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Tom Yamachika

Government & Politics

Viewpoints

If you have a student loan and you’re thinking that you might be able to get forgiveness of that loan by working for the government or for a nonprofit, better watch out because there are changes coming to that program.

Recently, the U.S. Department of Education 

 saying that a government entity or nonprofit with a “substantial illegal purpose” can be ruled ineligible.  

A substantial illegal purpose under the final rule is defined as

For example, if a “Sanctuary City” has policies that limit cooperation with federal immigration enforcement to protect undocumented immigrants, that city may well be declared an ineligible employer under the new rule. Cities, counties, and other jurisdictions 

Or how about if a nonprofit (including a college or university), city, or state has a DEI (diversity, equity, inclusion) policy that calls for some type of affirmative action to remedy past racial discrimination?  Bzzt! That would be illegal discrimination against white people. Kamehameha Schools? OHA?  Department of Hawaiian Home Lands? Better watch out.

How about a nonprofit whose members block the entrance to a harbor, or a road, in order to make their point? Boom! That could be an organization engaging in a pattern of violating state laws. It’s strange that only certain state laws, violations of which are usually classified as minor offenses, are mentioned in this disqualification.

The same fate could befall a nonprofit or government allowing or providing gender-affirming care for the LGBTQ population under age 19. That would be classified under the final rule as engaging in the surgical or chemical castration or mutilation of children.

, appears to be that if the President doesn’t like what a state, locality, or nonprofit is doing, the government can and will cut off not only direct aid to the organization but also its employees. The Administration’s position is that it has the power to set fundamental public policy for the country, and that it has the right and duty to stop federal dollars from going to causes that don’t align with that policy.

Not surprisingly, a coalition of 22 states, led by California, Colorado, Massachusetts, and New York and including Hawai‘i, is suing in Massachusetts federal court to block implementation of this rule.  The basic premise of the suit is straightforward:  Congress established the student loan forgiveness program, Congress said that eligible employers included governments and nonprofits, Congress didn’t make exceptions, and now the Administration is trying to add conditions that are not provided in the law.

We will see how the fight plays out in the months ahead.

For the latest news of Hawai‘i, sign up 

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<title>Community Voices: Student loan forgiveness gets complicated</title>

Student loan forgiveness has been tied to working for the government or for certain nonprofits. Under new federal rules, that might depend on whether the state or local government, or nonprofit, engages in "substantial illegal activities" in the eyes of the federal government

Community Voices: Student loan forgiveness gets complicated

Kelli Shiroma Braiotta Headshot

Kelli Shiroma Braiotta

Food & Dining

Honolulu Kitchen is popular for its deep-fried mini manapua. While the original location is in Waipahu, Honolulu Kitchen Little Corner Cafe opened this past year in 

While its steamed and deep-fried mini manapua are still customer favorites, the cafe offers an extensive menu.

Both steamed and deep-fried manapua feature a variety of sweet and savory fillings. Savory options include char siu — the most popular flavor — kalua pork, barbecue chicken and curry chicken. Sweet fillings include custard, ube cream cheese and Azuki bean.

[{"type":"text","text":"Ube cream cheese is especially popular because of its vibrant color."}]

Besides manapua, you’ll find a variety of dim sum and snacks like gyoza, spring rolls, wontons and more.

The homemade dumplings ($11.95) are a customer favorite, but if you prefer some heat, go for the spicy garlic wontons ($11.95). 

The char siu look cheong fun ($7.50), which features steamed rice noodle rolls, is a unique option. The noodles boast a nice chew, and we liked how we could adequately taste the char siu.

The café’s assorted dim sum selection includes pork hash ($1.60), shrimp dumplings ($1.60), half moon ($1.85) and mini sticky rice ($1.95). While these snacks aren’t as popular as the mini manapua, they’re still a nice option, and we’re told the sticky rice is a customer favorite.

If you want a sweet treat, opt for the café’s acai bowl ($14.95), which is topped with blueberries, strawberries, bananas, granola and a honey drizzle. The acai is refreshing, but not overly sweet. 

 The café’s drink menu is extensive, ranging from fruit teas($6.50) and milk teas ($5.95) to smoothies ($6.95-$11.95).

