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Hawai'i Skies

Today's Hawai‘i Skies was captured by Doug Cochran at Makani Kai Marina, Kāneʻohe. "Preparing for an early morning sail from the Makani Kai Marina."

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IMG 1205

<title>Hawaiʻi Skies: Morning sail</title>

Today's Hawai‘i Skies was captured by Doug Cochran at Makani Kai Marina, Kāneʻohe.

Hawaiʻi Skies: Morning sail

Today&#039;s Hawai‘i Skies was captured by Doug Cochran at Makani Kai Marina, Kāneʻohe. &quot;Preparing for an early morning sail from the Makani Kai Marina.&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.

Stephanie Salmons Headshot

Stephanie Salmons

Aloha Spirit

Nearly three years after wildfires destroyed much of Lahaina town, a new three-day celebration will bring more than 100 former residents back.

The inaugural Lahaina Homecoming — set for July 17 to 19 — will welcome 103 former residents home and offer a handful of community events.

It's an initiative of Maui Economic Recovery Commission's Healing Journey Team, coordinated by nonprofit Festivals of Aloha and is sponsored by the Maui County Office of Recovery, Hawaiian Council, Hawai‘i Community Foundation and Hawaiian Airlines, along with other local organizations and private donors, a recent announcement from Maui County noted.

It was created "from deep listening, lived experience and community need," the 

 states. "The idea grew from ongoing healing work with Lahaina families and a shared understanding that coming home — together — is an essential part of recovery."

 ravaged parts of the Valley Isle. One blaze destroyed much of Lahaina and killed more than 100 people.

The homecoming centers on the people, stories, culture and the future of Lahaina, the site says, and is a "space to heal together, to honor what was lost and to invest in what comes next."

“The inaugural Lahaina Homecoming represents a crucial investment in the belief that although many families have been displaced, Lahaina remains their home,” Maui Economic Recovery Commission Chairman Layne Silva said in the announcement. “The event welcomes former residents and the community at large to take part in cultural experiences, storytelling, resource sharing and community-focused programming that honors Lahaina’s rich heritage and strengthens connections among residents, families and supporters as Lahaina continues its recovery.”

Maui County Mayor Richard Bissen told Aloha State Daily last week that he thought the homecoming was a "great idea," and the event was driven by the community's interest. 

For Bissen, the residents returning, many of whom left after the fire, is the coolest part. 

"The whole idea was to let them know your town is vibrant, your town is alive, your town is coming back and come and see it. Come and see your friends and family and reconnect," he says.

According to the announcement, organizers had initially hoped to sponsor airfare for 80 individuals but, "as applications continued to arrive, they found it impossible to turn away so many people with deep roots in Lahaina." Instead, 103 former residents representing 20 families will return for the weekend.

[{"type":"text","text":"Here's what's on deck:"}]

[{"type":"text","text":"Friday, July 17"}]

[{"type":"text","text":"Saturday, July 18"}]

[{"type":"text","text":"Sunday, July 19"}]

According to the announcement, complimentary parking will be available at the Lahaina Aquatic Center, with continuous shuttle service to and from Campbell Park each evening. Those who plan to attend are encouraged to carpool and allow extra travel time. A dedicated kūpuna drop-off and pick-up area will be available at the corner of Front and Prison streets.

Additional parking will be available at Lahaina Hongwanji Mission, Waiola Church and Lahaina Baptist Church.

Trilogy Excursions also is offering complimentary community cruises for Homecoming participants.

The homecoming also serves an opportunity for the community to reconnect with the area before Front Street reopens to the public.

County officials told ASD that the county aims to reopen Front Street to through traffic before the third anniversary of the fire.

Currently, Front Street is closed from Papalaua to Dickenson streets, while the portion from Dickenson to Shaw streets is partially open from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily., a county spokesperson confirmed in a follow-up email.

Details of the reopening are still being discussed and will be announced soon.

Office of Recovery Administrator John Smith noted that the area is a "kuleana in progress place." 

"We will continue to have construction and limited road closures based on all of the work that's going down there," he told ASD. "But we just finished the railing project, we just finished a paving project on Front Street, and it's just really good timing. So when the festivities are over and after everything's cleaned up, it's going to be the right time to allow traffic on Front Street."

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Lahaina Front Street rainbow 070826

<title>Lahaina homecoming planned; Front Street to reopen in near future</title>

Nearly three years after deadly wildfires destroyed much of the West Maui community, 103 former residents are set to return this weekend  — and the public is invited to help celebrate the community's spirit.

