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John Pritchett

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<title>Pritchett Cartoon: Same old, same old</title>

Pritchett Cartoon: Same old, same old

Ray Tsuchiyama

Business & Tourism

Columnists

Maui’s Deer Crisis: Science, Strife, and Inertia (Part One) 

I described Maui ranchers and farmers losing ground to an unmanaged axis deer herd that covers a third of Maui Island and, in UH’s recent study, stripped as much as 1,942 kilograms of forage per hectare in two weeks.

Maui County does not have to invent a response. Arkansas and New Zealand each found a use for deer that Maui can explore:

One offers a near-term social safety net; the other provides a long-term economic engine.

Strategy One: The Arkansas Model — From Hunters’ Harvest to School Protein

Convert an overabundant wild game population into shelf-stable, high-protein "snack sticks" for food-insecure school children.

 (AHFH), launched in 2000, began as a way to move 

 to local food pantries. Its executive director, 

, a former Arkansas state forestry management expert, is the sole full-time staff member according to the 

— yet he has built a statewide network connecting deer processors, hunting clubs, food pantries, and school districts.

The need in both Arkansas and Maui is strikingly parallel:

After a small pilot, AHFH partnered with the 

Arkansas State University College of Agriculture

 to formulate and test a child-friendly, shelf-stable venison stick. With a state grant, ASU students developed recipes and food-safety testing at its USDA-inspected Meat Market. Once perfected, raw donated venison was routed through regional processors to manufacture venison snack sticks distributed through school backpack programs.

, the total number of venison snack sticks shipped to Arkansas schools has surpassed 500,000, alongside tens of thousands of pounds of ground venison moved to food banks annually.

Field Harvest (Hunters) ➔ AHFH Donations ➔ USDA Regional Processing ➔ Shelf-Stable Snack Sticks Production ➔ Arkansas Schools’ Backpack Program.

 does not replace hunters; it gives their harvest somewhere to go. Maui needs the same missing link: a legal, affordable path from field to food bank. 

A partnership (with financial resources) among the Hawaiʻi Department of Agriculture (HDOA), Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism (DBEDT), UH College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resilience, UH Maui College, Maui Food Bank and the Department of Education (DOE) could turn axis deer into venison burger and snack sticks for local keiki.

To open this pipeline, the Department of Health must reform its rules. The current mandates requiring that a certified inspector be present at the exact moment of a field harvest heads off non-profit donation pipelines before they start. Granting sensible exemptions for non-profit distribution or deploying certified mobile processing units (Ritter drives his own mobile unit) would clear the bottleneck.

Strategy Two: The New Zealand Model — From Wild Herds to a $150M Industry

: Shift the national mindset from viewing deer as a destructive pest to managing them as a high-value commercial resource.

 in the 20th century. For decades, the government treated them purely as a pest to be exterminated. The turning point came in the early 1970s when wild deer were re-framed as a resource to be captured, managed, and bred. 

 dates back thousands of years to ancient China; with modern GPS, fencing, and transport, managing wild herds efficiently is well within reach.

Jamie Ward, a New Zealand deer scientist, explained in an interview that New Zealand spent 50 years backing deer science with government infrastructure:

Researchers at New Zealand’s Invermay Agricultural Centre commercialized the entire animal beyond raw meat:

 Maui's deer population managed on over a thousand 

), Maui does not need to copy the industry wholesale. The core lesson is the value chain: 

when a harvested animal is worth something, harvesters have an economic incentive to act.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"},{"type":"bold"}],"text":"An Action Plan for Maui"}]

Maui has the raw ingredients to pursue both strategies at once. Four structural changes would start the work immediately:

From Crisis to Community Abundance (plus Grow Maui’s Economy)

The choice before us is plain. We can let inertia, fragmented culling, and outdated rules keep driving small ranches out of business while pastures wash into the sea. Or we can adopt what worked in Arkansas and New Zealand for Maui’s solutions.

Efficient harvesting, workable health inspections, free protein for schoolchildren, and commercial co-products will protect Maui’s ranches, restore its rangeland, feed its children, and create local jobs.

[{"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 

Venison i Stock 1166248187

<title>Maui’s Deer Crisis: Turning an invasive pest into keiki snacks and jobs (Part Two)</title>

Bad news: The islands of Maui county are overrun by an invasive species. Good news: That species happens to be delicious and nutritious. We could eat our way out of this problem, writes ASD columnist Ray Tsuchiyama. Here's how it can be done.

