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Kelsey Kukaua Medeiros

Aloha Spirit

Sports

 with more than 250 items is running now through Monday, Sept. 15, to support 20-year-old surfer Dakota Briley’s journey to healing.

ahu’s North Shore and frequents its beaches often to surf, is one of three sons of Pipeline surf icon Shawn Briley. 

, Dakota Briley was rushed to the hospital in critical condition after being hit by a car while on the side of Kamehameha Highway in Hale‘iwa.

Now, Briley is receiving medical care in Colorado, due to the severity of his brain and spine injuries, an Instagram post from this month said.

The auction site notes, “He was pinned between two vehicles and sustained life-threatening injuries, including a punctured lung, internal bleeding, and multiple fractures to his spine, legs, pelvis, shoulder, ribs, and skull.

“Thanks to the incredible work of his medical team, the outpouring of love and prayers from around the world, and a period of intense recovery over 2.5 months, Dakota has made it through several major surgeries and is much more stable now.”

All proceeds from the auction will go toward supporting Briley’s long-term care. Bid on items like signed Kelly Slater and John John Florence surfboards and signed guitars and 

ukuleles to golf and stays at The Ritz-Carlton O'ahu, Turtle Bay, gift cards to local restaurants and tour excursions, art, fashion and more.

Winners based on Oʻahu may pick up auction items at centers over a period of days. Exact time and place will be emailed to you.

 or contribute directly to his GoFundMe page 

. As of Tuesday, more than $326,000 had been raised on GoFundMe toward a $500,000 goal. 

[{"type":"text","text":"Above all, the family is asking for prayer."}]

Ohana, you know they are the Salt of the Earth, a family of great faith in God and have hearts of gold. They are a staple in the North Shore Community and are loved by many," the site reads. "Our hope is that God performs a miracle. Please continue to pray for him, and that God works and shines his blessings over this young, strong man."

For more updates on Briley's condition and progress, follow @

an account managed by both the Lau and Briley families, who also set up the auction.

For the latest news of Hawai‘i, sign up 

Briley Ohana 16x9

<title>Auction supports surfer Dakota Briley’s recovery from pedestrian-vehicle collision</title>

Now through Sept. 15, bid on items like signed Kelly Slater and John John Florence surfboards, signed guitars and ʻukuleles to golf and stays at The Ritz-Carlton O'ahu, Turtle Bay, gift cards to local restaurants and tour excursions, art and more — all benefiting Briley’s journey toward healing.

Auction supports surfer Dakota Briley’s recovery from pedestrian-vehicle collision

IMG 1445

Rick Hamada

Government & Politics

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"}],"text":"Imagine this scenario."}]

You see a person assault and rob a kūpuna in Downtown Honolulu late at night.

Even though it’s dark, the attack happened right in front of you, so close that you could clearly make out the profile of the violator.

You immediately take out your phone and call to request a police officer.

911:  911, what’s your emergency please?

You:  Yeah, I’m at the corner of Smith and Beretania. I just saw someone attack an elderly man. He was robbed, too! 

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"}],"text":"911:  Is the victim injured?"}]

You:  He’s down on the ground, but he’s moving. Some are trying to help him and they called for an ambulance.

911:  Help is on the way. May I have your name for the record, please?

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"}],"text":"You give your name to the dispatcher."}]

911:  You said you witnessed the attack. Can you describe the assailant?

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"}],"text":"LET’S STOP THERE."}]

, which places the caller, which is you, under suspicion. 

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

Because this new law could allow that assault and robbery suspect to sue you because you described them to the 911 operator.

For example, if the suspect was an African-American man, he could have grounds to sue you for discrimination.

Thanks to this law, anyone calling 911 must not appear that they’re targeting someone based on protected classes.

According to Act 259, protected classes include:

This law sounds specific, but it’s broad.

We must remember that there are two primary types of lawmaking: laws that are created to address a specific issue and laws that have “good intentions” but can be manipulated by attorneys.

Obviously, 259 is the latter; so, let’s acknowledge its allegedly “good intentions.”

