HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – Young athletes and their families from Ehime prefecture in Japan are in Honolulu for this year’s Ehime-Hawaii Goodwill Youth Baseball Exchange.

The program began in 2001 in the wake of the tragic collision between Japanese high school training ship Ehime Maru and U.S. Navy submarine USS Greeneville off the coast of Oahu. Four students, two teachers, and three crew members were killed.

The exchange alternates yearly between Ehime and Hawaii and builds friendships between families on both sides of the Pacific.

The group visited the Ehime Maru Memorial in Kakaako Waterfront Park and met with state lawmakers.

Today and tomorrow, the public is invited to watch the players compete at Patsy Mink Central Oʻahu Regional Park.

Games start at 8:30 a.m.

Copyright 2025 Hawaii News Now. All rights reserved.

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – Hawaii-born NFL quarterbacks Tua Tagovailoa and Marcus Mariota will face off against each other for the first time ever.

The Miami Dolphins take on the Washington Commanders this Sunday in Spain.

It’s believed to be the first time two QBs from the same Hawaii high school will play against each other.

The two St. Louis alums are five years apart.

“For us, Tua and myself, we grew up in the middle of the Pacific, far away from here,” Mariota said in a press conference. “The fact of the matter is, we get a chance to be a part of this game is very special, and I don’t take that for granted at all.”

“I was a big fan of him, still am, just of the person that he is outside of the player,” Tagovailoa said. “Just happy for his success. I know he’s been going through ebbs and flows throughout years and teams, but if you get to know the kind of person he is, the playing and whatnot is second.”

Kick off in Madrid is set for 4:30 a.m. Hawaii time on the NFL Network.

Copyright 2025 Hawaii News Now. All rights reserved.

The U.S. Coast Guard said it detected and tracked a Russia military spy ship just miles off the coast of Hawaii, the latest incident of a Russian vessel or plane operating close to the U.S.

The Russian intelligence vessel, Kareliya, was spotted about 15 nautical miles south of Oahu on Oct. 29, the Coast Guard said Thursday.

An HC-130 Hercules helicopter and a Coast Guard cutter were dispatched to monitor the ship by “conducting a safe and professional overflight and transiting near the vessel,” officials said.

The Coast Guard, which released a photo of the ship, said it is still tracking the vessel’s movement near U.S. waters “to provide maritime security for U.S. vessels operating in the area and to support U.S. homeland defense efforts.”

“The U.S. Coast Guard routinely monitors maritime activity around the Hawaiian Islands and throughout the Pacific to ensure the safety and security of U.S. waters,” Capt. Matthew Chong said in a statement.  

International law allows foreign military ships to transit outside other nations’ territorial seas, which extend up to 12 nautical miles from shore.

The Coast Guard said the Kareliya is a Vishnya-class intelligence vessel, which were built for the Soviet Navy in the 1980s. There are seven such ships still in service with the Russian Navy, according to the U.S. Army. 

The Kareliya was also spotted off Hawaii in 2021, USNI News reported at the time. In 2023, the U.S. Coast Guard also tracked a Russian ship near the Hawaiian Islands that was believed to be gathering intelligence.

Earlier this year, British officials said the Royal Navy was monitoring a Russian spy ship operating in U.K. waters. British Defense Secretary John Healey told Parliament the vessel was being “used for gathering intelligence and mapping the U.K.’s critical underwater infrastructure.”

“I also wanted President Putin to hear this message: We see you, we know what you’re doing and we will not shy away from robust action to protect this country,” he told lawmakers.

Russian spy planes are also routinely spotted off the U.S., particularly inside the Alaskan identification zone. The zone begins where U.S. territory ends off the coast of Alaska, and aircraft from other countries are required to identify themselves to the U.S. and Canada when they enter. Russian military activity in the zone is common and not considered a threat, according to NORAD.

However, in September 2024, NORAD posted dramatic video of a Russian jet flying “within just a few feet” of NORAD aircraft off the coast of Alaska. At the time, a U.S. general said “the conduct of one Russian Su-35 was unsafe, unprofessional, and endangered all.”