Maui’s Deer Crisis: Turning an invasive pest into keiki snacks and jobs (Part Two)

Arrasmith Portrait

Perry Arrasmith

Do cars kill people? Maybe. Or maybe just people driving cars kill people. For today, I’ll leave the philosophy of that dilemma alone.

The invisible scale of deaths caused by vehicular crashes in Hawai‘i since statehood interests me more. Like many columns, this one is inspired by an unanswered question. 

 in a motorcycle collision in Kīhei on Maui. The night before, a 71-year-old 

 is a pedestrian fatality in Hilo. They are two among many dozens killed so far in 2026. 

Such deaths are reported on a routine basis, and every story adds to a tragic tally in the grand scheme of history.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) documents the scope of death on Hawai‘i’s roads, tracking fatalities on an annual basis back to 1994. Within the NHTSA, some data dating back to 1975 is maintained by the 

State data books are another source of perspective. The 1984 Data Book 

 on transportation documents all traffic fatalities from 1973 through 1983, and an earlier 

 from 1975 dates back to 1959. Similar sections from books issued in 

 provide a full picture of the entire period up to 2023.

Traffic fatalities appear to be largely declining in Hawai‘i. In 1975, there were 144 traffic fatalities, while an August 2025 

 found that they had declined to 93 fatalities in 2023. The drop between these two points in time was 35%. 

The improvement is more remarkable when you consider that from 1975 to 2023, the state’s population rose from about 868,400 to 1.44 million residents. Even with more than half a million additional people, traffic deaths on a per capita basis have declined over the decades. In Hawai‘i, the NHTSA 

 that the fatality rate per 100 million vehicle miles traveled between 1975 and 2023 fell 74%. 

Total fatalities on an annual basis may still rise. In 2024, the U.S. Department of Transportation 

 that the tally of fatalities rose to 102 people (marking a 9.7% increase between 2023 and 2024). By the end of 2025, a total of 129 people had been 

From 1973 to 2023, 6,666 people were killed in traffic collisions. Looking at the period from statehood to 2023, the figure rises to 8,275 people.

When data from 2024 and 2025 is factored into the tally, the figure rises to 8,506 deaths. 

And so a columnist added some numbers. What was the point of this mathematical exercise? What emerges from the full picture of a tragedy that unfolds over the course of weeks that turn to months, months that turn to years, and years that turn to decades?

Traffic deaths are so normal that they are to be expected. Our society is car-dependent, but the number still scares me. It should scare anyone. 

We should at least have the courage, as a culture, to know the number. Other numbers are much easier to register. For instance, the state Department of Health 

 that 2,244 fatalities in Hawai‘i were linked to COVID-19 as of June 12, 2025. In that instance, the pace of the loss of life was much more rapid and dramatic. 

Traffic deaths occur on a gradual and independent basis, so their part in a larger story remains invisible. Perhaps that makes the scale of these deaths so much darker. 

I’m scared of driving, but I still drive. That doesn’t mean I should forget that driving is deadly. Desensitization to the manner of such deaths is the product of our habituation to the automobile’s inherent danger. 

We’ll still drive cars. We’ll turn car keys while engines ignite. The tally runs. 

Car crash i Stock 969500140

<title>The scale of Hawai‘i’s traffic deaths</title>

We can, and should, celebrate that Hawai‘i drivers and their cars have become significantly safer over the years. But at the same time, there's a death toll associated driving, one that still grows with each tragedy. That number may surprise you, writes ASD columnist Perry Arrasmith, and is worth knowing

The scale of Hawai‘i’s traffic deaths

Kelsey Kukaua Medeiros Headshot

Kelsey Kukaua Medeiros

Aloha Spirit

senior Gabriel Morimoto, 16, coaches his classmate who is using a flight simulator on campus during a recent Friday afternoon when Aloha State Daily sat in.

“And you’re on the ground!” he congratulated.

Beside them, teacher Denton Alvarado closely watches another student on a separate simulator, saying, “keep the altitude at 25.”

Alvarado, a 2016 Maryknoll alumnus and original 

 (CAP) cadet graduate, recently returned to teach aviation, aerospace and more to ninth through 12th graders. Now, he’s working toward recruiting its middle schoolers.

