ASD icon blue inverse lighter

ASD Staff

Hawai'i Skies

Today's Hawai‘i Skies was captured by Karina Chapman in Waikīkī. "

Taken on Friday night, Nov. 28, 2025 — the week of my haole hubby’s and my 36th anniversary.

We were supposed to go on a catamaran, but they switched us for basically a little boat, which felt like every other time I’ve been on a ferry. Lol. At the beginning of the ride, I kept threatening to jump overboard and swim back to shore. It would’ve been easy — I grew up here and as kamaʻāina, I know these waters. However, I stuck it out and got this photo. So it worked out!! 

"Aloha from one kamaʻāina wen stuck on da Mainland!"

To submit your Hawai'i Skies photo, visit us 

Karina Chapman

<title>Hawaiʻi Skies: When things work out</title>

Today's Hawai‘i Skies was captured by Karina Chapman in Waikīkī.

Hawaiʻi Skies: When things work out

Today&#039;s Hawai‘i Skies was captured by Karina Chapman in Waikīkī. &quot;Taken on Friday night, Nov. 28, 2025 — the week of my haole hubby’s and my 36th anniversary.&quot;We were supposed to go on a catamaran, but they switched us for basically a little boat, which felt like every other time I’ve been on a ferry. Lol. At the beginning of the ride, I kept threatening to jump overboard and swim back to shore. It would’ve been easy — I grew up here and as kamaʻāina, I know these waters. However, I stuck it out and got this photo. So it worked out!!  &quot;Aloha from one kamaʻāina wen stuck on da Mainland!&quot; To submit your Hawai&#039;i Skies photo, visit us online or email: general@alohastatedaily.com

Square Mike Brestovansky Headshot RGZ3736 Large

Michael Brestovansky

Government & Politics

Mauna Kea is the only possible site for the controversial Thirty Meter Telescope, after an alternate site in the Canary Islands has reportedly been nixed.

, sources within Spain’s Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities confirmed that the TMT International Observatory has rejected a bid by the Spanish government to have the long-planned telescope built on the island of La Palma in the Canary Islands.

The news comes little more than a month after TMT itself 

 that Spain had proposed a “financial framework” to build the observatory on La Palma, a proposal involving multiple Spanish government agencies and the European Investment Bank. That proposed framework 

 up to €1 billion (about $1.1 billion) for the project. 

, the Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities announced the rejection on Friday, but the reasons for that rejection were not publicly disclosed.

While Mauna Kea has always been the primary site planned for TMT, La Palma had been proposed as a potential alternative. The island hosts several telescopes at its Roque de los Muchachos Observatory, as its height and equatorial position makes it well-suited for astronomy in the same way that Mauna Kea is.

 of TMT by the National Science Foundation noted that the La Palma contingency was not developed to the same level of detail as the Mauna Kea plan. 

With La Palma seemingly out of the picture, TMT’s only remaining potential site is, once again, Mauna Kea. 

But the future of the project remains murky. In 2024, the NSF named both TMT and the Giant Magellan Telescope in Chile as potential linchpins of a “U.S. Extremely Large Telescope” project, but also that only one could feasibly be funded, putting the two telescopes in competition with each other. 

 a budget request that mentioned that it was no longer considering TMT for the Extremely Large Telescope project, wiping about $1.6 billion in federal funding off the table for TMT.

 earlier this year stipulating that NSF continue to consider both TMT and the Giant Magellan Telescope through its final review process, although no funding for either project was guaranteed in that bill. 

Meanwhile, Gov. Josh Green and the state’s Congressional delegation have 

 TMT to consider building the observatory in the footprint of a previously existing telescope on Mauna Kea, rather than on untouched summit land. TMT project manager Fengchuan Liu told the Mauna Kea Stewardship and Oversight Authority in April that this could be feasible.

Kerry Slater, vice president of communications for TMT International Observatory, confirmed to Aloha State Daily that the observatory declined Spain's financing terms. Slater added that the observatory "remains committed to respectful engagement with Native Hawaiian and Hawai‘i communities."

