ASD icon blue inverse lighter

ASD Staff

Hawai'i Skies

Today's Hawai'i Skies was captured by Jay Ohashi Jr. in Kalihi. "Caught the sunset flexing harder than the Supra."

To submit your Hawai'i Skies photo, visit us 

For the latest news of Hawai‘i, sign up 

25 10 23 Jay Ohashi

<title>Hawai'i Skies: The sun was a paid actor</title>

Today's Hawai'i Skies was captured by Jay Ohashi Jr. in Kalihi.

Hawai'i Skies: The sun was a paid actor

Today&#039;s Hawai&#039;i Skies was captured by Jay Ohashi Jr. in Kalihi. &quot;Caught the sunset flexing harder than the Supra.&quot; To submit your Hawai&#039;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.

Christian Shimabuku Headshot

Christian Shimabuku

Sports

Twenty years ago, Joshua Walker graduated from Tallwood High School in Virginia Beach, Va., and embarked on a new journey. 

The standout outside hitter hopped on a plane, making a 10-hour trek to the Islands to enroll at the University of Hawai‘i and play for its men's volleyball team. 

Walker didn't know it at the time, but the school and state would go on to become a major part of his life. It was at UH that Walker met and married his college sweetheart, Tehane, an ‘Aiea High School graduate and former captain of the UH soccer team. Joshua and Tehane Walker currently have five children together.

After earning AVCA All-America honors with the Rainbow Warriors, Walker traveled across the globe in a professional career that came to an end in 2016 after joining 

Walker's transition from playing to coaching was seamless, the promise he showed as a young coach evident in winning the 2019 AVCA Assistant Coach of the Year. In 2022, Walker spread his wings and joined the women's volleyball staff at Baylor University and was elevated to associate head coach in 2023. 

 on April 29, a surprise vacancy for the UH women's volleyball head coach position was created. A national search spearheaded by UH athletics director 

 lasted over a month, but in the end, Elliott says he was "absolutely thrilled" in offering Walker a five-year contract to become the new Rainbow Wahine head coach. 

Walker, who is currently in the midst of hectic summer that involved coaching the U.S. women's national youth team, was only able to make it back to O‘ahu as the program's new head coach in recent days. 

Aloha State Daily recently caught up with Walker about his new gig, the journey leading up to it, and what's next for him and the Rainbow Wahine. 

You graduated high school 20 years ago and embarked on your journey to Hawai‘i. If someone asked you back then where you saw yourself in 20 years, what do you think 18-year-old Joshua Walker would have said? 

 He would have said he'd probably still be involved with sports. Everybody in my life, my family, has been teachers, preachers, law enforcement, and military. I kind of fell into the teacher pot. That's what I feel like I do in coaching. It's not just about coaching volleyball, though. It's about teaching, and I'm helping them learn how to be great people and be adults. Looking back, I'd probably say I'd be involved in some kind of teaching or some kind of mentoring.

How did you find your way to the University of Hawai‘i during the recruiting process? 

I just had a lot of great coaches, a lot of great people that looked out for me throughout my career. I wasn't playing volleyball that long. I started playing more seriously when I got to high school, but I was state Player of the Year by my junior year, and my coaches kind of helped facilitate me getting on some people's radars that maybe I wasn't on originally. I wanted to go to George Mason, but God had other plans. It came down to a 10-hour flight to Hawai‘i or a 10-hour drive up to Penn State, and I chose the flight. It's just one of those things where a lot of people were looking out for me, and I heard about the fan base. 

The 2006 season was a pretty good season for the men's team as well, but I knew there were some people that were leaving, so I felt that was an opportunity to potentially go on court sooner than later, too. And Penn State had players like (AVCA Player of the Year and two-time Olympian) Matt Anderson that were on the roster. (Hawai‘i) was a good opportunity for me to potentially go on court a little bit sooner, and I just heard about the fanbase, so I felt I could be a player that would thrive in environments where I knew people cared about volleyball as much as I did.

If you could put your UH men's volleyball assistant coaching hat on for a second — when you were coaching under Charlie Wade, do you think you would have recruited Class of 2006 Joshua Walker?

