Square Kady Pascual Headshot RGZ5762

Kady Pascual

Hawaiʻi Scene on Social

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"}],"text":"You can’t even tell them apart!"}]

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WaikikiBrewingCo_Street

<title>Hawai‘i Scene on Social: The guest trap</title>

Today’s social media find comes from @WaikikiBrewingCo_Street, whose servers are switching places.

Hawai‘i Scene on Social: The guest trap

You can’t even tell them apart!  Make sure you follow @WaikikiBrewingCo_Streeton Instagram! For the latest news of Hawai‘i, sign up here for our free Daily Edition newsletter!

Christian Shimabuku Headshot

Christian Shimabuku

Sports

[{"type":"text","text":"A brand new LPGA tournament is coming to the Big Island next spring. "}]

Kailua-Kona's Nanea Golf Club is set to host the inaugural Nanea Cup, which takes place from March 11-14 and features a $4 million purse. 

The Nanea Cup field will feature both LPGA and collegiate golfers in what the LPGA calls "

a first-of-its-kind competition celebrating both the present and future of women’s golf."

“Our excitement about adding the Nanea Cup to the 2027 LPGA Tour schedule is off the charts,” LPGA commissioner Craig Kessler said in a release. “As we continue to focus on routing, courses and purses, this event checks every box. Hawai‘i is a natural stop as we return from Asia and head to the West Coast. Nanea is a spectacular venue, our athletes will compete for a strong purse, and fans will get their first look at one of the most celebrated golf courses in the world. We’re grateful to Charles Schwab, Dell Technologies, Salesforce and Workday as well as the leadership and members of Nanea Golf Club, for helping make it happen.” 

 as the world's 59th greatest golf course, as well as the top course in the Islands. The private golf course, which opened in 2003, has never hosted a professional tournament, but that will change next March. 

Prior to the Nanea Cup, Nanea Golf Club has been home to the Nanea Invitational, a collegiate tournament hosted by Stanford, since 2013. 

The 2027 Nanea Cup will feature 95 golfers from the LPGA Tour, as well as 25 collegiate golfers from the likes of Texas, UCLA, Arkansas, Texas A&M and Stanford. 

The LPGA has already established a presence in Hawai‘i through the Lotte Championship, which has taken place in West O‘ahu annually since 2012, with the exception of 2020. 

South Korea's Youmin Hwang won the 2025 tournament

. The Lotte will return to Hoakalei Country Club in ‘Ewa Beach from Oct. 1-4 and features a $3 million purse. 

For the latest news of Hawai‘i, sign up 

iStock golf general 072226

<title>New LPGA tournament set to debut on Big Island in 2027</title>

Nanea Golf Club will host the inaugural Nanea Cup on March 11-14, with features a $4 million purse.

New LPGA tournament set to debut on Big Island in 2027

Kelli Shiroma Braiotta Headshot

Kelli Shiroma Braiotta

Food & Dining

Aloha Spirit

 is coming up Aug. 8 at 5 p.m. at Four Seasons Resort O

ahu at Ko Olina. The event, which is sponsored by Southwest, benefits the 

, whose mission is to enable all young people to reach their full potential.

i — which is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization — serves more than 14,000 youth, ages 7 to 17, each year on Kauaʻi and Oʻahu. The organization’s Clubhouses and outreach sites offer development programs that highlight health and life skills, education, technology and career development, and character and leadership development.

The event starts in the ballroom, where guests can enjoy the opening festivities before the gala continues at the Ko Olina lawn. Attendees can sample a variety of wines in the ballroom, enjoy live music, browse the event’s silent auction, participate in the live auction, and enjoy dishes from participating vendors.

The vacation marketplace — which features numerous curated travel opportunities to destinations around the world — is a new feature at this year’s gala. 

Tickets are still available for the event.

Walk in the Country started 30 years ago as a gathering of friends, good food and great conversation, as individuals came together to support local youth. While the event has grown over the years, its welcoming spirit as remained the same; it’s a celebration of community and brighter futures for Hawaiʻi’s keiki, according to Paddy Kauhane, Boys & Girls Club of Hawaiʻi president and CEO.

