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ASD Staff

Hawai'i Skies

Today's Hawai‘i Skies was captured by Julie Ford at Magic Island just "as the sun peaked over the back of Diamond Head."

To submit your Hawai'i Skies photo, visit us 

For the latest news of Hawai‘i, sign up 

Hawaii Skies 2.26.26

<title>Hawaiʻi Skies: Magic Island magic</title>

Today's Hawai‘i Skies was captured by Julie Ford at Magic Island.

Hawaiʻi Skies: Magic Island magic

Today&#039;s Hawai‘i Skies was captured by Julie Ford at Magic Island just &quot;as the sun peaked over the back of Diamond Head.&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

When David Feldman, the founder and president of Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship, formed the organization in 2018, one of his first goals was to just successfully hold an event. BKFC accomplished that feat, putting on a trio of cards in its opening year in Wyoming and Mississippi. 

Since then, the organization has taken its show to dozens of states and a handful of countries, including Thailand, Bulgaria, England, Canada and Montenegro. In another moment considered years in the making, the organization will make its Hawai‘i debut on Saturday for BKFC Fight Night Honolulu: Pitolo vs. Coltrane, with Mākaha native Maki Pitolo taking on Doug Coltrane. The card begins at 5 p.m. at the Neal S. Blaisdell Center on Saturday. 

"The vision in 2018 was to get one event done, because I worked nine years to do it. Get one done, and then we'll see where it takes it in a good and bad way. Obviously, the only bad way is, you miss a lot of time with your family and your loved ones. But then, in a good way, we've been and are going to places we never dreamed that we're going," Feldman told Aloha State Daily. "Back-to-back events in Hawai‘i and Australia on back-to-back weekends, so it's just phenomenal. 

"We have three events in seven days. The amount of fan interest that we get all over the world now, it's just truly incredible and very, very humbling, and we're just blessed to be in the position that we're in. Took a lot of hard work to get there, a lot of perseverance, and here we are with a great show coming up in Hawai‘i."

Hawai‘i has been on the organization's radar for years. Pitolo, a mixed martial artist with six UFC fights under his belt, will make his BKFC debut on Saturday night. He'll enter the ring on Saturday against a Coltrane that's 3-2 in BKFC fights. 

All 13 bouts on Saturday's card will feature at least one fighter from Hawai‘i. The opportunity to discover more Island talent and have them compete in front of their families and friends was another element that appealed to the organization. 

"I always knew that the people there on the Island could really, really fight. There's a lot of great fighters, a lot of great promotions that actually did fights there. I just thought it would fit the island very, very well, so I brought it there. I think the challenge was finding the right partner," Feldman said. "We found TJay Thompson, who does some promotions with Bellator and some other promotions of his own there, and he's been great to work with. He helped with a lot of the logistical problems that we thought that we were going to have that we didn't really have. It was a little harder than our normal shows that we do in the continental United States, but it wasn't very, very hard, and we're getting a great reception from it. We got some great fighters on the card. I think it's just going to be a fantastic event."

What separates BKFC from other combat sports is self-explanatory: The fighters themselves compete with their bare knuckles. Although the fighters have their wrists and thumbs taped, their knuckles are exposed. Other combat sports organizations, such as those in mixed martial arts like the UFC, use four-ounce gloves to provide some sort of padding for strikers. 

BKFC fights consist of two five-minute rounds, shorter than the standard 15-minute MMA bout that features three five-minute rounds. All things considered, Feldman believes those who 

 to Saturday's card at the Blaisdell will end up falling in love with the sport. 

"If you want to see the most exciting combat sport that you've ever seen, I promise you that you're going to leave Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship a fan," Feldman says. "If you're a fan of combat sports at all and you come to this, there's nothing more exciting, there's nothing more engaging. 

"You get to see these trained professional athletes do what they love to do, but this time without gloves on. And the sound that you're going to hear and the excitement that you're going to see in that arena, it's going to be like nothing else you've ever witnessed. So, I urge you guys to come out and watch this great event, and I guarantee that you're going to be fans for life."

