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Hawai'i Skies

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

I liked the purple and orange colors, with the small clouds in the foreground giving it a feeling of depth. It made me feel energetic and hopeful for the beginning of a new day. I think this photo is special because of its color and complexity."

To submit your Hawai'i Skies photo, visit us 

For the latest news of Hawai‘i, sign up 

Sunrise

<title>Hawaiʻi Skies: The beginning of a new day</title>

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

Hawaiʻi Skies: The beginning of a new day

Today&#039;s Hawai‘i Skies was captured by John Pritchett on Oʻahu. &quot;I liked the purple and orange colors, with the small clouds in the foreground giving it a feeling of depth. It made me feel energetic and hopeful for the beginning of a new day. I think this photo is special because of its color and complexity.&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

Business & Tourism

Aloha Spirit

When the 32nd Annual Made in Hawai‘i Festival, presented by Hawaiian Airlines, returns to Honolulu next month, organizers say it'll be the biggest festival yet, with more than 800 vendor booths spanning nearly 300,000 square feet across two nights and two full days.

Tickets for the festival go on sale Aug. 1.

, the days and times of the festival have changed from past years due to construction at the Hawai‘i Convention Center, where the event will be held.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"}],"text":"The event is set for Aug. 20 to 23:"}]

Limited pre-sale tickets for Thursday and Friday will be available through select sponsor links with limited public tickets remaining. You can buy tickets at 

In addition to the hundreds of vendors, the festival also will feature live entertainment, chef demos, fashion shows, tastings and more, an announcement Monday said. But there's plenty of other changes to note this year, too.

[{"type":"text","text":"According to that announcement, here's what's new in 2026:"}]

MIHF is produced by the Hawai‘i Food Industry Association, or HFIA.

“For more than 30 years, the Made in Hawaiʻi Festival has served as the state’s premier showcase for locally made products, connecting thousands of residents and visitors with Hawaiʻi’s most innovative producers, artisans, and food and beverage companies,” the 

 notes. “What began as a platform to support local businesses has evolved into one of Hawaiʻi’s most anticipated annual events and a critical economic driver for hundreds of companies statewide.

 drew approximately 70,000 attendees and generated approximately $10 million in sales in 2024. The festival saw about 70,000 visitors over three days 

 and vendors reported sales just under $10 million, Heu previously told ASD.

With the changes this year, Heu told ASD that organizers are "optimistic" that they'll see similar numbers this year.

ASD attended the festival last year and caught up with a handful of the small business owners who set up shop. 

Aloha State Daily is an ‘Ohana Sponsor for the Made in Hawai‘i Festival. Stop by our booth to say “aloha,” play some games, win prizes and learn more about the work we do.

MIHF 2025 DAY 1 HIGHLIGHTS AC 45

<title>Here's what's new at the 32nd annual Made in Hawai‘i Festival</title>

Hawaiian Airlines presents the 32nd Annual Made in Hawai‘i Festival returns to Honolulu in August and organizers say it'll be the biggest festival yet, with more than 800 vendor booths spanning nearly 300,000 square feet across two nights and two full days.

Here's what's new at the 32nd annual Made in Hawai‘i Festival

Kam Napier Headshot

A. Kam Napier

Columnists

Government & Politics

Someone get Chad Blair a paper bag, because the poor man is hyperventilating.

 published Sunday, Blair, Civil Beat politics editor asks, “Are Hawai

i’s Elections Safe From Donald Trump?”

[{"type":"text","text":"Oh no! The Orange Menace! Everybody panic! Now ... what’s the danger?"}]

The article starts misinforming readers in the subhed, before Blair really gets rolling:

“The president and his minions are doing everything they can to limit voting nationally.”

Yes. Limited to citizens. You know, like real countries do. Any other implication is shameless fearmongering.

[{"type":"text","text":"The subhed continues: “So far, they are failing ‘bigly.’”"}]

Did you see that? They turned Trump’s catchword against him! Hah-hah! Take that, Orange Man! You just got served!

“Failing” is a dishonest way of saying “being viciously opposed by Democrats, who, for some reason, seem absolutely rabid about getting rid of any safeguard against non-citizen voting."