Yes, I would have, because the thing that you kind of look for that you can't necessarily describe or be able to explain is how they are on the court and how they are off the court. The accolades have to be there, yeah, but if you're touching 11'8" (11 feet, eight inches on a vertical jump) and you can hit, it's probably someone that is going to get recruited. That being said, it would have been for sure harder for me (given the caliber of players the Rainbow Warriors have recruited under Wade) to think, OK, well, 'He's got to do this or this to even have a chance to be on the court,'  but yeah, for sure it was one of those things where I think Charlie for sure would have tried to still recruit me.

How would you sum up the experience of playing pro volleyball and getting to travel the world? 

I played pro in Abu Dhabi, Greece, Denmark and Finland. The team that I was on in Abu Dhabi, we went to Egypt, went to Lebanon. In between summers, I ended up going to play in Japan for a tournament. Then I played in Greece for Panathinaikos, which is a legendary club in Europe. A lot of people in general know what Panathinaikos is and the rivalry they have with Olympiacos, so that was pretty cool being a part of that rivalry. Denmark was unique because that was the first time I chose where I really wanted to go. I didn't really go through an agent or anything because I wanted a place where I was gonna be happy and have a good season. I ended up getting MVP there, won a couple championships there, so that was just really fun. Finland was probably the best combination of everything, from quality of life off the court, how good the league was overall, there were seven or eight other Americans that were in the league at the time, so every time we were playing another team, there was someone I knew. It was just a really great experience, being able to play and travel all over the world because of volleyball.

When did you decide to become intentional about wanting to become a coach, and what was that process like?

 I initially did not (want to stop playing) at first because my daughter was being born and I had an opportunity to go back overseas. A position (under Wade) opened up here. I told Charlie, OK, we can try it out for a year. If I like it, great. If I don't, then I know I can go back and play pro. When I got into it, I wasn't sure how it was going to go. After the first year, I was completely hooked. I knew there's so many different things we could do that's going to help us be more successful. I knew how to relate to the guys here since I had just relatively been through it, and they were coming off (an NCAA Tournament appearance. ... The team had some good pieces that were leaving, and the team that I was able to be there with, guys like Kolby (Kanetake), Siki (

), and those players, they were great for me, just to kind of have an experience, like, OK, I can help these guys accomplish their goals here and what they want to do. I think that just kind of bled into the next year, and in 2018 we had a good season, a disappointing ending (UH did not receive an anticipated at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament). But if we don't have that '18 season, we don't have the '19 season in which we blew a bunch of records out of the water. If you don't have the '19 season, you're not able to have the '20 season. If you don't have the '20 season, you're not able to finish the job in '21 and then couple that with a relatively new group in '22 (and a repeat national championship). So, every year just kind of built off of itself."

Did you go to a lot of Wahine volleyball matches when you were a UH student? 

 Yeah, for sure. ... Absolutely. Went to the games, supported them. Some of my best friends still to this day are Wahine volleyball alumni. To me, it's just kind of a full circle moment. When I'm out recruiting or just seeing these players that have gotten in different aspects of their life or still connected to volleyball, still being able to stay in contact with them and just how excited they are that I get the opportunity to come back and coach. I have a great relationship with 

was a former Rainbow Wahine as well. They're just all over the place and all very supportive. I'm looking forward to the opportunity to give back but also to have my friends just be proud of their university.

 When you were sitting in those crowds, if someone told you that you'd be running the show one day, how do you think you would have reacted?

I'd be like, 'OK, I don't know what you're talking about right now, I'm just here to get better at volleyball.' It's not something that really crossed my mind. You just feel like God really has his hand on my life, and I can't pick out the situations and the opportunities that have come up because I couldn't plan this out myself. I just know somebody else has their hand all over it, and that being said, I feel like I'm prepared for this moment. ... At the time, I was just focused on doing the best I could, being the best teammate I could be, being the best son I could be, being the best brother I could be, and now that's kind of blossomed to 20 years later and getting an opportunity to be the head coach.

Oh, gosh. I knew of her because the soccer team was pretty good when I was here, as well. Obviously, UH athletics was pretty dominant when I was here. Football was doing great, making the Sugar Bowls and all that. It was a great time just to be at UH in general. My wife, I knew of her just because she was on a great soccer team and a good soccer player. I didn't really get out to Waipi‘o (Soccer Complex, home of UH soccer) that much. ... I actually made it out to watch one of the games. I knew a bunch of players, but it wasn't until she had already graduated. Even though we're the same age, she was a better athlete, and she was smarter than me. She had graduated and she didn't redshirt. She was working at Duke's. We had a recruit (on a visit), and we went down to Duke's, and she was one of the hostesses. Our eyes just met, our eyes locked, and it was one of those things I can't explain. It was that moment, and then we just kind of followed up with each other, we got each other's contacts, and that's kind of how it got started. That being said, I was going into my junior year, and volleyball was pretty high on my priority list. We had this joke early that we would see each other 1.5 times a week because of our schedules. She was getting a master's at Chaminade at the time, so any time we got to see each other, it was great, and we enjoyed being around each other. But outside of that we both had other things we were focusing on."

