‘ohuli can definitely relate to him. Wynden's two sons, ages 1 and 3, will be in the stands this fall. 

"It means the world. It's like a full circle moment," Wynden Ho‘ohuli said. "I was a little kid running around here when my dad was playing. I got my own little kids too. I'm always super grateful. I'm grateful for this opportunity to be here, represent the team, represent the home state, and just be able to represent my family as well. 

"My pops paved the way for me, and I always just owe it to him to come out here every day and be the man that I was supposed to be and destined to be. I gotta be a leader, gotta be a provider."

Wynden Hoohuli 081926

<title>With Hawai‘i football in his blood, Wynden Ho‘ohuli looks to lead the 'Bows in 2026</title>

The local high school star spent his first collegiate season at Nebraska. As a transfer, he became the first player to commit to Timmy Chang in 2022.

With Hawai‘i football in his blood, Wynden Ho‘ohuli looks to lead the 'Bows in 2026

WEB square crop Hayley Lehman Headshot RGZ1636

Haley Lehman

Government & Politics

Aloha Spirit

John Berry says he loves his job, and it shows. He walks around the zoo greeting visitors, the 90-person staff and the 992 animals with a big smile.

Berry enjoys introducing visitors to Pono, the 5-year-old laid back Linnaeus’s two-toed sloth. Pono sleeps for about 20 hours a day and loves apple, sweet potato and pear.

“He’s the most mellow animal in the zoo. He takes everyone to a zen place,” Berry said. “If there’s a surfer dude in the collection, it’s Pono.”

Berry said that each animal at the zoo has its own personality.

Berry fell in love with wildlife at the Smithsonian National Zoological Park in Washington, D.C. He remembers the Asian elephant Ambika, who came to the National Zoo in 1961 and said that it was like they grew up together.

“I have a special place in my heart for the elephants because of that,” he said.

Carmen Turner, former general manager of the Washington Metro, mentored Berry when he worked as a legislative director for Congressman Steny Hoyer in his 20s, and when she asked what Berry's dream job would be, he said that it would be to serve as director of the National Zoo. Turner told him to hold on to that dream, “because life has a real funny way of taking you places.”

In 2005, the National Zoo was in hot water over animal deaths and alleged mismanagement. Berry had been leading the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, and because he had an image of a "fixer" in his career, he got his dream job leading the National Zoo. Berry left the National Zoo in 2009 when then President Barack Obama tapped him to lead the U.S. Office of Personnel Management.

Berry’s father was a U.S. Marine who taught his kids to polish their shoes. When Berry was the director of the National Zoo, the elephant Ambika loved his shoe polish.

“She would run across the yard, and put her trunk through the bars and slobber all over my shoes. It was so funny,” he said.

Berry took the lead of the Honolulu Zoo as director in July.

“To get to do your dream job twice is a real special thing," he said.

Berry told Aloha State Daily on Tuesday that the best parts of his job are the animals at the zoo and the passionate employees.

"[The zoo staff] really care deeply about the animals. They’re passionate about conservation," he said. "It’s magical when you get to work amongst passionate people because it doesn’t feel like work anymore, it feels like you’re getting to live the dream and participating in an important cause."

Berry has big goals for the zoo. He wants to make it the top tourist destination in Honolulu, increase the number of visitors from 550,000 to 1 million annually, turn the zoo into a botanical garden and bring new animals to the zoo, on top of its missions of conservation and education.

First things first, one of Berry's top priorities is addressing deferred maintenance, which he said has been overlooked.

The zoo recently replaced the hippo water filtration system, a project started by former Director Linda Santos, and is in the process of updating the water filtration in the elephant exhibit. The zoo installed aluminum fencing around the giraffe exhibit to give them the option to safely leave their barn at night.

However, Berry said that financing maintenance will be a challenge and he will be looking to donors for support.

According to the City and County of Honolulu charter, 0.5% of estimated real property tax revenues are deposited into the Honolulu Zoo Fund annually. The City and County of Honolulu appropriated $9.2 million to the Honolulu Zoo in 2026. According to the budget, the main expenses are utilities, solid waste disposal, animal food and veterinary services. According to Berry, about half of the zoo’s funding comes from the City of Honolulu. The zoo also receives funding from admission fees, memberships and the nonprofit Honolulu Zoo Society.

“The city residents of Honolulu, God bless them, have given a very firm foundation to protect the zoo, which is something I take very seriously, so we want to make sure we’re spending every penny of that wisely,” he said.

