ASD icon blue inverse lighter

ASD Staff

Hawai'i Skies

Today's Hawai‘i Skies was captured by Barbara Rasmussen in Paukaʻa, Hawaiʻi. "

Not all sunrises involve flaming skies. Clouds lit by the sun and rain falling from below another Paukaʻa sunrise."

To submit your Hawai'i Skies photo, visit us 

For the latest news of Hawai‘i, sign up 

Barbara 26 1 29

<title>Hawai‘i Skies: Paukaʻa sunrise</title>

Today's Hawai‘i Skies was captured by Barbara Rasmussen in Paukaʻa, Hawaiʻi.

Hawai‘i Skies: Paukaʻa sunrise

Today&#039;s Hawai‘i Skies was captured by Barbara Rasmussen in Paukaʻa, Hawaiʻi. &quot;Not all sunrises involve flaming skies. Clouds lit by the sun and rain falling from below another Paukaʻa sunrise.&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.

Kelli Shiroma Braiotta Headshot

Kelli Shiroma Braiotta

Food & Dining

[{"type":"text","text":"Kam Bowl is now open in Pearl City."}]

The restaurant opened in Times Square Shopping Center, in the former space of IHOP. The eatery 

 and re-opened in July under new ownership and under a new name, Aliʻi Diner.

At the new Pearl City restaurant, customers can expect the same signature dishes Kam Bowl was known for according to co-owner Ryder Yoshida, who says the menu is currently limited to the most popular dishes.

“It’s smaller and more simple,” Yoshida says. “We’re concentrating on getting the stuff people like before adding more things.”

Kam Bowl Pearl City did some renovations to the restaurant’s interior, such as adding new booths for seating.

“The kitchen was pretty much empty; we had to re-do the whole kitchen,” he says. “The hard part about it is the restaurant is big and the kitchen area to prepare food is small, compared to the Kalihi location.”

The menu features dishes like the eatery’s famous oxtail soup ($24.95), hamburger steak ($18.95), loco moco ($18.95) and Japanese breakfast ($18.95). The latter includes miso soup, toss salad, two eggs and a choice of mahi or salmon.

The restaurant now uses wagyu beef to make its hamburger patties, according to Yoshida.

“This is the first time we’re using wagyu beef,” he says. “We’re trying to keep prices reasonable.”

Dishes like hotcakes and sweet bread French toast are available from 7 to 11 a.m. Many plate lunch-style entrees come with white rice and a choice of toss or mac salad.

On the eatery’s opening day — Aug. 1 — regular customers from Kam Bowl’s Kalihi location were eagerly eating breakfast. Yoshida encourages diners to check out the new space.

“I was sitting in here before we opened, and people would ask, ‘Are you guys open yet?’” he says. “I kept on saying, ‘Pretty soon, pretty soon.’ Just come and try our food.”

[{"type":"text","text":"Kam Bowl Pearl City is open daily from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m."}]

98-1264 Kaahumanu St. Ste. B03, Pearl City

For the latest news of Hawai‘i, sign up 

Kam Bowl Pearl City owner 080126

<title>Kam Bowl is open in Pearl City</title>

The eatery is now open in Times Square Shopping Center, in the former space of IHOP. Customers can look forward to signature dishes like oxtail soup, loco moco, hamburger steak and more.

Kam Bowl is open in Pearl City

Pua headshot

Puanani Fernandez-Akamine

Hannah Coburn HPR

Hannah Kaʻiulani Coburn

Viewpoints

Aloha Spirit

A famous moʻolelo of Kūpeke speaks of the kupua heʻe (supernatural octopus) who watches over Kūpeke Loko Iʻa (fishpond). This is notable because the fishpond at Kūpeke is the only loko iʻa known to be guarded by a kupua heʻe. Most are protected by moʻo (lizard) or puhi (eel) deities.

These days, the ahupuaʻa of Kūpeke is also being watched over by Laʻa Poepoe, the kiaʻi poʻo (lead caretaker) for Kūpeke Ahupuaʻa.

