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PODCAST: Meet the high schooler tackling food insecurity — one fruit tree at a time

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PODCAST: Meet the high schooler tackling food insecurity — one fruit tree at a time


HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – Drawing inspiration from her household’s avocado tree, excessive schooler Sophie Chen determined to take issues into her personal arms to deal with meals insecurity in Hawaii.

“I knew concerning the issues surrounding meals insecurity on the island. I personally have an avocado tree in my yard. And yearly we’re all the time making an attempt to present away these contemporary avocados. I all the time thought it was an excessive amount of for us to deal with individually as a household,” Sophie mentioned.

Due to this fruitful dilemma, Sophie determined as a substitute of letting these avocados go to waste, why not donate them to these in want.

Being only a sophomore at Punahou College, Sophie just lately based the nonprofit, The Kokua Tree.

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She just lately sat down with HNN to explain the work the group is doing to bolster meals sustainability in Hawaii within the fifth episode of “Repairing Earth.”

The initiative companions with households or anybody who’s to select vegetables and fruit from their backyards. The contemporary produce is then donated to starvation aid organizations like Aloha Harvest, the Hawaii Foodbank and the Pantry.

Sophie added {that a} huge purpose why she began this program was to supply a strategy to get native produce to those that can’t all the time afford it.

“Produce is so costly within the grocery shops and even the comfort shops so if in case you have a low earnings or in the event you’re experiencing meals insecurity, you’re not going to show to supply as your supply of vitamin for the day,” she mentioned.

In line with Feeding America, 1 in 9 folks face starvation in Hawaii — with about 1 in 5 being youngsters.

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“With the meals insecurity drawback right here, it form of felt like a one plus one, so I began this complete Kokua Tree concept,” Sophie mentioned. “Plus, I believe lots of people know folks with fruit bushes on the island. Like that is simply the proper local weather to have your individual yard fruit tree.”

Enlisting the assistance of different younger of us, the group has already had 4 harvests.

Collectively they’ve gathered 850 kilos of produce, which is equal to saving round $3,000 in meals.

The group has crammed bins of fruit from folks’s backyards, together with mountain apples, bananas and avocados.(The Kokua Tree)

“Our meals waste on Hawaii is a extremely huge situation and if we tied it with meals insecurity, it’s a extremely huge disgrace that we’re throwing out round 26% of our annual meals provide per yr,” Sophie mentioned.

“So, the Kokua Tree is hopefully making an attempt to present a sustainable answer to this drawback by protecting it in Hawaii. And that method we’re supporting native, we’re slicing down on fossil gasoline combustion from all of the delivery that is available in right here, and we’re additionally protecting produce away from invasive bugs and animals.”

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At the moment, Hawaii ships in round 85% to 95% of its meals — principally from the continental US.

From the farming course of itself to transporting produce, all of this contributes to our private carbon footprint.

“Individually, you’ll be able to undoubtedly reduce down in your meals waste. When you’re letting your meals expire or in the event you’re shopping for an excessive amount of of it then it contributes to the landfills, which in fact releases methane emissions into the air. So in a minor method, that’s one strategy to do it.”

However most significantly, Sophie mentioned one of the best ways to make an influence is to get entangled.

“I believe a number of our volunteers, particularly on our final property, felt much more linked to the land in a method. And that’s a giant a part of rising up right here,” Sophie mentioned.

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“It was a extremely nice expertise and if you wish to educate your self on this drawback, one of the best ways to do it’s to get some hands-on expertise, to get your arms within the mud, choose some fruit after which donate it.”

For extra on the dialog, hearken to Episode 5 of Repairing Earth, “Paving a Path Towards Meals Sustainability in Hawaii,” on the HNN web site or wherever you get your podcasts.

When you’re concerned about serving to out with the mission, e-mail kokuatree@gmail.com. For the newest on their work, you too can comply with them on Instagram @thekokuatree.

Copyright 2022 Hawaii Information Now. All rights reserved.





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Hawaii

Family of missing Hawaii woman Hannah Kobayashi reveal shocking police detail after she mysteriously vanished on trip of a lifetime

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Family of missing Hawaii woman Hannah Kobayashi reveal shocking police detail after she mysteriously vanished on trip of a lifetime


Detectives waited ten days from when she was last heard from to interview the family of missing Hannah Kobayashi, her worried family has revealed.

The 30-year-old aspiring photographer disappeared from the streets of downtown Los Angeles after missing a connecting flight from her native Maui in Hawaii en-route to New York City.

It remains unclear why she left LA’s LAX airport and ventured out into the city 15 miles away but she sent a text to a friend saying she had had a ‘spiritual awakening’, and was later seen in the company of a mystery man.

On Thursday, frantic friends and family gathered in downtown LA, a block from where she was last seen, to spread the message and encourage the public to report any sightings and information they may have.

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‘As of today the police have reached out to family members who last spoke with Hannah,’ her aunt Larie Pidgeon told DailyMail.com on Thursday.