“We are so honored to celebrate 50 years of Boys & Girls Club of Hawaiʻi with our supporters, partners and community at this year’s Walk in the Country Gala,” she says. “Every dollar raised from this event directly supports our programs to provide keiki with mentorship, meals and life-changing opportunities.”

[{"type":"text","text":"This year’s featured vendors and dishes include:"}]

: Aulani signature Mickey chirashi (Mickey-shaped sushi rice with furikake, Ora King salmon, local big-eye tuna and Japanese hamachi with shiso, pickled ginger, daikon and fresh chives)

: Braised short rib luau, white rice, lomi lomi tomato

: Canapes (roasted Yama sweet potato, onion jam and brie crostini, Palusami tartlet with taro leaf, coconut cream and lomi lomi tomato in a pastry shell); traditional Hawai

i-style roasted suckling pig (roasted whole pig with furikake five-grain rice, lomi lomi tomato scramble, pork and Maui onion jus, and pork crackling dust); smoked Spam musubi brulee (Black forbidden rice, kimchi emulsion and quail egg)

: Chocolate butter mochi Rocky Road waffle

: Lobster corn chowder (taro, ‘Ewa sweet corn, Durok bacon, ponzu marinated ikura and taro chips)

: Roasted pork belly shakshuka with housemade garlic flatbread

: Grilled lamb chops, North Shore creamed corn, Kalamata olives and Ho Farm tomato salad; housemade corn bread and Vadouvan butter

: Spicy tuna, California and vegetable hand rolls

[{"type":"text","text":"Complimentary valet parking will be available for all event guests."}]

“We could not further our mission without the generous support of all our vendors and community members,” Kauhane says. “Mahalo nui loa to everyone who has supported us over the last 50 years, and into the 50 ahead.”

Walk in the Country outdoors 072126

<title>30th annual Walk in the Country Gala is coming this August</title>

The fundraiser, which benefits the Boys & Girls Club of Hawaiʻi, will be at the Four Seasons Resort Oʻahu at Ko Olina on Aug. 8. This is one of the highlights for BGCH, which is celebrating its 50th anniversary.

30th annual Walk in the Country Gala is coming this August

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

Kam Napier Headshot

A. Kam Napier

Government & Politics

I have to tell you a short story about Minnesota before I can tell you something about Hawai‘i. Sit tight for some unpleasant details.

It starts with Tou Lue Vang, from Laos, who was at one point legally living in the United States, in Minnesota. Vang went on to behave terribly while here. He was convicted in 2006 of first-degree criminal sexual assault for repeatedly molesting a 10-year-old girl over two years, from 2002 to 2004, 

 the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

“He once offered his victim $10 to keep quiet about the sexual assaults,” DHS said. “When interviewed by police, he tried to justify his actions as ‘a cultural thing

’ and even said that his victim was just as guilty as him and should also be arrested.”

These actions cost Vang his right to be in the United States. On Oct. 31, 2006, a Department of Justice Immigration Judge ordered that he be removed.

 the Center for Immigration Studies, Laos refused to take back its deported citizens until 2025, until it finally relented under pressure from the United States.

According to DHS, ICE arrested and detained Vang in December but by then, Minnesota was in full meltdown over immigration enforcement and in February, a District of Minnesota judge ordered him released from custody.

That wasn't only the ally Vang found. At some point he applied for a pardon, in hopes that wiping his record clean would eliminate the reason ICE was coming after him for deportation, as reported by 

That pardon was granted, in a unanimous decision. In Minnesota, such pardons are granted by a three-person panel: 

 (D), and nominally non-partisan Minnesota Supreme Court Chief Justice 

This was widely seen as an extension of Minnesota’s sanctuary state policies, done out of spite to frustrate Trump and ICE.

On July 14, media asked Walz about the deportation and he had the audacity to question the 

 motive for removing a convicted child molester.

. “Did that make the children that are left behind any more stable? Did it improve the idea that we can’t all be judged by our worst day?”

On question 1: Yeah, it did. Vang's conviction disqualified him from staying here, that’s the law. He only evaded it because Laos didn’t want him back.

Question 2: Walz is possibly, obliquely referring to Vang’s own children. What is the logic here? Our prisons are full of natural born American citizens who are separated from their children by incarceration and no one sane goes around saying, “Wait, we can’t put people in prison for molesting children! Doing so destabilizes their children!” If it's a tragedy for Vang and his family, it's one he wrote himself.

