Aloha Spirit
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Play pickleball in Downtown Honolulu to rally for a good cause
Stay out of the kitchen and paddle on at Northwestern Mutual Hawaiʻi’s charity pickleball tournament scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 26. All proceeds will benefit Kapiʻolani Medical Center for Women & Children’s new Martha B. Smith Cancer & Infusion Center, slated to open next year. Individual tickets start at $100 per person, and include round-robin play, lunch and more.
Kelsey Kukaua MedeirosAugust 14, 2026

Exit interview with Mid-Pacific Institute’s president
Mid-Pac’s outgoing president Paul Turnbull, who will have served in the role for 14 years come his departure next summer, reflects on his education career, the school’s new campus improvements, and what students and staff can expect this school year.
Kelsey Kukaua MedeirosAugust 14, 2026

“Kuleana” shares story of aloha ʻāina
Sara Kehaulani Goo, a journalist and news executive, writes about her family’s journey to protect ancestral lands and her experience living in the diaspora as part of her debut memoir “Kuleana.” She also shares the details of her first visit to the Pi'ilanihale Heiau, when she was 8 years old.
Katie HellandAugust 14, 2026

AIA Honolulu celebrates 21 years of CANstruction
The annual event will move to a new home in Downtown Honolulu this year.
Stephanie SalmonsAugust 13, 2026

Hawaiian Council acquires Sea Life Park near Waimānalo
"Sometimes you go looking for opportunities, and sometimes the kuleana finds you," Hawaiian Council CEO Kūhiō Lewis told Aloha State Daily of the acquisition. "This was one of those opportunities."
Stephanie SalmonsAugust 13, 2026
Bishop Museum opens auction for E Ulu A Paʻa
This annual fundraiser for the museum includes a gala with keynote speakers Sig and Kūhaʻo Zane, as well as an online auction with more than 80 items, including behind-the-scenes tours of Bishop Museum.
Katie HellandAugust 13, 2026

LALA UPDATE: Government offices, public schools reopen Tuesday on Honolulu, Maui, Kauaʻi counties
Government offices and schools will remain closed on Tuesday, Aug. 18 for Hawaiʻi County. Here are the latest state and county updates.
Michael Brestovansky & Haley LehmanAugust 12, 2026

Mary Kawena Pukui Learning Commons unveiled at Punahou School
The new center, named after the Hawaiian historian and scholar who taught at Punahou in the 1930s, replaces the school’s former Cooke Library. Aloha State Daily sat down with President Mike Latham to learn more about Pukui’s history at Punahou and in the broader community, as well as how her legacy continues to shape the next generation of students.
Kelsey Kukaua MedeirosAugust 12, 2026

Palantir protest draws mid-sized crowd to Bishop and Queen streets
Organized by ACLU of Hawaiʻi and Indivisible Hawaiʻi, among others in the community, a peaceful protest was held Monday outside of Pacific Guardian Center, where Palantir Technologies has operated as an unlisted tenant for nearly a year.
Kelsey Kukaua MedeirosAugust 11, 2026

Maui County hosted free community event in Lahaina, three years since the wildfires
Three years after the devastating 2023 Maui wildfires, the Lahaina community gathered in remembrance during an all-day event Saturday put on by the county and its volunteers. This year, Kuhinia Maui featured live music, free activities, meals and more, held at Lahaina United Methodist Church near Front Street.
Kelsey Kukaua MedeirosAugust 09, 2026

Lahaina banyan tree to remain fenced off for two more years
The 153-year-old tree was damaged by the heat produced in the August 2023 wildfires but remained largely unburned.
Stephanie SalmonsAugust 08, 2026

Compassion leads Regina DoDaro's approach to Hawaiʻi Island animal control
Regina DoDaro took the helm of the Hawaiʻi County's Animal Control and Protection Agency on Aug. 3.
Haley LehmanAugust 07, 2026

Lahaina, three years after the fires
It's been three years since wildfires destroyed much of Lahaina Town. Recovery is still underway but work to rebuild is progressing.
Stephanie SalmonsAugust 07, 2026

