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Hawai'i Skies

) at The Koko Crater Arch Trail on the east side of Oʻahu. Leary wrote, "Perfect sunrise out with friends 

To submit your Hawai'i Skies photo, visit us 

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Hawaii Skies Ryan Leary 101 25

<title>Hawai'i Skies: Caught between a rock and a hard place</title>

Today's Hawai'i Skies was captured by Ryan Leary (@rtleary2) at The Koko Crater Arch Trail on the east side of Oʻahu.

Hawai'i Skies: Caught between a rock and a hard place

Today's Hawai'i Skies was captured by Ryan Leary (@rtleary2) at The Koko Crater Arch Trail on the east side of Oʻahu. Leary wrote, "Perfect sunrise out with friends — no better way to start the day!" To submit your Hawai'i Skies photo, visit us online or email: general@alohastatedaily.com For the latest news of Hawai‘i, sign up here for our free Daily Edition newsletter.

Katie Helland Headshot

Katie Helland

Food & Dining

Arts & Entertainment

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Friday, Oct. 3"}]

 is set to take on the professionals at the 

, which just opened its second Honolulu store at the Renaissance Honolulu Hotel & Spa on Tuesday, Sept. 30. The café is open from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily. 

. AIA Honolulu, the Honolulu chapter of the American Institute of Architects, continues Architecture Month celebrations with the 

, where attendees can check out the offices of local firms and meet their staff, while enjoying pūpū and drinks. The event runs from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. in Downtown Honolulu. Free. 

  The final performances of “Come from Away” are underway at Diamond Head Theatre. Due to popular demand, performances were extended through this weekend.  The Tony Award-winning musical was inspired by the 38 planes grounded in Canada after U.S. air space was closed following the 9/11 attacks in 2001. The final shows are 7:30 p.m. on Friday; and 3 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. 

 started writing after a trip to New York City, where she watched a show on Broadway. Now, her first play, 

 is back on stage in Honolulu and several of the original cast members from the 1998 production are in it. Learn about the moment when she was 

 and decided to write. The final shows are 7:30 p.m. on Friday, as well as 3 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. on Saturday. The show on Sunday is sold out. 

Dixie Grill BBQ & Crab Shack is hosting its annual 

 which includes deals on platters that feature choices of the crustacean, such as Alaskan snow crab, Dungeness crab and king crab. The Crab Fest started Wednesday, Oct. 1, and runs through Oct. 31. 

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"},{"type":"bold"}],"text":"SATURDAY, OCT. 4"}]

 The family friendly event runs from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. and includes a lantern parade, cultural performances, activities for keiki and food. The parade starts at 6:30 p.m. and participants will walk from the Hawaiʻi National Bank King Street branch toward Sun Yat-Sen Mall. There will also be a lantern-making contest and designs will be featured in the evening parade. The event is presented by the Hawai’i National Bank Foundation. 

 Check out expert presentations, cooking demonstrations and more as part of Diet & Nutrition for the Cancer Journey. The event has in-person and virtual components. It runs from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. at the Sullivan Conference Center at the University of Hawaiʻi Cancer Center. Free. 

 Enjoy the 34th annual Moanikeala Hula Festival at the Polynesian Cultural Center. The event honors PCC’s first kumu hula, Salley Moanikealaonapuamakahikina Wood Nalua‘i. It includes all-day activities, as well as canoe rides and admission to the festival. Performances start at 1 p.m. and run every half hour.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"},{"type":"bold"}],"text":"SUNDAY, OCT. 5"}]

Enjoy steel guitar from 10 a.m. to noon at the Hula Grill Waikīkī. The new program features monthly steel guitar performances at the oceanside restaurant on the first Sunday of each month through the rest of 2025. The program was created with Alan Akaka, who kicked off the series with a live performance in July.

