Hawaii
Hannah Kobayashi who vanished a month ago is found safe
Missing Hawaii woman, Hannah Kobayashi, has been found safe more than a month after she disappeared, according to the family’s attorney. Her family said in a statement they were “incredibly relieved and grateful that Hannah has been found safe.” Los Angeles Police Chief Jim McDonnell told reporters on Wednesday that Kobayashi was unharmed and there was no evidence she was the victim of trafficking. Kobayashi had been declared a “voluntary missing person” after authorities reviewed surveillance video of her appearing to miss her connecting flight from Hawaii to New York in Los Angeles on November 8. She told family members she would sleep at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) after missing the flight. The next day, however, she texted that she was sightseeing in LA, with plans to visit The Grove shopping destination and other places.On November 11, her family reported receiving “alarming” text messages from her phone. Kobayashi’s father, Ryan Kobayashi, traveled from Hawaii to Los Angeles to assist in the search. However, he was found dead on November 24, two weeks after Hannah’s disappearance. The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner ruled his death as a suicide caused by multiple blunt-force injuries, leaving his family devastated.
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What happened to Hannah Kobayashi? A timeline
November 8, 2024: Hannah Kobayashi misses her connecting flight in Los Angeles, from Maui to New York. Police said they believe she tried to rebook her flight but the price was too high.
November 9, 2024: Kobayashi is seen at The Grove shopping mall in Los Angeles. She later returned to LAX and called her aunt, who she was due to visit in New York City, to tell her she was trying to book another flight.
November 10, 2024: Kobayashi returns to The Grove and is seen in footage of the LeBron XXII Trial Experience, at the Nike store.
November 11, 2024: Kobayashi returns to LAX. This is the last time her family hear from her. She spent the day with an unidentified man and was later seen leaving the airport with him and boarding the Metro. Police were able to track down the man who they ruled out as a danger. He told officers that he’d had dinner with Kobayashi and they’d discussed their lives. He described Kobayashi as a free spirit but did not appear to be in mental distress.
November 12, 2024: Kobayashi is seen in surveillance footage taking a bus to Mexico. She arrived at the border and crossed into Tijuana on foot around 12 p.m. local time. Her phone had been left in LAX.
November 24, 2024: Kobayashi’s father Ryan dies by suicide. His body was found in a parking lot near LAX after he flew to help the search for his daughter.
December 2, 2024: Kobayashi is declared a voluntary missing person after police reviewed footage of her crossing into Mexico.
December 11, 2024: Kobayashi is found. Her family confirmed in a statement that she was safe and well and asked for privacy to “take time to heal.”
GoFundMe for Kobayashi family has raised nearly $50,000
A GoFundMe, set up to assist with the search for Hannah Kobayashi, raised almost $50,000 before her family confirmed she had been found safe today.
The purpose of the GoFundMe was later extended to cover the costs of a funeral for Hannah’s father Ryan Kobayashi who died by suicide during her search.
The GoFundMe, which remains active today, raised $47,472 – 95% of it’s $50,000 goal.
In an update on December 3, after Hannah Kobayashi’s disappearance was ruled “voluntary” by police, her sister Sydni said the family were still “extremely concerned” and were hiring an attorney and a private investigator to locate her.
However, she did offer any donor who wanted a refund, to submit a claim by December 18th which “will be promptly honored.”
Father of Hannah Kobayashi died by suicide while she was missing
AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes
Hannah Kobayashi’s father died by suicide during his daughter’s disappearance.
Ryan Kobayashi, 58, was found dead in a car park near Los Angeles International Airport in the early hours of Sunday, November 24, a Los Angeles Police Department spokesperson told Newsweek
He had been in L.A. looking for his missing daughter after she missed her connecting flight from L.A. airport to New York on November 8.
Los Angeles County Medical Examiner listed his cause of death as multiple blunt force traumatic injuries and ruled the manner of death was suicide.
Kobayashi’s family called his death “a devastating tragedy” in a statement issued via missing persons support organization The Rad Movement.
