Lopaka Kapanui and his wife Tanya have continued the great tradition of the walking storytelling tour in Honolulu with "Mysteries of Hawaii". 

His mentor and late friend Glen Grant encouraged him to gather ghost stories while Tanya would later join Lopaka in deeper research on place names, family trees, and organizing timelines. One of the keys to their success is creating a space to speak on one’s own family, genealogy, and be the living link with your past-present-and-future. 

Kathy With a K is your host. 

"Hawaii Matters", a public service community program that airs on Sundays at 6:30 a.m. Hawaii across ⁠Pacific Media Group Oahu⁠ radio stations:⁠KDDB 102.7 Da Bomb⁠ |⁠ KQMQ HI93⁠ | ⁠KUMU 94.7 KUMU⁠ | ⁠KPOI 105.9 The Wave⁠

To be featured or for inquiries on "Hawaii Matters", please email: [email protected]

Why does the price of sashimi seem to go up around New Year's Eve? Why are there limits on certain fishing areas?

Our guests for "Hawaii Matters" this week are Alex Min of the Pacific Island Fisheries Group and Joshua DeMello of Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council. They talk about local fisheries, sustainability practices, and the potential impacts of an extended government shutdown on the fisheries.

Kathy With a K is your host. 

Learn more at the in-person public Hawaii Fishing Community meetings (Lanai at the Filipino Community Center on October 28; Maui at the Maui Beach Hotel on October 30; Kauai at Chiefess Kamkahelelei Middle School on November 4; Oahu at the Ala Moana Hotel on November 8; Molokai in December) and how to participate. Go to wpcouncil.org 

"Hawaii Matters", a public service community program that airs on Sundays at 6:30 a.m. Hawaii across ⁠Pacific Media Group Oahu⁠ radio stations:⁠KDDB 102.7 Da Bomb⁠ |⁠ KQMQ HI93⁠ | ⁠KUMU 94.7 KUMU⁠ | ⁠KPOI 105.9 The Wave⁠

To be featured or for inquiries on "Hawaii Matters", please email: [email protected]

Hawaii Matters, Hana Hou is a listen back with excerpts featuring past guests and this episode includes:

Candice Fajardo uses her personal experience as a parent and a Mom, to help local communities educate themselves and mothers-to-be on the benefits of healthy care before and after pregnancy. March of Dimes Hawaii works with local hospitals to assist with rural neighborhoods and in times of crisis, providing basic care essentials for Mom and Baby for the first few days of arrival. October is Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month and March of Dimes provides resources to help. (original broadcast: December 2024)

Devon Stapleton sailed with the University of Hawaii’s Women’s Sailing Team and saw the ocean and its inhabitants in different ways during her races, from the beach, and in the classroom. As DLNR Division of Aquatic Resources' Pelagic Protected Species Outreach Associate, she wants the public to get involved. One important way is reporting and recording the sharks, turtles, and whales you see from the shore and beaches. (original broadcast: October 2024) 

Kathy With a K is your host"Hawaii Matters", a public service community program that airs on Sundays at 6:30 a.m. Hawaii across ⁠Pacific Media Group Oahu⁠ radio stations: ⁠KDDB 102.7 Da Bomb⁠ |⁠ KQMQ HI93⁠ | ⁠KUMU 94.7 KUMU⁠ | ⁠KPOI 105.9 The Wave⁠

To be featured or for inquiries on "Hawaii Matters", please email: [email protected]

Kasey Crispin, Communications Lead with the Hawaii ‘Ulu Cooperative, shares her personal experience as a Hawaii Island farmer on the rewards and challenges of stewarding the land that focuses on breadfruit or ‘ulu, as well as other canoe crops.

October is “Farm to School Month” in Hawaii and you or keiki you know may have enjoyed ‘ulu or breadfruit on the menu – mixed into a bread or cake mix in flour form, blended with spices as a hummus, or as is.

One way to familiarize students, educators, and food service staff on the versatility of ‘ulu, pala’ai, kalo, and ‘uala is through their ongoing "Ho'opili 'Ai" program or “Farm to School Sampler Boxes”. 

Learn what agroforestry is and how one 'ulu tree can make a difference in your community.

Kathy With a K is your host.

"Hawaii Matters", a public service community program that airs on Sundays at 6:30 a.m. Hawaii across ⁠Pacific Media Group Oahu⁠ radio stations: ⁠KDDB 102.7 Da Bomb⁠ |⁠ KQMQ HI93⁠ | ⁠KUMU 94.7 KUMU⁠ | ⁠KPOI 105.9 The Wave⁠

To be featured or for inquiries on "Hawaii Matters", please email: [email protected]

Hawaii Matters, Hana Hou is a listen back with excerpts featuring past guests and this episode includes:

Sanoe Marfil, CEO of the Institute for Native Pacific Education and Culture (INPEACE). This clip begins on their statewide meetups that are now done in person and a bit on how they've grown to service beyond Nanakuli and West Oahu (original airing: May 25, 2025)

