Good Neighbor Fund: Safety comes at a price for Kalihi family

• By Pat Gee
• Dec. 5, 2021

Moving from the Philippines to Hawaii to live with her new husband in 2018 turned out to be a big mistake for Helengrace Cabasal and her two boys. Read more

Persnickety poinsettias from Haleiwa nursery arrive for the holiday season

• By Pat Gee
• Nov. 28, 2021

This month, thousands of rows of poinsettias at the Alluvion Inc. nursery/florist in Haleiwa turned red, pink and white just in time for holiday decorations, the culmination of meticulous cultivation that started in July. Read more

Church seeks nominations for Martin Luther King Jr. Peacemaker Award

• By Pat Gee
• Nov. 8, 2021

The Church of the Crossroads is calling on the community for nominations for its annual Martin Luther King Jr. Peacemaker Award. Read more

Manoa Chinese Cemetery, rooted in the tradition of honoring ancestors, is struggling to stay afloat

• By Pat Gee
• Nov. 7, 2021

Local families who have trekked to the Manoa Chinese Cemetery every spring to honor their late relatives during the Ching Ming season don’t often realize that the 170-year-old burial ground is a virtual historical and cultural treasure chest. Read more

Women’s Fund of Hawaii grants offset effects of pandemic

• By Pat Gee
• Nov. 1, 2021

The Women’s Fund of Hawaii recently bestowed over $60,000 in special grants to several nonprofits that support the social welfare of women and girls, who research has shown suffered more adverse effects from COVID-19’s impact on the economy. Read more

When it comes to mango trees, it’s all about managing growth

• By Pat Gee
• Oct. 17, 2021

Now that the last mango has been picked and your tree seems to have doubled in size, it’s time to trim the branches sprouting over the roof and encroaching into the neighbor’s yard. Read more

Joe Green, owner of Surf N Sea in Haleiwa, has fought back against storms, termite damage and now a pandemic

• By Pat Gee
• Oct. 10, 2021

Owner Joe Green has replaced almost every stick in the landmark Surf N Sea building in Haleiwa, or you could say, board by board. Read more

New Kaimuki shop Plantoem captures the poetry of plants

• By Pat Gee
• Sept. 19, 2021

Growing houseplants was only a hobby until COVID-19 put Zoe Zhang out of a job last year. In August she turned an online venture into her dream business — a community garden cafe. Read more

Meal program helps Windward Community College students succeed

• By Pat Gee
• Aug. 29, 2021

Students just scraping by on scholarships at Windward Community College are being nourished by a free meal program that fortifies their ability to concentrate on their studies, and consequently, boosts their graduation rates. Read more

Kauai girl receives national award for service after starting community food pantry

• By Pat Gee
• Aug. 22, 2021

Young philanthropist Emilia Knudsen of Kapaa, Kauai, who raised funds to open a free food pantry during the height of the pandemic, has received The President’s Volunteer Service Gold Award for 2020. Read more

A Laie family has cultivated a backyard orchid farm into a thriving vanilla business

• By Pat Gee
• Aug. 15, 2021

Every morning from 6 a.m. to noon, Saili Levi and his 8-year-old daughter Malie hand-pollinate the flowers of the vanilla orchid vines they grow for the Laie Vanilla Co., their family business. Read more

Amid its 50th anniversary, Kokua Market is facing its biggest fight to stay alive

• By Pat Gee
• Aug. 8, 2021

Kokua Market in Moiliili is hoping to beef up sales over the next four weeks with the addition of a new in-store butcher shop to survive a dire financial slump that may force the cooperative to close this fall. Read more

Kumu Kahua Theatre calls for playwrights, will stream festival for free this weekend

• By Star-Advertiser staff
• Aug. 5, 2021

Kumu Kahua Theatre is kicking off a monthly playwriting contest this month and will allow the public to watch its entire 50th season of productions free of charge for one weekend. Read more

Garden Variety: Monstera’s little-known fruit lies hidden among its leaves

• By Pat Gee
• July 18, 2021

Monstera, a popular icon of a tropical garden, is a rigorous climbing vine with monstrous leaves. But most people are unaware that the most commonly known species produces fruit that tastes like a cross between a banana and a pineapple. Read more

Nisshodo Candy Store in Kalihi has been turning out mochi and other Japanese confections for 100 years

• By Pat Gee
• July 18, 2021

For 100 years, the Nisshodo Candy Store has been making mochi and other traditional Japanese confections by hand, and they’re basically doing it the same way taught by owner Mike Hirao’s late grandfather, who had mastered the process in Hiroshima, Japan. Read more

St. Elizabeth’s Episcopal Church’s Wallyhouse outreach program in Kalihi welcomes the homeless

• By Pat Gee
• June 27, 2021

Jinna Stevens and Lovely ­Reiger can identify with the hundreds of people who wait in line each week for a hot meal and groceries from St. Elizabeth’s Episcopal Church’s Wallyhouse outreach program in Kalihi-Palama. Read more

Garden Variety: Orchid expert offers tips to keep plants in bloom

• By Pat Gee
• June 20, 2021

When it comes to getting orchids to flower, it always comes down to the water. Read more

Hawaii celebrates summer obon season with drive-thru bento sales, virtual events

• By Pat Gee
• June 6, 2021

There’s nothing like the gaiety of a Japanese community bon dance, with thousands of people of all ages clapping and dancing in circles. Read more

Bay View Mini-Putt and Zipline in Kaneohe caters to seniors looking to keep active

• By Pat Gee
• May 30, 2021

They’re in their 70s, but the two women gliding through the air on the Kaneohe zip line did it with as much ease as that proverbial daring young man on the flying trapeze. Read more

Virtual bon dance ushers in obon season at Hawaii’s Plantation Village

• By Pat Gee
• May 30, 2021

Hawaii’s Plantation Village, the outdoor history museum in Waipahu, kicks off the Japanese obon season with its first virtual bon dance Saturday, but the day’s in-person activities include a drive-thru pick up for bento, and shopping at a craft sale. Read more

As COVID-19 restrictions ease, Hawaii restaurants struggle to hire workers

• By Pat Gee
• May 29, 2021

StripSteak Waikiki is offering a $600 sign-up bonus at its job fair Tuesday and Wednesday for anyone who is accepted for a position when it reopens in late June. Read more