Square Mike Brestovansky Headshot RGZ3736 Large

Michael Brestovansky

Government & Politics

More than 15,000 Honolulu households will lose access to food education benefits under a proposed budget by President Donald Trump’s administration.

House Republicans’ budget reconciliation proposal would cut nearly $300 billion from the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program through 2034.

Among those cuts would be the total elimination of 

, a program that helps teach low-income households how to prepare healthier meals on a budget.

In Hawai‘i, SNAP-Ed is administered through the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa’s 

College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resilience

, and serves more than 15,000 households statewide, said Jean Butel, CTAHR’s Snap-Ed program director.

Those households, Butel said, would likely lose their benefits should the program be eliminated.

“It opens this hole in the safety net,” Butel said, explaining that SNAP-Ed builds relationships with beneficiaries by reaching out to service providers such as food banks, public housing complexes, and others. Eligible low-income people can attend classes where they can learn to plan and prepare healthier meals, improving their diets and saving money over the long term.

Butel said participants have told her they have seen tangible improvements to their lives following the program: some reported improved blood pressure, or lower cholesterol levels, and more money in their pockets. Participants can even learn how to grown their own food, using seeds bought using SNAP benefits.

These resources, Butel said, can’t easily be replaced, and certainly not for free.

“Yeah, there might be other cooking classes out there,” Butel said. “But are they really for the same people?”

Butel added that terminating the program will also end 13 staff positions at CTAHR.

Butel said Republicans’ justification for the SNAP cuts has been the program’s purported failure to curb obesity. A 

 by the Republican House Committee on Agriculture argued that the program has ballooned in cost since 2019, jumping from $60 billion a year to $110 billion, while only 28% of participants earn work income.

“[The budget cuts] ensure SNAP works the way Congress intended it to, by reinforcing work, rooting out waste and instituting long-overdue accountability incentives to control costs,” the statement read.

While Butel said she doesn’t have data on SNAP-Ed’s obesity-reducing impacts, she noted that the program has been found effective, particularly considering its relatively small budget.

“Every dollar spent [on SNAP-Ed] saves four dollars in healthcare costs,” Butel said, adding that SNAP-Ed’s $1.5 million budget this year represents about 0.5% of the state’s total 2025 SNAP funding.

Currently, the Republican proposal has passed the House and awaits further decisionmaking in the Senate. Butel said Hawai‘i’s federal delegation has been vocal in its support of the program, and hoped that Democrats can convince Republicans to find better ways to trim the budget.

On Wednesday, the Senate Agriculture Committee — on which sit neither of Hawai‘i's senators — proposed a series of amendments to the SNAP cuts, paring the $300 million reduction back to a $209 million reduction. However, the SNAP-Ed cut remains unchanged.

SNAP Ed 2 16x9

<title>Food education benefits on chopping block under Trump cuts</title>

15,000 Hawai‘i households use the SNAP-Ed program: what happens if it goes away?

Food education benefits on chopping block under Trump cuts

Kelsey Kukaua Medeiros Headshot

Kelsey Kukaua Medeiros

Aloha Spirit

Business & Tourism

The Uihā Hat Bar pop-up shop is back on Oʻahu this week for those wanting a personalized cowboy hat with more accents, colors and brandings that play homage to Waimea on Hawaiʻi Island.

The pop-up, now in its second week, will run Thursday, June 12 to Saturday, June 14. It is located at Ka Makana Aliʻi in the former restaurant space between Panda Express and EARL.

What can you expect while shopping? Tons of decisions (in the best way)! First, pick your base. Hats come in all colors, shapes and sizes, and if you need an alteration, they can fix it on the spot either with padding or by shaping it. Next, pick out your accessories – ribbon, brooches, feathers, dried flowers, etc. – and select custom brandings from letters to Hawaiian and western symbols.

“Our pop-up at Ka Makana Aliʻi was our first time bringing the Uihā Hat Bar to Oʻahu, and honestly, I was nervous. I didn’t know how people would respond or if the heart of Waimea would resonate here,” owner Chaz Lindsey Kamauu told Aloha State Daily. “But after our first weekend, I was reminded that people deeply crave connection. Spending time with each guest, we listened to their stories, learned what matters most to them and helped create hats that speak to their legacy.