A portion of ticket sales for BKFC Fight Night Honolulu will also go toward those affected by recent 

"The motivation is, if we're going to do something and be successful there, and we can't give back to the people that were affected, then what are we doing it for? Why are we doing anything good in life if you can't help the people that are having trouble? That's the way that we just model our lives," Feldman said. "We're going to do good, and we're going to give back to the people that help build it, to the people that are affected, to the people that need the help."

Maki Pitolo 041026

<title>Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship set for Hawai‘i debut in card packed with local talent</title>

Island native Maki Pitolo will face Doug Coltrane to headline the fight card, which begins at 5 p.m. at the Neal S. Blaisdell Center on Saturday.

Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship set for Hawai‘i debut in card packed with local talent

Kelli Shiroma Braiotta Headshot

Kelli Shiroma Braiotta

Food & Dining

First things first: The “missing grass shack” 

 that Sumida Farm posted on April 1 was an April Fool

’s joke. The shack is not lost and is still present at the ‘Aiea farm, according to general manager Kyle Suzuki.

“It was a good reminder that the farm and the shack won’t necessarily be here forever,” he says. “We are here because of the support of the community.”

While the farms didn’t suffer as much damage as others following the Kona Low storms in March, 

Sumida Farm’s watercress was definitely impacted

, according to Suzuki. He explains that watercress season typically starts in March, but with the constant heavy rain and little sunshine last month, the season was delayed.

“The reality is, with the Kona Low storms, it did stunt the growth of our watercress,” Suzuki says. “Too much rain means not enough sun. This year, we are four to six weeks later; it (watercress season) will run into June. This year will be a little shorter than normal. Watercress growth depends on heat, humidity and weather.”

While the farm does have watercress now, Suzuki says that within the next few weeks, its fields should be full. To celebrate the start of watercress season this month, Sumida Farm is launching a variety of different collaborations:

Please Come Again: Watercress ginger lime sorbet

Sumida Farm partnered with the Kailua-based ice cream shop last year to create this flavor. It was a hit with customers, so 

“Sumida Farm chef Elijah Madayag made a watercress ginger lime syrup, and they turned it into a sorbet,” Suzuki says. “You taste the watercress, but it has a sweetness; the bite pairs well with the lime and ginger. It was a popular flavor for Please Come Again last year, so we’re excited to have that again this year.”

The watercress ginger lime sorbet will be at Please Come Again while supplies last.

Restaurant collabs: Tali's Bagels, Alan Wong's at The Kāhala and more 

Several Oʻahu restaurants are incorporating Sumida Farm watercress in their menus. Watercress is featured in a variety of permanent dishes, along with seasonal specials.

Tali’s Bagels launched a Passover-related special that featured watercress in a bread-free meal alternative. Its seasonal bitter herb salad ($15) is a Seder inspired salad made with Sumida Farm watercress and Waialua Growers parsley. It’s topped with housemade pomegranate horseradish dressing, seasoned matzo croutons, ponzu pickled eggs, beets and pomegranate seeds.

“They said during Passover, a symbolic component is bitter, leafy greens,” Suzuki explains. “They paired our watercress with ponzu pickled eggs and baked croutons.”

While the salad is only available until April 12, starting April 15, Tali’s Bagels will run another watercress-inspired special. The Sumida Schmear will be available through watercress season, and the vegan-friendly schmear is inspired by tofu watercress salad.

“Instead of cream cheese, they’re going to use a tofu spread,” Suzuki says. “It’s our tofu watercress salad in spreadable form. It will be available at Tali’s Bagels Ward and Kailua locations through the month of April.”

officially opened to the public at The Kāhala Hotel & Resort

, also features Sumida Farm watercress in one of its salads.

