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Kady Pascual

Hawaiʻi Scene on Social

Sup bebeh pup! Like ride in my lifted yota!?

Firefly golden retriever driving a lifted Toyota 4runner 136381

<title>Hawai‘i Scene on Social: Dogs are cooler than humans</title>

Today’s social media find comes from @HumphreySaccaro, stylin’ in his lifted yota.

Hawai‘i Scene on Social: Dogs are cooler than humans

Sup bebeh pup! Like ride in my lifted yota!?  Make sure to follow @HumphreySaccaro on Instagram!

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Michael Brestovansky

Crime & Courts

The woman charged with murder after allegedly fatally shooting a man in Kailua last weekend was turned in by her father the day of the event, according to a Honolulu police report.

Hilinaikailimakualopali Keeno, 24, was charged on Sept. 30 with second-degree murder, carrying a firearm in the commission of a felony and improperly keeping a pistol or revolver. She is being held pending a $1 million bail.

An HPD document — which was submitted on Tuesday, Sept. 29, to the Honolulu Circuit Court to establish probable cause to detain Keeno without a warrant — states that Keeno’s father brought her to the Kailua Police Station less than an hour after 

was declared dead of a gunshot wound to the neck in the Kailua Target parking lot.

The report states that HPD special duty officers, who were working security at the Kailua Fall Festival that day, were called to assist with a group of festivalgoers involved in an argument at about 8:26 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 26.

Officers escorted the group out of the festival and watched them head toward the Target parking lot, only to hear another altercation begin among the group minutes later.

During this new altercation, a pop resembling a gunshot was heard, and officers saw two men — one of whom was Keeno’s brother — assaulting a third. Both assailants were placed under arrest for disorderly conduct, while officers discovered Malone on the ground, covered in blood.

[{"type":"text","text":"Malone was declared dead at the scene by 8:43 p.m."}]

At 9:39 p.m., Keeno was brought to the Kailua Police Station by her father, who told police she was involved in the incident and wanted to provide a statement in the presence of her attorney.

According to the HPD report, no interview was conducted with Keeno that night. Subsequently, HPD sought photographs and videos from the public to help piece together the event and identify the shooter.

On Sept. 28, another witness identified Keeno as the shooter, and HPD confirmed that Keeno has one firearm registered in her name, a Sig Sauer P365 handgun.

[{"type":"text","text":"Following this, Keeno was placed under arrest."}]

Keeno’s preliminary hearing, when she will plead guilty or not guilty to the charges, will take place Monday, Oct. 5. She remains in custody.

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<title>Woman charged in Kailua shooting turned in by father</title>

Hilinakailimakualopali Keeno faces a $1 million bail for a second-degree murder charge.

Woman charged in Kailua shooting turned in by father

Christian Shimabuku Headshot

Christian Shimabuku

Sports

Business & Tourism

HĀLAWA — That puka in the sky? It hasn't been visible for over 50 years. 

The original Aloha Stadium broke ground in 1971, opening in 1975 at a total cost of $37 million. For 45 years, it earned the reputation as Hawai‘i's gathering place, hosting a multitude of sporting events and concerts. But in late 2020, the stadium's rusty condition was condemned and deemed unsafe to hold any fans. 

For more than five years, the stadium's 50,000 seats idled. After submitting the lone bid to become the new stadium's developer, Aloha Hālawa District Partners (AHDP) publicly revealed their first renderings of a new mixed-use stadium and entertainment district in the winter of 2024. After the New Aloha Stadium and Entertainment District (NASED) came to terms on a 

Then in February, live demolition of the stadium began with the side awning in Hālawa. A 

 continued over the next months, taking away the upper decks of both sides of the old stadium. 

In July's Aloha Stadium Authority meeting, interim manager Michael Yadao was in a reflective state of mind. He was a member of the board when the year began, then was voted into his new role in time for 

. Each update serves as a milestone, with the new stadium on the same grounds getting closer to reality with each step. 

"Contracts were in question, and legislative support was in question. Community support was there, but I think a frustration was setting in about, 'When does it start? When do you move?' 

