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ASD Staff

Hawai'i Skies

Today's Hawai‘i Skies was captured by A. Kam Napier over Mō‘ili‘ili. "A recent full moon rising over Mō‘ili‘ili, near Isenberg and Kapi‘olani."

To submit your Hawai'i Skies photo, visit us 

<title>Hawaiʻi Skies: Moon rising</title>

Today's Hawai‘i Skies was captured by A. Kam Napier over Mō‘ili‘ili.

Hawaiʻi Skies: Moon rising

Today&#039;s Hawai‘i Skies was captured by A. Kam Napier over Mō‘ili‘ili. &quot;A recent full moon rising over Mō‘ili‘ili, near Isenberg and Kapi‘olani.&quot; To submit your Hawai&#039;i Skies photo, visit us online or email: general@alohastatedaily.com

Kelli Shiroma Braiotta Headshot

Kelli Shiroma Braiotta

Food & Dining

Coconut matcha cloud. Couture special with salted cream foam. Ca phe bac xiu. These are just a few of the popular beverages at 

, which opened about a month ago in Pearl City. It’s located on the second floor of Stuart Plaza.

Customers can order from the business’s takeout window. Once you’re given a number, you can pick up your order from inside the café.

There’s limited customer seating available; the café is more conducive to takeout.

Choose from coffees, matchas, smoothies, milk teas and the café’s food menu.

Bestsellers include the Couture special coffee ($7), which is a special blend of Vietnamese coffee topped with a salted cream foam, and the peanut butter coffee ($7). The latter features Vietnamese iced coffee topped with peanut butter foam.

For the drinks topped with foam, the staff recommends sipping the drink first, then stirring the foam topping in.

The banana matcha pudding latte ($8) — a signature blend of matcha topped with banana pudding and a cookie crumble — and mango matcha latte ($8) also come highly recommended.

The café’s food menu consists of banh mis ($12-$14), avocado toast ($11.95) and croissants ($5.75). So far, both the special banh mi ($14) — a toasted French baguette stuffed with creamy mayo, savory pate, pork loaf, char siu, pickled vegetables, cucumber, cilantro and sliced jalapenos — and lemongrass tofu banh mi ($12) have been customer favorites. The latter includes lemongrass marinated tofu, pickled carrots and daikon, fresh cilantro, cucumber and jalapeno peppers.

The café is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesdays to Mondays (closed Tuesdays).

Dang Cha by Couture drinks 082126

<title>Dang Cha by Couture is a hidden Vietnamese café in Pearl City</title>

The café — located on the second floor of Stuart Plaza — is known for its Vietnamese iced coffees, matcha and banh mi sandwiches.

Dang Cha by Couture is a hidden Vietnamese café in Pearl City

Square Mike Brestovansky Headshot RGZ3736 Large

Michael Brestovansky

Crime & Courts

A Maui man who allegedly robbed a bank in Kīhei last year pled guilty to bank robbery in U.S. court Thursday.

Justin Nelson, 43, reportedly robbed a Kīhei branch of the First Hawaiian Bank on Aug. 27, 2025. According to an FBI affidavit, Nelson — dressed in a baseball cap, dust mask, balaclava and sunglasses — entered the bank one morning, approached the bank tellers and brandished what appeared to be a firearm.

The robber commanded the two tellers present to each put cash in a shopping bag. Within a minute, he had collected $4,885 in marked and unmarked bills, and departed the bank.

Investigators were able to track the robber’s movements throughout Kīhei using CCTV cameras and, within 15 minutes, Maui police officers confronted and arrested him on the sidewalk of Kauha‘a Street. According to the FBI report, Nelson was approaching a parked car, registered in his name, when he was arrested.

Upon his arrest, the robber — positively identified at this time as Nelson — was found to have only an airsoft pistol on his person, as well as $3,681 in cash. It was not clear in the FBI report what happened to the remaining $804.

However, the FBI report did note that a Maui Police Department officer reportedly overheard Nelson tell his father — during a phone call at the police station — “I robbed two banks.” Court records make no mention of a second robbery connected with Nelson.

In any case, Nelson was charged with bank robbery, a felony charge. Because Nelson reportedly used the threat of violence to carry out the robbery — regardless of whether the gun was genuine — he faces a maximum possible sentence of 20 years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000 and supervised release of up to three years.

[{"type":"text","text":"Nelson’s sentencing is set to take place Dec. 18."}]

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<title>Maui man pleads guilty to 2025 bank robbery</title>

Justin Nelson reportedly robbed a Kīhei bank for $4,885 last August.