In partnership with CAP, the school officially launched in 2016-2017 the Mx Scholar Program for STEM & Aerospace to provide real-world aviation training for students. Alvarado says he was one of the first students to join the program and helped “pioneer this aviation pathway.”

He notes that what initially drew him to the program stems from his childhood: seeing his dad serve in the U.S. Air Force. After high school, he became a CAP instructor and pursued a career in the airline industry, while remaining in contact with the friends he had made along the way.

 Alvarado says that professional connections are critical to the success of current and future students.

“Parents are relieved when they ask me what’s next for their kid,” he said, adding that he sees his role as coaching the family, giving them next steps and putting them in contact with the right resources and people.  

In-class curriculum is sourced from national nonprofit 

 (AOPA), including simulator practice that helps students learn the basic controls, so they feel more comfortable in a cockpit according to 

Alvarado. It also prepares students to earn a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) private pilot’s license.

After school programming by CAP focuses on STEM and education, leadership, aerospace, physical fitness and character, 

. As an auxiliary of the U.S. Air Force, CAP has been operating in Hawaiʻi since 1947 with a fleet of single-engine Cessna aircraft and small Unmanned Aircraft Systems that aid with search and rescue, emergency response and disaster relief across the Islands.

Alvarado notes that later this month, the school will celebrate a charter with CAP, which “creates a better partnership” with the Maryknoll Cadet Squadron, he said.

His goal for the remainder of the school year and beyond is to build the program for the next group of students, that’ll eventually “connect” the high school and grade school campuses.

A spokesperson for the school confirmed Monday that starting next week, the program will expand to Maryknoll’s middle schoolers.

Parents and prospective students can learn more about this program, among others, at Open House this Sunday, Nov. 8, starting at Sacred Heart Catholic Church on the grade school campus at 1722 Dole St. Doors open at

 12:30 p.m. and walk-ins are welcome, the spokesperson said. 

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

Morimoto, a self-described Maryknoll “lifer,” or student since kindergarten, says that the school has “the best community.”

“The people here are so welcoming and since we are a smaller school, everyone is intertwined, no matter who you know or what you do,” he told ASD.

Now in his senior year, Morimoto says he is busy applying for colleges. His dream schools are 

Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Prescott, Arizona, and California Aeronautical University.

He has visited Embry-Riddle before and knows of friends and family who went there, he said, adding that his interest in aviation sparked between ages 4 to 6.

Growing up, he would go into the cockpit to ask the pilots questions like how do you fly this or what does this and that do?

“I really aspire to become a pilot,” he said. “I’m trying to follow my family’s journeys, especially in attending Embry-Riddle. I hope I can be successful like them.”

He’s currently doing flight training with 

 while preparing to take the FAA written exam at the end of the year.

“It’s a very comprehensive exam that tests your knowledge not just on how well you know an airplane, but the physics and mechanics behind it – everything surrounding it.

 And if I pass, I obtain my private pilot’s license,” Morimoto explained. “Currently, I have about 25 flight hours and with CAP, I have about 4 hours.”

When asked what it was like the first time he flew a plane, he said he was nervous but over time he became more confident.

For those on the fence about taking the Maryknoll’s aviation and aerospace course, he adds that though it looks daunting from the outside, “you have a lot of fun, meet new friends and do hands-on activities together.”

Teaching other classmates has been “full circle,” he said, recalling how seniors helped train him his freshman year. Some of the skills he says he’s learned in class include time management and teamwork.

What it means to be a respected leader is also something he’s learning through CAP.

“Delegation is a big topic that we discuss in our squadron and it’s an amazing leadership trait for anyone to have from a CEO to just an employee,” Morimoto said.

Looking ahead, he envisions himself flying at 

Embry-Riddle with the support of his mentors, family, friends and co-workers.

“It’s not just me doing everything alone,” he said. “After flight school, I really want to become a commercial pilot for Alaskan or Hawaiian airlines. I want to come back home.

[{"type":"text","text":"“I am confident in my journey.”"}]

Maryknoll Aviation program hero edited

<title>Maryknoll to expand Civil Air Patrol program to middle school</title>

Alumni and teacher Denton Alvarado discusses how the school-based aviation program has taken flight over the last decade, and where it’s headed. High school senior Gabriel Morimoto also shares how the course teaches leadership skills that will set him up for a future in the industry.