“After tirelessly searching throughout Los Angeles for 13 days, Hannah’s father, Ryan Kobayashi, tragically took his own life,” the statement said. “This loss has compounded the family’s suffering immeasurably.”
Kobayashi family received death threats while she was missing
Damian Dovarganes/AP Photo
Missing persons support organization The Rad Movement said the Kobayashi family had made a formal report to the FBI after receiving threats and made a decision to remove a Facebook page dedicated to locating Kobayashi.
“While Sydni and her mother believe the greater majority of the individuals on this page genuinely care, and are interested in helping find Hannah, the negativity and attacks on their family have become more than they can bear,” the organization said in a post on the page.
“As recent as yesterday, there were threats against their lives and the lives of their small children,” they said in the statement on December 2.
“This has prompted them to make formal reports to the FBI and make the difficult decision to remove this page.”
Why Hannah Kobayashi’s still listed as ‘missing’ after family confirmed she’s found safe
A missing person is officially stopped being listed as missing when police confirm their safety through a welfare check – typically an in-person contact to verify they are not in danger.
The L.A. Police Department’s missing persons unit said they had not yet seen Hannah Kobayashi, after her family said today she had been found safe.
Kobayashi will still show as a missing person until that safe and well check could be performed, but in this case, the Customs and Border Protection agency may be able to perform it when Kobayashi reenters the U.S. from Mexico.
‘We don’t have her side of the story,’ say police
AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes
L.A. police have said that while Hannah Kobayashi has no legal obligation to speak to them, they are urging her to get in touch.
“Everyone else is very invested in this now, and just what her thought process through all this was and what her end game or goal was,” Detective Franco told People.
Lt. Doug Oldfield, from the department’s missing persons unit, added, “We don’t have her side of the story.”
Where was Kobayashi found?
The family of Hannah Kobayashi have not confirmed exactly where she was found, police say.
But it is believed she is still in Mexico.
During the investigation into her disappearance, police discovered that she had crossed the border into Tijuana, Mexico on foot, on November 12.
She does not appear to have returned into the United States but she was able to get in touch with her family to confirm she was safe.
Police ‘haven’t seen Hannah Kobayashi themselves but won’t compel her to see them’
The L.A. Police Department say that haven’t seen Hannah Kobayashi but they “have no reason to compel her to see us.”
Lt. Doug Oldfield, from the department’s missing persons unit, told People that they discovered Kobayashi had been found from her family’s attorney.
“We have not seen her and at this point we have no reason to compel her to see us,” he told the outlet.
“It’s a big news story so she may decide to come with a lawyer, but she is not obligated to speak to us.”
He added that police do not have many further details about her disappearance.
Who is Hannah Kobayashi?
Hannah Kobayashi, 30, is a budding photographer from Maui, Hawaii, whose disappearance last month triggered prompted a massive search.
She was heading to New York City, from Hawaii, on November 8 for a new job and to visit relatives when she missed the connecting flight in LA International.
Her “alarming” messages over the next few days panicked her family.
When she stopped responding entirely, they reported her missing.
Her father, Ryan Kobayashi, had flown to LA to help with her search but has since been found dead in a car park near the airport.
The LA county coroner’s office gave the cause of death as suicide.
Hawaii
Kanakaʻole, Zane ʻohana transform Hawaiian cultural practices into captivating visual arts | Maui Now
This powerful new exhibition will feature the work of Nālani Kanakaʻole, Sig Zane, and Kūhaʻoʻīmaikalani Zane—a Hilo-based family of artists whose creative practices are deeply rooted in hula ʻaihaʻa.
Hula ʻaihaʻa is the low-postured, vigorous, bombastic style of hula that Kanakaʻole was known for as kumu hula of Hālau o Kekuhi. The hula springs from the eruptive volcano personas of Pele and her sister Hiʻiaka, characteristic of Hawaiʻi Island’s creative forces.
The Bishop Museum, the State of Hawaiʻi Museum of Natural and Cultural History, on Oʻahu is presenting “Ea Mai ʻEiwa: Patterns of Practice” in the J. M. Long Gallery beginning on Saturday, April 18, 2026.
