Good morning, Honolulu.

Hawaii Foodbank is hosting Food Drive Day on Saturday, Aug.

29 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at several Oahu venues to raise funds & assist locals facing food insecurity, and donations will be accepted at select stores from Aug. 22 to 29.

A National Mochi Day event at Pearl City Shopping Center drew 1,000 visitors last Sunday to sample mochi treats — imported from Japan — with many vendors selling out early.

Another celebration will be held at Windward City Shopping Center Saturday, Aug. 8 from 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.

Newly crowned Miss Hawaii 2026 Carly Yoshida joined the Miss Hawaii Legacy sorority at an event held at Solera at The Ritz-Carlton Residences, Waikiki Beach where she received a handcrafted pendant symbolizing the legacy of past titleholders before heading to Miss America later.

Public school students return to class this week under a statewide policy that bans cell phone use during instructional time for all K-12 students, with high schools allowing limited use outside class.

The Department of Education is also offering new local farm-to-table meals and holding orientation sessions for incoming freshmen.

Hawaii's after-school care program for public elementary students will raise its monthly fee from $200 to $240 for the 2026-27 school year, but families with lower incomes may get help through the Department of Human Services.

University of Hawaiʻi researchers used drones on Aug.

3 to attach noninvasive suction-cup tags to humpback whales off Maui as part of a study to learn about their behavior. The project aimed to improve understanding of whale migration and health.

The Hawaii Department of Transportation began a $9.5 million flood mitigation project along Manoa Stream on Monday, Aug.

3. Crews will work Monday to Friday for four and a half months to clear debris and regrade slopes after severe flooding in March.

Oswald Stender, known as Uncle Oz, served as an OHA trustee from 2000 to 2014 and set strong examples of fiduciary duty by putting beneficiaries’ interests first.

His legacy, including voluntary resignation to protect trust values (loyalty, care and obedience), continues to guide local leadership.

Hundreds participated in the Freedom Run & Walk on Sunday at Kailua High School to break the stigma around epilepsy.

Organized by the Epilepsy Foundation of Hawaii, the event provided local residents with education and support.

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F.

Kennedy Jr. urged parents on Aug. 3 to vaccinate children for measles as students headed back to school, saying the vaccine is effective amid renewed vaccination requirements (guidelines are under review).

Demolition began Monday at the former Dee Lite Bakery property in Kalihi to prepare for 150 affordable housing units for low-income families — a project near the upcoming Mokauea Skyline station that supports Honolulu’s transit-accessible living efforts.