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Hawai'i Skies

Today's Hawai‘i Skies was captured by John Pritchett on Oʻahu. "I liked this photo, red sky sunrise, because it looked like the whole sky was on fire, it made me feel in awe, it was special because you don't often see so much red and orange color completely covering the sky."

To submit your Hawai'i Skies photo, visit us 

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Red sky

<title>Hawaiʻi Skies: Sky on fire</title>

Today's Hawai‘i Skies was captured by John Pritchett on Oʻahu.

Hawaiʻi Skies: Sky on fire

Today&#039;s Hawai‘i Skies was captured by John Pritchett on Oʻahu. &quot;I liked this photo, red sky sunrise, because it looked like the whole sky was on fire, it made me feel in awe, it was special because you don&#039;t often see so much red and orange color completely covering the sky.&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

In one fell swoop, a new era dawned for the University of Hawai‘i athletics department when the calendar turned to July 1 on Wednesday. 

The date had been anticipated for years as far as Hawai‘i was concerned. As of Wednesday, UH became full-time members of the Mountain West Conference, closing the chapter on 14 years of full-time Big West Conference membership. 

After leaving the Western Athletic Conference, UH became football-only members of the Mountain West in 2012, while the vast majority of its sports joined the Big West. 

In the fall of 2024, five Mountain West members in Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State, San Diego State and Utah State announced their future departures to join the remnants of the Pac-12 Conference, which was reduced to Oregon State and Washington State at the time. In response, the Mountain West added Hawai‘i, UTEP and UC Davis as full-time members. Additionally, North Dakota State and Northern Illinois were added as football only-members, giving the Mountain West 10 football teams. The Pac-12, by comparison, will have eight in 2026. 

Despite being recognized as full-time Mountain West members, the conference does not have offerings for a handful of UH sports, most notably 

. UH will remain an affiliate member of the Big West in men's volleyball, beach volleyball and water polo. 

Wednesday was also the official start of Hawai‘i News Now's new deal with UH Athletics as the school's new official sports broadcasting partner. Multiple UH sporting events throughout the year are expected to be televised on K5, KGMB and KHNL. 

The University of Hawai‘i estimates the Hawai‘i News Now partnership carries an approximate annual value of $7.5 million across the four-year deal, bringing HNN's total commitment to $30 million over the life of the deal. 

The start of HNN's deal marked the end of UH's agreement with Spectrum Sports, which began in 2011. On Wednesday, replays of UH sporting events were no longer available on Spectrum cable, a former staple for viewers. 

Additionally, in partnership with the Mountain West, over 200 UH sporting events will be shown on MW+, the conference's new direct-to-consumer app. Annual subscriptions for MW+ cost $79.99, while monthly subscriptions are available for $10.99. As part of an early adopter promotion, fans have until September to subscribe at a discounted annual rate of $67.99. 

Hawai‘i fans have the opportunity to contribute monetarily to the school with a subscription. Each time one selects Hawai‘i as their favorite team before purchasing a MW+ subscription, UH will receive a share of the revenue. Subscriptions can be purchased 

Stan Sheriff Center 012726

<title>Hawai‘i Athletics rings in new era</title>

On Wednesday, UH officially became a full-time member of the Mountain West Conference after 14 years in the Big West. The athletic department's new TV rights deal kicked in that same day.

Hawai‘i Athletics rings in new era

Square Mike Brestovansky Headshot RGZ3736 Large

Michael Brestovansky

Government & Politics

Crime & Courts

Honolulu’s new police chief promised to make Honolulu “the safest community in America” at a swearing-in ceremony Thursday.

, the former assistant police chief of San Francisco, began his position as Honolulu Police Chief Thursday with much pomp and circumstance, with state and county officials, and dozens of HPD officers, packed into the Mission Memorial Auditorium to witness him take his oath of office.

And although Lazar acknowledged he fights an uphill battle as the first Honolulu Police Chief hired from outside the department in 90 years, he and other speakers were optimistic about the future of HPD and the county.

“[HPD officers] require, deserve, and demand to have an exceptional lead at the helm,” said Honolulu Mayor Rick Blangiardi. “I really believe that’s what we’re providing … I could not be more excited for all of you in the road ahead.”

