Happy weekend, Hawaii! Spectrum News Hawaii is excited to launch a new weekly series, where we recap the top stories you may have missed throughout the week.
Note: The stories below have been truncated, so please click on the links to read them in their entirety.
This week’s big stories
1. View 3 historic Hawaii paintings at Honolulu Museum of Art
Three exceptional 19th century paintings are about to make their appearance at the Honolulu Museum of Art for a limited time starting Wednesday.
These painting are of deep cultural and historical importance to Hawaii and are rarely accessible to the public. Usually displayed at Kamehameha Schools’ Kapalama campus, they are being loaned to the museum because of renovations being done at the school over the next two years.
“The Honolulu Museum of Art is honored to share this historic art with a wider audience,” said Catherine Whitney, HoMA’s director of curatorial affairs, in a release. “These significant works will enhance the stories we are telling in our galleries.”
Two of the paintings are by British court painter John Hayter — one of Governor of Oahu Boki and his wife Liliha and another of Queen Kamāmalu. The third painting is a landscape scene of Hilo Bay by Joseph Nāwahī, famous for its appearance on the popular TV series “Antiques Roadshow” in 2006 after being “discovered” in an antique shop on Hawaii Island.
2. University of Hawaii to have on-campus tailgating for all 7 home games of 2025 football season
The University of Hawaii executed a dry run for on-campus tailgating in the final game of the 2024 season.
The school feels it’s ready for the full experience in 2025.
UH announced Wednesday that all seven contests at the Clarence T.C. Ching Athletics Complex for the fall season will include an Upper Campus pregame tailgating component in Zone 13 along Correa Road — a series of parking lots stretching from Kennedy Theatre to Campus Center.
Season tailgating passes will go for $250 per vehicle. UH has 270 stalls to allot; it still forbids tailgating in the Lower Campus parking structure also known as Zone 20.
3. Hawaii boat owners can now register vessels online
The DLNR Division of Boating and Ocean Recreation has launched its new online renewal portal for boat owners looking to renew their vessel registration.
"We would like to thank everyone for their patience while we worked through development and implementation of this system," said DOBOR Administrator Meghan Statts in a release. "In today's world, it only makes sense that boaters can conveniently renew online."
Boat owners can still renew in-person at the Vessel Registration and Titling Office at 4 Sand Island Access Road on Oahu or at the nearest DOBOR Neighbor Island District Office.
4. Undefeated Mililani, Moanalua gain 1st OIA girls flag football championship game
The only undefeated flag football teams in the Oahu Interscholastic Association will get a shot at the league’s first title in the sport.
OIA East and West frontrunners Moanalua and Mililani ousted Nanakuli and Campbell, 20-0 and 25-14, respectively, in the semifinals held at Na Menehune’s field on Wednesday night.
The games were the first two broadcast on Spectrum OC16 in this launch year for flag statewide.
Both featured a dynamic quarterback that led their team to victory.
In the first semifinal, Mililani shifty sophomore signal-caller Zenn Nelson accounted for four touchdowns, including three in the second half.
“In the beginning (of the season), not everybody was able to catch or didn't get the concept of football, but … we just worked a lot, and even Sunday practices, we would always wake up early in the morning to go to work,” Nelson said afterward. “So this win means a lot to us, and making it to states and the championship for the first year is honestly means a lot to us.”
5. Kauai residents have a new resource to fight against invasive CRB
Kauai County’s Office of Economic Development aims to keep residents informed of the invasive Coconut Rhinoceros Beetle that threatens the island’s environment, agriculture and way of life with a new resource page.
Residents, farmers and businesses can access the Coconut Rhinoceros Beetle webpage to learn how to identify CRB, take action and report possible infestations. Find photos of beetles and the damage they cause, as well as prevention tips, reporting tools and updates from local and state partners working to combat the spread of CRB.
“CRB is a serious threat to our island’s natural resources and local economy,” stated Office of Economic Development Director Nalani Brun in a release. “By creating this resource page, we aim to give our community the tools they need to be informed, stay alert and act quickly.”
OED also encourages the public to follow @KuiKauai on Instagram run by the agency. It not only shares updates about CRB including how to detect it, what to do if you see it and where to find help, but also highlights other OED projects and initiatives.
6. Hawaii men's volleyball comes back to beat No. 1 Long Beach State in 5-set classic
As the occasional chee-hoo registered over the din of buzzing fans in a delirious Stan Sheriff Center, a dazed Kurt Nusterer endeavored to describe what took place.
“Fifteen-thirteen in the fifth against the number one team in the country, sold-out Stan on senior night — doesn’t get better than that,” the Hawaii volleyball team leader said.
In front of a raucous sellout crowd ( 9,771 through the turnstiles), the No. 4 Hawaii men’s volleyball team pulled off a rousing comeback to defeat No. 1 Long Beach State in five sets in the 2025 home finale at the Stan Sheriff Center on Saturday night.
Louis Sakanoko put down the last two kills of the night after the Beach rallied to tie the match at 13 in Set 5, the last of a dramatic series of twists and momentum swings that prompted UH coach Charlie Wade to mix and match lineups all night.