Located on the east end of Molokai, the ahupuaʻa of Kūpeke includes about 300 acres, from the top of the mountain to the shoreline and out to the fishpond wall. Poepoe’s stewardship of Kūpeke is the confluence of his Molokai lineage, aloha for his community, a passion to mālama ʻāina, an unshakable work ethic, and his foresight.

The designation of Kūpeke Ahupuaʻa as the protector of this wahi pana (storied place) is itself a remarkable story. But Poepoe is quick to point out that “we do not own the ahupuaʻa. Kūpeke owns itself. I am just a caretaker.”

[{"type":"text","text":"Pilina to place"}]

Poepoe is native to Molokai and the fishpond at Kūpeke figures in some of his earliest memories. He recalls going to the beach there with his paternal grandparents, and his grandmother pointing out important sites in the area, including her birthplace.

Growing up on Molokai, Poepoe was taught lawaiʻa (fishing) the traditional way: follow behind, no talking, observe actions, carry the fish. As a young adult, he would visit the fishpond from time to time on his way to the shoreline to go fishing.

Over the years, he was increasingly drawn to mālama ʻāina work across Molokai, influenced by the efforts of his father, Mac Poepoe.

In the early 2000s, the senior Poepoe, a long-time leader of Hui Mālama o Moʻomomi, helped inspire the creation of the mālama ʻāina initiative Kua ʻĀina Ulu ʻAuamo (KUA) whose mission is to support community-based organizations who protect, restore, and care for Hawaiʻi’s unique native species and ecosystems.

Ultimately, Poepoe was drawn to Kūpeke and his stewardship there evolved organically. No one was actively managing the land or the fishpond. The ʻāina near the shoreline was overgrown with invasive plants like mangroves, the kuapā (fishpond wall) needed repair, and invasive limu and fish were pushing out native species.

There was also silt in parts of the fishpond – an unfortunate byproduct of degraded ma uka lands diminished by a combination of overgrazing, out-competition by non-native plants, and unstable weather patterns that have left swaths of the uplands denuded and vulnerable to severe soil runoff during heavy rains.

When Poepoe began stewarding Kūpeke, the ahupuaʻa was jointly owned by Namahana Buchanan Estate and Buena Ventura Properties. Both entities were controlled by Stanwood Formes.

Poepoe reached out to Moku Buchanan, a relative of Formes. Together, Buchanan, his wife Lori, and Poepoe began building the grassroots organization that would eventually become the steward of these lands.

Wanting to be pono in their intentions and increasingly invested in the maintenance work that the fishpond required, Buchanan contacted Formes and obtained verbal permission for Poepoe to continue his work rehabilitating and managing the loko iʻa at Kūpeke.

Poepoe started small. “I picked a spot to anchor from with no clear plans or specific objectives in mind,” he recalled. “I just let the work guide the way, cleaning the property on a loose verbal agreement because it was the right thing to do.”

[{"type":"text","text":"Returning Kūpeke to Kūpeke"}]

For generations, the ahupuaʻa of Kūpeke was owned by the Buchanan ʻOhana. Looking ahead, Poepoe anticipated that the land would eventually be put up for sale.

He already had a long-term vision to restore and rehabilitate Kūpeke and hoped they would be able to formalize an agreement with the owner. Poepoe was concerned – as most Molokai residents are – about developers buying up land to build multi-million-dollar estates that gentrify and ruin the rural character of the island.

When Formes passed unexpectedly in 2018, Poepoe, his wife Mahina, and the Buchanans founded Kūpeke Ahupuaʻa, an organization dedicated to the restoration and management of the ahupuaʻa. It was registered as a nonprofit in 2020, and their goal was to position the organization to purchase the land and protect Kūpeke from unwanted development.

Years passed, and as they waited for the estate to move through the probate process, Poepoe continued to mālama Kūpeke.

Repairs were made to the kuapā, invasive seaweeds and Upside-down Jellyfish were collected from the loko iʻa, red mangrove was cleared, and truckloads of plastic marine debris – an ongoing problem due to the fishpond’s location and prevailing ocean currents – were removed.