“We have a longtime relationship with chef Alan Wong,” Suzuki says. “We’re so fortunate he continues to highlight local farms. He’s highlighting our Sumida Farm Leko — our younger varietal — in his kalua pig Caesar salad. That’s really exciting that he has that on his opening menu; we’re really excited to have him feature it.”

Chinatown-based O’kims Korean Kitchen is featuring Sumida Farm watercress in its meat jun, which is an April special.

“They used so much watercress last year,” Suzuki says. “I remember when we met with chef, and she ended adding watercress to almost everything on her menu last watercress season.”

Other eateries using watercress include Kailua-based Faria — the eatery recently ran a roasted bone marrow special with watercress “milho verde,” according to Suzuki — and Breadshop in Kaimukī.

Faria's bone marrow was served on a bed of lemon-herb watercress salad. The restaurant told Suzuki it was a huge hit with their customers.

“It was an honor to have them think about using our watercress,” Suzuki says.

“Every once in a while, Breadshop drops their watercress goat cheese Danish,” he adds. “It’s always in limited quantities. It’s an interesting, savory way to create a Danish with our watercress.”

Aside from restaurant collabs, the farm recently did a kokedama collaboration with Momo Terrascapes. (Kokedama translates to “moss ball” in Japanese, and features a gardening art form.)

Sumida Farm invited Chase Hamano from Momo Terrascapes to visit the farm, and he wanted to make something inspired by the farm and its field workers.

“It’s just a fun, different way to collab during watercress season,” Suzuki says. “We love partnering with restaurants and chefs; that’s the best way to enjoy our watercress — to eat it. We love to have artists and creators out to visit, so they can bring their creativity to tell stories about our farm, too.”

Suzuki says that within the next few weeks, watercress should be easier to find in grocery stores.

“Every year is a little different,” he says. “This year has been an exceptional year in how wet it’s been. But we feel very fortunate that, despite being slowed down, that we can still farm and grow watercress and get it out to the community.”

Sumida Farms farm picture 040926

<title>Sumida Farm launches collabs to celebrate watercress season</title>

The farm's watercress season was delayed as a result of heavy rains from the Kona Low storms in March. Sumida Farm is celebrating the start of watercress season this month with a series of collaborations with other local businesses.

Sumida Farm launches collabs to celebrate watercress season

Square Mike Brestovansky Headshot RGZ3736 Large

Michael Brestovansky

Crime & Courts

A second former patient at Tripler Army Medical Center has joined a complaint against the U.S. Army over claims of repeated sexual abuse by a former Army doctor.

As of Tuesday, eight “Jane Doe” complainants have filed an administrative complaint against the Army, the Department of Defense and the Defense Health Agency, holding them all accountable for widespread sexual abuse allegedly carried out by Maj. Blaine McGraw, an obstetrician-gynecologist (OB-GYN) accused of sexual misconduct by more than 100 plaintiffs.

 in a Texas lawsuit of unknowingly recording a former patient during a medical examination at the Carl R. Darnall Army Medical Center in Fort Hood. This opened the floodgates for scores of McGraw’s former patients — both at Fort Hood and at Tripler, where McGraw worked between 2019 and 2023 — with similar stories to join the case against McGraw.

But the eight Jane Doe complainants — two former Tripler patients, and six from Darnall — have accused the Army of negligence in their hiring and retaining McGraw despite his behavior.

In the complaint filed Tuesday, one of the Tripler victims claimed that McGraw performed breast and abdominal exams that were not medically necessary, that he remained in the room while the patient undressed, and that he would repeatedly place his hand on the victim’s upper thigh during each visit.

The patient also claimed that McGraw would make seemingly sexual comments about her body and would look at his phone repeatedly during appointments, leading the patient to fear that McGraw was surreptitiously recording her, something other patients accused him of doing.

Furthermore, the patient wrote that McGraw repeatedly pressured her to undergo a certain medical procedure despite her discomfort — the complaint is partially redacted, so the specific operation is unclear, but it was described as an “invasive procedure.” Eventually the patient discontinued her care with McGraw after he repeatedly attempted to bypass the Tripler front desk to schedule appointments.