ZOA 2023 7950 tio tmt 0018 16x9

<title>TMT reportedly rejects Spanish bid to build on Canary Islands</title>

A €1 billion proposal to build the Thirty Meter Telescope in La Palma has reportedly fallen through.

TMT reportedly rejects Spanish bid to build on Canary Islands

WEB square crop Hayley Lehman Headshot RGZ1636

Haley Lehman

Business & Tourism

Arts & Entertainment

 kicked off Friday with talk story about industry challenges, priorities and culture. 

in partnership with The Foundation of for an Engaged Pacific produced the inaugural two-day event hosted at Kaimana Beach Hotel in Waikīkī from Sept. 18-19.

Makanani Salā, president and CEO of Gravitas Pasifika, told Aloha State Daily that there’s not a professional organization or hui for fashion creatives in Hawaiʻi, so she wanted to create space for creatives to gather and work together.

“They’re so busy trying to make their businesses work, they don’t have the chance to build,” she said, adding that she hopes designers make connections at PFW and look to create solutions to ongoing challenges like high shipping costs and the Islands’ low capacity to manufacture items.

“I think Hawaiʻi has a lot more in common with the Pacific than we do with the Continental U.S.,” Salā said. “Small islands, a lot of native people, limited infrastructure, so when we look to work with other people, it makes sense that we start talking to people that have similar problems as us and have innovative solutions. That happens in the Pacific.”

, discussed his challenge of manufacturing goods in the Islands during the Friday morning discussion.

According to Pang, when founder Manaola Yap first visited manufacturers in Hawaiʻi 12 years ago, he had a “very specific inspiration and vision for what he wanted to create” and received “a lot of no's.” 

“That was a huge barrier to him being able to express his creativity and move fashion to the place that he wanted to go with his fashion,” Pang explained.

MANAOLA manufactures products in Indonesia and China. Pang said that the company will soon start manufacturing a black label in Hawaiʻi.

, said the brand’s garments are manufactured on Molokai and in California.

Bakutis is a botanist by trade and said that her values in ʻāina meant that she could not create waste with her business. The garments are made with natural fibers and non-toxic dyes and inks.

“Where you put your money is where you put your mana, so when you buy a garment from me, you’re putting your mana into the ethos of Kealopiko,” she said. “(As a designer,) if you are OK with not making as much profit, you can have an impact on your community.”

Fijian designer Samson Lee told ASD he first met 

Salā at the 2024 Festival of Pacific Arts, or FestPac, for which PWF was built from, according to organizers. On Saturday, PFW features a runway presentation called "Indigenous Life" by Lee, showcasing a new, 60 piece collection of "color and prints," he noted.

that all of his garments are manufactured in Fiji. Lee said that he produces small, limited collections, and that sometimes, there’s not enough of certain fabrics operating from an island.

“We’re working with what we have,” he said.

Lee spoke about how designers have to balance their roles as creatives and small business owners. At the end of the day, designers have to think about paying overhead costs and making money, he said. 

Creatives also discussed making contemporary art while honoring their kūpuna and traditions.

 encouraged artists to steer away from questioning if their art is Hawaiian enough or represents Hawaiʻi well enough and remember that as kanaka, what they create is kanaka art.

“What we create and the stories that we’re creating are our kūpuna’s wildest imaginations,” Ahuna said.  

Kini Zamora of Kina Zamora Designs agreed, saying, “As Hawaiian people, we have to make and be innovators and not be scared of creating fun and exciting things.”

 noted that heʻs inspired by his own community and lineage, and that artists shouldn’t feel pressure to be “enough.”

Bakutis said that Kealopiko is based on sharing moʻolelo of their kūpuna, whether through native plants and animals or the stories themselves. The brand recently focused on designing garments around the story of 

“It was crazy hard and crazy fun,” she said.

Marques Marzan, a cultural advisor at the Bishop Museum, balanced retaining historical connections through moʻolelo with modern stories from new voices.

“The idea of stories living is something that I try to reinforce in the conversations we have,” he said. “The idea of carrying on and perpetuating and preserving traditional practices is very important. That’s who we are. That’s the history that we come from.”

“The idea of new stories, new experiences we have today are just as important as the stories of our kūpuna.”

