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HPU School of Nursing Dean Edna Magpantay Monroe

Edna Magpantay-Monroe

Hina Kneubuhl

Kalani Akana Cultural D opt

Kalani Akana

Bill Brennan

Philamer Felicitas

Rose Angelo

Katie Headshot Large

Katie Chang

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Stephanie Salmons

Business & Tourism

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Update:"}]

Episode 48 of Kīlauea volcano's ongoing eruption, which got underway before sunrise this morning, ended at 1:37 p.m. Monday after nine hours of continuous fountaining from the north vent, according to an 

 from the U.S. Geological Survey's Hawaiian Volcano Observatory.

A spokesperson for Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park told Aloha State Daily in an email Monday that the park doesn't have exact data on how many visitors have viewed  each of the 48 eruptive episodes since the eruption began on Dec. 23, 2024, but noted that there's "

certainly a correlation in visitation surges during eruptions."

"For many, witnessing an eruption is the pinnacle of visiting Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park and a once-in-a-lifetime event," they said. "This current eruptive series is especially magnificent because of towering fountains of lava and fierce plumes of gas and volcanic ash. All of this potent and mesmerizing volcanic activity is happening where it is easily and safely viewed in the heart of the park, at the summit of Kīlauea."

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

The latest episode of Kīlauea volcano's ongoing eruption got underway before sunrise this morning.

Episode 48 began at 4:40 a.m. Monday, June 1, with variable ash and tephra fall reported around the summit region, according to an 

 posted just after 9 a.m. from the U.S. Geological Survey's Hawaiian Volcano Observatory.

"Lava fountains have reached a maximum height of almost 650 feet (200 meters) at their peak and have slowly been dropping through the episode," HVO says. "This episode is currently ongoing and expected to last for several more hours.

"Light to moderate tephra fall has been reported with some public overlooks within Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park, as well as on Highway 11 near Nāmakanipaio Campground, Volcano village, Mauna Loa Estates, and Ohia Estates."

HVO says that no significant activity has been noted along Kīlauea’s East Rift Zone or Southwest Rift Zone.

 is currently in effect until noon Monday. According to the National Weather Service in Honolulu, varying levels of tephra, including Pele's hair and other lightweight pumice may fall downwind of the eruption.

 has been erupting intermittently since Dec. 23, 2024, from two vents in Halema‘uma‘u crater within the summit caldera.

, which ended Jan. 24 after a little more than 8 hours of continuous lava fountaining, also blanketed HVNP and some surrounding Hawai‘i Island communities with tephra and ash. (ICYMI: An estimated 14 million cubic yards of lava erupted during that episode. Here's 

 in April brought more tephra to the area.

 on Monday, HVNP urged caution, reminding visitors to stay out of closed areas and away from cliff edges, which are unstable and undercut, among other warnings.

Serious injuries have occurred in closed areas, and entering closures puts you and park staff at risk," a post on the park's Facebook page reads. "Excellent, safe viewing opportunities are available in open areas." 

 following an unspecified "incident" in a closed area on the east side of Kīlauea caldera, but the volcano was not erupting at that time. However, the National Park Service said in an announcement then that the caldera contains "hazardous terrain, including unstable cliff edges and volcanic features. Visitors are reminded to remain in designated open areas and comply with all closures."

And last June, a 30-year-old Boston man trying to get a closer glimpse of the eruption was rescued by first responders after 

 from a steep cliff within the park. At that time, 

 that a tree broke the man's fall and kept him from plummeting another 100 feet or so to the caldera floor, a drop that could have been deadly.

Check out more alerts, updates and viewing areas 

For the latest news of Hawai‘i, sign up 

Kilauea eruption 060126

<title>UPDATE: Kīlauea's latest eruptive episode ends after 9 hours</title>

Episode 48 of the ongoing eruption began before sunrise Monday.

UPDATE: Kīlauea's latest eruptive episode ends after 9 hours

Square Mike Brestovansky Headshot RGZ3736 Large

Michael Brestovansky

Government & Politics

The Kaua‘i County Council rejected a proposal to acquire land over concerns pesticide contamination.

The council on Wednesday discussed a $138 million 

 including allocations for projects ranging from bridge replacements to playground improvements.

Included among those projects was a proposal to purchase a 

 for about $5 million, where the county would build a vehicle repair shop and storage space for the county’s Transportation Agency.

But Council Chair Mel Rapozo put the brakes on that proposal on Wednesday, saying that the site’s previous life as a manufacturing site for industrial chemicals — county records 

 the site was previously owned by the Brewer Chemical Corp. — has made the area potentially hazardous.