 When you think about the journey you two have been on over your career, how special is it to be able to come home to Hawaiʻi with her? 

It's one of those things where it's like, OK, you marry a local girl, you're not gonna leave (laughs). She's always been super supportive of me and my career and everything that I've wanted to do, and obviously, a big priority was just making sure my family's quality of life is great. To me, having a chance to go to the women's side wasn't necessarily just because there's more opportunity, it's also a chance to experience something different. 

A lot of women in my life have given back to me and have been very influential between my mom, my sister, who helped me get into the sport. My first coach, 

, as well. There's just a lot of great women in my life that poured into me, and it was a chance for me to get to the women's side and pour it back into them, and that opportunity came up. ... So, I'm like, I might as well get some experience on the women's side, just in case something happens, and that was kind of the mindset leaving. I might have a chance to come back, but Hawai‘i will always be home, it's just whether it's my workplace again.

 When you were an assistant coach with the men's team, you were often seen playing with your kids after the matches. What does having them be a part of the journey mean to you and how has that balance been?

Everybody says balance, balance, balance. One of the questions I had early in my coaching career was how do I balance this? It's really not a balance, it's when I'm doing my job, I'm 100% focused on that, and then when I'm doing family stuff, I'm 100% focused on that. So, I don't balance it out. When I'm done working and I know it's family time, I make sure that I'm spending time with my family when the game is over. They love going to sporting events which helps. It's very great that they like doing that. They're in it as much as I am. They love volleyball as much as I do. They love sports as much as I do. ... I'm just very appreciative for my family, for them helping the environment, and helping them fall in love with volleyball as much as I have.

What was your reaction when Robyn Ah Mow stepped down? When did you consider going for this job in the aftermath?

Going into May, I was doing USA stuff. I had two weeks where there's stuff I have to do, but not over the top where I'm going to be super busy. All of a sudden my phone starts going off, and I'm like, what is going on? Everybody's saying, Robyn's stepping down and you should apply, that kind of stuff. I'm like, OK, I'll think about it. I was in a great situation at Baylor, so I didn't feel like I needed to leave, but it had to be for the right opportunity. Even though it is a great opportunity to be the head coach of Wahine volleyball, things have to line up, it has to make sense. I had to talk to people that I'm really close to, had to pray about it, all those things. If I'm taking the job now, how will it look like the very first day I'm on the job? Depending on when that happens and what the priorities need to be, and all those kind of things. It didn't take long for me to kind of go through the process, because that's what you do as an assistant coach. 

If a job opens up that you're interested in, you're going to apply. It's just one of those things, which, realistically, the path for you to be on the same page with all the people involved in the process and those logistics, it doesn't always work out clearly. It's one of those things where, I knew I would be prepared for a yes. I'd be prepared for a no. Being in coaching, you get told no a lot, and then you get a few yeses, and you hope those yeses make the difference.

Now that you've got to be a head coach for a few weeks, how has the experience been so far?

It's been busy. There's been a lot of stuff to get done. Last Monday (June 15) was a huge one, one of the biggest recruiting days of the year. Getting things organized for that takes a lot of time, but I think we did a good job considering how fast we had to turn things around, and try to get focused on, OK, who actually wants to come and can help right away, and then just meeting with the current team, which was great. Having time to meet with all of them individually was great, and definitely want to do that again before everybody gets back on campus, just to once again kind of get to know them and make sure we're on the same page as far what their dreams and what their goals are. ... The focus is on the team. Obviously coming off of a rough situation losing their coach, but we're gonna make sure we do things to make sure we define what winning is, and that we can have a successful season going forward. 

As it relates to the changes in college sports, how do you feel about the resources you have here compared to a place like Baylor?