The stadium is in a very different and much better place (compared to when it was idle)," Yadao told Aloha State Daily. 

Yadao joked during the Stadium Authority meeting that images of the interior's current state look "post-apocalyptic," but it's merely setting the stage for what's next in the weeks and months ahead. 

, is prepared to unveil its latest round of renderings of the new stadium, which is planned to seat 31,000 with the future capacity for 10,000 more. 

Meanwhile, groundbreaking for the new Aloha Stadium, targeted to open in spring of 2029, can begin as early as November and as late as January 2027. Yadao says Thanksgiving is the current estimate for when it could begin. 

The current stadium in its entirety will not be torn down, as AHDP and NASED both told ASD that preserving the structures in both end zones will save approximately $90 million in construction costs. 

Also in July's meeting, the board told Yadao that he was "exceeding expectations" six months into the role after stepping in following Chris Sadayasu's resignation. When asked how he envisions things looking a year from now, he flashed a wide grin.

"By the summertime (in 2027), you're in construction. You're in it," Yadao said. "I think you start seeing the framework of what's going to become (the next) Aloha Stadium. It's a continuance, and I think you're gonna see it start to take shape. I can't even envision a year from now. I got to get through the next six months."

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<title>Aloha Stadium prepares for next round of milestones</title>

New renderings for the 31,000-seat stadium are expected soon, while groundbreaking is targeted to begin towards the end of the year.

Aloha Stadium prepares for next round of milestones

Arrasmith Portrait

Perry Arrasmith

Government & Politics

Columnists

The most bizarre section in Hawai‘i’s 

 is the one that relates to the state’s regulation of population growth. It is a testament to a bygone era informed by misguided local anxieties. 

Runaway population growth across the Hawaiian Islands once occupied the Hawai'i zeitgeist. While much of this mindset persists in the halls of society, it contrasts with Hawai‘i’s contemporary demographic woes. 

Between April 1960 and April 1970, Hawai‘i added 115,510 residents to its population, totalling 748,182 residents across the islands. It was a meteoric rise that stressed the Hawai‘i’s poor infrastructure, corrupt land management practices, and limited housing across the islands. 

Hawai‘i was a young, growing society. The median age of a resident was 25. Much of the State’s dynamism and vigour, in turn, were informed by a mix of talent both local and non-local.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"}],"text":"Perhaps it was too much of a good thing. "}]

During this time, national commentators were fretting about the global population’s growth. Paul and Anne Ehrlich had co-authored 

in 1968. Internationally, the Club of Rome furnished the

report, which only further argued against overconsumption. Political views wrapped in scientific dogma started-off a new movement whose cultural salience was confirmed by the 1973 film 

While societies were wasteful and inefficient, these reports didn’t necessarily call for more efficiency. Instead, they called for fewer people. 

While the times have changed, our Constitution’s outdated language shows how we are still stuck in the ’70s. Through national debates over population control, Hawai‘i became a tragic guinea pig that used environmentalism to justify population control, opening the floodgates for arguments against urban development, immigration, and economic growth. 

These conversations continue to plague Hawai‘i’s zeitgeist, most notably when it comes to unnecessary conflict between economic growth and environmental stewardship.

In 1970, the Hawai‘i State Legislature passed Senate Resolution 305, establishing the State’s Temporary Commission on Population Stabilization. A 1972 report issued by the Commission suggested an inverse relationship between environmental stewardship and population growth. 

“It remains to be seen whether or not we will achieve a balance with the limits of the Hawaiian environment in this present period of growth in Hawaiian history,” the 

 warned, “but it should be recognized that with respect to maintaining the quality of the environment, population and prosperity are ‘trade-offs.’ If we expect to maintain a fixed level of pollution and impact on the environment by people in Hawaii, then any increase in one will require a corresponding decrease in the other.”

In the following year, the State Senate once again adopted a resolution calling for the establishment of an optimum state population. “The question of population equilibria among the Islands is a difficult one to answer quantitatively,” a 

 from the Department of Planning and Economic Development warned.