Maui man pleads guilty to 2025 bank robbery

Government & Politics

The trial of Lt. Gov. Sylvia Luke and her alleged associates in a criminal conspiracy won’t be happening anytime soon.

, the corruption trial of Luke and four others — lobbyist Tobi Solidum, former state Rep. Ryan Yamane, state Airports Administrator Ford Fuchigami and former Public Utilities Commission chair Leodoloff Asuncion Jr. — was scheduled to begin on Sept. 28, after four of the five defendants, excluding Solidum, pled not guilty.

But on Friday, that trial was pushed back a year, after attorneys for multiple defendants requested additional time to prepare.

Back on Aug. 6, Yamane’s attorney William Harrison filed a motion to continue the trial on a later date, as the discovery phase — in which both sides prepare witnesses and evidence to be presented at trial — had not yet begun and the breadth of the case made it exceedingly unlikely that the process could be completed on schedule.

Other attorneys, including Fuchigami’s lawyer Eric Seitz and Luke’s lawyer Richard Sing, co-signed Harrison’s motion.

At a hearing Friday, attorneys proposed that the trial be delayed by a year or more, suggesting varying dates between June and October of 2027. Prosecutor and Deputy Attorney General David Van Acker did not protest, although Judge Paul B. K. Wong did not land on a specific date Friday; an exact date will be determined at a scheduling conference next Wednesday.

By Wednesday, Fuchigami will also need to decide whether to keep Seitz as his attorney. Van Acker filed a motion in August arguing that Seitz has a conflict of interest in the case, having previously represented state Department of Health Deputy Director Cathy Ross, who will be a witness for the prosecution in the case.

Van Acker said Friday that Ross is not a minor figure in the case, having been the last person to meet with Solidum before his fateful 2022 

 with Luke and former Hawai‘i Rep. Ty Cullen at Morton’s The Steakhouse in Ala Moana. That meeting saw Solidum and his stepdaughter reportedly offer Luke two $5,000 checks.

Van Acker’s motion states that Seitz represented Ross during the Attorney General’s public corruption investigation earlier this year, and that Ross possessed “text communications that were material to [the] investigation.”

On July 24, the day an O‘ahu grand jury indicted Luke, Fuchigami, and the rest, Seitz reportedly went with Ross into the grand jury room. Later that same day, Van Acker’s motion claims, Fuchigami contacted Seitz for assistance with posting bail.

Van Acker told Judge Wong Friday that the appearance of a conflict of interest will severely compromise Seitz’s ability to represent Fuchigami. While Van Acker said he intends to get convictions for the defendants, he added that the appearance of impropriety during such a high-profile case should be avoided at all costs.

Nonetheless, Fuchigami repeatedly told Wong that he wants to retain Seitz as his attorney, even though Wong noted that Seitz will be obligated to keep Ross’ confidentiality, and may not be able to effectively cross-examine her at trial.

Wong said that legal precedent suggests that Fuchigami can waive his right to a conflict-free lawyer if he chooses. But Fuchigami didn’t choose Friday; Wong allowed him to consider his options and to make his decision on Wednesday.

Lukeco

<title>Luke corruption trial pushed to 2027</title>

Trial of Lt. Gov. Sylvia Luke and her alleged associates blows past previous September date.

Luke corruption trial pushed to 2027

Stephanie Salmons Headshot

Stephanie Salmons

Real Estate

A new 27-unit rental workforce housing development is underway near The Queen's Medical Center's Punchbowl campus.

Located at 1518 Miller St., the project, which will be designated for households earning up to 80% of the area median income, broke ground last month. It's the first ground-up project from Fergus Brothers LLC.

"We're really excited," Jake Fergus, an owner of Fergus Brothers, told Aloha State Daily. "This is our family's real estate company and, for a long time, we've been focused on commercial real estate investments. Right now, we have properties on O‘ahu and Maui, a lot of industrial assets, but just in the last few years, we've wanted to become involved with helping with our affordable housing problem and crisis we have in Hawai‘i. This is our first big project, ground-up, that we're building. ... We're just excited to get involved and we hope to do a lot more of these before it's all said and done."

The for-rent apartments are being developed under the City and County of Honolulu's 

Bill 7 was adopted by the Honolulu City Council in 2019; these projects are also referred to as ROH Chapter 32 projects. According to the city's 

, ROH Chapter 32 relaxes development standards and offers financial incentives for affordable rental projects in certain zoning districts and on lots no larger than 20,000 square feet as long as 80% or more of the units are rented to those earning no more than 100% of Honolulu's AMI for at least 15 years.