Conservation is one of the zoo’s most important mission, according to Berry. 

“I even put conservation ahead of education, because I believe in our current time, so many things are under stress that we’re not thinking about how we’re actually conserving them and helping them then we’re not doing our job," he said. We want to inspire another generation of conservationists.”

Berry introduced Aloha State Daily to two of the zoo’s oldest residents: Galápagos Giant Tortoises named Jaws and Charlotte who landed in Hawaiʻi in 1929 through the Charles Townsend expedition to save the tortoise from extinction.

Honolulu Zoo, alongside the San Diego Zoo, became the first two zoos to breed the Galápagos tortoise in captivity. Honolulu Zoo is currently home to nine Galápagos Giant Tortoises.

Kauaʻi is witnessing a dramatic decline in ʻanianiau, and Honolulu Zoo has brought in nine ʻanianiau in an off-exhibit conservation breeding initiative. ʻAnianiau are the smallest living native Hawaiian bird, measuring approximately four inches long and weighing around 10 grams.

Berry also hopes to bring some new animals to the zoo. Sandi, the zoo’s female giraffe, will come off birth control in the near future and Berry hopes that there will be a third giraffe at the zoo.

“Only an hour into the day you will end up talking about poop and sex, everyday,” he said.

Honolulu Mayor Rick Blangiardi traveled to the People’s Republic of China in April and explored the potential of bringing giant pandas to the Honolulu Zoo.

Berry oversaw three giant pandas during his tenure at the National Zoo, and said the Honolulu Zoo would provide an air conditioned space, chilled pools and cooled rocks for the pandas.

Berry wants the zoo to focus on the interconnectivity of plants and animals, rather than the traditional method of geography.

“Our species has gone everywhere, from pole to pole, and we have put our mark everywhere, both for good and for bad,” Berry said. “What we need now to learn is enough humility to share the planet with plants and animals, and if we don’t learn that we will be taught that lesson at our own peril, because if they go, we go. The message I want to communicate is that all life has value, all life has meaning.”

“I’m going to argue that aloha will save all of us, and if we can extend aloha to our animals and plants, all will be well.”

Berry moved to Hawaiʻi with his partner of 29 years, Curtis Yee, to be closer to Yee’s family. Yee grew up in Hawaiʻi and is related to one of Hawaiʻis first senators, Hiram Fong.

John Berry and Neelix

<title>John Berry is living his dream, again</title>

The new Honolulu Zoo Director John Berry took the role in July and said he is living his dream. Aloha State Daily caught up with Berry and some of his favorite zoo residents on Tuesday at the zoo.

John Berry is living his dream, again

Kelli Shiroma Braiotta Headshot

Kelli Shiroma Braiotta

Food & Dining

Business & Tourism

, according to business owner Talia Bongolan-Schwartz. While the business's Kailua store has remained open, the bagel biz is soft opening another Honolulu location in a spot that's close to Ward Village.

Tali’s Bagels & Schmear is opening on Friday, Aug. 21, on Waimanu Street, at the new artist co-working/gallery venue called OurSpace. While the new space is conducive to takeout, customer seating is also available. 

“A bunch of the folks who started OurSpace came from BoxJelly,” Bongolan-Schwartz explains. “They asked us if we would be interested (in coming here) when we were still open at Ward.

“OurSpace is quite new; they’ve got an artist co-working space and they do a bunch of events, too,” Bongolan-Schwartz adds.

During the business’s soft opening, only in-person ordering will be available. The biz still features its most popular menu items, including the b.e.c. ($13.99) — crispy bacon, scrambled eggs, cheddar and muenster — and the OG NYC ($17.99), which features premium lox, classic schmear, local dill, capers, tomato and red onion.

Newer menu items feature turkey, ham and pastrami bagel sandwiches, according to Bongolan-Schwartz.

“We decided to step up the lunch game,” she says. “The biggest difference you’re going to see on the menu is a whole line of Boar’s Head meats and a bunch of homemade sauces — we’re making a horseradish Russian dressing, lemon caper remoulade and spicy brown mustard. We’re slicing the meat fresh, too; none of it’s pre-sliced.”

New options include the deli ($15.99) — Mesquite-smoked turkey, black forest ham, housemade lemon-caper remoulade, cheddar, Swiss, local lettuce, tomato and sprouts — and the Jewish deli ($16.99), which comprises fresh-sliced pastrami, Swiss, housemade spicy brown mustard and house pickles.