Castle High School kicks off 75th anniversary with community event
Last week, the public high school in Kāneʻohe celebrated its 75th anniversary with an open house free to the public, complete with food trucks, vendors and live performances. This was the first event of a few planned for the school year, which will culminate in March. Aloha State Daily spoke with Principal Bernadette Tyrell, Ph.D., as well as teachers, alumni and students who helped put together this fundraiser.
Kelsey Kukaua MedeirosAugust 07, 2026

Hawai‘i soccer makes lei for Lahaina wildfire victims ahead of weekend Maui trip
The Rainbow Wahine will play an exhibition game against Seattle on the Valley Isle on Sunday, a trip in which both programs will also honor victims of the 2023 Lahaina wildfires.
Christian ShimabukuAugust 07, 2026

Crews start Mānoa Stream flood mitigation
Crews started work on the Mānoa Stream this week in an effort to improve water flow, reduce potential flooding risks and maintain the functionality of Oʻahu's drainage system.
Haley LehmanAugust 05, 2026

Tickets on sale for 32nd annual Made in Hawai‘i Festival
The largest-ever MIHF is set for Aug. 20-23. We've got more details about what you can expect during the event.
Stephanie SalmonsAugust 05, 2026

Community Voices: Seattle artist reclaims culture through kapa making
“I’m not trying to gatekeep knowledge,” she said of her school and work experience both on the Mainland and on Oʻahu. “I’m trying to share it as much as possible.”
Megan Ulu-Lani BoyantonAugust 04, 2026

‘Past, present and future’: Hawaiian Council’s Native Hawaiian Convention and keiki hula competition focused on next generation of ʻŌiwi leaders
Aloha State Daily recently attended the Native Hawaiian Convention hosted by Hawaiian Council on Oʻahu. The organization’s CEO Kūhio Lewis shares highlights from the events, which this year included new technology and opportunities for keiki to gain confidence by showcasing dance and selling their locally made products.
Kelsey Kukaua MedeirosAugust 03, 2026

Exclusive video: North Shore brothers talk about ʻAmerica’s Got Talent’
Nyjah Music & Zyah Rhythm, the North Shore brothers who are also the nephews of Bruno Mars are back on “America’s Got Talent.” Catch them singing for Simon Cowell at his house in an episode that airs Tuesday, Aug. 4. They also unpack their latest single “Heartbeat,” which was inspired by their grandmother, and the cheehoo that calmed their nerves during auditions.
Katie HellandAugust 01, 2026

Community Voices: Giving Kūpeke Back to Itself
Located on the east end of Molokai, the ahupuaʻa of Kūpeke includes about 300 acres, from the top of the mountain to the shoreline and out to the fishpond wall. Laʻa Poepoe’s stewardship of Kūpeke is the confluence of his Molokai lineage, aloha for his community, a passion to mālama ʻāina, an unshakable work ethic, and his foresight.
Puanani Fernandez-Akamine & Hannah Kaʻiulani CoburnJuly 31, 2026
Q&A with Bishop Museum CEO Kris Helgen
This mammal-discovering scientist is now the president and CEO of Bishop Museum. Helgen shares some of the biggest challenges and accomplishments of the past year, which is his first 12 months in the role.
Katie HellandJuly 31, 2026

UPDATED: Spectrum, Charter Communications lay off several local employees
Spectrum’s local news division has recently laid off all of its journalists, per an employee, in addition to fewer than 10 employees at the Spectrum Store near Mililani Tech Park and neighboring corporate call center facility, officials with the company recently told Aloha State Daily.
Kelsey Kukaua MedeirosJuly 31, 2026

Inside Ballet Hawaiʻi’s ʻForces of Natureʻ
From a volcanic eruption to the four seasons, Ballet Hawaiʻi will put music to movement as part of the capstone performance of its summer intensive, which features students as well as soloists from across the country.
Katie HellandJuly 30, 2026