“I had felt that Dr. McGraw's conduct was inappropriate, but I dismissed my feelings because I believed I could trust the military and its major doctors,” the victim wrote. “I have since learned that my trust was misplaced.”

The complaint states that McGraw’s presence posed an unreasonable risk of harm to patients, and that the Army could have mitigated McGraw’s alleged actions had the Army screened him better, or responded appropriately to complaints about him.

The victim’s complaint concludes that she is entitled to $8 million in damages from the Army.

“It’s a big number to start with,” Christine Dunn, the attorney representing the eight Jane Does, told Aloha State Daily, “but they have to include a number in the complaint.

“A sexual abuse scandal of this magnitude in the Army is very rare,” Dunn said.

Dunn, who works with Mainland law firm Sanford Heisler Sharp McKnight LLP, said the Army has six months to investigate the complaint, after which the complainants can file a lawsuit against the Army in federal court.

However, Dunn said the parallel criminal case against McGraw could delay the process further.

“Right now, it’s hurry up and wait,” Dunn said, although she said she is always willing to talk to more victims of McGraw willing to come forward.

Currently, McGraw is being held at the Bell County Jail in Belton, Texas. He faces 53 charges of indecent visual recording and five of conduct unbecoming of an officer.

Christine Dunn headshot 16x9

<title>Former Tripler patients file complaint against Army over sexual abuse</title>

Former patients of Maj. Blaine McGraw, accused by more than 100 plaintiffs of sexual misconduct, are seeking damages from the U.S. Army.

Former Tripler patients file complaint against Army over sexual abuse

Katie Helland Headshot

Katie Helland

Arts & Entertainment

Aloha Spirit

Hawaiian Council has announced its Aloha in Action Benefit Concert to raise funds for those impacted by the 

, which caused widespread flooding and damage across the state.

, alongside internationally recognized artist 

It is set to take place on Thursday, April 23, at the Ko Olina Grand Lawn, which is adjacent to Ulua Lagoon 4. The event starts at 5 p.m. Doors open at 3:30 p.m.

All proceeds from the concert will go to 

, which provides direct assistance and resources to those impacted by the floods.

“During times like this, we come together as a community,” said Kūhiō Lewis, CEO of the Hawaiian Council, in a written statement. “We are seeing firsthand the impact on families, and we are focused on supporting them and helping communities recovery, while showing what it means to truly kākoʻo one another. As a Native Hawaiian organization, it is our kuleana to rise up and take care of Hawaiʻi and its people.”

The recent storm led to evacuation orders for residents of Haleʻiwa and Waialua. It 

This event is a non-alcoholic, family friendly concert with music and cultural performances that will feature food and merchandise vendors.

Here is the tentative line-up of acts, which is subject to change:

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"}],"text":"5 p.m. The Mākaha Sons"}]

5:45 p.m. Amy Hānaialiʻi & Osorio ʻOhana

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"}],"text":"6:30 p.m. Jason Momoa & Öof Tatatá"}]

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"}],"text":"7:15 p.m. Three Plus"}]

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"}],"text":"8 p.m. Jack Johnson & Kimié Miner"}]

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"}],"text":"8:45 p.m. The Green"}]

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"}],"text":"9:30 p.m. Kolohe Kai"}]

Jack Johnson and his wife, Kim, are based on the North Shore. Earlier this month, they announced a 

commitment of $500,000 for flood recovery

, is a Kapolei-based nonprofit that focuses its programs on business incubation, housing, policy, tourism and workforce development to support Native Hawaiians.