Kūpeke Ahupuaʻa hosted visits from haumāna from schools across the island, welcomed scientists from various institutions to conduct lab sampling of fishpond conditions, and invited the community to come kōkua during workdays.

Poepoe also invested time in building relationships with neighbors from the area; with community-focused organizations such as KUA, Sustainable Coastlines, and the Trust for Public Lands; and with government agencies like the Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR).

A Maui County fireman by profession, Poepoe has invested years of his time and energy in restoring and maintaining Kūpeke fishpond because of his aloha for and commitment to this wahi pana. He has never been compensated (or sought compensation) for his labor or time. Poepoe has also taken paid vacation to work at the fishpond and used money from his paycheck to purchase the tools and equipment needed to do that work.

In July 2024, when the probate process for Formes’ estate was completed, the ahupuaʻa of Kūpeke was listed by Corcoran Pacific Properties for $1.8 million.

For five years, Kūpeke Ahupuaʻa had worked to raise funds to purchase the land through large conservation organizations, but those processes take a very long time and with the land now listed on the open real estate market, their time had run out.

“We were informed that there was a potential buyer for the land. Someone from outside of Molokai had put in a serious offer that was being considered,” Poepoe recalled.

Kūpeke Ahupuaʻa pivoted to a direct community fundraising campaign, seeking donations from organizations and individuals to purchase the land.

The years Poepoe had spent faithfully stewarding the loko iʻa and building a good reputation within the community had not gone unnoticed. “Those who knew us and had been following our work and believed in our mission felt comfortable enough in our abilities to support the cause,” he said.

The community came through and, against all odds, in January 2025 Kūpeke Ahupuaʻa was able to purchase the ahupuaʻa for $1.5 million.

“Had the other offer been accepted, all our years of work would have been at risk and the loko iʻa would have faced an uncertain future with a new, unknown owner,” said Poepoe.

[{"type":"text","text":"Fishponds as part of a larger ecosystem"}]

Within a healthy ahupuaʻa, fishponds are part of a carefully managed and balanced ecosystem.

Hawaiian loko iʻa represent a highly sophisticated form of aquacultural engineering unlike anything else in the world. They are impressive features of Hawaiʻi’s traditional food system, and this speaks to the brilliance of our ancestors.

The loko iʻa at Kūpeke is a kuapā style fishpond with three mākāhā (sluice gates). Its wall is more than 2,200 feet long and connects the land at either side of Kūpeke, encompassing nearly 34 acres.

For centuries, an uninterrupted chain of fishponds stretched for miles along Molokai’s southern shore. It is estimated that about 75 fishponds were once in production on the island but during the 20th century many fell into disrepair.

Hawaiian fishponds are not merely places to trap and harvest fish. They function as one hānau, (birth sands). Juvenile fish biologically imprint on Kūpeke by the hundreds of millions.

“It’s a mistake to believe loko iʻa primarily function as an industrial feed lot to mass produce a specific number of pounds of fish per acre,” Poepoe said. “That’s why they are called fish ponds not fishing ponds – a loko iʻa, not a loko lawaiʻa. There’s a balance to maintain and a kuleana for knowing that balance.”

Many of the fish born in healthy fishponds make their way out to sea, become part of the wild fish population, and ultimately part of the food chain ecosystem all the way to pelagic (deep water) fish.

Through fishponds, our kūpuna not only created a productive and sustainable nearshore food resource, they amplified the wild fish population, as well.

[{"type":"text","text":"Ongoing mālama ʻāina at Kūpeke"}]

With Kūpeke now safe from development, Poepoe continues to work towards his vision of aloha ʻāina and restoration of the ahupuaʻa beginning with the rehabilitation of the loko iʻa.

Kūpeke Ahupuaʻa remains a small operation. It has a three-member volunteer board and no permanent full-time staff. Poepoe continues to do much of the work himself, but now has a helper thanks to Kupu, a conservation-focused nonprofit that provides environmental stewardship opportunities to young people.