“I’m a little concerned about purchasing the land without knowing up-front what the environmental issues are,” Rapozo said. “Who knows what is sitting in that?”

 by the state Department of Health’s Hazard Evaluation and Emergency Response Office, which found that a portion of the site to be purchased is considered to be at a medium risk for dioxin contaminants. Dioxins are toxic chemical compounds that are often byproducts of industrial manufacturing processes — including herbicides — that can pollute groundwater and surrounding soils.

One person who testified about the matter, Lonnie Sykos, claimed that Brewer Chemical sold herbicides in the 1970s that were chemically similar to Agent Orange, the herbicide infamous for its use in the Vietnam War — and the long-term health impacts for people exposed to it.

County Managing Director Reiko Matsuyama told the council that an environmental assessment of the site has not been conducted because the property owner — listed in county tax records as Kaua‘i Veterans Express Co. — had not committed to selling to the county until recently.

However, Matsuyama said that the county has reviewed previous environmental reviews of the site and said that none of them picked up anything “above industrial-level contamination.”

But Rapozo said that his own due diligence at the site suggests that the structures at the location contain asbestos, which means that they will be unusable without either an expensive asbestos remediation process or a total teardown and replacement of the structures, either one of which will inflate the cost of the project well above the $5 million initially planned.

Rapozo and other council members seemed blindsided by the entire proposal, saying that they hadn’t been informed of the county’s intent to purchase the land until around April.

“We’re being asked with a very short window to commit to spending the money to purchase the land,” Rapozo said. “Future councils down the road can say no to funding any future developments, but guess what? We’re stuck the land and the cleanup and the monitoring forever.”

Ultimately, the council voted to remove the land purchase from the capital improvement budget bill until the site can be thoroughly evaluated.

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<title>Kaua‘i Council halts land purchase over chemical contamination concerns</title>

A $5 million land purchase for a county auto repair shop drew questions about long-term environmental impacts.

Kaua‘i Council halts land purchase over chemical contamination concerns

It's no secret — or surprise — that Toyota Tacomas are popular in the Islands.

In fact, according to Servco Pacific, which has exclusive distributorships of Toyota, Lexus and Subaru in Hawai‘i, it's been the top-selling vehicle in the Islands for 25 years. 

To commemorate that milestone, Servco has unveiled a Hawai‘i-exclusive special edition of the best-selling truck and just 25 will be available statewide, Servco says.

"Hawaiʻi has embraced the Toyota Tacoma as part of its ‘ohana for a quarter of a century,” 

, president and CEO of Servco Pacific Inc

, said in an announcement Friday. "This special edition is our way of saying mahalo to the community that has made this truck the undisputed favorite across the Islands."

The truck comes in the color "mudbath" and comes with a "comprehensive suite of custom components designed to enhance both aesthetics and functionality," the announcement notes.

[{"type":"text","text":"The special build includes:"}]

Dames told Aloha State Daily in an emailed response to questions that the goal was to create something that feels "authentically local" and pay tribute to the community that has made the Tacoma the best-selling vehicle for the past 25 years.

"We're excited to see how customers respond because this edition was inspired by the people who drive Tacomas every day in Hawaiʻi," he says. "We know there's a strong sense of pride around the Tacoma locally, and we think many customers will appreciate seeing that connection reflected in a vehicle designed with Hawaiʻi in mind.

"More than anything, we hope it resonates with the communities, families, small business owners, outdoor enthusiasts and longtime Tacoma owners who have helped make the truck such an iconic part of life in Hawaiʻi."

Dames says that the Tacoma's popularity in the Islands goes beyond transportation.

"The truck is incredibly versatile and well-suited to island life. Whether you're heading to work, spending time with family, going to the beach, exploring the outdoors or supporting a small business, the Tacoma fits naturally into many aspects of daily life.

"Just as important, Tacoma owners in Hawaiʻi have built a strong community around the vehicle over the years. For many families, it's a truck they've trusted for generations," he continued. "That combination of capability, reliability, and deep local connection has helped make the Tacoma one of the most recognizable and beloved vehicles in Hawaiʻi."

You'll be able to reserve the truck in person beginning June 6 at Servco Toyota and Maui Toyota dealerships across the Islands. The TSRP, or total suggested retail price, is $44,770 and $7,999 for the Hawai‘i edition accessories.

In 2025, Tacomas made up 7.1% of the market share in Hawai‘i, according to a 

 from the Hawai‘i Automobile Dealers Association.

