Square Kady Pascual Headshot RGZ5762

Kady Pascual

Hawaiʻi Scene on Social

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"}],"text":"Just following boss’ orders!"}]

HawaiiCandyFactory

<title>Hawai‘i Scene on Social: Use your head</title>

Today’s social media find comes from @HawaiiCandyFactory, who’s taking things literally.

Hawai‘i Scene on Social: Use your head

Just following boss’ orders!  Make sure you follow @HawaiiCandyFactory on Instagram!

Christian Shimabuku Headshot

Christian Shimabuku

Sports

Jared Ursua landed his first FBS coaching job in 2022, joining 

's initial University of Hawai‘i staff as the team's new wide receivers coach. 

Up until that point, the Big Island native's entire collegiate career took place in the state of Utah — Ursua played for Southern Utah from 2008 to 2011 before joining the team's coaching staff from 2014 to 2018. He then coached receivers at Weber State from 2019 to 2021, and was also the recruiting coordinator there.

When he made his way back to Hawai‘i, he was certainly familiar with his surroundings, but he was hungry to learn more. What made the run-and-shoot offense so effective? And what does it look like when it's clicking? For that, he had the ultimate resource in little brother John. 

Following a disappointing 3-9 season in 2017, former Hawai‘i head coach Nick Rolovich decided it was in the best interest of the program to return to its roots in the run-and-shoot, an offensive system where quarterbacks and their four receivers put up large numbers on a variety of option routes.

Despite tearing his ACL in 2017, John Ursua emerged as the star of the team's revamped offense in 2018, hauling in 89 receptions for 1,343 yards and 16 touchdowns. NFL teams were tantalized by his tape, and after declaring early for the 2019 NFL Draft, he was selected in the seventh round by the Seattle Seahawks. 

While Jared Ursua would frequently question 

 about what he saw on a certain play, John was trying to get his playing career back on track. After three seasons with the Seahawks, a repeat ACL injury would go on to derail the rest of his playing career. He went to Canada and latched on with the CFL's 

Saskatchewan Roughriders and BC Lions in 2023, but saw the field for neither. 

John Ursua's post-playing career began in the Islands, first as a trainer for youth athletes who aspired to reach the heights that he did as a player. The training, which focused on speed and agility, ranged from one-on-one to group settings. A close friend of Ursua, who runs Level Up Elites in Orem, Utah, encouraged him to make the move after telling him dozens of clients where eager to learn from him. 

It is also in Utah where Ursua, 32, joined the coaching staff at Orem High School as the school's new receivers coach. It's his first full-time coaching gig on a staff, the start of a journey he hopes to turn into his new career. 

"This is something I'm going to pursue 100%," John Ursua told Aloha State Daily. "This is what I want to do. I want to stick around the game and give back to the kids. This is going to be a long journey for me, but this is just the beginning."

As fate would have it, Ursua's first game on the Orem staff took him to O‘ahu, where the Tigers opened their 2026 campaign at Kamehameha. The Aug. 14 contest was moved up a day due to 

"I couldn't have written it better. I was shocked when they said we were playing Kamehameha first," Ursua said after the game. "It was a treat to be out here. Our boys got to come and hang out for a week, and (Kamehameha) has a great team over there, and we're just glad we got to play them."

Overseeing John Ursua's hire at Orem was head coach Andy Stokes, who back in the day was the final pick of the 2005 NFL Draft but never saw action in a regular season game. 

"We love John," Stokes said. "I know John's older brother really well, Jared. John's played in the league. He's done a lot of the things that we do in our offense. He brings a great perspective to the boys. I know that he wants to grow in the coaching world, I'm grateful for the opportunity to help him out a little bit."

Four years ago, it was Jared Ursua who relied on John Ursua's advice. These days, it's only right big brother returns the favor. 

"I've been calling him, just being like, 'Hey, what do you here, what can I teach these kids on individual (drills), how can I help them grow?' It's been cool to be able to lean on him now," John Ursua said. "At first, he was asking me about the run-and-shoot and UH and all this, but now we get to feed off of each other more, so it's been really fun."