Lahaina homecoming planned; Front Street to reopen in near future

Katie Helland Headshot

Katie Helland

Business & Tourism

Arts & Entertainment

Anna O’Brien’s, the Irish pub in Mōʻiliʻili not far from the campus of the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, is under new management. The bar and performance space will have its soft opening on Friday, July 10, under the direction of singer and songwriter Tavana McMoore, who goes by the professional name, Tavana.

The pub’s upstairs space is being renamed Tavana’s at Anna’s and will be a listening room, where groups can perform. A new stage and a green room for the band are already in the works. Downstairs, Anna O’Brien’s will remain much the same as it has been in the past, with pool tables and darts, the singer and songwriter told Aloha State Daily.

“I spent my whole career here in Honolulu and have been given so much,” Tavana said. “There's so much talent out there in Honolulu, and I'm hoping that this can serve as a hub where people can come and curate their artistry and perfect it.”

Tavana started playing in this space as a teenager, more than 30 years ago. It is where he has seen some of his favorite bands, he said. The knick-knacks that the Irish pub has accumulated over the years will stay.

“All the cool quirky things about Anna's are still going to be here,” Tavana said. “It's still the same beautiful space it always has been, and I'm just showing up every single day and trying to beautify it.”

The space will continue to have its outdoor patio, he added.

“People can go out and relax outside, as well,” he said.

When the pub’s owners wanted to move on to other things, Tavana stepped in.

“The idea of it not being here was really a not fun thought,” he said. “It means a lot to me to be able to come in here and start to curate shows and try to save the space.”

Just days ago, on Tuesday, July 7, the Irish pub celebrated its 57th birthday. The space will be celebrating that milestone, plus soft opening under new management, at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, July 10. There is a $20 cover charge.

“We got Nick Danger and Ronnie V's flying over,” Tavana said. “We got Local Mojo. I'll be playing there. A lot of other musicians are going to be stopping by. Everybody's talking about it. We're all pretty excited.”

Other events on the calendar for July include 

karaoke, comedy, and musical open mic nights, as well as live performances

Tavana

<title>Anna O’Brien’s under new management</title>

Learn what will and won't change as this Irish pub — not far from the campus of the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa — soft opens under new management on Friday, July 10.

Anna O’Brien’s under new management

Kelli Shiroma Braiotta Headshot

Kelli Shiroma Braiotta

Food & Dining

 just started its summer menu. According to business owner Courtney Spurzem, the seasonal drinks will be available throughout the summer until August.

The seasonal drinks offer a mix of coffee-based and matcha options. The Island matcha is a returning favorite that was popular when the café opened last September, according to Spurzem.

“We had the Island matcha when we first opened,” Spurzem says. “We wanted to bring that back, but do it a little bit differently. Instead of an ube syrup base, this time, we’re going to do an ube cold foam.”

The Island matcha features a vanilla matcha base, ube cold foam and coconut shavings on top. The café’s mango sticky rice matcha ($9) is another seasonal special. The coconut-sweetened matcha is topped with a mango sticky cold foam and coconut shavings.

“I know mango sticky rice is big, in general, in Hawaiʻi, and there’s a lot of drinks inspired by that,” Spurzem says. “I thought doing a mango sticky rice matcha would be a really cool addition to our menu.”

For coffee lovers, seasonal options include the sparkling Americano ($7) — a double shot of espresso poured over sparkling water, topped with a coffee cold foam and orange zest — and tiramisu latte ($8). The latter features an espresso shot poured over brown sugar, and is topped with coffee cold foam, mocha powder and a ladyfinger pastry for dipping.

Spurzem says she recently tried a tiramisu latte and liked it, and was inspired to bring one to The Well Kailua.

“We do have a lot of sweet drinks, but I wanted to add some that are a little bit more on the coffee-heavy side,” she says. 

Other summer specials include the lavender lemonade ($7) and PCA affogato ($8), which is a collaboration with Kailua-based ice cream shop 

Customers can still enjoy popular options like the Lanikai latte ($9) and banana bread latte ($8). The Lanikai latte — brown sugar espresso shot, hazelnut and housemade banana syrup, blue hazelnut and marshmallow cold foam and a crushed Biscoff topping — is inspired by Lanikai Beach, according to Spurzem, who says the drink was originally a spring special that became popular.

“It has a hazelnut syrup mixed with a butterfly pea tea for the color; there’s no artificial colors in it,” she says. “It’s topped with a marshmallow cold foam and Biscoff crumbles, so it looks like a wave and sand.”