‘We want them to take it a bit more seriously.

‘We think they realize we’re not going away and we’re going to be really loud. We’re going to do something until they do something.

‘I think now they are beginning the process of what we began six days ago.

Hannah Kobayashi, 30, disappeared from the streets of downtown Los Angeles after missing a connecting flight from her native Maui in Hawaii en route to New York City

On Thursday, frantic friends and family, including her devastated dad Ryan Kobayashi (pictured) gathered in downtown LA, a block from where she was last seen, to spread the message and encourage the public to report any sightings and information they may have

On Thursday, frantic friends and family, including her devastated dad Ryan Kobayashi (pictured) gathered in downtown LA, a block from where she was last seen, to spread the message and encourage the public to report any sightings and information they may have

Hannah had been flying to meet another aunt in New York when she missed her connecting flight in Los Angeles

Hannah had been flying to meet another aunt in New York when she missed her connecting flight in Los Angeles 

‘The entire world is looking for you (Hannah) because that’s how special you are.

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‘We are not going to stop until we find you. We love you.’

Hannah’s father, Ryan Kobayashi, was handing out missing person flyers to passers-by and told DailyMail.com: ‘We will do everything we can until we have found her. We just need to get the word out there about her.

‘She’s a wonderful person who brings joy to so many people.’

The trip began in Maui on November 8 which she described in a hand-written itinerary as a ‘bucket list dreams become reality.’ 

Hannah had been flying to meet another aunt in New York when she missed her connecting flight in LA. 

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Family members and a friend received a series of cryptic texts from Hannah’s phone, causing them to fear she may have been abducted or trafficked. 

Another aunt, Geordan Montalvo and her husband Bob, both 51, were scheduled to see Hannah when she arrived in New York.

‘She’s really amazing,’ he tells DailyMail.com of Hannah. ‘She’s got a great spirit. She’s artistic and loving.’

The trio were scheduled to attend a DJ Scott Hansen – aka Tycho – concert at Brooklyn Steel in Brooklyn on November 12. 

They had planned the trip with a former boyfriend who was on the flight from Maui with her, says her mother Brandi Yee, although the former couple would not be together in New York after landing at JFK airport.

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Bob Montalvo and Geordan Montalvo, the uncle and aunt of Hannah Kobayashi , who has been missing for 11 days gathers with the rest of the family in downtown Los Angeles to speak to the media and pass out flyers to raise awareness for their missing loved one

Bob Montalvo and Geordan Montalvo, the uncle and aunt of Hannah Kobayashi , who has been missing for 11 days gathers with the rest of the family in downtown Los Angeles to speak to the media and pass out flyers to raise awareness for their missing loved one

Hannah’s father, Ryan Kobayashi, was handing out missing person flyers to passers-by and told DailyMail.com: ‘We will do everything we can until we have found her. We just need to get the word out there about her'

Hannah’s father, Ryan Kobayashi, was handing out missing person flyers to passers-by and told DailyMail.com: ‘We will do everything we can until we have found her. We just need to get the word out there about her’ 

It remains unclear why the 30-year-old aspiring photographer left LAX airport and ventured out into the city 15 miles away

It remains unclear why the 30-year-old aspiring photographer left LAX airport and ventured out into the city 15 miles away 

She said the ex-boyfriend, who had continued on to New York, is being helpful with the hunt for Hannah.

Hannah was spotted out in Los Angeles on November 9 at the Tashen bookstore located at The Grove shopping center.

Her sister Sydni Kobayashi has previously stated that Hannah sent a Venmo payment to two people whose names the family does not recognize. A photo of the event also appeared to have been posted on her Instagram account.

That day, family and friends received ‘weird’ texts from Kobayashi, but they did not hear from her again.

However, a day later on November 11, surveillance video around a downtown Los Angeles Metro train station near the Crypto.com arena showed her with an unknown person. Her family said she “does not appear to be in good condition” in the footage.

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‘She didn’t look her normal self,’ Pigeon told DailyMail.com ‘She was with someone but we don’t know it was at this point. She didn’t look like she was safe.’

On November 11, Hannah sent a string of strange texts to a friend.

The missing Maui native vanished during a layover in Los Angeles while traveling from her home in Hawaii to New York and was spotted getting off her flight at LAX

The missing Maui native vanished during a layover in Los Angeles while traveling from her home in Hawaii to New York and was spotted getting off her flight at LAX

A series of texts have led the family to believe Kobayashi was not alone when she disappeared. They say diction in the texts indicates they were written by someone else

A series of texts have led the family to believe Kobayashi was not alone when she disappeared. They say diction in the texts indicates they were written by someone else

She wrote ‘Deep Hackers wiped my identity, stole all of my funds, & have had me on a mind f*** since Friday.’

Another text said ‘I got tricked pretty much into giving away all my funds, followed by one saying, ‘For someone I thought I loved.’