Kupu is sponsoring an intern at Kūpeke Ahupuaʻa for an entire year and this has afforded Poepoe more time for handling the administrative duties a nonprofit requires.

The ongoing maintenance work at Kūpeke Loko Iʻa includes invasive species (both plant and animal) removal, marine debris clean-up, water quality monitoring and limu monitoring. Biomass from the invasive plants and animals removed from the pond is composted and will be used to fertilize the mala (garden).

Poepoe has recently planted a small loʻi kalo near the loko iʻa and is caring for several varieties of niu (coconut) that were planted along the coastline years ago. In May, Kūpeke Ahupuaʻa welcomed partner organizations to help survey and catalog varieties of coconuts among the ulu niu (coconut grove).

“We wanted to elevate the social and cultural revival of niu by connecting people with the places that provide ceremonial meakanu (plants) used in our traditional and cultural practices,” Poepoe said.

One variety of coconut tree growing at Kūpeke is particularly special and known to cultural practitioners on the island. It is a variety called niu hiwa and its shell is valued for ʻapu ʻawa (cups used in ʻawa ceremonies).

As invasive plant species are removed from the fishpond and the surrounding area, they are being replaced by native and endemic plants. Poepoe gathers the seeds of plants like alaheʻe (a small hardwood tree) and ʻūlei (a spreading shrub) to eventually restore the native forest.

He also has plans to cultivate plants like hala (for lauhala weaving), wauke (for kapa-making), ʻōlena (turmeric) and iliahi (sandalwood). “Aside from growing lāʻau (medicine), we would like to have these plants readily available if needed for iwi kūpuna reburial ceremonies,” Poepoe explained.

Kūpeke Ahupuaʻa is also active in water rights advocacy and water use on Molokai. Natural springs supply fishponds and important fishing grounds with a constant flow of fresh water – an essential component of healthy estuarine and marine habitats.

Finally, Poepoe is looking to repair a small building at the site adjacent to the loko iʻa that was filled with mud after the recent Kona Low storms in March. He is reimagining the building as a lab fitted with basic equipment that can be used as a gathering space in support of established monitoring and research projects.

Through implementing managed access along with ongoing habitat maintenance and monitoring, a gradual increase in fish populations has been observed at Kūpeke with a notable increase in the number of ʻamaʻama (indigenous mullet) finding refuge in the fishpond.

Despite these efforts, and early success, the fishpond continues to face challenges including native habitat loss, increased erosion from rainstorms leading to massive topsoil runoff settling in the pond, and higher-than-average tides that now regularly breach the fishpond wall.

[{"type":"text","text":"A mālama ʻāina practitioners network"}]

Anticipating that their work will become increasingly difficult given existing conditions that are being magnified by climate change, Poepoe is working with Hui Mālama Loko Iʻa to find solutions.

Hui Mālama Loko Iʻa – which operates under the umbrella of KUA – is a network of fishpond practitioners and organizations. This alliance allows members to connect, leverage each other’s skills, and share knowledge about fishpond restoration and management to support ongoing stewardship efforts across the pae ʻāina.

Brenda Lima is the Hui Mālama Loko Iʻa coordinator at KUA, and she emphasizes the important role that fishponds play in reflecting the overall health of surrounding ahupuaʻa.

“Common problems facing fishponds are related to water quality and invasive species,” Lima said, noting that they are the direct result of mismanagement or neglect of broader ahupuaʻa systems.

“It shows the gaps in management that have allowed invasive species to become established. Another consequence of historical land use mismanagement in ma uka areas are fishponds being filled in with sediment.”

She counts Poepoe’s success at Kūpeke as part of a growing movement of fishpond practitioners finding ways to acquire or secure long-term access to the lands they are already caring for. Lima said that Kūpeke Ahupuaʻa’s permanent stewardship of the ahupuaʻa represents the ideal situation.

“Someone with knowledge of the place – those are the people who should be managing these fishponds,” Lima said. “The people that have worked for years to take care of these places, especially if they are a family that has a generational relationship … they should be the managers providing long-term stewardship.

“That’s really the long-term vision that we have for fishpond management.”

