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One of Hawai‘i's tallest buildings, First Hawaiian Center, currently stands just a bit higher, thanks to the addition of cranes atop its roof.

Why are they there? Aloha State Daily asked and the answer wasn't too surprising.

"First Hawaiian Center Center is nearly 30 years old and its main air conditioning system is at the end of its life. First Hawaiian Bank is in the process of replacing the building's AC system," FHB Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer Bill Weeshoff said in a statement emailed to ASD. "When complete, the new AC system will improve FHC's energy efficiency by 10% to 15%."

Weeshoff said the building's design is unique in that there's a tower in the middle of a wide podium, which makes the logistics of replacing the system more complex.

"The crane used in this process is a specialty crane that is rigged up over the building to complete the roof work, as standard cranes or helicopters were not an option in this instance," he said.

"The work on the roof began with the replacement of all four cooling towers and other infrastructure renovations that will also improve the building's energy efficiency, such as replacing the entire roof deck with new insulation and roofing material," Weeshoff continued. "Once the work on the roof is complete, phase two of the project will include the replacement of the chillers. We anticipate the crane coming down by the end of June or early July."

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"}],"text":"The cost of the project was not disclosed."}]

First Hawaiian Center is located at the corner of King and Alakea streets in Downtown Honolulu. FHB's $175 million headquarters was dedicated on Oct. 18, 1996, a 

 notes. It is 428 feet and 11 inches tall, and has some 418,000 square feet of gross office space, according to the bank.

FHB was founded by Charles Bishop and William Aldrich as Bishop & Co. in 1858. Its name was changed to First Hawaiian Bank in 1969, the bank website states.

First hawaiian center cranes

<title>What's with the cranes atop First Hawaiian Center?</title>

Aloha State Daily was curious, so we asked officials with First Hawaiian Bank what's going on.

What's with the cranes atop First Hawaiian Center?

Katie Helland Headshot

Katie Helland

Entertainment

Arts & Culture

It has been a busy couple of months for Kumu Hula Mark Kealiʻi Hoʻomalu. His hālau, the Oakland-based Academy of Hawaiian Arts, competed in Merrie Monarch, which ran from April 20 through 26. This week, when Disney’s live action version of “Lilo & Stitch” debuts in theaters on Friday, May 23, his voice will be part of the soundtrack.

, the Kamehameha Schools Children’s Chorus, and the North Shore-based brothers 

. Of that group, only Hoʻomalu and the director of the Kamehameha Schools Children’s Chorus, 

can say they were part of creating the soundtrack for the original movie.

Hoʻomalu did the singing and some of the composing for the 2002 movie’s “He Mele No Lilo” and “Hawaiian Roller Coaster Ride,” performed with the Kamehameha Schools Children’s Chorus.

This year, at Merrie Monarch, the wahine in his hālau’s performed “Kuʻe Hao O Ka Lanakila,” a mele about a railway line that stretched from Moanalua to Waiʻanae. The oli that started the performance included parts of 

which was also featured in “He Mele No Lilo” in the original “Lilo & Stitch” movie.

“On the Merrie Monarch this year, the girls kahiko, 

. We did get recognized: ʻOh, that's the oli that he did for ʻLilo & Stitch,” the original, which is called ʻKa Wohi Ku Ka Moku,’ ” he told Aloha State Daily. “It was really nice because everybody in the audience was singing. … What a beautiful gesture to the queen.”

Going into Merrie Monarch, the practice schedule for the kumu hula included hula classes every day, with kāne on one night and wahine the next, Hoʻomalu told ASD. 

“I’m different because I don't see hula and the sound of hula as the same thing,” he said. “The sound is a whole other element that’s for the hoʻopaʻa, that’s for the chanters. … Hula is for the eyes and the leo — the sound — is for your ear. It's not the same thing, but they should both make your brain dance.”

The annual competition brings Hoʻomalu back to the Hawaiian Islands. After the competition on Hawaiʻi Island, he spent time with family on Oʻahu, he said.

“It allows me to come home and to bring hula home that Hawaiʻi is not doing,” he said. “Being away from Hawaiʻi allows me to not get caught up in what everybody else is doing. … By osmosis you become like everybody else. It was like that 50 years ago, and I don't want to be like that.”

