Battered by Life, the Rescued Livestock at FPG Have Found Sanctuary
By Stefan Verbano Eve the sheep lived an action-packed life before coming to the sanctuary. She spent her early years frolicking through green pastures of her lower Puna homestead, until her peaceful existence was shattered in 2018 by the massive…
Ka Wehena: Wai‘aha
Na Kumu Ka‘ea Lyons lāua ‘o Kumu Keala Ching Kū Wai‘aha uka o Honua‘ula Lālau ka ‘Ōpua, Poli Hualālai La‘i maila ka ua, Ua ola Kona ‘Ike malu Luawai, La‘a Kālua ua Ala Pua‘a, Wai‘aha i Kahului I ka lae…
Birthplace of the Boogie Board: Wai‘aha Beach, Kona
By Fern Gavelek A small beach located just on the outskirts of Historic Kailua Village is officially the birthplace of the boogie board. Known by the local water sports community for decades, the designation was recently declared by state and…
Medicinal Plants from the Garden: The Comfort of Comfrey
By Brittany P. Anderson Green lance-shaped leaves fall over themselves in compact clusters, with a fuzz about them like a clump of rabbit ears waiting to be pet. The leaves are coarse to the touch, while purple bell flowers dangle…
Hank Fergerstrom’s Indomitable Spirit
By Ana Kahoopii and Tanya Yamanaka Unko Hank sits at an empty picnic table near the King Kamehameha statue on Hilo’s bayfront, the sun shining on this Valentine’s Day morn. The gold bodice of Kamehameha glitters behind him; the King’s…
Morinoue’s Hale: A Gathering Place
By Emily Gleason When you walk into Hiroki and Setsuko Morinoue’s home, the first thing you’ll notice is the art. Beautiful paintings, prints, and sculptures cover the walls and all available shelf space. Their own work comingles with that of…
Sonny’s Healing Journey Began with Music
By Carole Gariepy If you’ve stopped at Punalu‘u Bakery in Nā‘ālehu on a Thursday or Saturday, you’ve likely had the pleasure of enjoying the mellow music of Sonny Ramos. His Hawaiian and American melodies fill the air and provide an…
Local Food: The Secret Life of Pears, and a Recipe for Poached Pears
By Brittany P. Anderson “Just passed a pear tree in Pepe‘ekeo loaded with pears,” read the social media post one sunny morning with an image of a heavily fruiting pear tree. The thread that followed was disbelief, shock, and eager…
Suzanne Wang: Ceramicist Comes Full Circle
By Ma‘ata Tukuafu The idyllic rural-village feel of Wailea/Hakalau is what Suzanne Wang wanted when she moved to Hawai‘i Island 11 years ago. She set up her ceramic studio on the lush Hāmākua coast in 2016, both living and working in a…
Hope for Honu: Green Sea Turtles on the Road to Recovery
By Rachel Laderman with Irene Kelly Four decades ago, the sight of honu (green sea turtles) in near-shore Hawaiian waters was rare. Since then, the honu population—once devastated by harvesting practices—has rebounded thanks to state and federal protections. Today, it…
Hawaiian Hospitality with Hilo’s Songbird Christy Lassiter
By Nancy Kahalewai Since the 1800s, many different types of music have deeply and permanently influenced Hawaiian music. European folk songs and orchestras, Christian hymns, Portuguese ‘ukulele and Spanish steel guitars, Mexican ranchera and Puerto Rican rhythms, American musicals and…
Featured Photographers: Don Hurzeler & Kirk Shorte
Featured Cover Photographer: Don Hurzeler Don Hurzeler’s business cards say he’s an author, photographer, and old retired guy. We think the latter is far from true, Don seems busier than many people half his age. As a lifelong athlete, nothing…
Talk Story with an Advertiser: Rock Star Pet Supplies
Providing West Hawai‘i with high quality pet food, treats, toys, and other supplies for dogs, cats, birds, and small animals like bunnies and guinea pigs, Rock Star Pets also boards birds and small animals, and plans to install a self-service…
Talk Story with an Advertiser: Injeyan Fine Woodworking
Injeyan Fine Woodworking (IFW) is a woodworking business that specializes in custom cabinets, entry doors, heirloom-grade furniture, and architectural millwork. Art Injeyan originally learned about woodworking nearly 30 years ago, while serving a brief apprenticeship in a cabinet shop, after…
Ka Puana: He ‘ike ‘ana ia i ka pono — It is a recognizing of the right thing.