 General Manager Haʻaheo Zablan told ASD that supporting creatives and the community is part of its core mission.

“This is my kuleana to be in this space and figuring out ways to help the (hospitality) industry support more of the community we live in. We’re part of the community, every employee, every member, right?”  he said, noting that since the property has local ownership, “a lot of the business decisions are based on the community.”

Kelsey Kukaua Medeiros contributed to this reporting.

Pacific Fashion Week panel 1

<title>Pacific Fashion Week unites Islanders through culture and design</title>

Pacific Fashion Week brought designers and creatives to Waikīkī at Kaimama Beach Hotel on Friday to discuss challenges in the industry, priorities for the future and what authenticity looks like in their art.

Pacific Fashion Week unites Islanders through culture and design

Stephanie Salmons Headshot

Stephanie Salmons

American Savings Bank employees were at the New York Stock Exchange this week, ringing the first trade bell Wednesday as an 

 of more than 8 million shares of ASB's common stock began trading on the NYSE with an initial price of $16 per share.

Five thousand miles away from New York, more than 1,000 American Savings Bank employees watched from 35 locations across the Islands.

“We are honored to commemorate this significant milestone in American Savings Bank’s history, but more importantly, we are proud to celebrate our teammates, customers and community who made this possible," ASB President and CEO Ann Teranishi said in a statement. "ASB has been deeply rooted in these islands for 101 years, and we remain focused on taking care of Hawaii’s residents, businesses and communities. This is the beginning of our new journey as a public company, and we look forward to this new and exciting chapter for American Savings Bank.”

According to an announcement from the bank, the offering was expected to close Sept. 17, subject to customary closing conditions. Underwriters also have a 30-day option to purchase up to 1,208,586 additional shares of common stock to cover over-allotments, the bank says.

ASB will not receive any proceeds from the sale of the shares, the announcement notes.

Piper Sandler & Co. is acting as the sole book-running manager for the offering. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods, A Stifel Company, is acting as lead manager, while D.A. Davidson & Co. and Stephens Inc. are acting as co-managers.

ASB was previously a wholly owned subsidiary of Hawaiian Electric Industries Inc., but HEI sold 90.1% of its ASB common stock to independent investors in a $405 million deal that 

. As HEI noted at that time, each investor had a non-controlling interest and no investor owned more than 9.9% of the bank's common stock, including HEI.

ASBH Listing Day 04793 Web

<title>American Savings Bank goes public</title>

ASB stock is now being traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol ASBH.

American Savings Bank goes public

Ray Tsuchiyama

Columnists

A Bishop Street lawyer once invited me to present a Broker Opinion of Value to a local Hawaiʻi family at the Pacific Club. I delivered Sales Comparables and Income Approach analyses for a warehouse and a shopping mall.

After my BOV presentation, several siblings asked valuation questions — in plain English: "What are the properties worth?" I gave out some numbers.

Then the patriarch, an elderly Chinese man with a cane, smiled and said: "

Under the ornate table, the lawyer kicked me on my shin.

I left frustrated. I had come prepared to talk about value. The patriarch was talking about something else.

It took me years to understand that I had been looking at the problem through the wrong lens.

The issue was not simply what the properties were worth. It was how a family manages wealth when much of that wealth is tied up in real estate — and how that wealth can be managed in a three-generation family.

That is becoming an increasingly important question for Hawaiʻi.

For generations, local families accumulated wealth differently from many families on the Mainland. Their balance sheets often contain land, apartment buildings, commercial properties, hotels, agricultural property, long-term leases, and family businesses rather than primarily stocks and bonds.

Many of those assets have appreciated enormously.

But appreciation creates a new challenge: Wealth becomes more valuable, more complicated, and harder for one person to manage.

The question is no longer simply, "What do we own?"

Who is making the decisions about what we own?

This is where the family office concept becomes relevant.

The idea is not new. Wealthy families in Europe, Asia, and the Middle East have used various forms of family offices for generations. What is new in Hawaiʻi is the recognition that some local families are already performing family-office functions without necessarily calling themselves a family office.

A family may have an attorney, CPA, banker, investment advisor, property manager, and real estate broker. Each may be excellent at what they do.