The  kāne kahiko performance of “Holo Mai Pele,” was a mele that dates back to at least 1860 and tells the story of the migration of Tūtū Pele to Hawaiʻi, he said.

“Everyone in Hawaiʻi who has done it has done it the way that the Kanakaʻole family has done it,” he said. “That's where they learned it from, and they present it that way.”

But Hoʻomalu choose to share the story as a migration from the ocean, he said. In fact, his dancers brought outrigger canoe paddles to the stage.

“He's talking about a migration, sailing from Tahiti and I am bringing it from the ocean — not land locked, but from the ocean — and presenting a new rendition of an old mele,” he said.

of other 2025 Merrie Monarch performances. 

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

Kumu Hula Mark Kealiʻi Hoʻomalu

<title>Kumu Hula Mark Kealiʻi Hoʻomalu shares how the same oli was featured at Merrie Monarch…</title>

Kumu Hula Mark Kealiʻi Hoʻomalu reflects on Merrie Monarch and how hula and music are not “the same thing, but they should both make your brain dance.” An oli he performed at Merrie Monarch this year had the audience singing. It appeared in the original animated version of ʻLilo & Stitch’ in 2002. It will also be part of the soundtrack for Disney’s live action version of the movie, which debuts Friday, May 23.

Kumu Hula Mark Kealiʻi Hoʻomalu shares how the same oli was featured at Merrie Monarch and in Disney’s new “Lilo & Stitch” movie

Christian Shimabuku Headshot

Christian Shimabuku

Sports

Ensuring its latest trek to California wasn't short-lived, the University of Hawai‘i baseball team advanced in the Big West Conference tournament with a 6-2 victory over UC Santa Barbara in the play-in game on Wednesday in Fullerton.

The Rainbow Warriors improved to 34-19 and join UC Irvine, Cal Poly and Cal State Fullerton in the four-team double-elimination tournament, starting with UC Irvine on Thursday at noon HST. UC Santa Barbara, the preseason favorite in the Big West, had its season end at 36-18. 

"To be here is amazing," Hawai‘i head coach Rich Hill said in the postgame press conference. "The fact that we 

 I think is is awesome. Perennial power, UC Santa Barbara...very good club. ... I just thought it was a great performance by our young people."

Big West Freshman Pitcher of the Year Cooper Walls got the start for the Rainbow Warriors and kept the Gauchos at bay, allowing five hits and two earned runs in his four innings of work. 

A three-run home run from Ben Zeigler-Namoa in the bottom of the fifth inning off UC Santa Barbara starter and 2026 MLB Draft prospect Jackson Flora gave the Rainbow Warriors the lead for good, putting UH in front 4-2.  

"Honestly, I was just going out there trying to compete," Zeigler-Namoa said. "Being aggressive, especially with runners in scoring position, it's kind of my job. I was just trying to be aggressive, get a pitch over the plate. Didn't realize it was 97 (miles per hour). Put a good swing on it, and it went out, fortunately."

Matthew Miura padded Hawai‘i's lead with a two-run home run in the seventh inning. 

Cory Ronan earned the win for the Rainbow Warriors after relieving Walls in the fifth, allowing just two hits in 2.1 innings. From there, All-Big West first teamer Isaiah Magdaleno locked down the save with 2.2 no-hit innings, finishing with three strikeouts and a walk.

"I've been there before, so it was nothing new," Magdaleno said of being counted on to earn a multiple-inning save. "I've been ready for it and felt great. Knew my defense was going to be behind me. So, really just going in there and being aggressive."

For UC Santa Barbara, leadoff hitter LeTrey McCollum had a game-high three hits but was caught stealing at third by UH catcher Hunter Faildo to end the seventh inning. 

"Hawai‘i did a great job there. They hit two over the fence which changed the game. Competitive game, and I think Hawaii's bullpen did a great job. So, yeah, good baseball game. Hawai‘i came out on top," UC Santa Barbara head coach Andrew Checketts said. 