It is produced by Hawaiian Council and led by a Native Hawaiian creative team that includes Kipe Ebana, 

, Tiana Nonosina and Kayla Faʻamaligi. Through a partnership with Ko Olina Resort — which includes Aulani, a Disney Resort & Spa; Four Seasons Resort Oʻahu at Ko Olina; Beach Villas at Ko Olina; Ko Olina Golf Club; Marriott's Ko Olina Beach Club; and Ko Olina Marina — Hawaiian Council will have 

use of the land for the lūʻau, the marina that supports the lūʻau, and a parking area for 18 months free of rent

Tickets are $25 for keiki who are 12 years old and younger. General admission is $50. VIP tickets, which include preferred seating and a benefit T-shirt and lanyard are $100. 

For the latest news of Hawai‘i, sign up 

The Mākaha Sons and Henry Kapono

<title>Benefit concert with Jason Momoa, Jack Johnson, Kolohe Kai, The Green and more</title>

Hawaiian Council has teamed up with nine acts, including The Mākaha Sons and others, to host a benefit for those impacted by the recent Kona Low Storms. The list of performers includes artists who are regular headliners at various events.

Benefit concert with Jason Momoa, Jack Johnson, Kolohe Kai, The Green and more

Kelsey Kukaua Medeiros Headshot

Kelsey Kukaua Medeiros

 is bringing hope and life-giving aid to Oʻahu residents impacted by this flooding disaster.

This isn’t the first time the faith-based, global humanitarian organization headquartered in Springfield, Missouri, has provided relief services to Hawaiʻi. Vice President of Public Engagement and National Spokesperson Ethan Forhetz told Aloha State Daily that the nonprofit spent a year helping West Maui recover and rebuild after the Lahaina wildfires in 2023.

“We are blessed to be able to give back to Hawaiʻi and help following yet another disaster there,” Forhetz said. “Every disaster is different, so it is based on the needs at the moment and what we foresee the needs will be.

“Now that the flash flooding has receded in large part, it’s the cleanup, so we will continue to deliver supplies, and our team members will be there as long as there’s a need for them there. We are also ready and willing to respond on other islands, if needed."

Forhetz, a former TV news anchor, joined Convoy of Hope five years ago to “be part of the solution,” he said, adding that so far, it’s been a good fit for him.

He said he was last on Maui in 2021 and has traveled to disaster scenes across the world with the organization, which last year responded to 92 disasters globally.

He added: "But the things that we see, a lot of times we see people on one of the worst days of their lives. They've lost their home, or their loved one. They've lost their livelihoods and it can be a dark time. Then, they're so grateful – they're blown away – by the fact other people know what they're going through and have come so far to help."

Convoy of Hope has partners across the Islands, including local churches, businesses, government and more. 

“Every time I get to meet a recipient of what we’re giving out following some sort of disaster, it makes me proud of the work I get to do in this organization with our partners and donors, he continued. “We couldn’t do it by ourselves. It really takes a group working together cooperatively to make a difference in other people’s lives.”

He noted that for this disaster, dozens of volunteers are assisting its “team of specialized disaster volunteers who train and travel.”

Forhetz said that Walmart and Home Depot have both been generous with in-kind donations.

“Walmart is committed to its continued support for our associates and the residents of Hawaiʻi,” according to a recent statement from the company. “Through strategic coordination with Convoy of Hope, Feeding America, and other partners on the ground, our local Walmart stores are helping make sure water and essential supplies reach affected areas quickly.”

The Walmart Foundation has also committed $250,000 in grants to 

 to support disaster relief and long-term recovery.

Additional items are being shipped, according to Forhetz, and are scheduled to arrive next week.

“I would say the biggest thing we see there on the Islands is this very, very strong culture and community of people wanting to get involved and help their neighbor. They come together to do the work.”

When asked how faith comes into play for Convoy of Hope, Forhetz told Aloha State Daily, “Our faith is the reason we do what we do.”

“We don’t require anybody else to be the same faith to receive help from us, but our faith is what drives us to help our neighbor in need, to see someone without hope and try to give them hope. Weʻre trying to give people hope that tomorrow’s going to be a better day.”

Convoy of Hope is primarily funded by corporations, churches and individuals, he said, adding that “more than 90 cents of every dollar donated goes where the donor wants it to go.”