Laurie Foster, chair of the Honolulu Police Commission, said Lazar stood out during the candidate selection process by virtue of his experience — he served with SFPD for 33 years — and his knowledge of 21st Century policing, but also because of his humility. She said although Lazar comes to HPD as an outsider, he expressed a desire to collaborate with the community, rather than impose his will upon it.

“Can an outsider come to Honolulu and … will this community accept this outsider?” Foster said. “We all know Hawai‘i can be a little brutal if they don’t [accept someone] sometimes. But … we thought that, given the humility, the style of this leader … we should make this decision.”

Lazar said Thursday that the HPD rank-and-file have his total support and that he wants to create a department where the officers feel the leadership has their backs. After his swearing-in ceremony, he said his first task was to visit stations around the island to listen to the concerns of his officers and staff: he said his “listening and learning tour” would begin later Thursday with a visit to HPD’s 911 dispatch center, followed by a visit to Wai‘anae Police Station that evening.

Lazar said the decision to visit Wai‘anae first was made in order to demonstrate that he is listening to West O‘ahu officers, as well.

As far as planned changes to HPD, Lazar did not get into specifics Thursday, although he reiterated many of the goals he spoke about during the 

: he said at modernizing the department with new technologies, improving working conditions of HPD officers, developing more data-driven approaches, building transparency, and more.

“We have a lot of work to do, but we have to be very methodical in terms of what we implement,” Lazar said Thursday. “We don’t want to do too much change too fast and we don’t want to do no change. We want to make sure that the pace is acceptable to the members of this department.”

And once again, Lazar promised that when he leaves the department, the next Honolulu Police Chief will be chosen from within HPD.

“I have met the talent, and the talent is here at HPD,” Lazar said. “You will be ready for the moment, as I am today.”

LazarSwearingIn

<title>David Lazar sworn in as new HPD chief</title>

Lazar, former assistant chief for the San Francisco Police Department, is HPD's 13th chief, and the first to be hired from outside the department in 90 years.

David Lazar sworn in as new HPD chief

Kelsey Kukaua Medeiros Headshot

Kelsey Kukaua Medeiros

Aloha Spirit

Hawai‘i History

When Senior Pastor Jamie McElrath joined Olivet Baptist Church nearly a decade ago, he says he was following God’s call.

He was raised in Indonesia by missionary parents and later went on to become a missionary himself, along with his wife and children, who spent about 20 years in North Africa before settling in Hawai

McElraths called the Islands home for two years before heeding the call to missions.

“It just kind of felt like God scooped us up and brought us back — to our shocking amazement — here. So, I

’ve been at the church for 10 years come September.”

The church’s former pastor, Timothy Morita, died unexpectedly shortly after announcing his retirement, McElrath explained, “So coming into the role of senior pastor, I became responsible for everything going on. … Scripture indicates we serve as teams, not individuals, so my priority was investing in other pastors and lifting others up to serve.”

At that time, he recalled being asked about his plan for the next 10 years. Admittedly, he had no idea; McElrath said he didn’t come in with preset notions and wanted to listen and get to know the people and the community.

 healthy body will grow’ (God makes us healthy spiritually, relationally, internally and certainly within community),” he said. “My experience is not so much leading, as much as having a front row seat to watch what God has been doing.”

Located at 1775 S. Beretania St., Olivet has served the neighboring communities of Makiki, McCully, Mānoa, Waikīkī, Downtown Honolulu and beyond.

“Geography is the mother of strategy,” McElrath said quoting scholars. “The church is planted here for a purpose right between two major arteries (Beretania and King streets). It’s centrally located in the city between five or six major college campuses.”

Today, the congregation is comprised of about 250 members on Sundays who attend various Bible studies and worship services in both English and Japanese. According to historical information compiled by church member Faith McFatridge, the Japanese congregation was founded by Edwin Dozier in the early 1940s, around the same time the English congregation at Olivet Baptist Church became affiliated with 

preschool is a ministry operated by church members, designed “to bless and encourage young families,” 

McElrath told ASD. It is staffed by nearly 50 teachers and administrators who look after no more than 75 kids at a time.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"}],"text":" The church’s early beginnings"}]

The independent church at the corner of Young and Artesian streets, then called The Mission Church, was founded in 1926 by Joseph P. Tyssowski, an attorney and ordained Baptist preacher from Texas.