On Thursday, Hawai‘i will take on UC Irvine, the 18th ranked team nationally in the USA Today Coaches Poll. In regular season play, the Rainbow Warriors were swept by the Anteaters in both 2024 and 2025, and have lost eight straight to UCI dating back to 2023. 

"Extremely well-coached. We're very familiar with their program and their players," Hill said of UC Irvine. "It's a very disciplined program that's had a lot of time off, really. They've known they were going to be the Big West regular season champion, or have a share of it. 

"They just sprinted to that early lead when we just had to 

 to get up to the cliff to look over the edge for three straight weekends in a row. We don't know who we're going to start. I just know that our guys are going to be loose, we're going to compete, and we're a very hot team right now."

Ben Zeigler Namoa 2 052125

<title>Hawai‘i baseball advances in Big West tournament</title>

The Rainbow Warriors used a complete effort to eliminate preseason Big West Conference favorite UC Santa Barbara on Wednesday.

Hawai‘i baseball advances in Big West tournament

Months after it opened to overwhelming demand, 

 remains a popular Downtown draw and now offers even more in the space.

Pickles at Forté, the first air conditioned, indoor pickleball and social club in Downtown Honolulu, is located at 1032 Fort Street Mall in the space formerly occupied by Walmart, which had been vacant since the retailer closed that location in early 2023.

It's also part of a larger redevelopment plan in the works by Avalon Group, a Downtown-based full-service real estate development, consulting and sales company that acquired the property in February 2024 for $38.25 million.

Robby Kelley, executive vice president for Avalon Development, told Aloha State Daily on Wednesday that membership is still going strong.

In its first week, Kelley said some 1,700 people came to play, and there was a "massive response" during its first month.

Memberships for Pickles at Forté have since stabilized and there are nearly 400 monthly members right now, Kelley said. Because of the continued demand, Kelley said the developer may soon put a pause on new memberships, "simply because we're pretty at capacity."

"The thinking is pausing new memberships, making sure our existing members are getting their money’s worth and having a good experience until we can get some additional courts built out on the second floor," he said. "At that time, we'll open up membership again."

There are currently six courts on the ground floor.

In addition to pickleball, there are several new offerings there, as well: a sports shop for racket sports, a spot to grab a drink, and a golf simulator.

 opened there several months ago. The shop, which has another location near Waipi‘o in Central O‘ahu, specializes in 

"They have a huge selection of demo paddles, so any pickleball players who want to come and try out the latest and greatest new paddles, can come demo them and buy them all there," he said. "[It's] a one-stop shop for all your pickleball gear."

Teapresso Bar also opened there earlier this month, but you don't have be play pickleball to partake. Kelley said a recently added service window means the public and non-pickleball players can order right there, from the Fort Street Mall entrance.

 offers coffees, teas, smoothies and more, and Kelley said a business offering more "health-conscious drinks" was a "natural fit with a recreation center."

"It's a great location for them, beyond the pickleball, too. Being able to sell to the general public right on Fort Street Mall there is a great location for a coffee and tea shop, even without the pickleball."

A golf simulator has also been up and running for about two months now, according to Kelley.

The simulator is open to members as well as the general public at a cost of $50 per hour for non-members. 

It features 180 golf courses from around the world. 

Why add a golf simulator? Kelley said the developer wanted to test the market and would consider putting in a few more if there's a strong demand for it.

The other driver, he said, is having something to do while people play pickleball, where matches are quicker than those in tennis and which has a more social style of play. An individual might have more downtime between rounds.

"We thought that the golf simulator was a pretty nice thing, to give something for people to do while they might be waiting for their next match," Kelley said. "We also got a pingpong table in there as well."

Kelley said there will likely be additional food options coming to the space, but couldn’t elaborate further at this time.

 that Pickles at Forté is the first of three phases of redevelopment for the former Walmart property.

The second phase will be the second floor of the property and will encompass another 30,000 square feet or so. Plans call for approximately 10 pickleball courts there as well as a restaurant, full locker rooms and other amenities.

Phase three includes redoing the ground floor, creating small retail and restaurant spaces around the outward facing perimeter, along with five pickleball courts remaining, according to Kelley.

