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Kady Pascual

Hawaiʻi Scene on Social

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"}],"text":"No fries for birdy!"}]

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My Kailua Windowshopping 16x9

<title>Hawai‘i Scene on Social: Window shopping</title>

Today’s social media find comes from @MyKailua, that view is window-ful!

Hawai‘i Scene on Social: Window shopping

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Stephanie Salmons Headshot

Stephanie Salmons

Business & Tourism

The only place there wasn't a traffic jam during Tuesday's tsunami warning were the runways at Hawai‘i's airports.

 was issued Tuesday afternoon, July 29, following a magnitude 8.8 earthquake off the coast of Kamchatka, Russia. Waves hit the Islands just after 7 p.m. that night, causing some flooding.

Evacuation orders snarled traffic in Honolulu and some fliers were grounded along with the planes at the state's airports as flights were canceled. 

Alex Da Silva, regional communications director — Hawai‘i for Alaska Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines, told Aloha State Daily in an email that from the initial tsunami alert, and for the duration of the threat, “we remained focused on operating safely and minimizing disruptions to our guests.”

Hawaiian canceled 23 interisland flights on Tuesday out of some 150 it operates daily across the Islands and another five on Wednesday as the airline “repositioned aircraft and recovered the operation,” he said. Additionally, Alaska Airlines, which has acquired Hawaiian and is in 

 that will retain both distinct brands, canceled 15 flights on Tuesday and one on Wednesday between Hawai‘i and the U.S. West Coast, according to Da Silva.

Da Silva said that a few thousand passengers booked on Hawaiian’s 28 canceled flights were impacted by Tuesday’s tsunami warning.

“We offered a waiver for guests to modify their travel plans at no cost, and on Wednesday we increased capacity on five interisland roundtrips — two between Honolulu and Hilo, and three between Honolulu and Kahului — by flying our larger Airbus A321neo aircraft to ensure all guests could be accommodated.”

[{"type":"text","text":"ASD also reached out to Southwest Airlines."}]

A spokesperson said in an emailed response that “Nothing is more important to Southwest Airlines than the safety of our customers and employees.”

The airline canceled or rerouted flights scheduled to either land in or take off from Hawai‘i Tuesday night, they said.

Because of the weather, Southwest experienced “brief airport closures and operational impacts overnight, including 25 cancellations to and from Hawai‘i,” the spokesperson noted. “We issued a travel advisory to allow affected customers to alter their travel plans without paying additional charges.”

ASD is also talking with airlines and other tenants at the airport about emergency preparedness.

The tsunami impacted global travel, with 

More than 1,000 flights were canceled and 27,470 were delayed around the world on Wednesday after the Russian earthquake and Pacific tsunami."

For the latest news of Hawai‘i, sign up 

Honolulu airport

<title>Airlines talk flight impacts during tsunami threat</title>

Evacuation orders on July 29 snarled traffic in Honolulu and some fliers were grounded — along with the planes — at the state's airports as flights were canceled.

Airlines talk flight impacts during tsunami threat

Government & Politics

Real Estate

[{"type":"text","text":"Another day, another step towards more affordable housing on O‘ahu."}]

The City and County of Honolulu this week selected EAH Housing as its "preferred negotiating partner" for the redevelopment of 436 Ena Road into long-term affordable rentals.

In an announcement Thursday, the city said that the 6,000-square-foot parcel, located just off of Kalākaua Avenue, includes an empty eight-story building and a detached parking structure.

Originally constructed in the early 1990s and later converted to residential use, the building was operated by the city as affordable rental housing until 2023," the announcement notes. "The selected team will be tasked with redeveloping the property to maximize long-term affordability with utmost efficiency and quality."

, a nonprofit housing organization that has worked in the Islands for more than three decades, is the lead developer, but the development team also includes Guam-based co-developer 

“We’re honored to partner with the city on this important effort,” Laura Hall, president and CEO of EAH Housing said in the announcement. “Affordable housing remains one of Honolulu’s most pressing challenges, and this project offers a meaningful opportunity to add to the housing inventory. We are committed to delivering high-quality homes that are affordable for the long term and support a more inclusive, sustainable future for Honolulu’s residents.”

Dominic Jeon told Aloha State Daily in an emailed response to questions that both Core Tech and EAH are experienced Low-Income Housing Tax Credit developers.

EAH, he says, "is a terrific partner and is one of the most respected housing development organizations in the country. We are excited about our partnership and look forward to helping EAH and the City to create affordable housing for Hawai‘i’s families."

"From our experience on Guam, there is nothing more gratifying than knowing that you have helped local families by creating affordable housing," Jeon says. "I have lived here now for almost a decade – and a constant complaint is that our children won’t be able to afford to live here and they will not be able to afford their own homes. We at Core Tech Hawai‘i want to see how we can change that."