Affordable housing income limits are based on household sizes — you can find the city's current income limits 

"If you look at the the current 80% AMI schedule for what people earn, those are solidly workforce tenants — hardworking people working in the community. A lot of them have multiple jobs," Fergus says. While there's no formal agreement with Queen's or any other employers in the area, he says, too, that with the location of the property and proximity to the health care center, "we would love it if hospital workers could rent at our building and be able to just walk across the street to work."

The project was designed by architect Ed Sheehan of Interlock LLC and is being constructed by Honolulu Builders. It'll feature 25 one-bedroom and two studio units. Fergus says construction is expected to be finished next year.

Fergus said, too, that the project will be constructed on an elevated podium, allowing the ground floor to be used for parking, minimizing impacts to street parking in the surrounding neighborhood.

When the property was acquired in 2024, Fergus says there was a long-empty old house in an unlivable condition on the site. It didn't make sense to keep the house, he noted, so the company hired Reuse Hawai‘i for deconstruction and donated any salvageable items before Honolulu Builder came in.

, the Miller Street property was acquired for a little more than $1.4 million in 2024.

The Miller Street project follows a recently completed restoration of an 11-unit workforce apartment building at 1650 Stillman Lane in Liliha, which offers six two-bedroom units and five one-bedroom units near Kuakini Medical Center, a recent announcement from the developer noted.

Miller

<title>New workforce housing under construction near Queen's Medical Center</title>

Located at 1518 Miller St., the project, which broke ground last month, is the first ground-up development from Fergus Brothers LLC.

New workforce housing under construction near Queen's Medical Center

Christian Shimabuku Headshot

Christian Shimabuku

Sports

MĀNOA — Spencer McLachlin estimates he's been inside the Stan Sheriff Center over 500 times since the facility opened in the fall of 1994. 

, both University of Hawai‘i Circle of Honor inductees, Spencer McLachlin would sit in the stands during UH volleyball matches as his father served as TV color commentator alongside Jim Leahey on K5 broadcasts. Wahine volleyball matches were extra special for the McLachlin family, as Beth is still remembered as one of the program's pioneers. A star setter on the 1974 and 1975 teams, Beth McLachlin added the 

With his parents guiding him, Spencer McLachlin went on to become a star athlete himself. While he was a two-time all-state basketball player at Punahou, volleyball was where he truly shined. A 6-foot-7 outside hitter, Spencer McLachlin was a starter in multiple tournaments for the U.S. junior national team. He was one of the sport's top recruits by the time he was set to graduate high school in 2007, and he chose Stanford among his many offers. 

McLachlin started all 105 matches he appeared in for the Cardinal from 2008 to 2011, which included a national championship in 2010. With aspirations of becoming a coach one day, McLachlin helped out with Bay-to-Bay Volleyball Club as he finished up a master's degree with Stanford. 

After a brief professional playing career in Greece, McLachlin returned to Hawai‘i and joined Charlie Wade's UH men's staff as a volunteer assistant in 2014 while he taught at Punahou. He was then elevated to full-time assistant for the Rainbow Warriors in 2015. 

From there, McLachlin was an assistant coach for the Cal women's team from 2016 to 2017, an assistant coach on the UCLA men's staff from 2018 to 2021, the associate head coach for Indiana in 2022, then the associate head coach for USC from 2023 to 2025. His first opportunity to become a head coach was officially announced on Dec. 29, 2025, when UC San Diego named him the new women's head coach. 

On Sunday, the final day of the 2026 OUTRIGGER Invitational, Spencer McLachlin's UC San Diego squad went up against host Hawai‘i to close the tournament. Father Chris was courtside doing color commentary for K5 with Kanoa Leahey, Jim's son, while Beth McLachlin watched intently. As Spencer competed against the University of Hawai‘i for the first time as a head coach, he proved the McLachlin family can still have firsts in its charmed volleyball journey. 

Though the Tritons were just two points away from winning in four sets, the Rainbow Wahine rallied to take Sunday's match 22-25, 25-15, 21-25, 26-24, 15-8. UCSD led as late as 23-22 in the fourth set before UH forced deuce. The 'Bows, who sprinted to a 14-3 lead in the fifth set, went 3-0 over the weekend and improved to 4-2 for the 2026 campaign. The Tritons, meanwhile, fell to 2-4 in McLachlin's debut season and were 0-3 during the weekend. 

