Hawaii
West Kauai to develop prospective dairy
HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – With Hawaii down to just one commercial dairy farm and heavily relying on imports, a West Kauai area has been proposed as a new development site.
According to Honolulu Civil Beat, Aloun Farms, a local produce farm, wants to develop a 500 acre site in the agricultural area into a new dairy farm.
Six years ago, plans to build a dairy on Kauai’s south shore were terminated following fierce backlash from the tourism industry and environmentalists, arguing that cow manure would pollute the ocean and air quality with their proximity to beachfront pools.
Aloun Farms has since proposed a new location for the dairy far away from tourist land.
The new desired West Kauai area has roughly 6,000 residents and fewer than 100 hotel rooms.
Hawaii once had 160 dairies, now the state imports 90% of its milk, a product that is vulnerable to price fluctuations.
Currently, an imported half-gallon milk carton in an average Kauai grocery store last week ranged from $5.29 to $8.99. In Honolulu, typical grocery store prices for a milk carton spanned from $4.99 to $7.29.
Aloun Farms President and General Manager Alec Sou projected that his new West Kauai dairy could lower the price of milk to somewhere between $3 and $4 per carton.
With the collapse of the Kekaha Sugar Company five years ago, the article reports that there are thousands of neglected acres of land leftover that could house the proposed dairy.
The company expects its proposal to go over better than the last dairy farm proposed for the island.
To read the full Civil Beat article, click here.
Copyright 2025 Hawaii News Now. All rights reserved.
HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – The Hawaii Foodbank will host a food drive on Monday for families affected by the federal government shutdown, but registration has already filled up.
The foodbank said the Government Shutdown Relief Food Distribution will take place on Monday from 9 to 11 a.m. at the Waipio Soccer Complex.
The foodbank said households must meet one of the following eligibility requirements:
- Currently receiving benefits from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)
- Experiencing loss of wages due to furlough (federal government employees only)
- Experiencing loss of employment (federal government employees only)
- Meeting income eligibility guidelines for assistance through the Emergency Food Assistance Program
The foodbank said that income eligibility requirements include:
| Household/Family Size | Annual Income equal to or less than: |
|---|---|
| 1 | $53,970 |
| 2 | $72,960 |
| 3 | 91,950 |
| 4 | 110,940 |
| 5 | 129,930 |
| 6 | 148,920 |
| 7 | 167,910 |
| 8 | 186,900 |
The foodbank said that households and families larger than eight should add $18,900 for each additional person.
Advanced registration for Monday’s food distribution was required.
As of 4:20 p.m., the Hawaii Foodbank said Monday’s event at the Waipio Soccer Complex is full.
Click here for more information on other food distribution events and additional resources.
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Copyright 2025 Hawaii News Now. All rights reserved.
LIHUE (HawaiiNewsNow) – Hula, memories and aloha filled the Kilohana Plantation grounds Saturday as hundreds turned out to honor the life of Jonelle Marie Leināʻala Pavao-Jardin.
She died on Oct. 4 at the age of 51 after a 15-month battle with pancreatic cancer.
“I knew my mom was such an amazing person, but she lived such a humble, humble life, so truly I didn’t know what to expect today, how many people would be here, but it’s felt so nice,” said her daughter, Jeslie Pavao.
As kumu hula for the award-winning Hālau Ka Lei Mokihana O Leināʻala, she touched countless lives over her nearly 30 years of teaching hula.
Generations of her dancers took the stage one last time for their kumu at her celebration of life.
“She was always kind. Even when we were dancing together with Kumu Ray, she was always funny, so much fun to be around. Just her spirit. She was always light. She was always so easy to get along with,” said Keano Kaupu, longtime friend and kumu hula of Hālau Hiʻiakaināmakalehua.
The celebration not only honored her life and rich legacy of hula, and highlighted her very strong sense of faith in that got her through so many of life’s challenges.
Daughter Jeslie said, “I went back to medical school two days after my mom passed. They asked me how I’ve done it and it’s really because of my faith in God and if I didn’t have my faith, I wouldn’t be OK and that truly comes from my mom and how she raised us to just trust Ke Akua, love him and follow his journey for us.”
Musician and longtime friend Ikaika Blackburn said, “She grew up surrounded by the warmth of her close-knit family where her parents instilled in her the values of love, kindness, generosity, and resilience that she carried with her and shared with each of us throughout her life.”
“That phrase, live like Leināʻala, so true. If you think of life like that, you going be happy,” said Kumu Keano.
As Kauai mourns the loss of her physical presence, they says her spirit will live on forever through the heart of the halau, now led by her daughter, Kumu Breeze Pavao.
Kumu Leināʻala leaves behind her husband, Sean, daughters Breeze and Jeslie, and son Napali.
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Copyright 2025 Hawaii News Now. All rights reserved.
HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – Nurses and respiratory therapists with the Hawaii Nurses’ Association presented a petition to Hawaii Pacific Health and Kapiolani Medical Center leaders, Friday, urging them to reach a resolution with staff currently on strike.
The hospital’s technicians, housekeeping staff, dietary team members, and others had been on strike for two weeks when the nurses and respiratory therapists intervened on behalf of their co-workers.
Nurses at Kapiolani Medical Center were locked out of their jobs for 22 days after they went on strike in September.
Nurses are urging hospital leaders to “put mothers, children and babies ahead of their own financial self-interests, return to the bargaining table to negotiate in good faith, and provide fair compensation for the employees represented by the Hawaii Teamsters and Allied Employees, Local 996.”
Copyright 2025 Hawaii News Now. All rights reserved.
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