“It affirmed something I’ve always believed: People love legacy just as much as I do, and they’re hungry for meaningful experiences that allow them to express it. These moments will always make the stress of running this business worth it.” 

Kamauu, who is also the designer of clothing brand, 

, launched The Uihā Hat Bar in November with his wife, Hiwalei. The pair caters to special events and has held pop-ups so far this year at various rodeos and the Merrie Monarch Festival on Big Island. Later this summer, they plan to visit Kauaʻi.

“We have a shop in Waimea at Parker Ranch Center, and you can also shop us online, but for Oʻahu, we wanted to offer something a little different. We brought in hats all the colors of the rainbow,” Hiwalei told ASD.

She added that about 80% of all sales have been local. The hats are sourced from Texas. “We’re not ranchers, riders or ropers. We just aim to serve the Waimea and Isle communities. It all comes from the heart.”

Hiwalei, who works as a nurse, said she met Kamauu through dancing hula. “As a small business, we’re trying our best and learning as we go. Every hat is different, with unique characteristics, and everyone looks good in a cowboy hat.”

According to her, Kamauu learned to shape cowboy hats from a ranch family in Colorado, and later taught her and their parents, who also help with the business.

The Kamauu’s settled in Waimea three years ago, Chaz said. “I wasn’t raised in the paniolo lifestyle of my family, the Lindsey ‘ohana, but the moment that I laid down roots here, I felt a deep responsibility to tend to our legacy.”

“The Uihā Hat Bar is my way of answering that call. It’s named after my great-great-grandfather, Albert Uihā Lindsey, the legendary cowboy foreman of Parker Ranch and a 2024 Paniolo Hall of Fame inductee,” he said. “This legacy is what makes our brand unique. Every day I am led and inspired by my loved ones and their stories I grew up hearing in hopes of making my ancestors proud.”

Now, his focus is “on deepening our roots in Waimea and continuing to refine the experience we offer through the Uihā Hat Bar.”

“I’m excited about weaving my clothing brand, Hula Tease, more intentionally into the hat bar experience and expanding the ways we tell stories through design, culture, and legacy and honoring not just where we come from but who I come from.”

Business hours: Monday through Saturday, 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.; closed on Sundays

Note: The Parker Ranch Center location is closed from June 12-15.

Uiha Hat Chaz and Hiwilei Kamauu

<title>Waimea-based custom cowboy hat company returns to Oʻahu this week</title>

The Uihā Hat Bar pop-up shop at Ka Makana Aliʻi will be back starting Thursday. Designer and owner Chaz Lindsey Kamauu created the brand to honor his family’s paniolo legacy, while also giving customers an experience that speaks to their own.

Waimea-based custom cowboy hat company returns to Oʻahu this week

The Board of Land and Natural Resources rejected a plan by the U.S. Army to retain land on Hawai‘i Island for training purposes after hours of impassioned opposition by residents. 

The Pōhakuloa Training Area is a 132,000-acre military complex on the Big Island between Mauna Loa and Mauna Kea. The U.S. Army leases about 23,000 acres of the land from the state Department of Land and Natural Resources, with the majority of the remainder owned directly by the U.S. Government.

The DLNR lease was awarded in 1964 with a 65-year term, and is set to expire in August 2029. Consequently, the Army has been preparing over the last few years to apply to renew the lease and, most recently, published a final environmental impact statement for retaining the majority of the land — minus a little over 3,000 acres — for at least 25 more years in April.

That DLNR land is key to the entire facility, according to Army officials. Col. Rachel Sullivan, Commander of the U.S. Army Garrison Hawai‘i, told the Board of Land and Natural Resources on Friday that the DLNR land is vital connective tissue between the government-owned parcels, and is therefore essential for PTA’s continued functioning — and by extension, for the U.S. Armed Forces’ entire Pacific defense strategy.

“Hawai’i’s location at the crossroads of the Pacific makes it critical for national defense,” Sullivan told the BLNR Friday. “The Army’s presence in Hawai‘i is vital to our national security strategy to deter conflict and maintain a safe, stable and secure Indo-Pacific.”

Sullivan said PTA is the primary training area for Hawai‘i's land-based armed forces, and allows for wide-scale joint training exercises — such as live-fire training — otherwise unavailable in the state.