 You'd be surprised. The things that we have here is what you need to be a high-level athlete. I went through here and went through the university, and I had the resources I needed. The biggest difference I feel between a power school and a Group of Five school is just the amount of people that you have working. You can have more people, that doesn't mean you're necessarily going to have higher quality people either, and yes, there's going to be a difference in facilities. You're at those schools, they're always talking about what the other school has and what the other school has, and in the end, you can be on a team and want to start. You can be honest, you can be a starter and want to be All-Conference, All-American. If you're competitive and you want to win, you're always going to want more, so you can't dumb that down. 

Yes, at the University of Hawai‘i, we want more. We want to have the nicest things, but in the end, you have what you need to be successful, and in the end, if you have that, let's go. Let's go and use it. So, the resources for volleyball in particular are pretty comparable across everybody across the nation, so that's what I'm excited about. The reason why we've been successful is because people know how much people care about Hawai‘i volleyball. I know whatever resources or things that we need, there is a way to get it, especially if I'm doing my job as coach.

 So, maybe you didn't imagine yourself in this seat 20 years ago. How about 20 years from now, how do you think you'll look back at this time in your life and your family's life? 

 I do not know. Once again, I'm so focused on what's happening right now and then maybe within five years what it could look like. But I just know from seeing what it takes to get a program to where it needs to be, the goal is to be able to win national championships again. It takes time, so to me, it'd be great in 20 years from now we're talking about, man, we're national champions, and this is the path that it took to get there, and all the lives that you helped influence and helped impact on the way that's led to that moment. I think that would be nice in 20 years to think about, to reflect on that part, but got a lot to get to and a long way to go.

Joshua Walker 062426

<title>Q&A: New Hawai‘i women's volleyball head coach Joshua Walker hits the ground running</title>

Walker, a former UH men's volleyball player and assistant coach, returns to his alma mater after four seasons on Baylor's staff.

Q&A: New Hawai‘i women's volleyball head coach Joshua Walker hits the ground running

Square Mike Brestovansky Headshot RGZ3736 Large

Michael Brestovansky

Government & Politics

Crime & Courts

The U.S. has paid out about $17 million to more than 600 claimants for impacts from the 2021 Red Hill fuel leak.

 Wednesday that 629 military family members who sued the federal government over the jet fuel spills at Red Hill have been issued about $17 million in collective settlement payouts as of Monday.

The settlements stem from a pair of lawsuits filed in 2021 and 2024 in which thousands of people filed claims under the Federal Tort Claims Act — the law requiring the federal government to be liable for damages caused by federal negligence — alleging negative health impacts caused by exposure to the contaminated water at Red Hill.

On May 19, the U.S. District Court for the District of Hawai‘i approved a settlement proposal awarding each of the 17 “bellwether plaintiffs” — plaintiffs representing a large group of plaintiffs in a class-action suit — general damages ranging between $5,000 and $75,000. Four plaintiffs were awarded further special damages for future medical expenses between about $5,000 and $29,000, and the court also awarded an additional $1,000 to each plaintiff for “loss of enjoyment of life.”

Two days later, the court also approved another settlement, this one awarding damages to more than 100 minors impacted by the contaminated water. These damages ranged from about $3,000 to $19,000 each.

A preliminary report published in April found that the plaintiffs “suffered greatly and have a myriad of health issues,” ranging from temporary coughing, nausea, rashes and pain to long-term gastrointestinal and neurological problems.

However, that report also concluded that, although most of the plaintiffs’ short-term symptoms could be plausibly linked to the fuel leak, the court did not find that the plaintiffs had sufficiently proven that their reported chronic symptoms were caused by the fuel leak.

The report also rejected many plaintiffs’ claims that their reported ongoing mental and emotional distress was not caused by the fuel leak, but by unrelated pre-existing circumstances. But in some cases, the fuel leak was found to exacerbate existing distress over plaintiffs’ worsening medical conditions, which entitled those plaintiffs to special damages.

All told, the court has settled with about 3,600 of the 6,500 civilian plaintiffs who have sued so far, the Department of Justice announced.

“The settlements represent a fair and just resolution of claims and we look forward to paying additional claims once they are approved,” said Assistant Attorney General Brett Shumate of the DOJ’s Civil Division.

Nonetheless, the case is still far from over, as another 3,000 plaintiffs still await settlements. The DOJ is continuing to process these plaintiffs, and several motions to approve further settlements have been filed and await court approval. The DOJ reported that about 300 plaintiffs have already met all criteria for a settlement and merely need a signed release to receive their payouts.