For the latest news of Hawai‘i, sign up 

Dixie Grill crab boil platter 092525

<title>10 things to do this weekend: Friday, Oct. 3, to Sunday, Oct. 5</title>

From the final shows of the musical “Come from Away” to the arrival of a second location of Paris Baguette, here are 10 things happening on Oʻahu this weekend.

10 things to do this weekend: Friday, Oct. 3, to Sunday, Oct. 5

Square Kady Pascual Headshot RGZ5762

Kady Pascual

Hawaiʻi Scene on Social

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"}],"text":"As long as he has receipt right?"}]

Check out our new feature: Aloha State Daily wants to see your Hawai‘i sky pictures! Click 

For the latest news of Hawai‘i, sign up 

Kook Slams SML

<title>Hawai‘i Scene on Social: Costco policy</title>

Today’s social media find comes from @KookSlams, who is definitely taking advantage of Costco’s return policy.

Hawai‘i Scene on Social: Costco policy

Square Mike Brestovansky Headshot RGZ3736 Large

Michael Brestovansky

Crime & Courts

[{"type":"text","text":"A second lawsuit has struck embattled landowner Maui Land & Pineapple."}]

Maui Land & Pineapple has been embroiled in a legal battle with a group of area owners associations and TY Management Corp., the owner of the nearby Kapalua Golf Courses, over a water management dispute since August.

, accusing MLP of failing to properly manage the resources of the Honokōhau ditch system, leading to worsening water supplies during ongoing drought conditions and, ultimately, the cancellation of the PGA Tour’s annual Sentry Tournament, which was to be held at the Kapalua Plantation Golf Course in January.

 accusing TY Management of overusing water from the ditch system to irrigate the golf courses, breaching TY’s contract with MLP and violating the State Water Code.

On Thursday, a TY Management and the Plantation Estates Lot Owners’ Association — or PELOA, one of the plaintiffs in the August lawsuit — filed a second suit against MLP, this time accusing MLP of "sneakily" annexing land in order to seize power within the Kapalua Resort Association.

TY Management, PELOA and MLP are all members of the Kapalua Resort Association and have voting power within the Association proportional to the total acreage that they own within the Kapalua Resort area. According to the lawsuit, TY Management, through its ownership of the two Kapalua Golf Courses, had approximately 40% voting power by the end of 2023, while MLP had about 33%.

However, in 2024, the lawsuit alleges that MLP and its CEO, Race Randle, conspired to increase MLP’s voting power by covertly adding about 1,936 acres of non-resort land owned by MLP into the Resort Association.

These annexations, if legitimate, would be a major upheaval for the Resort Association, more than quintupling MLP’s holdings and spiking MLP’s voting power to 73%, a supermajority allowing MLP “unchecked power,” the lawsuit claims, including the authority to appoint and remove Resort Association board members.

The lawsuit alleges that Randle — a Resort Association board member both at the time and currently — submitted documents executing the annexations with the Hawai‘i Bureau of Conveyances in Dec. 2024 and Jan. 2025. However, the broader KRA membership was not informed of those annexations for months.

When general membership did learn of the changes, board members questioned MLP as to whether the annexations adhered with guidelines set out in the Resort Association’s Declaration of Covenants and Restrictions. MLP allegedly responded by stating that, based on the Declaration, “neither the Board nor the Association gets to decide or pass judgment on any annexation … nor does anything in the [Association] Declaration say that an annexation requires acceptance or approval of the Board or the Association.”

Regardless of whether an Association member can unilaterally grant itself a supermajority of voting power, the lawsuit claims that the annexations were illegitimate for various reasons. Some of the parcels, the suit argues, were not eligible for annexation due to Maui County development plans, while another parcel had already been partially annexed previously.

Every annexation, however, was also improperly executed, the lawsuit goes on, without sufficient information provided during the annexation filings.  

On top of all of this, the suit also alleges that Randle and MLP then proposed an amendment to the Association’s Declaration that would further grant MLP additional power within the Association and curtail the rights of other members. For example, the amendment would give MLP — and only MLP — double voting power, terminate rules setting limits on the amount of dues owned by members and more.