Partnering with the development community to build housing on city-owned lands is one of the components of a 

 the city unveiled earlier this year. You can 

Around the time the strategic plan was announced, Honolulu 

 for the redevelopment of four underutilized city-owned properties into affordable rental projects: 1615 Ala Wai Blvd., 436 Ena Road, 130 S. Beretania St.; and 1421 Pensacola St.

As for the latest milestone, Kevin Auger, director designate of the city's Department of Housing and Land management told Aloha State Daily in an emailed response to questions, "We're genuinely excited about this. Properties have been sitting and now they’re becoming part of the solution.

"Waikīkī is one of the most challenging markets on the island when it comes to affordability, which makes this project even more important," he continued. "We’re really turning the corner and gaining momentum in executing our strategic plan to activate dormant public land to develop the kind of housing our residents truly need."

[{"type":"text","text":"What does the city hope to see in this Ena Road space?"}]

Auger says that the goal is to deliver affordable rental housing through a long-term ground lease.

"We want high-quality units that serve local residents, and we expect the redevelopment to make full use of the site — efficiently, responsibly and with long-term affordability in mind," he told ASD. "This is about turning an underutilized property into a real community asset. That means thoughtful design, community engagement and a project that reflects the needs of Waikīkī while adding lasting value. The specific unit count and income targeting will be determined through the predevelopment process once plans are further defined."

Auger says that the city has set a timeline with its preferred negotiating partners of 120 days to complete a development contract.

"From there, we want to move quickly into predevelopment," he continued. "The goal is to get this project into production as soon as possible."

This is the latest in the city's efforts to bring affordable housing to the island.

Just last week, the city announced that it had selected a preferred development partner for the redevelopment of 

The city, which acquired that property through condemnation in January 2024, 

 the existing, dilapidated apartment building that once sat there to make way for a future affordable housing development.

Centre Urban Real Estate was named as the city's "preferred negotiating partner" for that project.

Auger says the city is finalizing the next steps for 130 S. Beretania and 1421 Pensacola, "and expect to have an announcement ready in the coming weeks — so stay tuned."

"We're continuing to evaluate the best path forward for each site to ensure we maximize public benefit."

The city says that all projects selected under the RFQ will "undergo robust community engagement, environmental review, land use approvals, and financial structuring as part of the next phase of development."

436 Ena Road

<title>Honolulu continues affordable housing push</title>

The City and County of Honolulu this week selected a "preferred negotiating partner" for the redevelopment of 436 Ena Road into long-term affordable rentals.

Honolulu continues affordable housing push

Kelsey Kukaua Medeiros Headshot

Kelsey Kukaua Medeiros

Aloha Spirit

[{"type":"text","text":"Domestic Violence Action Center is at a point of transition."}]

For more than 33 years, co-founder Nanci Kreidman led the statewide nonprofit agency, which provides resources such as individual counseling, agency referrals, legal services and help with housing and personalized safety plans, for victims of domestic violence and their families.

Kreidman retired in June 2023 and the following year, Monique Ibarra was named CEO. Prior to her appointment, Ibarra served as executive director of Ka Hale A Ke Ola Homeless Resource Centers Inc. She previously spent two years at the Domestic Violence Clearinghouse and Legal Hotline on Maui (DVAC’s

Earlier this month, Ibarra stepped down for “personal reasons,” according to DVAC, which tapped Laurie Tochiki, former president and CEO of nonprofit EPIC 

Tochiki, whose background is in family law, social services and human resources, co-founded EPIC, an organization “that strengthens ʻohana and enhances the welfare of children and youth,” its mission states. She has taught family law courses at the University of Hawaiʻi William S. Richardson School of Law and is a current member of the Hawaiʻi State Bar Association.

“I do want to express our gratitude for Monique and her dedication to DVAC over the last two years. She stepped into the organization during a very difficult time,” Board President David Tumilowicz told Aloha State Daily. “That was DVAC

’s hard to anticipate how difficult it can be to follow in the footsteps of a founder. Monique did some really important work at DVAC during her time there.”

Tumilowicz, who is the senior director of marketing and community health at Kaiser Permanente Hawai'i, shared that Tochiki “is the right person at this point in time to continue DVAC’s life-saving work for a couple reasons: her background in decades of experience advocating for Hawai

ʻi’s children and family and her deep belief that everyone deserves to live in a safe home."

Tochiki’s relationship with UH's law school is key for one of the organization’s current priorities of developing the local pipeline of attorneys, he noted, adding, “We believe she is ideally suited to help DVAC innovate and bring more legal resources to the community.”