Maryknoll to expand Civil Air Patrol program to middle school

Square Mike Brestovansky Headshot RGZ3736 Large

Michael Brestovansky

The "blue wave" that swept Mainland races during the midterm election came for Hawai‘i as well, with four out of 10 Republican state representatives losing their seats.

The final vote counts the state Office of Elections released on Wednesday morning revealed that only three incumbent House Republicans who were up for re-election this year were able to keep their seats. 

Diamond Garcia, who represents portions of ‘Ewa and Kapolei, narrowly beat Democratic challenger Anthony Paris by only 72 votes — fewer than the number of blank votes cast for that race. Wai‘anae Rep. Chris Muraoka defeated Democrat challenger Kalehua Kaopua by some 300 votes, and ‘Ewa Beach Rep. Julie Reyes-Oda barely eked out a win over Democrat Rose Martinez by 16 votes.

Meanwhile, representatives Garner Shimizu (Fort Shafter), Elle Cochran (Kahakuloa) and Joe Gedeon (Portlock), lost their respective elections to Democrats — in Cochran's case, she came in distant third behind second-place Democrat Sne Patel and the victorious Green Party candidate Pa‘ele Kiakona. 

And Royal Kunia Rep. Elijah Pierick did not run for reelection in his House district, but lost his bid for the Senate seat previously held by Democrat Henry Aquino, leaving his House seat to be won by Democrat Corey Rosenlee.

"The 'bluenami' isn't people changing sides and voting Democrat," Garcia told Aloha State Daily. "It's Republicans not turning out."

The Office of Elections reported that about 42% of all registered voters submitted ballots in the general election, down from the 48% turnout in the previous midterms. 

Despite the losses Republicans took in Hawai‘i, Garcia, who is the Republican caucus' Minority Floor Leader in the House, took a positive view. In the face of Republican losses throughout the Mainland, the party's losses on Hawai‘i aren't that bad, he said.

"We're back down to the numbers we had in 2024," Garcia said. "It could have been worse and it has been worse."

Nonetheless, Garcia said the party needs to take the election as an opportunity to focus its messaging on issues that matter to voters, particularly the affordability crisis.

Muraoka agreed, telling ASD that Republicans need to start demonstrating results to voters in order to claw back ground in the state. 

"It's high school politics, we need this system of checks and balances to keep one party from becoming too powerful," Muraoka said. "We want as much conservative voices in Hawai‘i as we can get."

Garcia said the dominance of a single party within Hawai‘i should build the desire for people to hear alternative voices in politics. But, he added, "Republicans are good at policy and bad at messaging. And Democrats are bad at policy and good at messaging."

Meanwhile, Kapolei Rep. Kanani Souza held onto her seat, facing no Democrat challengers, but fellow Republican Sheila Medeiros. The race between the two in the primary election was narrow enough to force a do-over in the general, and led to a Supreme Court case earlier this year.

On the Senate side of the race, only one Republican seat was up for grabs: Republican Bob McDermott claimed the ‘Ewa Beach seat currently held by outgoing Republican Kurt Fevella, defeating his Democrat opponent by about 400 votes. 

But Kāne‘ohe Sen. Brenton Awa took a loss nonetheless, losing his bid for U.S. Representative to incumbent Jill Tokuda. 

"It's a big relief off my shoulders," Awa told ASD, saying he wants to get back to work for the remaining two years of his Senate term.

But Awa said his race proved that "it doesn't matter whose name is on the ballot," only their party affiliation. He said Republicans need to figure out how to "get beyond the triggers" that cause voters to focus on labels instead of the core issues.

Awa said he encountered a man who said he would have voted for Awa but didn't because Donald Trump remains president, which Awa said shows that the "big issues" don't resonate with voters so much as the divide between red and blue.

But Awa also hinted that he might leave that divide behind as well. After his Senate term is up, he told ASD he may run for Honolulu Mayor, a non-partisan race.

"I may leave the Republicans, we'll see," Awa said, although he added that he wouldn't join the Democrats either. "The divide is why we're conquered."

[{"type":"text","text":"ASD reached out to Tokuda for additional comment."}]

DSC06138 16x9

<title>"Blue wave" hits Hawai‘i, picks off four Republican House seats</title>

GOP winners reflect on midterm results.