Meanwhile, the banana bread latte continues to be a bestseller. It features housemade banana, vanilla and maple syrup, a double shot of espresso poured over brown sugar, whole milk and a sweet cream cold foam topped with cinnamon.

“Our banana bread latte is what we’re most known for; 50% of our sales are banana bread lattes,” Spurzem says. “We also have a strawberries and cream matcha that’s really popular.”

While The Well Kailua will make its one-year anniversary in September, the business already has plans to open another location early next year.

“We’re going to open a place near the Manoa area,” Spurzem confirms.

“It’s (The Well’s) kind of a gathering place,” she adds. “I previously was an interior designer, and ‘The Well Designs’ was the name of my company. When I transitioned to this, I thought it was a really good name. For centuries, people have been gathering at the well to get their water. I thought it was a really cool name to be ‘the gathering place.’”

Customer parking is available in the lot behind the shop; street parking is also available.

Customer parking available in lot in back of the shop; street parking also available

The Well Kailua owner 060526

<title>The Well Kailua just launched a new summer menu</title>

The Kailua coffee shop — which opened last September — just started seasonal specials like mango sticky rice matcha lattes and tiramisu lattes. Its summer menu will be available until August.

The Well Kailua just launched a new summer menu

Government & Politics

The Hawaiʻi County Council has approved a measure aimed at preventing sharp property tax increases for some longtime agricultural landowners when their property moves into the homeowner tax category.

Bill 103, introduced by Councilwoman Heather Kimball, who represents District 1, and Councilman James Hustace, who represents District 9, passed unanimously on second and final reading Jan. 7. The bill changes the county’s real property tax rules to limit how much property values can rise each year for a narrow group of homeowners whose land was previously taxed under agricultural programs.

The ordinance applies to owner-occupied homes that were taxed at agricultural value for at least 10 of the past 15 years and that qualify for a senior homeowner exemption. For those properties, the land value will remain at its last agricultural assessment when it moves into the homeowner category. After that, the total assessed value of the property may increase by no more than 3% per year.

The bill follows changes the council made in 2024 to the agricultural tax dedication program. Kimball told Aloha State Daily those changes were prompted by an audit that found insufficient controls.

Kimball said the measure was intended to tighten oversight of agricultural tax programs and curb misuse.

“We wanted to ensure that folks that were getting the tax breaks for farming, for doing agriculture, were actually doing farming and agriculture,” Kimball told ASD. “It also has a larger intent, to make sure that we don’t have speculation happening on agricultural land, which is one of the things that drives prices up.”

Councilmembers also raised concerns that some land was receiving agricultural tax breaks without being actively farmed and that speculation on agricultural land was driving up prices.

As part of those changes, the council voted to end the county’s nondedicated agricultural program in September 2026. Landowners currently in that program will need to choose either a three-year or 10-year dedicated agricultural program to keep their agricultural tax status.

Kimball said the council learned that when land leaves an agricultural program, its assessed value can jump immediately to market value, leading to large tax increases for some homeowners.

“That can have an annual increase of 700%,” Kimball said. She added that the shift often translates to about $1,300 to $1,500 more each year in property taxes.

She said many of the affected landowners are seniors on fixed incomes and that the sudden increase creates what she described as a “fiscal cliff.”

Kimball said the 10- to 15-year lookback period was included to account for landowners who temporarily left an agricultural program, including during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The ordinance applies only to primary residences and does not apply to vacant land. Any new construction or improvements will continue to be taxed at market value.

The bill does not provide refunds or tax relief for past years and will expire Dec. 31, 2029.

Landowners currently in an agricultural program do not need to act. Those who previously left a dedicated program will need to apply with the county’s 

Kimball 16x9

<title>Hawaiʻi County Council approves property tax relief for longtime agricultural homeowners</title>

Many of the affected landowners are seniors on fixed incomes.

Hawaiʻi County Council approves property tax relief for longtime agricultural homeowners

Kelsey Kukaua Medeiros Headshot

Kelsey Kukaua Medeiros

Keolamaikalani "Keola" Dean will make three years as the CEO of King Lunalilo Trust and Home on April 17. 

Prior to assuming this role, he worked supporting Native Americans’ health needs and tribal policy for the Washington state Medicaid agency, and would visit Oʻahu to take care of his mother with dementia. 

“When I came home to Honolulu in late 2021, I was at the beach one day and had this overwhelming sense of urgency – it was my aumakua telling me that I needed to come home. And so, I told them, I'd always wanted to come home, but I could never figure it out financially. I said, ‘I don't know how, but if you show me the way, I will come home.’”