He told ASD on Wednesday the developer is still in the permitting stages and targeting the larger build out of phase two to begin by the end of the year or in the first quarter of 2026.

Because of the strong demand and high use of the existing courts, Kelley said, the developer is looking to quickly build a few more temporary courts on the second floor in the coming months, before the larger build-out gets underway.

Pickles at forte1 012725

<title>Pickles at Forté continues to draw players, expands offerings</title>

The first air conditioned, indoor pickleball and social club in Downtown Honolulu opened earlier this year in the space formerly occupied by Walmart.

Pickles at Forté continues to draw players, expands offerings

Kelli Shiroma Braiotta Headshot

Kelli Shiroma Braiotta

Food & Dining

ahu — you no longer need to drive to town to indulge in dim sum.

Located in Pearlridge Center Mauka — on the second level, across from Shoe Palace — 

 just debuted a new dim sum menu. The eatery, which opened about two years ago, is known for its flavorful rice noodle soups.

The dim sum menu is available daily from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. or until sold out, according to restaurant owner Anna Tam, who says the eatery’s dim sum chef has prior experience working at Tim Ho Wan, Legend Seafood Restaurant and Happy Days.

The dim sum menu comprises popular dishes and customer favorites, including siu mai, or pork hash ($6.99), shrimp dumplings ($6.99), mini sticky rice ($6.99), black bean spareribs ($6.99) and braised chicken feet ($6.99).

Tam recommends the plain rice roll ($6.99) and steamed xiao long bao ($11.99).

“It’s a plain rice roll with a Mala sesame sauce; it's Sichuan spicy,” she explains. 

The eatery’s regular menu comprising noodle soups, souffle pancakes and milk teas was also revamped earlier this month. Customers can enjoy new drink options — including winter melon milk tea ($5.99) and various dalgona coffees ($5.99) — and several new soups.

“We added a chicken mixed noodle soup; some people don’t eat pork or beef, so there’s a chicken option,” Tam says.

Additionally, the eatery’s beef brisket rice noodles ($19.99) and laksa (coconut and curry) seafood rice noodles ($21.99) used to be featured as monthly specials, but have been added to the regular menu, due to their popularity. The laksa seafood soup includes lettuce, wood ear fungus, seaweed and bean sprouts. Meanwhile, the beef brisket rice noodles is a meaty combo accompanied by bok choy, daikon radish and carrots.

Tam notes that a few new souffle pancake flavors are on the menu, in case you’re craving something sweet after the savory dim sum or soups. Newer souffle pancake options include original with butter and maple syrup ($14.99), mango ($15.99) and coconut with ube ($15.99).

98-1005 Moanalua Road Space 801A, ‘Aiea

Dim sum served daily from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Ten Seconds Yunnan Rice Noodle dim sum spread 052125

<title>Central Oʻahu has a new dim sum option</title>

Ten Seconds Yunnan Rice Noodle now offers a daily dim sum menu

Central Oʻahu has a new dim sum option

Hawaii History

, Antionette Withington wrote about an interview with a man named George. She didn’t give a last name, but she stated that in his younger days, old George was an interpreter in King Kalākaua’s court. Everyone who knew George highly respected his experience and opinions.

In the interview, George said he saw a procession of ghosts when walking home in Waikīkī. It was early in the evening, just as the sky began to get dark, and he was alone. He said he saw a strange cloud of dust ahead of him, but it was silvery. Looking up, he saw just a sliver of a new moon, so he knew it wasn’t the moon that caused the dusty cloud to shine.

As he watched the cloud, he began to see figures of people, and he knew it must have been the huaka‘i pō, the night marchers, on their way to the old heiau on the slopes of Diamond Head. He crouched beside a boulder so the figures couldn’t see him. At first, all was silent as he watched the crowd of people, both young and old, walk toward the heiau. Then he heard the drums.

Standing as a sentinel at the far end of Waikīkī, Lē‘ahi is an iconic landmark that draws up to 3,000 daily visitors. Postcards, travel articles, and movies are plastered with the volcanic tuff cone’s silhouette whenever an image is needed to invoke the tropical allure of Hawaii’s sun-kissed shores. The mountain was once compared to the lae (brow) of the ‘ahi (yellowfin tuna) by Pele’s sister, Hi‘iaka, giving it the original name, Lae‘ahi. The distinctive mountain formation was later called Lē‘ahi.