“One must consider the impact on the environment, what ‘quality of life’ should be used as a measure, means of developing a viable economy within a stable population, and the size of population on each Island which will bring about a desirable balance with the social and natural environment of Hawai‘i.”

Nationally, the Commission on Population and the American Future had been established by federal law in March 1970. A final 

 issued by the Commission was submitted to the U.S. Congress in March 1972, with proposals ranging from increased abortion access to voluntary sterilization to stricter immigration controls. Out of political embarrassment for its recommendations, the Nixon Administration largely distanced itself from the Commission.

However, the rhetoric which argued for limits on immigration had devastating consequences. In the present-day, arguments blaming immigrants for environmental degradation have had devastating 

Back in Hawai‘i, the reports stacked on one another. In 1972, Earl R. Babbie of the civic organization 

, a major argument for a cap on Hawai‘i’s population at one million (Hawai‘i’s population reached this threshold in the mid-’80s). 

These reports built a case for a more permanent state agency tasked with controlling the state’s population growth. As a result, the Commission on Population Stabilization and the Hawaiian Future was 

A primary architect of the measure, Nadao Yoshinga, was not solely worried about the influx of outsiders. Natural population growth among existing residents was another worry. Yoshinaga, an influential member of the State Senate, would 

 in the name of limited Hawai‘i’s population growth over the coming years. Limiting population by whatever means necessary (in the confines of the law) was the objective.

At around this time, Robert C. Schmitt, the State Statistician of Hawai‘i, 

 of the emerging field of population policy. Proponents of population control, at least in the early Statehood era, had started to organize in the late ’60s through such organizations as the University of Hawai‘i-sponsored Zero Population Growth-Honoulu, Citizens for Hawai‘i, Life of the Land, the Sierra Club, and Save our Surf. 

These groups advocated for policies to halt population migration, economic development, and other factors like densified communities in the name of environmentalism. Perhaps tragically, this misguided approach to Hawai‘i’s prevailing problems created a manichean world of values in conflict with one another.

Arguments for population control in the name of environmental stewardship had a real impact on policy in the late ’70s. Most notably, this came to a head in 1977.

During his annual State of the State address, Governor George Ariyoshi directly addressed population control, arguing for immigration controls and density regulation in the name of the ‘aloha spirit.’

“The problem of excessive population seems to be central to nearly every problem in the State.” he started. “Too many people means too few jobs and too much competition for them. Too many people means too little land for agriculture, parks, and scenic vistas. Too many people means too much crime and too much erosion of possibly our single most important commodity: the Aloha Spirit. Too many people means too much pressure on all our governmental and private institutions.” 

Ariyoshi wanted fewer people in Hawai‘i, plain and simple. To reinforce his views, the State Legislature even sponsored a 

 on population and the Hawaiian future in March 1977. 

One piece of legislation would have discriminated against recent arrivals to Hawai‘i through residency requirements for state jobs. A Federal Judge based in Honolulu, the part-Hawaiian Sam P. King, condemned the State of Hawai‘i’s flirtation with a flagrantly “anti-migratory” statute.

These attempts provide a marked contrast with the present day. In January 2025, the Department of Human Services 

 that the State suffers from a vacancy rate of 24% of all civil services positions (equivalent to more than 4,000 jobs). 

Nevertheless, Hawai‘i still inserted a section into its Constitution at the 1978 Constitutional Convention that called for population planning. To date, it is the only Constitution in the United States with such explicit language.

Instead of promoting smarter urban planning methods that conserved space while reducing sprawl or incentivizing farmers to bring more fallow agricultural land into cultivation, it was more convenient to blame the outside migrants for Hawai‘i’s development problems.

Instead of fostering solutions which invite greater societal innovation, it is more convenient to fall for an ideology wrapped in the veneer of science. 

Since 1970, Hawai‘i’s population fortunes have reversed.

Global population growth is not exponential, nor could it sustain the growth rates witnessed after the Second World War. In fact, our planet’s 

 will likely begin declining before 2100. 

The paranoia of the ’70s became irrelevant over the following decade. By 1983, the Commission on Population and the Hawaiian Future had been abolished.

