Hawaii
After retirement announcement, state adjutant general Hara reflects on 40-year career
HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – Hawaii adjutant general Maj. Gen. Ken Hara has led the state’s emergency management agency for five years, capping a 40-year military career with three combat deployments.
In his first one-on-one interview since he announced he would retire on Nov. 1, Hara sat down with Hawaii News Now to talk about why he joined — and what he would have done differently over the years.
“I’ve been pretty much an infantry guy watching the helicopters fly by and seeing like, Oh, that was a big mistake. I should have stayed in aviation,” he said, reflecting on what he called one of his regrets. “I still wish I was flying.”
“I tried a few times [to get back], but just things didn’t work out. It was like this was my destiny and and ended up being an infantry guy most of my career,” he said.
Hara says he is a man of faith, which had a huge impact on his career.
“How else am I successful as like no skill says not the smartest guy in the room. But you know, I’ve been really blessed and had opportunities that came at the perfect time. Literally all of the stars aligned on how I got my college education and some really, really critical military assignments is pretty, pretty amazing,” Hara said.
The Hilo native graduated from Waiakea High School and enlisted in the Hawaii National Guard, as his father and uncle did. His older brothers also joined, and the Hara military legacy was well-known and respected.
“Initially, I think it was great having older brothers and a father and an uncle that served so many mentors I could go to,” he said. “Oftentimes, it was reverse nepotism, like you have to do better and the standards are higher, just because the last name was Hara.”
“My son swore in in the National Guard that definitely was the proudest moment. The next generation in line following the Hara legacy. So my son is a first lieutenant now in the Army National Guard,” he said.
Hara also talked about how his three combat deployments prepared him for his career, transitioning from infantry to politics, from war on the ground to the halls of politics. “
“Three deployments, the first one to Baghdad, Iraq, second in Kuwait, and a third one in Kandahar, Afghanistan, all three really, really challenging and dangerous missions,” he said.
“The mission kind of shifted from that combat operations to more domestic and Hawaii focused disaster response. So I got a lot of experience in that, you know, not just the war fight.”
“What’s tough, what no one can prepare for is dealing with the politics that I dread during the legislative session, but I can tell you that I am I have a great relationship with every single one of the legislators and they treat me with dignity and respect,” he said.
As Hawaii adjutant general, he oversees Hawaii’s Emergency Management Agency and National Guard, and has led the state through back-to-back natural disasters, from hurricanes to eruptions, the COVID-19 pandemic and even the false missile alert.
Looking back, he says he says he’s satisfied with how HIEMA handled the pandemic.
“I don’t think there’s anything, I would have changed, especially for me and what we did. We didn’t know what we didn’t know, we learned along the way. And as we learned, we adjusted,” he said.
“You make decisions, a lot of people aren’t going to be happy about it. But we made decisions based on the information understanding we had at the time,” he said.
“The biggest lesson is, if you’re going to be successful, it’s about the relationships. And try to build that relationship and hopefully forge that into trust before the disaster,” he added.
Hara concluded: “I’m proud of my career. I’m proud what I’ve accomplished. I’m proud of my family and the Hara legacy. But I’m human. I look back because I could have had an easier life. My class, my close classmates, they’re super successful. Living the life,” he said with a laugh.
Copyright 2024 Hawaii News Now. All rights reserved.
The demolition of Aloha Stadium on Oahu took a big step forward Thursday with the first section of seating pulled down from the steel structure.
Half of the elevated deck-level seating on the stadium’s makai side was severed and toppled backward as part of demolition work that began in February.
The other half of the upper makai-side seating is slated to come down Tuesday, followed by similar sections on the mauka side and both end zones, though the concrete foundations for lower-level end-zone seating are being preserved for a new, smaller stadium to rise on the same site.
A private partnership, Aloha Halawa District Partners, led by local developer Stanford Carr, is replacing the 50,000-seat Aloha Stadium, which opened in 1975 and was shuttered in 2020, with a new stadium featuring up to 31,000 seats.