[{"type":"text","text":"Moving forward"}]

Kūpeke Ahupuaʻa’s mission is to eventually restore – and maintain – the entire ahupuaʻa, and Poepoe draws inspiration from his maternal grandmother, Marilyn Kahalewai, the artist behind the iconic ahupuaʻa poster found in classrooms across Hawaiʻi.

Poepoe said that, for now, the loko iʻa is the focal point of their work. In time, they will gradually move their restoration work both upland and out to the reef, following the natural movement of the ahupuaʻa.

His approach, based on the konohiki framework of traditional land and resource management, reinforces the idea that fishpond rehabilitation is not just about increasing fish populations; it’s about maintaining the entirety of an ahupuaʻa’s ecological and cultural systems. When these elements are in balance, communities can thrive.

With an eye to the future, Poepoe is also looking at succession planning and hopes that one day someone from the next generation will step up and take over stewardship of the ahupuaʻa “so I can step back and just be the yard man,” he laughed.

But for the time being, Poepoe continues his kuleana for maintaining the land, rehabilitating and restoring habitat, managing ʻāina, and reducing the spread of invasive species.

[{"type":"text","text":"His is a lifelong commitment to aloha ʻāina."}]

Looking back on Kūpeke Ahupuaʻa’s accomplishments over the past few years, Poepoe notes that while protecting this wahi pana from development is a great achievement, what he is most proud of is “being able to give Kūpeke back to itself.”

To learn more about Kūpeke Ahupuaʻa go to 

This article is reprinted with permission from 

OHA's Ka Wai Ola newspaper: "Giving Kūpeke Back to Itself" by Hannah Kaʻiulani Coburn and Puanani Fernandez-Akamine, in its July 2026 issue, Vol. 43 No. 7. Read more at 

Kupeke Fishpond

<title>Community Voices: Giving Kūpeke Back to Itself</title>

Located on the east end of Molokai, the ahupuaʻa of Kūpeke includes about 300 acres, from the top of the mountain to the shoreline and out to the fishpond wall. Laʻa Poepoe’s stewardship of Kūpeke is the confluence of his Molokai lineage, aloha for his community, a passion to mālama ʻāina, an unshakable work ethic, and his foresight.

Community Voices: Giving Kūpeke Back to Itself

Katie Helland Headshot

Katie Helland

Arts & Entertainment

, president and CEO of Bishop Museum, got his first experience on the 14-acre campus in the Kapālama-Kalihi district about 25 years ago, when he was starting his Ph.D. in Australia.

He focuses on studying mammals and has discovered about 

. Expeditions have taken him to New Guinea, Indonesia, the Philippines, the Solomon Islands, Vanuatu and parts of South America and Africa, but 

some discoveries also take place at museums

During his first visit to Bishop Museum, the campus made an impression immediately.

“It’s always been one of my favorite places to come, both for its connection to my scholarly pursuits and my love of learning [and] it's one-of-a-kind uniqueness," Helgen told Aloha State Daily in early June.

founded in 1889 by Charles Reed Bishop in honor of his late wife, Princess Bernice Pauahi Bishop

, including specimens, cultural objects, photographs and films, works of art, audio recordings and manuscripts. The museum is one of the world’s largest collections and is set apart from peer museums because it was founded in Hawaiʻi during the Kingdom of Hawaiʻi, he said.

“It remains a museum by and for Hawaiʻi," Helgen added. "And amongst all the peer institutions that are similar, it's the only one that was not set up specifically in a colonial center of power. It's entirely different from almost all of our corresponding museum peers. That is an extraordinary thing.”

 for the calendar year ending June 30, 2025, according to the latest Form 990 available online. Most of that money comes from grants or contributions, which in FY2025 totaled about $23.8 million, or 84% of the total revenue.

Helgen joined Bishop Museum almost a year ago, on Aug. 1, 2025, succeeding interim CEO 

partnered with the Shangri La Museum of Islamic Art, Culture & Design

 to serve as one of two museum partners that are transportation hubs for the center, which is located in a residential neighborhood.