It was intentional, too, that the board named Tochiki as interim CEO “as soon as possible,” Tumilowicz said. “While Laurie and Monique’s tenure did not overlap, Laurie came in on Monday following Monique’s departure, so there wasn’t any in-between time.”

As the search for a permanent CEO begins to get underway, Tochiki will head the agency for the next year, he said. “When it does [begin], it will be with staff and community engagement as it has been in the past.”

DVAC currently has 44 employees. In fiscal year 2025, staff responded to more than 2,700 helpline calls resulting in 1,029 safety plans, 695 community referrals, and more than 1,100 callers who received legal information and education. DVAC also provided more than 7,000 court-related services and a total of 121 legals services, which included court appearances, legal consultations, divorce decrees and post-decree cases, and protective and temporary restraining orders.

, its annual operating budget is $4.5 million.

Tumilowicz told ASD more about where the organization stands currently and where it’s headed. He shared DVAC’s short and long-term goals, as well as his own personal commitment to speaking out against domestic violence.

What lessons have you/DVAC’s board learned since moving away from a founder-led organization?

So many people are at DVAC because of Nanci Kreidman, me included. Nanci approached me when I was publisher at Hawai’i Business [Magazine] many years ago and said, ‘Hey David, I bet you don’t know it but domestic violence is a business issue you should be writing about.’ ... Nanci is tenacious and persistent, and we continued talking about it until I did come to understand how the issue of domestic violence is a community issue, a moral issue and a business issue. 

The agency has transitioned away from such a charismatic leader, who was responsible for its growth over the years in an ad hoc way. Oftentimes one of the opportunities moving on from the founder is to create stronger processes and systems and so forth, moving to a more bureaucratic structure.

The board is the governance body and the most important thing that a board does is select the leader of the organization. We are not running the day-to-day, but our focus is on employee well-being, along with the clients, as our most important stakeholders and audience. Board members, me included, went and spent time with staff in-person to inform them of the most recent leadership transition and to talk it through.

We all knew this was going to be a significant transition for DVAC, but I don’t think anyone really understood what that fully meant in terms of the details. 

Moving forward, what are some of the operational goals under Tochiki’s leadership over the next year? 

Going forward with Laurie, we’ve identified a couple of major themes. The first is to focus on staff and staff well-being; building meaningful career development opportunities and ways to support our staff even better is high on the list; providing a safe place to process secondary trauma they experience in work that they do; and making sure we have the right culture at DVAC. Another thing is DVAC, like any employer for-profit or not-for-profit, has to be concerned about the challenges of cost of living here in Hawai

ʻi. So, we’re striving to compensate our staff adequately and provide a living wage.

The second piece is around bringing more legal resources to the community. DVAC has been a learning ground for many lawyers over the years and I think that we need to understand that better. We

’re really excited about exploring and bringing some innovative ways to s

olve the legal staffing issue to the table.

Third, is building upon our relationship and collaboration with other agencies. No one can do this work alone. None of us. We all need to work together to ensure everyone has a safe home to live in.

’re focusing internally, building the strongest organization possible and navigating the leadership transition.

What does the organization need most right now? 

It’s really thinking about the problem of domestic violence as a community issue that we all need to find our voice and learn about so we can each weigh in. DVAC welcomes volunteers, so that’s an area for engagement. We do hold the annual Men’s March Against Domestic Violence, which is a very important opportunity for men to learn about the problem of domestic violence and find their voice. That’s how I got involved with DVAC initially as a participant and then later, helping to organize and grow the march to over 1,000 men each year. The way that we did that was by engaging with all our Downtown [Honolulu] businesses.

I’m a parent, I have two sons in their early 20s. I talk about the second conversation after the birds and the bees that we need to have with our children about our expectations for how they’ll treat each other and their significant others. Domestic violence affects 1 in 5 adults in Hawaiʻi. DVAC is working closely with care delivery organizations including Kaiser Permanente, conducting trainings with our care providers to help us understand how we can support patients who are victims of abuse, hopefully before they end up in the emergency room. DVAC is an incredible partner for [Kaiser] to refer our patients to for safety planning and services.

Ultimately, the goal is to end domestic violence. 

We believe everyone has the right and deserves to live in a safe home. We’ve made progress in removing some of the stigma associated with domestic violence, putting the problem of domestic violence on the same tier as any other social issue. This is all of our problem. This affects our moms and sisters and aunties and families and we can’t tolerate it!

All of DVAC’s services are fully operational. We want the community to know that we’re here for you. 

If you or someone who you know is struggling, please reach out to our helpline at 800-690-6200, or textline at 605-956-5680. It is truly life-saving work.