Blair, in lockstep with Democrats and Democrat-friendly media, tried to depict Trump’s speech as nothing more than a rerun of his complaint that the 2020 election was rigged and stolen from him.

To believe that, you’d have to ignore the entirety of the speech or the 

(Sidenote: U.S. Rep. Jill Tokuda’s office emailed me a press statement denouncing the speech in exactly the same tone as Blair. I replied with one question: “Has the representative read the evidence posted by the White House?” No reply. No reply at all.)

The speech and the evidence include problems dating back years before 2020 and years since. They included revelations about intelligence officials and federal law enforcement withholding information and evidence from a duly elected sitting president out of sheer political partisanship. They included the revelation that a quarter million foreigners are registered to vote — not back in 2020, but right now. They included revelations that China has hacked and stolen the voter records of 220 million Americans.

If you’re content to believe, as Blair would have you believe, the speech was nothing but a 2020 complaint, you owe to yourself to look at the documents.

Blair fearmongers for about Trump’s efforts, about the purported dangers of the SAVE Act currently before Congress, so much so that a point-by-point rebuttal would be tedious for me to write, miserable for you to read, so let me make one simple, factual historical point:

Everything Trump is aiming for, everything the SAVE Act is aiming for, was literally and without controversy Hawai‘i’s routine election law from 1970 to 2019.

Anyone but me remember that? Blair certainly seems to have forgotten. At 58, most of my entire life here in the Islands included elections held in person as the default, and everyone had to show ID.

[{"type":"text","text":"No one had a problem with this."}]

In case you’ve forgotten, that voter-ID regime was set up in 1970, via 

 of the Hawai‘i state Legislature under Gov. John A. Burns, when Hawai‘i was just as much a blue state as it is now. It was set up by Democrats following national trends toward good government reforms, modernizing and overhauling our elections for greater trust.

Hawai‘i threw that all away in 2019, ostensibly on the grounds that moving to an all-mail election would improve Hawai‘i’s lousy turnout.

As I pointed out on this subject last year

, Hawai‘i’s 2024 turnout of 60% in the general election was the lowest in our entire history of statehood.

Too bad the bill didn’t include language that says, “If mail-in elections fail at this goal, we revert to the normal procedure.” So we seem stuck with this shabby substitute for a real election until some future Legislature gets that old time good-government religion again.

There are so many problems with all-mail voting that it’s a shame an experienced pundit like Blair can’t step out of his Trump Derangement System long enough to use the Civil Beat platform for good.

[{"type":"text","text":"To cite just one example: The Post Office itself."}]

Reminder, from 2022, right here in the Islands: “

Many mailed ballots in Hawaii’s primary election weren’t tallied due to missed deadline,

” wrote the Star-Advertiser, adding, “More than 3,000 Hawai‘i voters suffered a pitfall — voting too late — in this year’s primary election. County election officials report that 3,125 ballots cast by mail in the Aug. 13 contest didn’t count because they weren’t received in time.”

, your 2026 mail-in ballot must be received by 7 p.m. on Aug. 8, the day of the Primary Election and by 7 pm. November 3, for the General.

Pop quiz: What’s the last day you can put your ballot in the mail; and be confident it will arrive in time?

You don’t know, do you? No one does. No one can. Hawai‘i's lawmakers took one look at our formerly solid and concrete elections in 2019 and said, "You know what this system needs? An element of uncertainty!"

And that’s before you get to the fact that postal workers are in a union and that union endorses candidates. It’s a body of people who, at least when it comes to presidential elections, openly announces it has taken a side. This should have disqualified the Post Office from being our default ballot handler. Well, except that oddly enough, that union endorses the same Democrats who totally want the ballots to arrive by mail.

(Thought experiment: In an alternate reality, postal workers are fervent Republicans, and the Democrat response to the idea of all-mail elections is … what? Can anyone guess? What would Alternate Reality Chad Blair have to say about the safety and security of handing all our ballots to "Trump's minions?")

I don’t have to prove this openly declared partisanship has resulted in rigged elections. It’s enough to say that it plainly 

, and our election laws must be based on minimizing risks, not ripping out the seatbelts, turning off the air bags while declaring, “Meh, I’m sure everything will be fine.” 