260512 N IS471 1183

<title>DOJ awards $17 million to over 600 Red Hill plaintiffs</title>

Military family members impacted by the Red Hill water contamination receive settlements, but the case continues as thousands more plaintiffs remain.

DOJ awards $17 million to over 600 Red Hill plaintiffs

IMG 1445

Rick Hamada

Columnists

[{"type":"text","text":"We all know these familiar sayings:"}]

[{"type":"text","text":"\"Health is Wealth\""}]

[{"type":"text","text":"\"An apple a day keeps the doctor away,\""}]

[{"type":"text","text":"\"Early to bed early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise.\""}]

"Yes, I'll have double vodka martini, a Cowboy Rib-Eye and a cup of melted butter."

OK, the last one was more of my familiar saying because I've said that at Ruth's Chris for decades.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"italic"}],"text":"Homer Simpson: \"Hmmm ... melted butter.\""}]

Sure, I've heard the sayings, I've heard friends warn me about my consumption and I heard various physicians over the years issue their cautionary tales.

[{"type":"text","text":"I heard it all."}]

[{"type":"text","text":"But I didn't listen."}]

[{"type":"text","text":"So let me share where I am today."}]

I am soon to be 65 years of age in a matter of months and I have been instrumental in damaging my health over many years.

The first wake-up call was in 2005. Our family was vacationing in Michigan where our families would get together for the holidays.

This particular year, the kids were so very young and we just toured the local zoo.

I was called by my primary physician informing me that I had full blown Type-2 diabetes. I had had blood work done before the trip and based on, well, everything, that was his conclusion. The news was not breaking news. I assumed I was prone and when it was confirmed I didn't really process what the implications were. This was the beginning.

[{"type":"text","text":"I have always struggled with weight. "}]

I was in my early 20s and my friend introduced me to Gold's Gym in California. I became a gym rat, often working out seven days a week and for a good period of time we'd do two-a-days. At my peak I had about 8% body fat and weighed in at 198 pounds on my 6'1" frame. I maintained this regimen through my 20s but slowed to a crawl in my 30s. And 40s. And 50s.

Yes, there we pockets of time where the two mantras of good health — diet and exercise — were employed but there was never a return to the focus and dedication to good health.

During my post-20s to now, I loved to consume. To imbibe. To revel in food and drink. And this was the norm and not the exception over all these years.

[{"type":"text","text":"Let me share about myself what maybe you can relate to."}]

I eat for comfort and not hunger. I have stated to those who would listen that food and I have a difficult relationship. This is where I find satisfaction. Emotional triggers lead to gorging. Insecurities are quelled with stacking a plate and watching TV. With a life where there is no real sense of control the one thing, I did have was absolute control over what was on my fork. I can say those were times of great contentment.

[{"type":"text","text":"Until the food was gone."}]

All the unease and anxiety would return. And so would the fork, and so on and so on and so on.

That call from my PCP while in Michigan came at a time when I was at my heaviest weight ever — 348 pounds.

[{"type":"text","text":"I actually bought slacks with a 50-inch waist size."}]

I was a husband and a father of two young children and I was either intentionally or unintentionally killing myself.

[{"type":"text","text":"Returning home, I chose to change."}]

I worked with my PCP, was prescribed medication and actually followed a plan.

And for a while it worked. The following year back with my folks and I had dropped about 40 pounds, wore 44-inch pants and received compliments by many.

[{"type":"text","text":"I finally turned it around."}]

[{"type":"text","text":"Over the next couple of decades, I was just being myself."}]

Interestingly, as much as I liked to drink and, yes, smoke cigarettes, I didn't gain all the weight back. 

[{"type":"text","text":"Wow, I'm doing OK. Let's go!"}]

[{"type":"text","text":"Then the first stroke hit."}]

[{"type":"text","text":"It was March of 2020, just when the COVID shutdowns were happening."}]

I was prepping for my radio show and I just felt light headed, maybe a bit dizzy. That's OK, I'd felt that before.

When I arrived in the studio and and reviewed emails I discovered I could not type. That's right. Nothing. I couldn't control my striking of keys on the keyboard. I passed if off as just being tired.

When the time came I cracked the microphone and I could not talk. I could make sounds but couldn't actually speak. 

[{"type":"text","text":"I knew I was in trouble."}]

I took a commercial break, called my PCP and he ordered me to go directly to the ER.

Upon arrival, I was given an MRI and the imagery showed blackness on the left mid to bottom of my brain.