But who is looking at the entire picture?

Who understands the family's real estate portfolio, liquidity, taxes, insurance, debt, estate structure, investment objectives, and succession plans — and helps the family make decisions that connect all of those pieces?

That is one of the fundamental roles of a “family office.”

I saw this firsthand when I lectured at an Ivy League executive program on family offices. The attendees included representatives of major European, Asian, and Middle Eastern fortunes.

One lesson was striking: Sophisticated family offices are not simply investment offices. They coordinate investments, taxes, legal structures, risk, philanthropy and, most importantly, family decision-making.

One Dubai family, with assets larger than Bank of Hawaiʻi, deliberately brought outsiders into the organization as checks and balances: a British executive as COO, a Lebanese lawyer, and an American banker.

Another family kept investment decisions entirely within the family, with two daughters working alongside the patriarch.

Different structures. Different cultures. Similar questions.

Who decides? Who advises? Who has authority? And who is being prepared to take over?

Those questions can become especially difficult when the wealth consists of real estate.

I once advised a Maui family whose siblings were geographically dispersed. Some believed they did the heavy lifting managing the family's retail properties. A Mainland sibling argued that the family should sell the Hawaiʻi properties, conduct 1031 exchanges, and pursue higher returns elsewhere.

The disagreement was not simply about real estate.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"}],"text":"It was about governance."}]

Who had the authority to propose a new strategy? Who would evaluate the replacement investments? How would the family decide whether maximizing financial return was actually its objective?

These questions rarely appear on a property valuation.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"}],"text":"They should."}]

There is an old saying in family wealth circles: "Shirtsleeves to shirtsleeves in three generations."

The first generation creates the wealth. The second manages it. By the third, the connection between the family and the source of the wealth can weaken.

For Hawaiʻi families, succession can be particularly complicated because the inheritance may consist of real estate that require active management.

A founder, like the patriarch with the cane, may know every tenant, every lease, every parcel, and every banker.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"}],"text":"The next generation may know none of them."}]

That does not mean the next generation is incapable of managing the wealth. It means the family needs a system for transferring knowledge, responsibility, and decision-making authority, not simply assets.

That system does not necessarily require a large staff or a Bishop Street office. A family might establish a single-family office. It might use a multi-family office. Or it might appoint one trusted executive or advisor to coordinate a network of attorneys, CPAs, bankers, investment managers, and real estate professionals.

There is no single formula. What matters is that the family has a structure.

That structure should answer some basic questions:

What do we owe, and what risks do we face?

What is the family's investment strategy?

For Hawaiʻi, this may represent a new stage in the evolution of family wealth.

The traditional model was simple and effective: acquire property, maintain it, generate income, and pass it to the next generation.

But the environment has changed. Property values are higher. Ownership structures are more complicated. Insurance, operating, and construction costs have risen. Family members increasingly live thousands of miles apart. And younger generations may have vastly different ideas about risk, liquidity, and investment.

The challenge is no longer simply preserving the family's assets.

That is the real meaning of family wealth stewardship.

A family needs to become intentional about how decisions are made, how knowledge is transferred and how the next generation is prepared – it is beyond holding the land, it is about building the institution around it.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"}],"text":" "}]

ay Tsuchiyama’s series explores one central question: How does Hawai‘i use the wealth and land it already has to create its next economic future? He can be reached at 

Family office

<title>How to steward family wealth better in Hawai‘i</title>

A local family that has worked diligently for generations for their security may have amassed a portfolio meant to be handed down — some land, some buildings, a business. It can be quite complicated, even before you take into account the emotions and interests of everyone involved in passing it along to the next generation. There's a better way to handle it all.

How to steward family wealth better in Hawai‘i

Kelli Shiroma Braiotta Headshot

Kelli Shiroma Braiotta

Food & Dining

In honor of International Poke Day — coming up on Monday, Sept. 28 — 

 is giving out free mini poke bowls at all of its locations (except downtown Honolulu) from 2 to 6 p.m. No purchase is necessary to get a free mini poke bowl. Ahi & Vegetable’s ‘Ewa Beach location is not usually open on Mondays, but it will be open on International Poke Day.