"Blue wave" hits Hawai‘i, picks off four Republican House seats

Kelli Shiroma Braiotta Headshot

Kelli Shiroma Braiotta

Food & Dining

Thanksgiving is coming up on Nov. 26. Peruse part 1 

. Check out the following dine-in and takeout options:

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"},{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Aliʻi Fish Market"}]

i Fish Market’s Thanksgiving menu ($395) is designed to feed six to eight people. Each box’s contents are designed to take home, cook and re-heat.

[{"type":"text","text":"Boxes include:"}]

: Basalt Waikīkī’s turkey to-go packs costs $250 and are designed to feed a family of four.

[{"type":"text","text":"The turkey to-go meals include:"}]

The food will be chilled with heating instructions included. Pre-orders must be made by Nov. 19.

[{"type":"text","text":"The restaurant will also feature Thanksgiving Day specials."}]

[{"type":"text","text":"Brunch specials (7 a.m. to 1 p.m.):"}]

[{"type":"text","text":"Dinner specials (4 to 9 p.m.):"}]

: This Thanksgiving feast costs $155 per adult ($75 per child ages 12 years and under). Highlights include chilled crab, sushi, and fresh Pacific oysters; carving station with roasted Thanksgiving turkey, prime rib and whole suckling pig; locally caught steamed fish; Kona lobster pasta; and a variety of decadent desserts. 

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"},{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Big City Diner"}]

: Various locations (Kailua, Pearlridge, Waipio)

: This Thanksgiving big meal to-go costs $159.99. All items are ready to re-heat.

[{"type":"text","text":"The to-go meal includes:"}]

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"},{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Chef Chai"}]

: Chef Chai’s Wiki Wiki Thanksgiving boxes ($175 small, $320 large) feature a Thanksgiving feast designed for two or four people.

: Pick-up Nov. 26, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.; the restaurant will be closed for dine-in service on Thanksgiving Day 

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"},{"type":"bold"}],"text":"DECK."}]

: DECK.’s Thanksgiving specials will be served on a first-come, first-served basis. The Thanksgiving plate ($42) includes turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy, cranberry sauce, stuffing and roasted vegetables.

Desserts are served a la carte and include pumpkin bread pudding ($12) with whipped cream, caramel and cinnamon; basque cheesecake ($14) with lime zest and caramelized banana; and pecan tarts ($13) with whipped cream, salted caramel and praline pecans.

The eatery’s regular menu will also be available all day. 

Eating House 1849 by Roy Yamaguchi – Waik

: International Market Place, 2330 Kalākaua Ave. Ste. 322, Honolulu

: This special holiday dinner costs $70 per person. It includes:

Limited items on the eatery’s regular dinner menu will also be available. 

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"},{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Empire Steak House"}]

: This four-course menu costs $140 per person. It includes:

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"},{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Et al."}]

: et al.’s Thanksgiving special ($45) is available for both dine-in and takeout.

The meal includes garlic and herb butter roast turkey, HI Steaks smoked meat and sage stuffing, Sweet Land Farm chevre and chive potato puree, pan roasted brussels sprouts with ‘Ōhi‘a Honey verjus, prune mui cranberry sauce, turkey jus and basque pumpkin caramel cheesecake. 

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

: Foodland features a variety of Thanksgiving options.

Premium turkey dinner ($129.99), serves eight to 10 people; order by Nov. 18

[{"type":"text","text":"Turkey breast dinner ($89.99), serves up to five people; order by Nov. 18"}]

[{"type":"text","text":"Prime rib dinner ($149.99), serves four to six people; order by Nov. 18"}]

Dinner from our chefs ($199.99), serves eight to 10 people; order by Nov. 18

: Pick-up during store hours, Nov. 25 to 27

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"},{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Haliʻa by Side Street Inn"}]

a by Side Street Inn will feature a family-style meal ($185) designed to feed four to five people.

It includes kalua turkey with gravy, lilikoʻi and pineapple glazed ham, mushroom and Portuguese sausage stuffing, roasted garlic mashed potatoes, mixed greens, green beans with macadamia nuts and fresh cranberry sauce. 

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"},{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Hau Tree"}]

Pritchett Cartoon: Same old, same old

John Pritchett

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Pritchett Cartoon: Same old, same old

Authors

John Pritchett

More in Government & Politics

After the Blue Wave: Lame duck and foreign war?

Democrats hold onto their seats in low-turnout midterms

"Blue wave" hits Hawai‘i, picks off four Republican House seats

HFD battalion chief accused of sexual assault

Most read