I had suffered a stroke affecting my speech and cognition. I was admitted immediately,

I have shared in this space and on my radio show that my belief in God supersedes all other outside agencies. However, I believe the Lord empowers others to help others and that's why I thank the Lord for our entire health care community. I recovered from the stroke amazingly. The doctors and nurses were so supportive and I was released in relatively good condition. Over time, I did feel some of the impacts, such as short term memory loss and an ever so slight slur in my speech. Listeners, friends, family and even doctors remarked that I sounded just fine. It was here when I decided to optimize my health via physicians and prescriptions. I even embraced, yes, diet and exercise.

[{"type":"text","text":"And then I didn't."}]

[{"type":"text","text":"December 26, 2024."}]

[{"type":"text","text":"A second stroke."}]

This time it was termed a hypertensive stroke directly due to my high blood pressure. Two bulging veins in my brain were the main culprits. If they had ruptured we may not be together today. I was treated, admitted and was released after two days in hospital. I returned to being more responsible but my struggles continued.

Despite siren calls for essential lifestyle changes, I would peak and valley with goo

d and not so good activity. Whether it was food choices, beverage selections, maintaining stress, a remarkable minimum time of quality sleep, maintaining ideal blood pressure and blood sugar levels, a profound lack of physical exercise or other related issues there were more health changes on their way.

I attended a nonprofit fundraising event in Waikīkī and while walking to the valet, I tripped and fell. This caused severe pain in my left rib cage and I went to the ER. The on-duty doctor assigned X-rays and blood work and when all were completed he shared the results. Yes, my ribs were injured, but not broken. But...

[{"type":"text","text":"The blood work revealed I have Stage 3 kidney disease."}]

I was surprised because through all my time of health care, I wasn't apprised of such a dramatic development. Thank goodness for the fall because I may still be oblivious to such a severe condition. Incidentally, Stage 3 leads to Stage 4 which leads to Stage 5 and dialysis. I was informed that within two years of my last record of blood work, my kidneys had deteriorated by more than 40%. Ask anybody who has been subjected to the cost, the time and limitations demanded by kidney dialysis treatments. It's truly a life sentence.

I know that I'm in the 4th quarter and perhaps even approaching the two-minute warning. I know that the onus is on me for not acting responsibly, consistently and proactively regarding my health. I am reaping the consequences and regretfully, I'm jeopardizing my time with the most important people in my life, Zachary and Zoe, my children.

However, I am renewed and taking steps to reverse the damages I've inflicted via regenerative stem cell therapies and, coupled with a new found commitment to living longer, I'm hopeful for a longer future.

It's important to me to share my story in the hope that you will be compelled to take stock of your health. Listen to your body, reach out to your health professionals, take advice seriously and change your lifestyle to optimize the quality of life you're living. 

If you are doing this now, then I respect and commend you. If you're not, then start. You don't want what I have after years of being self-centered and dismissive. I can only pray for the opportunity to repair and maintain my health to thereby improve my time remaining, and I wholeheartedly share my prayers with you.

Kidney disease i Stock 1360864678 16x9

<title>Hamada: Let me be a warning to you</title>

ASD columnist Rick Hamada gets personal with some health news, in hopes that you'll be inspired to take better care of yourself.

Hamada: Let me be a warning to you

Stephanie Salmons Headshot

Stephanie Salmons

Business & Tourism

Food & Dining

International Pineapple Day is coming up on June 27, but Maui Gold Pineapple Co., is celebrating International Pineapple Week now through June 28.

At the center of the celebration is the launch of Maui Pineapple Farm, Maui Gold's new brand, which offers value-added pineapple products crafted from Maui Gold pineapples, a recent announcement notes.

"Through fresh-cut fruit, frozen pineapple, dehydrated snacks and other speciality offerings, we create new ways for customers to enjoy the flavors of Maui while supporting local agriculture and reducing food waste," the 

's family of brands include Maui Gold Pineapple Co., Maui Pineapple Tour, Maui Pineapple Store, Maui Chocolate Tour, Lahaina Honey Co., Maui Farm Events and, now, Maui Pineapple Farm.

“This launch is a significant step forward in our value-added agricultural efforts, expanding the capabilities of our newly renovated cutting and processing facility here in Hāli‘imaile,” Todd Domeck, owner of Maui Gold, said in the announcement. “By upcycling our surplus fruit that cannot be sold at retail value, we are drastically reducing agricultural waste while continuing to deliver new, premium products with the signature Maui Gold sweetness our customers know and love.”