Act 259 aims to hold 911 callers accountable when they misuse and waste emergency resources.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"}],"text":"Let me provide an example."}]

Someone calls 911, saying that a group of Micronesians are making a lot of noise and are selling drugs in a parking lot.

After police are dispatched, officers find the report to be false, and the caller admits they simply don’t like Micronesians.

In fact, the reality is an innocent local family was gathering outside their uncle’s apartment building to talk story while eating plate lunches.

Now, the police officers’ and the dispatcher’s time have just been incredibly wasted.

Act 259 aims to prevent this type of caller abuse from happening and to hold biased callers accountable.

However, the issue is how this law can be used against 911 callers who are not biased and are simply trying to do their part in maintaining a safe community.

Let’s return to the 911 call you placed after witnessing the assault and robbery.

911: You said you witnessed the attack. Can you describe the assailant?

You: Yes, the attacker looked like a guy in a woman’s dress. He … she … 

black or maybe Samoan or Tongan and could have been in their 50s or 60s.

By giving this detailed description, you have now opened yourself up to a lawsuit, and defense attorneys can use this against you.

The suspect’s lawyer can now launch an investigation into your past, including offhand statements made to friends and family, postings on social media, and any interactions with questionable social media influencers and pages.

The defense attorney’s goal is to cast as much doubt on you, the witness, by accusing you to be driven by bias, prejudice and, yes, hatred of any of the protected classes.

Whatever the defense finds, whether it’s true or accurate, has great potential to ruin your reputation or even your life.

And even worse, the prosecutor’s office could decide not to go to trial, and the suspect you clearly saw commit a heinous crime walks free.

I will leave you with one final thought: is this law actually necessary?

According to data from the state Department of Law Enforcement, there has not been one documented case in Hawai‘i of a misuse of law enforcement.

The best use of a law is to fill a need; and it simply doesn’t seem like there is one in Hawai‘i.

 Act 259 is, in short, the best way to make citizens and good Samaritans question if they should follow the edict: “See something, say something.”

In fact, perhaps the law is asking us now to “say nothing.”

Regardless, it’s a consequence we cannot afford.

calling 911 I Stock 2216412689

<title>Thinking twice before calling 911</title>

Act 259, signed into law this month by Gov. Josh Green, is meant to curb the use of 911 calls to discriminate against people. Not only is there no evidence of this happening in Hawai‘i, there's plenty of reasons to think the law will intimidate people out of using 911 at all, now that doing so risks legal liability.

Thinking twice before calling 911

Stephanie Salmons Headshot

Stephanie Salmons

Business & Tourism

Hawaiian Airlines and Honolulu Community College are teaming up to train the next generation of aircraft mechanics, expanding their workforce development partnership with the launch of the Maintenance Technician Development Program.

MTDP offers "significant financial and professional support" for selected students enrolled in the school's Aeronautics Maintenance Technology Program, or AERO, an announcement from Honolulu CC noted. 

The aspiring aircraft technicians who apply and are selected for the program will receive a $10,500 stipend and up to $1,800 reimbursement for airframe and power plant certificate exam fees, as well as mentorship from Hawaiian Airlines mechanics, according to the announcement.

Graduates also will be given "a contingent job offer with Hawaiian Airlines, securing a clear path to employment," Honolulu CC says.

MTDP began accepting applications on Sept. 3. The program is just the latest collaboration between the airline and the college.

According to Honolulu CC, the two organizations developed the Aircraft Mechanic Apprenticeship Program, or AMAP, in 2016. As part of that program, students take classes during the day and work part-time at Hawaiian's maintenance hangar, "gaining hands-on experience and getting paid to perform maintenance and repairs," the announcement noted.

“The need is significant now in part in our case, because Hawaiian Airlines is growing and in our combination with Alaska Airlines, we're adding a number of new aircraft maintenance technician positions in Honolulu and throughout our system, but there are also many retirements happening,” 

Hawaiian Airlines spokesperson Alex Da Silva told Aloha State Daily in an email that the airline currently has 570 airline mechanics — or aviation maintenance technicians — and continues to "hire regularly to meet demand as we grow our business through our Alaska Airlines combination and also to account for retirement."