Bongolan-Schwartz expects the business’s hot pastrami ($18.99) — fresh-sliced pastrami, housemade Russian dressing, Swiss, sauerkraut and a side of house pickles — to become a customer favorite.

“That is a New York classic, kind of going for the Katz’s Deli (vibe),” she says. “We’re basically going from a bagel shop to slowly expanding into a delicatessen.”

All sandwiches are served on the customers’ bagel of choice; the Everything bagel is the most popular flavor, according to Bongolan-Schwartz.

“We’ll normally have our full assortment of bagels,” she says. “I really like the onion (bagel); it’s a good complementary flavor. I would add onion onto any sandwich anyway, so it kind of cuts out the need for that.”

The biz also features an expanded drink selection at this location. Besides sparkling water and soft drinks, customers can opt for Israeli iced coffee ($7.99) — a cold brew slushie with oat milk, local mac nut syrup and a honey-tahini drizzle — and Shaloha slush ($6.50), which is made with local liliko

Tali’s Bagels & Schmear will be open from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. Wednesdays to Mondays (closed Tuesdays). The biz has extended its hours compared to its previous location, which was closed on Mondays and Tuesdays.

“We’re definitely excited to see our old customers,” Bongolan-Schwartz says. “That was important to us — to stay close enough by that people who have been loyal to us for three years at Ward Centre would be able to hopefully just walk over here. We’re excited to see how the new menu does.

“We were nervous about the new menu because we made a lot of cuts,” she adds. “We cut a lot of things off the old menu that are pretty traditional, like our white fish salad, which is a New York deli staple. But I think this menu is going to suit the needs and desires of the people here.”

The biz will eventually do a grand opening. For updates, follow Tali’s Bagels & Schmear on 

Open 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. Wednesdays to Mondays (closed Tuesdays)

Talis Bagels owner 081926

<title>Tali’s Bagels & Schmear is reopening in Honolulu</title>

The bagel shop, which used to be located in Ward Centre, is soft opening in its new location on Waimanu Street on Friday, Aug. 21. The business features bestselling dishes like the OG NYC bagel, along with new deli-style creations like the hot pastrami.

Tali’s Bagels & Schmear is reopening in Honolulu

, known for its affordable bentos, just opened its third location on Young Street. This store is in the former space of J-Shop.

U-Kitchen offers a variety of musubi, bentos, bowls and curry. The menu is the same here as its downtown Honolulu store, according to business owner Yudai Fukuda.

Popular bentos include butterfish ($13.99), mochiko chicken ($10.99) and chicken katsu ($10.99). The musubi selection ranges from salmon ($2.99) and spicy tuna ($3.19) to unagi ($4.79) and mentai mayo ($3.29).

U-Kitchen’s original location is in Kalihi; its downtown Honolulu store, which is in Topa Financial Center, is currently closed due a power outage in the building, according to Fukuda. He says the downtown Honolulu store — 

“Our peak time (at that location) was from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.,” he says, nothing the shop’s popularity with the downtown Honolulu lunch crowd.

He says that Topa Financial Center was supposed to reopen on Aug. 24, but says the re-opening was delayed further after Hurricane Lala.

U-Kitchen’s Young Street store is open from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Mondays to Saturdays. Customer parking is available in the shop's lot.  

Open 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Mondays to Saturdays, closed Sundays

U Kitchen Young Street worker 081826

<title>U-Kitchen opens a new bento and musubi cafe</title>

The business, whose original location is in Kalihi, just opened a third location on Young Street in the former J-Shop space. The business’s Downtown Honolulu store has been temporarily closed since July 23, according to U-Kitchen owner Yudai Fukuda.

Hawai‘i Scene on Social: Classic interrogation technique

ASD Staff

Reporter

More in Hawaiʻi Scene on Social

Enter for a chance to win tickets to see Disney’s live action adaptation of the animated film ‘Moana’

Hawai‘i Scene on Social meets Hawai‘i Skies

Hawai‘i Scene on Social: Neighborhood weather updates

Hawai‘i Scene on Social: Island vibes

Most read

Hawai‘i Scene on Social: Classic interrogation technique

Authors

ASD Staff

Reporter

More in Hawaiʻi Scene on Social

Enter for a chance to win tickets to see Disney’s live action adaptation of the animated film ‘Moana’

Hawai‘i Scene on Social meets Hawai‘i Skies

Hawai‘i Scene on Social: Neighborhood weather updates

Hawai‘i Scene on Social: Island vibes

Most read