The BLNR convened Friday to decide whether to accept the EIS. But after Sullivan’s initial presentation, Big Island residents held court for hours, with more than 1,500 people appearing in person, via Zoom or through written testimony urging the board to reject the Army.

“Real security for Hawai‘i comes not from wargames, but from food sovereignty, disaster resilience and the protection and restoration of ‘aina,” said Tia Marie Masaniai-Estrera said.

Scores of testifiers argued that the Army’s EIS is deficient, and does not include vital data such as a full survey of cultural sites within the PTA area, complete greenhouse gas emissions data for the facility, and a cumulative impact analysis for the entire training area.

“The use of kanaka trust lands designated as conservation lands have now been turned into impact zones within the PTA complex,” said Ana Kahoopii, adding that she lives downwind of PTA. “This is not aligned with malama ‘aina or the contract agreement with the DLNR to restore these lands to their original conditions.”

Attendees decried the Army’s impact on the ecology of the area — testifier ‘Alihilani Katoa claimed at least three native birds have gone extinct as a result of military operations — and argued that decades of cumulative impacts have compromised groundwater sources, endangered species, and more.

Those concerns had already been raised by DLNR itself. In a report reviewing the EIS, staff noted that the document does not sufficiently evaluate the ecological impacts of activities in the federally owned portions of PTA and does not include a sufficient archaeological survey of the site.

Furthermore, DLNR’s report noted that military use of the Pohakuloa land is “neither consistent with the overall objective or allowable uses” of land zoned for conservation.

Other testifiers were mistrustful of any reporting by the Army about their activities. Rosanna ‘Anolani Alegado wrote that the Army has been historically inconsistent about the degree to which depleted uranium rounds were discharged at PTA over the years — the EIS states that only about 400 depleted uranium rounds were fired at PTA as a spotting round for the Davy Crockett tactical nuclear weapons platform, but Alegado claimed that other Army officials have estimated the number closer to 2,000.

Atop all these grievances, still other attendees highlighted the indignity of the Army’s agreement with the state: the Army pays $1 a year for its lease, although the EIS notes that any renewal of the lease would come with fair-market rates.

Little to no testimony came in support of the EIS as the meeting stretched on for more than nine hours.

Army representatives were given some opportunity to defend themselves. Alice Roberts, program manager for the Army training land retention effort, said the Army had conducted a thorough archaeological inventory of PTA, following the 2022 discovery of funerary objects on PTA land. 

Roberts added that the Army plans to have a complete biological assessment of the area by the end of the year, although BLNR chair Dawn Chang noted that it “would have been helpful” to have such information available along with the EIS.

“The community feels that ongoing Army activities are destructive to the land and do not fit within a conservation district,” Roberts said. “This is something we’ve heard in our public meetings as well. We recognize these concerns, we recognize the trauma.”

But BLNR itself was scarcely less critical of the Army. Board member Kaiwi Yoon reiterated a litany of deficiencies in the EIS and said the Native Hawaiian community is feeling “desperate” after years of struggling against exploitation.

“You’re dealing with a very exhausted Hawaiian community and an even more exhausted Hawai‘i, the place,” Yoon said, later drawing comparisons to human rights struggles elsewhere around the world.

“The only thing different between Hawai‘i and Palestine is that it is indisputable that kanaka maoli are the native peoples here,” Yoon said.

Riley Smith, Hawai‘i Island BLNR member, said there is still World War II-era unexploded ordnance being cleaned up from other parts of the Big Island, and questioned how quickly the Army can be expected to clean PTA lands of military debris. 

But although Smith ultimately moved to accept the final EIS, his fellows on the board disagreed.

“Is live-fire and war practice good or bad for our cultural and natural resources?” Yoon said. “The answer is clearly no!

”The board voted 5-2 to reject Smith’s proposal and Yoon introduced a countermotion to reject the EIS and recommend the Army to address the document’s deficiencies. The board voted 5-1 in favor of Yoon’s motion, with Smith voting against and member Vernon Char abstaining.

Chang said after the meeting that the decision was “one of the hardest [she’s] ever had to make."

"This decision was not about the merits of whether the Army should not conduct training in Hawai‘i, but whether the FEIS provided the public and the land board adequate information to make an informed decision about the environmental impacts of the proposed action," Chang said, reading from a prepared statement.