[{"type":"text","text":"That number includes more than 50 AMAP grads, HCC says."}]

So far this year, Da Silva says the airline has hired 58 aircraft mechanics across its system and is projected to fill more than 600 Hawai‘i-based frontline positions by the end of 2025, including pilots, flight attendants and airport operations teams. Looking for a new gig? You can 

Starting pay is about $75,000 a year, with the potential to earn $113,000 or more, according to Da Silva. 

"These are specialized, highly skilled jobs and increasing access and opportunities to training and certification is a big challenge — which is why our Honolulu Community College partnership is so critical," Da Silva says. "We know that many Hawai‘i students would prefer to build a career right here [in] the Islands, and as Hawai‘i's airline, we want young people to stay and see a path to join our company, where they get the best of both worlds in a large, Hawai‘i-based company that is also global."

“Hawaiian Airlines has been such a great partner to us and our AERO maintenance program. And the fact that they've come to us and they said that they're going to provide this scholarship and work opportunity — we are very grateful to them for this,” Honolulu CC Chancellor Karen Lee said in a provided video clip.

According to the announcement, Students can apply for both the 

 programs, but they will need to choose one to participate in, if selected. More information is available by emailing 

Alaska Air Group, Inc. and Hawaiian Holdings, Inc. 

 that Alaska Airlines would acquire Hawaiian Airlines in a deal that was valued at approximately $1.9 billion, including $900 million of Hawaiian’s net debt, according to an announcement at that time. The acquisition was 

The distinct Alaska Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines brands will be maintained but a singular loyalty program, 

HCC Hawaiian airlines

<title>Hawaiian Airlines, Honolulu Community College and the next generation of aircraft…</title>

A newly launched Maintenance Technician Development Program offers "significant financial and professional support" for selected students enrolled in the school's Aeronautics Maintenance Technology Program.

Hawaiian Airlines, Honolulu Community College and the next generation of aircraft mechanics

Kelli Shiroma Braiotta Headshot

Kelli Shiroma Braiotta

Food & Dining

Everyone’s looking to save money and get the most bang for their buck. This series will show you where you can save while still savoring a good meal.

It’s rare to find a regular-sized plate lunch combo for less than $10, but 

From Sept. 8 to Oct. 5, Zippy’s Oʻahu and Las Vegas stores will be offering the business’s Korean fried chicken and chili mixed plate for $9.99 for takeout. It’ll be $11.99 on the restaurant side when you dine in.

Considering that the plate usually costs $15.65 on O

ahu, this is a deal. Customers will be limited to three per transaction; no substitutions.

Prices will differ slightly on Neighbor Islands — the plate will be $10.99 for takeout and $12.99 on the restaurant dine-in side.

The plate includes five pieces of sweet-and-salty Korean fried chicken, your choice of Zippy’s chili — bean and beanless options available — two scoops of rice and mac salad.

This week, Zippy's will open its third location in Las Vegas at 9570 S. Eastern Ave.

Zippys Korean fried chicken and chili plate closeup 090225

<title>Budget Bites: $9.99 plates at Zippy’s</title>

From Sept. 8 to Oct. 5, Zippy’s Korean fried chicken and chili mixed plate will be $9.99 for takeout ($11.99 for dine-in) at Oʻahu and Las Vegas locations.

Budget Bites: $9.99 plates at Zippy’s

Square Mike Brestovansky Headshot RGZ3736 Large

Michael Brestovansky

The National Science Foundation revealed Friday that it will not fund the Thirty Meter Telescope project on Maunakea, leaving the future of the project in jeopardy.

On Friday, NSF published a Congressional 

 for the 2026 fiscal year which briefly mentioned that the federal agency has removed TMT from consideration for funding for its U.S. Extremely Large Telescope Project.

The agency had announced in 2024 that it could only feasibly fund one of two large-scale telescope projects: either TMT on Maunakea, or the Giant Magellan Telescope in Chile.

The Friday announcement leaves $1.6 billion off the table for TMT, which TMT officials had 

 is essential for the completion of the project.

TMT project manager Fengchuan Liu said in a statement Monday that TMT is “disappointed” in NSF’s decision but still imagined a scenario where the project can receive federal funds.