Question 3: It’s possible the syntax of this one is so garbled and awkward because some tiny voice in Walz’s head is second-guessing what’s he’s saying. No one likes to be judged by their worst day. OK. Fair enough. For most people, their worst days do not include serially molesting a 10-year old over two years. But Walz’s inner sociopath smacked down his last sensible neuron and he said this ludicrous thing anyway.

[{"type":"text","text":"What does any of this have to do with Hawai‘i?"}]

You might not know this, but Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz was the guest of honor as keynote speaker at the Hawai‘i Democratic Party’s state convention in Waikīkī at the end of May. 

“Walz … brought the nearly 400 party delegates and guests to their feet several times at the Hilton Hawaiian Village ballroom,” 

 Civil Beat, covering the convention on May 31. “He got a lot of whoops and shout-outs, too, by calling Trump a ‘corrupt, petty, cruel wannabe dictator’ and ‘a pile of crap.’”

[{"type":"text","text":"Tim Walz, greeted in Hawai‘i with applause and aloha."}]

Surely, the local invitation predated Walz’s bizarre defense of an illegal immigrant child molester. But local Dems had plenty of facts before them at the time that Walz had stepped forward to defend, categorically, every convicted criminal in Minnesota that ICE had gone in to arrest. Surely, they were aware that they were inviting, with honors, a man who presided over a state government that 

 for as much a billion dollars’ worth of fraud across multiple social programs. Surely, they could’ve known that in January, Minnesota lawmakers accused Walz and his administration of retaliating against whistleblowers about this fraud, thereby enabling it.

Surely, they remembered that Walz himself withdrew his re-election attempt in light of these many scandals.

[{"type":"text","text":"They overlooked it all and gave this guy a hero’s welcome."}]

I've been meaning to write this ever since the convention happened, but news about Walz just kept evolving and I wanted to see where his latest escapades would go. Now that this Vang chapter is over, I have same question I had in May: If he’s the role model for the party going forward, what does that mean for the future of Hawai‘i?

What does that tell us about who they serve? Local interests and concerns? Or, as we saw with 

 just fully colonized by Mainland politics and priorities?

The party is running on fumes of nostalgia for when it was sensible and stood for the betterment of people right here in the Islands. But the party of serious people like Burns, Ariyoshi, Inouye and countless others — sober, responsible — seems intent on following the pied pipers of Act Blue, Indivisible, and the Democratic Socialists of America, straight into insanity.

Based on historic voting patterns, there’s a good chance if you’re reading this that this your party. You’ve voted for it all your life. You likely always will. Anything but cast a vote for those icky Republicans! If so, please do everyone in the Islands a favor: Get involved, and knock some sense into your people. If Walz is their idea of an accomplished statesman, an example to cheer on and follow behind, they need an intervention.

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.

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Tim Walz Getty Images 2264762248 16x9 Large

<title>Pipikaula Corner: The company they keep</title>

Hawai‘i Democrats invited a special Mainland guest to their annual convention in late May, as keynote speaker. If this is their role model, ASD Editor in Chief A. Kam Napier opines, Hawai‘i is in trouble.

Pipikaula Corner: The company they keep

Square Mike Brestovansky Headshot RGZ3736 Large

Michael Brestovansky

Crime & Courts

The City and County of Honolulu and an 83-year-old woman who sued the city over $600,000 in fines are trying to reach a settlement.

, Wilhelmina Rise resident Sandra May sued the City and County of Honolulu in federal court after she racked up hundreds of thousands of dollars in fines by incorrectly listing a rental property as available to short-term tenants.

May, who her lawyer said “struggles to utilize any kind of technology,” intended to list her rental unit only for periods of 30 days or more, but had accidentally listed it as available for shorter periods on multiple occasions. The third time this happened, in 2024, the city informed her that her lapse would incur daily $10,000 fines until she corrected it, which she did 59 days and $590,000 later.

An additional $10,000 lien the city placed on May’s property brought the total amount she owed to an even $600,000.

May’s attorney Loren Seehase told Aloha State Daily in May that the city did not tell May of any way to challenge or appeal the fines, leaving her no choice but to challenge them on U.S. constitutional grounds: specifically, as a violation of the Eighth Amendment, which protects against excessive fines.