"John and I are always talking about the future, and that kid is so gifted, and I've known it since he was eight or nine years old," Jared Ursua said following a recent Hawai‘i football fall camp practice."

How often does Jared Ursua show his receivers John's UH tape? 

"All the time," Jared Ursua said. "We have a cut up kind of directed toward the '18 and '19 seasons. Those guys were excellent, and then coach (Craig) Stutzmann and (Nick) Rolovich and (Brian Smith) had an offense that we watched and followed. That group was pretty special. That's was a special time in life for him."

John Ursua 082126

<title>Former Hawai‘i star receiver John Ursua dives into coaching career</title>

Following the end of his illustrious playing career, Ursua is now the receivers coach at Orem High School in Utah.

Former Hawai‘i star receiver John Ursua dives into coaching career

Stephanie Salmons Headshot

Stephanie Salmons

Business & Tourism

Arts & Entertainment

[{"type":"text","text":"The weekend of shopping local is getting bigger."}]

While the 32nd annual Made in Hawai‘i Festival 

 at the Hawai‘i Convention Center, across town, the Best of Hawai‘i Mākeke returns to the Neal S. Blaisdell Exhibition hall today through Aug. 23. Presented by Hawai‘i's Finest, the mākeke brings together more than 300 local businesses.

According to a recent announcement from the Native Hawaiian-owned lifestyle and apparel company, the market offers "an accessible platform for emerging entrepreneurs and established brands alike."

"Many participating businesses are home-based and have built their business through social media, online sales or at community pop-up events, and do not yet have traditional storefronts or widespread retail distribution," the announcement notes.

“I know firsthand how hard it is to build a business in Hawaiʻi. We started small, worked hard, learned plenty lessons along the way and just kept going,” Paulele Alcon, owner and founder of Hawai‘i's Finest, said in the announcement. “Now we’re in a position to help open doors for other local entrepreneurs who are trying to make it too. This mākeke is our way of giving back, giving them a place to get noticed, connect with customers and grow, while creating a fun, affordable weekend our local families can enjoy.”

Hawai‘i's Finest got its start as a small T-shirt business on Molokai in 2009; today, the brand has eight retail locations across Hawai‘i and Las Vegas, and has expanded into concerts, collaborations and major community events.

With the mākeke, Alcon told Aloha State Daily in an emailed response to questions that the company is trying to elevate local businesses and entrepreneurs.

We have been blessed with a platform and the ability to do amazing things, and we believe that in order to keep the locals local and home, we must buy local, support local, promote local and be together."

When asked about the expected turnout this weekend, Alcon says, "The buzz is out there. This is the biggest shopping weekend of the year — two massive events with the purpose to service our people! We are excited."

"Our goal is to provide Hawai‘i with a place to flourish and with the Best of Hawai‘i we have done that — to get eyes on our locals in order to support our locals. "

Best of Hawai‘i Mākeke is open until 6 p.m. today, Friday, Aug. 21; from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 22; and from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 23. Admission is free and on-site parking is available for $8 per day.

Special VIP Experience tickets are available for purchase that includes early VIP shopping hours from 9 a.m., an exclusive HI Finest Momona Bag, access to the HIFI VIP Lounge, and special offers from 150 vendors. Cost is $70 presale per day and can be found online at 

More information and a list of vendors can be 

Meanwhile, a separately ticketed, all-ages Best of Hawai‘i's Finest Music Festival will be held at the Blaisdell Area on Saturday, with a lineup that includes High Watah, Ooklah the Moc, Three Plus, Johnny Suite, Likkle Jordee, Small Axe, Kapu System, Mauloa Music and Miah Music.

Doors open at 5:30 p.m. and music starts at 6:30 p.m. Costs start at $20, not including fees.

Blaisdell aerial provided 082126

<title>Best of Hawai‘i Mākeke offers more ways to shop local</title>

The three-day mākeke, presented by Hawai‘i's Finest, returns to the Neal S. Blaisdell Exhibition Hall this weekend with more than 300 local businesses.

