Imperial echoes: Renaming and its forgotten consequences

While the renaming of the Gulf of Mexico may seem like a symbolic gesture, it reflects a broader pattern of asserting dominance through acts of rebranding. The reversion of Denali to Mount McKinley, however, strikes closer to home for Native Hawaiians, as it underscores the painful legacies of U.S. expansionism.

President McKinley’s legacy in Hawai‘i is inseparable from the annexation of the islands during the Spanish-American War, a land grab that also included the Philippines and Cuba. For many Native Hawaiians, McKinley is not a figure of greatness but a symbol of stolen sovereignty—a leader who absorbed their homeland into the United States without consent, perpetuating the broader narrative of American imperialism

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From holidays to headlines: Politics Hawaii talks 2025 with KHON

As Hawaii transitions out of the holiday season and into the new year, Politics Hawaii with Stan Fichtman was once again featured on KHON 2 News, sharing insights (or mana’o) on the key issues to watch in 2025.

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A quiet election with some big shifts – tidbits from the results

The 2024 General Election may have seemed like a typical, low-key local affair, but it delivered a few surprises that weren’t exactly on anyone’s radar before November 5.

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Financial Strain in Hawaiʻi : The SMS Update and Key Lessons for Local Businesses on Navigating Procurement Challenges

The key question emerging from the shutdown of SMS is whether Hawaiʻi’s government and private entities are helping or harming local firms through their procurement rules and procedures when hiring local firms for consulting and other work. Additionally, it raises the issue of whether the “buy local” philosophy is genuinely supported by these rules.

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Hirono’s 2024 commercial: featuring local roots and national advocacy

Senator Hirono, therefore, is providing a strategic reminder that fierce advocacy can attract resources back home, even if it clashes with the local preference for subtlety. Which, despite our wish that it was not, is a more effective way to get things done in Washington DC.

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DBEDT, HHFDC navigate a smooth transition following SMS collapse

The State Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism (DBEDT) and the Hawai‘i Housing Finance & Development Corporation (HHFDC) have recently confirmed that the state contracts previously held by SMS Research & Marketing Services, which recently shut down operations, have been transferred to other entities.

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SMS Vanishes: State Contracts in Limbo

So the question now becomes more focused as to the current situation at hand, that a company with a large value, and with their work with Maui and the Lahaina wildfire, high profile studies, that in the matter of a few days, the company has shuttered its doors?

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