The exhibition title references “Kūhaʻimoana,” a chant describing the migration of shark gods from Kahiki (ancestral homeland) to Hawaiʻi. “Ea Mai ʻEiwa” reflects the strength, resilience, and environmental knowledge embodied in these ancestral stories.
Bringing together new and existing works alongside botanical specimens and cultural treasures from Bishop Museum’s collections, the exhibition weaves themes of migration, community resilience, and environmental stewardship—offering insight and inspiration for today.
“This exhibition demonstrates that the gap between historic collections and contemporary art is actually a lot smaller than people think,” said Sarah Kuaiwa, Ph.D., Bishop Museum curator for Hawaiʻi and Pacific Cultural Resources. “Audiences will see how the artists use the same materials as pieces in Bishop Museum collections but in different forms. The resonance between the artist’s work with mea kupuna (ancestors) is what makes ‘Ea Mai ʻEiwa’ a uniquely Bishop Museum exhibition.”
Kuaiwa curated the group exhibitions along with co-curator, kumu hula Kauʻi Kanakaʻole, and Bishop Museum exhibit designer, DeAnne Kennedy.
The artists’ work across visual and performing arts is continually charged and sustained by hula. From Nālani Kanakaʻole’s art direction and choreography to Sig Zane’s photography and textile design, and Kūhaʻoʻīmaikalani Zane’s graphic design and immersive installations, each artist channels ʻike (knowledge, wisdom) carried through generations.
“Through repetition, deep study, and consistent practice, mastery is achieved. As practitioners of hula, the artists have continued to deepen their understanding of the natural and spiritual world, which has in turn inspired their art practices,” Kuaiwa said. “They aim to produce art in various visual media not only to educate, but to also be aesthetically celebrated and enjoyed.”
“Patterns of Practice” was suggested by Sig Zane as a way of representing how the artists hone their skills.
“‘Kūhaʻimoana,’ for me, has many layers to it,” Kūhaʻoʻīmaikalani Zane said. “On a first take, it’s a migratory chant that compares migrations to waves of ocean-navigating sharks. That metaphor sets out the tone of connectivity between our natural environment and the beings that inhabit it.”
“‘Kūhaʻimoana’ is an example illustrating metaphorical depth within Hawaiian poetry,” said Sig Zane. “The importance of navigation surfaces in day-to-day cultural practices. This archaic chant reveals nuanced content, giving us a peek into hierarchy, dualities, and familial belief systems.”
Kanakaʻole passed away in January this year, so Kauʻi Kanakaʻole hopes that “Ea Mai ʻEiwa: Patterns of Practice” reflects Kanakaʻole’s philosophy of practice and piques curiosity within people about others’ stories, history, and culture.
“She intentionally taught hula with depth of language, craft, and art form to encompass a full-on lifestyle commitment,” Kanakaʻole said. “This was her everyday; the way she learned, grew, and inspired.” “I would love for guests to leave (the exhibition) with a mixture of awe, appreciation, and curiosity.”
Highlights of the “Ea Mai ʻEiwa: Patterns of Practice” exhibition include:
- Nālani Kanakaʻole’s kite installation, “Kūhaʻimoana,” her last large-scale installation before her passing
- Botanical specimens from various locations across Hawaiʻi Island, chosen to represent their hula ʻahu (altar) and sources of inspiration the artists frequently draw from
- Uniquely colored kūpeʻe (sea snails) shells made into adornments, as well as adornments made to look like kūpeʻe shells
- Kapa (barkcloth) made from the 19th century with dynamic designs
- ʻAwa (kava, Piper methysticum) cups and kānoa (kava bowl) associated with the aliʻi
- New and archival sketches and rubylith artworks by Sig Zane from 1990 to present
- A collection of family photos from the Kanakaʻole ʻOhana
- Memorabilia and ephemera from the theatrical performance, “Holo Mai Pele” (1995-2000)
“Ea Mai ʻEiwa: Patterns of Practice” will be presented in both ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi and English, and will be on view until Sept. 20, 2026.
For more information, visit bishopmuseum.org.
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
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