Fifteen years later, the church voted to become a Southern Baptist Church under pastor Victor Koon, rebranding as Olivet Baptist Church.

“’Olivet’ comes from the Kings James version of the Bible, referring to the Mount of Olives, which is right outside of Jerusalem. It was a place very significant during Jesus’ time on Earth; it’s the place from which he returned to heaven, it’s also the place to which he will return,” McElrath said. “So, it’s a wonderful thing to kind of keep our hearts’ gaze focused on his purpose until he returns.”

According to McFatridge’s research, the surprise military attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941 impacted families in McCully that lost their homes, shut down schools and churches, and “four people in the neighborhood died.”

“Some McCully parents saw Olivet as a safe haven for their children and sent them to Sunday school,” she writes. “Others joined the congregation during those war years including Joe Bailey and J.C. Wilson. They were instrumental in getting the servicemen to attend Olivet, since it was the only Baptist church in the city.”

In 1943, Olivet paid off the original Young Street property and established a building fund to eventually purchase the Honolulu Vocational School facing Beretania Street in 1994, and the building across the Alexander Street extension for a new auditorium acquired in 1949, which was completed the following year.

“One Sunday in April 1954 was a record attendance with 1,016 in Sunday school and 217 in Sunday Training Union,” McFatridge noted.

In 1962, the church purchased the Alexander Street extension from the City and County of Honolulu, to open up parking and unify its two church buildings. Olivet celebrated its 22nd anniversary with Billy Graham, an evangelist who visited the Islands to lead the Hawai

Between the ’70s and ’80s were some shifts in leadership, and in 1986, Olivet purchased another property on Pāwa‘a Street. The church celebrated its 75th anniversary with a banquet at the Japanese Cultural Center and sent mission teams to Australia, Mexico and Japan.

Over the past 25 years, Olivet Baptist has hosted events for the community, including food and gift distributions, Easter celebrations, a Halloween Block Party, car washes and more.

“Olivet celebrated its 95th anniversary on July 4 with a virtual choir,” 

McFatridge wrote, adding that during the Covid-19 pandemic, it continued to find “creative ways for outreach and staying connected.”

The church offers pre-school and Sunday school, hula and music ministry, and transitional housing ministry, among other outreaches.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"}],"text":"Celebrating 100 and looking ahead"}]

[{"type":"text","text":"McElrath says he’s excited for the future of the church."}]

How will Olivet sustain growth over the next century? “By continuing to seek spiritual health, being faithful and growing in our understanding of the Bible,” he notes.

On Saturday, July 4, the community is invited to join the church for a picnic featuring games and activities for keiki, door prizes, food and more. Then on Sunday, it will hold a joint worship service starting at 9 a.m. with guest speaker, John Brady, and Christian musician Bob Bennett. Later that evening, a banquet dinner will be held at the Japanese Cultural Center.

Olivet church 05

<title>Olivet Baptist Church on Beretania Street turns 100</title>

Senior Pastor Jamie McElrath shares about the church’s history in Honolulu and his hope for the congregation’s future: “A healthy body will grow.” Olivet Baptist will be celebrating this milestone with events open to the community over the weekend.

Olivet Baptist Church on Beretania Street turns 100

Katie Helland Headshot

Katie Helland

Arts & Entertainment

The Declaration of Independence will be read at the same time across 50 states, the District of Columbia, five territories and the Minor Outlying Islands of the United States on Wednesday, July 8. Called the Sharing the Spirit of America project, this nationwide program was initiated and sponsored by the Hawaiʻi America250 Commission.

So far, readings of the Declaration of Independence will take place at 

. There will be readings on all seven continents and in 36 locations outside of the U.S.

“You start reading the Declaration of Independence and you're going to be joining thousands of people literally across the world that will be reading at the same moment in time,” said Peter Young, the chair of the Hawaiʻi America250 Commission. "But it is spanning over 19 different time zones, so we're separated geographically, but we're joined together in time.”