Best of Hawai‘i Mākeke offers more ways to shop local

Square Mike Brestovansky Headshot RGZ3736 Large

Michael Brestovansky

Crime & Courts

An ‘Ewa Beach family is offering a $5,000 reward for information about a burglar who stole an estimated $135,000 in valuables from their house last weekend.

At around 8 p.m. on Aug. 8, a man entered a home in ‘Ewa Gentry while its residents — a couple and their young child — were out. Only the next morning, as the mother prepared for work, did she realize that her ring, along with dozens of other pieces of jewelry, was missing.

“When I opened up the closet, it was essentially ransacked,” the mother, who asked to remain anonymous, told Aloha State Daily. “Bags were on the floor and my jewelry case had been completely shelled out.”

The woman told ASD that the stolen items were largely jewelry, including some heirloom pieces set with jewels. Some individual pieces, she said, are worth almost $30,000 on their own.

“Some of those pieces were things that my grandparents had worked a lifetime to save for to give to us,” she said. “I have pieces from loved ones who have passed away, graduation presents … One of the necklaces, my husband had created himself when I gave birth to our first child.

“We’re not rich, we’re not well-to-do,” she added. “That was almost everything I had, asset-wise.”

The Honolulu Police Department is investigating the case, the woman said, and some blurry home security footage could help identify the culprit: the burglar is about 5 feet 8 inches tall, with an athletic build. They appear to be wearing a dark hoodie, gloves and a mask.

Moreover, the woman said, another house in the neighborhood was burgled about a month prior. A figure photographed in that incident, she said, seems to resemble her burglar in build and gait.

“The way he operated wasn’t messy,” she said. “The way that he looked for things wasn’t haphazard. He knew exactly what he wanted and he got it.”

The woman said HPD told her that the culprit could be someone familiar with the house, or it could have been an opportunistic hit.

But as HPD investigates the case, the couple is taking things into their own hands.

“My husband and I haven’t gotten much sleep because we’ve been hitting pawn shops, we’ve been emailing gold buyers, we’ve just been going all around the community, trying our best to get what was taken from us and to share footage of who this person was,” the woman said.

And, she said, she is offering a $5,000 cash reward for anyone who can provide a tip that leads to a valid conviction.

“I’m never going to stop,” she said. “This case is not going to dwindle out because … I’ll just do my own work to find out, like, who in the community has also been hit … I’d love to catch him, but also even if the news gets out wide enough, maybe it’ll shake him up and he won’t hurt anymore. He won’t ruin any more families.”

The woman said the aftermath of the home invasion has left her and her family shaken. She said they bought the house within the last two years to raise their child in a safe neighborhood, but now “the house is just not really the same.”

“You don’t really feel safe anymore,” she said. “Your home is supposed to be where you relax, your comfort spot … It’s just really shattered something that we had been dreaming of for so long.”

People with information about the case can submit a tip via 

 at (808) 955-8300. The woman said she will work with HPD and the owner of the stolenstuffhawaii.com website to connect with tipsters should their tip prove fruitful.

Ringnecklace

<title>‘Ewa Beach family offering $5,000 reward for tips about burglar</title>

A burglar made off with more than $135,000 in jewelry from a house last weekend. The owners are offering a reward for tips that lead to an arrest.

‘Ewa Beach family offering $5,000 reward for tips about burglar

Like the Hawai‘i prep football icons that came before him, Hunter Fujikawa is poised to become the next great quarterback to come out of Mililani High School. 

, Fujikawa, a junior with the Trojans, is hoping his name can be uttered in the same sentence by the time it's all said and done. 

 from schools such as Ohio State, Alabama and Oregon, Fujikawa, a 6-foot-2 four-star quarterback, is on pace to have been on the list of notable alumni regardless of the school that produced him. And prior to this summer, that school would have been Punahou. 

Fujikawa won the starting job on Punahou's varsity team as a freshman and in all likelihood would have held the role for all four years. 