Looking ahead, Helgen plans to prioritize revitalizing historical buildings and digitizing the collection at Bishop Museum. The museum is also planning to expand its staff and 

is opening recruitment searches for three new natural sciences curators. It recently hired a marine biologist and is in the process of bringing on a new botanist and entomologist.

Prior to moving to Hawaiʻi with his wife and 12-year-old son, Helgen was the chief scientist and director of the Australian Museum Research Institute at the Australian Museum, where he oversaw 120 staff members in research and collections capacities.

“As a family, we have just been thrilled with the move to Hawaiʻi and the extraordinary spirit — the connection and welcome that we felt here,” he said. “It's just been a wonderful move.”

Helgen also previously worked at the Smithsonian Institution, where he was a research zoologist and curator for the division of mammals at the National Museum of Natural History, according to his LinkedIn profile. 

He spoke with Aloha State Daily ahead of his one-year anniversary on the job.

There's so much to absorb when you come into a new organization. What has been the biggest thing you've learned in your first year? 

I had never lived here in Hawaiʻi before. I had a lot of connection to Bishop Museum, kind of what pulled me here like a magnet when the opportunity came. But there aren't many times in our lives and careers that we get to sort of transplant into a completely different cultural setting, and that is something that has just been absolutely thrilling for me. I've loved every minute. 

Bishop Museum is such an important place for Hawaiʻi — for our understanding of history and culture and nature. One of the things that I've been learning most is the importance of the daily usage of ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi here on campus. ... Language is one of the most foundational aspects of place, and here at Bishop Museum, we are all about helping to connect to place and to ground to the very history of the land where we are on this campus. Every day, as I learn more of the daily uses of ʻŌlelo Hawaii around here, I learn more and more about Hawaiʻi.

What were some of the most urgent problems the nonprofit museum's board asked you to take on in this role?

 We have a lot of things that we want to do, and one of the things that has been really pressing is — like any historical museum — the fact that we have so many infrastructure needs. We have old buildings. We have huge collections that we have to steward with great responsibility.

What are you most proud of from the past year? 

A lot of things. It's all about the people here. It's all about the achievements of staff. I'm proud that I feel like there are many things that have a different feel on campus already since August [2025], when I took over, and some of those are easy to explain. For example, in that time, we've opened an actual restaurant on campus, 

Tūtū’s Place, and that's in partnership with Highway Inn

. ... Likewise, with the gift shop, we started a new partnership with Hawaiian Council, [which owns and operates] Nā Mea Hawaiʻi, and so we have changed from a more generic provider to an entirely local set of business connections that stock that shop. As people may know, 

 for a long time, and that has now changed; they're no longer based at that location, so this is their location here at Bishop Museum. Having Highway Inn serving Hawaiian food every day and having Nā Mea Hawaiʻi here along with 

 — those are just 'enter the door and feel a little bit different' aspects, but there are others, too. 

Our team, especially in public programs and education, has been really focused on community engagement around reactivation or revitalization of particular core objects or pieces, things that have been behind the scenes for a long time. One we might have spoken about was the 

Aʻa, which was Prince Kūhiōʻs famous koa racing canoe

, and so that gorgeous canoe was sort of rehabilitated by canoe experts. ... And in November, [the canoe] was launched back out into the ocean for a wonderful event with koa canoes from all around Hawaiʻi.

What's the biggest challenge you see facing the museum today? You mentioned infrastructure, is that No. 1, or are there others? 

I think that's the most pressing. For example, people know Hawaiian Hall, and when they think of Bishop [Museum], that's almost synonymous with imagining that wonderful volcanic stone building. But its sibling is Bishop Hall, just across the way here, that is the earlier building. ... As many know, Bishop Hall was the original site of Kamehameha Schools and remained a core site of the school and the boys school in particular through the 60s. I regularly meet people out in the community that know this campus in part because they went to school here. That has been a facet of this campus for 

 and so I bring up Bishop Hall, because right now it's closed to the public because the structure is not fit for any activity right now. ... This is part of my responsibility to revitalize this really important piece of Honolulu heritage, Hawaiʻi heritage, and figure out how to bring that back to life, especially as a community space.