MY26 Tacoma Hawaii Edition 22

<title>Servco Pacific unveils exclusive Hawai‘i edition Toyota Tacoma</title>

The Tacoma has been Hawai‘i's top-selling vehicle for 25 years.

Servco Pacific unveils exclusive Hawai‘i edition Toyota Tacoma

Crime & Courts

A former Hawai‘i County housing official was sentenced Thursday to nearly four years in prison over a scheme that defrauded the county for nearly $11 million.

Alan Scott Rudo, 59, was a housing specialist at the Hawai‘i County Office of Housing and Community Development between 2006 and 2018. During his tenure at the department, Rudo conspired with accomplices to fraudulently award housing development agreements and affordable housing credits to those accomplices’ businesses, pocketing about $1.9 million in bribes and kickbacks.

Through those development agreements, the companies received land valued at about $10.9 million, on which they never built a single unit of housing. The conspirators then sold or transferred the land and the affordable housing credits for a tidy profit.

Rudo was charged in 2022 with conspiracy to commit honest services wire fraud; he pled guilty that same day. Rudo testified at a 2025 trial of his co-conspirators, and was himself sentenced in U.S. District Court on Thursday.

Judge Jill Otake handed down a sentence of 46 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release.

In a sentencing statement submitted to the court, Rudo apologized for his actions.

“I betrayed the trust the community placed in me and I caused harm that I can never take back,” Rudo wrote. “I think about that every day and I accept full responsibility for my actions. There is no excuse for the choices I made.”

Rudo wrote the investigation has cost him his marriage, his home and his career, and has forced him to “rebuild [himself] from the ground up.” He said he chose to cooperate with the investigation against his former associates “because it was the right thing to do,” and that he is “committed to doing better.”

His associates — attorney Paul Sulla, 79, of Hilo; attorney Gary Zamber, 56, of Kea‘au; and businessman Rajesh Budhabhatti, 65, formerly of the Big Island — were themselves charged with conspiracy to commit honest services wire fraud and nine counts of honest services wire fraud, and the three were convicted by a federal jury in 2025.

Rudo’s co-conspirators were sentenced earlier this year. Zamber was sentenced to 70 months in prison in January, Budhabhatti was sentenced to 90 months in February and Sulla was sentenced to 60 months in April.

Courtfed

<title>Former Hawai‘i County housing official sentenced for bribery scheme</title>

Alan Scott Rudo was paid nearly $1.9 million for conspiring to fraudulently award housing development contracts to his associates.

Former Hawai‘i County housing official sentenced for bribery scheme

Higa headshot white shirt square

Sterling Higa

The most powerful man in the world got his start firing people on reality television.

For years Donald Trump leaned across a boardroom table and told contestants they were fired, and millions watched. When he ran for President, the bluntness that had been a television gimmick became a qualification for office. He spoke without a script and often without a filter. A great many Americans discovered they preferred a man who acted badly to men who performed well.

Politics runs downstream of culture, the saying goes, and culture runs downstream of whatever screen we happen to be staring at. The television screen that made Trump plausible has been retired. Now the glowing screens that replaced television are in the hands of the children who will pick his successor.

Each generation is raised by a medium, and they seldom notice. The grandparents had radio and the evening news. Their children had cable and a remote in hand. The next generation had broadband by high school. The youngest among us have clutched a glowing rectangle since before they could read.

David Foster Wallace once told a room of college graduates about two young fish. An older fish asks them how the water is. The two swim on for a while before one turns to the other and asks, “what’s water?” The hardest thing to see is the thing you are swimming in. And the water now is streaming.

A stream is a strange thing to describe to anyone who has never sat through one. A young woman plays a video game. A column of text races up the side of the screen, faster than a person can read, full of strangers shouting for her attention. The game is built to dole out small rewards on no fixed schedule, which is the same feature that keeps a gambler seated at a slot machine. Most of the time nothing happens. The viewer stays anyway. He’s probably playing his own game on another screen, and he is waiting, half there, for the day something interesting happens.

Children grow attached to these streamers. Many spend more hours each week with their favorite streamer than they do with their parents.

The streamer does not pose and does not edit. They sit for hours on end, and the rawness is part of the product. The generation before this one built careful profiles and took flattering photos, forever arranging the self for the selfie. This one lets the camera roll.

The printed word once demanded forethought. Ink is permanent, and a man preferred not to look a fool in something that would outlive him. A stream asks for nothing of the kind, only a camera, a connection, and a willingness to be watched doing very little.