Every code of professional ethics bans not just impropriety, but the mere appearance of impropriety. And, friends, this 

Blair and other likeminded voices are working overtime to tell us Trump is undermining people’s confidence in elections. No. The Hawai‘i state Legislature did that for me all on its own when it replaced real elections with a direct-mail marketing survey in 2019. And you don't even get a sticker for voting anymore! What's the fun in that?

None of these people are addressing the critical issue here, bigger than even the voter ID issue, though they are related. As I’ve 

, the defining element of an election you can trust is the not the ballot so much as ballot booth. The booth is where “one person, one vote” happens. The booth is where you can vote your individual conscience, not matter what kind of pressure might be coming at you to vote one way or another.

Hawai‘i threw away the booth as the normal, default setting for voting. We’ve been faking elections ever since. We get “comfort,” in the words of the Office of Elections, instead of confidence; “convenience,” in the words of Legislature, instead of security.

Those are fine descriptors … for an airport business hotel. They have no business being the defining qualities of an election.

A. Kam Napier is editor in chief of Aloha State Daily. His opinions in Pipikaula Corner are his own and not reflective of the ASD team

Mail in ballot i Stock 1761900294

<title>Pipikaula Corner: Hawai‘i's election amnesia</title>

A Civil Beat op-ed this weekend freaked out over Pres. Trump's election security speech and the SAVE Act. Memories have gotten pretty short in the Islands; however, because voting in person and showing ID to vote were uncontroversial good-government reforms that Hawai‘i Democrats themselves put in place in 1970. These reforms governed our elections reliably until Democrats changed the laws again in 2019.

Pipikaula Corner: Hawai‘i's election amnesia

Kelli Shiroma Braiotta Headshot

Kelli Shiroma Braiotta

Food & Dining

 recently soft opened in Honolulu. The biz doesn’t have an official sign yet, but it’s located on one end of the 

The business is known for its flavorful gourmet burgers made with wagyu patties. Created in collaboration with 

, winner of London’s Slider Decider competition in 2015 and 2016, Dragon Burger is known for its flavorful gourmet burgers made with wagyu beef patties and innovative sauces.

Dragon Burger initially did a pop-up in Fukuoka, Japan in August 2017. After positive customer feedback, the brand opened in Tofukuji, Kyoto the following month. 

The yuzu kosho burger is the business’s signature burger. It includes yuzu mayo, a sweet chili sauce, spring onions, cheddar cheese and pickled radish. Yuzu kosho, a popular Japanese condiment made with fresh yuzu citrus zest, contributes to the burger's savory flavor. 

The shiso flame features spicy mayo, spring onions, cheddar cheese, shiso leaf and onion chili paste.

We’re told that the business will add more burgers — like the wasabi (crispy onions, wasabi mayo, onions, cheddar cheese, wakame seaweed and Karashi mustard) and classic (sweet mustard, onions, onion miso, cheddar cheese and Karashi mustard) — to the menu in the upcoming days.

Customers can opt for the business’s Kyo chips ($6), or fries, plain or with sauces like yuzu mayo, spicy mayo and wasabi mayo (additional $1). The wasabi mayo comes highly recommended.

Dragon Burger is currently open from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and from 5 to 8 p.m. daily. Both this biz and the business next to it, Bonbori — a ramen spot from Hokkaido — will be celebrating their grand opening on July 25.

Open daily, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., 5 to 8 p.m.

For the latest news of Hawai‘i, sign up 

Dragon Burger yuzu kosho burger 072026

<title>Kyoto’s Dragon Burger is now open in Honolulu</title>

The Japan-based burger spot — known for its gourmet wagyu patties and innovative sauces — just soft opened at Midtown Eats food hall at The Park on Keʻeaumoku. The menu is limited for now; the business will celebrate its grand opening on July 25.

Kyoto’s Dragon Burger is now open in Honolulu

During the Covid-19 pandemic, many individuals developed new hobbies like cooking or baking. For husband and wife Caameron and Monica Nakasone, the pandemic was a catalyst for creating their own coffee beverages.