The most popular smoothie flavors include strawberry banana ($6.95), passion fruit mango ($6.95), dragon fruit mango ($7.95), matcha green ($7.95) and lychee strawberry ($6.95).

[{"type":"text","text":"Limited customer parking stalls are available in front of the cafe."}]

Open 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Mondays, Wednesdays-Fridays, 8 a.m.-9 p.m. Saturdays, 2-9 p.m. Sundays, closed Tuesdays

Honolulu Kitchen ube manapua 103125

<title>You can now find this deep-fried manapua in Honolulu</title>

Honolulu Kitchen Little Corner Cafe opened earlier this year in Mōʻiliʻili. The café offers steamed and deep-fried manapua, along with dim sum and smoothies.

You can now find this deep-fried manapua in Honolulu

 is soft opening today in its new Kaimukī restaurant space.

The Pig & The Lady’s new restaurant space is located at Civil Beat Plaza on Wai

alae Avenue. The new space features comparable square footage to its previous Chinatown location, and includes an open bar and outdoor seating.

“We’re really excited to be here,” says chef/owner Andrew Le. “It’s quite the glow-up from Chinatown.”

The restaurant will have a limited menu during its soft opening (Oct. 15 to 19) and will celebrate its grand opening on Oct. 21. Soft opening hours will be 11 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Wednesdays-Sundays for lunch and 5-9:30 p.m. Tuesdays-Saturdays for dinner. Brunch service will be coming at a later date.

The restaurant’s interior features a collaborative mural by Jeff Gress and Kaimukī-based tattoo artist Steven Lam. The mural depicts a bowl of noodles and a tiger, which represents Le’s mom.

“I’m the Year of the Pig (Chinese zodiac); every zodiac has an ally and an enemy,” he explains. “My ally is the tiger, which is my mom’s Chinese zodiac. In that sense, it’s meant to be.”

At last night’s media preview, we had a sneak peek of dishes featured on the fall lunch and dinner menus. The menu features seasonal ingredients, but, as Le says, “What you expected in Chinatown is what you’re going to expect from us now in Kaimukī.”

“We’re focused on modern Vietnamese food with local touches,” he says. “Aesthetically, the menu isn’t different; I still cook the way I cook.”

Banh it ram chay ($5 each, minimum three per order) is a mochi-like dumpling with a taro and mung bean filling. This is a vegetarian-friendly version, comprising shiitake mushrooms, caramelized onions, black pepper and vegan nuoc cham.

“On the bottom is a disc of crispy sticky rice, and you have a ball that’s been stuffed with mung beans,” Le explains. “It’s steamed, so it’s crispy and chewy at the same time. The traditional version is with pork and shrimp, but we wanted to do a vegetarian version.”

The P&L-style skewers are inspired by savory Spanish pintxos. The tapas usually feature grilled or roasted pieces of meat served on a skewer.

“In Vietnam, there are so many types of pickles and fermented items; we put everything on a skewer to enjoy that way,” Le says.

This version comprises various Viet pickles, shrimp, leeks, semi-dried daikon, mustard cabbage, firecracker eggplant and nem chua (pork).

The chestnut and mushroom pate ($20) is finished with sea salt, shiitake “bacon” and pickled shallots, and is served with a baguette. The pate was creamy, savory and easily spreadable; it was one of our favorite dishes of the evening.

This dish features a combination of dynamic flavors. Beets are served atop smoked eggplant emulsion and topped with scallion oil, cacao nib dukkah, pickled cranberries, dark chocolate and mint.

“It’s yin and yang — something sweet, something sour; something salty, something spicy,” Le says. “When we build this dish, that’s what we are trying to do — something bitter, something sweet; something acidic, something smooth. I’m very excited about this dish.” 

Thinly sliced scallops are served with coconut cauliflower leche de tigre, squid ink, burnt grapefruit, wasabi peas and shiso.

“The white sauce is made with cauliflower and coconut, but we decided to infuse squid ink into it,” Le explains. “That’s where we hide a lot of flavor. We blend lots of chilies and make this marbled look. We serve it with burnt grapefruit and add texture with wasabi peas.”