If you do not recognize the names Ninja, Kai Cenat, iShowSpeed, or Pokimane, you are not swimming in the stream. But your 16-year-old nephew knows them well. His heart is being trained to speak as they speak and act as they act.

Someone will object that this is the worry of every graying generation. Plato fretted over the written word, our grandmothers over MTV, and the children always turn out fine. Perhaps, but a child reading a book after bedtime is one thing. That same child sitting beside a stranger late into the night, while their parents sleep, is another.

Who pays for all of this? As the saying goes, “whose bread I eat, his song I sing.” For most of history the bread came from a single hand: a patron, a publisher, a network. The streamer’s bread arrives from 10,000 hands, a few dollars at a time.

The man on camera learns, the way Pavlov’s dog learned, which tricks ring the bell. He drifts toward whatever is loud and lurid, because that is what loosens the audience’s pursestrings. And the streamer’s purse, more often than anyone cares to admit, is filled by the small donations of the lonely and unwell. The performer fancies that he is leading his audience. In reality, the audience is training the performer.

None of this stays in the world of entertainment. It is now, almost precisely, how a person raises money and wins office.

Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez raised more than $20 million last year. Most of that came in small sums from ordinary people. It’s the same $5 gesture that lands in a streamer’s account, pointed at a political campaign.

Television made Trump famous, and only later made him a candidate. With AOC it went the other way around. She was on camera before she was anyone, and the politics grew out of that.

 her journey to attend the Standing Rock protests. Then she got a call to run for office. Ten years later, she is an early front-runner for her party’s 2028 nomination.

AOC never stopped streaming. In 2020, she sat down to play a video game with Pokimane, then the most popular female streamer on Twitch. They drew a live audience of 400,000 people. This was two weeks before the election, and AOC was stumping to register voters.

 with Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, who was then running for Vice President as a Democrat. A few days earlier, Republican candidate Donald Trump sat for a 

 Joe Rogan interview. This was a week before the election.

The Psalmist said that men who trust in idols become like them. Our streaming idols never stop talking but rarely say anything. They speak through the night, whispering into our children’s ears. They perform for a few dollars at a time, taken from 10,000 hands. And soon, they may choose our President.

Kai Cenat livestream

<title>The politics downstream</title>

Presidents used to emerge out of whistlestop tours, radio address, television and cable. Now, for the youngest voters and voters-to-be, political power gathers in the frenetic world of livestreams. ASD opinion columnist Sterling Higa talks about what this means.

The politics downstream

Katie Helland Headshot

Katie Helland

Arts & Entertainment

Aloha Spirit

Bird calls and lush symphonic music will fill the Neal S. Blaisdell Concert Hall as the exotica ensemble Waitiki 7 takes the stage with Hawaiʻi Symphony Orchestra in a 

 that is the HapaSymphony Season Finale on Friday, June 5.

The modern exotica ensemble gets its name from a fusion of the words “Waikīkī” and “tiki.” It was founded by 

, a bassist who is also the president and CEO of Hawaiʻi Youth Symphony, and his friend 

, who is the group’s drummer and also plays vibraphone and ʻukulele.

, the saxophonist and arranger, who has also been the guest director of the National Jazz Orchestra of Mexico, and lives in Coatepec, Mexico; 

, who plays vibraphone and is also the principal timpanist of Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, who lives in Pennsylvania; 

, who plays piano and lives in Hartford, Connecticut; and the 

Nā Hōkū Hanohano Award-winning Augie Lopaka Colón

, who plays percussion and is also known for bird and animal sounds 

 performed live with just vocals — and is the son of Augie Colón, who was part of the original exotica group with 

The music of Waitiki 7 is inspired by Denny, 

, Les Baxter, Gene Rains and Robert Drasnin, who brought exotica music to Waikīkī in the late 1950s and 1960s, when it was especially popular with American servicemen.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"}],"text":"Wong first met Lyman when he was a kid. "}]

Waitiki 7, which now has seven members, originally started as a quartet in Boston.

The group’s founders, Wong and Lagrimas, were part of Hawaiʻi Youth Symphony and different jazz band programs while growing up in Hawaiʻi, before moving to Boston where they attended the New England Conservatory and the Berklee College of Music, respectively.

As a college student, Wong was asked to design a press kit for a musician he really admired. He picked Lyman, the iconic vibraphonist who — with 

Lyman was a friend of Wong’s grandfather, so they had talked about what it was like being a professional musician. To prepare for his college assignment, Wong headed to the music library and checked out vinyl records.  