“When the Covid-19 pandemic hit and we couldn’t go out and visit a café, we took it upon ourselves to learn how to make a delicious brew at home,” Monica Nakasone says. “This sparked our passion for coffee and our admiration for the craft.

“Everyone either baked or did coffee (during the pandemic),” she adds. “We went down the coffee route and fell in love with the craftsmanship.”

i, the couple was living in Oregon at the time, as they both went to college at the University of Portland. They spent many weekends visiting specialty coffee shops, according to Nakasone.

“After we graduated from the University of Portland, we found ourselves living in Oregon for 12 years,” she says. “When Covid hit, we started researching how much craftsmanship really goes into specialty coffee, and how small variables could change the flavor. We started figuring out what we loved about coffee and what flavors brought us joy.”

ahu to be closer to family, they also decided to pursue their dream of opening up a coffee shop together. Their specialty coffee shop, called 

, is inspired by the Pacific Northwest, according to Nakasone.

“We take pride in sourcing our coffee beans and teas from Portland shops that we would frequent and found joy in visiting, and we are excited to share them with the community here in Hawaiʻi,” Nakasone says.

Third Space Coffee opened about two weeks ago; it’s located on the third floor of the 808 Center in a shared space with Cake M. The business’s logo features their dog, Kuro, with a cup of coffee, according to Nakasone, who says the café’s name stems from its goal to be a “third space” for the community.

“Our mission is to be a place to spend time that’s outside of work or home, where anyone can come in, enjoy a memorable cup of coffee, and return for the hospitality and warmth they felt from our shop,” she says. “Third Space is the culmination of our gratitude and appreciation for the communities that supported us, our experience living in the Pacific Northwest — a region known for its multitude of coffee roasters and coffee culture — and our passion for specialty coffee.”

The café offers a variety of coffees, teas and specialty beverages. The signature drinks are inspired by some of the couple’s favorite places and features about Oregon.

“They pay homage to where we first experienced a particular beverage,” Nakasone explains. “For example, The Bluff — an iced London Fog, topped with our marionberry cold foam — is a reference to the University of Portland, where we first had a London Fog. Some of our other popular drinks include the Cedar Hills — a brown sugar vanilla, honey and cinnamon latte — and Mount Hood, our cold brew topped with marionberry cold foam, and the St. John’s.”

The St. John’s is a brown sugar cardamom latte. All of the café’s syrups and cream cheese flavors are made in house, with the exception of the caramel sauce, according to Nakasone.

“I had never heard of a London Fog until we moved to the Mainland,” Nakasone says. “We try to incorporate some of our favorite flavors — like marionberry — from the Pacific Northwest.”

Teas include options like iced hibiscus punch tea, Rose City Genmaicha and Portland breakfast. The café also features bagels from Big Time Bagels, and housemade baked goods like chocolate chip cookies ($4.75) and Spam-cheddar and gochujang scone ($6).

“We are proud to share that all our baked goods — with the exception of our bagels — are made in house,” Nakasone says. “The scones are my husband’s recipe. The Everything bagel with our housemade pizza cream cheese ($8) is a fan favorite.”

Third Space Coffee is open from 7:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesdays to Sundays (closed Mondays).

“We are a small team of two who find joy in crafting a cup of coffee and sharing our take on it with others,” Nakasone says. “This is our way of bringing some of the Pacific Northwest and some of our favorite things to Hawai

Open 7:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesdays to Sundays

Third Space Coffee owners 071626

<title>This Pacific Northwest-inspired coffee shop is open on Oʻahu</title>

Hawaiʻi locals Caameron and Monica Nakasone moved back to Oʻahu from Oregon about two years ago. Their new café, Third Space Coffee, features some of their favorite flavors from the Pacific Northwest; the shop is in a shared space with Cake M in the 808 Center.

This Pacific Northwest-inspired coffee shop is open on Oʻahu

For nearly 50 years, Kimo's Restaurant welcomed visitors to the Lahaina waterfront. Now — nearly three years after the popular restaurant's Front Street location was lost in the deadly August 2023 wildfire that destroyed much of the West Maui community — Kimo's is coming home.