Soon after, he said he saw an advertisement for the job on television, which was later affirmed by a friend. “She said, ʻYou need to apply. This has you written all over it.’ And so, that's what started my journey here,” he recalled.

A Kamehameha Schools graduate, Dean “grew up on Homestead in Nānākuli as the only child of a single mom,” he said adding, “My grandparents played a big role in raising me, and that's where I learned a lot of my values, like aloha and also striving for excellence.”

He later went on to receive a bachelor’s from Harvard University, master’s in accounting from Bentley University, Juris Doctor from Stanford Law School, and Master of Health Policy & Administration from Washington State University.

As he went through the application process, Dean said, "I started realizing I had all of the pieces that I needed from my 30-plus year career as an attorney, a CPA and with health policy, to try to make a difference at King Lunalilo Trust.”

ASD asked what he’s most proud of, what’s next for the organization and how it will impact the local community, as well as who was King Lunalilo and what is his legacy today.

What was King Lunalilo known for and how was the charitable trust established? 

William Charles Lunalilo was born in 1835 and his nickname was "Lokomaika'i,” which means generous. As an adult, he was one of the largest landholders in the Hawaiian Kingdom. Only the king had more land. His holdings were over 400,000 acres. (To put that in perspective, Kamehameha Schools has more than 350,000 acres statewide today.) He allowed people to use his land. No rent. Known as the people’s king, he became the sixth monarch, and first elected aliʻi, in 1873, who died one year later. The charitable trust is his legacy.

[King Lunalilo’s will charged the original Trustees with selling the estate’s land to build housing for “the poor, destitute and infirmed Native Hawaiian, giving preference to seniors,” 

. “While continuing to focus on serving Hawaiians, Lunalilo Home has opened it doors and services to non-Hawaiians, and provides compassionate, quality care for kūpuna of all ethnicities.”]

We’re a Native Hawaiian organization established in 1883 whose mission is “to advance King Lunalilo’s wish to shelter and support those in need.”

Looking back on your three years as CEO, what are you most proud of so far? 

Residential care is very expensive and we have a modest endowment. One of the things I'm proud of is that we were able to secure funding last year to bring more Native Hawaiians into our programs. 

We also completed the renovation of the Adult Day Center, which will serve 50 seniors a day (was previously 42 altogether). That was a big effort because we really had to patch together the funding  [mostly grants and donations] to make that happen. We're also going to have a grand opening this summer, for the Lokomaika'i Heritage Center, a new cultural center on our campus that will offer cultural classes from lauhala weaving, lei making, hula classes and more.

We don't maintain a waitlist and do offer financial aid to those who need it. Depending on the level of care, cost to families for the Adult Residential Care Home, which accommodates more than 40 seniors, starts at $7,000 per month. Our largest source of revenue continues to be our program fees, supplemented with various donations and grants. [

According to King Lunalilo Trust’s most recent Annual Report

, the organization had $13.3 million in total liabilities and net assets as of December 2022.]

 We are looking at redeveloping our five-acre campus in Hawaʻi Kai, with an affordable independent kūpuna rentals project underway. My goal is to move this beyond the planning phase, which we’re still in, and get request for proposals by April 9, to start working on designs and renderings. 

The next phase is to build a new long-term care facility on our campus. Our current facility was built in the early 1900’s, but it's gone through several renovations, with the most recent one completed in 2002. Itʻll be a larger facility kept at the low-rise feel of the neighborhood – weʻre not looking to go big, rather stay within character, driven by our values and purpose as a member of the Hawaiʻi Kai community. So that, and a few other projects in the works, that have not gone out to the public yet. At this time, we’re not ready to engage the community in fundraising/capital campaigns, but we’re moving closer to sharing our plans.

Our biggest challenge is staffing – as is the case for every health care center in the state. Our need is for more Certified Nurse Aides and nurses, so we’re working on our own training program to wrap around the state licensing program, which will help build soft skills with special focuses on long-term and dementia care, while integrating Hawaiian culture and values.

We have a large volunteer base through local nursing schools, which are important for our kūpuna care services. We are continuing to build the infrastructure to support more volunteers coming to campus.

What impacts on the local community now most excites you for the future?

 We’re already in that silver tsunami, and it’s only getting worse. Hawaiʻi Medicaid rates are not sustainable. We’ve explored hospice, which are typically private pay and don't accept Medicaid. So we’re trying something new – we’re trying to build a kūpuna campus. … I have not heard of any organization looking to do something like what we are doing: Having a combination of services on one campus, where we're still then focused on our activities, community and cultural events, to provide holistic care for the community. 