On Monday, however, attorneys for the defendants — which, along with the city, included Dawn Apuna, director of the county Department of Planning and Permitting, and the department itself — submitted a statement to the court informing it that the case will likely be dismissed.

According to that statement, May and the defendants “have agreed to a stipulated fine amount” and are in the process of drawing up a settlement agreement.

Nonetheless, the city’s attorneys argued that May’s claims were unwarranted, and arose from a misunderstanding of DPP’s fine process. According to their statement, DPP must review a fine for appropriateness and make any corresponding reductions before collecting it.

“This fine review process ensures that the department is able to consider any facts that were not within its knowledge at the time of issuing the order,” the statement read.

In this case, May’s administrative appeals have not yet been reviewed, and the city Zoning Board of Appeals has yet to determine whether the fines are appropriate.

An answering brief the city filed in the case earlier this month draws from this line of reasoning: the brief repeatedly argued that May’s claims were premature and that she had not exhausted all the remedies available to her.

However, that brief did also confirm that any listing for a rental offered for less than 30 days can violate the city’s short-term rental ordinance, regardless of whether the unit was actually booked for a short term.

 For the latest news of Hawai‘i, sign up 

Sandra May rentalsign 610x407 16x9

<title>Octogenarian, city, seek settlement in suit over $600,000 fine</title>

A federal lawsuit between Sandra May and the City and County of Honolulu over an improper rental listing is likely to end out of court.

Octogenarian, city, seek settlement in suit over $600,000 fine

Stephanie Salmons Headshot

Stephanie Salmons

Business & Tourism

When the 32nd Annual Made in Hawai‘i Festival, presented by Hawaiian Airlines, returns to Honolulu next month, organizers say it'll be the biggest festival yet, with more than 800 vendor booths spanning nearly 300,000 square feet across two nights and two full days.

Tickets for the festival go on sale Aug. 1.

, the days and times of the festival have changed from past years due to construction at the Hawai‘i Convention Center, where the event will be held.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"}],"text":"The event is set for Aug. 20 to 23:"}]

Limited pre-sale tickets for Thursday and Friday will be available through select sponsor links with limited public tickets remaining. You can buy tickets at 

In addition to the hundreds of vendors, the festival also will feature live entertainment, chef demos, fashion shows, tastings and more, an announcement Monday said. But there's plenty of other changes to note this year, too.

[{"type":"text","text":"According to that announcement, here's what's new in 2026:"}]

MIHF is produced by the Hawai‘i Food Industry Association, or HFIA.

“For more than 30 years, the Made in Hawaiʻi Festival has served as the state’s premier showcase for locally made products, connecting thousands of residents and visitors with Hawaiʻi’s most innovative producers, artisans, and food and beverage companies,” the 

 notes. “What began as a platform to support local businesses has evolved into one of Hawaiʻi’s most anticipated annual events and a critical economic driver for hundreds of companies statewide.

 drew approximately 70,000 attendees and generated approximately $10 million in sales in 2024. The festival saw about 70,000 visitors over three days 

 and vendors reported sales just under $10 million, Heu previously told ASD.

With the changes this year, Heu told ASD that organizers are "optimistic" that they'll see similar numbers this year.

ASD attended the festival last year and caught up with a handful of the small business owners who set up shop. 

Aloha State Daily is an ‘Ohana Sponsor for the Made in Hawai‘i Festival. Stop by our booth to say “aloha,” play some games, win prizes and learn more about the work we do.

MIHF 2025 DAY 1 HIGHLIGHTS AC 45

<title>Here's what's new at the 32nd annual Made in Hawai‘i Festival</title>

Hawaiian Airlines presents the 32nd Annual Made in Hawai‘i Festival returns to Honolulu in August and organizers say it'll be the biggest festival yet, with more than 800 vendor booths spanning nearly 300,000 square feet across two nights and two full days.

Hawai‘i Scene on Social: The guest trap

Kady Pascual

Social Media & Marketing Manager

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Hawai‘i Scene on Social: The guest trap

Authors

Kady Pascual

Social Media & Marketing Manager

More in Hawaiʻi Scene on Social

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