Parent company T S Restaurants on Thursday announced it has signed a letter of intent to develop a new Kimo's location on Front Street.

"While the company continues to explore possibilities for the original Kimo’s site as redevelopment plans for the makai side of Front Street evolve, T S Restaurants is moving forward with a new Front Street location to ensure Kimo’s returns to the community as quickly as possible," the announcement notes.

T S Restaurants will partner with business leaders Kent Untermann and Mousa Hassan who are restoring the Chan Wa Building, which will be the restaurant's future home.

“We knew bringing Kimo’s back would require not only the right location but also the right partners,” T S Restaurants CEO Jackie Reed said in the announcement. “Kent and Mousa are longtime Hawaiʻi business leaders, trusted friends and people who care deeply about Lahaina. They were among the first to reach out after the fires asking how they could help. This partnership is built on trust, shared values and a common commitment to Lahaina's future.”

, whose family of brands include Pictures Plus, CocoNene and Plus Interiors, said in the announcement, “We’re honored that T S Restaurants chose to partner with us on this project, and we’re committed to helping bring back a place that contributes to the energy, vitality and long-term future of Front Street. Kimo’s is part of Lahaina’s identity and a place that generations of residents and visitors have visited.”

 in the fire, the opportunity is personal.

“Kimo’s has been part of my life for as long as I can remember,” he said in the announcement. “Like so many people in Hawaiʻi, I’ve spent a lifetime making memories there. Helping bring Kimo’s back to Front Street is an incredible honor, and I hope it becomes another step toward restoring the heart of Lahaina.”

T S Restaurants got its start in 1977 when 

Rob Thibaut and Sandy Saxten opened Kimo's, the first T S Restaurant, at 845 Front St., on the last available waterfront parcel in old Lahaina Town. Today, the family-owned company owns and operates 13 restaurants in Hawai‘i and California. Its Hawai‘i restaurants include Duke's Waikīkī and Hula Grill 

on O‘ahu; Kimo's, Leilani's on the Beach, Hula Grill Kā‘anapali and Duke's Beach House on Maui; and Duke's Kaua‘i and Keoki's Paradise on Kaua‘i. Duke's Kona will open on Hawai‘i Island in late 2026 and Duke's at the Cove in West O‘ahu is 

Aloha State Daily caught up with Reed last month — ahead of the anniversary of the fire and before this announcement was made — to talk more about the experience during the blaze and the company's ongoing recovery.

In the aftermath of the fire, Reed, said it was assumed that Kimo's was lost, but confirmation didn't come for at least a week.

"Finally, when somebody did a flyover and filmed, that's when we were able to get confirmation, but ... from what we had heard — and then seeing some videos of neighboring buildings that were engulfed in flames — we had assumed that Kimo's had burned down as well."

But in those moments — and for a long time after — Reed says that wasn't the company's main priority.

"And it still isn't. Our main priority is our T S ‘ohana," she told ASD. "Even though all of our employees survived, some of their families didn't, and we had almost 300 of them lose their homes and all of their belongings. That's all that we were thinking about. We knew that eventually we would assess what had happened with Kimo's, but our focus was on our ‘ohana. Through the generosity of the T S owners, our guests, so many people who just wanted to help, they donated to our 

 and we were able to grant $2.3 million to our employees to help, which was really wonderful because they're on our payroll and we were able to do that quickly."

Reed had said last month that the company "definitely want[s] to bring Kimo's back to Front Street and that is a priority for us," but T S has been focused on the community and its Maui ‘ohana.

"Now that there is some activity, we're looking at all options. Of course, we would love to go back to our original location, but being that it was waterfront, that timeline seems like it's going to be a different timeline than some potential other locations, so we're continuing to explore opportunities to bring Kimo's back in hopefully what would be the first phase of redevelopment for Front Street," she said in June, noting then that nothing was confirmed at that time.

[{"type":"text","text":"Commercial rebound"}]

As the anniversary of the fire nears, commercial activity in Lahaina is starting to tick up. 

An interim marketplace and community gathering spot in development by Hawaiian Council — with support from its Kākoʻo Maui Fund and the Hawaiʻi Community Foundation — will be the first project to bring storefronts back to Front Street, Maui County said in a July 2 announcement of its launch. 