When I look back at my experience, this was a very uncomfortable issue for me to get engaged with 15-plus years ago. I was uncomfortable talking about the problem of domestic violence. I felt the stigma of the conversation. It’s really with practice and understanding that we get past that stigma to truly address this in a human way and to provide true help for people who are suffering.

Mailing address: P.O. Box 3198, Honolulu, HI 96801

Business Office and Administration: 808-534-0040

DVAC David Tumilowicz headshot 16x9

<title>Domestic Violence Action Center board president shares next steps</title>

Aloha State Daily spoke with DVAC Board President David Tumilowicz about the nonprofit’s recent leadership transitions, near-term priorities and overall goal to end domestic violence. He also shares his personal journey to help reduce stigma around the issue.

Domestic Violence Action Center board president shares next steps

Kelli Shiroma Braiotta Headshot

Kelli Shiroma Braiotta

Food & Dining

Smashburger sliders, tuna stack and okonomiyaki croquettes. These are just a few of the dishes you’ll find on 

Ki Club Hawaiʻi’s new happy hour is starting on Wednesday, April 23. The happy hour menu will be available daily from 4:30 to 6 p.m.

During our tasting, the menu prices weren’t finalized, but we were told all happy hour dishes will cost less than $20 each.

The tuna stack served with housemade shrimp chips is one of the most photogenic dishes, and it was one of my favorites from the new menu. Fresh, local ‘ahi is tossed in a house spicy sauce and topped with edamame hummus. The bottom layer of the “stack” features a base of Maui onions, cucumbers and tomatoes. The dish comes with housemade shrimp chips for dipping.

While the stack’s layers are delicious — we especially loved the creamy edamame hummus — those shrimp chips are a game changer. Each one is shockingly crispy and boasts a distinctive crunch.

Smashburger sliders include three in one order. King’s Hawaiian rolls are stuffed with local beef-and-bacon patties, caramelized onions and cheddar cheese. The bacon enhances the patties’ umami flavor, and the sliders are the perfect size — substantial without being too filling, so you can try other dishes.

This dish is so refreshing and flavorful you won’t miss the ‘ahi. Tofu cubes are served with Ho Farm cherry tomatoes, Japanese cucumbers, roasted mac nuts and local herbs. The dish is light yet packed with flavors, and the soft tofu contrasts nicely with the bright cucumbers and roasted mac nuts.

While chicken wings might seem like a standard happy hour offering, rest assured that these sauces are not. Choose from a variety of housemade sauces, like Korean Gochujang, sweet and spicy Asian buffalo, salt and vinegar and yuzu ranch.

We tried the yuzu ranch, which was so delightful — creamy with a slight citrus aftertaste — that we used it for dipping our fries in, too.

Togarashi French fries are shoestring-style and served with a Sriracha secret sauce for dipping. The secret sauce was a tad too spicy for me — hence, the yuzu ranch dip was multi-purpose — but my dining companions thoroughly enjoyed the sauce’s heat.

The eatery’s unique take on okonomiyaki features panko-battered croquettes with a potato-like filling of ‘Ewa sweet corn and house-braised tako. The croquettes are topped with bonito flakes, kabayaki glaze and spicy aioli.

This dish’s flavors are on point, and I enjoyed the creative take on okonomiyaki. One croquette can be filling, though, so I suggest cutting them in half to try before indulging in the full piece.

During happy hour, you can also take advantage of drink discounts like $2 off well drinks and $2 off draft beers.

Even if you go to Ki Club for happy hour, you can still order off the eatery’s dinner menu once happy hour ends. Its ‘ahi pizza ($21) is one of the most popular dishes. It might sound bizarre, but this isn’t your typical pizza with a thicker, doughy crust. Tenderized sashimi is served on a crispy flour tortilla, and topped with yuzu mayo, shaved sweet onions, fried capers and Nikiri soy. It’s a fun play on sashimi with a dash of spice from the capers. 

If you’re set on ordering a dish from the dinner menu, I recommend the zosui rice balls ($19), which are the eatery’s version of arancini. Each rice ball comprises a creamy, risotto-like filling and is topped with grilled unagi, kabayaki glaze, kombu aioli, tobiko and shiso. Each bite is an explosion of umami flavors. Its presentation is similar to the okonomiyaki croquettes, but if you don’t love octopus, go for this dish instead.

Hawai‘i Scene on Social: Window shopping

Kady Pascual

Social Media Editor

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Hawai‘i Scene on Social: Window shopping

Authors

Kady Pascual

Social Media Editor

More in Hawaiʻi Scene on Social

Hawai‘i Scene on Social: South side action

Hawai‘i Scene on Social: Always packin’

Hawai‘i Scene on Social: Maybe not the best time for holoholo

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Most read