This year marks the semiquincentennial of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.

 on July 4, but the reading of the historic document is on July 8?

“On July 4, 1776, Continental Congress approved the Declaration of Independence,” Young said. “That document then got printed, and you couldn't just email it or Xerox it. It had to get to a printer. And then it had to get distributed, and so it wasn't until July 8 that that document was officially 

 is striving for “350 for 250,” or a goal to engage all 350 million Americans by the nation’s 250th anniversary, according to its website.

For the Sharing the Spirit of America project, the idea is that readings of the Declaration of Independence will take place at the same time across the world, starting at 6 p.m. EST, which is noon in Hawaiʻi.

“And in the territories of Guam and Northern Mariana Islands, it's 8 a.m. in the morning on July 9, because they're on the other side of the dateline,” he said.

In Hawaiʻi — the youngest state — copies of the the Declaration of Independence will be available at local libraries, Young said.

 “At noon some of those libraries will have actual live readings, but anyone can go down to the library, and it will be available if you want to read it," he said.

Earlier this year, Young broke the Declaration of Independence into sections and asked politicians and students to read it. The video features Gov. Josh Green, as well as sixth graders and high school students, among other readers. It was assembled by students from Maui High School and was recently published on YouTube. 

“An important aspect of the commemoration is not just the historical events, but looking to the future,”  Young said. “How do we work better together? How do we have a common bond? However we think about the world or issues in the world, we have the common bond of being Americans, and that bond takes us back to this Declaration of Independence.”

For the latest news of Hawai‘i, sign up 

Waipahu Army JROTC Color Guard

Perry Arrasmith

Columnists

If you really want to understand why we're celebrating Independence Day, go back to the source and read the Declaration of Independence, says ASD political historian Perry Arrasmith. It's only one of the most important documents in history!

Declaration i Stock 172711668 16x9

On the Fourth, read the Declaration

Viewpoints

Hawaiʻi government officials will not be present at the Great American State Fair, put on by Freedom 250 now through July 10, along with at least 10 mostly Democratic-led states citing cost, staffing and for some, political reasons. Gov. Josh Green says no funds were earmarked for the fair by the state or Congress and instead, has thrown support behind local celebrations.

Hawaii at Great American State Fair

Hawaiʻi says ‘No can’ to Great American State Fair in Washington, D.C.

<title>Sharing the Spirit of America heads to all 50 states</title>

The birth of the United States started with the Declaration of Independence. Now, 250 years later, people will read the historic document in all 50 states, five territories and the Minor Outlying Islands, as well as across the world, through this initiative with Hawaiʻi America250.

Sharing the Spirit of America heads to all 50 states

Stephanie Salmons Headshot

Stephanie Salmons

Business & Tourism

A new center launched earlier this year by Bank of Hawai‘i aims to help business owners plan for growth, transition and the future.

The Center for Family Business & Entrepreneurs was created for family-owned and closely-held businesses, an announcement from BOH noted.

"Bank of Hawai‘i created the Center for Family Business and Entrepreneurs, as we've really come to discover that for business owners, particularly family business owners and our closely held business owners, at some point in their business-owning journey, their decisions become deeply interconnected for both the business, the family, their personal wealth," CFBE Director Agatha Viernes-LeGros told Aloha State Daily in June. "We really see that there's a need to support these business owners as they evaluate different milestones on their journey — particularly as they look toward succession and exit of their business."

The center formally launched in April, but Viernes-LeGros says the idea has been percolating for much longer.

"I give credit to our executives here at Bank of Hawai‘i for recognizing that our business owners have needs outside from core banking services," she says. "They have needs as it relates to their business succession and personal wealth strategy and planning, so it's taken a bit to get to this point. ... It's been probably a year-and-a-half, maybe even almost [a] two-year journey, and that's really been because we wanted to be thoughtful about how we're sharing with our community what we're doing."

Viernes-LeGros says CFBE aims to provide education, advice and hands-on execution of planning services to clients in a confidential manner, bringing together expertise in commercial banking with what the bank does in the wealth management space, "to really provide these comprehensive and connective services to our business-owning community."