Called ‘Ulu o Lele — which means Growth of Lele and honors Lahaina's traditional name — the marketplace will be located at the former Outlets of Maui site and offer a temporary home for local businesses, nonprofits, cultural practitioners, farmers and community programming while permanent commercial redevelopment progresses, the announcement noted.

According to the county, Hawaiian Council, formerly known as the Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement, has secured a two-year lease for approximately three acres at the site and is leading the planning, development and implementation of the project, itself designed as an 18- to 24-month recovery initiative.

 modular retail spaces and supporting infrastructure to "quickly activate the site and create new opportunities for local businesses and organizations," the announcement says. Meanwhile, the marketplace is expected to hold approximately 25 to 50 local vendors and help sustain about 90 jobs.

On Thursday, Hawaiian Council opened a vendor interest for businesses, nonprofits, cultural practitioners, farmers, food  vendors and others interested in being a part of ‘Ulu o Lele. 

According to the July 16 announcement from Hawaiian Council, a member-based nonprofit that works to advance the cultural, economic and community development of Native Hawaiians, this is the first step in the vendor selection process and asks prospective vendors to provide information about their business, connection to Lahaina, wildfire impacts, interest in the marketplace, readiness to operate, potential space needs and their vision for contributing to "an authentic Lahaina experience," among other details.

 and will be open through Sunday, July 26. It's not an application and doesn't guarantee participation in the marketplace.

[{"type":"text","text":"A formal request for proposals will be released at a later date."}]

Overall, five Front Street commercial permits have been issued and two more commercial projects are nearing permits, according to recent information provided by Maui County. More than a dozen commercial properties are in planning consultation.

"Permitting and approvals in the Lahaina Historic districts have been one of the most heavily regulated processes in the state, involving national, state and local rules. Besides being one of the most storied places in Hawaiʻi and the Islands’ first capital, it was the only historic district in the state with buildings constructed out over the water," the county's July 2 announcement noted.

Proposed Chan Wa Commericial Building

<title>Kimo's Restaurant set to return to Lahaina's Front Street</title>

The restaurant was among the businesses lost in the deadly August 2023 wildfire that destroyed much of West Maui community.

Kimo's Restaurant set to return to Lahaina's Front Street

Christian Shimabuku Headshot

Christian Shimabuku

Sports

LAS VEGAS — Nothing says Mountain West football quite like the University of Hawai‘i paying a visit to DeKalb, Ill. for a road conference game on Oct. 24, or North Dakota State heading down to the Clarence T.C. Ching Athletics Complex on Nov. 14 for a matchup that figures to be pivotal in the conference championship race.

When members of the Mountain West gathered for another edition of its annual media days on Wednesday and Thursday at the 

Palms Resort Casino Resort, the congregation served as an unofficial celebration that the conference was still standing in 2026. 

 of Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State, San Diego State and Utah State to the Pac-12, the Mountain West retooled by adding Hawai‘i, UTEP and UC Davis as full-time members, while also securing Northern Illinois and North Dakota State as football-only affiliates.

In her Wednesday morning address to open the media day festivities, Mountain West commissioner Gloria Nevarez said the conference is "as stable as we can be at the moment," citing the grant of rights each member has committed to. In February, the Mountain West also agreed to a six-year media rights deal with CBS Sports, Fox Sports and streaming company Kiswe, as well as a five-year deal with the CW Network. 

"Honestly, the excitement level is really high, and I think with a new-look Mountain West and new members, there's just excitement," Nevarez told Aloha State Daily. "It's really fun, and we thought it was really important to provide continue to provide the stage to showcase our student-athletes in advance of the season."

No preseason poll was released by the conference, although four members of the University of Hawai‘i football team in 

 were selected to the preseason All-Mountain West team. 

Though no predicted order of finish was given among the 10 squads, one thing is certain — the teams will travel far and wide to play each other this fall. 

"It's exciting," Nevarez said. "We've heard that all those fan bases travel really well, and I think there's a lot of excitement and newness. I think we're going to see a lot of fan travel."

For North Dakota Stare, the mid-November trip to Honolulu will surely be a welcome one. 