For a majority of Hawai‘i’s residents in 2025, the ’70s are a foreign, unknown domain. Since Hawai‘i’s 

 was 41 as of 2024, it’s safe to conclude more than half of Hawai‘i’s population was born after 1980.

Today, Hawai‘i is missing people. It is one of the fastest aging states in the United States. The population is contracting, with more than half of all Native Hawaiians on the planet living outside of the archipelago.

Culturally, it is still easy to blame the outsider for our own problems. Instead of acknowledging our own complicitly in failing to plan for the future, it is far easier to find that the outsider is only exacerbating the problems we are not addressing. Policies which now arrest growth not only injure potential migrants. They also hurt residents.

The debates over population control in the ’70s were about a fear of change and a society’s failure to properly navigate the pressures wrought by new forces.

Contemporary conflicts over growth still magnify this attitude. Not unironically, stewarding Hawai‘i’s environment means Hawai‘i’s environment needs to also steward Hawai‘i’s people.

“It should be remembered,” Governor John Burns said in 

, “that the key ingredient in any environment is man himself: he is part and parcel of and the key to the value of our total system of symbiotic relationships on this earth. Being a part of the environment demands that we consider human economics together with biological ecology.” 

“If man is hungry, ill-housed, undereducated or poorly treated in his society,” he wondered, “what service is it to him that his environment remains in its pristine, natural state?”

A society without one cannot have the other. We need to think about growth, not stabilization. We need to think about people.

In our own time, we need a Constitution whose thinking is not tethered to the past. While the language in outdated documents like our Constitution locks our zeitgeist in another time, we need to get over our history. We need a better zeitgeist.

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<title>Hawai‘i's bizarre legacy of population control (and why it's still here)</title>

In the 1970s, Hawai‘i gave in to fears of overpopulation, so much so that population control was put into the State Constitution.

Hawai‘i's bizarre legacy of population control (and why it's still here)

During his playing career from 2009 to 2011, Kolten Wong cemented himself as perhaps the greatest hitter in the history of the University of Hawai‘i baseball program. At UH, his No. 14 is the only jersey number retired from a position player. 

On Friday, he was back at his old stomping grounds at Les Murakami Stadium for the first time during baseball season. Every other year since he left UH, he was playing professional baseball. 

Prior to the University of Hawai‘i's 12-6 loss to UC San Diego, Wong threw out the first pitch as he prepares to get officially inducted to the 

Wong took in Friday's festivities with his wife, Alissa, and two sons, Kash and Kruz. Retired ESPN sportscaster Neil Everett was also at the Les on Friday night, introducing Wong to the crowd. The mere fact that Wong was at UH in May and not on a pro ball field on the Mainland was a heavy indication of where his playing career stands. 

"I kind of came to the conclusion that I'm probably going to be hanging them up," Wong, 34, said. "It's just one of those things. The game, how it's going. ... I'm a dad. I'm enjoying that, the best big league dad that I can be. So, I'm going to stick to that."

A two-time All-American, Wong slugged 25 home runs while hitting .358 as a 'Bow, raising his batting average each year. He was selected by the St. Louis Cardinals with the 22nd overall selection of the 2011 MLB Draft, making his big league debut in 2013. 

In a 10-year major league career, Wong established himself as one of the league's best defenders, winning National League Gold Gloves at second base in 2019 and 2020. 

"Playing in the big leagues for me was icing on the cake," Wong, a Kamehameha-Hawai‘i alumnus said. "But coming here, being a kid from Hawai"i, it was always a goal of mine, all this other stuff that I'm getting right now. It's just incredible. I'm just truly honored and humbled by it."

For the first time on Friday, Wong was able to take in a University of Hawai‘i baseball game as an adult fan. 

"I haven't had the chance to be here and be a fan. I told my wife I might even sit back and have a beer tonight," Wong said.

Hawai‘i Scene on Social: Dogs are cooler than humans

Kady Pascual

Social Media & Marketing Manager

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Hawai‘i Scene on Social: Dogs are cooler than humans

Authors

Kady Pascual

Social Media & Marketing Manager

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’

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