"Just a great opportunity to play under coach 

 and (offensive coordinator) Samson Satele," Fujikawa told Aloha State Daily of his decision to transfer. "Being able to have that caliber of coaches to help me develop and get to the next level. God closes one door and opens another."

Fujikawa is far from the only former Punahou standout to join Mililani this offseason. Star 6-foot-4 receiver Zion White, who began his high school career with the Buffanblu, transferred to national powerhouse IMG Academy for his junior season. White returned to the Islands for his senior year and will suit up for the Trojans alongside Fujikawa. 

"It's been great so far," White said. "Over here, all the boys just have their heads down 24/7, just working super hard."

White and Fujikawa grew up playing against each other on the youth circuit — White for the ‘Ewa Beach Hammerheads and Fujikawa for Fiyah Squad. Fujikawa was a freshman when White was a sophomore racking up college offers before Fujikawa went on to do the same. 

"I knew he had potential," White said of Fujikawa. "We kind of just had to build that relationship. We spent multiple hours just throwing together and just spending time together. And the connection, honestly, hasn't gone anywhere. It feels like a brotherhood in a sense."

In addition to Fujikawa and White, the Trojans will also feature a trio of Satele brothers in linebacker Toa, and defensive linemen Trison and Tayden. Toa and Trison have already committed to Oregon, while Tayden is entering his freshman year. Their father and offensive coordinator, Samson Satele, is a former University of Hawai‘i standout offensive lineman and eight-year NFL veteran. 

"It's been great so far," Fujikawa said of the transition to Mililani. "I love the boys. This team, we should have a great year ahead of us."

White, who is entering his senior year, has already committed to California, choosing the Golden Bears over a 

. Fujikawa, meanwhile, says he's putting his recruitment "on pause" in order to focus on his junior season. 

"Recruiting is going to keep going, but I just want to continue to build relationships with coaches and focus on the season, and then see what happens after," Fujikawa said. 

Mililani's season officially begins on Aug. 14 with a home game against Liberty High School of Henderson, Nev. As a program, the Trojans have two state titles to their name: one in 2014 as the HHSAA Division I champions, their lone top-tiered state crown. Mililani won the 2016 Division I HHSAA state title, but it was the same year the state introduced a new top tier in the Open Division. 

"What everybody wants to do and everyone's vision is winning the state championship," Fujikawa said. 

Added White, when asked about his individual goals for the 2026 season: "I have personal goals, but honestly, I'm a team-first kind of guy and I just want to win states above all." 

Mililani football 080328

<title>Mililani's new dynamic duo looks to take Trojans back to HHSAA mountaintop</title>

Former Punahou teammates Zion White and Hunter Fujikawa are reunited at Mililani and have the Trojans thinking big ahead of the 2026 high school football season.

Mililani's new dynamic duo looks to take Trojans back to HHSAA mountaintop

Lopaka and Tanya Kapanui

Lopaka Kapanui and Tanya Kapanui

Hawai‘i History

Columnists

Prior to Western contact, the Waiākea Peninsula at the edge of Hilo Bay sustained a thriving Hawaiian community for generations. As Hilo gradually developed into an important port for the sandalwood trade, supply replenishment, and the whaling industry, the area began to change.

Although the traditional stewardship of the ʻaina ensured the loʻi kalo (taro fields) and the loko iʻa (fishponds) continued to provide food for the area, the peninsula slowly took on a different purpose. Then, the introduction of private ownership through the Great Mahele of 1848 forever changed how Waiākea would be managed.

With the expansion of Hilo Harbor, the wetlands were drained, and fishponds fell into disuse. To accommodate larger ships, the bay was dredged, and the fill from the bay was used to create new land along the shoreline. Ancient canoe landings disappeared beneath that newly created land, and much of the ceremonial landscape surrounding Kūakaʻananuʻu Heiau was erased. Roads, homes, and public buildings gradually spread across the shoreline, covering many of the features that had defined Waiākea for centuries.