"Probably four feet of snow and negative 20 degrees," North Dakota State senior safety Darius Givance said when asked about what Fargo looks like at that time of the year. "It's gonna be a complete climate flip, but usually they'll put us in the indoor facility for that week, turn the heat up, crank it up and get it to like 95 degrees in there, and we'll just get after it."

Northern Illinois interim head coach Rob Harley compared the Mountain West slate to that of the Big Ten, where a team like USC can travel to New Jersey to face Rutgers in a road game. Still, the notion of a Chicagoland school sharing a conference with Hawai‘i is certainly out of the ordinary. 

"It's wild, the fact that it's a conference game," Harley said of the Oct. 24 matchup. "I think that's unique, but we're used to it because of (conference) expansion. But I think it's a neat thing to bring five different time zones and to bring the game of college football to most people. ... You gotta love that."

While Hawai‘i's conference slate brings fresh matchups, it also features familiar and heated rivalries. 

After opening its season on Aug. 29 at Stanford, the Rainbow Warriors will begin conference play by hosting UNLV at the Clarence T.C. Ching Athletics Complex on Sept 5. The Rebels, like Hawai‘i, open their season on Week 0 against Memphis. 

"It's going to be a big game because it's two teams that expect to play for a championship," UNLV head coach Dan Mullen said. "Whoever wins has a two-game edge over the other team (in the standings), so I think that's a big deal for a big game early in the season. ... A lot of excitement around both programs. I expect a great atmosphere."

No program in the Mountain West has had Hawai‘i's number in recent years as much as San Jose State. The Spartans own five consecutive wins over the Rainbow Warriors dating back to 2020. When the teams meet on Oct. 3 at the Clarence T.C. Ching Athletics Complex, it will be SJSU head coach 

's first time coaching against his alma mater at its temporary venue. 

"Any games on TV, I watch. I'm a fan. I mean, still my school, so I watch a lot of their games a little bit more," Niumatalolo said. "Their games have been packed. It's not the biggest stadium, but the games that I've seen, it's a hard place to play. Talked to a few folks that went there last year, and they're they're a tough team to beat. And 

's done a great job in creating that atmosphere. 

"The other part I think about is it's sad to see Aloha Stadium go down, but I'm excited about the 

Another familiar face could play a major role in the matchup, as former Hawai‘i quarterback 

 is currently in the running to be the next starting quarterback at San Jose State. 

"He just wanted the chance to play, so it showed me what kind of character he has. He was totally honest with why he was coming," Niumatalolo said of the process in recruiting Weaver out of the NCAA transfer portal. "It wasn't about money. He just wanted a chance to play, and I feel like we had more of those kind of guys in the fold this year."

recently extended Hawai‘i head coach Timmy Chang

 is curious to see where his team stacks up. 

"We're excited for the three new members. We're excited for the existing members. Mountain West football has been tough and competitive throughout the years," Chang said. "I've been in it now going on 10 years, and I've seen how great the teams are and how every year it's so elite and so competitive and I look forward to watching everybody play."

Hawai‘i's new full-time membership in the Mountain West meant that the school departed the Big West. Prior to leaving, the University of Hawai‘i women's volleyball team was set to host the 2026 Big West Tournament, which was since moved to Cal Poly. 

While the Mountain West Conference title game for football will be hosted by the school with the highest College Football Playoff ranking or top team in the conference standings, a handful of neutral site tournaments have been locked in for the conference's other sports. In 2026-2027, women's volleyball and men's basketball will take place in Las Vegas, while baseball will take place in Mesa, Ariz. 

Could the Stan Sheriff Center be the host of the Mountain West women's volleyball tournament in the future? 

"All options are on the table," Nevarez told ASD. "We do have some championships that are determined by season performance, so there's opportunity there. But if it makes sense for us, and obviously there's some additional costs with travel. If we can offset some of those, we absolutely look to Hawai‘i to host."

Mountain West coaches 071626

<title>University of Hawai‘i right at home in new-look Mountain West Conference</title>

After sticking together in the latest round of conference realignment, members of the retooled Mountain West ushered in the league's new era in Las Vegas this week.

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