Consequently, the suit accuses MLP, Randle and two other board members — John Tolbert and Al Haar — of violating their contracts with the Association, breach of fiduciary duties, gross negligence, tortious interference, and more.

The plaintiffs seek damages against the defendants, the removal of Randle and Tolbert from the Association board — Haar resigned in June — a court order voiding the annexation, an order blocking the proposed amendment to the Association Declaration, among other things.

Aloha State Daily reached out to MLP and attorneys for the plaintiffs for comment.

Maui

<title>Second lawsuit against Maui Land & Pineapple alleges power grab</title>

Suit accuses landowner of "sneakily" attempting to seize control of Kapalua Resort Association.

Second lawsuit against Maui Land & Pineapple alleges power grab

Stephanie Salmons Headshot

Stephanie Salmons

Government & Politics

A newly established department within the City and County of Honolulu aims to "centralize and accelerate" city-led housing initiatives.

The creation of the Department of Housing and Land Management — which the city says "consolidates key housing and land functions" from the Department of Land Management, the Mayor's Office of Housing, Department of Planning and Permitting and the Department of Community Services — was given the green light this week by the Honolulu City County.

The department is led by Director designate Kevin Auger, who served as the executive director of the Office of Housing, with Catherine Taschner, director designate of the Department of Land Management, serving as deputy director.

According to the city, DHLM will serve as the central hub for coordinating land use, development and housing delivery.

[{"text":"The department will have six core divisions, the city says:","type":"text"}]

, which will lead the development of affordable and mixed-use housing projects with a focus on city-owned land and public-private partnerships, especially in transit-oriented areas.

, which will administer city housing funds, supports project financing, manages incentives and partners with finance agencies to expand funding.

, which will lead interagency coordination on housing policy and related legislative efforts.

, which will manage the city's residential real estate portfolio.

, which will oversee the negotiation and execution of real estate transactions affecting city-owned land.

, which will manage the Clean Water and Natural Lands program and advisory commission, and acquire and steward lands for conservation.

Auger told Aloha State Daily on Friday that Honolulu hasn't had centralized housing functions for nearly three decades, "and obviously we can see the effects of that."

When Mayor Rick Blangiardi came into office, there was one person working in the Mayor's Office of Housing and they were coordinating both housing and homeless efforts for the city, he said.

"Ever since 1998, the housing functions in the city have been dispersed among various departments," Auger explained. "Without that centralized, coordinated effort, it's really just been — I hate to use the word — but kind of a hodgepodge of policies and programs and what have you. It hasn't really been coordinated and focused. With this new reorganization, it's going to give us a platform that allows us to focus specifically on housing and housing needs."

The creation of the department aligns with a three-year strategic housing plan released by the city earlier this year.

, Blangiardi announced during his 2023 State of the City address that his administration would study a potential reorganization of the city's housing and homeless functions.

Recommendations to consolidate affordable housing functions under an expanded version of the existing Department of Land Management — which would be renamed the Department of Housing and Land Management — and to consolidate all homeless functions under the Department of Community Services, was approved by the mayor in December 2023 and announced during his 2024 State of the City address, the plan notes.

Housing in Hawai‘i — the affordability and availability of it, and how to build more — has long been discussed.

In addition to the creation of the newly established department and the strategic housing plan 

, the city has taken several other steps to address housing issues in 2025.

, or RFQ, to redevelop four underutilized city-owned properties in Honolulu into affordable rental housing.

Auger said the city received 20 responses for the four properties and tentative letters of commitment will soon go out.

. Those proposals were due April 30, "and that was also successful," said Auger, although he could not disclose how many responses the city received from that request.

 the former First Hawaiian Bank building at 445 N. King St. for $8.4 million and in January 2024 it acquired the Iwilei Center for $51.5 million.