... Bishop Hall is not at all our only need. A lot of the needs are less visible, and they have to do with collections facilities that are behind the scenes, but are aging or need to be updated to best practice. One thing we've done during this year is from scratch, we've gotten started and built a new warehouse facility on the Bernice and Kalihi street corner. It's brand new. It has air conditioning, humidity control. And that is a facility that, for example, we're going to move all the canoes into that space. For the first time in 100-plus years, we'll have a really museum best practice purpose facility fit to look after those extraordinary objects. The need to bring our campus up to modern standards is one of the things that's just most top of mind, and that includes spaces like Bishop Hall, that should be public and activated again, as well as core spaces where we look after our most important materials.

Are staff still working on digitizing collections?

 Digitization is one of those core priorities that we have here, too. When you think about museums and the responsibility that we have holding these materials in public trust — making them as accessible as we responsibly can is a really important piece of that. Museums have come to realize that digitization is a really important part of doing that. We can only, of course, showcase a very limited percentage of things in the museum out on the public displays, but by expanding our efforts to image and document data around materials behind the scenes that's how we are going to meet some of our commitments to the broader public — and the world at large — around accessing our materials. 

Our digitization program started in earnest around five years ago. We've had smaller initiatives at times and now that is really gaining a lot of steam. ... It turns out — and this is so important for the public to realize — that the core most important resource that Hawaiʻi actually has to understand things like endangered [or] invasive species is part of the collections that are here. ...

I'd like to see us even more involved in that scientific capacity — through digitization, through the genetic work that we do here at the museum — in creating tools that are really useful for the state to meet the moment in terms of conservation, climate, endangered species, biosecurity. The museum has a pretty strong future ahead in that.

Given your extensive research and expedition experience, what is the appeal of an administrative job? 

For the last 15 years, I've been ever more involved in museum management, and all along that's meant being a scientist and a scholar, working especially in Pacific communities. But, part of it came from realizing that my career would be focused on museums and becoming very excited about that. Many people don't necessarily realize that — particularly in the natural sciences — it's behind the scenes in the laboratories and collections of the world's biggest museums that some of the most important work is taking place. So, as I realized that and I moved up the ranks as a scientist, I noticed what people might notice in any workplace, which is that there were things that I wanted to see done maybe different or better or more efficiently.

What strategies have you implemented to help retain staff? 

Some of what we focused on as an executive team most strongly in this first year have been on the well-being of staff. And that's included a deep dive into benefits, paid time off — improving both of those things. Thinking about how we can support people in matching and saving. Thinking about what we can do with professional development. ... As much as I have aloha for the museum, I knew I had so much to learn, and that has meant that for much of my first year here, I've spent that time really listening, and through that listening, thinking about, 'What am I hearing that the museum does need most?' And just the fact that we are on a better financial footing than we were a few years ago, the staff has wanted to be able to feel that in their own life, connecting through to the work they're doing here and the stability that they feel.

You recently visited the British Museum. Can you share what brought you there? Are there items from Bishop Museum on loan there? 

 in London. It was an extraordinary show, curated by 

, who was previously a staff member here [at Bishop Museum] on our cultural team. ... She was able to work at the museum to put together an absolutely remarkable exhibit. ... It was closing on May 25 and I was there, including for the closing ceremony and protocol, and it gave me an opportunity to chat with Alice, others involved in the exhibition, other leadership at the museum, including their director, Nicholas Cullinan. And just thinking about the potential for interaction between British Museum — which has the largest set of Hawaiian objects outside of the Bishop Museum — and our museum. ... And yes, we do have a couple of things that were on loan to that wonderful exhibition, and they were specifically gorgeous silver pieces that were gifted from the Royal Family of the UK to the Royal Family of Hawaiʻi. ... And until this moment had never been back in the UK.

Looking ahead, what are your goals for the next five years? 