Due to the harborʻs continued growth and change, today’s shoreline bears little resemblance to the one that greeted the first Western merchant vessels. During the early 1900s, a new public park was created to honor the last reigning monarch. Liliʻuokalani Gardens, with its walking paths, decorative bridges, and ornamental gardens replaced the loʻi kalo and loko iʻa, creating a space where residents and visitors could enjoy the shores of Hilo Bay.

In 1933, the Hilo Parks Commission invited director Cecil B. DeMille and other celebrities from the film "Four Frightened People" to plant banyan trees along a new roadway. Later that year, Babe Ruth planted a tree, and the road was formally designated the following year in time for a visit from President Franklin D. Roosevelt, who planted his own tree. Over time, nearly 50 trees were planted by aviators, entertainers, politicians, and other notable visitors, and the Banyan Drive became known as “Hilo’s Walk of Fame.” In 1939, the Naniloa Hotel opened its doors on the site of a former yacht club, welcoming visitors to its tranquil location by the sea.

Like the rest of Hilo, the Waiākea Peninsula has had to face the destructive power of the sea. Tsunamis in 1946 and 1960 devastated the coast, destroying homes, businesses, and facilities along the waterfront. While many of the banyan trees survived, a new infrastructure once again reshaped the landscape and Banyan Drive soon became the center of Hilo’s visitor industry.

By the 1970s, Banyan Drive was already established as the center of Hilo’s visitor industry. The Naniloa and the new Hilo Hawaiian, along with other new hotels, welcomed travelers from around the world, while nearby golf courses, parks, and public spaces drew both residents and visitors to the bay.

Although centuries of development had transformed nearly every part of the peninsula, places like Mokuola (Coconut Island) continued to preserve a connection to an older Hawaiʻi. The landscape may look different from the days of loʻi kalo, loko iʻa, and Kūakaʻananuʻu Heiau, but its mana cannot be erased.

Perhaps that is why, despite decades of change, stories continue to emerge from Banyan Drive, describing experiences that seem to be connected to a long-lost past. Former staff have mentioned doors of empty rooms rattling for no reason, and housekeeping staff talk of the water faucets in one of the rooms turning on by itself.

However, the scariest stories are the ones about a group of visitors who turn up during specific moon phases, without reservations. One security guard said it starts with the sound of drums. It’s distant, but the sound is a consistent beat that doesn’t change like modern music. As the drums get louder, a mist appears on the building’s mauka side and moves through the wall and the hotel rooms, exiting through the wall on the opposite end of the building on their way to the ocean.

“I know it’s not my imagination,” he said. “The lights dim and flicker, pictures on the wall shake or fall to the floor, sometimes the furniture moves.”

The guard said that the employees at the hotel know to make themselves scarce during that time, but no one really talks about it with each other.

Grand Naniloa Hilo

<title>Night Marchers at the Naniloa</title>

Babe Ruth and President Franklin D. Roosevelt are among the Mainland luminaries who planted banyan trees along Banyan Drive. The history of the Hilo area surrounding the Naniloa Hotel goes back to ancient times, and as hotel staff tell it, on some nights the old days come marching through in a mist.

Night Marchers at the Naniloa

Kelli Shiroma Braiotta Headshot

Kelli Shiroma Braiotta

Food & Dining

Chef Kale Afong wants to make one thing very clear — his new restaurant, 

, which just soft opened in Kalihi, is not a straight-up Korean barbecue spot.

“It’s Korean barbecue- and yakiniku-inspired,” he says. “It’s Korean barbecue inspired because you take the meats and grill them on the table. It’s yakiniku-inspired because I’m putting more of a Hawaiian influence on the side dishes. There’s so many yakiniku places, and I wanted to be different. But it’s all-you-can-eat because that’s what everybody wants. Locals like all-you-can-eat; it’s kind of a Hawaiʻi thing. We wanted to match that vibe and give the people what they want.”

You have to admit, the restaurant name is pretty catchy. But Afong says he didn’t intend to be named after him.