Chang said the Army’s future actions could include resubmitting an amended EIS, filing for an appeal, or even filing a lawsuit against the state, but declined to speculate on what the Army will choose.

Blnr pta

<title>State rejects Army's Pōhakuloa Training Area lease extension</title>

Future of Army training base on Hawai‘i Island uncertain after BLNR decision

State rejects Army's Pōhakuloa Training Area lease extension

Real Estate

recently became the owner of the 6.5-acre property on which it sits at 4389 Malia Street. The land was previously owned by 

, which successfully closed on the land sale for $90 million last week. 

“The purchase eliminates the uncertainty of what would have happened as Kahala Nui approached the end of the 60-year ground lease in 2063,” said Kahala Nui President and CEO Craig Courts. “This includes the unknown financial impact on the residents that live there, the unknown lease terms and costs if successful in negotiating a new or extended lease, and the risk that residents would have to move out at the end of the ground lease. 

“With certainty, Kahala Nui can focus its efforts on how it can have a greater impact on kupuna in the broader community.”

Courts noted that the two “entities are very supportive of each other and have been good neighbors to each other over the years.”

Kahala Nui, a not-for-profit corporation, provides independent and assisted living, as well as skilled-nursing and memory support. Since 2005, the organization has partnered with the next-door Mary, Star of the Sea School Hawaii, a private Catholic elementary and middle school, for various events and fundraising efforts.

Under the agreement, Mary, Star of the Sea School and church will continue its operations with access to parking stalls, sports fields and pre-existing easements.

“We are grateful for our nearly two decades of partnership with Kahala Nui, and this transaction represents a mutually beneficial outcome for both organizations,” said Larry Silva, Bishop of the Diocese of Honolulu, in a statement. “The proceeds from this sale will help strengthen the financial foundation of the Diocese and provide ongoing support for our parishes, schools, clergy and the wider Catholic community.”

A spokeswoman told ASD, “The Diocese has created a perpetual endowment for Mary Star of the Sea Parish, which is expected to generate the same or more annual income than the parish received from its share of the lease rents.” Other endowments for seminarians, deacons and retired clergy have also been created. For Hawaii students in need of financial aid at Catholic schools, monies will also be directed to the 

, a nonprofit under the Diocese of Honolulu. 

The Diocese is also raising funds for much-needed renovations at the historic Cathedral Basilica of Our Lady of Peace, which serves as an operating parish at Fort Street Mall in Downtown Honolulu. “The Diocese is earmarking a portion of the proceeds of the Kahala Nui sale for the Cathedral Renewal project,” the spokeswoman said. “Much has been done. There is much remaining to do.”

Honolulu Kahala Nui senior living 011725

Civic leaders, community members gathered on Tuesday for a ceremony welcoming the nonprofit's new leadership, led by Bishop Larry Silva.

Tina Andrade and Rob Van Tasell, Catholic Charities Hawaii 011425

Tina Andrade succeeds Rob Van Tassell as head of Catholic Charities Hawaii

Ohana Health Plan President and CEO Scott Sivik talks about its new transitional housing program in partnership with Hilo-based nonprofit Hope Services Hawaii.

Hilo Ohana Health Plan 0113125

Partnership brings ‘hub of healing’ to Hilo 

<title>Kahala Nui closes on $90 million land sale</title>

Hawaii’s Roman Catholic Church recently sold its 6.5-acre property to the senior living community in Kahala.

Kahala Nui closes on $90 million land sale

Kam Napier Headshot

Born and raised on Oʻahu, I’ve been very fortunate to have built a career as a writer and editor right here at home. 

Most recently, I was Editor-in-Chief of Pacific Business News for 10 years, from April 2014 to August 2024. Before that, I worked at Honolulu Magazine for 19 years, the last eight of which I served as editor, leading the publication to General Excellence Awards from the City and Regional Magazine Association. Along the way, I’ve accumulated a box full of award plaques from the Hawaiʻi Publishers Association, the Society of Professional Journalists Hawaiʻi Chapter and more for my articles on everything from architecture to zoology, as well as for my column writing 

my first love in journalism going back to the Cane Tassel, the school paper of Waipahu High School. As a freelance writer, I’ve appeared in the Honolulu Weekly, Hawaiʻi Business Magazine, Hana Hou! and Honolulu Civil Beat.