John Cadman, production manager for Maui Pineapple Farm, told Aloha State Daily during a visit to the Maui Pineapple Store last week that he was hired to develop value-added products.

"Rather than just selling straight, whole pineapples to all of the pineapple lovers on Maui, we need to get some value-added products out there," he says. 

Cadman says value-added means to process an agricultural product in a way that increases its value. That could be, for example, the bags dehydrated pineapples, or making pineapple jam or juice.

[{"type":"text","text":"\"We're adding value to our raw agricultural products,\" he explained."}]

According to the announcement, initial Maui Pineapple Farm products, which will be available at the Maui Pineapple Store and used by Maui restaurants, coffee shops and other local businesses, include fresh- and frozen-cut pineapples, pressed pineapple juice and teas, and dehydrated pineapples.

Cadman says he's spent more than 50 years in food service and for the last decade, he's run a small food manufacturing company called Pono Pies. He started with Maui Pineapple Farm in March.

When asked why this was a step the company wanted to take, Cadman told ASD that the primary supply of pineapples for the value-added products is called premium culls, "in other words, fruit that is too small for the market that previously was going unused and yet is just as tasty and delicious as the large pineapple."

The goal of this new venture? To increase sales and "get more pineapple out there," says Cadman.

, general manager of Maui Gold Pineapple, noted, "so capture every single [pineapple], I mean, as much as we can. Not sacrifice any."

"Fresh fruit has a very limited shelf life, whereas value-added products [last longer], so it makes sense to have products out there that have a longer shelf life and increases consumption of valuable pineapple," Cadman says.

During a tour of the processing and packing facility, Cordero told ASD Maui Gold processes about 15,000 to 16,000 pineapples twice a week and, depending on the season and other factors, can produce about 2,000 to 3,000 25-pound equivalent boxes a week.

In addition to the debut of Maui Pineapple Farm, the week-long celebration of pineapple includes pop-ups from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. daily through June 28 at the Maui Pineapple Store, 870 Hāli‘imaile Road.

Vendors include Koko Val, Vitalitea Hawaiʻi, Maui Cocktail Kits, Maui Tea Shack, Farm to Fudge, To Be Organics, and Social Hour Coffee. Maui Gold team members are also set to participate in the 58th annual Makawao Parade, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. June 27, the announcement noted.

Kiana Smith, director of sales and marketing for Hawai‘i Farm Project, told ASD that it's important for the organization to celebrate pineapple all week because of the long history of the fruit but also to share the story of Maui Gold and "all the things that we've been doing with pineapples for 10-plus years."

"With the Pineapple Tour, with the Pineapple Store, with now owning Maui Gold and creating Maui Pineapple Farm, it's important to share what has made us who we are and where focusing on agritoursim started — and it started 10-plus years ago with Maui Pineapple Tour," Smith says.

Maui gold pineapples 061926

<title>New from Maui Gold Pineapple Co.: Maui Pineapple Farm</title>

The new brand launched this week, offering value-added products made from Maui Gold pineapples.

New from Maui Gold Pineapple Co.: Maui Pineapple Farm

Higa headshot white shirt square

Sterling Higa

A multi-billion-dollar corporation has been stalled by an insect the size of a grain of rice.

The company is Host Hotels, based in Maryland. It wants to build a 375-room resort on the North Shore of Oʻahu, at Turtle Bay. The insect is the Hawaiian yellow-faced bee. On July 2, a court takes up whether an out-of-date environmental impact study forces the developer to start over. That process can take one to three years.

 was fitted to this coastline long before any of us arrived. It forages the native shoreline plants and asks nothing of anyone. It has held on in the few pockets of habitat we left it. There is a quiet dignity in a creature so suited to its place.

But the bee is not really the point of the lawsuit. The people bringing it would mostly agree. The point is to stall the development, and their lever is 

a 13-year-old environmental impact statement

 they say is out of date. The city’s own attorneys contend that nothing is being built where the bees actually live. The bee is the sympathetic face on a procedural fight, and the fight is about delay.

Delay is a strong tool here because we have built such a fine machine for making it. Before anyone pours a foundation near the water, a project must clear a Special Management Area permit, satisfy the Coastal Zone Management law, honor shoreline setbacks, pass historic and archaeological review, and complete an environmental impact statement. Once a species is listed as endangered, the federal government joins the table too.