For the free bowls, customers can choose from three new poke flavors — Hawaiian chili garlic, hot shoyu or creamy California. One free mini poke bowl will be available per guest, while supplies last, in-store only.

The creamy California is inspired by the California roll and features avocado and masago, according to Ahi & Vegetable chef and director of operations Paul Santos.

“The spicy ‘ahi sells really well at our Ala Moana location,” he says. “The California poke has fresh cucumber and avocado, which add that crunch factor and creaminess.”

The hot shoyu poke is savory and nutty with a spicy kick.

“I’m a huge fan of hot shoyu poke,” Santos says. “I think shoyu poke is the simplest form of poke with sweet onions, local green onions and Aloha Shoyu. We added different spices like sambal, Sriracha and Hawaiian chili peppers. I like a lot of spice, so it adds a little more excitement. When you eat it, you get instant flavor; if you like spicy, I think you’ll really like that one.”

Meanwhile, Hawaiian chili garlic features a bold garlic flavor. Each mini poke bowl includes four ounces of pure fish and one ounce of sauce, according to Santos.

The three new poke flavors will officially join Ahi & Vegetable’s permanent menu after International Poke Day. While customers can choose from the three flavors for the free mini bowl, Ahi & Vegetable’s other poke flavors — including spicy ‘ahi, sweet ginger guava poke, and ginger scallion poke — will also be available. Mini poke bowls usually cost $14.99 each, according to Santos.

“The spicy ‘ahi hits you with three different flavor profiles — sweet, creamy and heat,” he explains. “There’s kewpie mayo, togarashi chili pepper flakes and some honey to pull everything together.

“Trying to make your own spicy ‘ahi in a sea of many spicy ‘ahi pokes is very hard,” he adds.

For those who want shoyu ‘ahi poke without the spice, Santos recommends trying the sweet ginger guava poke. For those who want something unique, he suggests the kajiki mochi crunch poke or ginger scallion poke, which he says is his favorite flavor.

“The kajiki mochi crunch poke is a sweet, honey oyster glaze with mochi crunch crumbles,” Santos explains. “I think locals will appreciate it because it tastes very familiar. Kajiki is a really misunderstood fish; it’s hard to work with because of its firmness. The mochi crunch gives an illusion that the fish is softer because you’re fixated on the crunch of it.

“I’m a big fan of cold, ginger chicken,” he adds, regarding the ginger scallion poke. “I think it has an all-purpose sauce.”

Santos explains that the newer poke flavors have been in the works for some time, and that the company wanted to expand its poke selection for International Poke Day.

“It’s very hard not to create something new that is also not trendy or going to be a fad,” he says. “I love traditional shoyu poke, which is why I created a hot shoyu poke. I wanted to do a sweet variation with a Hawaiʻi touch, so that’s how we got the guava flavor. Now is a great time to showcase what Ahi & Vegetable has in store.”

For more information, visit Ahi & Vegetable’s 

Ahi and Vegetable Paul Santos 090826

<title>Ahi & Vegetable is giving out free mini poke bowls</title>

The biz will be giving out free mini poke bowls at all of its locations (except downtown Honolulu) from 2 to 6 p.m. on Monday, Sept. 28, for International Poke Day. No purchase is necessary to get a free mini poke bowl. One mini free poke bowl will be available per guest, while supplies last, in-store only.

Ahi & Vegetable is giving out free mini poke bowls

IMG 1445

Rick Hamada

[{"type":"text","text":"There was an early morning phone call which was quite unusual."}]

Both Bernadette and I were in the news and information business but rarely did the phone ring at such an hour.

Berna's sister, Angie, was serving her term as Miss America 2001 and was, literally, traveling the world.

[{"type":"text","text":"It was Angie on the line."}]

[{"type":"text","text":"\"Turn the TV on. We're at war\""}]

She was calling Hawai‘i family and friends from LAX, told us, prayed with us and called others.

[{"type":"text","text":"The images broadcast was startling, even on the brink of surreal."}]

[{"type":"text","text":"The World Trade Center in New York City was in flames enveloped in smoke."}]

Bernadette bolted to our son, Zachary's room, took him from his crib and held him while we watched quietly, sadly as the pictures and the narration told the story of what was believed to be a terrorist attack on our country.