“We remain firmly committed to finding a path forward for TMT,” Liu said in his statement. “We can imagine a future in which NSF participation in the TMT would open opportunities for significant discovery to the entire U.S. science community, and welcome further conversations to make this a reality.”

While the budget request does not shed much light on NSF’s decision to reject TMT — it devotes all of one paragraph to the Extremely Large Telescope project — the decision was informed by the findings of a 2024 panel evaluating both projects.

The panel was made up of four science advisors: Persis Drell, former director of the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory in California; Kelvin Droegemeier, former director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy; Rick Farnsworth, former associate director of the NSF National Radio Astronomy Observatory; and James Hurrell, former director of the NSF National Center for Atmospheric Research.

 was published Dec. 2024. While the report doesn’t make any explicit recommendations, it does highlight some key deficiencies in the TMT project that may have ruled it out.

Critically, the evaluation notes that site access on Maunakea is a key risk to the entire project, and that being unable to build on the summit would be “an existential threat” to the entire enterprise.

The question of access has loomed over the project for decades. In 2019, Native Hawaiian protestors, in an effort to protect the mountain from further industrial development, camped for months at the Maunakea Access Road, leading to multiple standoffs with police and the arrest of 33 kūpuna.

While TMT has named the island of La Palma in the Canary Islands as a possible alternate site, the evaluation determined that contingency has not been developed to the same level as the Maunakea plans.

“If it became apparent Maunakea was not going to be available, (TMT) would switch to adapting plans for TMT to the Canary Islands site,” the evaluation read. “There was no timeline associated with these decision points … The panel finds (TMT’s) mitigation strategy for this risk, taken as a whole, to be inadequate.”

The backlash by Native Hawaiians to TMT may have had another unexpected impact on the panel’s findings. The panel evaluated both projects’ ability to offer educational outreach programs from K-12 all the way to graduate programs.

But while GMT’s offerings involve universities and organizations in both the U.S. and Chile, TMT’s outreach programs are “almost exclusively focused on Indigenous Hawaiian populations.”

The evaluation stated that TMT would be best served to expand its outreach efforts as quickly as possible to jurisdictions beyond Hawai‘i.

The panel’s report concludes by setting out both projects’ strengths and weaknesses, and advising the NSF director to “optimize the use of taxpayer funding to ensure that both projects have the opportunity to succeed.”

That said, whether it was the director’s decision to cut TMT out of the budget is unclear: the NSF directorship is vacant, prior director Sethuraman Panchanathan having resigned in April.

ZOA 2023 7950 tio tmt 0018 16x9

<title>What Halted the TMT Project? A Deep Dive into Opposition - Aloha State Daily</title>

National Science Foundation documents indicate shortcomings in Thirty Meter Telescope project

Who killed TMT?

[{"type":"text","text":"Aloha, it's a pleasure to meet you."}]

[{"type":"text","text":"I'm Rick Hamada."}]

I was born in Chicago, Ill, raised in NW Indiana, lived and worked in California, traveled the world as entertainment cruise line staff which is what brought me to Hawai‘i over 35 years ago. 

I am blessed to be associated with my first love dating back to childhood.

[{"type":"text","text":"Radio and writing."}]

As a child growing up I found it remarkable that mom was in the newspaper business as section editor and a morning drive personality at our small town radio station. I was never at a loss for inspiration and I attribute so very much to my mom.

Hawai‘i has blessed me to create a career and, most importantly, a family.

I recently celebrated 31-years at iHeart Radio Honolulu as a talk show host and serving as VP, Community Relations.

I was a MidWeek columnist for over 15-years and I am so thankful to now share weekly thoughts with you at Aloha State Daily.

All pales in comparison with my two wonderfully adult children, Zachary and Zoe.

The ultimate entry on my life's resume is unequivocally being a dad. Thank you, Lord.

Oh, and I love golf, a good ribeye, a quaffable Cabernet and Lou Rawls (he could sing a phone book and sound great. And for those of you of a certain age, google "phone book" and you'll see what I mean).

[{"type":"text","text":"I'm looking forward to spending some time together."}]

[{"type":"text","text":"Mahalo and aloha."}]

Rick Hamada

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Thinking twice before calling 911

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