Each of these has its acronym, and each acronym feeds a profession. We have raised up a whole guild of planners, engineers, archaeologists, and cultural consultants. They each demand a fee from the developer. He trusts them to navigate the thicket of regulations.

The thicket is built to slow development. A single environmental study can run from a quarter-million to two million dollars and add years to a project. And time is the one thing a developer cannot buy back. He has taken money from investors or bought the land on credit. He loses money every day the work does not start.

A developer who must survive years of delay needs enough margin to justify the risk. The modest project cannot carry those costs. The luxury project can. So a system meant to restrain development does not stop the mansions — it selects for them. It clears the field of everyone else.

A few miles down the coast from Turtle Bay, another developer is already building homes that start at $5.9 million each. That project is not affected by the lawsuit. The activist fighting the resort and the seller of the luxury home are working the same machine from opposite ends, and it rewards them both.

The same pattern is visible from the stalled rebuilding of Lahaina to the Neighbor Islands. There, the only people still willing to build are the ones who can afford to wait. It is the same machinery that strangles the affordable housing everyone claims to want, though that is an argument for another day.

The bee’s fit to its coast was authored. It is a small instance of a world that was made, and made well. The thicket answers to no such wisdom. It was authored by no one in particular and is accountable to no one at all. It is a heap of law upon court ruling upon administrative rule, each layer added in good conscience. But it is always added to, never refined. One of these is design. The other is accumulation.

None of this argues for tearing the rules down. Development without restraint would be a sin of its own. The ground was given to us to keep, not to strip. The coast and its creatures are real goods, not obstacles in the way of profit. The man who treats untouched nature as the highest thing and the man who treats his return on capital as the highest thing have made the same error pointed in opposite directions. Both have set something small in the place of God.

We cannot redesign the bee, and we have no business trying. The thicket is the one thing here we did make — and what we have made, we can unmake.

Hawaiian bee

<title>Turtle Bay Resort vs. a bee: Why the rules keep choosing luxury</title>

An endangered bee could stall a Turtle Bay resort, writes ASD columnist Sterling Higa. A few miles down the coast, homes that start at $5.9 million are going up untouched.

Turtle Bay Resort vs. a bee: Why the rules keep choosing luxury

Kelli Shiroma Braiotta Headshot

Kelli Shiroma Braiotta

Kam Bowl Restaurant just announced that it will be permanently closing on Sunday, June 28, at 3 p.m. The restaurant posted its closure notice over the weekend; the notice states that it is the end of the eatery’s lease term.

The Kalihi-based restaurant will be reopening on July 1 at 10:30 a.m. under new management and name — Ali

The notice also states that Kam Bowl Pearl City will be opening in mid-July at Times Square Shopping Center.

The restaurant in Kamehameha Shopping Center has been a local favorite. It opened in its current location in 2016 — in the former Kenny’s Restaurant spot — but the original Kam Bowl opened in the 1950s. The original location included a coffee shop and bowling alley, and it closed in 2007.

Kam Bowl restaurant is famous for dishes like the hamburger steak with brown gravy ($12.50 small, $15.95 regular) — made with a homemade hamburger patty and grilled onions — and its oxtail soup.

The oxtail soup is available in small ($21.95), regular ($24.95) or extra-large ($33.95) sizes. It’s served with white rice, fresh Chinese parsley, green onions and ginger.

The menu also features favorites like adobo fried rice, loco moco with brown gravy, chop steak and more.

The Kalihi-based restaurant is closing this Sunday, June 28, at 3 p.m. It’s reopening on July 1 at 10:30 a.m. under new management and a new name — Aliʻi Diner. Kam Bowl Pearl City is set to open in mid-July at Times Square Shopping Center.

Hawai'i Skies: The sun was a paid actor

ASD Staff

Reporter

More in Hawai'i Skies

Hawai‘i Skies: Color takeover

Hawaiʻi Skies: Lunar halo

Hawaiʻi Skies: Aloha Friday

Hawaiʻi Skies: Rain = rainbows

Most read

Hawai'i Skies: The sun was a paid actor

Authors

ASD Staff

Reporter

More in Hawai'i Skies

Hawai‘i Skies: Color takeover

Hawaiʻi Skies: Lunar halo

Hawaiʻi Skies: Aloha Friday

Hawaiʻi Skies: Rain = rainbows

Most read