I want to continue, of course, our footing of being a well-managed museum. Obviously, that means a firm and strong, sustainable financial footing. I want to lean into our strengths, which include historical strengths like the role we play as a Pacific-wide museum role model with our peer museums around the Pacific region. And that might include more engagement and partnership, and fellowship opportunities, other ways of engaging with Pacific partners. 

Bishop Museum CEO Kris H with shark

<title>Q&A with Bishop Museum CEO Kris Helgen</title>

This mammal-discovering scientist is now the president and CEO of Bishop Museum. Helgen shares some of the biggest challenges and accomplishments of the past year, which is his first 12 months in the role.

Q&A with Bishop Museum CEO Kris Helgen

Everyone’s looking to save money and get the most bang for their buck. This series will show you where you can save while still savoring a good meal.

 — formerly named Yujin K-BBQ — recently changed its concept from Korean barbecue plates to affordable takeout bowls. Korean-style bowls are technically $5.70 each and are served all day.

Business owners Joungah and Yujin Bae changed the business’s concept to offer the community takeout options that are both affordable yet filling.

Korean-style bowls are technically $5.70 each and are served all day. Most bowls include a protein, rice, corn and japchae. So far, the bulgogi (beef), spicy pork and meat jun bowls are the most popular. Other options include honey garlic chicken, mandoo, fish jun, shrimp tempura and fried oysters. 

The Yujin bowl — which has bulgogi and spicy pork — is also a customer favorite, but this bowl is $8.70 since it’s a combo. The business also offers kimbap ($6.70), which often sells out quickly.

The business still features family recipes and everything is made in house.

Yujin K-Bowl is open from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesdays to Sundays. It’s also open from 4 to 9 p.m. Tuesdays to Fridays; it’s closed on Mondays.

Open 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesdays to Sundays, 4 to 9 p.m. Tuesdays to Fridays; closed on Mondays

Yujin K Bowl meat jun 072326

<title>Budget Bites: Yujin K-Bowl’s $6 bowls</title>

The Waipahu business offers Korean-style bowls for takeout only. Bowls include a choice of protein, rice, corn and japchae.

Budget Bites: Yujin K-Bowl’s $6 bowls

Kam Napier Headshot

A. Kam Napier

Columnists

Government & Politics

You wouldn’t know it from local media, or even from much of the mainstream Mainland news, but Dr. Anthony Fauci is back in the spotlight, six years after his Icarus flight into the sun of international media attention during Covid-19.

 at the Honolulu Star-Advertiser about Anthony Fauci is from April 3, 2020. It’s an Associated Press wire story, “

Dr. Fauci’s face will soon be on a bobblehead

How appropriate. It would hilariously ironic, if it weren’t for the needless panic and suffering that man caused as he reveled in his Covid-era fame.

In April, Hawaiʻi News Now did carry an AP story earlier this year, “

Former Fauci adviser indicted for allegedly concealing communications related to COVID-19 research

.” It was a small glimpse into an overdue reckoning.

The last article on Fauci at Hawai‘i Public Radio was from Jan. 23, 2021, “

The gist of that piece is that Fauci was thrilled to be working for former President Joe Biden — as well he should be, since Biden, or his autopen, would go on to 

It's not getting much media attention, but the private diaries of Dr. Anthony Fauci have been published online by Sen. Rand Paul in advance of his hearings this week into Fauci and Covid-19. What they reveal across thousands of pages is man in love with the adulation he received, who privately knew that many of things he said publicly about the pandemic were wild exaggerations.

Hawai‘i Skies: Paukaʻa sunrise

ASD Staff

Reporter

More in Hawai'i Skies

Hawaiʻi Skies: Through the trees

Hawaiʻi Skies: Another one

Hawaiʻi Skies: On top of the world

Hawaiʻi Skies: The beginning of a new day

Most read

Hawai‘i Skies: Paukaʻa sunrise

Authors

ASD Staff

Reporter

More in Hawai'i Skies

Hawaiʻi Skies: Through the trees

Hawaiʻi Skies: Another one

Hawaiʻi Skies: On top of the world

Hawaiʻi Skies: The beginning of a new day

Most read