The center finds that as clients start to evaluate major decisions, whether it's continuing to reinvest in their business or stepping away, they often times don't know how to do so, she told ASD.

"We find these business owners, they're the ones that built their business up from the ground up, and as much as they're skilled at running their business, they're not skilled at what comes next," Viernes-LeGros says. "... You oftentimes hear businesses closing their doors, and that's unfortunately becoming an all-too-common story these days, and that could be because they may not have a named or a known successor. We see that family businesses, they've done a great job of building wealth — not just for their own families, but also in their communities, reinvesting in their communities — and as their own children grow up, they find that they've got other interests, start other careers and they don't really have this ability to come back and run the family business. That leaves business owners with not really understanding what's the next step for them."

CFBE has resources to help those business owners look at and evaluate what options are available.

, research shows that as much as 70% or more of their personal wealth is tied up in their companies, which makes decisions about succession, transition and continuity "deeply personal as well as financial."

When asked what these business owners should know about or be mindful of during the succession planning process, Viernes-LeGros says the biggest pitfall they see business owners fall into is waiting until the last minute.

"I think that is a critical aspect of thinking through one's succession and transition is that you really should be doing it well in advance," she told ASD. "We're talking even up to years in advance of when you really intend on exiting a business because there's certain tax strategies, changes to the way your business is organized, gifting strategies ... that require planning in advance to make sure you can best take advantage of the different tax benefits out there. If they wait to the last minute and they make these changes say a year, six months out from when they plan to exit their business, they may not be able to get the full benefit of the tax strategies that they're trying to implement."

Additionally, Viernes-LeGros says it can sometimes take years to empower a successor and remove owner dependency from a business.

"That's another area where we can see some pitfalls for business owners as they think about exiting, is they're so critical to the day-to-day ... but if they get all of their ideas, get the secret sauce down on paper, so to speak, maybe locked away, but out of their head and onto paper, that really helps for a business to succeed and continue on, and well into the future."

Want to learn more? You can get more info at the 

Viernes Le Gros Agatha BOH 16x9

<title>Center for Family Business & Entrepreneurs helps businesses plan for growth, transition</title>

The new center was launched earlier this year by Bank of Hawai‘i, created for family-owned and closely-held businesses. CFBE Director Agatha Viernes-LeGros told Aloha State Daily that the center aims to provide education, advice and hands-on execution of planning services to clients in a confidential manner.

Center for Family Business & Entrepreneurs helps businesses plan for growth, transition

Kelli Shiroma Braiotta Headshot

Kelli Shiroma Braiotta

Food & Dining

 at Waterfront Plaza last March. The night market is expanding soon to include a second location — Taste of Aloha will have its first market at NEX from 4 to 8 p.m. on Friday, July 31.

“As the community began to grow, we slowly realized we wanted a bigger space to support more local vendors,” says event coordinator Landen Tsuda. “With a bigger location, we realized that there were more opportunities to support not only the community, but also our local small businesses.”

The July 31 event will take place in the NEX parking lot. Attendees can look forward to local food vendors, handmade crafts and entertainment. Plus, for the first time, this night market will be welcoming food trucks into its vendor line-up, according to its 

“We will have the same favorites from Waterfront Plaza, but now with the bigger lot, we want to really showcase all of the amazing talent from all over O

ahu,” Tsuda says. “We want to thank our regular vendors who stuck with us through thick and thin; the market wouldn’t happen without their support. We want to thank the community for coming out to support them as well.”

Taste of Aloha’s upcoming market at Waterfront Plaza from 4 to 8 p.m. on July 11 will feature a matcha theme. Attendees can look forward to matcha drinks, desserts, specialty treats and other unique matcha-inspired creations.

For more information, visit Taste of Aloha's 

Taste of Aloha NEX 070126

<title>Taste of Aloha is expanding to include a second market location</title>

Taste of Aloha is currently located at Waterfront Plaza every second Saturday of the month. The market is expanding to include a second location; it will be at NEX on from 4 to 8 p.m. on July 31.

Hawaiʻi Skies: Sky on fire

ASD Staff

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Hawaiʻi Skies: Sky on fire

Authors

ASD Staff

Reporter

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