Throughout my career, I’ve been blessed to be a part of local publications with long and distinguished histories. Honolulu Magazine, for example, dates back to 1888, when it was founded under a royal charter by King David Kalakaua. With Aloha State Daily, I’m thrilled at this opportunity to be the first editor of something Hawaiʻi hasn’t seen in years — a new news publication! One that is independently owned and locally operated.

Our goal is to inform, delight and surprise you. In our journalism, we will strive for true neutrality, telling you what happened, not what to think or how to feel about what happened, believing that the best journalism comes from curiosity and intelligence. There is a place for strong, opinionated voices at ASD, and you’ll find them among our regular columnists and community voices pieces.

Hawaiʻi has some big challenges, which we’ll cover from the perspective of how they impact you. Hawaiʻi is also full of amazing people doing incredible things and we’re looking forward to telling you their stories, as well. The Islands are full of inspiration and, of course, aloha!

<title>A. Kam Napier</title>

A. Kam Napier

Aloha, I am Aloha State Daily’s senior editor reporting on community news. Know of any organizations and people making a positive difference in Hawaii? Please reach out to me at 

Originally from Los Angeles, I am Native Hawaiian with roots from Maui, residing on Oʻahu with my husband. Since moving to the Islands in 2019, I have volunteered for various local organizations such as 808 Cleanups, Keiki O Ka ʻĀina’s Board and Stone, March of Dimes Hawaii and more.

Most recently, I was the associate editor of Pacific Business News for nearly six years. Prior to that role, I served as a copy editor and reporter for a daily newspaper, as well as a freelance writer for a lifestyle magazine, in California. Over the years, I have received multiple awards for my writing. I hold a bachelor's degree in communications from The Master's University, where I played soccer.

I am excited to build ASD as your go-to, reputable and fun news source for Hawaiʻi. Happy reading!

<title>Kelsey Kukaua Medeiros</title>

Stephanie Salmons Headshot

Business, tourism and the economy are all important facets of life in the Islands, but nothing can happen on those beats without people. I love telling the stories of your friends and neighbors, your coworkers and leaders, people who are making the decisions that affect your life and cool people who are doing cool things. Like most reporters, I'm nosy. I like to know about people —

what they're doing and why, what makes them tick, etc.

At Aloha State Daily, I'm excited to be a small part of building something awesome from the ground up. And I believe in our mission! Regardless of where you live, the role of local news doesn't change — it's important in keeping our communities informed about the things that impact our daily lives and holding people in positions of power accountable. Not to mention, Hawaiʻi has a lot of awesome stories to tell and I'm beyond grateful and excited to be able to share them.

Originally from Kentucky, I've lived in Hawaiʻi for almost seven years now - including 3.5 years in Hilo on Hawaiʻi Island and another three years in Honolulu. I now live in Honolulu with my husband, who was born and raised here.

A lifelong writer and storyteller, I graduated from Murray State University with a degree in print journalism in 2007 and have spent the better part of the past 17 years working as a reporter. For most of my career, I've worked at community-focused papers in North Carolina, Kentucky and Hawaiʻi, covering communities big, small and in between, telling stories important to the people who live there. That's a big reason why I'm so passionate about community journalism and the role of hyperlocal news within the places we live, work and play.

<title>Stephanie Salmons</title>

Stephanie Salmons

Christian Shimabuku Headshot

Although I didn't move to Hawaiʻi until after high school, I have been connected to the Islands and followed Hawaiʻi sports my entire life. My father was born and raised on Oʻahu, and my family would come to Hawaiʻi for Christmas to visit his family members on an annual basis. Deep down, I always knew it's where I wanted to spend my life. The last 11 and a half years have only reaffirmed that. 

I got my start in journalism covering sports for Ka Leo O Hawaiʻi, the student newspaper at the University of Hawaiʻi at Manoa. I was also a sports clerk/sports reporter at the Honolulu Star-Advertiser for a total of about four years. After graduation, I interned at the Sporting News in Charlotte, N.C. in the summer of 2018 before returning to the Star-Advertiser. In November 2019, I joined KHON2 News in Honolulu as a digital sports reporter for five years. 