There are times when the conversation about September 11, 2001, among friends or others when the inevitable question is asked, "Where were you on 9/11?"

I was in a high-rise condominium in the developing Kaka‘ako neighborhood with my family.

[{"type":"text","text":"How about you?"}]

Occupational necessity took me to the studios on KHVH Radio where my team and I were on the air for over 30 hours of broadcast. News updates, announcements, authority directives, but primarily the taking of telephone calls from listeners around the state. It was an accurate reflection of the national sentiment ranging from shock to incredulity to grieving to anger and even fear. As the day turned night and night turned into another day, the prominent expressions were, "Are we next?" to "We need to find and bomb those bastards!" with a few things in between.

But the prevailing question filled with so much emotion was, "How could this happen?"

[{"type":"text","text":"This is what we know that happened."}]

The September 11 attacks were a series of four coordinated terrorist attacks carried out by the militant group al-Qaeda in the United States on Tuesday, September 11, 2001.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"italic"},{"type":"underline"}],"text":"The Attacks"}]

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"italic"},{"type":"underline"}],"text":"Casualties and Impact"}]

The United States and the entire world changed on that day. The War on Iraq, the global war on terrorism, the authorization of unilateral military action, the creation of the Department of Homeland Security, The Patriot Act and so much more changed the tone, tenor, and activities of the federal government and the U.S. military, at home and abroad.

There are debates and discussions, legal actions and court decisions and other contributions to the divisiveness in America today when polar opposites have strident yet non-negotiable positions. There are those who firmly and absolutely believe at 9/11 was an inside job. That our own government orchestrated the entire 9/11 attacks using patsies from the Middle East to conflate fear amongst Americans for their own agenda. Even the release of the 9/11 Commission investigative findings generated more questions than answers further cementing the divide among citizens.

[{"type":"text","text":"Again, that is not for contemplation nor consideration today."}]

[{"type":"text","text":"America was attacked."}]

Thousands of innocents lost their lives leaving behind grieving families whose own lives came to an abrupt and tragic end. The children of victims who lost their loved one, never experiencing them in their lives as they grew into adults.

The hundreds of first responders who lived their oaths to protect lives even if it meant losing their own. And they did.

The thousands who dedicated themselves to the clean-up and restoration of New York City to their own detriment, contracting lifelong debilitating health issues, even leading some to their own deaths.

Finally, my focus on this 25th Anniversary of 9/11 includes the remembrances of those from and connected to Hawai‘i and their respective loved ones who are poised to relive those tragic moments and renew the inevitable grieving connected to such profound loss. As Hawai‘i News Now 

 filled his office on the 103rd floor of the World Trade Center with pictures of his son, Zachary. 

, a manager at the brokerage firm, Cantor Fitzgerald. Collins was married to Leilehua High School graduate, Lissa Collins.

Four floors above them, at the "Windows on the World" restaurant, Punahou alum and rising culinary star, 

 was busy baking her special desserts. She'd always dreamed of working at the acclaimed eatery.

It was about a quarter to 3 in the morning in Honolulu when the first plane hit the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001. For many of us in the Islands, the first we heard of the attack was a strangely early morning phone call from a loved one who had seen the news. "Turn on the TV. We're at war." ASD columnist Rick Hamada describes getting such a call, then spending 30 hours on the air at KHVH as kama‘āina called in with their fears, tears and rage.

Hawaiʻi Skies: When things work out

ASD Staff

Reporter

More in Hawai'i Skies

Hawaiʻi Skies: Views from the airplane

Hawaiʻi Skies: Signs for whales

Hawaiʻi Skies: A thumbs up

Hawaiʻi Skies: So many kinds of clouds

Most read

Hawaiʻi Skies: When things work out

Authors

ASD Staff

Reporter

More in Hawai'i Skies

Hawaiʻi Skies: Views from the airplane

Hawaiʻi Skies: Signs for whales

Hawaiʻi Skies: A thumbs up

Hawaiʻi Skies: So many kinds of clouds

Most read