"A lot of emotions," Spencer McLachlin told Aloha State Daily following the match, with some of his players seen wiping tears away in the distance. "I feel for my team that fought so hard, but it's life. Learning isn't linear. It's not gonna happen overnight. It's gonna take some really hard lessons, and we had three really hard lessons in the three matches this weekend. I wish it ended up a little bit differently, but that's volleyball. That's why everyone everyone loves it. I'm proud of our girls."

Over a dozen family members were in attendance to support Spencer McLachlin on Sunday. Additionally, a handful of friends from his O‘ahu childhood, including Stanford teammate Kawika Shoji, were there to offer encouragement. 

"I love this place," Spencer McLachlin said of the Stan. "My mom's got her plaque up there in the Circle of Honor. This place means so much to me. It is a top five place to play in the world, and it's because of the fans. It's because of the tradition. ... Just so many great coaches. The volleyball community here is so great. And if I grew up anywhere else, I probably wouldn't have fallen in love with the sport like I did growing up here."

In the heat of the match, Spencer McLachlin admits he gave a quick look to his dad and couldn't help but smile. After the match, Spencer's three young children walked towards the announcer's table. 

"There's Papa," Spencer pointed out to his keiki. 

Chris McLachlin knew that calling Sunday's match came with added responsibility. The school he loves was facing a team coached by his son, and he knew he had to be impartial to both. 

I started out by telling Kanoa if I lapse into nepotism at all, please correct me," Chris McLachlin joked with ASD after the match. "I thought that for the weekend, (Spencer) was really proud of how they performed. They could have won the tournament, you know. They were very close to being 3-0. Instead, they're 0-3. But a lot of good lessons learned, and it's a different kind of proud that he is sharing so much of himself with those girls."

The four years Spencer McLachlin played for Stanford aligned directly with the four seasons current Rainbow Wahine head coach 

 took the floor for the Hawai‘i men's team following a redshirt year. Though McLachlin 

went 8-1 as a player against the 'Bows, Walker never made it easy, leading UH in kills the vast majority of those matchups. 

"Ton of respect for him, just because I know how hard of a worker he is," Walker said following the match. "We knew we were going to get their best shot and they were going to be prepared. That's just who he is and how he operates. I think we both made each other better tonight."

Despite growing up an athletic prodigy of sorts, the coaches in Spencer McLachlin's life are the reason why he set his heart early on becoming one himself one day. 

 was his club coach when he was 10, and Spencer McLachlin remembers how the legendary former Wahine volleyball coach taught him how to pass, one of the underrated skills in the sport. McLachlin joked that with a career record of 2-4 thus far in his debut season, he has 1,200 to go to catch Shoji's career mark of 1202-204-1. 

But if there's one coach who truly made his mark on Spencer, it's his father, who led Punahou to 11 state titles in boys volleyball and three in boys basketball. 

"He's my biggest mentor," Spencer McLachlin says of Chris McLachlin. "Him caring for the athletes and the trust that you build by getting to know them, he has incredible relationships with all of his former athletes and if I could be a 10th of the coach that he is, then I'll have a great career. I think he's a wizard, and I'm so blessed to have him be my mentor." 

Following a brief chat after the match, Chris and Spencer McLachlin went their separate ways, Spencer eager to build on the career he's wanted for as long as he can remember, knowing dad is always a phone call away. 

"He was always asking questions about coaching strategies, so I thought maybe he's gonna be a coach someday," Chris McLachlin says. "He always seemed to glean the most from all the coaches he had when he played in the junior national team. He just always seemed to be gleaning little pearls of wisdom about coaching. And I think when he was very young, he followed me for my basketball and volleyball career, and it always seemed to be not just a kid at the gym, but more like a kid learning at the gym. He was always picking up something and asking questions. He wants to be a good coach in the worst way, and just the art of coaching means a lot to him."

Spencer McLachlin 090626

<title>Punahou alum Spencer McLachlin returns home for emotional weekend as new UCSD coach</title>

Both of McLachlin's parents are in the UH Circle of Honor. He estimates he's been inside the Stan Sheriff Center over 500 times. On Sunday, for the first time as a head coach, he went up against his childhood team.

Hawaiʻi Skies: Moon rising

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Hawaiʻi Skies: Moon rising

Authors

ASD Staff

Reporter

More in Hawai'i Skies

Hawaiʻi Skies: A thumbs up

Hawaiʻi Skies: So many kinds of clouds

Hawaiʻi Skies: A perfect emergence

Hawaiʻi Skies: Throwback Thursday

Most read