This crispy coconut rice crepe is meant to be shared. It’s filled with grated pa'i'ai, lap xuong and dried shrimp, and it’s served with herby lettuce wraps and lomi tomato nuoc cham.

This cake noodle-style dish features squid sauteed in garlic sauce, Thai basil and cherry tomatoes, then it’s covered with crispy vermicelli, according to Le.

“It’s dusted with mac khen pepper togarashi,” he says. “It’s like the Vietnamese version of Szechuan pepper.”

The dish is meant to be mixed and eaten. It’s time-sensitive, as the crispy noodles will get soggy if the dish is sitting for too long.

Many of the meat dishes on the eatery’s menu are designed to share family-style, so groups can also order side dishes.

The “super prime" beef flank ($56) comes with lemongrass anchovy chile sate, garlic two ways, braised lettuce and a savory beef jus.

“Washugyu flank is American wagyu; it’s very tender and flavorful,” Le says. “We put garlic two ways — confit and garlic chips.”

He explains that the sauce is beef jus with Chinese black olives, resulting in an ultra-savory, umami flavor.

J. Ludovico Farm chicken is known for its tender texture and juicy flavor, and this version doesn’t disappoint. It’s served with banh mi baguette croutons, offal ragout, cioppolini, chanh muoi kosho and mustard frisee.

Le explains that the sauce is made from the giblets, which are roasted in a pan with the chicken stock, chilies and cinnamon.

This dish is essentially a double stuffed ravioli, according to Le, who explains the epaulette pasta shape resembles the shoulder pads of a French soldier’s uniform.

“On one side, we have black truffle pork sausage,” he says. “We fill the other side with roasted kabocha that’s been cooked with brown butter.”

[{"type":"text","text":"The pasta is garnished with wood ear mushrooms and roasted kabocha."}]

The braised, charred cabbage (bap cai luoc) is one of the eatery’s featured side dishes.

“It’s inspired by a homestyle Vietnamese dish my mom would make for us all the time,” Le says. “This is our version of it; we boiled eggs and separate the whites and the yolks, and blend that into this nice, creamy sauce.” 

[{"type":"text","text":"The cabbage is topped with fried shallots and scallion oil."}]

No visit to The Pig & The Lady is complete without the eatery’s signature soft serve. The current soft serve swirl features avocado matcha custard with strawberry guava sorbet topped with crushed feuilletine wafers and salted condensed milk. It's an unexpected combination, but the flavors and textures complement each other nicely. 

If you’re looking for something a bit more indulgent, go for the dark chocolate cremeaux ($15), which features variations of orange, kakimochi sable and marigold.

Other dessert options include spiced pineapple shave ice ($15), warm sticky toffee banh bo nuong ($15) and Hanoi egg espresso ($10).

Reservations via OpenTable and the restaurant’s website are highly recommended.

Validated parking is available at Civil Beat Plaza (entrance is on Wilhemina Rise). 

Soft opening hours:11 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Wednesdays-Sundays for lunch; 5-9:30 p.m. Tuesdays-Saturdays for dinner

Pig and the Lady chef Andrew Le 101525

<title>The Pig & The Lady soft opens today in Kaimukī</title>

The family-run Vietnamese restaurant is opening in its new Kaimukī location today. The eatery will feature a limited menu during its soft opening — Oct. 15 to 19 — and will celebrate its grand opening on Oct. 21.

The Pig & The Lady soft opens today in Kaimukī

 just celebrated its one-year anniversary. Boasting picturesque views of Kahana Bay, the eatery offers modern Hawaiian cuisine and dishes with Korean-inspired flavors.

If the one-year anniversary seems confusing, that’s because the original Crouching Lion was in business for more than 60 years (it’s been open since the 1950s). The building was initially a private residence, but was eventually sold and converted into an inn. 

Through an online search, I learned that the eatery’s earlier menus featured dishes like mahimahi, teriyaki steak, lobster salad and club sandwiches. There's one menu 

 right now, going for $80. The mahimahi lunch entree was $1.95 back then! Don't get too excited, though, that's about $23 in today's dollars.

The restaurant changed hands throughout the years and was temporarily closed, but reopened last year under new owner Eddie Kim.