Pidgeon added: ‘We’re not sure if Hannah actually wrote the texts or if someone else did.’

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Lawsuit challenges Hawaii’s gun ownership ban for young adults

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Lawsuit challenges Hawaii’s gun ownership ban for young adults


The latest lawsuit to take aim at Hawaii’s gun laws challenges the state’s ban on gun ownership for young adults 18 to 20 years old, which Second Amendment advocates say is an unconstitutional restriction on the right of Americans to bear arms.

Elijah Pinales, 19, and Juda Roache, who turns 18 next month, want to own guns for self-defense, according to their lawsuit filed Wednesday night in U.S. District Court in Honolulu.

Their lawyers assert that Hawaii is the only state with a complete ban on acquiring and owning firearms and ammunition by those who are 18 to 20. Some states allow 18-year-olds to purchase a long gun and some allow for private party transfer of handguns, said Alan Beck, one of the lawyers who filed the lawsuit and has lodged numerous other challenges to Hawaii weapons laws.

Roache’s mother wants to give him a firearm and ammunition, the lawsuit says.

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Federal law requires a person to be 21 to purchase a handgun from a licensed firearm dealer and 18 to buy a long gun from a dealer, according to Everytown for Gun Safety. There’s an 18-year-old minimum for handgun purchases from unlicensed sellers and no minimum age for long guns, according to the group’s research.

New York and Illinois also have broad laws limiting people under 21 from possessing firearms, said David Pucino, legal director and deputy chief counsel for the Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence.

“Hawai’i has some of the strongest gun laws in the country and it has among the very lowest gun death rates,” he said in a statement Thursday. “That’s not an accident, but it hasn’t stopped extremists from attacking Hawai’i’s gun laws at every turn.”

According to Everytown, firearms are the leading cause of death for young people ages 18 to 20, the firearm suicide rate in that age group has jumped 41% in the last decade, and 18- to 20-year-olds commit gun homicides at triple the rate of those 21 and older.

The Hawaii attorney general’s office said it had not been served with the complaint and declined to comment.

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“There can be no real argument that adults under 21 are not part of the national community,” the lawsuit said, noting that 18-to-20-year-olds have the right to vote. “They have the right to serve in the military and are otherwise full-fledged members of society and the People.”

The quest for a preliminary injunction against enforcing a prohibition on gun ownership for young adults comes as Hawaii continues to contend with a 2022 U.S. Supreme Court decision that said Americans have a right to carry firearms in public for self-defense.

The so-called Bruen decision upended gun laws nationwide and set a new standard for interpreting gun laws, such that modern firearm laws must be consistent with the nation’s historical tradition of firearm regulation.

There’s no historical tradition of prohibiting the purchase and ownership of firearms and ammunition by adults under 21, according to the lawsuit, which describes some of the nation’s founding figures such as Aaron Burr, who at 19 enlisted in the Continental Army with his own arms and ammunition, and James Monroe who did the same at 18.

Hawaii’s gun ownership ban for young adults dates to 1994, the lawsuit said. The state “doubled down” this year by prohibiting the possession of ammunition by those under 21, the lawsuit said.

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Danger Close Tactical in Honolulu and JGB Arms on Kauai are federally licensed firearms dealers who are plaintiffs in the case because they want to do business with customers who are 18 to 20 years old, the lawsuit said.

Another plaintiff is the Second Amendment Foundation, a nonprofit in Bellevue, Washington.



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First Alert Forecast: Bring out the sunscreen! Blue Skies and light winds

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First Alert Forecast: Bring out the sunscreen! Blue Skies and light winds


HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – Today thru the weekend, it’ll be nice beach weather during the daytime with light winds and minimal rainfall. A few windward showers are possible over the eastern half of the state, but an overall drier trend is expected heading into the weekend.

Gradually diminishing trade winds will deliver just a few showers to windward areas of the smaller islands for the next day or so, while windward Big Island will continue to receive passing showers. Light and variable winds and mostly dry weather are expected statewide from Thursday night into Sunday. A weak front may move over the islands from the northwest late this weekend. This front is expected to bring little in the way of rainfall, however, and winds will remain fairly light.

Download HNN’s weather app for everything you need to plan your day.(Hawaii News Now)

A series of northwest and north-northeast swells are due later this week. Several small bumps along the way for north shores, but a medium north swell builds today and an overlapping swell arrives late Saturday, peaking Sunday into Monday. Surf should remain below high surf advisory criteria for the foreseeable future.

Get weather updates every ten minutes and your 7-Day First Alert Forecast on HNN Sunrise, weekdays with Guy Hagi and weekends with Billy V. Meteorologist Drew Davis has your forecasts on This is Now, First at Four and Hawaii News Now at 6:30. And join Chief Meteorologist Jennifer Robbins at 5, 5:30, 6, 9 and 10 and Ben Gutierrez on weekends.

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