The sports scene in Hawaiʻi as a whole is robust and at times, complex. I truly believe Hawaiʻi is home to some of the world's greatest people and athletes. Being able to tell their stories for the last decade has been an honor and a blessing. I can't wait to do the same for Aloha State Daily. Getting in on the ground floor for a new venture is something I always found intriguing and with ASD, it's something I'll be able to do for the first time. Additionally, ASD's commitment to journalism comes at a time where I believe it is more important than ever in our world to support local and quality journalism.

<title>Christian Shimabuku</title>

Christian Shimabuku

Kelli Shiroma Braiotta Headshot

“Where should I go to eat?” Is a question I get a lot — whether it’s in person or via Instagram, from both friends and acquaintances via social media. I’m excited to share my findings and adventures with our community — not necessarily to tell them where to eat, but to give an accurate representation of what’s available out there. I love covering the new restaurants and new, local businesses popping up. Limited-time offerings (holiday cocktail bars, weekend pop-ups, etc.) are also exciting because sometimes they’re the result of fun collabs between local businesses.

I received my bachelor’s degree from Biola University, as well as my master’s degree in journalism at the University of Southern California. I was the associate editor of Frolic Hawaiʻi from 2017 to 2021 under Honolulu Magazine, and then worked most recently as the dining editor of Crave with the Honolulu Star-Advertiser.

My goal is for ASD’s dining section to be the premiere guide for the state. I’m excited to cover the food and dining scene, and to help our readers stay updated with all things food-related. It’ll be a fun, fresh start and I’m excited to be able to cover everything.

<title>Kelli Shiroma Braiotta</title>

Kelli Shiroma Braiotta

Katie Helland Headshot

I’m excited to help bring a brand new source of news to the state. In my coverage, I look forward to sharing stories that will help you plan fun things to do for date nights and spend family time in Hawaiʻi. I also hope to share stories about the people behind events and organizations, as well as their interests in music, hula, film, comedy and more.

I started working at the city newspaper when I was still in high school through summer internships. Since then, I have worked for the community newspaper in my college town, as well as The Santiago Times when I lived abroad in Chile. Most recently, I worked for Pacific Business News in Honolulu.

At ASD, I can’t wait to talk story, which is how reporters hear some of the best news tips! Hawaiʻi has such an incredibly rich culture. And for me, it is home.

<title>Katie Helland</title>

Katie Helland

How does your government shape the way you live? What does your vote do to change and improve your community? These are questions I’m interested in answering for our readers. I want to make government more relatable by showing how decisions made at the City Council, the state Capitol or Washington D.C. affect you and your day-to-day life. I want to show how the gears of government fit together — and how they sometimes don’t — and what that means for people right here.

Of course, local government means local courts and local crime. I also hope to keep readers informed about cases and police procedures happening in their neighborhoods.

I grew up in Michigan and have worked at small local newspapers in Wisconsin and Oklahoma, but I’ve lived in Hawai‘i for more than seven years. Most of those were spent covering county government at the Hawai‘i Tribune-Herald in Hilo. Now I’ve moved to Honolulu, where I hope to cover the issues you’re interested in on every island.

I’m excited to work with Aloha State Daily and help make it into a place where readers can learn more about how their communities are connected to each other and to their government. And I’m excited to hear from you: what you’re concerned about, excited for or annoyed by. After all, government starts at home!

<title>Michael Brestovansky</title>

Square Kady Pascual Headshot RGZ5762

As a local girl from ʻEwa Beach, I know how easy it is to rely on coconut wireless — getting most of our facts from the “I heard from so and so” conversation. Social media has become today’s version of that conversation. You can stay up to date with your family on the Mainland, hear gossip about local celebrities and make new friends, all through a device that fits in your pocket.  

Prior to starting my career here in Hawai’i, I received a bachelor’s degree in creative media, as well as business marketing from the University of Hawai’i - West O’ahu.  

While at Aloha State Daily, my goal is to help local news feel as natural in your feed as your friends’ stories. I want to make it easy to stay informed 

 one swipe, one story, one moment of connection at a time. Hawai’i has stories worth telling, and I’m here to make sure you don’t miss a beat.  

Michael Brestovansky

Team

A. Kam Napier

Kelsey Kukaua Medeiros

Stephanie Salmons

Christian Shimabuku

Kelli Shiroma Braiotta

Katie Helland

Michael Brestovansky

Kady Pascual