Andria Tupola, Honolulu City Council - District 1 (original airing: January 2024)

Amy Miller, CEO of Hawaii Foodbank (original airing: April 27, 2025)

Mahalo to our past "Hawaii Matters" hosts, Devon Nekoba and Michael T

"Hawaii Matters", a public service community program that airs on Sundays at 6:30 a.m. Hawaii across ⁠Pacific Media Group Oahu⁠ radio stations:

⁠KDDB 102.7 Da Bomb⁠ |⁠ KQMQ HI93⁠ | ⁠KUMU 94.7 KUMU⁠ | ⁠KPOI 105.9 The Wave⁠

To be featured or for inquiries on "Hawaii Matters", please email: [email protected]

Molly Schmidt, CEO of the American Red Cross, Pacific Islands Region, recognizes the works of volunteerism on a grassroots level and how it can inform an individual to do more for their community.

She shares the need for everyday people to brush up on their CPR certification, take a babysitting course, and visit the Hawaii Red Cross website to discover what you excel at to be of service in your neighborhood, starting at home.

Molly Schmidt speaks on the history and a few significant public figures of Hawaii Red Cross, and shares her personal experiences when working with other agencies during the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami and the 2023 Maui Wildland Fires. Kathy With a K is your host.  

"Hawaii Matters", a public service community program that airs on Sundays at 6:30 a.m. Hawaii across Pacific Media Group Oahu radio stations:

KDDB 102.7 Da Bomb | KQMQ HI93 | KUMU 94.7 KUMU | KPOI 105.9 The Wave

To be featured or for inquiries on "Hawaii Matters", please email: [email protected]

Randal Tiu sees how work sites can be better with safety protocols and proper training. When the job supervisor has the updated guidelines in place for their employees, that can help ensure each person understands their role.

His current role is as a Hawaii Occupational Safety and Health Administration and Technical Support Branch Manager. There are a few ways Employers can continue to build upon a safer work environment and that's with one or all of HIOSH's:

Consultation and Training Programs

HIOSH's Cooperative Programs

These are additional links to what was discussed in this episode:

Hawaii Voluntary Protection Program (HVPP)

Safety and Health Achievement Recognition Program (SHARP)

Official site for Hawaii Occupational Safety and Health (HIOSH).

(original radio broadcast: September 21, 2025)

For "Hawaii Matters" inquiries, please email: [email protected]

Salmah Rizvi is Executive Director and CEO of the ACLU of Hawaii. She encourages folks to know about your rights as a citizen in Hawaii and the US. Learn about the ACLU does, its Foundation, their mission, and current works with its Hawaii chapter.

ACLU of Hawaii is a non-political, non-partisan organization that strives to defend the constitutional rights and free speech of its community.

Salmah Rizvi shares details about ACLU of Hawaii’s 60th Annual People’s Fair on Saturday, November 16, 2025 from 11 a.m to 5 p.m. at Capitol Modern in Honolulu.

Kathy With a K is your Host.(original broadcast date: September 14, 2025)

For Hawaii Matters inquiries, please email: [email protected]

Amanda Luning was a volunteer with Hawaii FASD for almost a decade before becoming their Executive Director.

Her work with children, young adults, and older adults has helped her in educating the community to reduce and eliminate alcohol and drug use when pregnant.

A better way to prevention is having an understanding in what FASDs are and how to become involved on the local level. A frank and candid conversation ahead of International Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders [FASD] Day, observed annually on September 9th.

Kathy With a K is your Host.

Pacific Media Group Oahu radio stations include 102.7 Da Bomb, 94.7 KUMU, HI93, and 105.9 The Wave.

For "Hawaii Matters" inquires, please email [email protected]

Hawaii's healthcare system will always have room for physicians, nurses, and volunteers. At Kaiser Permanente Hawaii, they offer ways for those with interests in caregiving and medicine to discover which pathway best suits the individual.

"Hawaii Matters" talks story with Dr. Serena Lo, Jackie Fernando, and JABSOM third-year medical student Brent Shimoda, on how their paths crossed to further evolve this innovative concept into reality. They each share how the program helped them pay-it-forward, in and out of the hospital.

In "Hawaii Matters, Hana Hou", an excerpt from June 2025 on HIOSH's Whistleblower Protection Program with supervisor Lovelle Koike. A listen on "what 'retaliation' or 'adverse actions' mean in relation to HIOSH filings.

Kathy With a K is your host. Image (left to right): Serena Lo, MD, Geriatric Medicine Physician, Kaiser Permanente Hawaii; Jackie Fernando, Operations Manager, Volunteer Services, Kaiser Permanente Hawaii; Kathy With a K, Host of "Hawaii Matters", Pacific Media Group; Brent Shimoda, 3rd year Medical Student, John A. Burns School of Medicine, University of Hawaii at Manoa[original radio broadcast: August 31, 2025]

Pacific Media Group Oahu radio stations include 102.7 Da Bomb, 94.7 KUMU, HI93, and 105.9 The Wave.

For "Hawaii Matters" inquiries, please email [email protected]