The restaurant now focuses on modern Hawaiian cuisine with Korean-inspired flavors.The open-air eatery is visually appealing, with lots of photo opportunities throughout. It’s a nice spot to take a break during an around-the-island drive.

I went to the eatery last year for dinner, and since then, the restaurant has added several new dishes to its menu.

The Asian bruschetta ($26) features crispy rice topped with spicy ‘ahi, hamachi, salmon and ikura. Of the dishes we tried, this was probably my favorite. The crispy rice base featured a spongier texture than I was anticipating, and the fresh seafood on top were delicious one-bite wonders.

The rose tteokbokki carbonara ($28) is a true fusion dish. The typical carbonara gets a Korean twist with chewy rice pasta, smoked bacon, heavy cream, an egg, shallots, Gochugaru chili flakes, house mushroom stock and Parmesan.

The Crouching Lion also offers a variety of dishes that are cooked on its robata grill. Choose from options like scallops ($24), grilled shrimp ($18), lamb lollipops ($26) and kalbi ($24). The grilled avocado topped with basil vinaigrette and shichimi ($10) is one of the newest options. 

The Gochujang musubi roll ($18) — comprising Gochujang-flavored Spam, daikon, egg, Gochujang aioli, rice and sesame seeds — is another new dish, but was not available during our visit. However, the snow crab reverse roll ($32) is a popular option that did not disappoint, thanks to the generous amount of crab and tobiko.

Prime brisket tacos ($26) and wagyu sliders ($26) continue to be some of the eatery’s most popular dishes. The tacos are massive — these aren’t petite street tacos — meaty, and filled with pickled slaw, cilantro, fresno chili and shichimi aioli. Each slider ($26 for three) comprises white cheddar, tomato jam, shichimi aioli and pickled onions.

Besides the eatery’s newer dishes, our server encourages us to try the fries — which I probably would have overlooked if it weren’t for her recommendation. They’re cooked to a perfect golden brown and served with a honey miso aioli that boasted the perfect balance of sweet and savory.

While the eatery can be crowded during dinner because of its sunset, if you go during lunch, you can enjoy sunny views of Kahana Bay.

Crouching Lion group of food 050825

<title>This scenic restaurant in Kaʻaʻawa just celebrated its one-year anniversary</title>

The Crouching Lion Restaurant & Bar is worth a stop during any around-the-island drive. Read on for more about how this legendary restaurant is celebrating its first anniversary.

This scenic restaurant in Kaʻaʻawa just celebrated its one-year anniversary

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ASD Staff

If you’re searching for a sweet, loyal companion who just needs a second chance, come meet Aspen in person at Maui Humane Society or inquire about how you can adopt her from just about anywhere.

Aspen

Adopt-a-Pet Maui: Aspen ʻenjoys life at a calmer paceʻ

Kelsey Kukaua Medeiros Headshot

Kelsey Kukaua Medeiros

Aloha Spirit

Cassondra “Cassie” Christman, a volunteer at Maui Humane Society who wears many hats, loves working with animals — dogs in particular. Christman has used her own social media platform to advocate for adopting and fostering furry friends, in addition to sharing the organization’s needs from wishlists for specific pets to relocating dogs from Molokai and Lānaʻi.

Cassie and Walnut

Meet this Maui Humane Society volunteer and the pets she cares for

Broccoli Cheddar

Adopt-a-Pet Maui: Curious cat named 'Broccoli Cheddar' needs a safe home

Three-year-old terrier mix Bingo, formerly known as Kinako, was adopted on Aug. 8 by Matt Yoshika and Chiako Fukushima. Aloha State Daily featured this 29-pound pooch on April 4.

09 10 2025 Bingo fka Kinako

Adopt-a-Pet Sept. 11, 2025: Kinako, renamed Bingo, has found a furever family

According to the Hawaiian Humane Society, "Booboo would thrive in a calm, compassionate home where she can adjust at her own pace and build a bond that will last for years."

08 27 2025 Booboo

Adopt-a-Pet Aug. 28, 2025: Build a lasting bond with Booboo

This 3-year-old pup from the Maui Humane Society is on the search for his furever home. Could that be you?