I want to share the importance of community. We had a long-time resident who had fallen in love with another resident here at Lunalilo Home. Her family was worried about Covid-19, so they pulled her from the facility. Understandable, you can't fault them. But what they learned was that they could not take care of her. So, they brought her back to Lunalilo in less than a year. During that time away, her dementia had accelerated, so she did not remember her boyfriend. Heartbreaking. And she passed away several years ago. So what's perhaps even more important is the connections between the kūpuna and their community. Because it’s those connections – complicated, complex layers of social interactions – that keep one's mind active, that helps delay or even forestall dementia. That is something that I have seen in my own personal life with my mom and at Lunalilo Home. Yes, family or aging in place can be good, but let's make sure our kūpuna are not spending their final days stuck in the house.

02 Hawaiian Music Perpetuation Society Courtesy King Lunalilo Trust

<title>King Lunalilo Trust CEO shares plans to grow long-term care services, affordable housing…</title>

Meet Keolamaikalani Dean, a former attorney and health policy expert, who followed his aumakua and returned home to the Islands three years ago. Now, the CEO of King Lunalilo Trust and Home is mapping out expansion plans that include unveiling a new cultural center, affordable rentals and a larger long-term care facility.

King Lunalilo Trust CEO shares plans to grow long-term care services, affordable housing for kūpuna

Lahaina Tacos is opening today in downtown Honolulu, but to Pedro Haro, the business is more than serving authentic Mexican cuisine. It’s the realization of a dream for his family, which moved from Lahaina to Oʻahu.

“My dad passed away two years ago, so my brother Armando has become the father of our entire family,” says Haro, who is the marketing lead for the business. “My dad’s and my brother’s dream was always to open a taco truck in Lahaina. Unfortunately, the truck burned down before it was even opened. This is sort of a continuation of that dream and all of the family is working at it; we’re all part of it.”

Haro explains his family moved from Mexico to Lahaina in 1988, and the dishes served at this new taco spot reflect family recipes.

“There was no in between; it was Mexico to Lahaina, those are the only two places we’ve ever known,” he says. “We always says Mexico and Hawaiʻi are kind of like our mother and father; Mexico-born, Hawaiʻi-raised. This is how my mom used to make tacos, how my grandma makes tortillas, how my sister makes her salsas. It’s very authentic; this is the kind of food my family made in Mexico. It’s the kind of food they brought to every family gathering in Lahaina.

“What makes us different and what people are going to notice immediately is that the tortillas are freshly made,” he adds. “In Mexico, that’s what we grew up with — you go to a taco place and everything is made fresh.”

Customers can choose from tacos, burritos, tortas (Mexican sandwiches), bowls and plates. Meat choices include asada (steak), pollo (chicken), adobada (marinated pork), birria, lengua (tongue), chorizo (sausage) and there’s a veggie option also available.

“Some of the filling choices are different, like having lengua, which is tongue,” Haro says. “If people are having a mental block about it, they should eat a little bit of it, because it’s actually very delicious.”

Prices vary depending on the meat choice. Customers can order the dishes a la carte or choose plates, which include three tacos, one burrito, one quesadilla or one torta of their choice. Plates include white or Mexican rice, beans and tortillas. All tacos come on 5-inch tortillas with onions and cilantro.

Beef and pork burritos feature large flour tortillas with beans, lettuce, cheese, pico de gallo and guacamole, according to Haro. Chicken burritos have rice instead of beans and include lime cream, in addition to the other fillings.

“The tacos are made with corn tortillas, but the quesadillas and burritos are made with flour tortillas,” says Haro, who recommends that customers try the adobada and cochinita pibil (the latter will be added soon to the menu). “Adobada is not spicy, but it has a deeper flavor. Cochinita pibil is slow-cooked pork that’s very dender and flavorful; it’s typical of the area — Nayarit — that we come from in Mexico.”

“Our menu choices are a little bit different,” Haro says. “The torta is a Mexican sandwich; it’s very typical in Mexico to be able to have that.”

For now, the business will be open on weekdays only from 10:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Ordering is in-person only, but Haro says the goal is to eventually have online and phone ordering available.

“There’s one thing our mom always said — that we’re guests in Hawaiʻi, and we have to leave it a little better than how we found it,” Haro says. “Making this food is our little contribution to Hawaiʻi, and we’re hoping that people like it.”

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