Ka Puana: Observing the Horizon Clouds of the Land
Ka Wehena: Pili Keauhou
Na Kumu Ka‘ea Lyons lāua ‘o Kumu Keala Ching He aloha laha‘ole, pili i ka poli Ka poli pumehana i ka ‘iu‘iu He aloha laha‘ole pili kāua Noho i ke kai ma Keauhou la Ala hou ke ao, kū pilina…
Waipi‘o Valley: A Cultural Kipuka
By Jan Wizinowich It’s December 22, 2021 and Kūlia Kauhi Tolentino Potter greets volunteers from Sam Houston State University (SHSU) at the Waipi‘o Valley lookout. It’s pouring rain and a work day is looking doubtful, but they are full of…
Tsunamis: Hawai‘i’s Most Dangerous Natural Hazard
By Walter Dudley Just before 7am on the morning of April 1, 1946, Seaman Perry Minton was in the radio room aboard the USS Thompson headed toward Pearl Harbor when, he recalls, “Almost as soon as I put on the…
Donnie’s Thanksgiving: First-hand Story of Halapē’s 1975 Tsunami
By Leslee Engler and Donnie Cruz If you lived through an earthquake and tsunami on the beach where your family was camping, you would remember that very clearly. It took place 47 years ago, and Donnie Cruz remembers every minute…
Students Learn, Grow Food, Eat at School Culinary Gardens
By Fern Gavelek Itʻs all about “connecting the dots to textbooks while making learning delicious.” That’s how Patti Cook, community development director of Waimea Middle Public Conversion Charter School, describes the Māla‘ai Culinary Garden. Started in 2003 through a community…
Hawai‘i County’s Innovative Native Forest Dedication Program Provides Tax Incentives for Preservation and Restoration
By Mālielani Larish Did you know that special tax incentives exist for Hawai‘i County landowners who want to restore or preserve native forest on their land? The County of Hawai‘i Real Property Tax Division initiated the Native Forest Dedication Program…
Earth Day Meditation on Food: Recipe for Butterfly Pea Lemonade
By Brittany P. Anderson Hawai‘i Island is full of astounding wonders. Plants that grow to incredible heights and animals that are infinitesimally small. Some beasts blend seamlessly with their surroundings while flowers bloom in an array of shocking colors to…
Elizabeth Theriault’s Journey with the Drum—A Pathway of Heart
By Ma‘ata Tukuafu When Elizabeth Theriault moved to Hawai‘i in 1985 with her husband and son, she came with eagerness to integrate into the Hawaiian culture. Elizabeth, a lifelong creative artist, grew up in a diverse multi-cultural family of hunters,…
Mālama Mokupuni: Caring for Our Island Environment—Take These Broken Wings…
By Rachel Laderman The Hawai‘i Wildlife Center (HWC) is Hawai‘i’s only comprehensive facility for rehabilitating native winged creatures. Linda Elliott, the founder, president, and director, says, “Here we are, the extinction capital of the world. Our state has the majority of the endangered…
Chris Berry: Mastering Improvisation in the Land of Fire and Water
By Sara Stover For Grammy award winner, singer, songwriter, and drum master Chris Berry, the most important lesson in school wasn’t even part of the curriculum—improvisation. Born and raised in Sebastopol, California, Chris was just 12 years old, learning to…
Talk Story with an Advertiser: Big Island Perennial Peanut
Finally, a sustainable groundcover that offers beauty and ease at one-third the price of grass! Big Island Perennial Peanut (BIPP) offers Arachis pintoi, also known as Golden Glory, a regenerative and drought tolerant groundcover in the legume family that is…
Island Treasures: Tiger Shark Nutcracker
Love for a place can express itself in many ways, depending on one’s interests, experience, and talents. Jim Harrold feels fortunate that his 35 years in woodworking allows him to design and build original wood products that dovetail nicely with…
Featured Artists: CJ Kale & Tina Clothier
Featured Cover Photographer: CJ Kale CJ Kale grew up on the Waianae Coast of O‘ahu and has lived on Hawai‘i Island more than 25 years. His early years were spent on the water, as a surfer and competitive swimmer. Those…
Talk Story with an Advertiser: Maika‘i Veterinary Clinic, LLC
There are lots of reasons that make Hilo’s Maika‘i Veterinary Clinic unique. One is that they treat various small animals, avians, and exotics; another is they are open seven days a week for appointments, with two full-time doctors on staff,…