The housing plan says these acquisitions, which total nearly five acres of land, "will form the catalyst of its redevelopment and revitalization efforts around the Kūwili Rail Station in Iwilei, consistent with the Downtown TOD Neighborhood Plan." 

The city is on track to select by the end of the year development partners for 10 or 11 properties in the city that can potentially deliver 2,600 to 2,700 units of housing, Auger says.

The city says DHLM will have 51 full-time positions. According to Auger, approximately 30 of the 51 are currently filled, "and we are actively and aggressively recruiting."

The department is currently on the hunt for the division heads, which will "help us set the tone about how we're going forward," he said. 

They're looking for a head of the new Housing Finance Division, and new Housing Development Division. 

"For the balance of the positions, we've got a good pipeline of potential candidates. Those are the two key [positions] we're trying to fill right now," Auger says.

DHLM has an operating budget of $12.2 million, according to a city spokesperson.

Kevin auger

<title>Honolulu establishes new Department of Housing and Land Management</title>

The city says the new department "consolidates key housing and land functions" from the Department of Land Management, the Mayor's Office of Housing, Department of Planning and Permitting and the Department of Community Services.

Honolulu establishes new Department of Housing and Land Management

Christian Shimabuku Headshot

Christian Shimabuku

Sports

It could have been easy for Dillon Gabriel to coast with the NFL Draft just days away. 

The NCAA's all-time career leader in touchdown passes is expected to get selected in the 2025 NFL Draft on either Friday or Saturday. But on Tuesday, he made an appearance at Mililani High School, giving back to his alma mater for the second year in a row. 

, Gabriel donated brand new, state-of-the-art training and recovery equipment. A blessing was held for the Gabriel Family Training Room and the Gabriel Family Weight Room. 

Before the unveiling of both of the new rooms for Mililani athletes, a blessing was held in Mililani's gym, where Gabriel spoke to hundreds of the school's current athletes. Gabriel thanked his high school football coach, Rod York, then got choked up as he addressed the current Trojans. 

"You got a believer in me," he told the student-athletes representing various athletic teams. 

Gabriel, a 2018 Mililani alumnus, left high school as Hawai‘i's all-time prep passing yardage leader, a feat later surpassed by 

. Gabriel started his college career at UCF, then spent the 2022 and 2023 seasons at Oklahoma. With an additional year of eligibility due to the COVID-19 pandemic, he played his 2024 season at Oregon. 

In 2024, Gabriel was a Heisman Trophy finalist, finishing third in the voting after becoming just the fourth player from a Hawai‘i high school to be a Heisman finalist. 

Last May, Gabriel used a portion of his NIL earnings to donate new Nike uniforms and equipment to various Mililani High School teams. On Tuesday, he unveiled another set of uniforms for the football team. 

As a youth, Gabriel was a student a Punahou before deciding he wanted to attend high school in his hometown. Recalling the good times with his high school teammates comes easy to him. 

"All the little times of the boys probably in between practices and lifts and us just messing around, and that time in the gym when we would sleep over (during preseason camp), and those hard practices that we got through together," Gabriel recalled following the ceremony. "There's so many core memories that have truly allowed me to keep being myself in this whole journey and not lose what's made me, and that's Mililani.

"That's the people that know me for who I am and what I value. Mililani is just a great reminder of that. Every time I come home, it's the reset I need, and I'm just happy to be home."

The 2025 NFL Draft begins on Thursday with the first round. Gabriel is expected to be selected on either Day 2 on Friday (rounds 2-3) or Day 3 on Saturday (rounds 4-7). 

"I'm at peace," Gabriel said of his pre-draft emotions. "I'm at peace with knowing that all the work I put out there, I'm confident in that and know that I'll go to the right spot. That's all I want. I've been praying for just the right spot and the right path that God has set out for me. I'm excited. It's been a lot of unknown and uncertainty, but that's where I've grown the most."

Hawai'i Skies: Caught between a rock and a hard place

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Hawai'i Skies: Caught between a rock and a hard place

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ASD Staff

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