“We were using chat GPT and Google (to think of restaurant names),” he says. “Kale’s Hale was one of the first names we came up with, but I didn’t like it. We went through hundreds of names — Hawaiian, Japanese and Greek names — we were just going through so many names. I didn’t like it, but Kale’s Hale was the best option we had.”

The new biz is located in the former space of Katsuriki BBQ House (close to Rainbow Drive-In in Kalihi).

“I love banchan; I will go to a restaurant based on the banchan,” Afong says. “This is yakiniku-inspired with a whole bunch of pūpū. About 20 pūpū dishes will be on the regular menu; we have a rotating list of specials that we have every other night.”

For the eatery’s soft opening, customers can take advantage of a discounted rate of $39.99 (regular price is $59.99). So, what does that include?

As soon as customers are seated, they can take their pick from the different featured banchan, many of which are Hawaiian-forward, according to Afong.

“We’re replacing seaweed soup with Hawaiian lūʻau soup,” he says. “I take the lūʻau leaf and we’re making a lūʻau soup. Instead of poke, we’ll have kalo poke. I have a lot of ʻulu, lūʻau leaf and kalo throughout the menu to showcase more Hawaiian food. The kalo plant is a Hawaiian staple.

“There is a difference between Hawaiian food and Hawaiʻi food,” he adds. “Hawaiʻi food is more like our lomi salmon, mac salad, and loco moco. Loco moco is Hawaiʻi food, but not Hawaiian food. The difference gets a little blurred on social media and through the world. We want to showcase some of the differences; we have a lot of products from local farmers and from Hawaiʻi.”

Of course, you’ll still find Korean barbecue-style banchan like kimchi and pickled vegetables since they’re local favorites, according to Afong.

Moving onto the main event — the meats. The selection includes pork belly, short ribs, chuck roll, marinated chicken, pork jowl and hanging tender, to name a few.

“Hanging tender is my favorite cut of steak,” Afong says. “It’s very expensive. They’re really odd cuts, but they’re a delicious, high-quality steak that tastes like a piece of filet mignon. We have all these high-quality meats, along with the pūpū — that’s our base menu.”

On top of that, Kale’s Hale has access to Kagoshima wagyu, which comes from a prefecture in south Japan, according to Afong. The high-quality wagyu is known for its marbling and tenderness. Afong says the eatery brings in whole cows, and customers will each get a wagyu sampler as part of the AYCE experience.

“The sampler is a couple ounces of wagyu, which is a lot,” he says. “It’s rich, and we’ll also have wagyu as a la carte enhancements.

“Our wagyu grade is A5 and then there’s something called the beef marbling score, also known as BMS,” he adds. “Our Kagoshima wagyu score is a BMS 12, which is the highest score you can get for BMS.”

That score means that the wagyu has an exceptional texture and boasts a rich marbling. As excited as he is to feature Kagoshima wagyu, Afong says having customers learn more about the product is equally important.

“We’re bringing the education to where the cut is coming from,” he says. “We want to show the difference between the high-end cuts and not-so-high-end cuts, and there’s a price difference. We have to do a better job communicating the differences between the cuts. The a la carte menu for our wagyu is actually super affordable; we’re selling three ounces for $35 to $40.”

While the eatery is currently only open for dinner (daily from 5 to 10 p.m., last seating is at 9 p.m.), stay tuned — lunch service will be starting soon. And that’s just the beginning for the restaurant, according to Afong.

“Once we get lunch going, I want to bring back 24-hour dining on Fridays and Saturdays,” he says. “That’s what we’re striving for. We’re also really focusing on customer service; we have nothing to do with the old restaurants (formerly in this space). We’re brand new; we want to break that stigma. Customer service is going to be our top priority — quality food that’s slightly elevated, and a great customer experience.”  

Hawai‘i Scene on Social: Use your head

Kady Pascual

Social Media & Marketing Manager

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Hawai‘i Scene on Social: Use your head

Authors

Kady Pascual

Social Media & Marketing Manager

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