Forbes' list of America's Top 100 Charities

the global nonprofit generated $95 million in total revenues in 2024. 

Besides crisis relief and meal support, its other programs include teaching people agricultural practices and empowering women to generate income.

Convoy of Hope flood relief

<title>Faith-based nonprofit aims to bring hope amid disaster</title>

Convoy of Hope, a global humanitarian and disaster relief organization headquartered in Springfield, Missouri, continues to provide food, supplies and services to residents on Oʻahu in response to recent flooding.

Faith-based nonprofit aims to bring hope amid disaster

Higa headshot white shirt square

Sterling Higa

Columnists

Stand-up comedian Tumua is doing crowd work somewhere on the Mainland, and 

 from the audience. The guy is from Kauaʻi, not born and raised, but “flown there, grown there.” He hasn’t lived there in nine years. While Tumua works the crowd, the guy shouts “chee hoo.” Tumua says, “That’s a solid chee hoo, man.” He does it again. Tumua has to shush him.

It’s a small moment, and Tumua plays it off with dry affection. The guy is playing out what he remembers of a place he left nine years ago. Much of the crowd never lived there at all.

Frank De Lima didn’t have that problem performing locally. Most of his audience hadn’t left. They were in the room — sharing the same plate lunch memories, cringing at the same accents, laughing because every joke was an inside joke. This wasn’t an introduction to local culture. It was a reminder, a celebration, even a reinforcement.

The plantation village was a truly different kind of place — shared land, shared labor, ethnic groups pressed close together with no way out. Filipinos, Japanese, Chinese, Portuguese, and Hawaiians were all crowded into the same neighborhoods and schools. What came out of it — the food, the humor, the pidgin — came from people who couldn’t opt out of each other.

Even as that world was dissolving, people reached back for its symbols. By 1978, a political movement called Palaka Power had taken the plantation worker’s cloth as its name — a clear link to the past. The Palaka Power 

 said so plainly. The writers also noted, in the same breath: the ILWU was declining, sugar and pine would soon be gone, the Democrats of the ‘54 Revolution had mostly left the arena. They chose the symbol precisely because the reality was already receding. The myth was always partly constructed. But it was backed, then, by people who had actually 

The built world that replaced the plantation village included public housing, suburbs, and apartments. The Mainland has all of those. And then came radio, television, the internet, smartphones, and eventually TikTok.

Stand in the Sandy Beach parking lot on a Saturday. A kid near the lifeguard stand is hitting a vape and dancing to a song trending in Atlanta. The shaka sticker on the bumper is working harder than it used to. But social media didn’t cause any of this. It arrived to find the flattening of culture mostly finished and has been tracking it ever since.

The audience for local content skews diaspora: Aunties in Vallejo, Kalihi kids now in Las Vegas, people holding onto something they can’t quite name.

Nostalgia is real. But it runs in one direction. You can package a memory and ship it to Fresno. What you can’t do is put it back. A friend put it plainly: are we our own cover band?

Distinct cultures are not accidents. They grow from particular people living side by side. The plantation village wasn’t a brand. It was a neighborhood. The shaka sticker can travel, but the neighborhood can’t. Something real is lost when a place becomes content.

. He’s reaching for something he actually had, once. What is it, exactly? The memory of a place, a people. The kind of memory that swells within and erupts in shouts — or tears. It’s the memory that many hold of Hawai‘i, even those who visited only for a week.

Nostalgia can become sinful when we deceive ourselves. It’s easy to romanticize farm labor from the comfort of air-conditioned offices, but the plantations were not a paradise. And neither is Hawai‘i. The past is worth a visit, but no place to make a home. 

That’s a solid chee hoo, man — but once is enough. Shush.

Pineapple Plantation housing 16x9 Large

<title>What's in a chee hoo?</title>

Generations removed from the plantation era that forged it, local culture is in danger of becoming a nostalgia-fueled performance of itself, writes ASD columnist Sterling Higa.

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