Around the turn of the 19th century, Western explorers found shiny crystals in the rocks at the base of the mountain and believed they had found diamonds. As it turned out, they found calcite crystals of no value, but Diamond Head became the dormant volcano’s common nickname.

On the slopes of Lē‘ahi sat Papa‘ena‘ena, a heiau of po‘okanaka class (at which ancient Hawaiians offered human sacrifices). Papa‘ena‘ena heiau was once Kamehameha’s sacrificial temple dedicated to his war god, Kūka‘ilimoku.

Probably the last human sacrifice held at Papa‘ena‘ena Heiau was that of Kanihonui, Kamehameha’s nephew, who was hanai (adopted) to Kamehameha and Ka‘ahumanu. Historical accounts say that Ka‘ahumanu seduced the handsome 19-year-old, and when Kamehameha found out about their affair, he had no choice but to make an example of the young man.

After the fall of the kapu system, Papa‘ena‘ena heiau was destroyed. The property changed hands a few times before finally coming into the hands of Walter F. Dillingham, who built a home in the style of a villa he admired in Tuscany and named it La Pietra. After his death, the property was sold and is now La Pietra Hawai‘i School for Girls. But the mana of the past remains.

The building and dedication of a heiau involves a great deal of ceremony and protocol, which included long processions of men bound by strict kapu going to and from the heiau. During sacred ceremonies throughout the year, when the moon was in a particular phase and the ho‘ailona (signs) were affirmative, the men would march, sometimes carrying their ali‘i (chiefs) in a mānele (palanquin). The kapu of these marches was so severe that when the procession would pass, everyone in the vicinity would lie prostrate, ensuring their gaze did not fall upon the passing ali‘i. The punishment for breaking the strict kapu was a swift death. These processions are the basis of the legend of the huaka‘i pō, in which the warriors carry on in death the duties they performed in life.

The legend of Hawaii’s night marchers has endured over time, and the ghostly procession is still seen today all around the islands, even at Lē‘ahi.

In 2019, we hosted an evening picnic at Kapi‘olani Park. We ate, laughed, and shared ghost stories as our family and friends gathered near the bandstand. Later, I took about half of our group on a mini tour to a few spooky places in the immediate area. We walked to a group of three trees that seemed to hold the negative energy of past unfortunate events. I talked about how some unseen force attacked former police officers and literally dumped them out of their Cushman carts.

We walked along Kalākaua Avenue, and I pointed across the street where the Castle Estate used to be. I shared with my friends that in 1901, when workers were digging for a sewage system, they made a gruesome discovery. Ancient bones lay just a few feet below the sandy surface. In a three hundred foot long trench of four feet deep and less than two feet wide, over a dozen skeletons were found. Historians of the time believed that the bones must have been those of warriors, as some skeletons were six feet long. When I finished the story, I turned toward Lē‘ahi, and the group followed suit.

[{"type":"text","text":"Suddenly, someone shouted, “Look!”"}]

About twenty of us stood there in awe and wonder as we watched what appeared to be a line of torch lights coming down diagonally from the top of Lē‘ahi ridge to the base of the mountain, right near La Pietra school. For nearly a minute, no one spoke. We all just stared. A few people tried to take photos with their phones, but it was dark and the images were unclear.

Did we go closer to investigate? Of course not… my mother taught me better than that. But as a group, we collectively decided it was time to go home.

Diamond Head Evening

<title>Strange occurrences at Diamond Head</title>

The legend of Hawaii’s night marchers has endured over time, and the ghostly procession is still seen today all around the islands, even at Lē‘ahi, the Hawaiian name for Diamond Head.

Strange occurrences at Diamond Head

Will Caron

Will Caron is communications director at Hawaiʻi Appleseed Center for Law & Economic Justice

<title>Will Caron</title>

Government & Politics

Special for ASD, the Hawaiʻi Appleseed Center for Law & Economic Justice looks at the recent Legislative sessionʻs hits and misses.

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