AHDP is using $350 million of state funding toward the cost of the new stadium, which could be $475 million or more, and will operate and maintain the facility on state land for 30 years with a land lease.
The development team also is to redevelop much of the 98-acre stadium property dominated by parking lots with a new mixed-use community that includes at least 4,100 residences, two hotels, an office tower, retail, entertainment attractions and open spaces expected to be delivered in phases over 25 years and costing close to or more than $5 billion or $6 billion.
Earlier parts of stadium demolition work led by Hawaiian Dredging Construction Co. included removing four covered multistory spiral walkways leading to the upper level from the ground, and concourse bridges.
Demolishing the stadium is projected to be done by August, according to Carr.
Building the new facility is expected to be finished in 2029.
Hawaii
This Airbnb Tiny Home Sits on a Lava Field in Hawaii With Unbeatable Night Sky Views—and It’s a Guest Favorite
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/tal-airbnb-one-off-tout-1465b3bde0864117b43761b0d1dd346e.jpg?ssl=1 "This Airbnb Tiny Home Sits on a Lava Field in Hawaii With Unbeatable Night Sky Views—and It’s a Guest Favorite")
HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – The team behind a popular Hawaii-based home renovation show is now facing legal troubles after airing content that shouldn’t have been released, according to the state.
Hawaii’s Attorney General is now involved after HGTV’s ‘Renovation Aloha’ showed uncensored images of apparent ancient skeletal remains that were discovered at a Hilo property.
In a now-deleted clip on social media, Kamohai and Tristyn Kalama, along with the production team, discovered a cave beneath a Hilo property where they found the remains deep inside.
Video documented their shock when it was found, with the hosts saying, “There’s bones back here. I got to get out of here. Are you fricken serious? I’m serious dude. Is that a skull?”
Tristyn was seen standing further back, saying “This is terrifying. I’m at my stopping point” before leaving.
Hawaii News Now is not showing the bones, but confirmed with HGTV the episode was filmed in December 2025.
Video didn’t show them touching or moving the remains, and HGTV said authorities were notified after the discovery, the property was not developed, and the site was later blessed.
At the time, police said no crime was committed, and the state AG obtained a TRO to prevent the broadcast of the images in accordance with state law.
However this week, uncensored video of the bones was posted online by the Kalamas and HGTV, and included in the episode, triggering a quick rebuke from the community.
“We don’t kaula’i iwi. We do not lay our bones out in the sun to expose him in this manner,” former Oahu Island Burial Council Chair Kumu Hinaleimoana Wong-Kalu said.
She also said the release of the images was “extremely disappointing,” saying the damage was already done.
“It is irrelevant that bones were not moved. It is irrelevant that they were not disturbed, per se, because somebody didn’t touch them — but you went into their space and that space becomes kapu space once they have transitioned over to po. And when you do that, we honor that. We don’t disturb them,” Wong-Kalu added.
The AG said they took immediate legal action to prevent the unlawful broadcast of images, pointing to a TRO issued prior to the episode’s release. They also said, “We are aware that the segment aired notwithstanding the court’s order, and we take this matter very seriously. The Department will pursue additional action as necessary.”
Court Documents revealed the Kalamas and producers of the show are now facing four counts for allegedly breaking Iwi Kupuna protection rules.
“If that were our grandparent, would we want them, after they have physically transitioned to po, would we want to share our family in this manner? I don’t think so,” Wong-Kalu added.
HGTV said in a statement, “We take the concerns raised by the community very seriously and are committed to ensuring our programming is respectful and appropriate. We apologize to anyone who found any part of the episode offensive, that was not HGTV’s intention.”
They also confirmed the original episode was removed, and re-edited without the bones included.
Through our communication with the HGTV spokesperson, Hawaii News Now offered the Kalamas a chance to respond directly, but they did not. They did however take to Instagram to address the episode, saying they followed the protocols they knew, and never intended to build there. They stressed their respect for Hawaiian culture and practices.
The investigation remains active.
Copyright 2026 Hawaii News Now. All rights reserved.
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