“The music was unbelievable,” Wong said. “It was not the traditional Hawaiian music that you hear. It was exotic and jazzy, and it incorporated a lot of different cultures.” 

Lagrimas, it turns out, was familiar with exotica music and had played with 

The original quartet expanded to Waitiki 7 in 2007, when the group received an invitation to perform at the Festival Wassermusik, a water-themed music festival held in Berlin, Germany. That year, the event featured surf music, North African fisherman sea shanties and the Hawaiʻi-based exotica band, Don Tiki.

The quartet was invited to put together something special for this festival — with funding.

“And that's how the Waitiki 7 was born,” Wong said. “It was born in Berlin. And the night that we performed, future President Obama [who spent some of his childhood years on Oʻahu] was giving a speech at the Brandenburg Gate, less than a quarter mile away. ... We could hear his voice in the distance while we were playing.”

Last year, Waitiki 7 released “Exotica Reborn In Studio and Live at 

.” Six of the songs were recorded live at Halekulani Hotel.

 “Where else can you perform in front of Diamond Head, and have the Pacific Ocean —  Waikīkī Beach, right there?” Wong said.

Waitiki 7 will be part of several events in June, including:

Friday, June 5: Waitiki 7 and the Hawaiʻi Symphony Orchestra.

 Catch Waitiki 7 performing with the Hawaiʻi Symphony Orchestra for a one-night show that is the 

. Before the concert, take a tour of the Neal S. Blaisdell Concert Hall, which was built in 1964, around the time that exotica was at its peak popularity. The walking tour, which starts at 5:45 p.m. will be led by Don Hibbard of Docomomo Hawaii. The tour is free for concert ticket holders. Email 

 with your name and the number of people in your party to reserve spots on the walking tour. After the tour, enjoy cocktails, retro Waikīkī vibes, and music from a DJ, as well as a special showcase from Goodwill Hawaiʻi’s 

 initiative ahead of its July fashion show. Tickets to the concert start at $43.50. 

, including concert tickets and drinks at a post-concert reception at the 

 Members of the exotica ensemble Waitiki 7 will host a seminar as part of 

Hawaiʻi Youth Symphony’s B# = C Success series

. Students who are part of the Hawaiʻi Youth Symphony — and freelance musicians — are invited to attend. The free workshop series helps musicians “dream courageously and explore pathways,” according to Hawaiʻi Youth Symphony’s website. Each workshop includes a musical performance from professional musicians, a facilitated Q&A with the performers, chances to win prizes, and information about scholarships, plus time to network. This workshop starts at 10 a.m. at the Musicians’ Association of Hawaiʻi’s Studio 909. Free. 

Saturday, June 6. Live at Lewers: Kamasami Kong meets Waitiki 7. 

Want to see an encore performance? Head to the Lewers Lounge, an intimate cocktail lounge within Halekulani Hotel, where Kamasami Kong will host the evening and guide the musical experience. There will also be a special performance by 

— who was the original drummer and percussionist in the Martin Denny and Arthur Lyman groups — and is now 98 years old.

He is the last remaining musician of the ensembles that started the exotica movement and will be joining Waitiki 7 to play percussion. Food and beverages are available for purchase. The show runs from 8 p.m. until 10 p.m. Doors open 30 minutes before the show starts, and seating is first-come, first served. Tickets are $70 and include complimentary valet parking. 

Waitiki 7

<title>Bird calls, retro Waikīkī in spotlight at upcoming HSO concert</title>

The modern exotica ensemble Waitiki 7 will perform at several venues, including with the Hawaiʻi Symphony Orchestra in a one-night performance at the Neal S. Blaisdell Concert Hall in June. The group will also give a special performance with the legendary Harold Chang — the original drummer and percussionist in the Martin Denny and Arthur Lyman groups that started the genre — in a cocktail lounge at Halekulani Hotel.

Bird calls, retro Waikīkī in spotlight at upcoming HSO concert

Karen Gibson Headshot

Karen Gibson is a mother of two adult daughters, a wife, educator, author, podcaster, poet, artist and parent-family coach. Through writing, teaching, and coaching, she explores parenting, healing and letting go with intention and compassion. She is also the creator of Letting Go with Aloha and founder of Brain Builders, a private tutoring business.

Find her on Instagram @karenkcgibson, TikTok @lettinggowithaloha, YouTube (Letting Go with Aloha), or at 

<title>Karen K.C. Gibson</title>

Karen K.C. Gibson

A Mililani mom and certified life coach/private tutor shares tips for how local families can break free from daily struggles with screen time.

Karen K.C. Gibson

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